Risk Factors for Invasive Surgical Site Infections Among Adult Single Liver Transplant Recipients at Duke University Hospital in the Period 2015-2020.

Background: Invasive primary surgical site infections (IP-SSI) are a severe complication of liver transplant surgery. Identification of risk factors for IP-SSI is critical to IP-SSI prevention.

Methods: All adult single liver transplants performed at Duke University Hospital in the period 2015-2020 were reviewed for IP-SSI occurring within 90 d of transplant.

Revision total elbow arthroplasty is associated with a high rate of 30-day complications: A descriptive analysis of a national database.

Introduction: Revision total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is indicated for component loosening, periprosthetic joint infection, and fractures. Previous investigations into revision TEA complications have small sample sizes and limited exploration of acute complications. This study aims to characterize the 30-day complications and associated demographics of patients undergoing revision TEA using a large national database.

Risk factors affecting all-cause mortality in cats hospitalized by a referral soft tissue service.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the all-cause mortality rate in cats hospitalized by the soft tissue surgery service of an academic referral hospital over a 5-year period and to identify specific risk factors for mortality. The hypotheses were that the all-cause mortality rate during hospitalization would be low, and cats undergoing emergency surgery and those with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status of 3 or more would be at increased risk for mortality.

Methods: The case log of cats hospitalized by the soft tissue surgery service at the University of Georgia was searched retrospectively to identify all cats hospitalized in the years 2015-2020.

The impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) on completing bariatric surgery at a single academic institution.

Background: Underutilization of bariatric surgery is multifactorial. This study aimed to understand the association of SDOH on not achieving surgery.

Methods: 1081 applications for primary MBS from January-December 2021 were stratified into those that completed surgery (COM; n = 415), in progress > 1-year (IP; n = 107), dropped out (DO; n = 379), and never started (NS; n = 180).

Estimation of Scattering Properties Modifications Caused by In Vivo Human Skin Optical Clearing Using Line-Field Confocal Optical Coherence Tomography.

The image contrast and probing depth of optical methods applied to in vivo skin could be improved by reducing skin scattering using the optical clearing method. The aim of this study was to quantify, from line-field confocal optical coherence tomography (LC-OCT) 3D images, the modifications of skin scattering properties in vivo during optical clearing. Nine mixtures of optical clearing agents were used in combination with physical and chemical permeation enhancers on the human skin of three healthy volunteers.

Patterns and Differences in Lung Cancer Treatment: United States, 2015-2020.

Background: Treatment for lung cancer can improve prognosis, but 5-year survival remains low at 26%. An examination of treatment using data with higher population coverage, and among a broader number of treatment modalities and individual characteristics, would provide greater insight into differences in lung cancer treatment.

Research Question: Among adults diagnosed with lung cancer, how does reported receipt of lung cancer treatment differ by sociodemographic characteristics?

Study Design And Methods: We used 2015-2020 National Program of Cancer Registry data covering 89% of the US population to describe first-course treatment among people aged ≥ 20 years and diagnosed with lung and bronchus cancer.

Transforming pediatric healthcare: a decade of innovation in global hospitals (2015-2024).

Background: As pediatric hospitals continue to grow in innovation, it is important to create a standardized metric to measure this growth and create a network to encourage further innovation. We worked to classify all pediatric hospitals on a scale of innovation with the goal of encouraging collaboration that can lead to more overall innovation.

Methods: All pediatric hospitals worldwide were ranked on a scale of innovation from 1 to 3, with 1 being the most innovative, or "established," and 3 being the least innovative, or "nascent.

Social and policy characteristics associated with injurious shootings by police in US counties: A multilevel analysis, 2015-2020.

From 2015 to 2020, shootings by police injured or killed 1769 people annually in the United States, disproportionately harming members of minoritized groups. Prior studies of the structural determinants of these inequities have largely examined state-level aggregations and fatal outcomes. This study aimed to: 1) describe state and county variation in fatal and nonfatal injurious shootings by police, and 2) analyze the relationship between state and county context and differences in county rates of injurious shootings by police.

Characteristics of Fatalities Among Sexual- and Gender-Diverse Youth in the United States: 2015-2020.

Objectives: Sexual- and gender-diverse youth face unique stressors that negatively impact their health. The objective of this study was to use National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System data to epidemiologically describe fatalities among identified sexual- and gender-diverse youth to inform future prevention efforts.

Methods: We used 2015 to 2020 data from the National Fatality Review-Case Reporting System to identify deaths among sexual- and gender-diverse youth and compare their characteristics to a matched sample of youth from these same data who were not known to be sexual- and gender-diverse.

Germline genetic testing for prostate cancer: Ordering trends in the era of expanded hereditary cancer screening recommendations.

Purpose: The availability of targeted therapies for advanced prostate cancer led to the expansion of national guidelines recommending germline genetic testing. The aim of this study was to describe recent trends in germline test ordering patterns for patients with prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis of patients with prostate cancer who underwent germline testing through a single commercial laboratory (Invitae Corporation) between 2015-2020 was performed.

Management of neonates exposed prenatally to opioids: Impact of a developmental care program implementation.

Background: Traditional approaches to management of neonates prenatally exposed to opioids are based on the use of pharmacotherapy (PT), adjusted to evolution of infant symptoms. Newer approaches focused on non-pharmacological care (NPC) are emerging, but there is little evidence on the active policies to implement to ensure their widespread practice. The primary objective of the study was to assess whether the implementation of a developmental care program in our neonatal medicine department had an impact on the management of these infants during hospitalization, notably exposure to NPC.

Impact of graft type on outcomes following liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Background: Limited data exists regarding impact of graft type on outcomes following liver transplantation (LT) in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). Our goal was to evaluate the impact of graft type on outcomes following LT in PSC and determine predictors of outcomes.

Methods: Using the Scientific registry of transplant recipients (SRTR), retrospective cohorts were constructed of recipients with PSC over the time period 2010-2020, divided into 2 eras: 2010-2014, 2015-2020, stratified by graft type: living donor (LDLT), donation after circulatory death (DCD) and donation after brain death (DBD).

Low preoperative hematocrit adversely affects short-term outcomes after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate preoperative anemia as a risk factor for postoperative complications after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR).

Methods: Adult patients who underwent ARCR from 2015-2020 were identified in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patients were grouped according to the following preoperative hematocrit levels: normal (male >39%, female >36%), mild anemia (male 33%-39%, female 33%-36%), and moderate to severe anemia (male and female ≤33%).

Navigating vaccine procurement and financing challenges in Cameroon: Insights and recommendations from a mixed-methods study (2015-2020).

Objectives: Vaccine stockouts at the national level has been recognized as a critical challenge in ensuring sustained and equitable immunization coverage. These stockouts often arise from inherent issues within countries, including delays in government funding, suboptimal forecasting and stock management practices, and inefficiencies in the procurement process amongst others. Understanding the complexities and barriers within vaccine procurement and financing systems is crucial for developing effective strategies to enhance vaccine availability and strengthen immunization programs.

A cross-sectional study of the correlation of the ratio of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (NHHR) with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adult populations: NHANES (2005-2008 and 2015-2020).

The ratio of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, abbreviated as NHHR, represents a brand-new lipid biomarker for assessing cardiovascular disease risk. Research has suggested a link between lipid metabolism and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To delve deeper, this study was carried out using data derived from the NHANES to ascertain whether NHHR and OSA are associated.

Clinical Practice Patterns and Evidence-Based Medicine in Blepharoplasty: A 15-Year Review of Continuous Certification Tracer Data from the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Introduction: The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) Continuous Certification tracer data on blepharoplasty offers valuable information on national trends in clinical practice. The present study was performed to analyze evolving trends in blepharoplasty and compare practice patterns to Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) publications within the same timeframe.

Methods: Tracer data for blepharoplasty procedures performed by ABPS-certified surgeons between 2005 and 2020 was analyzed.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Length of Stay Prediction by Machine Learning.

: To develop and validate machine learning models for predicting the length of stay (LOS) in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) using data from the Virtual Pediatric Systems (VPS) database. : A retrospective study was conducted utilizing machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyze and predict PICU LOS based on historical patient data from the VPS database. The study included data from over 100 North American PICUs spanning the years 2015-2020.

Assessing the role of non-state actors in health service delivery and health system resilience in Myanmar.

Background: Due to the weaknesses of the public health system and its low reach, especially in border areas, provision of health services by non-state actors (NSAs) has historically played an important role in Myanmar. NSAs include local and international NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs), but also Ethnic Health Organisations (EHOs) in the border areas, as well as the private (for profit) sector. This study aims to understand the changing role of NSAs in the shifting political environment of Myanmar between 2010 and 2022, and to explore their contribution to health system resilience.

Sociodemographic disparities in antibiotic-resistant outpatient urine cultures in a Boston hospital, 2015-2020: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Antibiotic resistance in uropathogens has rapidly escalated over time, complicating treatment and increasing morbidity and mortality. Few studies have explored how the social determinants of health may be associated with patients' risks for acquiring antibiotic-resistant (AR) uropathogens.

Methods: We identified urine cultures collected from outpatients presenting to Tufts Medical Center Primary Care Practices between 2015 and 2020.

Trauma-induced coagulopathy across age pediatric groups: A retrospective cohort study evaluating testing and frequency.

Background: Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) is associated with negative outcomes. Pediatric TIC has been described most often in older children. Children undergo normal developmental hemostasis, but it is unknown how this process impacts the risk of TIC across childhood.

Identifying when racial and ethnic disparities arise along the continuum of transplant care: a national registry study.

Background: Fewer minoritized patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) receive kidney transplantation (KT); efforts to mitigate disparities have thus far failed. Pinpointing the specific stage(s) within the transplant care continuum (being informed of KT options, joining the waiting list, to receiving KT) where disparities emerge among each minoritized population is pivotal for achieving equity. We therefore quantified racial and ethnic disparities across the KT care continuum.

Preoperative Depression is Associated With a Higher Risk of Bleeding in Type a Aortic Dissection Repair: A Population Study of National Inpatient Sample From 2015-2020.

Background: Depression is highly prevalent in patients with aortic diseases. While depression has been shown to predispose patients to adverse outcomes after surgery, its impact on postoperative outcomes in Stanford Type A Aortic Dissection (TAAD) has not been established. This study aimed to conduct a population-based examination of the effect of preoperative depression on in-hospital outcomes after TAAD using the National/Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, the largest all-layer database in the US.