Endovascular Treatment of Venous Outflow and Portal Venous Complications After Liver Transplantation.

Liver transplantation continues to rapidly evolve, and in 2020, 8906 orthotopic liver transplants were performed in the United States. As a technically complex surgery with multiple vascular anastomoses, stenosis and thrombosis of the venous anastomoses are among the recognized vascular complications. While rare, venous complications may be challenging to manage and can threaten the graft and the patient.

The evolution of performing a kidney biopsy: a single center experience comparing native and transplant kidney biopsies performed by interventional radiologists and nephrologists.

Background: Kidney biopsy is the most vital tool guiding a nephrologist in diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease. Over the last few years, we have seen an increasing number of kidney biopsies being performed by interventional radiologists. The goal of our study was to compare the adequacy and complication rates between kidney biopsies performed by interventional radiology versus nephrology.

Formation of a traumatic air cyst and ensuing hemopneumothorax during CT angiography in a patient with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) refers to a rare group of genetic disorders that makeup part of the connective tissue disorders consortium. It is characterized by clinical features such as skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility, and tissue fragility. A vascular subtype (EDS IV) exists, that predisposes affected patients to vascular injury and is well-known and documented.

Cholecystostomy as an Exclusive Access to Remove Cystic, Common Hepatic, and Common Bile Duct Stones.

The purpose of this article was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of percutaneous fluoroscopic-guided stone retrieval from the cystic duct and antegrade common bile duct (CBD) stone advancement into the duodenum exclusively through a cholecystostomy tube. Twenty-one patients with acute cholecystitis and choledocholithiasis or an impacted cystic duct stone who underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy tube placement were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The patients had a contra-indication for cholecystectomy (17 patients because of comorbidities and one who declined surgery) or had failed endoscopic retrograde stone removal attempts (three patients).

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) curriculum integration and sustainability: Social work and nursing faculty perspectives.

Background: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has funded grants to universities to provide training and conduct research on the dissemination of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to health care professionals. However, when it comes to integrating SBIRT content into an existing curriculum, difficulties can arise. When there is so much content already in the curriculum, adding more can be challenging.

Hepatic venous pressure gradient correlates with advanced hepatic fibrosis: a retrospective review.

Purpose: To determine if hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) correlates with advanced hepatic fibrosis, as a complement to transjugular (transvenous) core needle liver biopsy.

Materials And Methods: After institutional review board approval, a retrospective review was conducted on 340 patients who underwent transjugular (transvenous) core needle liver biopsy with concurrent pressure measurements between 6/1/2007 and 6/1/2013. Spearman correlation and linear regression were performed.

A multidisciplinary quality improvement program increases the inferior vena cava filter retrieval rate.

Published reports indicate low retrieval rates for retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. We performed a historic-controlled study of a 5-year intervention (March 2007 to February 2012) to improve IVC filter retrieval rates at a university medical center serving a rural area. All adults with a retrievable filter placed were included, except those with a life expectancy <6 months.

The power of siblings and caregivers: under-explored types of social support among children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Children affected by HIV and AIDS have significantly higher rates of mental health problems than unaffected children. There is a need for research to examine how social support functions as a source of resiliency for children in high HIV-prevalence settings such as South Africa. The purpose of this research was to explore how family social support relates to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress (PTS).

Social integration and the mental health of Black adolescents.

The influence of family, school, and religious social contexts on the mental health of Black adolescents has been understudied. This study used Durkheim’s social integration theory to examine these associations in a nationally representative sample of 1,170 Black adolescents, ages 13–17. Mental health was represented by positive and negative psychosocial well-being indicators.

Social Integration and the Mental Health of Black Adolescents.

The influence of family, school, and religious social contexts on the mental health of Black adolescents has been understudied. This study used Durkheim's social integration theory to examine these associations in a nationally representative sample of 1,170 Black adolescents, ages 13-17. Mental health was represented by positive and negative psychosocial well-being indicators.

Religiosity and behavioral health outcomes of adolescents living in disaster-vulnerable areas.

The influence of religiosity on behavioral health outcomes among adolescents living in disaster-prone areas has been understudied. This study utilized data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005-2010) to examine the relationship between religion, depression, marijuana use, and binge drinking. The sample included 12,500 adolescents residing in the Gulf Coast region of the USA.

Mobilizing resilience and recovery in response to adverse childhood experiences (ACE): a Restorative Integral Support (RIS) case study.

The Restorative Integral Support (RIS) model is a comprehensive, whole person approach to addressing adversity and trauma. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Kaiser Permanente reveals a relationship between childhood trauma and adult health and social problems. The current empirical case study presents the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS), in Petaluma, CA, as an example of one social service agency employing RIS to break cycles of homelessness.

The health and social consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) across the lifespan: an introduction to prevention and intervention in the community.

This introduction to the themed issue overviews of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and discusses prevention and intervention with ACE and their consequences in communities. A commentary by Dr. Robert Anda, an ACE Study Co-Principal Investigator, is incorporated within this introduction.

Impact of the level of state tax code progressivity on children's health outcomes.

This research study examines the impact of the level of state tax code progressivity on selected children's health outcomes. Specifically, it examines the degree to which a state's tax code ranking along the progressive-regressive continuum relates to percentage of low birthweight babies, infant and child mortality rates, and percentage of uninsured children. Using data merged from a number of public data sets, the authors find that the level of state tax code progressivity is a factor in state rates of infant and child mortality.

Program and client characteristics as predictors of the availability of social support services in community-based substance abuse treatment programs.

Recent emphases on increasing accountability, using less intensive settings, and implementing evidence-based services helped to focus the research community on the structure, processes, and outcomes of services delivered to substance abuse clients. Considerably less attention has been given to understanding how to structure services to enhance engagement and retention leading to treatment continuity. This study examined structural characteristics of community-based treatment facilities in relationship to the availability of supportive services within a sample of 1,332 substance abuse treatment programs surveyed through the Alcohol and Drug Services Study in 1996 and 1997.

The impact of changes in employment status on psychosocial well-being: a study of breast cancer survivors.

Recent developments in the treatment of cancer have resulted in an increase in the number of cancer survivors. With this increase in the survival rate comes an increase in questions as to how a diagnosis of cancer and its treatment affects survivors and their well-being. Research has emphasized the impact that medical factors related to cancer have on the well-being of cancer survivors.

Expanding the role of health services research as a tool to reduce the public health burden of alcohol use disorders.

The public and private cost of "heavy alcohol use" is estimated to be more than 187 billion in lost productivity, health care and criminal justice expenditures, and other costs. This does not include the emotional and psychological costs to family, friends, and the community. Investments by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have led to a number of important advances in pharmacological and behavioral treatments for alcohol disorders.

Patient and program factors in obtaining supportive services in DATOS.

This study examined patient and program factors that influenced the receipt of scheduled supportive services in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies (DATOS). Patients (N = 2,932) in 21 long-term residential (LTR) programs, 27 outpatient methadone treatment (OMT), and 25 outpatient drug-free programs were interviewed at admission and at 3 months during treatment. A hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between patient-level and program-level factors associated with receiving supportive services in seven categories (medical, psychological, family, legal, educational, vocational, and financial).