Publications by authors named "McKenna Longacre"

Background: Small case series have described awake supraglottic airway placement in infants with significant airway obstruction and difficult intubations. We conducted this study to determine outcomes when supraglottic airways were placed in awake children enrolled in the international Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry including success of ventilation, success of tracheal intubation, and complications.

Methods: We reviewed the Pediatric Difficult Intubation Registry to identify all cases of awake supraglottic airway placement before planned tracheal intubation from August 2012 to September 2023 with subsequent review of details of awake supraglottic airway placement in the medical record.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) occurs in approximately 1 out of 3000 live births. Severe presentations are atypical but must be recognized and treated rapidly to avoid life-threatening organ dysfunction.

Case Presentation: Here we report an unusual case of neonatal ABO HDN that illustrates the enormous inflammatory potential of maternal-fetal blood group mismatch.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To validate healthcare claim-based algorithms for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in children using medical records as the reference.

Methods: Using a clinical data warehouse of patients receiving outpatient or inpatient care at two hospitals in Boston, we identified children (≤14 years between 2010 and 2014) with at least one of the following NDDs according to claims-based algorithms: autism spectrum disorder/pervasive developmental disorder (ASD), attention deficit disorder/other hyperkinetic syndromes of childhood (ADHD), learning disability, speech/language disorder, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), intellectual disability, and behavioral disorder. Fifty cases per outcome were randomly sampled and their medical records were independently reviewed by two physicians to adjudicate the outcome presence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pulsus paradoxus (PP) is defined as a fall of systolic blood pressure of greater than 10 mm Hg during the inspiratory phase of respiration. Measurement of PP is recommended by national and international asthma guidelines as an objective measure of asthma severity but is rarely used in clinical practice. Cardiac point-of-care ultrasound with pulsed wave Doppler imaging measuring respiratory-phasic changes of mitral valve inflow velocities is well described in cardiac tamponade as "sonographic" PP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The differential diagnoses of patients presenting with chest pain (CP) and shortness of breath (SOB) are broad and non-specific. We aimed to 1) determine how use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) impacted emergency physicians' differential diagnosis, and 2) evaluate the accuracy of POCUS when compared to chest radiograph (CXR) and composite final diagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study in a convenience sample of patients presenting with CP and SOB to the Emergency Department (ED).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite the aligned histories, development, and contemporary practices, today, pediatric anesthesiologists are largely absent from pediatric intensive care units. Contributing to this divide are deficits in exposure to pediatric intensive care at all levels of training in anesthesia and significant credentialing barriers. These observations have led us to consider, does the current structure of training lead to the ability to optimally innovate and collaborate in the delivery of pediatric critical care? We consider how redesigning the pediatric critical care training pathway available for pediatric anesthesiologists may improve care of children both in and out of the operating room by facilitating further sharing of skills, research, and clinical experience.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To assess the evidence of association between atherosclerosis and low back pain (LBP). TYPE: Focused systematic review.

Literature Survey: PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, and EMBASE were searched for original research articles, not limited by language, from January 1, 1990, to October 31, 2016.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in women globally, and ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause, highlighting the urgent need for better understanding and innovation in cancer treatments.
  • Recent large-scale research has identified significant genetic and epigenetic overlaps between breast and ovarian cancers, despite them being treated as separate entities.
  • Common genetic alterations include modifications in key genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2, with shared epigenetic changes also suggesting a similar pathogenesis, indicating the potential for developing more effective treatments and overcoming drug resistance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Little is known regarding the interaction between acupuncture and biomedical healthcare among vulnerable patient populations. In particular, the association between acupuncture and total cost of healthcare has not been characterized.

Methods: Total hospital system visits and associated charges were retrospectively reviewed among patients who received acupuncture at a large safety-net hospital system from 2007 to 2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

EMT and MET comprise the processes by which cells transit between epithelial and mesenchymal states, and they play integral roles in both normal development and cancer metastasis. This article reviews these processes and the molecular pathways that contribute to them. First, we compare embryogenesis and development with cancer metastasis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We describe the system of public health that evolved in the Vilna Ghetto as an illustrative example of Jewish innovation and achievement during the Holocaust. Furthermore, we argue that by cultivating a sophisticated system of public health, the ghetto inmates enacted a powerful form of Jewish resistance, directly thwarting the intention of the Nazis to eliminate the inhabitants by starvation, epidemic, and exposure. In doing so, we aim to highlight applicable lessons for the broader public health literature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Limited research exists on acupuncture's impact and cost-effectiveness in underserved and refugee populations, highlighting a gap in understanding its benefits for those with chronic pain.
  • A retrospective review of 16 refugee patients at Boston Medical Center found a 50.2% decrease in primary care service charges following acupuncture treatment, indicating significant monthly savings per patient.
  • The study shows a statistically significant reduction in primary care costs post-acupuncture and suggests further research is needed to explore these findings' applicability to other populations and healthcare services.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cancers have the ability to develop resistance to traditional therapies, and the increasing prevalence of these drug resistant cancers necessitates further research and treatment development. This paper outlines the current knowledge of mechanisms that promote or enable drug resistance, such as drug inactivation, drug target alteration, drug efflux, DNA damage repair, cell death inhibition, and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, as well as how inherent tumor cell heterogeneity plays a role in drug resistance. It also describes the epigenetic modifications that can induce drug resistance and considers how such epigenetic factors may contribute to the development of cancer progenitor cells, which are not killed by conventional cancer therapies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carcinogenesis involves uncontrolled cell growth, which follows the activation of oncogenes and/or the deactivation of tumor suppression genes. Metastasis requires down-regulation of cell adhesion receptors necessary for tissue-specific, cell-cell attachment, as well as up-regulation of receptors that enhance cell motility. Epigenetic changes, including histone modifications, DNA methylation, and DNA hydroxymethylation, can modify these characteristics.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Survivors of torture and refugee trauma often have increased needs for mental and physical healthcare. This is due in part to the complex sequelae of trauma, including chronic pain, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatization. This article reviews the scientific medical literature for the efficacy and feasibility of some complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities including meditation, Ayurveda, pranayama/yogic breathing, massage/body-work, dance/movement, spirituality, yoga, music, Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, qigong, t'ai chi, chiropractic, homeopathy, aromatherapy and Reiki specifically with respect to survivors of torture and refugee trauma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Development of new breast cancer therapies is needed, particularly as cells become refractory or develop increased drug resistance. In an effort to develop such treatments, class I and II histone deacetylases (HDACs), alone and in combination with other cytotoxic agents, are currently in clinical trial. Herein, we discuss the effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) when used in combination with calpeptin, an inhibitor of the regulatory protease, calpain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF