Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adherence to diagnostic colonoscopy after a positive non-invasive screening test for colorectal cancer in two Indiana healthcare systems.

Objective: To describe trends in the use of non-invasive tests (NIST) and the interval between a positive NIST and diagnostic colonoscopy.

Methods: Using a retrospective time-trend design, we examined medical records of patients within two large Indiana integrated healthcare systems who had a positive NIST between January 2019 and June 2021 and quantified the proportion of patients who had not completed colonoscopy within 60, 90, and 180 days to determine the interval between NIST result and diagnostic colonoscopy in days.

Results: Of 1379 patients with positive NISTs, 930 (68 %) underwent diagnostic colonoscopy during the 30-month study timeframe.

Experiences across a genetic screening and testing programme pathway: a qualitative study of mammogram patient perspectives.

Background: Population-based genetic screening and testing programmes have substantial potential to improve cancer-related outcomes through early detection and cancer prevention. Yet, genetic testing for cancer risk remains largely underused. This study aimed to describe barriers and facilitators to patient engagement at each stage of a California-based genetic screening programme, from completing the electronic screener to receiving the test and to identify potential improvements that could support precision medicine-based approaches to patient care.

Uncemented Total Knee Arthroplasty is on the Rise. A Report of Patient Demographics and Short-Term Outcomes From the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative.

Background: Cemented total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the gold standard treatment for osteoarthritis, but uncemented TKA offers benefits like improved osseointegration and reduced complications from cement debris. This study aimed to investigate (1) if there has been a rise in uncemented TKA from 2017 to 2021 and (2) if there are differences in early complications between cemented and uncemented TKA.

Methods: A retrospective data review was performed on the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative database of TKA patients from 2017 to 2021 at 6 hospitals.

Anxiety sensitivity is associated with heightened intolerance of uncertainty in individuals with alcohol use disorder.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a highly prevalent, yet heterogenous condition linked to anxiety, reward sensitivity, and cognitive biases. Understanding cognitive mechanisms of specific AUD symptoms is crucial for developing tailored, effective interventions. This pilot study sought to assess whether two potential cognitive correlates of AUD-intolerance of uncertainty and delay discounting-differentially influence the relationship between AUD, anxiety sensitivity, and drinking motives.

Supporting Stabilization: A Qualitative Evaluation of a Pilot Program to Integrate Personal Caregiving Services Into Housing Settings.

Three organizations in Clark County, WA, partnered together to implement a pilot program to expand access to personal caregiving services in the homeless crisis response system. The aim of this study is to describe staff and clients' experiences of the program and its impact on clients' daily living activities, health and wellbeing, and housing stability. Using a qualitative descriptive design, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 clients and 5 pilot staff, representing 4 housing service providers.

Experiences of hereditary cancer care among transgender and gender diverse people: "It's gender. It's cancer risk…it's everything".

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals are a significant yet underrepresented population within genetic counseling research and broader LGBTQI+ health studies. This underrepresentation perpetuates a cycle of exclusion from the production of medical knowledge, impacting the quality and equity of care received by TGD individuals. This issue is particularly poignant in cancer genetic counseling, where TGD individuals with elevated cancer risk receive risk assessment, counseling, and referral to support based on risk figures and standards of care developed for cisgender individuals.

Racial Differences in Retention in a Community-based Addiction Reduction Program Implemented by Peer Recovery Coaches for Women of Reproductive Age.

To identify program characteristics that influence the retention of women of reproductive age in the ommunity-based ddiction duction program (CARE), mixed-method analyses of CARE survey data and CARE Peer Recovery Coach (PRC) narrative entries of participant encounters were performed. About 251 women were enrolled in this prospective community-based implementation science intervention. We compared survey responses by race for treatment status, treatment motivation scales, and retention in the program at intake, 2-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow ups using Chi-square/-tests.

Assessing the impact of recovery housing on healthcare utilization in Portland, Oregon.

Introduction: Central City Concern (CCC) operates several recovery housing sites in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region, including the Blackburn Center (Blackburn) and the Richard L. Harris Building (Harris). This retrospective, observational study was designed to assess recovery housing's impact on inpatient detoxification readmission rates and healthcare utilization patterns.

The epigenetic hallmark of early-life α-hexabromocyclododecane exposure: From cerebellar 6-mA levels to locomotor performance in adulthood.

There is a growing evidence that methylation at the N position of adenine (6-mA), whose modulation occurs primarily during development, would be a reliable epigenetic marker in eukaryotic organisms. The present study raises the question as to whether early-life exposure to α-hexabromocyclododecane (α-HBCDD), a brominated flame retardant, may trigger modifications in 6-mA epigenetic hallmarks in the brain during the development which, in turn could affect the offspring behaviour in adulthood. Pregnant Wistar rats were split into two groups: control and α-HBCDD (66 ng/kg/per os, G0-PND14).

Epidemiology and zoonotic transmission of -positive and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales on German turkey farms.

Introduction: The emergence of carbapenem-resistant bacteria causing serious infections may lead to more frequent use of previously abandoned antibiotics like colistin. However, mobile colistin resistance genes () can jeopardise its effectiveness in both human and veterinary medicine. In Germany, turkeys have been identified as the food-producing animal most likely to harbour -positive colistin-resistant Enterobacterales (-Col-E).

Participant Perspectives on Community Health Workers' Critical Role in Their Experience of the Pathways Program to Address Complex Needs.

This study aimed to describe participants' experiences of Pathways, a community hub care coordination model, including its impact on their lives and their relationship with the Pathways community health worker (CHW). The research team conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with Pathways participants (n = 13) and analyzed interviews using thematic analysis. Interviews reveal how Pathways helps individuals navigate systems more confidently, increases access to needed resources, and improves well-being.

Evaluation of an Integrated Intervention to Address Clinical Care and Social Needs Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: The Providence Diabetes Collective Impact Initiative (DCII) was designed to address the clinical challenges of type 2 diabetes and the social determinants of health (SDoH) challenges that exacerbate disease impact.

Objective: We assessed the impact of the DCII, a multifaceted intervention approach to diabetes treatment that employed both clinical and SDoH strategies, on access to medical and social services.

Design: The evaluation employed a cohort design and used an adjusted difference-in-difference model to compare treatment and control groups.

[Assessment of available and currently applied typing methods of zoonotic pathogens using the example of Shiga toxin-producing and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (STEC/EHEC)].

Introduction: In order to improve patient care and to increase food safety within the framework of One Health, the project "Integrated Genomic Surveillance of Zoonotic Agents (IGS-Zoo)" aims to develop concepts for a genomic surveillance of Shiga toxin(Stx)-producing and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (STEC/EHEC) in Germany.

Methods: An online survey was conducted to assess the currently available and applied STEC/EHEC typing methods in the federal laboratories of veterinary regulation, food control, and public health service.

Results: Twenty-six questionnaires from 33 participants were evaluated with regard to STEC/EHEC.

Health care workers' perspectives on care for patients with injection drug use associated infective endocarditis (IDU-IE).

Background: Despite high morbidity and mortality, patients with injection drug use associated infective endocarditis (IDU-IE) lack standardized care, and experience prolonged hospitalization and variable substance use disorder (SUD) management. Our study's objective was to elicit perspectives of health care workers (HCWs) who deliver care to this population by understanding their perceived patient, provider, and system-level resources and barriers.

Methods: This qualitative study included interviews of HCWs providing care to patients with IDU-IE from January 2017 to December 2019 at a single Midwest academic center.

The Role of Community Health Workers in Developing Multidimensional Organizational Relationships.

Effective care coordination relies on organizations working collaboratively to meet medically and socially complex participants' needs. This study examines community health workers' (CHWs') roles in developing the organizational relationships on which care coordination efforts depend. Semistructured interviews (n = 13) were conducted with CHWs, CHWs' supervisors, and executive staff at organizations participating in a Washington State care coordination program.

Cardiomyocyte-specific circulating cell-free methylated DNA in esophageal cancer patients treated with chemoradiation.

Thoracic high dose radiation therapy (RT) for cancer has been associated with early and late cardiac toxicity. To assess altered rates of cardiomyocyte cell death due to RT we monitored changes in cardiomyocyte-specific, cell-free methylated DNA (cfDNA) shed into the circulation. Eleven patients with distal esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation to 50.

An Interprofessional Yearlong Geriatrics Fellowship Program for Advanced Practice Nursing and Social Work Students.

Background: The care of older adults with complex medical conditions requires effective team-based care.

Problem: Nursing and social work students need a curriculum that provides them with immersive experiences in geriatrics to prepare them for competent practice.

Approach: This Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program supported 5 advanced practice nursing (APN) and 5 master of social work (MSW) student fellows in a 2-semester program, with 3 cohorts completing the fellowship over 3 years (N = 30).

Gaining Insights about Forest Health Prescriptions from Loggers and Foresters: Understudied Voices in the Human Dimensions of Forest Health.

Maintaining healthy forests requires multiple individuals, including foresters who develop timber sale silvicultural prescriptions and loggers who implement those prescriptions, resulting in the transplantation of forest health science into workable management plans. However, data on the experiences, attitudes, and opinions of these two groups are often missing when developing or refining forest health treatment strategies. To explore the role that these groups play in sustaining forest health, we examined timber sale administrators' and loggers' perspectives on treatment approaches for eastern spruce dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium pusillum) (ESDM), a parasitic plant native to Minnesota that increases mortality and reduces growth rate and regeneration success of black spruce (Picea mariana).

Differences in access to virtual and in-person primary care by race/ethnicity and community social vulnerability among adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in a large, multi-state health system.

Background: Research exploring telehealth expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 also experience worse access to telehealth. However, this research has been cross-sectional or short in duration; geographically limited; has not accounted for pre-existing access disparities; and has not examined COVID-19 patients. We examined virtual primary care use by race/ethnicity and community social vulnerability among adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in a large, multi-state health system.

Differences in Outpatient Health Care Utilization 12 Months after COVID-19 Infection by Race/Ethnicity and Community Social Vulnerability.

Ensuring access to high-quality outpatient care is an important strategy to improve COVID-19 outcomes, reduce social inequities, and prevent potentially expensive complications of disease. This study assesses the equity of health care response to COVID-19 by examining outpatient care utilization by factors at the individual and community levels in the 12 months prior to and following COVID-19 diagnosis. Employing a retrospective, observational cohort design, we analyzed electronic health record data from a sample of 11,326 adults diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and July 2020.

A Retrospective Analysis of Sacroiliac Joint Pain Interventions: Intraarticular Steroid Injection and Lateral Branch Radiofrequency Neurotomy.

Background: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain is a common etiology of chronic lower back pain. Treatment of persistent sacroiliac joint pain may entail intraarticular steroid injections and lateral branch radiofrequency neurotomy.

Objectives: This study evaluates the efficacy of SIJ intervention treatments by comparing intraarticular steroid injections with lateral branch radiofrequency neurotomy.

Health and Health Care Use Strongly Associated with Cumulative Burden of Social Determinants of Health.

Understanding health outcomes and patterns of health care utilization associated with patients' cumulative social determinant of health (SDOH) risk is essential to supporting better health care. This study compared mental and physical health outcomes and health care utilization by increasing number of social needs among a clinical adult population. Surveys were sent to 6000 patients with recent visits to 7 primary care clinics in Portland, Oregon in 2018.