Penile implant infection resulting in bacteraemia and infective endocarditis.

Introduction: Penile implant infections are a possible surgical complication that has historically been most commonly associated with Gram-positive bacteria. is a Gram-positive bacteria and is the most common cause of endocarditis.

Case Presentation: A male patient in his 50s with a past medical history of hypertension, diabetes, end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and erectile dysfunction with a penile implant placed 6 years prior to the admission date presented with complaints of scrotal pain.

The relationship between commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among boys and girls in Haiti.

To test the hypothesis that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), we analysed data from the Haiti Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), a population-based sample of adolescents and young adults ages 13-24 (1459 males and 1457 females). Twenty-one percent of males and 25% of females reported CSA; 6% of males and 4% of females reported CSEC. The adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for CSEC based on exposure to CSA were 5.

Reconfirming HIV serostatus in three West African Military ART clinics.

Background: HIV rapid diagnostic test (RDT) algorithms have been successfully employed worldwide to accelerate critically important HIV testing. Deviations from the algorithm and processing errors have been associated with inaccurate algorithm results. Positive RDT algorithm results should be confirmed prior to HIV clinic enrollment, but compliance varies.

Sexually transmissible infections and sexual risk behaviour among deployed, ship-assigned USA Navy and Marine Corps personnel.

Unlabelled: Background Data show sexually transmissible infection (STI) diagnoses in USA military personnel engaging in unprotected sex are higher during deployment than before or after. We examined sexual risk behaviour, same-sex contact, mixed sex partnerships (both casual and committed partners) and STIs among ship-assigned USA Navy and Marine Corps personnel to assess increased risk.

Methods: Data on sexual risk behaviour, partner type, gender, and healthcare provider-diagnosed STIs were collected longitudinally (2012-14) among sexually active personnel during deployment.

Cost Savings Associated With Palliative Care Among Older Adults With Advanced Cancer.

Background: There is inconsistent evidence that palliative care intervention decreases total healthcare expenditure at end-of-life for oncology patients. This inconsistent evidence may result from small sample sizes at single institution studies and disparate characterization of costs across studies. Comprehensive studies in population-based datasets are needed to fully understand the impact of palliative care on total healthcare costs.

The construct and concurrent validity of brief standing sway assessments in children with and without cerebral palsy.

Background: Standing postural sway is often quantified from center of pressure trajectories. During assessments of longer durations, children may fidget, thus limiting the feasibility and validity of sway recordings.

Research Question: Do postural sway sample durations less than 30 s maintain construct and concurrent validity?

Methods: In this case-control, observational study, we measured postural sway in 41 children (age 5-12 years, 23 typically developing (TD); 18 with spastic cerebral palsy (CP), 13 diplegic and 5 hemiplegic, 11 GMFCS level I and 7 level II) for 30-second eyes-opened and eyes-closed conditions.

Hepatic Abscess: A Rare Presentation of Sump Syndrome After Choledochojejunostomy.

Sump syndrome is a rare complication of choledochoenterotomy. Patients with sump syndrome often have abdominal pain, recurrent cholangitis, pancreatitis, malabsorption, fever, an abnormal liver function test, and, rarely, hepatic abscess. Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy or hepaticojejunostomy has been advocated to prevent sump syndrome.

HIV Infection and Risk Heightened Among Female Sex Workers Who Entered the Sex Trade as Adolescents in Guatemala.

A dearth of empirical research exists on female sex workers in Central America who begin selling sex under age 18. Data were collected from adult female sex workers (N = 1216) sampled using census and modified time-location sampling in three urban centers of Guatemala. In adjusted analyses, female sex workers who entered the sex trade under age 16 years were more likely to be HIV positive (AOR = 4.

A tier 1 intervention to increase ninth grade engagement and success: Results from a randomized controlled trial.

Although high school graduation rates are improving, many students are still not successful. Research has documented that 9th grade is a pivotal year in determining whether a student will graduate or drop out. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to assess the effects of a Tier 1 intervention model (freshmen success) for 9th grade students to increase school engagement, attendance, credits earned, and grade point average (GPA).

Multi-Site Evaluation of Community-Based Efforts to Improve Engagement in HIV Care Among Populations Disproportionately Affected by HIV in the United States.

This study assesses effects of a community-based intervention across seven sites in the United States on HIV care utilization and study retention, among people living with HIV (PLWH). A two-armed study was conducted from 2013 to 2016 in each of seven community-based agencies across the United States. Each site conducted interventions involving community engagement approaches in the form of case management or patient navigation.

Associations between intimate partner violence and reproductive and maternal health outcomes in Bihar, India: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Bihar, India has higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) and maternal and infant mortality relative to India as a whole. This study assesses whether IPV is associated with poor reproductive and maternal health outcomes, as well as whether poverty exacerbates any observed associations, among women who gave birth in the preceding 23 months in Bihar, India.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of data from a representative household sample of mothers of children 0-23 months old in Bihar, India (N = 13,803) was conducted.

Sex Trade and Health Care Utilization Among People Living with HIV/AIDS.

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) are more likely to have a history of trading sex, but little research has examined whether trading sex is associated with lower health care utilization amongst PLWH. This study assesses this association with PLWH (N = 583) recruited and surveyed from seven community sites in six US cities participating in a multi-site community-based HIV test and treat initiative. Participants were 90.

Gender inequities in curative and preventive health care use among infants in Bihar, India.

Background: India has the highest rate of excess female infant deaths in the world. Studies with decade-old data suggest gender inequities in infant health care seeking, but little new large-scale research has examined this issue. We assessed differences in health care utilization by sex of the child, using 2014 data for Bihar, India.

Effect of Palliative Care on Aggressiveness of End-of-Life Care Among Patients With Advanced Cancer.

Purpose: Palliative care's role in oncology has expanded, but its effect on aggressiveness of care at the end of life has not been characterized at the population level.

Methods: This matched retrospective cohort study examined the effect of an encounter with palliative care on health-care use at the end of life among 6,580 Medicare beneficiaries with advanced prostate, breast, lung, or colorectal cancer. We compared health-care use before and after palliative care consultation to a matched nonpalliative care cohort.

Impact of Sexual Violence Across the Lifespan on HIV Risk Behaviors Among Transgender Women and Cisgender People Living With HIV.

Background: To examine sexual violence across the lifespan among transgender and cisgender people living with HIV and its associations with recent risk behaviors.

Setting: Seven community-based sites serving priority populations disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States, including major metropolitan areas in the West and East Coast, as well as the suburban Mid-Atlantic and rural Southeastern regions.

Methods: From 2013 to 2016, baseline survey data were collected from participants (N = 583) of a multisite community-based HIV linkage to/retention in care study conducted at 7 sites across the United States.

Geographic Disparity in the Use of Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy Among Elderly Women Undergoing Breast Conservation for Invasive Breast Cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate geographic heterogeneity in the delivery of hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) for breast cancer among Medicare beneficiaries across the United States.

Methods And Materials: We identified 190,193 patients from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Chronic Conditions Warehouse. The study included patients aged >65 years diagnosed with invasive breast cancer treated with breast conservation surgery followed by radiation diagnosed between 2000 and 2012.

Patterns of Palliative Care Consultation Among Elderly Patients With Cancer.

Background: The role of palliative care has expanded over the past several decades, although the oncology-specific regional evolution of this specialty has not been characterized at the population-based level.

Methods: This study defined the patterns of palliative care delivery using a retrospective cohort of patients with advanced cancer within the SEER-Medicare linked database. We identified 83,022 patients with metastatic breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers.

Modern Radiation Therapy and Cardiac Outcomes in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Adjuvant radiation therapy, which has proven benefit against breast cancer, has historically been associated with an increased incidence of ischemic heart disease. Modern techniques have reduced this risk, but a detailed evaluation has not recently been conducted. The present study evaluated the effect of current radiation practices on ischemia-related cardiac events and procedures in a population-based study of older women with nonmetastatic breast cancer.

Delayed Diagnosis of Tuberculous Arthritis of the Knee in an Air Force Service Member: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common disease worldwide affecting more than 2 billion people, including latent, pulmonary, and extrapulmonary TB. The presentation of disseminated TB is variable and dependent on the organs affected. Therefore, making the diagnosis and providing appropriate treatment can be delayed.

Improved Method to Stratify Elderly Patients With Cancer at Risk for Competing Events.

Purpose: To compare a novel generalized competing event (GCE) model versus the standard Cox proportional hazards regression model for stratifying elderly patients with cancer who are at risk for competing events.

Methods: We identified 84,319 patients with nonmetastatic prostate, head and neck, and breast cancers from the SEER-Medicare database. Using demographic, tumor, and clinical characteristics, we trained risk scores on the basis of GCE versus Cox models for cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality.

The impact of radiotherapy costs on clinical outcomes in breast cancer.

Background And Purpose: In cost-effective healthcare systems, the cost of services should parallel patient complexity or quality of care. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cost of radiotherapy correlates with patient-related outcomes among a large cohort of breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant breast radiation.

Materials And Methods: 23,127 women with non-metastatic breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy after breast conservation surgery were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2000 to 2009.

Variation in the Cost of Radiation Therapy Among Medicare Patients With Cancer.

Purpose: Radiation therapy represents a major source of health care expenditure for patients with cancer. Understanding the sources of variability in the cost of radiation therapy is critical to evaluating the efficiency of the current reimbursement system and could shape future policy reform. This study defines the magnitude and sources of variation in the cost of radiation therapy for a large cohort of Medicare beneficiaries.

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Utilization of Evidence-Based Practices in Residential Care.

This study reports on results of a national survey conducted in the United States about the attitudes, perceptions and utilization of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in residential care settings. Seventy-five of 118 member agencies (63.6% response rate) of a voluntary national residential care association responded to a web-administered structured survey, which included the Evidence-Based Practices Attitude Scale (Aarons, 2004).