Superficial abdominal reflex in syringomyelia: Associations with Chiari I malformation.

An abnormal or absent superficial abdominal reflex (SAR) may be associated with an underlying spinal cord syrinx. The sensitivity of an abnormal or absent SAR and the relationship to Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) or syrinx morphology has not been studied. We aimed to describe the relationship between SAR abnormalities and syrinx size, location, and etiology.

Repeat procedures and prescription opioid use after lumbar medial branch nerve radiofrequency ablation in commercially insured patients.

Purpose: Although the effectiveness of medial branch nerve radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for lumbosacral facet pain has been described, little is known regarding patterns of repeat RFA utilization and prescription opioid use afterward.

Design: Retrospective cohort analysis.

Patient Sample: Patients undergoing lumbosacral RFA in MarketScan from 2007 to 2016.

Beta-blocker Use is Associated with a Reduction in Opioid Use 30 Days After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) can lead to chronic pain and prolonged postoperative opioid use. There are few evidence-based interventions to prevent these outcomes. Recently, beta-blockers have emerged as possible novel analgesics.

Trends in lumbar radiofrequency ablation utilization from 2007 to 2016.

Background Context: Lumbar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an intervention used to treat facet-mediated chronic low back pain. In some studies with methods consistent with clinical practice guidelines, RFA results in improvements in pain and functional limitations. However, in other studies, RFA demonstrates limited benefit.

Labetalol Use Is Associated With Increased In-Hospital Infection Compared With Nicardipine Use in Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background And Purpose: Increased sympathetic tone causes hypertension after intracerebral hemorrhage, and blood pressure reduction has been studied as a way to decrease hemorrhage growth and improve outcomes. It is unknown if the antihypertensive used to achieve blood pressure goals influences either. Because sympatholytic drugs reduce death and infection in animal models, we hypothesized that labetalol would improve outcomes compared with nicardipine.

Increased infections with β-blocker use in ischemic stroke, a β-receptor mediated process?

Strokes promote immunosuppression, partially from increased sympathetic activity. Altering sympathetic drive with β-blockers has variably been shown to improve stroke outcomes. This study adds to this literature using propensity score matching to limit confounding and by examining the effects of selective and non-selective β-blockers.

Weekend Discharge and Stroke Quality of Care: Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Data from a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Objective: Get With The Guidelines-Stroke collects data on hospital compliance with evidence-based stroke quality of care indicators. Prior work has investigated a link between weekend hospital admission and increased mortality after stroke. There is, however, a paucity of work investigating a similar association between weekend hospital discharge and quality of care.

Improving the care of elderly adults undergoing surgery in Michigan.

Objectives: To determine whether failure to rescue, as a driver of mortality, can be used to identify which hospitals attenuate the specific risks inherent to elderly adults undergoing surgery.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: State-wide surgical collaborative in Michigan.

Minimal effect of lipid charge on membrane miscibility phase behavior in three ternary systems.

Giant unilamellar vesicles composed of a ternary mixture of phospholipids and cholesterol exhibit coexisting liquid phases over a range of temperatures and compositions. A significant fraction of lipids in biological membranes are charged. Here, we present phase diagrams of vesicles composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids, which are zwitterionic; phosphatidylglycerol (PG) lipids, which are anionic; and cholesterol (Chol).