Validation of the PLASMIC score at a University Medical Center.

Background: The PLASMIC score was recently described as a convenient tool for predicting ADAMTS13 activity ≤10% in patients with possible thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), while awaiting the results of this send-out test. The purpose of this study was to validate the PLASMIC score at our University Medical Center.

Methods: Apheresis records were reviewed from 2008 to 2017 to identify patients who received plasma exchange (PLEX) for suspected TTP.

Early experience with the proximal femoral locking plate.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the failure rate of proximal femoral locking plates after an initial 2 years of use at a Level I trauma center. This retrospective chart review included 13 patients with intertrochanteric or peritrochanteric femoral fractures who underwent open reduction and internal fixation. Average patient age was 47 years (range, 23-80 years); average follow-up was 12.

Why do medical students choose orthopaedics as a career?

Background: The primary influence on medical students' career choice is their third-year clerkship. However, orthopaedics is not a required rotation in the curriculum of most medical schools. Our goals were to identify factors that motivate students to choose an orthopaedic career and to compare these with the factors that influence students to choose nonorthopaedic disciplines.

Effect of femoral component design on patellofemoral crepitance and patella clunk syndrome after posterior-stabilized total knee arthroplasty.

The purpose of this study was to determine if recent changes to the femoral component of a particular posterior-stabilized total knee prosthesis would affect the incidence of postoperative patellofemoral crepitance and patella clunk syndrome. One hundred eight total knee arthroplasties were performed with the conventional design; 136 were performed after the femoral component was changed. Complications were compared between the groups with an average follow-up of 17.

Pseudoseptic arthritis of the shoulder following pneumococcal vaccination.

Pseudoseptic arthritis is primarily described in rheumatoid arthritis and other systemic inflammatory conditions. To our knowledge, only 1 case report of pseudoseptic arthritis associated with intra-articular injection of a pneumococcal polyvalent vaccine (PPV) has been published. Here, a second case is presented in which a patient presented with swelling, pain, and erythema of the affected shoulder.

The Fear of Alzheimer's Disease Scale: a new measure designed to assess anticipatory dementia in older adults.

Background: As the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is rapidly increasing, apprehension about developing the degenerative disease (anticipatory dementia or fear of developing AD) has become a topic of interest. However, most studies of anticipatory dementia have utilized brief, nonvalidated measures to explore older adults' apprehension. As such, there is a significant need for a psychometrically sound instrument to measure this fear.

Measuring mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filter mass under variable humidity conditions.

Mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filters, used routinely to collect dust samples from air for fiber analysis, are the only filter type that can be prepared for both phased contrast microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analyses. However, whenever fiber counts require collecting dust masses <100 μg on a single filter under variable relative humidity (RH) conditions, historically noted effects of humidity on MCE filter mass can hinder accurate estimates of dust mass, measured as loaded minus unloaded filter mass (M). In this study, a baseline set of hundreds of paired measures of change in RH versus M over different time intervals were obtained over a 5-day period for replicate series of 40 unloaded 37-mm MCE filters under varying RH conditions at a nearly constant temperature.

Activation state-dependent binding of small molecule kinase inhibitors: structural insights from biochemistry.

Interactions between kinases and small molecule inhibitors can be activation state dependent. A detailed understanding of inhibitor binding therefore requires characterizing interactions across multiple activation states. We have systematically explored the effects of ABL1 activation loop phosphorylation and PDGFR family autoinhibitory juxtamembrane domain docking on inhibitor binding affinity.

Simulation tests to assess occupational exposure to airborne asbestos from artificially weathered asphalt-based roofing products.

Historically, asbestos-containing roof cements and coatings were widely used for patching and repairing leaks. Although fiber releases from these materials when newly applied have been studied, there are virtually no useful data on airborne asbestos fiber concentrations associated with the repair or removal of weathered roof coatings and cements, as most studies involve complete tear-out of old roofs, rather than only limited removal of the roof coating or cement during a repair job. This study was undertaken to estimate potential chrysotile asbestos fiber exposures specific to these types of roofing products following artificially enhanced weathering.

Outcome of nonoperative vs operative treatment of humeral shaft fractures: a retrospective study of 213 patients.

Standard treatment for most humeral shaft fractures is nonoperative functional bracing; however, certain clinical scenarios necessitate operative intervention. There have been few studies in the literature comparing nonoperative and operative fixation of humeral shaft fractures. Two-hundred thirteen adult patients with a humeral shaft fracture who satisfied inclusion criteria were treated at 2 level 1 trauma centers with either a functional brace (nonoperative treatment group) or compression plating (operative treatment group).

A quantitative analysis of kinase inhibitor selectivity.

Kinase inhibitors are a new class of therapeutics with a propensity to inhibit multiple targets. The biological consequences of multi-kinase activity are poorly defined, and an important step toward understanding the relationship between selectivity, efficacy and safety is the exploration of how inhibitors interact with the human kinome. We present interaction maps for 38 kinase inhibitors across a panel of 317 kinases representing >50% of the predicted human protein kinome.

Two-year follow-up of bibliotherapy and individual cognitive therapy for depressed older adults.

This study examined the stability of treatment gains after receiving either cognitive bibliotherapy or individual cognitive psychotherapy for depression in older adults. A 2-year follow-up of 23 participants from Floyd, Scogin, McKendree-Smith, Floyd, and Rokke (2004) was conducted by comparing pre-and posttreatment scores with follow-up scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results indicated that treatment gains from baseline to the 2-year follow-up period were maintained on the HRSD and GDS, and there was not a significant decline from posttreatment to follow-up.

Inhibition of drug-resistant mutants of ABL, KIT, and EGF receptor kinases.

To realize the full potential of targeted protein kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer, it is important to address the emergence of drug resistance in treated patients. Mutant forms of BCR-ABL, KIT, and the EGF receptor (EGFR) have been found that confer resistance to the drugs imatinib, gefitinib, and erlotinib. The mutations weaken or prevent drug binding, and interestingly, one of the most common sites of mutation in all three kinases is a highly conserved "gatekeeper" threonine residue near the kinase active site.

The existential effects of traumatic experiences: a survey of young adults.

This study examined the relation between exposure to trauma and attitudes toward existential issues. Participants were 504 undergraduate students (average age = 19.67) who answered questions on exposure to trauma, fear of death, overall distress, and meaning in life.

A small molecule-kinase interaction map for clinical kinase inhibitors.

Kinase inhibitors show great promise as a new class of therapeutics. Here we describe an efficient way to determine kinase inhibitor specificity by measuring binding of small molecules to the ATP site of kinases. We have profiled 20 kinase inhibitors, including 16 that are approved drugs or in clinical development, against a panel of 119 protein kinases.

Cognitive therapy for depression: a comparison of individual psychotherapy and bibliotherapy for depressed older adults.

Thirty-one community-residing older adults age 60 or over either received 16 sessions of individual cognitive psychotherapy (Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979) or read Feeling Good (Bums, 1980) for bibliotherapy. Posttreatment comparisons with the delayed-treatment control indicated that both treatments were superior to a delayed-treatment control. Individual psychotherapy was superior to bibliotherapy at posttreatment on self-reported depression, but there were no differences on clinician-rated depression.

Self-administered treatments for depression: a review.

Although there are numerous self-help books for depression, relatively few have been empirically tested. However, those that have been used in clinical trials have fared well, with an average effect size roughly equivalent to the average effect size obtained in psychotherapy studies. Computer-based treatments are being developed and appear promising as an alternative to bibliotherapy for those interested in self-administered treatments.

Bibliotherapy as an adjunct to psychotherapy for depression in older adults.

Bibliotherapy, reading a self-help book for the treatment of psychological problems, has been shown to be effective as a "stand-alone" treatment for depression. Many practitioners recommend self-help books as an adjunct to treatment. This article offers some guidelines for the use of bibliotherapy as an adjunct to individual psychotherapy with depressed older adults.

Two-year follow-up of self-examination therapy for generalized anxiety disorder.

This study examined the stability of treatment gains after receiving self-examination therapy (SET) [Bowman, D. (1995). Innovations in clinical practice: a source book.