Publications by authors named "Samuels J"
Purpose: Although many women experience obsessive-compulsive symptoms during the perinatal period, the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) has not yet been psychometrically evaluated in this population. This study examined the internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity, and factor structure of the YBOCS among pregnant women.
Methods: 256 Women who were 20 to 24 weeks pregnant completed the clinician-administered YBOCS and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) along with a series of self-report questionnaires including the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS) and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R).
Background: Three-dimensional MR fingerprinting (3D-MRF) has been increasingly used to assess cartilage degeneration, particularly in the knee joint, by looking into multiple relaxation parameters. A comparable 3D-MRF approach can be adapted to assess cartilage degeneration for the hip joint, with changes to accommodate specific challenges of hip joint imaging.
Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility and repeatability of 3D-MRF in the bilateral hip jointly we map proton density (PD), T, T, T, and ∆B in clinically feasible scan times.
Background: Bariatric surgery is an effective intervention for obesity, but comprehensive postoperative self-management is essential for optimal outcomes. While patient portals are generally seen as beneficial in engaging patients in health management, the link between their use and post-bariatric surgery weight loss remains unclear.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between patient portal engagement and postoperative BMI reduction among patients after bariatric surgery.
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on the high prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among pregnant and postpartum women and emphasizes the importance of efficient screening tools for early detection in perinatal care.
- Researchers evaluated the 4-item Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (OCI-4) for its reliability, validity, and diagnostic sensitivity through assessments at various stages of pregnancy and postpartum.
- Results indicate that the OCI-4 is a reliable and effective screening tool for identifying OCD symptoms in perinatal women, with a specific score of 3 providing optimal sensitivity and specificity for detection.
Introduction: Hepatic angioembolization is highly effective for hemorrhage control in hemodynamically stable patients with traumatic liver injuries and contrast extravasation. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the specific location of angioembolization within the hepatic arterial vasculature and its implications on patient outcomes.
Methods: A post-hoc analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study across 23 centers was performed.
Background: Prior studies evaluating observation versus angioembolization (AE) for blunt liver injuries (BLT) with contrast extravasation (CE) on computed tomography imaging have yielded inconsistent conclusions, primarily due to limitations in single-center and/or retrospective study design. Therefore, this multicenter study aims to compare an observation versus AE-first approach for BLT, hypothesizing decreased liver-related complications (LRCs) with observation.
Methods: We conducted a post hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective observational study (2019-2021) across 23 centers.
Background: Understanding the time to hypertension occurrence after antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation in people living with HIV (PLHIV) and its determinants is important for designing interventions for control.
Objective: This study sought to estimate the median time of ART use to hypertension onset and its predictors in Nigerian PLHIV.
Design: A retrospective longitudinal study.
Background: Few studies have investigated the use of anti-obesity medications (AOMs) before bariatric surgery and how prior use impacts patients' goals and expectations for surgery.
Objectives: This study investigated associations between patients' experiences with AOMs and weight loss expectations before bariatric surgery.
Settings: Single tertiary university hospital.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigated the link between elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and neurocognitive performance in adolescents, focusing on measures like auscultatory SBP and ambulatory SBP, along with cardiovascular health risk indicators.
- It involved 365 adolescents, averaging 15.5 years old, from various academic medical centers in the U.S., analyzing their cognitive abilities like nonverbal IQ and attention, considering factors like maternal education.
- Results showed that higher SBP corresponded to lower nonverbal IQ and verbal attention scores, indicating that even slight elevations in blood pressure can negatively affect adolescent cognitive functions, suggesting a need for further research on these implications for clinical care.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic social defeat (CSD) stress in mice leads to a significant accumulation of neutrophils in the meningeal area, while acute stress does not have the same effect.
- The study utilizes various techniques, like cytometry and single-cell sequencing, to show that CSD increases neutrophil movement from bone marrow through vascular channels.
- Blocking type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling can prevent negative behaviors linked to CSD stress, suggesting that targeting this pathway could help develop new treatments for stress-related disorders.
We present a case of an 80-year-old male who attended an MRI scan for his prostate cancer radiotherapy planning. His safety screening did not identify any contraindications to our department's MRI safety policy; however, his MRI images displayed significant susceptibility artefacts in the sigmoid colon and rectum and were not clinically acceptable. Further history revealed he had begun regularly taking curcumin supplements at the time of his prostate cancer diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Severe obesity is a barrier to listing for kidney transplantation due to concern for poor outcomes. This study aims to compare bariatric surgery with medical weight loss as a means of achieving weight loss and subsequent listing for renal transplant. We hypothesize that bariatric surgery will induce greater frequency of listing for transplant within 18 months of study initiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons frequently collaborate on difficult decisions regarding perioperative management of immunosuppression in rheumatic disease patients, balancing risk of postoperative infection with risk of disease flares. Current evidence-based guidelines pertain specifically to arthroplasty, thus we sought to understand the trends and common practices regarding peri-arthroscopic use of immunosuppression.
Methods: Rheumatologists and sports medicine surgeons, from a variety of New York hospitals and serving a broad range of demographics, were surveyed on immunosuppressive medication management in rheumatic disease patients undergoing arthroscopic surgeries.
Background: We applied the novel Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease EVENTs (PREVENT) equations to evaluate cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) health and estimated CVD risk, including heart failure (HF), after bariatric surgery.
Methods: Among 7804 patients (20-79 years) undergoing bariatric surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center during 1999-2022, CVD risk factors at pre-surgery, 1-year, and 2-year post-surgery were extracted from electronic health records. The 10- and 30-year risks of total CVD, atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and HF were estimated for patients without a history of CVD or its subtypes at each time point, using the social deprivation index-enhanced PREVENT equations.
Article Synopsis
- Primary hypertension in children can lead to increased cardiovascular risks as they grow into adults, making early studies crucial for understanding organ damage.
- A study involving 132 youths showed significant correlations between blood pressure levels, gene expression, and molecular profiles, highlighting distinct biological changes in those with high blood pressure.
- Findings suggest that mechanisms behind elevated blood pressure could involve issues with blood vessel growth and tissue breakdown, offering potential targets for intervention in preventing long-term cardiovascular damage.
Aim: To compare the incidence of adverse events (AEs) related to antiobesity medications (AOMs; glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists [GLP-1RAs] vs. non-GLP-1RAs) after bariatric surgery.
Methods: This single-centre retrospective cohort included patients (aged 16-65 years) who had undergone laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy (cohort entry date) and initiated AOMs.
Background: T cells drive acute cellular rejection (ACR) and its progression to chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD) following lung transplantation. International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation grade A1 ACR without associated allograft dysfunction is often untreated, yet some patients develop progressive graft dysfunction. T-cell composition of A1 ACR lesions may have prognostic value; therefore, protein-level and epigenetic techniques were applied to transbronchial biopsy tissue to determine whether differential T-cell infiltration in recipients experiencing a first episode of stable grade A1 ACR (StA1R) is associated with early CLAD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: We present the evolution of GHD in adolescent males with persistent growth failure, in whom the diagnosis was established after a second GH stimulation test (GST).
Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of children who presented for short stature (height less < 2SD for mean/mid-parental height) and/or growth failure (sustained growth velocity < 0 SD) to pediatric endocrinology at Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, New York and who had 2 GSTs. Data collected from electronic medical records were analyzed using SPSS v28.
Article Synopsis
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects about 1% of people and has a strong genetic component, but previous studies have not fully explained its genetic causes or biological mechanisms.
- A large genome-wide association study (GWAS) analyzed data from over 53,000 OCD cases and over 2 million control participants, identifying 30 significant genetic markers related to OCD and suggesting a 6.7% heritability from SNPs.
- The research also found 249 candidate risk genes linked to OCD, particularly in specific brain regions, and showed genetic correlations with various psychiatric disorders, laying the groundwork for further studies and potential treatments.
Background: Hypertension in adolescence is associated with subclinical target organ injury (TOI). We aimed to determine whether different blood pressure (BP) thresholds were associated with increasing number of TOI markers in healthy adolescents.
Methods: 244 participants (mean age 15.
Article Synopsis
- High-grade liver injuries with extravasation (HGLI + Extrav) carry significant risks, and the study evaluated whether an observation-first strategy (OBS) is safe compared to initial angiography (IR).
- Of 59 patients, 39% were treated with OBS and 61% with IR, with patients initially managed by IR experiencing a higher rate of surgery (13.9% vs. 0%).
- Despite the increased rate of operations for IR patients, there were no significant differences in liver-related complications or mortality, indicating that OBS may be a suitable approach for selectively managing HGLI + Extrav patients.
Background: Weight loss response after bariatric surgery is highly variable, and several demographic factors are associated with differential responses to surgery. Preclinical studies demonstrate numerous sex-specific responses to bariatric surgery, but whether these responses are also operation dependent is unknown.
Objective: To examine sex-specific weight loss outcomes up to 5 years after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG).
Background: There are currently no guidelines on peri-arthroscopic management of immunosuppressive (IS) treatment in rheumatic disease patients.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize the rheumatic disease patient population undergoing arthroscopy, compare the incidence of postoperative complications among patients who either remained on IS perioperatively, held IS perioperatively or were not on IS at baseline, and compare the incidence of postoperative complications by rheumatic disease type, medication type, and procedure.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of all arthroscopic sports medicine surgeries in patients with a rheumatic disease diagnosis at our institution over an 11-year period.