Purpose: The diagnostic challenges of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) for orthopedic surgeons are significant. Prior research has indicated that patients with adverse reactions, dislocations, and aseptic loosening exhibit a heightened count of white blood cells (WBC) in their synovial fluid, along with an increased polymorphonuclear cell percentage (PMN%). The prevalence of false-positive results raises concerns about the reliability of these tools in distinguishing aseptic failure from PJI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Awareness, access, and use of clinical and direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests has increased in recent years with documented disparities in these services. We provide updated data on test awareness and use, and report novel data on motivations and methods for accessing genetic tests.
Methods: Nationally representative data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 6) were used to assess awareness and use of ancestry, personal trait, specific disease, and carrier testing by sociodemographic characteristics, examine reasons for undergoing tests, and methods of accessing them.
Background: Patients presenting with a sinus tract over total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are challenging cases of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). A 2-stage revision TKA has long been considered the gold standard for the management of PJI. At our institution, approximately 85% of patients with PJI, including patients with a sinus tract, undergo 1-stage revision TKA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a lack of studies exploring factors influencing synkinesis severity. This study aims to identify factors that may contribute to variations in severity of facial synkinesis.
Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of facial synkinesis presenting between 2009 and 2024 were reviewed.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys
November 2024
Purpose: Brain metastases (BMs) affect an increasing number of cancer patients and are typically managed with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Our institution advocates the use of Personalized Ultrafractionated Stereotactic Adaptive Radiation Therapy (PULSAR), where radiation is delivered in high-dose pulses at extended intervals allowing for treatment adaptation and easy concurrent systemic therapy integration. We explore the integration of PULSAR with central nervous system (CNS)-active drugs (CNS-aDs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypercholesterolemia has long been implicated in endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction, but the mechanisms by which excess cholesterol causes vascular pathology are incompletely understood. Here we used a cholesterol-mimetic probe to map cholesterol-protein interactions in primary human ECs and discovered that cholesterol binds to and stabilizes the adhesion molecule VCAM-1. We show that accessible plasma membrane (PM) cholesterol in ECs is acutely responsive to inflammatory stimuli and that the nonvesicular cholesterol transporter Aster-A regulates VCAM-1 stability in activated ECs by controlling the size of this pool.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulators are available to the majority of people with CF in the United States; little is known about pregnancy outcomes with modulator use. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the impact of CFTR modulators on maternal outcomes.
Research Question: Does pregnancy differentially affect outcomes in female subjects with CF with and without CFTR modulator exposure?
Study Design And Methods: Data on pregnancies from 2010 to 2021 were collected from 11 US adult CF centers.
Background: Lung injury imposed by hyperoxia is the main cause of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in newborns. These injuries are generated from the early stage of hyperoxia through the main biologic effects of cell death and inflammatory response. Interleukin (IL)-10 is a potent anti-inflammatory cytokine that may have the inhibitory effects on these biologic actions induced by hyperoxia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein misfolding and aggregation are cardinal features of neurodegenerative disease (NDD) and they contribute to pathophysiology by both loss-of-function (LOF) and gain-of-function (GOF) mechanisms. This is well exemplified by TDP-43 which aggregates and mislocalizes in several NDDs. The depletion of nuclear TDP-43 leads to reduction in its normal function in RNA metabolism and the cytoplasmic accumulation of TDP-43 leads to aberrant protein homeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The value of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening is defined by the balance of benefits from early tumor detection vs harms due to false positive results. We evaluated the value of a mailed outreach strategy for HCC screening in patients with cirrhosis.
Methods: We conducted a multi-center pragmatic randomized clinical trial comparing mailed outreach for HCC screening (n = 1436) and usual care with visit-based screening (n = 1436) among patients with cirrhosis at three health systems from March 2018 to September 2021.
Objective: Tinnitus may be associated with various brain changes. However, the degenerative changes in patients with tinnitus have not been extensively investigated. We aimed to evaluate degenerative, structural, and functional brain changes in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who also suffer from tinnitus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are living longer and healthier lives with a growing number considering and pursuing parenthood. The decision of whether to become a parent is complex for people with CF, and CF is a major factor in reproductive decision-making. Unfortunately, in people with CF who become parents, there are no prospective studies of disease trajectory, no data on the impact of parenthood on mental health, disease self-management, or quality of life, and no research regarding non-genetic parenthood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Little research on the association of neighborhood environment with physical activity in resource-poor communities has been done. This study assessed changes in perceptions of the neighborhood environment and the association between those perceptions and physical activity in Mexican Americans on the Texas-Mexico border in an area where there would be community efforts to enhance pedestrian and cycling infrastructure and programming.
Methods: We analyzed data from a population-based cohort of Mexican American individuals on the Texas-Mexico border.
Background: Minimal clinically important difference (MCID) is important to establish as a meaningful outcome in research when using patient reported outcome measures (PROMs). We determined the MCID using the distribution-based approach for three measurements used as part of the GALAXY study, which is an observational prospective study on gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in cystic fibrosis (CF).
Methods: Four hundred and two persons with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) participated in the GALAXY study, all with baseline values available for all questionnaires.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness. AMD is currently incurable; the best solution is to prevent its occurrence. To develop drugs for AMD, it is crucial to have a model system that mimics the symptoms and mechanisms in patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is plagued by failures across the cancer care continuum, leading to frequent late-stage diagnoses and high mortality. We evaluated the effectiveness of mailed outreach invitations plus patient navigation to promote HCC screening process completion in patients with cirrhosis.
Methods: Between April 2018 and September 2021, we conducted a multicentre pragmatic randomised clinical trial comparing mailed outreach plus patient navigation for HCC screening (n=1436) versus usual care with visit-based screening (n=1436) among patients with cirrhosis at three US health systems.
Introduction: The synergistic negative effects of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and hypertension increases all-cause mortality and the medical complexity of management, which disproportionately impact Hispanics who face barriers to healthcare access. The Salud y Vida intervention was delivered to Hispanic adults living along the Texas-Mexico Border with comorbid poorly controlled T2DM and hypertension. The Salud y Vida multicomponent intervention incorporated community health workers (CHWs) into an expanded chronic care management model to deliver home-based follow-up visits and provided community-based diabetes self-management education.
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