Publications by authors named "Joseph Raphael"
Article Synopsis
- This study explores the relationship between psoas muscle size (measured by cross-sectional area) and bone health in patients undergoing spine fusion surgery, highlighting the connection between muscle and bone health in surgical outcomes.
- The research involved measuring psoas muscle area using CT scans and assessing bone density and microarchitecture with advanced imaging techniques in a cohort of 88 patients, revealing that larger psoas size correlates with better bone metrics.
- Findings showed that while psoas size is linked to higher bone mineral density and better microarchitecture at certain sites, this relationship varied by sex and did not hold for lumbar spine bone density, indicating complex interactions between muscle and bone health.
Unlabelled: Poor bone quality is a risk factor for complications after spinal fusion surgery. This study investigated pre-operative bone quality in postmenopausal women undergoing spine fusion and found that those with small bones, thinner cortices and surgeries involving more vertebral levels were at highest risk for complications.
Purpose: Spinal fusion is one of the most common surgeries performed worldwide.
Children with COVID-19 fare much better than adults but less is known about children with both COVID-19 and a cancer diagnosis in terms of clinical outcome and imaging. We describe our experience with a cohort of children with COVID-19 and cancer who have undergone medical imaging. We reviewed imaging and recorded clinical data and separated this group into two subgroups - hematologic and solid malignancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Acute apical abscesses are serious endodontic diseases resulting from pulpal infection with opportunistic oral microorganisms. The objective of this study was to identify and compare the oral microbiota in patients (N=18) exhibiting acute apical abscesses, originating from the demographic region in Portland, Oregon. The study hypothesis is that abscesses obtained from this demographic region may contain unique microorganisms not identified in specimens from other regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Mutans streptococci (MS) are one of the major microbiological determinants of dental caries. The objectives of this study are to identify distinct MS and non-MS streptococci strains that are located at carious sites and non-carious enamel surfaces in children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC), and assess if cariogenic MS and non-cariogenic streptococci might independently exist as primary bacterial strains on distinct sites within the dentition of individual children.
Design: Dental plaque from children (N=20; aged 3-6) with S-ECC was collected from carious lesions (CLs), white spot lesions (WSLs) and non-carious enamel surfaces.