Publications by authors named "Winters J"

Objective: To compare endophthalmitis rates after cataract extraction in patients with different preoperative prophylaxis: double povidone-iodine preparation with topical antibiotics versus a control group.

Methods: All cases of postoperative endophthalmitis over the last 17 years were reviewed. Incidence rates of endophthalmitis for all cataract surgeries (current procedural terminology codes 66982 and 66984) performed by 26 surgeons were calculated.

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Importance: Although sharing care with local oncologists after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has been proposed for patients living far from HCT centers, it is not known whether a shared strategy is safe or improves patient quality of life (QOL).

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of sharing follow-up care after HCT between the HCT specialty center and local oncologists.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a multicenter collaborative randomized clinical trial of patients undergoing HCT at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI)-a high volume HCT center in Boston (Massachusetts)-and 8 local oncology practices.

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Recent advancements in Electrowetting on Dielectric (EWOD) systems, such as simplified fabrication, low-voltage actuation, and the development of more reliable materials, are expanding the potential applications of electrowetting actuators. One application of EWOD actuators is in RF devices to enable dynamic reconfiguration and allow real-time adjustments to frequency and bandwidth. In this paper, a method is introduced to actuate a panel using EWOD forces.

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Uterine leiomyomata, or fibroids, are common gynecological tumors causing pelvic and menstrual symptoms that can negatively affect quality of life and child-bearing desires. As fibroids grow, symptoms can intensify and lead to invasive treatments that are less likely to preserve fertility. Identifying individuals at highest risk for fibroids can aid in access to earlier diagnoses.

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  • Veterans have a heightened risk for substance use and risky sexual behaviors, often as coping mechanisms for trauma.
  • In a study of 834 Veterans seeking therapy, over half reported heavy drinking, and many engaged in unprotected sex, particularly with regular partners.
  • Although risky sexual behaviors were prevalent, they were not directly linked to PTSD symptoms, indicating the need for further research to identify other influencing factors.
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Background: Some patients express concerns regarding receipt of allogeneic blood transfusions from donors potentially vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). However, limited information exists about patients' expression of these concerns or how to address them during the blood transfusion consent process. In this study, we describe our experience of working collaboratively with patients with vaccine-related transfusion concerns prior to elective surgery, summarizing treatment decisions and clinical outcomes.

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Apheresis is performed worldwide for an increasing number of indications. The development of common data elements (CDE) for apheresis related areas may facilitate conduct of new research, enhance quality initiatives including benchmarking, and improve patient care. This report describes the systematic development of the Uniform Apheresis Case Report Form (UACRF) as part of the Apheresis in the United States (ApheresUS) program.

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  • Increasing legalisation of assisted dying (AD) in various jurisdictions necessitates thorough research on its implementation and outcomes, focusing particularly on the New Zealand AD service to evaluate its safety, accessibility, and respect for dignity.
  • The study employs appreciative inquiry through online semi-structured interviews and focus groups with diverse stakeholders, aiming to understand their experiences and identify areas for improvement in AD practices.
  • Ethical approval for the study has been secured, and findings will be shared through various channels, including publications, conferences, and direct feedback to influence governmental reviews related to the End of Life Choice Act 2019.*
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Background: While national guidelines recommend Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) risk assessment in cancer outpatients and consideration of pharmacologic prophylaxis in high-risk patients, prophylaxis rates are low in community oncology practices. A successful model for guideline implementation (the Vermont Model, VM) is validated in an academic tertiary oncology setting. We undertook an implementation study to determine the success of this model in a multi-site community oncology practice.

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Purpose: Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada places the medical provider at the centre of the process. The MAiD provider holds primary responsibility for determining eligibility and becomes acquainted with patients' inner desires and expressions of suffering. This is followed by the MAiD procedure of administering the lethal agent and being present at the death of eligible patients.

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  • Conjunctivitis can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or allergies, and is very common, especially in primary care settings; there’s no clear way to tell viral from bacterial types just by symptoms.
  • Supportive treatments for viral and allergic conjunctivitis include artificial tears, cold compresses, and antihistamine eye drops, while strict hygiene practices are crucial to prevent spreading the infection.
  • Bacterial conjunctivitis is more frequent in children with distinct symptoms, and while immediate antibiotic prescribing can help, opting for delayed prescriptions can offer similar relief; patients with severe symptoms may need to see a specialist.
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Aims: Reduced left atrial PITX2 is associated with atrial cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation (AF). PITX2 is restricted to left atrial cardiomyocytes (aCMs) in the adult heart. The links between PITX2 deficiency, atrial cardiomyopathy, and AF are not fully understood.

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  • Early postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is common after cardiac surgery and can lead to more frequent late-POAF recurrences, yet its impact on long-term outcomes isn't well understood.
  • This study aimed to understand the extent of POAF burden in the early postoperative period and its relationship with late-POAF recurrences over 2.5 years of continuous monitoring after surgery.
  • Results indicated that higher early-POAF burden, particularly the duration of the longest POAF episode, is significantly linked to an increased risk of experiencing late-POAF episodes, suggesting early POAF monitoring could help predict long-term outcomes.
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Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, was approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) based on the results from pivotal Cohorts 1+2 of ZUMA-1 (NCT02348216). ZUMA-1 was expanded to investigate safety management strategies aimed at reducing the incidence and severity of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events (NEs). Prospective safety expansion Cohort 5 evaluated the impact of debulking therapy, including rituximab-containing immunochemotherapy regimens and radiotherapy, in axi-cel-treated patients; the CRS and NE management strategy paralleled those in Cohorts 1+2.

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  • A study focused on 13 patients with advanced HIV (CD4 count under 200 cells/μL) who also had severe mpox and multiple organ issues.* -
  • These patients underwent long treatments with various medications, including tecovirimat and others, but still faced serious health complications.* -
  • The outcomes showed that they had long hospital stays and a high death rate, highlighting the severity of their conditions.*
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Background: Serum bone morphogenetic protein 10 (BMP10) blood levels are a marker for history of atrial fibrillation (AF) and for major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with AF, including stroke, AF recurrences after catheter ablations, and mortality. The predictive value of BMP10 in patients undergoing cardiac surgery and association with morphologic properties of atrial tissues are unknown.

Objectives: This study sought to study the correlation between BMP10 levels and preoperative clinical traits, occurrence of early and late postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF), and atrial fibrosis in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

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  • Metabolic tumor volume (MTV), measured via PET scans, is a potential indicator of prognosis in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) patients, particularly in assessing how tumor burden affects treatment outcomes.
  • The ZUMA-7 study compared outcomes between patients receiving axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) and standard care, revealing that those with lower MTV (median or less) generally had better event-free survival (EFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) across both treatments.
  • Patients with high MTV showed poorer survival rates and more severe side effects, emphasizing the need for assessing MTV as a predictor of treatment response in future LBCL therapies.
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Background: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a frequent complication after cardiac surgery that is associated with late atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrences (late-POAF) and increased morbidity and long-term mortality.

Objectives: This study sought to determine device-detected POAF incidence and to identify clinical variables associated with POAF, both in patients with and without preoperative AF history.

Methods: A total of 133 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery were prospectively enrolled and continuously monitored with an implantable loop recorder for 2.

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Background: There is limited evidence related to the effects of autograft type on functional performance after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Purpose/hypothesis: This study aimed to compare biomechanical outcomes during a drop vertical jump (DVJ) between patients with a hamstring tendon (HT) autograft, quadriceps tendon (QT) autograft with bone block, QT autograft without bone block, and bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft at 6 months postoperatively in an adolescent population. The authors' hypothesized there would be differences in DVJ biomechanics between athletes depending on the type of autograft used.

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Mutations in the gene encoding Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) cause a subset of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS) cases. A shared effect of these mutations is that SOD1, which is normally a stable dimer, dissociates into toxic monomers that seed toxic aggregates. Considerable research effort has been devoted to developing compounds that stabilize the dimer of fALS SOD1 variants, but unfortunately, this has not yet resulted in a treatment.

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  • Dental caries is the most prevalent chronic disease in children, impacting nearly half of the youth worldwide, and access to dental care in remote areas has been worsened by COVID-19.
  • This study focuses on creating and validating a deep learning system to automatically screen children's dental health using color photos, aiming for low-cost remote evaluations.
  • The research utilized 1,020 dental photos and achieved an accuracy rate of 79%, with the Inception-v3 deep learning model providing precision and recall rates of 95% and 75%, respectively, in distinguishing between dental caries and healthy teeth.
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Background: Bevacizumab is commonly used to manage cerebral edema associated with brain tumors. However, its long half-life poses challenges for patients requiring urgent surgery due to wound complications. We present a case of utilizing therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) to remove bevacizumab in a patient with recurrent glioblastoma requiring urgent surgery.

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Background: Atrial cardiomyopathy (atCM) is an emerging prognostic factor in cardiovascular disease. Fibrotic remodeling, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, and capillary density are hallmarks of atCM. The contribution of etiological factors and atrial fibrillation (AF) to the development of differential atCM phenotypes has not been quantified.

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Objective: To examine the association of COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion with mortality and the differences between subgroups in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Patients And Methods: On October 26, 2022, a systematic search was performed for clinical studies of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in the literature from January 1, 2020, to October 26, 2022. Randomized clinical trials and matched cohort studies investigating COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion compared with standard of care treatment or placebo among hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 were included.

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