Social and Environmental Influences on Sexual Behaviors of College Black Women: Within Group Diversity Between HBCU vs. PWI Experiences.

Black women carry a disproportionate number of new HIV infections in the USA. Studies that have assessed HIV risk perception along with HIV prevention interventions for Black women have primarily focused on Black women of low socioeconomic status. Few studies have assessed HIV risk perceptions and sexual behavior among college-educated Black women of higher socioeconomic status despite their high risk of HIV.

Retrospective study of the incidence and outcomes from lung cancer in solid organ transplant recipients.

Objective: Organ transplant recipients (OTR) have an increased risk of developing post-transplant malignancies with lung cancer being one of the most common. In this retrospective study, we investigated incidence, use of systemic therapy and outcomes from lung cancer in OTR.

Materials And Methods: Patients diagnosed with lung cancer following a solid organ transplant at the University Health Network, Toronto, ON, CA, from January 1, 1980 to June 30, 2016 were included.

The pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) consciousness of black college women and the perceived hesitancy of public health institutions to curtail HIV in black women.

Background: Consistent use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a biomedical intervention for HIV seronegative persons, has been shown to significantly decrease HIV acquisition. Black women are a viable population segment to consider for PrEP use as their HIV incidence is overwhelmingly higher than all other women groups.

Methods: We developed and piloted a cultural- and age- appropriate PrEP education intervention to determine Black college women's: 1) perceptions of and receptivity to PrEP use; and 2) preferences for PrEP information delivery.

Ocean plastic crisis-Mental models of plastic pollution from remote Indonesian coastal communities.

The crisis facing the world's oceans from plastics is well documented, yet there is little knowledge of the perspectives, experiences and options of the coastal communities facing overwhelming quantities of plastics on their beaches and in their fishing waters. In emerging economies such as those in the Coral Triangle, the communities affected are among the poorest of their countries. To understand the consequences of ocean plastic pollution in coastal regions, through the eyes of local people, this study examines the knowledge, use, disposal and local consequences of single use plastics in remote island communities in two archipelagos of southern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Management of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit: The Importance of Co-management With a Heart Failure Specialist.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common reason for admission to the cardiac intensive care unit. We sought to identify the role of an HF consultation service in improving the management of this patient population.

Methods: We identified all adult patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit (2014-2015) at the University Health Network with a diagnosis of acute decompensated HF ± cardiogenic shock (CS).

Reduced Rate of Hospital Presentations for Heart Failure During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Toronto, Canada.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in public health measures and health care reconfigurations likely to have impact on chronic disease care. We aimed to assess the volume and characteristics of patients presenting to hospitals with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic compared with a time-matched 2019 cohort. Patients presenting to hospitals with ADHF from March 1, to April 19, 2020 and 2019 in an urban hospital were examined.

Estimating the Magnitude of Illicit Cigarette Trade in Bangladesh: Protocol for a Mixed-Methods Study.

The illicit tobacco trade undermines the effectiveness of tobacco tax policies; increases the availability of cheap cigarettes, which, in turn, increases tobacco use and tobacco related deaths; and causes huge revenue losses to governments. There is limited evidence on the extent of illicit tobacco trade particularly cigarettes in Bangladesh. The paper presents the protocol for a mixed-methods study to estimate the extent of illicit cigarette trade in Bangladesh.

Improving the design of heart failure care from the perspective of frontline providers and administrators: A qualitative case study of a large, urban health system.

Background: Heart failure patients often present with frailty and/or multi-morbidity, complicating care and service delivery. The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is a useful framework for designing care for complex patients. It assumes responsibility of several actors, including frontline providers and health-care administrators, in creating conditions for optimal chronic care management.

The Effect of Age on Outcomes After Destination-Therapy Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation: An Analysis of the IMACS Registry.

Background: As patients with advanced heart failure are living longer, defining the impact of left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) on outcomes in an aging population is of great importance. We describe overall survival, rates of adverse events (AEs), and post-AE survival in patients age ≥ 70 years vs age 50-69 years after destination-therapy (DT) LVAD implantation.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted with the use of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (IMACS) registry.

Early Outcomes of Patients With Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy Versus Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy: The Mayo Clinic Experience.

Purpose: There are very little data available comparing outcomes of intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) to intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in patients with locally advanced NSCLC (LA-NSCLC).

Methods: Seventy-nine consecutively treated patients with LA-NSCLC underwent definitive IMPT ( = 33 [42%]) or IMRT ( = 46 [58%]) from 2016 to 2018 at our institution. Survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank test.

Determinants of smoking intensity in South Africa: Evidence from township communities.

In order to analyze the smoking patterns in economically disadvantaged communities in South Africa, this paper examines the determinants of smoking intensity, using pooled data on price and non-price determinants of smoking from two cross-sectional surveys conducted in 2017 and 2018 to investigate the drivers of conditional cigarette demand among daily smokers. The analysis was done using a negative binomial regression. The results show that smokers reduce the number of cigarettes smoked daily when cigarette prices increase.

Post-transplant survival in adult congenital heart disease patients as compared to dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy patients; an analysis of the thoracic ISHLT registry.

Previous studies have shown that adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) is associated with high early post-transplant mortality but improved long-term survival in comparison to the overall heart transplant population. We aimed to evaluate survival outcomes of ACHD in adult transplant recipient patients as specifically compared to ischemic (ICM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) groups. Adult heart transplant recipients between 2004 and 2014 were identified from the ISHLT registry.

Cardiovascular and abdominal flow alterations in adults with morphologic evidence of liver disease post Fontan palliation.

Background: Although morphologic abnormalities in the liver are commonly encountered post Fontan palliation, the relationships between hepatic morphology, vascular flows, and clinical status remain incompletely understood. We therefore aimed to explore flow characteristics in hepatic and intestinal vessels and to examine cardiovascular associations with liver disease.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of adults post Fontan palliation undergoing clinically indicated cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The Status of Specialized Ambulatory Heart Failure Care in Canada: A Joint Canadian Heart Failure Society and Canadian Cardiovascular Society Heart Failure Guidelines Survey.

This joint Canadian Heart Failure Society and the CCS Heart Failure guidelines report has been developed to provide a pan-Canadian snapshot of the current state of clinic-based ambulatory heart failure (HF) care in Canada with specific reference to elements and processes of care associated with quality and high performing health systems. It includes the viewpoints of persons with lived experience, patient care providers, and administrators. It is imperative to build on the themes identified in this survey, through engaging all health care professionals, to develop integrated and shared care models that will allow better patient outcomes.

Comparison of Troponin Elevation, Prior Myocardial Infarction, and Chest Pain in Acute Ischemic Heart Failure.

Background: Patients with heart failure (HF) with concomitant ischemic heart disease (IHD) have not been well characterized. We examined survival of patients with ischemic HF syndrome (IHFS), defined as presentation with acute HF and concomitant features suggestive of IHD.

Methods: Patients were included if they presented with acute HF to hospitals in Ontario, Canada.

Lung Ultrasound for Cardiologists in the Time of COVID-19.

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a point-of-care ultrasound technique used for its portability, widespread availability, and ability to provide real-time diagnostic information and procedural guidance. LUS outperforms lung auscultation and chest X-ray, and it is an alternative to chest computed tomography in selected cases. Cardiologists may enhance their physical and echocardiographic examination with the addition of LUS.

Recent Trends of Infectious Complications Following Heart Transplantation.

Background: Heart transplantation is a life-saving procedure that has seen improvements in transplant and patient outcomes due to advances in immunosuppression and prevention of posttransplantation infectious episodes (IEps). This study systematically evaluates IEps in the modern era of heart transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective review that includes 279 consecutive adult heart transplantation recipients from January 2008 to September 2017.

Readmission rates following heart failure: a scoping review of sex and gender based considerations.

Background: Although hospital readmission for heart failure (HF) is an issue for both men and women, little is known about differences in readmission rates by sex. Consequently, strategies to optimize readmission reduction programs and care strategies for women and men remain unclear. Our study aims were: (1) to identify studies examining readmission rates according to sex, and (2) to provide a qualitative overview of possible considerations for the impact of sex or gender.

Correction to: Osteoarthritis Preoperative Package for care of Orthotics, Rehabilitation, Topical and oral agent Usage and Nutrition to Improve ouTcomes at a Year (OPPORTUNITY); a feasibility study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

After publication of our article [1] we have been notified that two of the author names have been mistakenly removed from the authorship list: Colin R. Howie and Nicholas D. Clement.

Prognostic Value of Late Gadolinium Enhancement for the Prediction of Cardiovascular Outcomes in Dilated Cardiomyopathy: An International, Multi-Institutional Study of the MINICOR Group.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy is associated with increased risk of major cardiovascular events. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is a unique tissue-based marker that, in single-center studies, suggests strong prognostic value. We retrospectively studied associations between LGE presence and adverse cardiovascular events in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in a multicenter setting as part of an emerging global consortium (MINICOR [Multi-Modal International Cardiovascular Outcomes Registry]).