Physical activity and symmetry following total knee arthroplasty: Results of a pilot randomized trial.

Objective: This pilot trial examined a Physical Activity and Symmetry (PAS) intervention focused on common deficits of physical inactivity and joint loading asymmetry following total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Design: Participants (n ​= ​60) were enrolled during routine physical therapy (PT) following TKA and randomized to the PAS intervention or an attention (ATT) control group. The PAS intervention included physical activity counseling and balance exercise to address joint loading symmetry; content was delivered during 2 sessions at the end of routine PT plus supplemental sessions 4-weeks and 8-weeks following PT.

Lower limb coordination patterns following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A longitudinal study.

Background: Changes in lower limb joint coordination have been shown to increase localized stress on knee joint soft tissue-a known precursor of osteoarthritis. While 50 % of individuals who undergo anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) develop radiographic osteoarthritis, it is unclear how underlying joint coordination during gait changes post-ACLR. The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine differences in lower limb coordination patterns during gait in ACLR individuals 2, 4, and 6 months post-ACLR and to compare the coordination profiles of the ACLR participants at each timepoint post-ACLR to uninjured matched controls.

Association of Serum Biochemical Biomarker Profiles of Joint Tissue Inflammation and Cartilage Metabolism With Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis-Related Symptoms at 12 Months After ACLR.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament injury and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) are risk factors for symptomatic posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). After ACLR, individuals demonstrate altered joint tissue metabolism indicative of increased inflammation and cartilage breakdown. Serum biomarker changes have been associated with tibiofemoral cartilage composition indicative of worse knee joint health but not with PTOA-related symptoms.

Peak vertical ground reaction force used to identify sub-groups of individuals with differing biomechanical gait profiles post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Lesser peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) has been widely reported among individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Peak vGRF remains less than uninjured controls and relatively stable during the first year following ACLR. However, it is unknown whether there are subgroups of individuals exhibiting consistently greater peak vGRF in the first 6-months following ACLR and if individuals with consistently greater peak vGRF exhibit kinematic and kinetic gait differences compared to individuals with low vGRF.

Biomechanical Threshold Values for Identifying Clinically Significant Knee-Related Symptoms Six Months Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Context: Slower habitual walking speed and aberrant gait biomechanics are linked to clinically significant knee-related symptoms and articular cartilage composition changes linked to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Objective: To determine specific gait biomechanical variables that can accurately identify individuals with clinically significant knee-related symptoms post-ACLR, and the corresponding threshold values, sensitivity, specificity, and odds ratios for each biomechanical variable.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Modifying loading during gait leads to biochemical changes in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein concentrations in a subgroup of individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

Purpose: Strong observational evidence has linked changes in limb loading during walking following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) to posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). It remains unknown if manipulating peak loading influences joint tissue biochemistry. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine whether manipulating peak vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) during gait influences changes in serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (sCOMP) concentrations in ACLR participants.

The Use of Medical Crowdfunding to Mitigate the Personal Costs of Serious Chronic Illness: Scoping Review.

Background: Persons diagnosed with serious chronic illnesses and their caretakers experience multiple types of financial costs that strain their income and generate financial distress. Many turn to medical crowdfunding (MCF) to mitigate the harms of these costs on their health and quality of life.

Objective: This scoping review aims to summarize the research on MCF for persons diagnosed with serious chronic illness regarding study designs and methods; the responsible conduct of research practices; and study foci as they relate to stress, stress appraisals, and the coping processes.

Black American women's attitudes toward seeking mental health services and use of mobile technology to support the management of anxiety.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand Black American women's attitudes toward seeking mental health services and using mobile technology to receive support for managing anxiety.

Methods: A self-administered web-based questionnaire was launched in October 2019 and closed in January 2020. Women who identified as Black/African American were eligible to participate.

Physical Activity Associates with T1rho MRI of Femoral Cartilage After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Purpose: Less physical activity has been associated with systemic biomarkers of cartilage breakdown after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). However, previous research lacks analysis of deleterious cartilage compositional changes and objective physical activity after ACLR. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between physical activity quantified via accelerometer-based measures of daily steps and time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and T1rho magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the femoral articular cartilage, a marker of proteoglycan density in individuals with ACLR.

Physical Activity Intervention Characteristics and Effects on Behavioral and Health-Related Outcomes Among Adolescents and Young Adults Living with and Beyond Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Participation in physical activity (PA) during and after cancer treatment is safe and beneficial in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer population. PA can positively impact health-related outcomes; however, participation remains low. This systematic review aims to describe PA intervention characteristics and outcomes in AYA survivors of cancer (AYASCa).

Precision Medicine-Based Machine Learning Analyses to Explore Optimal Exercise Therapies for Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis: Random Forest-Informed Tree-Based Learning.

Objective: We applied a precision medicine-based machine learning approach to discover underlying patient characteristics associated with differential improvement in knee osteoarthritis symptoms following standard physical therapy (PT), internet-based exercise training (IBET), and a usual care/wait list control condition.

Methods: Participants (n = 303) were from the Physical Therapy vs Internet-Based Training for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis trial. The primary outcome was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) total score at 12-month follow-up.

Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services and Mobile Technology to Support the Management of Depression Among Black American Women: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Background: Depression is a common mental health condition among Black American women. Many factors may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms, such as gender and racial discrimination, financial strain, chronic health conditions, and caregiving responsibilities. Barriers such as the stigmatization of mental illness, less access to treatment, the lack of or inadequate health insurance, mistrust of providers, and limited health literacy prevent marginalized populations from seeking care.

Delayed cartilage oligomeric matrix protein response to loading is associated with femoral cartilage composition post-ACLR.

Purpose: To determine associations between immediate and delayed response of serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (sCOMP) to loading (i.e., 3000 walking steps) and femoral cartilage interlimb T1ρ relaxation times in individual's post-anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Changes in biomechanics, strength, physical function, and daily steps after extended-release corticosteroid injections in knee osteoarthritis: a responder analysis.

Introduction/objective: To determine changes in gait biomechanics, quadricep strength, physical function, and daily steps after an extended-release corticosteroid knee injection at 4 and 8 weeks post-injection in individuals with knee osteoarthritis as well as between responders and non-responders based on changes in self-reported knee function.

Method: The single-arm, clinical trial included three study visits (baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks post-injection), where participants received an extended-release corticosteroid injection following the baseline visit. Time-normalized vertical ground reaction force (vGRF), knee flexion angle (KFA), knee abduction moment (KAM), and knee extension moment (KEM) waveforms throughout stance were collected during gait biomechanical assessments.

Perspectives of caregivers of older adults with acute myeloid leukemia during initial hypomethylating agents and venetoclax chemotherapy.

Background: Older adults with AML commonly receive a hypomethylating agent (HMA) as first-line therapy. The addition of venetoclax (VEN) to HMAs has been shown to improve remission rates and overall survival. The use of combination therapy (HMA + VEN) requires frequent follow-up, results in longer infusion times, and likely increases caregiver responsibility at home.

A Visual Case-Oriented Analysis of Stress-Related Symptoms in Caregivers of Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation Recipients.

Objectives: To describe trends in caregiver stress and stress-related symptoms (anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disturbance) across 12 weeks post-transplantation.

Sample & Setting: 11 caregivers were recruited from a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center's bone marrow transplantation (BMT) outpatient clinic in the southeastern United States.

Methods & Variables: A visual case-oriented analysis was conducted on data from 11 caregivers' weekly self-reported data to identify trends after allogeneic BMT.

Immune-related adverse events in patients with pre-existing autoimmune rheumatologic disease on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) enhance the immune system's ability to target and destroy cancer cells, but this non-specific immune overactivation can result in immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Patients with underlying autoimmune diseases were excluded from the original ICI clinical trials because of the theoretical risk of irAEs. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of irAEs in patients with pre-existing rheumatologic diseases on ICIs, impact of anti-rheumatic therapy on irAEs, and malignancy outcomes.