Implementation of High-Value Care for Physical Therapy Residents Through Systems-Based Practice Curriculum Development: Case Report.

Background And Purpose: Systems-based practice is a core competency for physical therapy residents, best acquired through experiential learning. Peer health professions are further along than physical therapy in implementing curricula that support systems-based practice. Clinical and practice data in residency programs could provide for education in high-value care (HVC) as a foundation for systems-based practice.

Excellence in Academic Physical Therapy: Promoting a Culture of Data Sharing.

Background And Purpose: Data analytics are increasingly important in health professions education to identify trends and inform organizational change in rapidly evolving environments. Unfortunately, limitations exist in data currently available to determine physical therapy (PT) academic excellence. It is imperative that the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) be able to demonstrate data-informed progress in addressing the common challenges faced by Doctor of Physical Therapy programs.

Predictive factors of academic success in neuromusculoskeletal anatomy among doctor of physical therapy students.

Predictors of academic success in anatomy have been studied, but not in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students. The objectives of this study were to (1) explore predictors of academic success in a DPT anatomy course, (2) evaluate sex-based differences in the predictors of academic success and their influence on anatomy course grade, and (3) investigate the influence of the DPT anatomy course on visual-spatial ability. Forty-nine DPT students completed a demographic questionnaire, Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), and Mental Rotations Test (MRT) before the ten-week anatomy course (MRT-1) and repeated the MRT at the end of the course (MRT-2).

Similarities in the Neuropathy Phenotype of Cancer Survivors Who Received Different Classes of Chemotherapy Drugs.

With the advent of platinum and taxane compounds used as single agents or in combination regimens, survival rates for some of the most common cancers have improved substantially. However, information on differences in the chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) phenotype among single and combination regimens is limited. Study's purposes were to evaluate for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics; subjective and objective measures of CIPN; as well as the severity of common symptoms and quality of life among survivors who received platinum- (n = 95), taxane- (n = 200), or platinum and taxane-containing (n = 131) regimens.

The imperative for scientific societies to change the face of academia: Recommendations for immediate action.

As organizations that facilitate collaboration and communication, scientific societies have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to drive inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in science in academia. The American Association for Anatomy (AAA), with its expressed and practiced culture of engagement, can serve as a model of best practice for other professional associations working to become more inclusive of individuals from historically underrepresented groups. In this publication, we acknowledge anatomy's exclusionary past, describe the present face of science in academia, and provide recommendations for societies, including the AAA, to accelerate change in academia.

A multidisciplinary team-based approach with lifestyle modification and symptom management to address the impact of androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer: A randomized phase II study.

Background: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with numerous toxicities that are potentially modifiable. We sought to evaluate the impact of participation in a multidisciplinary clinic, STAND (Supportive Therapy in Androgen Deprivation) Clinic, designed to provide individualized lifestyle modification and management of ADT-related side effects.

Methods: This phase II study recruited men with prostate cancer who had started ADT <6 months prior to enrollment, and in whom ADT was planned for at least 12 months following enrollment.

Treatment of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Using Negative Pressure Massage: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of negative pressure massage treatment (NPMT) compared with manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) in women with chronic breast cancer-related lymphedema (LE). We hypothesized that NPMT would result in greater improvements in LE and upper limb function.

Design: Pilot single-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Association Between Physical Activity Levels and Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Severity in Cancer Survivors.

Objectives: To evaluate for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as subjective and objective measures of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), among different exercise groups.

Sample & Setting: Cancer survivors (N = 290) were recruited from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Methods & Variables: Based on the recommended 150 minutes or more of exercise per week, survivors were classified into the no exercise (NoEx), less exercise (LessEx), or recommended exercise (RecEx) group.

Taking the Next Steps in Regenerative Rehabilitation: Establishment of a New Interdisciplinary Field.

The growing field of regenerative rehabilitation has great potential to improve clinical outcomes for individuals with disabilities. However, the science to elucidate the specific biological underpinnings of regenerative rehabilitation-based approaches is still in its infancy and critical questions regarding clinical translation and implementation still exist. In a recent roundtable discussion from International Consortium for Regenerative Rehabilitation stakeholders, key challenges to progress in the field were identified.

Fibrinogen induces neural stem cell differentiation into astrocytes in the subventricular zone via BMP signaling.

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) originating from the subventricular zone (SVZ) contribute to brain repair during CNS disease. The microenvironment within the SVZ stem cell niche controls NSPC fate. However, extracellular factors within the niche that trigger astrogliogenesis over neurogenesis during CNS disease are unclear.

Perceived stress is associated with a higher symptom burden in cancer survivors.

Background: Although multiple co-occurring symptoms are a significant problem for cancer survivors, to the authors' knowledge little is known regarding the phenotypic characteristics associated with a higher symptom burden. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the occurrence, severity, and distress associated with 32 symptoms and examine the phenotypic and stress characteristics associated with a higher symptom burden.

Methods: A total of 623 cancer survivors completed a demographic questionnaire, as well as measures of functional status, comorbidity, and global (Perceived Stress Scale) and cancer-related (Impact of Event Scale-Revised) stress.

Signaling pathways and gene co-expression modules associated with cytoskeleton and axon morphology in breast cancer survivors with chronic paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Background: The major dose-limiting toxicity of paclitaxel, one of the most commonly used drugs to treat breast cancer, is peripheral neuropathy (paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy). Paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy, which persists into survivorship, has a negative impact on patient’s mood, functional status, and quality of life. Currently, no interventions are available to treat paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Perturbations in neuroinflammatory pathways are associated with paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer survivors.

Paclitaxel is a common chemotherapy drug associated with the development of chronic paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN). PIPN is associated with neuroinflammatory mechanisms in pre-clinical studies. Here, we evaluated for differential gene expression (DGE) in peripheral blood between breast cancer survivors with and without PIPN and for neuroinflammatory (NI) related signaling pathways and whole-transcriptome profiles from other experiments.

Deleterious Effects of Higher Body Mass Index on Subjective and Objective Measures of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Cancer Survivors.

Context: Recent, albeit, limited evidence suggests that body mass index (BMI) may be a modifiable risk factor to reduce the deleterious effects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in cancer survivors.

Objectives: To evaluate for differences in demographic, clinical, pain, sensation, and balance characteristics among three BMI groups. We hypothesized that as BMI increased, survivors would report higher pain intensity scores and have significant decrements in measures of sensation and balance.

Age-related differences in patient-reported and objective measures of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy among cancer survivors.

Purpose: While older adults with cancer are more likely to develop chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), the study aimed to determine if patient-reported and objective measures of CIPN differ by age among cancer survivors.

Methods: Cancer survivors with persistent CIPN after completion of platinum and/or taxane chemotherapy completed CIPN questionnaires (severity, interference with activities, sensory, and motor symptoms) and objective testing (light touch, vibration, pain, cold sensation). CIPN measures were compared by age group (< 65 n = 260 versus ≥ 65 n = 165) using parametric and nonparametric tests.

Expression of mitochondrial dysfunction-related genes and pathways in paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy in breast cancer survivors.

Background: Paclitaxel is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat breast cancer. Its major dose-limiting toxicity is paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN). PIPN persists into survivorship and has a negative impact on patient's mood, functional status, and quality of life.

Contribution of Loss of Large Fiber Function to Pain in 2 Samples of Oncology Patients.

Objectives: Numbness associated with neuropathic pain suggests the loss of function in myelinated, large diameter sensory neurons. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between pain severity and subjective (ie, severity of numbness) and objective (ie, loss of light touch sensations, vibration thresholds) measures of loss of large fiber function in adult survivors with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN, n=426) and breast cancer patients with persistent postsurgical pain (n=80).

Material And Methods: For both samples, average pain and numbness were evaluated using a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale.

Associations Between Perceived Stress and Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Otoxicity in Adult Cancer Survivors.

Context: The most common adverse effects from neurotoxic chemotherapy are chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIPN), hearing loss, and tinnitus. Although associations between perceived stress and persistent pain, hearing loss, and tinnitus are documented, no studies have examined these associations in cancer survivors who received neurotoxic chemotherapy.

Objectives: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated for associations between perceived stress and the occurrence of CIPN, hearing loss, and tinnitus, in 623 adult cancer survivors who received platinum and/or taxane compounds.

Differences in symptom clusters before and twelve months after breast cancer surgery.

Purpose: Given the inter-relatedness among symptoms, research efforts are focused on an evaluation of symptom clusters. The purposes of this study were to evaluate for differences in the number and types of menopausal-related symptom clusters assessed prior to and at 12-months after surgery using ratings of occurrence and severity and to evaluate for changes in these symptom clusters over time.

Methods: Prior to and at 12 months after surgery, 392 women with breast cancer completed the Menopausal Symptoms Scale.

Impact of chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicities on adult cancer survivors' symptom burden and quality of life.

Purpose: Limited information is available on the impact of chemotherapy (CTX)-induced neurotoxicity on adult survivors' symptom experience and quality of life (QOL). Purposes were to describe occurrence of hearing loss and tinnitus and evaluate for differences in phenotypic characteristics and measures of sensation, balance, perceived stress, symptom burden, and QOL between survivors who received neurotoxic CTX and did (i.e.

Guided Laparoscopic Video Tutorials for Medical Student Instruction in Abdominal Anatomy.

Introduction: As technological advances present new forms of media to anatomy educators involved in medical education, there is opportunity to expand on traditional dissection of embalmed cadavers. At the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, the surgery and anatomy departments collaborated to create guided video tutorials using laparoscopic surgical footage to teach the anatomy of the lesser sac and gastroesophageal junction.

Methods: These tutorials are instructional adjuncts to a laparoscopy session on fresh cadavers with first-year medical students.

Potassium Channel Candidate Genes Predict the Development of Secondary Lymphedema Following Breast Cancer Surgery.

Background: Potassium (K) channels play an important role in lymph pump activity, lymph formation, lymph transport, and the functions of lymph nodes. No studies have examined the relationship between K channel candidate genes and the development of secondary lymphedema (LE).

Objective: The study purpose was to evaluate for differences in genotypic characteristics in women who did (n = 155) or did not (n = 387) develop upper extremity LE following breast cancer treatment based on an analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in 10 K channel genes.

Chemotherapy-Induced Neuropathy in Cancer Survivors.

Context: Evidence suggests that chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN) is a significant problem for cancer survivors. However, a detailed phenotypic characterization of CIN in cancer survivors is not available.

Objectives: To evaluate between-group differences in demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as in measures of sensation, function, and postural control, in a sample of cancer survivors who received a platinum and/or a taxane-based CTX regimen and did (n = 426) and did not (n = 197) develop CIN.