Mechanisms of Neurosyphilis-Induced Dementia: Insights into Pathophysiology.

Neurosyphilis-induced dementia represents a severe manifestation of tertiary syphilis, characterized by cognitive and neuropsychiatric impairments. This condition arises from the progression of syphilis to the central nervous system, where the spirochete causes damage through invasion, chronic inflammation, and neurodegeneration. The pathophysiology involves chronic inflammatory responses, direct bacterial damage, and proteinopathies.

Silent Vanishing Lung Syndrome: Severe Emphysema in an Asymptomatic Patient.

Vanishing lung syndrome (VLS) is an uncommon condition characterized by idiopathic giant bullous emphysema, resulting in the lungs appearing abnormally small on radiological scans. Some case reports have suggested a potential association between the development of this condition in young males, individuals with a history of heavy tobacco smoking, methamphetamine, and marijuana use, and those previously diagnosed with HIV. The primary diagnostic tools for vanishing lung syndrome include initial x-rays and high-resolution CT scans, which play a crucial role in confirming the diagnosis.

The effects of supplemental dietary chitosan on broiler performance and myopathic features of white striping.

White striping (WS) is a common myopathy seen in fast-growing broilers. Studies have demonstrated that chitosan is effective as an antioxidant and has antiobesity and fat-absorption reduction properties. We hypothesized that the dietary supplementation of chitosan would have similar effects when fed to fast-growing broilers and would thus lower WS incidence and improve meat quality.

Validation of a Natural Language Machine Learning Model for Safety Literature Surveillance.

Introduction: As part of routine safety surveillance, thousands of articles of potential interest are manually triaged for review by safety surveillance teams. This manual triage task is an interesting candidate for automation based on the abundance of process data available for training, the performance of natural language processing algorithms for this type of cognitive task, and the small number of safety signals that originate from literature review, resulting in its lower risk profile. However, deep learning algorithms introduce unique risks and the validation of such models for use in Good Pharmacovigilance Practice remains an open question.

Creation of 21st century anatomy facilities: designing facilities for integrated preclinical education in the Middle East.

Background: The establishment of new anatomy facilities needs to accommodate a combination of modern teaching modalities that best align with evidence-based best teaching practices. This article describes the process in which our state-of-the-art anatomy laboratories were designed and implemented, and how these facilities support aspects of modern anatomy education.

Methods: A list of best practices for anatomy education in a modern medical curriculum was summarized from the literature.

Group A Streptococcus Necrotizing Lymphadenitis: A Case Report.

Necrotizing lymphadenitis (NL) is a rare entity that can occur as a complication of bacterial cervical lymphadenitis (CL) and is characterized by unilateral or bilateral cervical lymphadenopathy. NL most commonly presents in females and most reports have been in Japan. In this case, we present a 37-year-old male with no significant past medical history who presented with an unusual presentation and clinical course of NL.

Implementation of Learning Communities at Khalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Learning community programs have been widely implemented in higher education institutions, including many accredited medical schools in North America. Learning communities have been shown to create a sense of belonging, enhance teaching and learning, and promote an inclusive educational environment that reinforces collaboration, professionalism, and wellbeing. Based on their demonstrated success, a learning community program was included in the development of Khalifa University College of Medicine and Health Sciences (KU CMHS), the first medical school in the capital city of Abu Dhabi and the first to offer a postbaccalaureate, Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Reported Clinical and Financial Performance of Hospitals With Physician CEOs Compared to Those With Nonphysician CEOs.

Little work has been done comparing the performance of hospitals with physician CEOs versus nonphysician CEOs, despite the ease of identifying this characteristic and extant leadership theories suggesting a relationship between technical expertise and success in leading highly technical organizations. We performed a detailed analysis of several widely accepted measures of clinical and financial performance across a randomly selected group of U.S.

3D Printable Conducting and Biocompatible PEDOT-graft-PLA Copolymers by Direct Ink Writing.

Tailor-made polymers are needed to fully exploit the possibilities of additive manufacturing, constructing complex, and functional devices in areas such as bioelectronics. In this paper, the synthesis of a conducting and biocompatible graft copolymer which can be 3D printed using direct melting extrusion methods is shown. For this purpose, graft copolymers composed by conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and a biocompatible polymer polylactide (PLA) are designed.

Novel MIS 3D NAV Single Step Pedicle Screw System (SSPSS): Workflow, Accuracy and Initial Clinical Experience.

Study Design: Prospective case series.

Objective: SSPSS (single step pedicle screw system) was developed for minimally invasive spine surgery. We performed this study to report on safety, workflow, and our initial clinical experience with this novel technique.

Inter-organizational information sharing and bundled payment reimbursement: Do hospitals in the US use health information exchange to collaborate?

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the greater need for information generated by bundled payment reimbursement and the use of Health Information Exchange (HIE).

Methods: The study is based on a secondary data analysis using theAmerican Hospital Association (AHA) Healthcare IT Database and the AHA Annual Survey. A logistic regression was used to test the likelihood of hospitals participating in HIE if they were involved in bundled payment reimbursement.

Mixed Bullous-Eczematous Contact Dermatitis From a Black Henna Tattoo in an African American Female With Sickle Cell Disease With Post-Dermatitis Pain.

Traditionally practiced in East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, Henna tattooing has gained western popularity in creating temporary decorative patterns on the skin. Derived from the Lawsonia inermis shrub prevalent in Asia/Southeast Asia, the leaves of this plant are ground to create a paste with a brown pigment commonly called Mehndi or Henna which have deep-rooted cultural values/practices. The pure organic form of these compounds has few reported side effects.

Medical Ethics and the Biopsychosocial Model for Patient Care: A Case Analysis for Improved Communication, Clinical Time, and Error Avoidance.

The practice of interdisciplinary medicine is one of the most effective and cooperative forms of medical management, which optimizes clinical care and outcomes for a patient. This model of care affords the patient the benefit of receiving the best available therapeutic options from specialists who are experts in their respective disciplines, which would otherwise be limited when compared with the clinical expertise from a single provider managing multiple co-morbidities. However, poor communication between each specialized team managing a patient's care can result in redundancies and superfluous treatment that can have deleterious clinical outcomes that impede the physician-patient relationship and question the bioethical principles of clinical practice.

Indirect Decompression Failure After Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion-Reported Failures and Predictive Factors: Systematic Review.

Background: In patients with symptomatic lumbar stenosis undergoing lateral transpsoas approach for lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) surgery, it is not always clear when indirect decompression is sufficient in order to achieve symptom resolution. Indirect decompression failure (IDF), defined as "postoperative persistent symptoms of nerve compression with or without a second direct decompression surgery to reach adequate symptom resolution," is not widely reported. This information, however, is critical to better understand the indications, the potential, and the limitations of indirect decompression.

The Effect of Hospitalists on Average Length of Stay.

Hospitals experiencing financial pressures are seeking to gain efficiencies through innovation. One solution is to engage hospitalists to help reduce the average length of stay (ALOS). This study considers whether and to what extent hospitalists affect ALOS and whether an association exists between the number of hospitalists per occupied bed (density) and ALOS.

A Dried Blood Spot Analysis for Solithromycin in Adolescents, Children, and Infants: A Short Communication.

Background: Solithromycin is a fourth-generation macrolide antibiotic with potential efficacy in pediatric community-acquired bacterial pneumonia. Pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of solithromycin in pediatric subjects are limited, therefore application of minimally invasive drug sampling techniques, such as dried blood spots (DBS), may enhance the enrollment of children in PK studies. The objectives of this study were to compare solithromycin concentrations in DBS with those in liquid plasma samples (LPS) and to quantify the effects of modeling DBS concentrations on the results of a population PK model.

Ten-Step Minimally Invasive Cervical Decompression via Unilateral Tubular Laminotomy: Technical Note and Early Clinical Experience.

Background: Minimally invasive techniques utilizing tubular retractors have become an increasingly popular approach to the spinal column. The concept of a unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression (ULBD), first applied in the lumbar spine, has recently been applied to the cervical spine for the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). A better understanding of the indications and surgical techniques is required to effectively educate surgeons on how to appropriately and safely perform tubular cervical laminotomy via ULBD.

Entamoeba Histolytica: Updates in Clinical Manifestation, Pathogenesis, and Vaccine Development.

is the responsible parasite of amoebiasis and remains one of the top three parasitic causes of mortality worldwide. With increased travel and emigration to developed countries, infection is becoming more common in nonendemic areas. Although the majority of individuals infected with remain asymptomatic, some present with amoebic colitis and disseminated disease.

Atypical Presentation of Infective Endocarditis: A Case Report.

The American Heart Association defines Infective Endocarditis (IE) or bacterial endocarditis as an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart lining, heart valve, or blood vessel [1]. IE is considered the fourth most common life-threatening infection syndrome after sepsis, pneumonia, and intra-abdominal abscess. In 2010, IE was associated with 1.

Journal rankings and directions for future research in health care management: A global perspective.

Despite the increasingly global nature of health care, much of the research about journal rankings and directions for future research in health care management is from a United States based viewpoint. There is a lack of information about influential journals and trends for health care management research from a global perspective. This exploratory study gathered the opinions of health care management researchers from 17 countries regarding which journals are considered most influential, popular research topics and areas needing more attention from the research community.

The relationship between emergency department wait times and inpatient satisfaction.

This study examines patient perceptions of emergency department wait times and inpatient experiences. For many hospitals across the United States, the emergency department (ED) is now the "front door"; therefore, understanding the impact of ED experience on the inpatient experience is critical for leaders managing these complex settings today. Results showed statistically significant relationships between a very good ED experience and a very good inpatient experience.

Chronic Conditions and Self-Reported Health in a Medicare Advantage Plan Population.

Self-reported changes in physical and mental health by members are an important dimension by which the quality of a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan is rated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. To better target their interventions, MA plans need a better understanding of what observed characteristics-including clinical health conditions-predict self-reported changes in physical and mental health. This study explored how one MA plan's survey of participants' responses regarding changes in physical and mental health is associated with a set of chronic conditions as well as sociodemographic characteristics.