HIV-Associated Heart Failure: Phenotypes and Clinical Outcomes in a Safety-Net Setting.

Background: HIV is associated with increased risk of heart failure (HF) but data regarding phenotypes of HF and outcomes after HF diagnosis, especially within the safety net where half of people with HIV in the United States receive care, are less clear.

Methods And Results: Using an electronic health record cohort of all individuals with HF within a municipal safety-net system from 2001 to 2019 linked to the National Death Index Plus, we compared HF phenotypes, all-cause mortality, HF hospitalization, and cause of death for individuals with and without HIV. Among people with HF (n=14 829), 697 individuals had HIV (4.

Enhanced Recovery Pathway Reduced Opioid Use and Pain Scores in Elective Spine Surgery.

The purpose of this study was to determine if implementation of an enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) for elective spine surgery reduced opioid use and pain scores in elective spine surgery. A historical cohort study of 171 patients undergoing elective spine procedures between 2017 and 2021 was performed. The primary outcomes were opioid use and average daily pain scores.

Pharmacology of spinal interventions: review of agents used in spine pain procedures.

Spine procedures are commonly performed to diagnose and treat various spinal conditions, ranging from degenerative disc disease to vertebral fractures. These procedures often involve the use of pharmaceutical agents to enhance the efficacy of the intervention and improve patient outcomes. This review provides an overview of the pharmaceuticals commonly utilized in spine procedures, including corticosteroids, anesthetics, antibiotics, radiographic contrast, neurolytic agents, and materials used in kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.

Ecometrics demonstrates that the functional dental traits of carnivoran communities are filtered by climate.

Terrestrial carnivorans, with their diverse diets and unique adaptations such as the carnassial tooth, offer insights into the connections between functional traits and the climatic and environmental conditions they inhabit. They shed light on functional trait-environment relationships at the highest trophic levels across a broad range of environmental conditions. In this study, we evaluate the relationship between relative blade length (RBL) of the lower carnassial tooth, a key dietary adaptation among terrestrial carnivorans for slicing and grinding food items, and climate.

Squeezing the quantum noise of a gravitational-wave detector below the standard quantum limit.

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the position and momentum of an object cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrary precision, giving rise to an apparent limitation known as the standard quantum limit (SQL). Gravitational-wave detectors use photons to continuously measure the positions of freely falling mirrors and so are affected by the SQL. We investigated the performance of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) after the experimental realization of frequency-dependent squeezing designed to surpass the SQL.

Healing wounds with plasma-activated hydrogel therapy.

Chronic wound infections are a silent pandemic in danger of becoming a global healthcare crisis. Innovations to control infections and improve healing are required. In the context of this challenge, researchers are exploiting plasma-activated hydrogel therapy (PAHT) for use either alone or in combination with other antimicrobial strategies.

The effect of frailty on mortality and hospital admission in patients with benign pleural disease in Wales: a cohort study.

Background: Pleural disease is common, representing 5% of the acute medical workload, and its incidence is rising, partly due to the ageing population. Frailty is an important feature and little is known about disease progression in patients with frailty and pleural disease. We aimed to examine the effect of frailty on mortality and other relevant outcomes in patients diagnosed with pleural disease.

Study of the Structure of Hyperbranched Polyglycerol Coatings and Their Antibiofouling and Antithrombotic Applications.

While blood-contacting materials are widely deployed in medicine in vascular stents, catheters, and cannulas, devices fail in situ because of thrombosis and restenosis. Furthermore, microbial attachment and biofilm formation is not an uncommon problem for medical devices. Even incremental improvements in hemocompatible materials can provide significant benefits for patients in terms of safety and patency as well as substantial cost savings.

Aperiodic and Hurst EEG exponents across early human brain development: A systematic review.

In electroencephalographic (EEG) data, power-frequency slope exponents (1/f) can provide non-invasive markers of in vivo neural activity excitation-inhibition (E:I) balance. E:I balance may be altered in neurodevelopmental conditions; hence, understanding how 1/f evolves across infancy/childhood has implications for developing early assessments/interventions. This systematic review (PROSPERO-ID: CRD42023363294) explored the early maturation (0-26 yrs) of resting-state EEG 1/f measures (aperiodic [AE], power law [PLE] and Hurst [HE] exponents), including studies containing ≥1 1/f measures and ≥10 typically developing participants.

Imaging of Lung Transplantation.

Lung transplantation is the only curative treatment for end-stage lung disease, which is caused by a wide variety of pathologies and encountered in a diverse range of patients. Potential recipients, as well as donors are carefully evaluated by imaging prior to transplant for contraindications to the transplant. After transplantation, recipients are imaged in the immediate, early, intermediate, and late periods for complications that may arise and require intervention.

HIV-Associated Heart Failure: Phenotypes and Clinical Outcomes in a Safety-Net Setting.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is associated with increased risk of heart failure (HF) but data regarding phenotypes of heart failure and outcomes after HF diagnosis, especially within the safety-net which is where half of people with HIV in the United States receive care, are less clear.

Methods: Using an electronic health record cohort of all individuals with HF within a municipal safety-net system from 2001-2019 linked to the National Death Index Plus, we compared HF phenotypes, all-cause mortality, HF hospitalization, and cause of death for individuals with and without HIV.

Results: Among people with HF (n=14,829), 697 individuals had HIV (4.

Effects of Intrathecal Morphine Administration in Patients Undergoing Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty Under Spinal Anesthesia With Quadratus Lumborum Block for Postoperative Analgesia.

Introduction Quadratus lumborum (QL) block has previously been shown to provide improved analgesia in patients undergoing primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) under spinal anesthesia when compared to spinal anesthesia alone. Additionally, recent studies have shown the addition of intrathecal morphine (ITM) to provide superior postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing various surgical interventions including total knee arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia with peripheral nerve blockade. At this time, however, there has not been a study evaluating the effects of intrathecal morphine in patients undergoing THA under spinal anesthesia with QL block.

Comparing coronary artery cross-sectional area among asymptomatic South Asian, White, and Black participants: the MASALA and CARDIA studies.

Background: South Asian individuals have high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Some investigators suggest smaller coronary artery size may be partially responsible.

Methods: We compared the left anterior descending (LAD) artery cross-sectional area (CSA) (lumen and arterial wall) among South Asians in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) study with White and Black participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, adjusting for BMI, height, and other ASCVD risk factors.

Mediators of change in psychological interventions for adult offenders with personality disorders: A scoping review of the literature.

Offenders with personality disorder cause disproportionate harm to society and pose significant challenges for those responsible for their care and rehabilitation. Personality disorders are heterogeneous in terms of symptoms, as well as their pathways to offending behaviour. Thus, there is limited evidence regarding effective interventions.

Frailty is associated with long-term outcomes in older trauma patients: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Most major trauma admissions are older adults, many of whom are living with frailty - a recognised risk factor for post-injury mortality.

Objectives: To describe the effect of frailty, and geriatrician review on mortality up to 4-years after hospitalisation following trauma.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included patients 65 years or older admitted to North Bristol NHS Trusts' Major Trauma Centre from November 2018 to September 2019.

Delivery of multipotent adult progenitor cells via a functionalized plasma polymerized surface accelerates healing of murine diabetic wounds.

Stem cell therapies have been investigated as potential treatment modalities for chronic wounds however there has been limited success to date. Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cells (MAPCs©) have been identified as having potential as an allogenic stem cell product due to their high population doubling number and their characteristic dampening of T-cell proliferation. This helps to prevent autoimmunity and graft/cell rejection.

Intrathecal Morphine Use Improves Postoperative Analgesia and Reduces Opioid Consumption in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty Under Spinal Anesthesia: A Retrospective Study.

Background Intrathecal morphine (ITM) provides effective postoperative analgesia for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) under spinal anesthesia (SA). The management of pain in patients undergoing TKA has remained a challenge for anesthesiologists, as no single regional anesthesia technique is adequate with regard to balancing effective analgesia with minimal side effects. Severe postoperative pain following TKA has been shown to negatively impact patient outcomes and mortality.