Low antiviral uptake of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir in adult patients with COVID-19 in Taiwan in 2022.

Background: Antivirals are effective in reducing hospitalisation and death in mild-to-moderate coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) patients. We estimated the antiviral uptake of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir and molnupiravir in adult patients with a syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) period in Taiwan.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Taiwan between January 2022 and December 2022.

Prospective observational study and mechanistic evidence showing lipolysis of circulating triglycerides worsens hypertriglyceridemic acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUNDWhile most hypertriglyceridemia is asymptomatic, hypertriglyceridemia-associated acute pancreatitis (HTG-AP) can be more severe than AP of other etiologies. The reasons underlying this are unclear. We thus examined whether lipolytic generation of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) from circulating triglycerides (TGs) could worsen clinical outcomes.

Differential utilization of thyroid lobectomy after the 2015 American Thyroid Association guideline update.

Background: The 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines added thyroid lobectomy (TL) as the appropriate treatment for low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). We aimed to investigate the population-level factors that influence the utilization of TL.

Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database was queried for all DTC patients fitting low-risk criteria as defined by the ATA.

Reproductive planning and infertility: Training the next generation of surgeons.

Background: Female surgeons face increased rates of fertility challenges compared to the general population. We aim to understand surgical trainees' understanding and perspectives on family planning.

Methods: A 35-question survey was emailed to program directors at all US surgical residency programs for distribution to residents.

Safety attitudes culture remain stable in a transplant center: evidence from the coronavirus pandemic.

Background: We sought to understand how safety culture may evolve during disruption, by using the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, to identify vulnerabilities in the system that could impact patient outcomes.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of transplant personnel at a high-volume transplant center was conducted using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). Survey responses were scaled and evaluated pre- and post-COVID-19 (2019 and 2021).

Dynamic volume-outcome association for esophagectomies: Do current volume thresholds still apply?

Background: It is unknown if the current minimum case volume recommendation of 20 cases per year per hospital is applicable to contemporary practice.

Methods: Patients undergoing esophageal resection between 2005 and 2015 were identified in the National Cancer Database. High, medium, and low-volume hospital strata were defined by quartiles.

Evaluation of germicidal ultraviolet-C disinfection in a real-world outpatient health care environment.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has highlighted the need for effective infection control in outpatient health care settings. Germicidal ultraviolet-C (GUV) light, known for inactivating microorganisms by damaging their deoxyribonucleic acid or ribonucleic acid, offers a potential solution. This study examines the efficacy of GUV air disinfection systems in real-world outpatient environments.

Unveiling the future of COVID-19 patient care: groundbreaking prediction models for severe outcomes or mortality in hospitalized cases.

Background: Previous studies have identified COVID-19 risk factors, such as age and chronic health conditions, linked to severe outcomes and mortality. However, accurately predicting severe illness in COVID-19 patients remains challenging, lacking precise methods.

Objective: This study aimed to leverage clinical real-world data and multiple machine-learning algorithms to formulate innovative predictive models for assessing the risk of severe outcomes or mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Days Alive and Out of the Hospital After Heart Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: Evaluate days alive and out of the hospital (DAOH) as an outcome measure after orthotopic heart transplantation in patients with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) as a bridge to transplant compared to those patients without prior MCS.

Design: A retrospective observational study of adult patients who underwent cardiac transplantation between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2020. The primary outcome was DAOH at 365 days (DAOH) after an orthotopic heart transplant.

Ethics Education in U.S. Allopathic Medical Schools: A National Survey of Medical School Deans and Ethics Course Directors.

Unlabelled: AbstractPurpose: to characterize ethics course content, structure, resources, pedagogic methods, and opinions among academic administrators and course directors at U.S. medical schools.

NSAIDs do not reduce severity among post-ERCP pancreatitis patients.

Objective: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most studied chemoprophylaxis for post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP). While previous systematic reviews have shown NSAIDs reduce PEP, their impact on moderate to severe PEP (MSPEP) is unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the impact of NSAIDs on MSPEP among patients who developed PEP.

Concurrent Imaging and Clinical Study of the Efficacy of Hyaluronic Acid Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Synovial Membrane Investigation with Ultrasound Imaging.

We investigated whether hyaluronic acid (HA) injections can ameliorate ultrasound-detected synovitis in knee osteoarthritis (OA). We recruited 103 patients with symptomatic knee OA and ultrasound-detected synovitis and performed two ultrasound-guided fluid drainage procedures, followed by the administration of a low-molecular-weight HA injection (2.5 mL) in the subpatellar bursa, at a 2-week interval.

Surgical Site Infections in Open and Laparoscopic Operations in Rooms With Open-floor Drainage Systems.

Introduction: Surgical site infections are common postoperative complications. Some operating rooms have open-floor drainage systems for fluid disposal during endourologic cases, although nonendoscopy cases are not always allowed in these rooms. We hypothesized that operating rooms with open-floor drainage systems would not materially affect risk of surgical site infections for patients undergoing open and laparoscopic procedures.

The influence of operating room temperature and humidity on surgical site infection: A multisite ACS-NSQIP analysis.

Background: Literature evaluating intraoperative temperature/humidity and risk of surgical site infection (SSI) is lacking.

Methods: All operations at three centers reported to the ACS-NSQIP were reviewed (2016-2020); ambient intraoperative temperature (⁰F) and relative humidity (RH) were recorded in 15-min intervals. The primary endpoint was superficial SSI, which was evaluated with multi-level logistic regression.

Defining Biliary Hyperkinesia and the Role of Cholecystectomy.

Background: Functional gallbladder disorder is most commonly defined by biliary colic and low ejection fraction (EF) on cholescintigraphy. Biliary hyperkinesia is a controversial type of functional gallbladder disorder, and its definition and the role of cholecystectomy in treating functional gallbladder disorder remains unclear.

Study Design: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent cholecystokinin-stimulated cholescintigraphy and cholecystectomy at 3 Mayo Clinic sites between 2007 and 2020.

The Impact of Patient Sex on Outcomes after Endovascular Treatment of Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease.

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of patient sex on short-term and long-term outcomes after endovascular treatment for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD).

Methods: A multicenter retrospective analysis was performed on all patients who underwent iliac artery stenting for AIOD across the 3 participating sites from October 1, 2018 to September 21, 2021. Preoperative clinical, operative, and postoperative data were collected on a dedicated database.

Avoiding Blunders When Analyzing Correlated Data, Clustered Data, or Repeated Measures.

Rheumatology research often involves correlated and clustered data. A common error when analyzing these data occurs when instead we treat these data as independent observations. This can lead to incorrect statistical inference.

Extended Anticoagulation after Radical Cystectomy Using Direct Acting Oral Anticoagulants: A Single-Institutional Experience.

Introduction: Extended prophylactic anticoagulation therapy with enoxaparin 40 mg daily is effective in reducing the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after radical cystectomy. In an effort to improve compliance, we modified our extended anticoagulation options to direct oral anticoagulants (DOAs; eg apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily or rivaroxaban 10 mg daily).

Understanding Variation in In-hospital Mortality After Major Surgery in the United States.

Objectives: We aimed to quantify the contributions of patient characteristics (PC), hospital structural characteristics (HC), and hospital operative volumes (HOV) to in-hospital mortality (IHM) after major surgery in the United States (US).

Background: The volume-outcome relationship correlates higher HOV with decreased IHM. However, IHM after major surgery is multifactorial, and the relative contribution of PC, HC, and HOV to IHM after major surgery is unknown.

Socioeconomic and racial disparities in survival for patients with stage IV cancer.

Background: Disparities in cancer outcomes for minoritized people and groups experiencing disadvantages with Stage IV cancer is largely unknown.

Methods: Patients with Stage IV pancreatic, colorectal, lung, breast, and prostate cancer were identified from 2004 to 2015 in the National Cancer Database. Cox proportional hazard models were used to quantify how demographics and treatments received were associated with overall survival.

The Fate of the Inconclusive Periprosthetic Joint Infection Workup and Reliability of Data Points.

In 2018, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) criteria were revised to include a new category labeled "inconclusive." The purpose of this study was to characterize and describe the fate of the inconclusive PJI workup and to analyze preoperative factors associated with outcomes. We reviewed all PJI workups at our institution during a 3-year period (426 patients).

Effect of Cannabidiol Oil on Post-ureteroscopy Pain for Urinary Calculi: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.

Purpose: Post-ureteroscopy stent placement carries significant morbidity which can interfere with daily life. This discomfort unfortunately leads to high utilization of opioid pain medications, which have a known risk of addiction. Cannabidiol oil represents an alternative analgesic that has proven anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects.