Publications by authors named "Nicholas C Smith"

Carpal tunnel syndrome and stenosing tenosynovitis (i.e., trigger finger) are common work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) that have been linked to overuse of the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) tendons of the hand.

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Article Synopsis
  • The glenoid labrum is a crucial structure in the shoulder joint, and SLAP lesions, which affect its superior part, are common among athletes and laborers.
  • The diagnostic reliability of arthroscopy for SLAP tears has been found to be inconsistent, and magnetic resonance arthrography (MRa) is being explored as a less invasive alternative, albeit with uncertain reliability.
  • A study involving orthopedic surgeons and radiologists to classify SLAP lesions via MRa showed poor overall inter-rater reliability and mixed results, with radiologists demonstrating better agreement than orthopedic surgeons.
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 The results of Mathoulin's arthroscopic dorsal capsuloligamentous reconstruction (ADCLR) are excellent in many patients with scapholunate instability, though less consistently good in higher grade instabilities. The purpose of this article is to describe a novel technique of volar scaphotrapeziotrapezoid (STT) reconstruction which may be used to augment rotational control of the scaphoid, in conjunction with the ADCLR, for use in European Wrist Arthroscopy Society (EWAS) grade IV/V instabilities.  Following completion of ADCLR, the STT joint is approached through the flexor carpi radialis sheath.

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Objective: The study examines the association of gender, parenthood, and marriage with reports of perceived pandemic precarity among Mexican and Central American immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic (Fall 2020) to understand predictors of vulnerability in periods of crisis.

Background: Latinos/as, immigrants, parents, and women have faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family structure, along with social expectations for gender (i.

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Ample research finds that residential segregation is detrimental to Black Americans' physical health and exacerbates Black-White physical health disparities. However, less is known about how residential segregation may influence Black Americans' mental health and Black-White differences in mental health. Drawing on U.

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To assess how personal social network characteristics moderated mental health declines during the COVID-19 pandemic in emerging adults compared with other age groups. The Person to Person Health Interview Study, a representative, probability-based cohort study (n = 2485) in Indiana, collected data through face-to-face (baseline) and phone (follow-up) interviews before and during the pandemic. We used survey-weighted growth curve models to examine network effects on computer-adaptive testing measures of depression and anxiety severity.

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Leishmania infections span a range of clinical syndromes and impact humans from many geographic foci, but primarily the world's poorest regions. Transmitted by the bite of a female sand fly, Leishmania infections are increasing with human movement (due to international travel and war) as well as with shifts in vector habitat (due to climate change). Accurate diagnosis of the 20 or so species of Leishmania that infect humans can lead to the successful treatment of infections and, importantly, their prevention through modelling and intervention programs.

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Research shows that substance use may be a way individuals cope with psychosocial stressors. Less is known about whether discrimination contributes to prescription drug misuse. Using a national sample of Black Americans, we examined whether two psychosocial stressors (i.

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Background: Previous research has shown increases in length of stay (LOS), morbidity and mortality when the standard for surgical fixation of hip fracture of 48 hours is not met. However, few investigators have analyzed LOS as a primary outcome, and most used time of diagnosis as opposed to time of fracture as the reference point. We examined the effect of time to surgical fixation of hip fracture, measured from time of fracture, on length of hospital stay; the secondary outcome was average 1-year mortality.

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Since Nicolle, Manceaux and Splendore first described Toxoplasma gondii as a parasite of rodents and rabbits in the early 20th century, a diverse and vigorous research community has been built around studying this fascinating intracellular parasite. In addition to its importance as a pathogen of humans, livestock and wildlife, modern researchers are attracted to T. gondii as a facile experimental system to study many aspects of evolutionary biology, cellular biology, host-microbe interactions, and host immunity.

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Black women have elevated rates of multiple physical illnesses and conditions when compared to White women - disparities that are only partially explained by socioeconomic status (SES). Consequently, scholars have called for renewed attention to the significance of racism-related stress in explaining Black-White disparities in women's physical health. Drawing on the biopsychosocial model of racism as a stressor and the intersectionality perspective, this study examines the extent to which SES and racism-related stressors - i.

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Intracellular parasites, such as the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii, are adept at scavenging nutrients from their host. However, there is little understanding of how parasites sense and respond to the changing nutrient environments they encounter during an infection. TgApiAT1, a member of the apicomplexan ApiAT family of amino acid transporters, is the major uptake route for the essential amino acid L-arginine (Arg) in T.

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The Coccidia is the largest group of parasites within the Apicomplexa, a phylum of unicellular, obligate parasites characterized by the possession of an apical complex of organelles and structures in the asexual stages of their life cycles, as well as by a sexual reproductive phase that occurs enterically in host animals. Coccidian sexual reproduction involves morphologically distinct microgametes and macrogametes that combine to form a diploid zygote and, ultimately, following meiosis and mitosis, haploid, infectious sporozoites, inside sporocysts within an oocyst. Recent transcriptomic analyses have identified genes involved in coccidian sexual stage development and reproduction, including genes encoding for microgamete- and macrogamete-specific proteins with roles in gamete motility, fusion and fertilization, and in the formation of the resilient oocyst wall that allows coccidians to persist for long periods in the environment.

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Toxoplasmosis is caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an apicomplexan parasite that is able to infect any nucleated cell in any warm-blooded animal. Toxoplasma gondii infects around 2 billion people and, whilst only a small percentage of infected people will suffer serious disease, the prevalence of the parasite makes it one of the most damaging zoonotic diseases in the world. Toxoplasmosis is a disease with multiple manifestations: it can cause a fatal encephalitis in immunosuppressed people; if first contracted during pregnancy, it can cause miscarriage or congenital defects in the neonate; and it can cause serious ocular disease, even in immunocompetent people.

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 Lunotriquetal coalition is the most common carpal coalition that can be symptomatic if trauma disrupts the syndesmosis or synchondrosis or if degenerative changes develop between the abnormal articulating surfaces.  A 15-year-old boy presented with a symptomatic lunotriquetral coalition after a fall 2 years prior. Following appropriate investigation, he was managed via arthroscopic debridement, bone grafting, and lunotriquetral arthrodesis.

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Although the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health among Black youth is well-documented, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Drawing from the stress process model, this study examines two psychosocial mediators - self-esteem and self-efficacy - in the association between perceived discrimination and mental health among African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. This research addresses three primary research questions: First, how is perceived discrimination associated with mental health? Second, to what extent do self-esteem and self-efficacy mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health? Finally, do these relationships and processes differ between African American and Caribbean Black adolescents? Data for these analyses come from the National Survey of American Life - Adolescent Supplement.

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Purpose: Examine the ability of PCORnet data resources to investigate molecular-guided cancer treatment.

Patients And Methods: Patients (N = 86,154) had single primary solid tumors (diagnosed 2013-2017) from hospital oncology registries linked to the PCORnet Common Data Model (CDM) at 11 medical institutions. Molecular and anatomic test procedures and oral and infused therapies were identified with Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes, RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier, and National Drug Codes from CDM tables.

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Toxoplasmic encephalitis is an AIDS-defining condition. The decline of IFN-γ-producing CD4 T cells in AIDS is a major contributing factor in reactivation of quiescent Toxoplasma gondii to an actively replicating stage of infection. Hence, it is important to characterize CD4-independent mechanisms that constrain acute T.

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An emerging body of research finds that African American and Caribbean Black adolescents are highly susceptible to discrimination, which negatively affects their mental health. Exposure to discrimination appears to be more consequential for mental health among Caribbean Black adolescents; however, past research investigating the differential impact of perceived discrimination on the mental health of African American and Caribbean Black adolescents has failed to take into account parental nativity status. Using data from the National Survey of American Life-Adolescent Supplement (NSAL-A), 2001-2004, this research examines differences in mental health profiles among African American adolescents (n = 783) and Caribbean Black adolescents with US-born (n = 216) and immigrant parents (n = 144) and differential vulnerability to perceptions of discrimination.

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Interosseous membrane (IOM) deficiency results in longitudinal radioulnar instability, and may result in proximal radial migration, increased radiocapitellar contact, limitations in forearm rotation, ulnocarpal instability, and ulna-sided pain. A number of reconstruction methods have been posited-however, few have been implemented in vivo. We describe a 2-bundle method of IOM reconstruction, utilizing flexor digitorum superficialis autograft.

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Almost any warm-blooded creature can be an intermediate host for Toxoplasma gondii. However, sexual reproduction of T. gondii occurs only in felids, wherein fertilisation of haploid macrogametes by haploid microgametes, results in diploid zygotes, around which a protective wall develops, forming unsporulated oocysts.

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Inflammasomes promote immunity to microbial pathogens by regulating the function of IL-1-family cytokines such as IL-18 and IL-1β. However, the roles for inflammasomes during parasitic helminth infections remain unclear. We demonstrate that mice and humans infected with gastrointestinal nematodes display increased IL-18 secretion, which in Trichuris-infected or worm antigen-treated mice and in macrophages co-cultured with Trichuris antigens or exosome-like vesicles was dependent on the NLRP3 inflammasome.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cryptosporidium parvum, a key pathogen causing diarrhea in humans and animals, currently lacks effective vaccines and has limited drug options available for treatment.
  • This study utilized RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to analyze gene expression differences between sporozoites and intracellular stages of C. parvum, revealing 173 genes upregulated in sporozoites and 1259 in intestinal stages, along with a new calcium-dependent protein kinase identified as a potential drug target.
  • The findings highlight specific genes that are crucial for different life stages of the parasite, setting the stage for future research that may lead to new drug or vaccine development through transgenic techniques.
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Background: Eimeria tenella infection leads to acute intestinal disorders responsible for important economic losses in poultry farming worldwide. The life-cycle of E. tenella is monoxenous with the chicken as the exclusive host; infection occurs in caecal epithelial cells.

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