Publications by authors named "Karen Mason"

Background: This study evaluated the quality of cancer recurrence data in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) to determine if missingness and reporting consistency have improved enough to support national research.

Methods: This multi-methods study included NCDB analyses and a cancer registry staff survey. Trends in recurrence data missingness from 2004 to 2021 and multivariable analyses of factors associated with missingness from 2017 to 2021 were evaluated for 4,568,927 patients with non-metastatic cancer.

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  • * Screening and assessment for IPV-related brain injuries in various healthcare settings can improve victim care, identification, and policy-making regarding the health implications of such violence.
  • * The text reviews seven screening tools for IPV-BI, discussing their pros and cons, and suggests further research to improve their effectiveness and reliability in clinical and community settings.
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Background: Globally, approximately 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime. Brain injury (BI) is a common, yet often unrecognized, consequence of IPV. BIs caused by IPV tend to be mild, occur repetitively over the course of months or years, are remote in time, and result in chronic symptoms.

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant, global public health concern. Women, individuals with historically underrepresented identities, and disabilities are at high risk for IPV and tend to experience severe injuries. There has been growing concern about the risk of exposure to IPV-related head trauma, resulting in IPV-related brain injury (IPV-BI), and its health consequences.

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Article Synopsis
  • Women experiencing physical intimate partner violence (IPV) are at a heightened risk for brain injuries (BIs), but many shelter staff lack awareness of this link.
  • A new online training module was developed to educate shelter staff about IPV-caused BIs, and a study found significant improvements in knowledge and advocacy skills among participants after completing it.
  • Feedback from participants indicated increased knowledge, mindfulness, and a desire to recommend the training to colleagues, suggesting that the training effectively enhances care for women with IPV-related BIs.
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Objective: Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The aim of this study was to determine whether children with CHD and ADHD clinically treated with stimulant medication were at increased risk for changes in cardiovascular parameters or death compared with CHD-matched controls.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with CHD + ADHD treated with stimulant medication (exposed group [EG]) were matched by CHD diagnosis and visit age to patients not on stimulants (nonexposed group [NEG]).

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Survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) often experience violent blows to the head, face, and neck and/or strangulation that result in brain injury (BI). Researchers reviewed the de-identified forensic nursing examination records of 205 women. More than 88% of women were subjected to multiple mechanisms of injury with in excess of 60% experiencing strangulation.

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Women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) are at a high risk for traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Women's shelters may be an ideal location for TBI screening. Behavior change theory can help understand factors that influence screening at women's shelters and develop interventions to promote screening.

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Few health care professionals receive comprehensive training in how to effectively help their patients with obesity. Yet patients are often wanting, needing, and looking for help when they go to the doctor. We, as a group of patients with obesity, share our common experiences and needs when going to the doctor from a place of honesty and hope, with the assumption that clinicians want to know what their patients really think and feel.

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This study examined the representativeness of the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps (CHR) measure of potentially preventable hospitalizations, which is derived from Medicare inpatient claims data, as an indicator of potentially preventable hospitalizations for adults aged ≥18 years. Potentially preventable hospitalizations were evaluated using rates of ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSCs). CHR rates of hospitalization for ACSCs based on Medicare data for 2010, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Prevention Quality Indicator #90 Overall Composite (PQI #90 Composite) rates of ACSCs based on hospital inpatient data for adults aged ≥18 years for 2011, and 2011 total mortality rates for adults aged ≥18 years for 212 counties in 3 US states were evaluated.

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We explored the correlates of linkage to HIV medical care and barriers to HIV care among PLWH in Louisiana. Of the 998 participants enrolled, 85.8% were successfully linked to HIV care within 3 months.

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Purpose: This study used magnetoencephalography (MEG) dipole localization and coherence measurement to evaluate the magnetic fields associated with periodic discharges. The primary goal of the study was to evaluate whether MEG could consistently localize quasiperiodic discharges that were observed on the EEG portion of the recording. The secondary objective was to evaluate whether coherence measurements would correlate with topographic maxima of epileptiform activity.

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There is a need to understand the costs associated with supporting, implementing, and maintaining the system redesign of small and medium-sized safety-net clinics. The authors aimed to understand the characteristics of clinics that transformed into patient-centered medical homes and the incremental cost for transformation.The sample was 74 clinics in Greater New Orleans that received funds from the Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant program between 2007 and 2010 to support their transformation.

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Background: There is a known high prevalence of genetic and clinical syndrome diagnoses in the paediatric cardiac population. These disorders often have multisystem effects, which may have an important impact on neurodevelopmental outcomes. Taken together, these facts suggest that patients and families may benefit from consultation by genetic specialists in a cardiac neurodevelopmental clinic.

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The first ever case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was reported in September 2012. This report describes the approaches taken by CDC, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, to respond to this novel virus, and outlines the agency responses prior to the first case appearing in the United States in May 2014. During this time, CDC's response integrated multiple disciplines and was divided into three distinct phases: before, during, and after the initial activation of its Emergency Operations Center.

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Sublethal γ irradiation eliminates CD8+ T cell mediated memory responses. In this work, we explored how these memory responses could be rescued in the aftermath of such exposure. We utilized two models of CD8+ T cell mediated immunity: a mouse model of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) infection in which CD8+ T cells specific for LM expressed antigens (Listeriolysin O, LLO) can be tracked, and a murine skin graft model in which CD8+ T cells mediate rejection across a MHC class I (D(d)) disparity.

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This report aims to facilitate the implementation of the Three Rs (replacement, reduction, and refinement) in the use of animal models or procedures involving sepsis and septic shock, an area where there is the potential of high levels of suffering for animals. The emphasis is on refinement because this has the greatest potential for immediate implementation. Specific welfare issues are identified and discussed, and practical measures are proposed to reduce animal use and suffering as well as reducing experimental variability and increasing translatability.

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Lung herniation is a rare condition that can be classified on the basis of location and etiology. We report an unusual case of right apical lung herniation presenting with dysphagia. Computed tomography of the neck demonstrated an air-containing structure in the root of the right side of the neck, related to but separate from the anteromedial aspect of the right lung apex.

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Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a way to noninvasively localize sources of electrical activity within the human brain, by measuring the very weak magnetic fields just outside of the head. This paper is an introduction to MEG for technologists who are interested in performing MEG studies. We have organized the paper into a brief overview of what MEG measures and how it does it, as well as a short history of the MEG manufacturers.

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