Enabling and Localizing Omnidirectional Nonlinear Deformation in Liquid Crystalline Elastomers.

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are widely recognized for their exceptional promise as actuating materials. Here, the comparatively less celebrated but also compelling nonlinear response of these materials to mechanical load is examined. Prior examinations of planarly aligned LCEs exhibit unidirectional nonlinear deformation to mechanical loads.

Treatment Outcomes and Health Care Resource Utilization in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Receiving Lenalidomide-only Maintenance, Any Maintenance, or No Maintenance: Results from the Connect MM Registry.

Purpose: Maintenance therapy after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) improves clinical outcomes in multiple myeloma (MM), but the effect of continued treatment with lenalidomide-only maintenance, or any maintenance, on health care resource utilization (HCRU) is largely unknown.

Methods: Here we present an analysis of HCRU and clinical outcomes in a cohort of patients from the Connect MM registry, the largest, ongoing, observational, prospective US registry of patients with symptomatic newly diagnosed MM. In this study, patients with newly diagnosed MM who completed induction and single ASCT without subsequent consolidation received lenalidomide-only maintenance (n = 180), any maintenance (n = 256), or no maintenance (n = 165).

Impact of post-ASCT maintenance therapy on outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma in Connect MM.

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) followed by lenalidomide maintenance therapy is the standard of care for transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Clinical trials show progression-free survival (PFS) benefits, with some studies (Cancer and Leukemia Group [CALGB] trial and meta-analysis) also showing overall survival (OS) benefits, but applicability to real-world clinical settings is unclear. Using data from Connect MM, the largest US-based observational registry of NDMM patients, we analyzed effects of maintenance therapy on long-term outcomes in 1450 treated patients enrolled from 2009 to 2011.

Concussion Rates Differ by Practice Type and Equipment Worn in an Autonomy Five Collegiate Football Conference.

Objective: Evaluate the rate of concussions across Big 12 Conference football programs based on (1) equipment worn, (2) contact level, (3) preseason practice versus in-season practice versus games, and (4) mechanism of injury for concussion.

Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Setting: Big 12 Conference football practices and competitions.

Body size, body norms and some unintended consequences of obesity intervention in the Pacific islands.

Background: Pacific Islanders have experienced over 50 years of obesity interventions-the longest of any region in the world. Yet, obesity-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continue to rise. 'Traditional' body norms have been cited as barriers to these interventions.

Heterogeneity of Second-Line Treatment for Patients With Multiple Myeloma in the Connect MM Registry (2010-2016).

Background: The treatment landscape for multiple myeloma (MM) has undergone recent changes with the regulatory approval of several new therapies indicated for second- and later-line disease. Using data from Connect MM, the largest multisite, primarily community-based, prospective, observational registry of MM patients in the United States, selection of second-line treatments was evaluated during a 5-year period from 2010 to 2016.

Patients And Methods: Eligible patients were aged ≥ 18 years, had newly diagnosed MM ≤ 2 months before study entry, and were followed for up to 8 years.

Stretchable Optomechanical Fiber Sensors for Pressure Determination in Compressive Medical Textiles.

Medical textiles are widely used to exert pressure on human tissues during treatment of post-surgical hematoma, burn-related wounds, chronic venous ulceration, and other maladies. However, the inability to dynamically sense and adjust the applied pressure often leads to suboptimal pressure application, prolonging treatment or resulting in poor patient outcomes. Here, a simple strategy for measuring sub-bandage pressure by integrating stretchable optomechanical fibers into elastic bandages is demonstrated.

Graph complexity analysis identifies an ETV5 tumor-specific network in human and murine low-grade glioma.

Conventional differential expression analyses have been successfully employed to identify genes whose levels change across experimental conditions. One limitation of this approach is the inability to discover central regulators that control gene expression networks. In addition, while methods for identifying central nodes in a network are widely implemented, the bioinformatics validation process and the theoretical error estimates that reflect the uncertainty in each step of the analysis are rarely considered.

Identifying and Quantifying the Unintended Variability in Common Systematic Observation Instruments to Measure Youth Physical Activity.

Background: Direct observation protocols may introduce variability in physical activity estimates.

Methods: Thirty-five physical education lessons were video recorded and coded using the System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT). A multistep process examined variability in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA%; walking + vigorous/total scans).

Lung ultrasound compared to chest X-ray for diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia: A meta-analysis.

Objective: Although a clinical diagnosis, the standard initial imaging modality for patients with concern for pediatric community acquired pneumonia (pCAP) is a chest x-ray (CXR), which has a relatively high false negative rate, exposes patients to ionizing radiation, and may not be available in resource limited settings. The primary objective of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the accuracy of lung ultrasound (LUS) compared to CXR for the diagnosis of pCAP.

Methods: Data were collected via a systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science with dates up to August 2017.

Repeat Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant for Refractory Cystoid Macular Edema in Syphilitic Uveitis.

Purpose: To report the successful utilization of adjunctive repeat intravitreal corticosteroid therapy for the treatment of cystoid macular edema in syphilis-related uveitis.

Methods/patients: An HIV-positive patient with treated ocular syphilis who developed refractory cystoid macular edema (CME) was treated with repeat intravitreal corticosteroid therapy including dexamethasone intravitreal implants.

Results: Treatment led to the resolution of CME and improvement in visual acuity.

Femoral anteversion assessment: Comparison of physical examination, gait analysis, and EOS biplanar radiography.

Background: Multiple measurement methods are available to assess transverse plane alignment of the lower extremity.

Research Question: This study was performed to determine the extent of correlation between femoral anteversion assessment using simultaneous biplanar radiographs and three-dimensional modeling (EOS imaging), clinical hip rotation by physical examination, and dynamic hip rotation assessed by gait analysis.

Methods: Seventy-seven patients with cerebral palsy (GMFCS Level I and II) and 33 neurologically typical children with torsional abnormalities completed a comprehensive gait analysis with same day biplanar anterior-posterior and lateral radiographs and three-dimensional transverse plane assessment of femoral anteversion.

Antenatal care satisfaction in a developing country: a cross-sectional study from Nigeria.

Background: Utilization of Antenatal Care (ANC) is very low in Nigeria. Self-reported patient satisfaction may be useful to identify provider- and facility-specific factors that can be improved to increase ANC satisfaction and utilization.

Methods: Exit interview data collected from ANC users and facility assessment survey data from 534 systematically selected facilities in four northern Nigerian states were used.

Disentangling the roles of point-of-sale ban, tobacco retailer density and proximity on cessation and relapse among a cohort of smokers: findings from ITC Canada Survey.

Objective: To examine how point-of-sale (POS) display bans, tobacco retailer density and tobacco retailer proximity were associated with smoking cessation and relapse in a cohort of smokers in Canada, where provincial POS bans were implemented differentially over time from 2004 to 2010.

Methods: Data from the 2005 to 2011 administrations of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Canada Survey, a nationally representative cohort of adult smokers, were linked via residential geocoding with tobacco retailer data to derive for each smoker a measure of retailer density and proximity. An indicator variable identified whether the smoker's province banned POS displays at the time of the interview.

Efficacy of a Clinic-Based Safer Sex Program for Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Uninfected and Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To test the efficacy of a single-session, clinic-based intervention designed to promote condom use among young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM).

Methods: Six hundred YBMSM were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial, using a 12-month observation period. An intent-to-treat analysis was performed, with multiple imputation for missing data.

Evaluation of Single- Dual-Tube Thoracostomy after Thoracotomy for Trauma.

Draining the chest cavity with two chest tubes after thoracotomy for trauma is controversial. This article aims to determine whether using two tubes after thoracotomy for trauma is more effective than using a single tube. A 9-year retrospective review (2007-2015) was performed at our academic level I trauma center.

The Dangers of Equivocal FAST in Trauma Resuscitation.

Equivocal focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) examinations confound decision-making for trauma surgeons. We sought to determine whether the equivocal FAST (defined as any nonconcordant result) has a deleterious effect on trauma outcomes. A 2-year review (2014-2015) of all trauma activations at our Level I trauma center was performed.

Arterial tortuosity syndrome: 40 new families and literature review.

Purpose: We delineate the clinical spectrum and describe the histology in arterial tortuosity syndrome (ATS), a rare connective tissue disorder characterized by tortuosity of the large and medium-sized arteries, caused by mutations in SLC2A10.

Methods: We retrospectively characterized 40 novel ATS families (50 patients) and reviewed the 52 previously reported patients. We performed histology and electron microscopy (EM) on skin and vascular biopsies and evaluated TGF-β signaling with immunohistochemistry for pSMAD2 and CTGF.

A Comprehensive Approach to Convert a Radiology Department From Coding Based on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, to Coding Based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to adapt our radiology reports to provide the documentation required for specific International Classification of Diseases, tenth rev (ICD-10) diagnosis coding.

Materials And Methods: Baseline data were analyzed to identify the reports with the greatest number of unspecified ICD-10 codes assigned by computer-assisted coding software. A two-part quality improvement initiative was subsequently implemented.

Cataract Surgery Outcomes in Eyes With Primary Epiretinal Membrane.

Importance: Primary epiretinal membrane (ERM) is a common retinal disorder with a prevalence of 4% to 18.5%. Although ERM and cataracts commonly occur together, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated the outcome of cataract surgery alone in this setting.

Persistence of social jetlag and sleep disruption in healthy young adults.

Sleep disruption has been associated with increased risks for several major chronic diseases that develop over decades. Differences in sleep/wake timing between work and free days can result in the development of social jetlag (SJL), a chronic misalignment between a person's preferred sleep/wake schedule and sleep/wake timing imposed by his/her work schedule. Only a few studies have examined the persistence of SJL or sleep disruption over time.

Lichen planus pigmentosus inversus in children: Case report and updated review of the literature.

Lichen planus pigmentosus inversus (LPPI) is a rare variant of lichen planus characterized by slate grey to dark black-brown macules, papules, or patches occurring in the skin folds. We present a case of LPPI in an 11-year-old girl, the second-youngest case and only the third pediatric case. This article also reviews the differential diagnosis and treatment of LPPI.

Tocilizumab for the management of immune mediated adverse events secondary to PD-1 blockade.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are poised to revolutionize the management of a growing number of malignancies. Unfortunately, the management of steroid-refractory immune mediated adverse events is based on a paucity of randomized data and limited to single center experiences. Our initial experience with the IL-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab showed clinical improvement in a wide variety of irAEs.