Patients with body mass index ≥25 kg/m as a target population for improvement of rate of follow-up duplex venous ultrasound examinations following initial incomplete examinations.

Objective: Obesity is highly prevalent and a major risk factor for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and chronic venous disease. It can also technically limit duplex ultrasound evaluations for lower extremity DVT. We compared the rates and results of repeat lower extremity venous duplex ultrasound (LEVDUS) after an initial incomplete and negative (IIN) LEVDUS in overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≤25-30 kg/m) and obese (BMI ≥30 kg/m) patients with those of patients with a BMI <25 kg/m to evaluate whether increasing the rate of follow-up examinations in overweight and obese patients might facilitate improved patient care.

Improving follow-up of incomplete lower extremity venous duplex ultrasound examinations performed for deep and superficial vein thromboses.

Objective: A lower extremity venous duplex ultrasound (LEVDUS) examination is the standard diagnostic test to evaluate patients for lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT). However, some studies will be incomplete for a variety of reasons, including patient-related factors such as pain, edema, a large leg circumference, or the presence of overlying bandages or orthopedic devices. We previously reported that the frequency of obtaining a follow-up examination after an incomplete and negative (I/N) LEVDUS examination was low but that the rates of DVT found on the follow-up studies of initially I/N LEVDUS studies were similar to the rates of DVT found with initially complete LEVDUS examinations.

Enhanced Detection of Community-Acquired Pneumonia Pathogens With the BioFire® Pneumonia FilmArray® Panel.

Background: Although most observational studies identify viral or bacterial pathogens in 50% or less of patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), we previously demonstrated that a multi-test bundle (MTB) detected a potential pathogen in 73% of patients. This study compares detection rates for potential pathogens with the MTB versus the Biofire® Pneumonia FilmArray® panel (BPFA) multiplex PCR platform and presents an approach for integrating BPFA results as a foundation for subsequent antibiotic stewardship (AS) activities.

Methods: Between January 2017 to March 2018, all patients admitted for CAP were enrolled.

The tooth on-a-chip: a microphysiologic model system mimicking the biologic interface of the tooth with biomaterials.

The tooth has a unique configuration with respect to biomaterials that are used for its treatment. Cells inside of the dental pulp interface indirectly with biomaterials via a calcified permeable membrane, formed by the dentin matrix and several thousands of dentinal tubules (∼2 μm in diameter). Although the cytotoxic response of the dental pulp to biomaterials has been extensively studied, there is a shortage of in vitro model systems that mimic the dentin-pulp interface and enable an improved understanding of the morphologic, metabolic and functional influence of biomaterials on live dental pulp cells.