Effectiveness of electronic medical record-based strategies for death and hospital admission endpoint capture in pragmatic clinical trials.

Objective: Event capture in clinical trials is resource-intensive, and electronic medical records (EMRs) offer a potential solution. This study develops algorithms for EMR-based death and hospitalization capture and compares them with traditional event capture methods.

Materials And Methods: We compared the effectiveness of EMR-based event capture and site-captured events adjudicated by a clinical endpoint committee in the multi-center INfluenza Vaccine to Effectively Stop cardio Thoracic Events and Decompensated heart failure (INVESTED) trial for participants from the Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

Robust improvement of efficiency using information on covariate distribution.

The marginal inference of an outcome variable can be improved by closely related covariates with a structured distribution. This differs from standard covariate adjustment in randomized trials, which exploits covariate-treatment independence rather than knowledge on the covariate distribution. Yet it can also be done robustly against misspecification of the outcome-covariate relationship.

Histotripsy of the Proximal Ureter and Renal Pelvis: Evaluation of Urothelial Injury in a Porcine Survival Model.

Purpose: To evaluate the response of the ureter and renal pelvis to direct targeting by histotripsy guided by cone-beam CT (CBCT) in a human-scale porcine chronic-survival model.

Methods: Bilateral ureteral histotripsy treatments were completed on 6 female swine (n=12). Animals were divided into two groups: Acute (n=2 animals, 4 treatments, sacrificed at Day 0) and Chronic (n=4 animals, 8 treatments, sacrificed at Day 7 (n=2) and Day 28 (n=2)).

Off-grid hydroacoustic signal orientation estimation based on interpolation and subspace fitting in coprime arrays.

This letter presents a novel approach to sparse Bayesian underwater acoustic signal direction estimation. The proposed method incorporates interpolation of the coprime array and signal subspace fitting. It addresses the limitations of the hydrophone coprime array in utilizing all array elements' information and mitigates the interference of ocean noise in shallow waters, which impairs the accuracy and resolution of target direction estimation.

Relaxivity and In Vivo Human Performance of Brand Name Versus Generic Ferumoxytol.

Objectives: Ferumoxytol is a superparamagnetic iron-oxide product that is increasingly used off-label for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). With the recent regulatory approval of generic ferumoxytol, there may be an opportunity to reduce cost, so long as generic ferumoxytol has similar imaging performance to brand name ferumoxytol. This study aims to compare the relaxation-concentration dependence and MRI performance of brand name ferumoxytol with generic ferumoxytol through phantom and in vivo experiments.

Genetic testing in pediatric kidney transplant recipients to promote informed choice and improve individualized monitoring.

Background: The growing body of research on kidney disease in children has identified a broad spectrum of genetic etiologies.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of an optimized genetic test and subclinical changes in a real-world context before kidney transplantation. All cases involved recipients under the age of 18 who underwent whole exome sequencing (ES) between 2013 and 2022.

Thrombus Burden, Caval Thrombosis, and Retrieval of the Denali Inferior Vena Cava Filter.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of the Denali inferior vena cava filter (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Tempe, Arizona). Five hundred patients had 508 filters placed between 2015 and 2022. Filters were retrieved at the study site in 284 patients: 159 (31.

Comparison of clinical and radiographic outcomes in unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective analysis of three surgical approaches.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of the combined spinous process-splitting approach with a Wiltse (SPSW) approach, the combined conventional approach with a Wiltse (CW) approach, and the conventional open (CO) approach in unilateral transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF).

Methods: The clinical outcomes were assessed, and intraoperative data and complications were collected. Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) scores for low back pain and leg pain, the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) scores for evaluating functions of the lumbar spine and health-related quality of life, and the modified MacNab standard for assessing satisfaction were analyzed.

Inferences for the distribution of the duration of response in a comparative clinical study.

Duration of response is an important endpoint used in drug development. Prolonged duration for response is often viewed as an early indication of treatment efficacy. However, there are numerous difficulties in studying the distribution of duration of response based on observed data subject to right censoring in practice.

Defining estimand for the win ratio: Separate the true effect from censoring.

The win ratio has been increasingly used in trials with hierarchical composite endpoints. While the outcomes involved and the rule for their comparisons vary with the application, there is invariably little attention to the estimand of the resulting statistic, causing difficulties in interpretation and cross-trial comparison. We make the case for articulating the estimand as a first step to win ratio analysis and establish that the root cause for its elusiveness is its intrinsic dependency on the time frame of comparison, which, if left unspecified, is set haphazardly by trial-specific censoring.

Outcomes from Partner2Lose: a randomized controlled trial to evaluate 24-month weight loss in a partner-assisted intervention.

Background: Partner support is associated with better weight loss outcomes in observational studies, but randomized trials show mixed results for including partners. Unclear is whether teaching communication skills to couples will improve weight loss in a person attempting weight loss (index participant).

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of a partner-assisted intervention versus participant-only weight management program on 24-month weight loss.

Safety and efficacy of histotripsy delivery through overlying gas-filled small bowel in an ex vivo swine model.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of performing histotripsy through overlying gas-filled bowel in an swine model.

Methods: An model was created to simulate histotripsy treatment of solid organs through gas-filled bowel. Spherical 2.

Correction: The role of the Basic Public Health Service program in the control of hypertension in China: Results from a cross-sectional health service interview survey.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Repeat Surgery after Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy for Adolescent Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Multicenter Observational Study.

Objective: The reported date in the repeat surgical intervention for adolescent lumbar disc herniation (ALDH) after percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) was quite scarce. This study aims to introduce cases of repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH and assess the incidence, chief causes, repeat surgery methods, and surgical outcomes of repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH.

Methods: A retrospective multicenter observational study was conducted on patients undergoing repeat surgeries after PELD for ALDH at four tertiary referral hospitals from January 2014 through August 2022.

Virtual Visiting Professorship Program as an Opportunity for Academic and Clinical Advancement Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Participants.

Objective: To identify structure, benefits, and shortcomings of a multi-institutional virtual visiting professorship (VVP) program from 2020 to 2022, 2 years after inception and after gradual resumption of an in-person, prepandemic academic environment.

Methods: An IRB-exempt, 70-question survey about structure, benefits, and shortcomings of the VVP program was distributed to its participants (14 breast imaging departments across the U.S.

Circular RNA-GRIN2B Suppresses Neuropathic Pain by Targeting the NF-κB/SLICK Pathway.

The role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in neuropathic pain is linked to the fundamental physiological mechanisms involved. However, the exact function of circRNAs in the context of neuropathic pain is still not fully understood. The functional impact of circGRIN2B on the excitability of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons was investigated using siRNA or overexpression technology in conjunction with fluorescence in situ hybridization and whole-cell patch-clamp technology.

Host range expansion of Acinetobacter phage vB_Ab4_Hep4 driven by a spontaneous tail tubular mutation.

Bacteriophages (phages) represent promising alternative treatments against multidrug-resistant (MDRAB) infections. The application of phages as antibacterial agents is limited by their generally narrow host ranges, so changing or expanding the host ranges of phages is beneficial for phage therapy. Multiple studies have identified that phage tail fiber protein mediates the recognition and binding to the host as receptor binding protein in phage infection.

Association between CCL5, CCL11, and CCL17 polymorphisms and atopic dermatitis risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common and recurrent inflammatory disease with strong genetic susceptibility. The abnormal production of chemokines plays an important role in the occurrence and development of AD.

Methods: A comprehensive online literature search was performed in databases of China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP China Science and Technology Journal Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library to retrieve relevant articles published from January 2000 to October 2022.

Percutaneous Microwave Ablation for Treatment of Retroperitoneal Tumors.

Purpose To determine if microwave ablation (MWA) of retroperitoneal tumors can safely provide high rates of local tumor control. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 19 patients (median age, 65 years [range = 46-78 years]; 13 [68.4%] men and six [31.

COL6A3 enhances the osteogenic differentiation potential of BMSCs by promoting mitophagy in the osteoporotic microenvironment.

Background: Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been widely recognized as a highly promising option for cell-based tissue engineering therapy targeting osteoporosis. However, the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs is impeded by the limited viability and diminished capacity for bone formation within the osteoporotic microenvironment.

Methods: In this study, the COL6A3 gene was confirmed through an extensive analysis of the preceding single-cell sequencing database.