Racial/ethnic differences in the clinical presentation and survival of breast cancer by subtype.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) affects racial and ethnic groups differently, leading to disparities in clinical presentation and outcomes. It is unclear how Hispanic ethnicity affects BC outcomes based on geographic location and proximity to the United States (U.S.

Mediation Analysis of Maternal Smoking, Gestational Age, and Birth Weight on the Texas-Mexico Border.

Objectives: Published data on the indirect effect of maternal smoking on birth weight as mediated by gestational age in Hispanic populations are lacking. Our goal was to conduct such a mediation analysis using data from El Paso County, Texas.

Methods: El Paso County is located on the US-Mexico border.

Sex and diet-dependent gene alterations in human and rat brains with a history of nicotine exposure.

Introduction: Chronic nicotine exposure induces changes in the expression of key regulatory genes associated with metabolic function and neuronal alterations in the brain. Many bioregulatory genes have been associated with exposure to nicotine, but the modulating effects of sex and diet on gene expression in nicotine-exposed brains have been largely unexplored. Both humans and rodents display motivation for nicotine use and the emergence of withdrawal symptoms during abstinence.

An Evacuation Simulation in Multiple Neonatal Intensive Care Units Across a Single City: Lessons Learned.

Objective: Evacuations of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in emergency situations pose specialized challenges given their population of critically-ill neonates. Most of the literature on this topic describes planned evacuations and simulations due to natural disasters, usually involving only NICU staff. This study examines a unique emergent NICU evacuation simulation involving multiple responders occurring on a citywide scale.

An imbalance-aware deep neural network for early prediction of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive complication affecting 8-10% of US pregnancies annually. While there is no cure for PE, aspirin may reduce complications for those at high risk for PE. Furthermore, PE disproportionately affects racial minorities, with a higher burden of morbidity and mortality.

Effect of bromhexine in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Background: Bromhexine is a potent inhibitor of transmembrane serine protease 2 and appears to have an antiviral effect in controlling influenza and parainfluenza infection; however, its efficacy in COVID-19 is controversial.

Methods: A group of hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia were randomized using 1:1 allocation to either standard treatment lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon beta-1a or bromhexine 8 mg four times a day in addition to standard therapy. The primary outcome was clinical improvement within 28 days, and the secondary outcome measures were time to hospital discharge, all-cause mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, the temporal trend in 2019-nCoV reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction positivity and the frequency of adverse drug events within 28 days from the start of medication.

Ethnic and border differences on blood cancer presentation and outcomes: A Texas population-based study.

Background: The Texas/Chihuahua (US/Mexico) border is a medically underserved region with many reported barriers for health care access. Although Hispanic ethnicity is associated with health disparities for many different diseases, the population-based estimates of incidence and survival for patients with blood cancer along the border are unknown. The authors hypothesized that Hispanic ethnicity and border proximity is associated with poor blood cancer outcomes.

Predictors of timely diagnostic follow-up after an abnormal Pap test among Hispanic women seeking care in El Paso, Texas.

Background: Diagnostic follow-up of women with an abnormal Pap test is necessary to resolve the risk developing cervical cancer. The purpose of this study is to describe patient characteristics associated with timely receipt of a diagnostic colposcopy after an abnormal Pap test among Hispanic women in El Paso, a Texas-Mexico border city.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of Hispanic patients seen at an academic colposcopy clinic following an abnormal Pap test.

Analysis of count data in the setting of cervical cancer detection.

Women with an abnormal Pap smear are often referred to colposcopy, a procedure during which endocervical curettage (ECC) may be performed. ECC is a scraping of the endocervical canal lining. Our goal was to compare the performance of a naïve Poisson (NP) regression model with that of a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model when identifying predictors of the number of distress/pain vocalizations made by women undergoing ECC.

The Cost of Hospitalized Ocular Injuries in Texas, 2013-2014.

Purpose: Healthcare costs are a continual concern. To improve our cost-efficiency we must identify the direct costs of ocular injuries requiring hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the direct costs of hospitalized ocular injuries in Texas.

Novel coronavirus, novel faculty development programs: rapid transition to eLearning during the pandemic.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a rapid and massive transition to online education. We describe the response of our Office of Faculty Development at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC EP) to this unprecedented challenge during and after this post-pandemic crisis. The initiatives for emergency transition to eLearning and faculty development described in this paper may serve as a model for other academic health centers, schools, colleges and universities.

Evaluating the performance of a low-cost mobile phone attachable microscope in cervical cytology.

Background: Cervical cancer remains a global health problem especially in remote areas of developing countries which have limited resources for cervical cancer screening. In this study, we evaluated the performance of a low-cost, smartphone attachable paper-based microscope when used for classifying images of cervical cytology.

Methods: Cervical cytology samples included: 10 Normal, 10 Low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), 10 High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL), and 10 Malignant Pap Smears.

A Simulation-Based Workshop to Improve Residents' Collaborative Clinical Practice.

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education expects residents to attain competency in systems-based practice by advocating for quality patient care, working in interprofessional teams, and implementing system solutions to prevent errors. Diabetes in pregnancy was identified as an area for improvement through comprehensive interdisciplinary and interprofessional care.

Objective: An interdisciplinary and interprofessional workshop was created by 3 regional academic institutions to improve collaborative practice, clinical knowledge, and clinical judgment of residents.

Parental Age and the Risk of Gestational Hypertension and Preeclampsia.

Objectives: To determine the effect of maternal age (MA) and paternal age (PA) on the risk of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia in women who delivered on the Texas-Mexico border.

Methods: A cohort study using birth certificate data (singleton pregnancies, years 2005-2010) from El Paso County, Texas, was conducted. Six parental age-exposure categories were created with MA 20 to 34 years and PA younger than 35 years serving as the referent.

Outcomes of Women Delivering at Very Advanced Maternal Age.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the maternal outcome in women with very advanced maternal age (VAMA) at childbirth (>45 years) compared to advanced maternal age (35-39 and 40-44 years).

Methods: Retrospective cohort study using the Texas Public Use Data File, years 2013-2014. Maternal age was a three-level variable: 35-39 (referent), 40-44, and 45-59 years (VAMA).

Predictors of Oophorectomy in Girls Hospitalized in Texas With Ovarian Torsion.

Objectives: Inconsistent results have been reported by authors of studies of the management of pediatric patients with ovarian torsion (OT). Our objective was to identify predictors of oophorectomy in girls hospitalized throughout Texas with OT.

Methods: The Texas Public Use Data File (years 2013-2014) was queried for the records of girls under the age of 18 years who had a principal or secondary discharge diagnosis of OT ( code 620.

Correlates of long-acting reversible contraception versus sterilization use in advanced maternal age.

Purpose: To identify correlates associated with choosing long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) over female sterilization (FS) from a subsample of women aged 35 to 44 years in a nationally representative survey.

Methods: We analyzed data from women aged 35 to 44 years from the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth Female Respondent File (n = 1532). Data were analyzed using SAS 9.

Detection of Biased Rating of Medical Students by Standardized Patients: Opportunity for Improvement.

Objectives: To assess the inter-rater reliability of standardized patients (SPs) as they assess the clinical skills of medical students and to detect possible rating bias in SPs.

Methods: The ratings received by 6 students examined in 4 clinical stations by 13 SPs were examined. Each SP contributed at least 3 and at most 10 pairwise ratings, with an average of approximately 5 ratings per SP.

Spanish Language Pelvic Floor Disorders Patient Information Handouts: How Readable Are They?

Objective: This study aimed to determine the readability of commonly available patient information materials for pelvic floor disorders written in Spanish and compare their readability based on type of content and source.

Methods: Spanish patient information handouts, including pamphlets from the National Institutes of Health, International Urogynecology Association, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, online printable handouts, and industry-sponsored brochures were assessed for readability. Online materials for patients were obtained from Google searches using key words (pelvic floor disorders, urogynecology, patient information handouts, Spanish).