Publications by authors named "J Toman"

Total knee arthroplasty is a widely endorsed surgical intervention, extensively recognized within the orthopedic field for its efficacy in significantly reducing pain and enhancing overall mobility in patients suffering from advanced stages of osteoarthritis. Despite a general consensus on the core procedural steps, the rapid advancements in implant technology and the nuanced techniques in knee reconstruction have inevitably introduced subtle variations in surgical approaches. These variations often emerge due to individual surgeon preferences, their unique expertise, and comfort levels with specific techniques.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study evaluated the effectiveness of stellate ganglion block (SGB) as a treatment for refractory ventricular arrhythmias, focusing on patient characteristics and success predictors.
  • The analysis involved 117 patients from the Czech Republic and the US, with results showing that age negatively impacted SGB success, while a higher left ventricular ejection fraction hinted at improved outcomes.
  • Overall, SGB was effective across different types of arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy causes, but elderly patients saw less benefit in arrhythmia suppression within 24 hours post-treatment.
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Objectives: Hearing loss is a highly prevalent condition; however, it is widely under-treated, and Black Americans have been found to have significantly lower rates of hearing aid utilization than other ethnic/racial groups. In this exploratory study, we aimed to identify hearing health beliefs among Black adults, guided by the Health Belief Model, with social determinants of health, and examine individual differences in these perspectives.

Design: The Hearing Beliefs Questionnaire (HBQ) was administered online to measure constructs of the Health Belief Model among 200 Black adults aged 18 to 75 ( M = 39.

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The gradual decrease in the prevalence of serious infectious diseases over the last century has been followed by increase in so called "modern" diseases, including allergies, chronic inflammatory conditions, psychiatric, and metabolic disorders. Between 2019 and 2022, public awareness of the threat of infectious diseases in humans was renewed by the global pandemic of a new type of a coronavirus, the SARS-COV-2. This public interest opened improved possibilities to test hypotheses on the factors associated with inter-individual variation in susceptibility to infectious and "modern" diseases.

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The European Union legislation regarding ochratoxin A (OTA) in various foodstuffs has changed relatively recently. Nevertheless, the legislation does not regulate OTA in any meat and meat-derived products. In this legislation update, the European Commission requested new studies, including, besides others, the presence of OTA in hams, which raises the concern that its consumption may pose a potential risk of exposure to OTA.

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