Multivessel beating heart robotic myocardial revascularization increases morbidity and mortality.

Objective: The vast majority of reports describing beating heart robotic myocardial revascularization (total endoscopic coronary artery bypass) contain very small numbers of patients undergoing single-vessel bypass. We present a large series of patients undergoing multivessel total endoscopic coronary artery bypass.

Methods: We performed a retrospective clinical review of 106 patients undergoing total endoscopic coronary artery bypass (72% multivessel) at 1 institution by 1 experienced cardiac surgeon/physician assistant team.

Do physician organizations located in lower socioeconomic status areas score lower on pay-for-performance measures?

Background: Physician organizations (POs)--independent practice associations and medical groups--located in lower socioeconomic status (SES) areas may score poorly in pay-for-performance (P4P) programs.

Objective: To examine the association between PO location and P4P performance.

Design: Cross-sectional study; Integrated Healthcare Association's (IHA's) P4P Program, the largest non-governmental, multi-payer program for POs in the U.

Unrecognized ingestion of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts leads to congenital toxoplasmosis and causes epidemics in North America.

Background: Congenital toxoplasmosis presents as severe, life-altering disease in North America. If mothers of infants with congenital toxoplasmosis could be identified by risks, it would provide strong support for educating pregnant women about risks, to eliminate this disease. Conversely, if not all risks are identifiable, undetectable risks are suggested.

Visual and IOP outcomes after PRK in pigment dispersion syndrome.

Purpose: To report the results of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in patients with pigment dispersion syndrome.

Methods: The pre- and postoperative records of patients with pigment dispersion syndrome who underwent PRK between January 2002 and March 2009 were reviewed. Data for analysis included gender, age, ablation depth, surgical complications, manifest refraction spherical equivalent, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), cup-to-disc (c/d) ratio, and postoperative complications.

Prognostic value of metabolic tumor burden on 18F-FDG PET in nonsurgical patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the prognostic value of metabolic tumor burden on 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/CT measured with metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), independent of Union Internationale Contra la Cancrum (UICC)/American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumor, node, and metastasis (TNM) stage, in comparison with that of standardized uptake value (SUV) in nonsurgical patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed 169 consecutive nonsurgical patients (78 men, 91 women, median age of 68 years) with newly diagnosed NSCLC who had pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans. The (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans were performed in accordance with National Cancer Institute guidelines.

Sleep disturbances and their relationship to glucose tolerance in pregnancy.

Objective: To explore relationships among sleep disturbances, glucose tolerance, and pregnancy outcomes.

Research Design And Methods: Four validated sleep questionnaires were administered to 169 pregnant women at the time of 50-g oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) during the second trimester. Pregnancy outcomes were analyzed in 108 women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT).

Determination of the source of androgen excess in functionally atypical polycystic ovary syndrome by a short dexamethasone androgen-suppression test and a low-dose ACTH test.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients typically have 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) hyperresponsiveness to GnRH agonist (GnRHa) (PCOS-T). The objective of this study was to determine the source of androgen excess in the one-third of PCOS patients who atypically lack this type of ovarian dysfunction (PCOS-A).

Methods: Aged-matched PCOS-T (n= 40), PCOS-A (n= 20) and controls (n= 39) were studied prospectively in a General Clinical Research Center.

Long-term daclizumab therapy for the treatment of noninfectious ocular inflammatory disease.

Objective: Safety and efficacy of daclizumab during an 11-year period.

Design: Structured, retrospective chart review.

Participants: Thirty-nine patients.

A prospective randomized trial comparing subatmospheric wound therapy with a sealed gauze dressing and the standard vacuum-assisted closure device.

Objective: Two methods of subatmospheric pressure wound therapy--wall suction applied to a sealed gauze dressing (GSUC) and the vacuum-assisted closure device (VAC)--were compared in hospitalized patients at University of Chicago Medical Center.

Summary Of Background Data: VAC therapy is widely used, but can be expensive and difficult to apply; it also fails in some patients.

Methods: A randomized prospective study of 87 patients (N = 45 in the GSUC arm and N = 42 in the VAC arm) was undertaken between October 2006 and May 2008.

Assessing gynecologic and breast cancer survivors' sexual health care needs.

Background: The objective of this study was to identify patterns of interest in receiving care for sexual concerns among women who were survivors of gynecologic and breast cancers.

Methods: Survey and medical records data were collected from June 2008 to March 2009 from 261 gynecologic and breast cancer patients. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effect of age and months since treatment on interest in receiving sexual healthcare.

Photorefractive keratectomy in posterior polymorphous dystrophy with vesicular and band subtypes.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in patients with posterior polymorphous dystrophy (PPMD) with vesicular and band subtypes.

Setting: Walter Reed Center for Refractive Surgery, Washington, DC, USA.

Design: Case series.

Dasatinib in previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer: a phase II trial of the University of Chicago Phase II Consortium.

Background: Treatment options for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) are limited after a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan; novel agents need to be explored in this setting. Dasatinib, an oral inhibitor of Src family kinases, inhibits proliferation in CRC cell lines and has antitumor activity in CRC xenograft models.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a multi-center phase II trial of dasatinib in unresectable, previously-treated metastatic CRC patients.

Identification of a sporozoite-specific antigen from Toxoplasma gondii.

Reduction of risk for human and food animal infection with Toxoplasma gondii is hampered by the lack of epidemiological data documenting the predominant routes of infection (oocyst vs. tissue cyst consumption) in horizontally transmitted toxoplasmosis. Existing serological assays can determine previous exposure to the parasite, but not the route of infection.

Treatment of inflammatory macular edema with humanized anti-CD11a antibody therapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of treating macular edema, secondary to noninfectious uveitis, with a humanized anti-CD11a antibody.

Methods: Six patients received weekly subcutaneous treatments for 16 weeks according to this open-label, prospective, noncomparative phase I/II trial. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were compared to baseline.

TLE3 is a dual-function transcriptional coregulator of adipogenesis.

PPARγ and Wnt signaling are central positive and negative regulators of adipogenesis, respectively. Here we identify the groucho family member TLE3 as a transcriptional integrator of the PPARγ and Wnt pathways. TLE3 is a direct target of PPARγ that participates in a feed-forward loop during adipocyte differentiation.

Liver X receptor signaling is a determinant of stellate cell activation and susceptibility to fibrotic liver disease.

Background & Aims: Liver X receptors (LXRs) are lipid-activated nuclear receptors with important roles in cholesterol transport, lipogenesis, and anti-inflammatory signaling. Hepatic stellate cells activate during chronic liver injury and mediate the fibrotic response. These cells are also major repositories for lipids, but the role of lipid metabolism during stellate cell activation remains unclear.

Ocular tuberculosis: a clinicopathologic and molecular study.

Objective: To analyze the clinical profiles, histopathologic features, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction testing in patients with ocular tuberculosis.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Participants: Forty-two patients.

Dual inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and epidermal growth factor receptor is an effective chemopreventive strategy in the mouse 4-NQO model of oral carcinogenesis.

Despite recent therapeutic advances, several factors, including field cancerization, have limited improvements in long-term survival for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Therefore, comprehensive treatment plans must include improved chemopreventive strategies. Using the 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) mouse model, we tested the hypothesis that ZD6474 (Vandetanib, ZACTIMA) is an effective chemopreventive agent.

Age of onset, symptom threshold, and expansion of the nosology of conduct disorder for girls.

The study of conduct disorder (CD) in girls is characterized by several nosologic controversies that center on the most common age of onset, the most valid symptom threshold, and the possible inclusion of other manifestations of antisocial behavior and dimensions of personality as part of the definition of CD. Data from a prospective, longitudinal study of a community sample of 2,451 racially diverse girls were used to empirically inform these issues. Results revealed that adolescent-onset CD is rare in girls.

A randomized pilot study of systemic immunosuppression in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration with choroidal neovascularization.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration remains the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States and the developed world. Intravitreal injections of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medications have become standard of care for the treatment of the wet form of the disease. Recent reports have demonstrated an association with various immune factors.

Gemcitabine plus sorafenib in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: a phase II trial of the University of Chicago Phase II Consortium.

Background: Sorafenib, an inhibitor of B-raf, VEGFR2, and PDGFR-β, has activity against pancreatic cancer in preclinical models. In a phase I trial of gemcitabine plus sorafenib, 57% of pancreatic cancer patients achieved stable disease.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a multi-center phase II trial of sorafenib plus gemcitabine in chemo-naïve patients with histologically-confirmed, advanced pancreatic cancer.

Virulence genes and genotypic associations in nasal carriage, community-associated methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant USA400 Staphylococcus aureus isolates.

It is not well understood why strains of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA), a major cause of skin and soft tissue infections, became successful so quickly, overtaking the place of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) in many communities. To evaluate the genetic basis of differences in their virulence traits, 293 S.

Quality of life in sarcoidosis: comparing the impact of ocular and non-ocular involvement of the disease.

Purpose: To compare the differences in vision and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of individuals with ocular and non-ocular sarcoidosis; and to examine the impact of specific demographic and clinical factors on the noted differences.

Methods: A cross-sectional study using non-randomized prospective cohort was conducted at the National Eye Institute (protocol number: 06-EI-0239, NCT00379275) from August 31, 2006 until November 15, 2007. Each participant completed vision and HRQOL questionnaires, the Sarcoidosis Health Questionnaire (SHQ) and the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ), along with a demographic/environmental exposure survey.

25-Gauge transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy for the diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Diagnostic pars plana vitrectomy is a useful technique in the diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma (IOL); however, the role of transconjunctival sutureless vitrectomy (TSV) has not been fully explored for this indication. The purpose of this study was to review our experience with 25-gauge TSV for the diagnosis of IOL. METHODS Patients who underwent 25-gauge TSV for the diagnosis of IOL (primary, secondary or recurrent) from two tertiary referral centres were reviewed.

A decrease in the cellular phosphodiester to phosphomonoester lipid ratio is characteristic of HIV-1 infection.

The ability to detect HIV-1 in tissues that are not readily amenable to biopsy greatly limits the diagnosis and control of HIV infection, and ultimately, our ability to understand HIV-induced disease pathology. In view of this, we explored the utility of diagnostically measuring HIV-1 infection using (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance ((31)P-NMR). (31)P-NMR enables the correlation of infection to changes in the concentration of specific intracellular metabolites, macromolecules and of bioenergetic parameters that are key to mammalian cell physiology.