Publications by authors named "Luu M"

Background: Health care consumers are increasingly using online ratings to select providers, but differences in the distribution of scores across specialties and skew of the data have the potential to mislead consumers about the interpretation of ratings.

Objective: The objective of our study was to determine whether distributions of consumer ratings differ across specialties and to provide specialty-specific data to assist consumers and clinicians in interpreting ratings.

Methods: We sampled 212,933 health care providers rated on the Healthgrades consumer ratings website, representing 29 medical specialties (n=128,678), 15 surgical specialties (n=72,531), and 6 allied health (nonmedical, nonnursing) professions (n=11,724) in the United States.

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Background: Current lymph node (LN) staging for salivary gland cancer (SGC) is extrapolated from mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. However, given its unique biology and clinical behavior, it is possible that a SGC-specific LN staging system would be more accurate.

Methods: Patients from the National Cancer Data Base with nonmetastatic SGC of the head and neck who were diagnosed from 2004 through 2013 and underwent surgical resection and neck dissection removing at least 10 LNs were included.

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Background: To assess the association between final polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered stent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) angiographic parameters and free shunt revision survey.

Methods: Series of two comparison groups were generated with persistence of varices or not, the 25, 50, and 75 percentile as cutoff for each angle and a 15-mm distance as cutoff for distance D. Kaplan Meier free shunt revision curves were then created and compared with Log Rank test.

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Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze outcomes for patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities using neoadjuvant ifosfamide-based chemotherapy and hypofractionated reduced dose radiotherapy, followed by limb-sparing surgery.

Materials And Methods: An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved retrospective review of patients treated at a single institution between 1990 and 2013 was performed. In total, 116 patients were identified who received neoadjuvant ifosfamide-based chemotherapy and 28 Gy in 8 fractions of preoperative radiation (equivalent dose in 2 Gray fractions, 31.

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Sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease is a subtype of cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease that is characterized by sclerosis of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, resulting in debilitating contractures, among other life-threatening complications. Children with sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease are at high risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer because of several risk factors, including young age at transplantation, prolonged immunosuppression, and exposure to photosensitizing antimicrobial prophylaxis such as voriconazole. The immunosuppression required to treat sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease makes effectively treating nonmelanoma skin cancer and sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease in the same patient challenging.

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Introduction: The revised Tokyo Guidelines include criteria for determining the severity of acute cholecystitis with treatment algorithms based on severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of the revised Tokyo Guidelines severity grade to clinical outcomes of cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis.

Methods: We identified 66 patients with acute cholecystitis from a prior study of difficult cholecystectomy cases.

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Background: Postoperative concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) improves outcomes for younger adults with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and positive margins or extranodal extension (ENE), but its benefit for older adults is not well established.

Methods: Patients from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) with HNSCC undergoing curative-intent resection, neck dissection, and postoperative radiation with positive margins or ENE were identified.

Results: This analysis included 1199 patients aged ≥ 70 years with median follow-up of 42.

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Purpose: To assess the rate of hemorrhagic complications after vitreoretinal surgery and the influence of antithrombotic agents.

Methods: Hemorrhagic complications of vitreoretinal procedures performed in seven ophthalmologic centers on patients treated or not treated with antiplatelet (AP) or anticoagulant (AC) agents were prospectively collected. Patients' characteristics, surgical techniques, and complications were recorded during surgery and for 1 month after.

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A 3-month-old girl with Sturge-Weber syndrome presented with a morbilliform rash, eosinophilia, and fulminant liver failure to our tertiary pediatric hospital. She was diagnosed with drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms complicated by viremia and evidence of viral hepatitis on liver biopsy. We discuss the role of viral reactivation in drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms and the relevance of antiviral therapy in management.

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Planktons are a major component of food web structure in aquatic ecosystems. Their distribution and community structure are driven by the combination and interactions between physical, chemical, and biological factors within the environment. In the present study, water quality and the community structure of phytoplankton and zooplankton were monthly investigated from January to December 2015 at 11 sampling sites along the gradient course of the Day River (Red River Delta, northern Vietnam).

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Case: We report a case of kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) of the scapula in a 2-year-old boy with motor and sensory abnormalities of the left upper extremity, suggesting brachial plexus involvement. The locally invasive nature prevented resection; sirolimus therapy resulted in improvement of the motor and sensory impairment, as well as decreased tumor size on imaging.

Conclusion: Osseous infiltration of KHE is known to occur, but its primary presentation in bone without skin involvement is rare and diagnostically challenging.

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Background: Late surgery for chronic nerve compression injuries usually improves sensation but rarely reverses motor atrophy. We hypothesized that a persistent glial scar after chronic nerve compression injury might account for poor motor recovery and that degradation of the glial scar as an adjunct to surgical decompression would improve functional recovery.

Methods: A previously described model of chronic nerve compression injury was created in C57BL/6 mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, and the nerves were harvested early or late after electrophysiological confirmation of the injury.

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Introduction: Definitive treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is challenging owing to its rarity, complicated regional anatomy, and the intensity of therapy. In contrast to other head and neck cancers, the effect of facility volume has not been well described for NPC.

Methods And Materials: The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with stage II-IVB NPC diagnosed from 2004 to 2014 and treated with definitive radiation.

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Unlabelled: Chronic pain is characterized by high rates of functional impairment, health care utilization, and associated costs. Research supports the use of comprehensive, interdisciplinary treatment approaches. However, many hospitals hesitate to offer this full range of services, especially to Medi-Cal/Medicaid patients whose services are reimbursed at low rates.

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Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) have a central role in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis by restraining inappropriate immune responses in the healthy gut. Although distinct intestinal immune cell populations have been described to exhibit regulatory activity, several genetic and functional studies provided a strong evidence for a pivotal role of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)CD4 Treg cells in prevention of dysregulated mucosal immune reactions and development of chronic immunological disorders such as celiac disease, food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease. Treg cells provide an important layer of intestinal defense by suppressing immune responses against innocuous food and commensal-derived antigens.

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Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is used to produce contractions to restore movement and reduce secondary complications for individuals experiencing motor impairment. NMES is conventionally delivered through a single pair of electrodes over a muscle belly or nerve trunk using short pulse durations and frequencies between 20 and 40Hz (conventional NMES). Unfortunately, the benefits and widespread use of conventional NMES are limited by contraction fatigability, which is in large part because of the nonphysiological way that contractions are generated.

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Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are generated by the bacterial fermentation of dietary fibers, promote expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Potential therapeutic value of SCFAs has been recently highlighted in the experimental models of T cell-mediated autoimmunity and allergic inflammation. These studies suggest that physiological intestinal concentrations of SCFAs within the millimolar range are crucial for dampening inflammation-mediated processes.

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The transcription factor c-Rel has been shown to be crucial for development of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Recent studies have reported that the expression of transcription factor Helios in Foxp3 Tregs correlates with thymic origin of these cells (tTregs). Notably, we found that only the HeliosFoxp3 Treg cell population was substantially reduced in c-Rel deficient mice.

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Chronic inflammation is a well-known risk factor in development of intestinal tumorigenesis, although the exact mechanisms underlying development of colitis-associated cancer (CAC) still remain obscure. The activity and function of immunoproteasome has been extensively analyzed in the context of inflammation and infectious diseases. Here, we show that the proteasomal immunosubunit LMP7 plays an essential role in development of CAC.

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Background: There is increasing evidence that primary tumor ablation can improve survival for some cancer patients with distant metastases. This may be particularly applicable to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) because of its tropism for locoregional progression.

Methods: This study included patients with metastatic HNSCC undergoing systemic therapy identified in the National Cancer Data Base.

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Objective: To present the findings of the Pan American Health Organization's 2014 survey on syphilis testing policies and practices in the Americas.

Methods: Representatives of national/regional reference and large, lower-level laboratories from 35 member states were invited to participate. A semi-structured, electronically administered questionnaire collected data on syphilis tests, algorithms, equipment/commodities, challenges faced and basic quality assurance (QA) strategies employed (i.

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Background: The treatment of head and neck cancers is complex and associated with significant morbidity, requiring multidisciplinary care and physician expertise. Thus, facility characteristics, such as clinical volume and academic status, may influence outcomes.

Methods: The current study included 46,567 patients taken from the National Cancer Data Base who were diagnosed with locally advanced invasive squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx and were undergoing definitive radiotherapy.

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Research Questions: What are the non-modifiable (socioeconomic, genetic) and modifiable factors (physical activity, dietary behaviors) related to childhood (under age 12) obesity? How can this knowledge be applied to oral health professionals' efforts to prevent or manage dental caries in children?

Objectives: Studies have identified risk factors for childhood obesity. The purpose of this scoping review was to develop a conceptual model to identify non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors for childhood obesity and to illustrate how these findings are relevant in developing interventions aimed at preventing obesity and dental caries in children.

Methods: The authors searched PubMed and Embase and limited the study to English-language publications.

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