Long-term efficacy of high-frequency (10 kHz) spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy: 24-Month results of a randomized controlled trial.

Aims: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of high-frequency (10 kHz) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for treating refractory painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN).

Methods: The SENZA-PDN study was a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial that compared conventional medical management (CMM) alone with 10 kHz SCS plus CMM (10 kHz SCS+CMM) in 216 patients with refractory PDN. After 6 months, participants with insufficient pain relief could cross over to the other treatment.

The Status and Impact of Severe Housing Problems and Evictions in North Carolina.

Housing costs, eviction rates, homelessness, and the number of families living in substandard conditions are rising quickly. The poor quality of housing and high rates of evictions today will result in additional health issues and challenge systems to meet the "Healthy North Carolina 2030" housing goals.

A Real-World Analysis of High-Frequency 10 kHz Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy.

Background: Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic health conditions and diabetic neuropathy one of its most prevalent and debilitating complications. While there are treatments available for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN), their effectiveness is limited.

Method: This retrospective, multi-center, real-world review assessed pain relief and functional improvements for consecutive patients with diabetic neuropathy aged ≥18 years of age who were permanently implanted with a high-frequency (10 kHz) spinal cord stimulation (SCS) device.

A pilot study on the feasibility of testing residential tap water in North Carolina: implications for environmental justice and health.

Background: In 2015 alone, community water systems serving about 21 million Americans violated the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (US-EPA) water quality standards. While water at community treatment and distribution centers is regularly monitored and tested, little is known about pollutants in the water systems at the household level.

Aims: This pilot study assessed the feasibility of (1) testing for the presence and concentration of 14 contaminants and physicochemical parameters in household tap water in a low-income neighborhood and (2) using community engagement for recruitment and citizen science approaches to data collection.

Effect of High-frequency (10-kHz) Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Many patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy experience chronic pain and inadequate relief despite best available medical treatments.

Objective: To determine whether 10-kHz spinal cord stimulation (SCS) improves outcomes for patients with refractory painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN).

Design, Setting, And Participants: The prospective, multicenter, open-label SENZA-PDN randomized clinical trial compared conventional medical management (CMM) with 10-kHz SCS plus CMM.

10 kHz High-Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Thoracic Pain: A Multicenter Case Series and a Guide for Optimal Anatomic Lead Placement.

Background: Surgical options for thoracic pain are limited and carry significant risk and morbidity. Spinal cord stimulation has the potential to be used for treatment of thoracic pain, as it has been useful for treating multiple types of chronic pain. Conventional tonic stimulation is limited in the treatment of thoracic pain, as it can produce paresthesia that is difficult to localize.

Treatment of painful polyneuropathies of diabetic and other origins with 10 kHz SCS: a case series.

Painful diabetic polyneuropathy (PDPN) and painful polyneuropathies of other origins are associated with significant personal and societal burdens with treatments limited to symptomatic management. Treatment options include antidepressants, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogs, opioids, and topical analgesics, which are intended to alleviate pain and symptoms of neuropathy, but limited data are available on their efficacy. Paresthesia-based low-frequency spinal cord stimulation (LF-SCS) is considered a last-resort treatment modality for PDPN patients.

Boron-Implanted Silicon Substrates for Physical Adsorption of DNA Origami.

DNA nanostructures routinely self-assemble with sub-10 nm feature sizes. This capability has created industry interest in using DNA as a lithographic mask, yet with few exceptions, solution-based deposition of DNA nanostructures has remained primarily academic to date. En route to controlled adsorption of DNA patterns onto manufactured substrates, deposition and placement of DNA origami has been demonstrated on chemically functionalized silicon substrates.

The Arab American experience with diabetes: Perceptions, myths and implications for culturally-specific interventions.

Aims: Culturally-specific lifestyle diabetes prevention programs require an assessment of population disease perceptions and cultural influences on health beliefs and behaviors. The primary objectives were to assess Arab Americans' knowledge and perceptions of diabetes and their preferences for a lifestyle intervention.

Methods: Sixty-nine self-identified Arab or Arab Americans ≥30 years of age and without diabetes participated in 8 focus groups.

Patient perception of care received by students at the Jackson Free Clinic.

Introduction: Little has been done to examine the role of student-run free clinics in patient care. In this study we examine patient perceptions of care provided by medical students in comparison to that provided by licensed physicians. Care providers were judged on perceived exam thoroughness, trust, and overall patient satisfaction.

The stroke oxygen pilot study: a randomized controlled trial of the effects of routine oxygen supplementation early after acute stroke--effect on key outcomes at six months.

Introduction: Post-stroke hypoxia is common, and may adversely affect outcome. We have recently shown that oxygen supplementation may improve early neurological recovery. Here, we report the six-month outcomes of this pilot study.

The SOS pilot study: a RCT of routine oxygen supplementation early after acute stroke--effect on recovery of neurological function at one week.

Unlabelled: Mild hypoxia is common after stroke and associated with poor long-term outcome. Oxygen supplementation could prevent hypoxia and improve recovery. A previous study of routine oxygen supplementation showed no significant benefit at 7 and 12 months.

Frequency of nocturnal hypoxia in clinically stable patients during stroke rehabilitation.

Objective: Sleep disordered breathing is common in patients with cerebrovascular disease. Nocturnal hypoxia may lead to daytime tiredness and cognitive impairment, thus affecting progress. This study assessed the prevalence of nocturnal hypoxia during rehabilitation from stroke.

A randomized controlled trial of the effect of fixed-dose routine nocturnal oxygen supplementation on oxygen saturation in patients with acute stroke.

Background: Mild hypoxia is common in patients with stroke, and associated with worse long-term outcome. Oxygen supplementation could prevent hypoxia and improve recovery. A previous study of routine oxygen supplementation showed no benefit after acute stroke, but did not report compliance and the effect on oxygenation.

Women's health measures in two North Carolina regions sampled from the Basic Automated Birth Yearbook (BABY) datasets: experimental findings, methodological limits and future directions.

Purpose: To compare selected characteristics in two North Carolina counties to document women's health services at the geographical extremes of the state.

Methods: Using aggregated 2004 data obtained from the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics, obstetric and perinatal characteristics were experimentally analyzed for the westernmost and easternmost counties in North Carolina (Cherokee and Dare County, respectively).

Findings: During the experiment period, 489 infants were delivered in Dare County (population 33,518), while 259 births were recorded in Cherokee County (population 25,289).

Day-night differences in oxygen saturation and the frequency of desaturations in the first 24 hours in patients with acute stroke.

Background: Hypoxia is common after acute stroke. Most studies of oxygenation after stroke were done at night. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are differences in oxygenation between day and night early after stroke.

Development of a conversion factor to facilitate comparison of National Institute of Health Stroke Scale scores with Scandinavian Stroke Scale scores.

Background: The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS) are commonly used in clinical stroke trials. Use of different scales in trials makes comparison of outcomes difficult.

Methods: Adult patients with an acute stroke were recruited within 24 h of onset, and NIHSS, SSS and Glasgow Coma Scale scores were assessed at baseline and repeated at 1 week.

Controlling nanowear in a polymer by confining segmental relaxation.

Molecular relaxation of a copolymer designed for nano-electromechanical systems was chemically confined by varying the spacing between cross-links, delta(c). A critical cross-link spacing of 1-3 nm marks a transition in the nano-mechanical properties evaluated by atomic force microscopy. The transition reveals an interplay between the cross-link spacing and the length scale for backbone relaxation, xi(alpha), in cooperatively rearranging regions.

Molecular dissipation phenomena of nanoscopic friction in the heterogeneous relaxation regime of a glass former.

Nanoscale sliding friction involving a polystyrene melt near its glass transition temperature Tg (373 K) exhibited dissipation phenomena that provide insight into the underlying molecular relaxation processes. A dissipative length scale that shows significant parallelism with the size of cooperatively rearranging regions (CRRs) could be experimentally deduced from friction-velocity isotherms, combined with dielectric loss analysis. Upon cooling to approximately 10 K above Tg, the dissipation length Xd grew from a segmental scale of approximately 3 A to 2.

The effect of different doses of oxygen administration on oxygen saturation in patients with stroke.

Introduction: American Stroke guidelines suggest that oxygen saturation after acute stroke should be maintained at 95% or higher. European recommendations include a dose of 2 to 4 L/minute via nasal cannulae. These recommendations are not based on controlled clinical studies.

Ethnicity and ethnic identity as predictors of drug norms and drug use among preadolescents in the US Southwest.

This article reports the results of research exploring how ethnicity and ethnic identity may "protect" adolescents against drug use and help them form antidrug use norms. This study was conducted in 1998 and is based on a sample of 4364 mostly Mexican American seventh graders residing in a large southwestern city of diverse acculturation statuses. It aims at testing existing findings by conducting the research within the unique geographic and ethnic context of the Southwest region of the United States.