Publications by authors named "Sarah Becker"

Article Synopsis
  • Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare skin condition characterized by painful ulcers and is linked to an abnormal immune response, but its exact cause remains unclear.
  • Research and funding for this condition have been minimal, which hampers a deeper understanding of its mechanisms and treatments.
  • The review aims to shed light on the causes, how to diagnose, and available treatments for pyoderma gangrenosum, encouraging more scientific studies on this serious condition.
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Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) can be difficult to diagnose, leading to diagnostic delay which affects patient outcomes and increases health care utilization. Among different scenarios of diagnostic delay, atypical infections can mimic PG. Here, we present a case of extensive cutaneous leishmaniasis initially misdiagnosed as the superficial granulomatous variant of PG and describe diagnostic clues to aid in differentiation.

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  • - Biodiversity is essential for ecosystem health but is under threat from human activities, particularly in the Southern Ocean, where proactive management is needed to address challenges like fishing and climate change.
  • - The Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) Standard helps identify important sites for global biodiversity, using tracking data from seabirds and pinnipeds to pinpoint areas crucial for various species' survival.
  • - The study identified 30 potential KBAs across the Southern Ocean, suggesting areas essential for marine predators and reinforcing the importance of KBAs in a broader strategy for marine conservation.
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  • - Atypical wounds are becoming more common globally, creating challenges for accurate diagnosis and treatment, which are crucial skills for dermatologists
  • - Successfully managing atypical wounds requires identifying their underlying causes, combined with effective pain management and active patient involvement
  • - Ongoing advancements in treatment methods, along with more research and clinical training, are vital to effectively dealing with the rising number of atypical wounds
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The detection rate of dysplastic colorectal polyps has significantly increased with improved screening programs. Treatment of dysplastic polyps attempt to limit morbidity of a procedure while also considering the risk of occult lymph node metastasis. Therefore, a variety of methods have been developed to predict the rate of lymph node metastasis to help identify the optimal treatment of patients.

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Introduction: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a tremendous psychiatric illness with a variety of severe symptoms. Feelings of shame and guilt are universal social emotions that fundamentally shape the way people interact with each other. Mental illness is therefore often related to pronounced feelings of shame and guilt in a maladaptive form.

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Poor adherence to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is a significant challenge in pediatric asthma, contributing to health inequities. Text-message reminders for ICS therapy are an evidence-based approach that improves pediatric asthma medication adherence, yet has not been widely adopted into practice, partly due to lack of (1) participant input on design and implementation and (2) use of sustainable community linkages. Remote Asthma Link™ (RAL) seeks to fill this gap as a school-linked text-message intervention wherein parents of children with poorly controlled asthma received daily, 2-way text-message reminders for preventive inhaler use.

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Blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown is one of the pathophysiological characteristics of ischemic stroke, which may contribute to the progression of brain tissue damage and subsequent neurological impairment. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals are at greater risk for ischemic stroke due to diminished immune function and HIV-associated vasculopathy. Studies have shown that astrocytes are involved in maintaining BBB integrity and facilitating HIV-1 infection in the brain.

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  • Inhibition of autophagy shows potential to improve cancer treatment, but results have varied in clinical settings.
  • A study analyzed patients treated with hydroxychloroquine (an autophagy inhibitor) and found a link between smoking and autophagy inhibition.
  • The research suggests that adding carbon monoxide (CO) can boost the effectiveness of autophagy inhibitors, potentially leading to better cancer therapies.
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Background: Chronic cancer-related fatigue is difficult to manage in breast cancer survivors. The tango trial showed that a six-week tango Argentino program was effective in reducing fatigue and improving quality of life, and here we investigated the sustainability of this tango program for breast cancer survivors.

Methods: Stage I-III breast cancer survivors with increased fatigue symptoms were analyzed.

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Death anxiety has long been attributed a role as a psychopathologically decisive factor in the development of mental illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). For example, patients with washing compulsions associate their behavior with a fear of life-threatening diseases or patients with control compulsions report that the constant checking is driven by the fear of fatal or deadly consequences for the occupants. The Bochum Questionnaire to Assess Death Anxiety and Attitudes Towards Death (BOFRETTA) was administered to 31 patients with OCD and 31 healthy volunteers within a semi-structured interview using broad psychometry.

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Background: To assist clinicians with identifying children at risk of severe outcomes, we assessed the association between laboratory findings and severe outcomes among severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected children and determined if SARS-CoV-2 test result status modified the associations.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of participants tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection in 41 pediatric emergency departments in 10 countries. Participants were hospitalized, had laboratory testing performed, and completed 14-day follow-up.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare autoinflammatory disease that causes challenging aseptic ulcers, often requiring multiple treatments for resolution.
  • A literature review of 148 recalcitrant PG cases found a higher prevalence in females and patients with inflammatory bowel disease, with most patients healing after several treatments and experiencing low recurrence rates.
  • The study suggests considering earlier use of biologics for effective treatment and calls for standardized terminology in PG research to improve comparison and outcomes of therapies.
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  • The gut microbiome interacts with the host mainly through the metabolites it produces, affecting human health positively or negatively.
  • The article discusses key metabolites generated from dietary interactions, bile acids, and those produced solely by the gut microbiome.
  • It also reviews existing research on how these metabolites impact human health outcomes.
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Background: Persistent impairments of quality of life-in particular, cancer-associated fatigue-are a major limitation for breast cancer survivors. As physical activity and mindfulness interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing fatigue symptoms, we investigated the efficacy of a six-week Argentine tango program.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 breast cancer survivors diagnosed with stage I-III tumors 12-48 months prior to study enrollment and who had increased symptoms of fatigue.

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To examine the clinical outcomes of topical lidocaine exposures in pediatric patients reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS). We performed a retrospective review of the NPDS in pediatric patients with topical lidocaine toxicity from 2000 to 2020. Specific data analyzed were age, exposure chronicity, medical outcome, clinical effects, treatments, and disposition.

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Objective: Embitterment is a persistent emotion that is known to everybody in reaction to injustice and being let down, associated with feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. People with psychiatric disorders can develop bitterness, which is to be understood as a form of reactive embitterment to the illness. The aim of this explorative study was to investigate the occurrence of embitterment in obsessive-compulsive patients compared to healthy volunteers and in the context of their metacognitions and other biographical and clinical characteristics.

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Purpose: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) aberrations have been identified in pediatric-type infant gliomas, but their occurrence across age groups, functional effects, and treatment response has not been broadly established.

Experimental Design: We performed a comprehensive analysis of ALK expression and genomic aberrations in both newly generated and retrospective data from 371 glioblastomas (156 adult, 205 infant/pediatric, and 10 congenital) with in vitro and in vivo validation of aberrations.

Results: ALK aberrations at the protein or genomic level were detected in 12% of gliomas (45/371) in a wide age range (0-80 years).

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Article Synopsis
  • Certain species of tunas and billfishes are showing signs of recovery, indicating successful management efforts.
  • Despite this positive trend for some fish, shark populations are still decreasing, which is concerning for marine ecosystems.
  • The contrasting statuses of these fish highlight the need for ongoing conservation and sustainable fishing practices.
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Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide with limited therapeutic options. The neuropathology of ischemic stroke is characterized by an interruption in blood supply to the brain leading to cell death and cognitive dysfunction. During and after ischemic stroke, blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction facilitates injury progression and contributes to poor patient recovery.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study aimed to understand the risk factors for post-COVID-19 conditions (PCCs) in children revealed that only 5.8% of SARS-CoV-2-positive kids reported persistent health issues 90 days after testing positive.
  • It involved 1,884 children who tested positive for the virus and 1,701 controls who tested negative, highlighting differences in hospitalization and symptom severity.
  • The most common PCC symptom was fatigue, and factors like longer hospital stays were linked to higher chances of experiencing these lasting effects.
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