Utilizing 3D printing to assist pre-procedure planning of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedures: a pilot study.

Background: 3D (three-dimensional) printing has been adopted by the medical community in several ways, procedure planning being one example. This application of technology has been adopted by several subspecialties including interventional radiology, however the planning of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement has not yet been described. The impact of a 3D printed model on procedural measures such as procedure time, radiation exposure, intravascular contrast dosage, fluoroscopy time, and provider confidence has also not been reported.

Feline Ovarian Pedicle Ligation: A Comparison of Two Techniques Taught among AAVMC Institutions.

Ligation of the feline ovarian pedicle during ovariohysterectomy is achieved, principally, via one of the following methods: double ligation of the ovarian pedicle or autoligation of the ovarian pedicle, also known as the pedicle tie. The objective of this study was to assess and quantify two methods of teaching feline ovariohysterectomies, specifically ligation of the ovarian pedicle, at American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges-accredited veterinary schools. Surveys were sent to 52 AAVMC member schools, with an overall response rate of 67.

Exceptional response to Erlotinib monotherapy in EGFR Exon 19-deleted, KRAS wild-type, Chemo-refractory advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive tumor with an abysmal prognosis. Beyond the first-line setting, treatment for advanced PDAC is limited and suboptimal. Also, the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted therapy alone in the chemo-refractory setting in PDAC tumors harboring druggable EGFR mutations is unclear.

Subhypnotic dose of intravenous propofol stimulates appetite in cats with stress-induced anorexia.

Background: Stress-induced anorexia is common in cats. While medications are available to stimulate appetite, many require oral administration, have delayed onset-of-action or cause adverse side effects. The aim of this study was to determine whether cats diagnosed with stress-induced anorexia given a subhypnotic dose of intravenous propofol would have increased short-term appetite as compared to those given placebo.

Health Needs Assessment of Five Pennsylvania Plain Populations.

We performed a health needs assessment for five Plain communities in Pennsylvania from a random sample of households, comparing them to the general population of Pennsylvania adults. Plain respondents were more likely to drink well water, as likely to eat fruit and vegetables and much more likely to drink raw milk and be exposed to agricultural chemicals. Plain respondents were less likely to receive screening exams compared to the general population and there was variation from settlement to settlement in whether respondents had a regular doctor, whether they received preventive screenings or had their children vaccinated, with Mifflin County Amish generally lowest in these and Plain Mennonites highest.

Evaluation of sutureless scrotal castration for pediatric and juvenile dogs.

OBJECTIVE To determine complication rates associated with sutureless scrotal castration (SLSC) performed in a large number of pediatric and juvenile dogs and investigate whether procedure duration differed from that of traditional prescrotal castration (TPSC). DESIGN Prospective case series and clinical trial. ANIMALS 400 shelter-owned dogs that underwent SLSC and 18 shelter-owned dogs that underwent TPSC between 2 and 5 months of age.

Reducing radiation exposure with iterative reconstruction: an inter- and intra-scanner analysis.

Our purpose in this study was to compare delivered radiation exposure via computed tomography dose index volume (CTDI) and dose length production (DLP) measurements from computed tomography (CT) examinations performed on scanners with and without image-quality enhancing iterative reconstruction (IR) software. A retrospective analysis was conducted on randomly selected chest, abdomen, and/or pelvis CT examinations from three different scanners from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013. CTDI and DLP measurements were obtained from two CT scanners with and one CT scanner without IR software.

Health Needs Assessment of Plain Populations in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

We performed a health needs assessment for three Plain communities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania from a random sample of households. Compared with the general population of adults, Plain respondents were more likely to be married, to have children, and they had large families; they were more likely to drink well water, to eat fruit and vegetables, to drink raw milk, and to live on a farm. Plain respondents had better physical and mental health and were less likely to have been diagnosed with various medical conditions compared with the general population of adults in Lancaster County but Old Order Mennonite respondents were more likely to have been diagnosed compared with Old Order Amish respondents.

Pedicle ties provide a rapid and safe method for feline ovariohysterectomy.

Objectives: The specific objectives of the present study were to evaluate the rate of hemorrhage-related complications across a large number of feline pedicle tie (PT) procedures, and evaluate for a difference in surgical time between traditional pedicle double ligation (PDL) and PT procedures.

Methods: In the initial phase of the study, 2136 intact female cats underwent an ovariohysterectomy using the PT technique. Hemorrhagic complications not detected intraoperatively were to be confirmed via exploratory surgery or necropsy.

Health status, health conditions, and health behaviors among Amish women. Results from the Central Pennsylvania Women's Health Study (CePAWHS).

We performed one of the first systematic, population-based surveys of women in Amish culture. We used these data to examine health status and health risks in a representative sample of 288 Amish women ages 18-45 living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in particular for risks associated with preterm and low birthweight infants, compared with a general population sample of 2,002 women in Central Pennsylvania. Compared with women in the general population, Amish women rated their physical health approximately at the same level, but reported less stress, fewer symptoms of depression, and had higher aggregate scores for mental health.

Increases in CD4+ T lymphocytes occur without increases in thymic size in HIV-infected subjects receiving interleukin-2 therapy.

Objective: To examine the potential contribution of the thymus to CD4+ T-lymphocyte increases in HIV-infected patients receiving intermittent interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy.

Design: Fifteen HIV-infected patients treated with antiretroviral regimens who were enrolled in a study of intermittent IL-2 therapy and were willing to undergo serial thymic computed tomography (CT) were prospectively studied.

Methods: Thymic CT was performed before and approximately 6 and 12-17 months after intermittent IL-2 therapy was started.

High prevalence of osteonecrosis of the femoral head in HIV-infected adults.

Background: Osteonecrosis has been reported to occur occasionally among HIV-infected patients. The diagnosis of symptomatic osteonecrosis of the hip in two of the authors' patients, together with reports from community physicians, raised a concern that the prevalence of osteonecrosis is increasing.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of osteonecrosis of the hip in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients and to identify potential risk factors associated with osteonecrosis.

Urinary cytology associated with human polyomavirus and indinavir therapy in HIV-infected patients.

We retrospectively analyzed 155 urine cytology samples (78 from patients treated with indinavir; 77, no indinavir) from 90 HIV+ patients to evaluate possible association between human polyomavirus and hematuria and to describe indinavir-associated urinary cytologic findings. The CD4 count also was recorded. Variables studied included the presence of cellular viral changes consistent with polyomavirus infection (PVCs), microscopic hematuria, multinucleated cells, indinavir crystals, neutrophils, and eosinophils.

Indinavir-associated interstitial nephritis and urothelial inflammation: clinical and cytologic findings.

The objective of the present study was to characterize the genitourinary syndromes that accompany indinavir-associated pyuria. Of 23 indinavir-treated patients with persistent pyuria, 4 had isolated interstitial nephritis, 10 had both interstitial nephritis and urothelial inflammation, 7 had isolated urothelial inflammation, and 2 had pyuria with nonspecific urinary tract inflammation. A total of 21 patients had multinucleated histiocytes identified by cytologic testing of urine specimens.

Diagnosis of avascular necrosis of the hip in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients: Clinical correlation of physical examination with magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: To determine if physical examination can identify avascular necrosis of the hip (AVN) in asymptomatic HIV-infected patients.

Design: Prospective, blinded population studyResults: Ten of the 176 patients were positive for AVN by MRI. Four subjects had unilateral disease and six had bilateral disease.

Acute hepatitis caused by a novel strain of hepatitis E virus most closely related to United States strains.

A unique hepatitis E virus (HEV) strain was identified as the aetiological agent of acute hepatitis in a United States (US) patient who had recently returned from vacation in Thailand, a country in which HEV is endemic. Sequence comparison showed that this HEV strain was most similar, but not identical, to the swine and human HEV strains recovered in the US. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that this new HEV isolate was closer to genotype 3 strains than to the genotype 1 strains common in Asia.

Environmentally induced variation in body size of turtles hatching in natural nests.

Eggs from three snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) were divided between two natural nests in a factorial experiment assessing the role of the nest environment as a cause for variation in body size and energy reserves of hatchlings at our study site in northcentral Nebraska. Nest # 1 was located in an unshaded area on the south side of a high sandhill, whereas nest #2 was located in an unshaded area on level ground. Eggs in nest #1 increased in mass over the course of incubation, with eggs at the bottom of the nest gaining more mass than eggs nearer to the surface.