Case control study of access to medications during COVID-19 and longitudinal impact on health outcomes for primary care patients managing multiple chronic conditions.

Background: During coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), people managing multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) experienced barriers to obtaining needed medications. The purposes of this paper are to (i) determine risk factors for difficulty obtaining medications during COVID-19, (ii) document reasons for the difficulty, and (iii) evaluate the impact on later physical and mental health outcomes.

Method: In a randomized controlled trial conducted in 2016-2021, 1969 adult primary care patients were surveyed about physical and mental health both before and during COVID-19.

Dacryoscintillography in Patients With Symptomatic, but Patent, Lacrimal Drainage Systems.

Purpose: To relate dacryoscintillographic features to presenting symptoms and signs for watery-eyed patients with patent drainage systems.

Methods: Retrospective case note and imaging review for patients with watering eye(s) and clinical evidence of impaired tear drainage who underwent dacryoscintillography (DSG). Three DSG features were graded, along with 4 symptoms, 7 signs, and the degree of fluid reflux and nasal fluid passage on gentle syringing.

Presentation of Orbital Metastases.

Purpose: To compare clinical characteristics of patients with and without a known systemic malignancy at the time of diagnosis of orbital metastases.

Methods: Retrospective case note and imaging review for patients with orbital metastases presenting between 1980 and 2022. Patients were classified as having known malignancy at orbital presentation (group I) or without known malignancy (group II).

Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Symptomatic Nasolacrimal Duct Stenosis.

Purpose: To characterize symptoms and signs for patients with tearing eye(s) and ipsilateral nasolacrimal duct stenosis (NLDS), as defined by delayed fluorescein disappearance test and ocular reflux of saline during gentle irrigation of a patent drainage system.

Methods: Retrospective case-note review of a consistent grading of 4 symptoms and 7 signs, together with estimates of the degree of fluid reflux and nasal fluid passage on gentle saline syringing. Characteristics, including gender differences, were compared for unilateral or bilateral symptoms.

Collection and sharing of health information in mental health and related systems in Australia: perspectives of people who access mental health services.

Background: Information sharing and information privacy are important issues in mental health services. Yet the perspectives of Australians who access mental health services about these issues are poorly understood. This article addresses the research question: What are the concerns of people who use mental health services about the collection and use of their health information in mental health and related systems in Australia?

Methods: Participants were 16 people who had accessed mental health services and were involved in a series of co-design workshops as part of a larger study.

The Potential Contribution of MyomiRs miR-133a-3p, -133b, and -206 Dysregulation in Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major global health concern. The number of people with CVD is expected to rise due to aging populations and increasing risk factors such as obesity and diabetes. Identifying new molecular markers is crucial for early diagnosis and treatment.

CT-augmented digital tomosynthesis image reconstruction in image-guided bronchoscopy interventions.

Background: Transbronchial needle biopsy is crucial for diagnosing lung cancer, yet its efficacy depends on accurately localizing the target lesion and biopsy needle. Digital tomosynthesis (DTS) is considered a promising imaging modality for guiding bronchoscopy procedures due to its low radiation dose and small footprint relative to cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). However, the image quality of DTS is still not sufficient for an accurate guidance, mainly due to its limited-angle acquisition.

Identification of TAK-756, A Potent TAK1 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis through Intra-Articular Administration.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic and degenerative joint disease affecting more than 500 million patients worldwide with no disease-modifying treatment approved to date. Several publications report on the transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) as a potential molecular target for OA, with complementary anti-catabolic and anti-inflammatory effects. We report herein on the development of TAK1 inhibitors with physicochemical properties suitable for intra-articular injection, with the aim to achieve high drug concentration at the affected joint, while avoiding severe toxicity associated with systemic inhibition.

The Iconic α-Helix: From Pauling to the Present.

The protein folding problem dates back to Pauling's insights almost a century ago, but the first venture into actual protein structure was the Pauling-Corey-Brandson α-helix in 1951, a proposed model that was confirmed almost immediately using X-ray crystallography. Many subsequent efforts to predict protein helices from the amino acid sequence met with only partial success, as discussed here. Surprisingly, in 2021, these efforts were superseded by deep-learning artificial intelligence, especially AlphaFold2, a machine learning program based on neural nets.

An eight-founder wheat MAGIC population allows fine-mapping of flowering time loci and provides novel insights into the genetic control of flowering time.

Flowering time synchronizes reproductive development with favorable environmental conditions to optimize yield. Improved understanding of the genetic control of flowering will help optimize varietal adaptation to future agricultural systems under climate change. Here, we investigate the genetic basis of flowering time in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.

Partnership between a consumer-led mental health research network and a large mental health research organisation: an Australian mixed methods case study.

Aim: This paper presents a case study review of an Australian research partnership between an independent mental health lived experience-led research network and an academic organisation established for the research and treatment of disorders of the brain and mind. The aim of the study was to explore the principles and practical requirements needed for a successful partnership that promotes inclusive research practices and power sharing and provide a framework to improve the operationalization of future similar partnerships.

Methods: This study was led and conducted by lived experience researchers.

Implementation outcomes from a randomized, controlled trial of a strategy to improve integration of behavioral health and primary care services.

Background: Integrating behavioral health services in primary care is challenging; a toolkit approach to practice implementation can help. A recent comparative effectiveness randomized clinical trial examined the impact of a toolkit for improving integration on outcomes for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Some aspects of behavioral health integration improved; patient-reported outcomes did not.

Effect of Sarcobesity Index and Body Adipose Tissue Variables on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Performance in Colorectal Surgery Setting: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

The prognostic significance of body composition variables has become a popular area of research over the recent years. This study aimed to determine whether adipose tissue variables and sarcobesity index measured by computed tomography (CT) could predict cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) performance and long-term mortality in patients undergoing major colorectal surgery. The Strengthening the Reporting of Cohort Studies in Surgery (STROCSS) statement standards were followed to conduct a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who had CPET prior to major colorectal surgery between January 2011 and January 2017.

Treatment of shoulder pain with ultrasound-guided interfascial plane block.

Background: Shoulder pain is a common presentation to the Emergency Department (ED). Despite an increasing volume of ED visits for shoulder pain, achieving adequate pain control can be challenging. Ultrasound-guided nerve blocks, such as the interscalene nerve block (ISB), are effective but can cause hemidiaphragmatic paresis and motor dysfunction.

MRI-compatible and sensorless haptic feedback for cable-driven medical robotics to perform teleoperated needle-based interventions.

Purpose: Surgical robotics have demonstrated their significance in assisting physicians during minimally invasive surgery. Especially, the integration of haptic and tactile feedback technologies can enhance the surgeon's performance and overall patient outcomes. However, the current state-of-the-art lacks such interaction feedback opportunities, especially in robotic-assisted interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI), which is gaining importance in clinical practice, specifically for percutaneous needle punctures.

Concurrent ependymal and ganglionic differentiation in a subset of supratentorial neuroepithelial tumors with EWSR1-PLAGL1 rearrangement.

Neuroepithelial tumors with fusion of PLAGL1 or amplification of PLAGL1/PLAGL2 have recently been described often with ependymoma-like or embryonal histology respectively. To further evaluate emerging entities with PLAG-family genetic alterations, the histologic, molecular, clinical, and imaging features are described for 8 clinical cases encountered at St. Jude (EWSR1-PLAGL1 fusion n = 6; PLAGL1 amplification n = 1; PLAGL2 amplification n = 1).

Overview and Feasibility of a Novel Transdisciplinary Integrative Approach to High Impact Chronic Pain in Vermont.

Background/objective: Pain is one of the most common chronic conditions in the US, estimated to affect 20.9% of the population (51.6 million people).

Effect of Spectral Filtering and Segmental X-ray Tube Current Switch-Off on Interventionalist's Scatter Exposure during CT Fluoroscopy.

Dose optimization in computed tomography (CT) is crucial, especially in CT fluoroscopy (fluoro-CT) used for real-time navigation, affecting both patient and operator safety. This study evaluated the impact of spectral X-ray filtering using a tin filter (Sn filter), and a method called partial-angle computed tomography (PACT), which involves segmentally switching off the X-ray tube current at the ambient dose rate H˙*(10) at the interventional radiologist's (IR) position. Measurements were taken at two body regions (upper body: head/neck; lower body: lower legs/feet) using a 120 kV X-ray tube voltage, 3 × 5.

How auditory neurons count temporal intervals and decode information.

The numerical sense of animals includes identifying the numerosity of a sequence of events that occur with specific intervals, e.g., notes in a call or bar of music.