Risk Factors for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations among Individuals without a History of Recent Exacerbations: A COPDGene Analysis.

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD) are detrimental events in the natural history of COPD, but the risk factors associated with future exacerbations in the absence of a history of recent exacerbations are not fully understood. To identify risk factors for COPD exacerbations among participants in the Genetic Epidemiology of COPD Study (COPDGene) without a history of exacerbation in the previous year. We identified participants with a smoking history enrolled in COPDGene who had COPD (defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV]/forced vital capacity < 0.

How I Teach: Liberation from Mechanical Ventilation.

Liberation from mechanical ventilation is one of the most important decisions in the intensive care unit (ICU), as extubation failure is associated with worse outcomes. Determining readiness to extubate can be challenging in complex patients and lead to provider stress. Here, we provide our approach to teaching liberation from mechanical ventilation for learners in the ICU.

Local dielectric function of hBN-encapsulated WSflakes grown by chemical vapor deposition.

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), sometimes referred to as white graphene, receives growing interest in the scientific community, especially when combined into van der Waals (vdW) homo- and heterostacks, in which novel and interesting phenomena may arise. hBN is also commonly used in combination with two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs). The realization of hBN-encapsulated TMDC homo- and heterostacks can indeed offer opportunities to investigate and compare TMDC excitonic properties in various stacking configurations.

Cause-Specific Mortality and Racial Differentials in Life Expectancy, Chicago 2018-2019.

Background: In Chicago in 2018, the average life expectancy (ALE) for NH Blacks was 71.5 years, 9.1 fewer years than for NH Whites (80.

The effect of Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) in cognitive impairment and coping strategies in Parkinson's disease: a preliminary study.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by different motor, vegetative, behavioral, and cognitive impairments, with worsening quality of life. Virtual reality devices have given promising results in neurorehabilitation as they can provide multisensory stimulation in a realistic environment. This study aims to test the efficacy of virtual reality training by using Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment in cognitive impairment in a sample of PD.