Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Spinal Tumors.

Nearly 20% of cancer patients develop symptomatic spine metastases. Metastatic spine tumors are most commonly extradural tumors that grow quickly and often cause persistent pain, weakness, paresthesias, urinary/bowel dysfunction, and/or paralysis. Surgical intervention aims to achieve more effective pain management, preserve/restore neurological function, provide local tumor control, and stabilize the spinal column.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Before and After Primary and Revision Total Ankle Arthroplasty.

Background:: Studies examining the clinical outcomes of revision total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) are sparse. Revision TAA surgery has become more common with availability of revision implants and refinement of bone-conserving primary implants. In this study, patient-reported results and clinical outcomes were analyzed for a cohort of patients who underwent both primary and revision TAA at a single high-volume institution.

Practical Issues in Clinical Inspection Process.

Regulatory inspection of clinical trial is necessary in order for (1) assessing compliance with statutory requirements and regulatory requirement governing the conduct of clinical trials and (2) verifying the accuracy and reliability of clinical trial data submitted to regulatory agencies such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in support of research or marketing applications. This article provides an overview of clinical inspection process and issues that are commonly encountered during the conduct of clinical trials. In addition, a couple of sampling plans for clinical inspection of relatively large trials are proposed.

Effect of Laser Settings and Irrigation Rates on Ureteral Temperature During Holmium Laser Lithotripsy, an In Vitro Model.

Purpose: Ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy requires irrigation for adequate visualization and temperature control during treatment of ureteral stones. However, there are little data on how different irrigation and laser settings affect the ureteral wall and surrounding tissues. This effect has become an important consideration with the advent of high-powered lasers.

Incidence of Inadvertent Dural Puncture During CT Fluoroscopy-Guided Interlaminar Epidural Corticosteroid Injections in the Cervical Spine: An Analysis of 974 Cases.

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the rate of inadvertent dural puncture during CT fluoroscopy-guided cervical interlaminar epidural corticosteroid injection. In addition, in a subanalysis, we aim to assess the rate of inadvertent dural puncture superior to C5-C6 occurring during interlaminar epidural corticosteroid injection using CT fluoroscopy guidance because such injections are not performed using conventional fluoroscopy.

Materials And Methods: Images obtained from consecutive CT fluoroscopy-guided cervical interlaminar epidural corticosteroid injections conducted from November 2009 to November 2015 were reviewed.

Development and Evaluation of the ADHD Cognitions Scale for Adults.

The clinical literature on ADHD in adults suggests that "overly positive" or optimistic cognitions may contribute to impairment and failure to use self-regulation skills in this population, yet the research literature on this topic is limited. We developed the ADHD Cognitions Scale (ACS), a brief self-report measure of ADHD-related thoughts, and evaluated its psychometric properties. We collected self-report measures, inculding the ACS, from two large community samples (s = 262, 304).

Receipt of Recommended Adolescent Vaccines Among Youth With Special Health Care Needs.

We examined vaccination coverage among youth with special health care needs (YSHCN) using data from parents of adolescents (11-17 years) who responded to a statewide survey in 2010-2012 (n = 2156). Using a validated screening tool, we identified 29% of adolescents as YSHCN. Weighted multivariable logistic regression assessed associations between special health care needs and receipt of tetanus booster, meningococcal, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.

Perfusion Index in Very Low Birth Weight Premature Infants During Their First 2 Weeks of Life.

Background: Our program of research focuses on thermal and circulatory stability in extremely premature infants. In prior studies, we found that infants have long periods of time in which foot temperature (FT) is higher than central temperature. We thus wanted to determine whether blood flow in the foot is increased when FT is elevated.

Church-Based Health Promotion Focused on Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care at Black Baptist Churches: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: African Americans with serious illnesses receive substandard palliative care (PC) and end-of-life care (EOLC) with a disproportionate number having worse symptom-related suffering, poorer health-related communication and knowledge of advance care planning (ACP) wishes, and increased utilization of hospitals and intensive care units at EOL. Previous research emphasizes the importance of spirituality and the church in African American communities. We are pioneering an innovative partnership between two Baptist African American churches and an interdisciplinary research team with a goal of developing and implementing a community-based, church-centered ACP program.

An orthotopic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma with underlying liver cirrhosis.

Subcutaneous xenografts have been used for decades to study hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These models do not reproduce the specific pathophysiological features of HCCs, which occur in cirrhotic livers that show pronounced necroinflammation, abnormal angiogenesis and extensive fibrosis. As these features are crucial for studying the role of the pathologic host microenvironment in tumor initiation, progression and treatment response, alternative HCC models are desirable.