Palliative Care Utilization Among Hospitalized Patients With Common Chronic Conditions in the United States.

Limited data exist around the receipt of palliative care (PC) in patients hospitalized with common chronic conditions. We studied the independent predictors, temporal trends in rates of PC utilization in patients hospitalized with acute exacerbation of common chronic diseases. Population-based cohort study of all hospitalizations with an acute exacerbation of heart disease (HD), cerebrovascular accident (CVA), cancer (CA), and chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD).

The DAS-6: A Short Form of the Dementia Attitudes Scale.

Attitudes toward persons with dementia (PWD) are important predictors of emotional and behavioral outcomes for PWD and their caregivers. It is often desirable to have short, psychometrically-sound measures of such attitudes for inclusion in large community-based surveillance surveys and quick training assessments. The Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS) is a 20-item scale that examines person-centered knowledge and perceptions of comfort working with PWD.

Walking and resting blood pressure: An inter-individual response difference meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

While walking is associated with reductions in resting SBP and DBP, a lack of true IIRD exists, suggesting that factors other than training response variation (random variation, physiological responses associated with behavioral changes that are not the result of walking) are responsible for the observed variation in resting SBP and DBP.

Biomarkers of exposure and effect in the serum and urine of rats or workers exposed to 1-bromopropane.

Extensively used in several industries in China as a cleaning agent, 1-bromopropane (1-BP) has significant adverse effects on the central nervous system. However, neither its mechanism of action nor sensitive biomarkers related to it have been determined thus far. In this study, animal experiments and occupational surveys were performed to explore the typical exposure and effect biomarkers of neurotoxicity induced by 1-BP.

Early Outcomes of Patients Undergoing Neoaortic Valve Repair Incorporating Geometric Ring Annuloplasty.

Objectives: During congenital heart surgery, the pulmonary valve and root may be placed into the systemic position, yielding a "neoaortic" valve. With the stress of systemic pressure, the pulmonary roots can dilate, creating aneurysms and/or neoaortic insufficiency (neoAI). This report analyzes the early outcomes of patients undergoing neoaortic valve repair incorporating geometric ring annuloplasty.

Clinical relevance of Tai Chi on pain and physical function in adults with knee osteoarthritis: An ancillary meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The clinical relevance of Tai Chi on pain, stiffness, and physical function in adults with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) has not been established. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to address this gap. Eight randomized controlled trials from a recent meta-analysis representing 407 participants (216 Tai Chi, 191 control) in adults ≥18 years of age with KOA and included the assessment of pain, stiffness, and physical function using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) were assessed.

Impact of COVID-19 on college student diet quality and physical activity.

The COVID-19 pandemic can cause in increase in stress experienced by college students and consequently, potentially adversely affect their health behaviours. The aim of this study was to investigate how COVID-19 impacted college-attending young adults diet quality and physical activity. Students attending an Appalachian university in spring 2020 participated in this cross-sectional study.

Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery After Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair.

Up to 28% of patients may need mitral valve (MV) surgery after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER). This study evaluates the outcomes of minimally invasive MV surgery after TEER. International multicenter registry of minimally invasive MV surgery after TEER between 2013 and 2020.

Physical Activity Assessment and Promotion in Clinical Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to systematically examine interventions that focused on physical activity assessment and promotion in clinical settings in the United States.

Data Sources: A literature search was performed in 6 major databases to extract published peer-reviewed studies from 2008 to 2019.

Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria: Interventions with practicing health professionals in the United States who performed physical activity assessment and promotion with adult patients 18 years of age and older.

The acute impact of baseline renal function and contrast medium volume/estimated glomerular filtration rate ratio on reduced renal function following endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the acute impact of baseline serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and contrast medium volume (CMV) on the incidence of reduced renal function (RRF) after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR). We aimed to determine if the CMV/eGFR ratio was a predictor of RRF.

Methods: This study is a retrospective review of EVAR patients in the Society for Vascular Surgery/Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS/VQI) from January 2015 to August 2020.

Clinical Preventive Services and Self-Management Practices Among Adult Cancer Survivors in the United States Over Time.

The objective of this research was to determine if the engagement/participation in health promotion activities of cancer survivors in the United States (US) changed between 2006 and 2015. We pooled two independent cross-sectional data of cancer survivors using Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys from 2006 (N = 791; weighted N = 9,532,674) and 2015 (N = 1067; weighted N = 15,744,959). Health promoting activities consisted of past year influenza immunization, routine physical examination, and dental visit.

Single, Repeat, and Poly Intimate Partner Violence Victimization among Women at a College Campus: Extending Research Through the Inclusion of Technology-Facilitated Violence and Examining Key Social Determinants for Intimate Partner Violence Prevention.

This study examines intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization (i.e., technology-facilitated and in-person psychological, physical, and sexual) and polyvictimization, along with the role of social support and other factors in influencing these experiences.

Correlating Toe-Brachial Indices and Angiographically Confirmed Peripheral Artery Disease: A Retrospective Review.

In advanced peripheral arterial disease (PAD), medial arterial calcification is known to inflate the ankle-brachial index. An alternative method of evaluating symptomatic patients is toe-brachial indexes (TBI), where a ratio less than .7 indicates PAD and less than .

Nitric Oxide Induces a Janus Kinase-1-Dependent Inflammatory Response in Primary Murine Astrocytes.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a versatile free radical that has been implicated in many biological processes (i.e., vasodilation, neurotransmission, and smooth muscle relaxation).

Religious and Spiritual Growth Goals: A Forgotten Outcome.

Religious and spiritual (R/S) growth goals have been forgotten among self-improvement goals. We used social cognitive theory, useful in other domains of self-improvement, to study R/S goals. Data from 350 adults ( = 40.

Perceived Beliefs, Uncertainty, and Behavioral Responses During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: Findings From a Convenience Sample.

Purpose: To investigate perceived beliefs, uncertainty, and behavioral responses among Chinese residents toward the COVID-19 outbreak, and explore their relationships amid an incipient pandemic.

Design: A cross-sectional correlational survey with a combination of a convenience and snowball sampling design.

Setting: This study was conducted online from February 7 to 14, 2020, the third week after the lockdown of Wuhan city on January 23.

Contralateral Transmaxillary Approach for Resection of Chondrosarcoma of the Petrous Apex: A Case Report.

Background: Deep location and neurovascular structures make access to lesions of the petrous apex a significant challenge. A novel approach for these tumors is the contralateral transmaxillary approach.

Clinical Presentation: A 31-year-old male was evaluated for left abducens nerve palsy.

Sex Disparities in the Presentation of Gallbladder Disease.

Introduction: Although gallbladder disease is more common in women, there is a trend toward more complicated cases in male patients.

Methods: All cholecystectomies captured by the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database for the year 2016 were reviewed. This encompassed 38 736 records.

Rural Surgical Training in the United States: Delineating Essential Components Within Existing Programs.

Background: Rural access to surgical care has reached crisis level. Practicing in rural America offers unique challenges with limited resources and specialists. Most training programs do not provide enough exposure to the endoscopic or the surgical subspecialty skills to prepare a resident for an isolated rural environment.

Comparing Diuresis Patterns in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Versus Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Congestion predominates in exacerbations of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but evidence suggests that excess volume may be distributed differently in these 2 subgroups.

Methods And Results: In this retrospective study, diuretic efficiency (DE, or net urine output per 40-mg of intravenous furosemide equivalent) during the first 72 hours was compared between patients hospitalized with HFrEF (n = 121) versus HFpEF (n = 120). Multivariate analysis was used to compare the 2 groups based on expected baseline differences (e.

Complications of Spine Surgery in "Super Obese" Patients.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review with matched control.

Objective: To evaluate the indications and complications of spine surgery on super obese patients.

Methods: A retrospective review assessed super obese patients undergoing spine surgery at a level-1 trauma and spine referral center from 2012 to 2016.

Evaluation of a Video Decision Aid to Reduce Decisional Conflict in Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Decision-Making.

Background/objectives: Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) is recommended as a preferred practice for advance care planning with seriously ill patients. Decision aids can assist patients in advance care planning, but there are limited studies on their use for POLST decisions. We hypothesized that after viewing a POLST video, decision aid participants would demonstrate increased knowledge and satisfaction and decreased decisional conflict.

Association of Entrepreneurial Traits With Interest in Becoming a Pharmacist Provider Among Student Pharmacists.

Background: With the emerging opportunities for pharmacists to gain provider status, the need for understanding interest to become a pharmacist provider has never been greater.

Objective: To determine which entrepreneurial traits (locus of control, innovativeness, autonomy, risk-taking propensity, proactiveness, achievement motivation, people liking, problem-solving, and leadership) are associated with interest in becoming a pharmacist provider.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among second- and third-year student pharmacists.