The interplay of surgeon judgment and available evidence in the long-term outcome of ventral hernia repair.

Background: Since 2011, the New England VA Hernia Registry (NEVAHR) prospectively collected operative details of ventral hernia repairs (VHRs) from 5 VA medical centers. This study aims to determine factors associated with recurrence.

Methods: Recurrence and surgical site occurrences (SSO) were directly identified via clinical and operative notes and/or imaging.

Investigating the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism in repetitive mild traumatic brain injury outcomes in rats.

Background: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) poses a significant public health concern, particularly regarding repetitive injury, with outcomes ranging from acute neurobehavioral deficits to long-term impairments. While demographic factors like age and sex influence outcomes, the understanding of genetic contributions, particularly the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism, remains limited. This study aimed to characterize acute effects of repetitive mTBI (rmTBI) in rats with the Val68Met SNP, the rodent equivalent of the human Val66Met, focusing on behavioral, fluid biomarker, and histological changes.

Inflexible responses to uncertainty: The mediating role of psychological inflexibility in the link between intolerance of uncertainty, traumatic stress, and somatic symptoms.

Objective: Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and psychological inflexibility (PI) were shown to be risk factors of traumatic stress (TS) and somatic symptoms (SS) during COVID-19. The present study tested a structural equation model where PI mediated the relationships between IU, TS, and SS based on their theoretical and experimental overlaps. The contribution of all six PI facets including experiential avoidance (EA) and cognitive fusion (CF) were investigated.

Feasibility of Remote Intensive Monitoring: A Novel Approach to Reduce Black Postpartum Maternal Cardiovascular Complications.

Introduction: Approximately 53% of maternal mortality occurs in the postpartum period, a time with little monitoring and health surveillance. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility, usability, appropriateness, and acceptability of remote low-burden physiologic monitoring of Black postpartum women, using a novel soft wearable patch and home vital sign monitoring for the first 4 weeks postpartum.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal cohort feasibility study of 20 Black postpartum women was conducted using home monitoring equipment and a wearable patch with physiologic sensors measuring temperature, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG), heart rate, and respiration twice daily during the first 4 weeks postpartum.

Gene Expression Changes Precede Elevated Mechanical Sensitivity in the Mouse Intervertebral Disc Injury Model.

Background: Back pain after intervertebral disc (IVD) injury is a common clinical problem. Previous work examining early molecular changes post injury mainly used a candidate marker approach.

Methods: In this study, gene expression in the injured and intact mouse tail IVDs was determined with a nonbiased whole transcriptome approach and related to subsequent pain behavior.