Nerve Conduction Studies of the Larynx: Porcine Model and Human Application.

Objective: There is a paucity of information in the literature about how electromyography (EMG) with nerve conduction studies (NCS) can be utilized in the field of neurolaryngology. The goal of this study was two-part: (1) to identify the NCS test parameters that best reflect underlying neurolaryngeal pathophysiology in a porcine model, and (2) to determine if comparable NCS parameters can be used to assess clinical laryngeal denervation injuries in patients.

Methods: Yukatan minipigs underwent general anesthesia with EMG and recurrent laryngeal NCS assessment.

Fungal keratitis after amniotic membrane placement.

Purpose: We present two cases of fungal keratitis following amniotic membrane transplantation, including and keratitis.

Observations: A 76-year-old female with a history of anterior basement membrane dystrophy referred for reduced vision and left eye pain ten days following AMT at an outside facility. Despite topical management, the patient continued to worsen clinically, with a recalcitrant course of Fusarium keratitis requiring conjunctival flap, cryotherapy, and intracameral and intrastromal injection.

Small practice participation and performance in Medicare accountable care organizations.

Objectives: Alternative payment models (APMs) encouraging provider collaboration may help small practices overcome the participation challenges that they face in APMs. We aimed to determine whether small practices in accountable care organizations (ACOs) reduced their beneficiaries' spending more than large practices in ACOs.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of Medicare patients attributed to ACOs and non-ACOs.

Selective Progesterone Receptor Modulators (SPRMs) and Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) as Treatment for Benign Gynecologic Diseases.

Common benign gynecologic conditions such as uterine fibroids and endometriosis are linked to chronic pelvic pain, abnormal and heavy uterine bleeding, and infertility. Effective medical management of these diseases is an unmet need. The steroid hormones progesterone (P4), estrogen (E2), and testosterone play a major role in reproductive physiology and uterine pathologies.

Delayed Diagnosis of Idiopathic Subglottic Stenosis.

Objective: Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (iSGS) is a rare disease, causing life-threatening dyspnea secondary to scarring. Perhaps because it is rarely encountered, there is often a delay in diagnosing iSGS. The objective of this study is to characterize diagnostic delay of iSGS, factors that prolong delay, and its impact on iSGS patients.

Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program Values Quality over QALYs.

Medicare's Hospital Value-Based Purchasing Program (HVBP) is the first national pay-for-performance program to combine measures of quality of care with a measure of episode spending. We estimated the implicit tradeoffs between mortality reduction and spending reduction. To earn points in HVBP, a hospital can either lower mortality or reduce spending, creating a tradeoff between the 2 measures.

Factors Affecting Dilation Interval in Patients With Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis-Associated Subglottic and Glottic Stenosis.

Objective: Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a known complication of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). We investigated the impact of medical and surgical interventions on the surgical dilation interval and characterized patients with glottic involvement.

Study Design: A retrospective chart review of patients with GPA-associated SGS was performed from 2010 to 2019.

Preferences for thyroidectomy technique: Comparing traditional and transoral approaches.

Background: We investigated preferences between the transcervical and transoral thyroidectomy approach in the United States and Israel.

Methods: An online survey assessing scar attitudes and surgical preferences, in English and Hebrew, was distributed on ThyCa.com and other platforms.

Predictive model of operative time in transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach.

Background: Transoral Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Vestibular Approach (TOETVA) has demonstrated excellent safety and is receiving wider use in North America. Understanding which factors lead to operative difficulty, as evaluated by operative time (OT), may help to improve safety and refine indications for this procedure.

Methods: Cases of TOETVA performed at our institution were reviewed.

Search Trends and Quality of Online Resources Regarding Thyroidectomy.

Objective: Thyroidectomy is one of the most common procedures performed in head and neck surgery. The quality of online resources for thyroidectomy is unknown. We aim to evaluate search trends and online resource quality regarding thyroidectomy.

Influence of Polymer Charge on the Localization and Dark- and Photo-Induced Toxicity of a Potential Type I Photosensitizer in Cancer Cell Models.

A current trend within photo-dynamic therapy (PDT) is the development of molecular systems targeting hypoxic tumors. Thus, type I PDT sensitizers could here overcome traditional type II molecular systems that rely on the photo-initiated production of toxic singlet oxygen. Here, we investigate the cell localization properties and toxicity of two polymeric anthracene-based fluorescent probes (neutral Ant-PHEA and cationic Ant-PIm).

How Old Do I Look? Exploring the Facial Cues of Age in a Tasked Eye-Tracking Study.

This is the first eye-tracking study to use a tasked age estimation paradigm to explore the facial cues of age as seen by casual observers. Determine where observers gaze on faces when tasked with estimating an individual's age. This was a prospective controlled experiment, which took place at an academic tertiary referral center.

Ankyrin-B p.S646F undergoes increased proteasome degradation and reduces cell viability in the H9c2 rat ventricular cardiomyoblast cell line.

Ankyrin-B (AnkB) is scaffolding protein that anchors integral membrane proteins to the cardiomyocyte cytoskeleton. We recently identified an AnkB variant, AnkB p.S646F ( c.

Transoral neck surgery prevents attentional bias towards the neck compared to open neck surgery.

Objective: Measure attentional distraction of neck scars after open neck surgery compared to transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy via a vestibular approach (TOETVA) or transoral endoscopic parathyroidectomy via a vestibular approach (TOEPVA) using eye-tracking technology.

Methods: Casual observers viewed facial images of patients who underwent open neck surgery, TOETVA/TOEPVA, or no surgery (controls). An eye-tracking monitor recorded eye fixations in real time.

Spending On Postacute Care After Hospitalization In Commercial Insurance And Medicare Around Age Sixty-Five.

Postacute care costs are the primary determinant of episode spending around hospitalization. Yet there is little evidence that greater spending on postacute care improves readmission rates or functional recovery. Recent Medicare payment reform evaluations have suggested that postacute care spending is responsive to episode-based incentives.

Patient Eligibility for Transoral Endocrine Surgery Procedures in the United States.

Importance: Transoral endocrine surgery (TES) allows thyroid and parathyroid operations to be performed without leaving any visible scar on the body. Controversy regarding the value of TES remains, in part owing to the common belief that TES is only applicable to a small, select group of patients. Knowledge of the overall applicability of these procedures is essential to understand the operation, as well as to decide the amount of effort and resources that should be allocated to further study the safety, efficacy, and value of these operations.

Assessing the Quality of Public Reporting of US Physician Performance.

This analysis of current data from the Physician Compare website assesses the volume of quality data submitted and whether the information is comprehensive enough to differentiate the performance of included physicians.

Remote-Access Thyroidectomy: A Multi-Institutional North American Experience with Transaxillary, Robotic Facelift, and Transoral Endoscopic Vestibular Approaches.

Background: Many remote-access approaches (RAAs) to the thyroid have been described to circumvent anterior neck scarring, including the transaxillary, robotic facelift, and transoral endoscopic vestibular approaches. These techniques have been popularized in Asia, but adoption has been slow in North America. We aimed to examine multi-institutional North American outcomes with RAA thyroidectomy in the context of these institutions' transcervical approach (TCA) outcomes.

The Five-Star Skilled Nursing Facility Rating System and Care of Disadvantaged Populations.

Objectives: To examine characteristics and locations of high- and low-quality skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and whether certain vulnerable individuals were differentially discharged to facilities with lower quality ratings.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Setting: Medicare-certified SNFs providing postacute care.

Association of Medication Nonadherence Among Adult Survivors of Stroke After Implementation of the US Affordable Care Act.

Importance: Among adults with chronic disease, survivors of stroke have high out-of-pocket financial burdens. The US government enacted the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010 and implemented the law in 2014 to provide more low-income adults with health insurance coverage.

Objective: To assess whether ACA implementation is associated with cost-related nonadherence (CRN) to medication among adult survivors of stroke.

Performance in the Medicare Shared Savings Program by Accountable Care Organizations Disproportionately Serving Dual and Disabled Populations.

Background: The growth of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and other alternative payment models has prompted concern about whether these models will disadvantage providers who serve vulnerable populations, particularly those living in poverty or with a disability.

Objective: To examine performance by ACOs in the top quintile of their proportion of beneficiaries dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid (high-dual) and the top quintile of disabled beneficiaries (high-disabled).

Research Design: This is a retrospective cohort study.