Patterns of Mental Health and Resilience among Nurses and Physicians throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased difficulties in emotional wellbeing among healthcare workers. The current investigation assesses how changes in depression and anxiety symptoms fluctuate relative to resilience across three time points: baseline, one-year, and two-year follow up among a cohort of physicians and nurses (N = 728).

Methods: Generalized linear mixed modeling for repeated measures was used to assess the association between resilience and mental health symptoms using validated measures for all variables.

Change in quality of life of stage IA non-small cell lung cancer after surgery or radiation therapy.

Background: Few studies have examined the differential impact of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and surgery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) on quality of life (QoL) during the first post-treatment year.

Methods: A prospective cohort of stage IA NSCLC patients undergoing surgery or SBRT at Mount Sinai Health System had QoL measured before treatment, and 2, 6, and 12 months post-treatment using: 12-item Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12) [physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS)], Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung Cancer Subscale (FACT-LCS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) measuring depression and anxiety. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) was fitted to identify the best interval knot for the change in the QoL trends post-treatment, adjusted piecewise linear mixed effects model was developed to estimate differences in baseline, 2- and 12-month scores, and rates of change.

Adapting the Stress First Aid Model for Frontline Healthcare Workers during COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic has generated and continues to create unprecedented demands on our healthcare systems. Healthcare workers (HCWs) face physical and psychological stresses caring for critically ill patients, including experiencing anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Nurses and nursing staff disproportionately experienced COVID-19-related psychological distress due to their vital role in infection mitigation and direct patient care.

The Female Emergency Medical Services Experience: A Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is a challenging profession. Little is known if there are gender differences in the experiences among EMS clinicians. Therefore, our aim was to understand and characterize the occupational experiences of female EMS clinicians.

Radiology E-Consults: Reinterpretation of Outside CT and MRI Exams to Improve Quality, Reduce Unneeded Imaging, and Lower Costs.

Objective: Advanced imaging examinations commonly uncover incidental findings. Without access to prior imaging that is external to their healthcare system, radiologists may struggle to assess the significance of these findings. This can lead to unnecessary imaging follow-up recommendations and management uncertainty.

Targeted education and outreach to neighbors of homes with high gross alpha radioactivity in domestic well water.

Gross alpha, a measurement of radioactivity in drinking water, is the most frequent laboratory test to exceed primary drinking water standards among wells tested under the New Jersey Private Well Testing Act (NJ PWTA). Certain geological factors prevalent in New Jersey (NJ) are primarily responsible for the presence of radioactivity in private well drinking water and thus, many of the estimated one million private well users in NJ may be at-risk of water contamination from naturally occurring radionuclides. Neighbor-based private well outreach methodology was utilized to identify high risk wells in both northern and southern NJ regions and offer free private well testing for radionuclides.

Physician challenges and supports during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods study.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians encountered significant COVID-19-related negative experiences and psychological distress in both their personal and professional lives. To understand the factors that negatively impact physician well-being, a number of studies have pointed to multiple work system factors such as excessive workload and workflow interruptions. In addition, studies have shown that positive interpersonal relationships that provide social support may also serve as a buffering role against psychological distress.

"We are Getting Those Old People Things." Polypharmacy Management and Medication Adherence Among Adult HIV Patients with Multiple Comorbidities: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Improvements in treatment have led to a growing population of older adults living with HIV. As this population ages, polypharmacy, or the use of more than five medications, may become more common among people living with HIV (PLWH).

Methods: Two qualitative focus groups (N=7, N=8) were conducted among a sample of patients who participated in a larger study regarding differential medication adherence.

Targeted Private Well Outreach Following a Change in Drinking Water Standard: Arsenic and the New Jersey Private Well Testing Act.

Context: When the New Jersey Private Well Testing Act (PWTA) became effective in 2002, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for arsenic in the United States was 50 μg/L. In 2006, the federal and New Jersey MCLs were lowered to 10 μg/L and 5 μg/L, respectively.

Objective: To notify and provide free arsenic water testing for homeowners who had a PWTA arsenic result that passed for the MCL in 2006 or earlier but would exceed under the more health protective MCL enacted in 2006, which is still in effect as of this publication date.

Assessing the Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Linkage Into Mental Health Care Program for Adults Affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Objective: Research indicates that greater exposure to Hurricane Sandy is associated with increased mental health difficulties. This study examined whether Project Restoration, a program that linked adults into mental health care (L2C), was effective in reducing post-Sandy mental health difficulties as compared to a cohort of adults matched on mental health difficulties that were not linked into post-Sandy mental health care.

Methods: Project Restoration participants (n = 52) with elevated self-reported mental health difficulties had the option to enroll into L2C.

Case Report: Disorder of Sexual Development in a Chinese Crested Dog With XX/XY Leukocyte Chimerism and Mixed Cell Testicular Tumors.

A 10-year-old intact female Chinese Crested dog was presented for evaluation and further diagnostics due to persistent symptoms of vulvar swelling, vaginal discharge, and an 8-year history of acyclicity. At presentation, generalized hyperpigmentation and truncal alopecia were identified, with no aberrations of the female phenotype. Vaginal cytology confirmed the influence of estrogen at multiple veterinary visits, and hormonal screening of progesterone and anti-Mullerian hormone indicated gonadal presence.

Evidence for validity of the epidemic-pandemic impacts inventory (brief healthcare module): Internal structure and association with other variables.

The COVID-19 pandemic has subjected healthcare workers to enormous stress. Measuring the impact of this public health emergency is essential to developing strategies that can effectively promote resilience and wellness. The Epidemic-Pandemic Impacts Inventory Supplemental Healthcare Module-Brief Version (EPII-SHMb) was developed to measure impacts among occupational cohorts serving on the front lines of healthcare.

Understanding Mental Health Needs and Gathering Feedback on Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential PTSD Treatment among 9/11 Responders Living with PTSD Symptoms 20 Years Later: A Qualitative Approach.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains one of the most prevalent diagnoses of World Trade Center (WTC) 9/11 responders. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a potential treatment for PTSD, as it can downregulate activity in the brain, which is known to be related to stress responses and hyperarousal. To understand barriers and facilitators to engagement in mental health care and the feasibility and acceptability of using the taVNS device as a treatment for PTSD symptoms, a focus group was conducted among patients from the Queens WTC Health Program who had elevated symptoms of PTSD.

Early-Stage Lung Cancer Patients' Perceptions of Presurgical Discussions.

Background: Patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have high survival rates, but patients often say they did not anticipate the effect of the surgery on their postsurgical quality of life (QoL). This study adds to the literature regarding patient and surgeon interactions and highlights the areas where the current approach is not providing good communication.

Design: Since its start in 2016, the Initiative for Early Lung Cancer Research on Treatment (IELCART), a prospective cohort study, has enrolled 543 patients who underwent surgery for stage I NSCLC within the Mount Sinai Health System.

The Impact of Physicians' COVID-19 Pandemic Occupational Experiences on Mental Health.

Objective: To examine the association between a number of negative COVID-19 occupational experiences and probable anxiety, depression, and PTSD among physicians.

Methods: Cross-sectional examination of longitudinal registry data consisting of physician personal and occupational well-being. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to determine the association between negative COVID-19 experiences and outcomes.

Evaluating burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic among physicians in a large health system in New York.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated significant psychological distress among health care workers worldwide. New York State, particularly New York City and surrounding counties, were especially affected, and experienced over 430,000 COVID-19 cases and 25,000 deaths by mid-August 2020. We hypothesized that physicians and trainees (residents/fellows) who were redeployed outside of their specialty to treat COVID-19 inpatients would have higher burnout.

The impact of climate change on the prevalence of mental illness symptoms.

Background: The repercussions of climate change threaten the population with an increased prevalence of extreme climate events. We explored the impact of climate change induced sea level rise (SLR) and tropical cyclone (TC) exposure on mental illness symptom prevalence.

Methods: Using three datasets, TC exposure scores were calculated for each subject to determine how exposure affects posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptom prevalence.

Mental Health Effects of Hurricane Sandy on Older Adults.

Objectives: To examine whether hurricane exposure, lack of access to medical care (LAMC), and displacement during Hurricane Sandy were associated with PTSD and other mental health (MH) symptoms among older adult New York residents.

Methods: Participants ( = 411) were ≥60 years old at the time of survey data collection (1-4 years post-Sandy). Outcomes included PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms and stress.

A method to quantify autonomic nervous system function in healthy, able-bodied individuals.

Background: The autonomic nervous system (ANS) maintains physiological homeostasis in various organ systems via parasympathetic and sympathetic branches. ANS function is altered in common diffuse and focal conditions and heralds the beginning of environmental and disease stresses. Reliable, sensitive, and quantitative biomarkers, first defined in healthy participants, could discriminate among clinically useful changes in ANS function.

Patient-reported outcomes following total thyroidectomy and lobectomy in thyroid cancer survivors: an analysis of the PROFILES Registry data.

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes are important in the surgical decision-making process for low-risk, differentiated thyroid cancer. Current study aimed to assess patient-reported outcomes in thyroid cancer survivors comparing total thyroidectomy (TT) and lobectomy (LT) using the Patient Reported Outcomes Following Initial treatment and Long term Evaluation of Survivorship (PROFILES) registry.

Methods: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) scales, illness perception questions, Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) scales and questions about thyroid surgery-related medication use were compared between thyroid cancer patients who underwent TT versus LT using descriptive analyses.

Trends of hospitalizations among patients with both cancer and dementia diagnoses in New York 2007-2017.

Background: Cancer and dementia have often been studied in isolation. We aimed to examine the spatiotemporal trend of inpatient admissions with both cancer and dementia diagnoses.

Methods: Using state-wide inpatient claims data, we identified all hospital admissions for patients aged ≥50 years with both cancer and dementia diagnoses in New York State, 2007-2017.

Is Staple Line Reinforcement Necessary in Conversion From Laparoscopic Adjustable Band to Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy?

Background: Once a common bariatric procedure, laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) is more frequently the subject of conversion procedures, particularly to laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), due to failure of weight loss, weight regain, and band intolerance. Staple line reinforcement (SLR) in primary LSG has been studied extensively, but has not been evaluated in revision procedures. The aim of this study is to investigate commonly used SLR techniques and their effects on morbidity and mortality in single-stage bands converted to sleeves.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) medical students - an examination of their journey and experiences as medical students in limbo.

Background: Although the value of DACA medical students has been hypothesized, no data are available on their contribution to US healthcare. While the exact number of DACA recipients in medical school is unknown, DACA medical students are projected to represent an increasing proportion of physicians in the future. The current literature on DACA students has not analyzed the experiences of these students.

Cooling Blankets in Hospitalized Patients: Time to Reevaluate.

Background: The therapeutic benefits and rationale for treating fevers with external cooling methods remain unclear. We aimed to describe the clinical settings in which cooling blankets (CBs) are used.

Design: We conducted a retrospective chart review of CB use in adult patients admitted to our tertiary care center over a one-year period.

A comparison of COVID-19 inpatients by HIV status.

COVID-19 in-hospital morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV (PLWH) were compared to HIV-negative COVID-19 patients within a New York City metropolitan health system, the hardest hit region in the United States early in the pandemic. A total of 10,202 inpatients were diagnosed with COVID-19, of which 99 were PLWH. PLWH were younger (58.