Feasibility of Conducting a Trial Assessing Benefits and Risks of Planned Caesarean Section Versus Planned Vaginal Birth: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: Though interest is growing for trials comparing planned delivery mode (vaginal delivery [VD]; cesarean section [CS]) in low-risk nulliparous women, appropriate study design is unclear. Our objective was to assess feasibility of three designs (preference trial [PCT], randomized controlled trial [RCT], partially randomized patient preference trial [PRPPT]) for a trial comparing planned delivery mode in low-risk women.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of low-risk, nulliparous pregnant women (N = 416) and healthcare providers (N = 168) providing prenatal care and/or labor/delivery services was conducted in Argentina (2 public, 2 private hospitals).

Science expectancy, value, and cost profiles and their proximal and distal relations to undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math persistence.

Despite efforts to attract and maintain diverse students in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pipeline, issues with attrition from undergraduate STEM majors persist. The aim of this study was to examine how undergraduate science students' competence beliefs, task values, and perceived costs in science combine into motivational profiles and to consider how such profiles relate to short and long-term persistence outcomes in STEM. We also examined the relations between underrepresented group membership and profile membership.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Kessler Scale of Psychological Distress to a traumatic brain injury population in Swahili and the Tanzanian Setting.

Background: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a Swahili version of the Kessler Psychological Distress scale in an injury population in Tanzania.

Methods: Swahili version of the Kessler Psychological Distress scale was developed by translation and back-translation by a panel of native speakers of both English and Swahili. The translated instruments were administered to a sample of Tanzanian adults from a traumatic brain injury registry.

A new worm infiltrating the human cornea: A report of three cases.

Purpose: To characterize a new species of parasitic nematode that triggers uveitis.

Observations: Three previously healthy, relatively young people each contracted a corneal stromal nematode that, upon surgical removal and examination, did not match any known nematodes. Clinical ocular findings included corneal opacification, visible corneal worms, conjunctival injection, and uveitis.

Seasonal Periodicity of Ischemic Heart Disease and Heart Failure.

Seasonal variation for ischemic heart disease and heart failure is known. The interplay of environmental, biological, and physiologic changes is fascinating. This article highlights the seasonal periodicity of ischemic heart disease and heart failure and examines some of the potential reasons for these unique observations.

Circadian Periodicity of Ischemic Heart Disease: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

The authors performed a MEDLINE search to identify reports, published during the last 20 years, focused on circadian variation of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and prevalence and the ratios between the number of events per hour during the morning and the other hours of the day were calculated. Despite the optimization of interventional and medical therapy of AMI since the first reports of circadian patterns in AMI occurrence, it was found that such a pattern still exists and that AMI happens most frequently in the morning hours.

Chemical, Electrical, and Radiation Injuries.

This article reviews the unique challenges presented by chemical, electrical, and radiation injuries. The authors discuss pathophysiology and diagnosis of these injuries and provide recommendations for management.

Establishing the Brief Assessment of Cognition - Short form.

The study aims to identify and validate a parsimonious subset of tests in the commonly used Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) that allows the evaluation of global cognitive ability. Several permutations of subtests from the BACS were examined to identify the best subset of tests to compose the short form measure. The Brief Assessment of Cognition-Short Form (BAC-SF) was evaluated for convergent validity in healthy and psychiatric samples (N = 3718).

Coblation of suprastomal granulomas in tracheostomy-dependent children.

Objective: Suprastomal granulomas pose a persistent challenge for tracheostomy-dependent children. They can limit phonation, cause difficulty with tracheostomy tube changes and prevent decannulation. We describe the use of the coblator for radiofrequency plasma ablation of suprastomal granulomas in five consecutive children from September 2012 to January 2016.

The impact of community health worker-led home delivery of antiretroviral therapy on virological suppression: a non-inferiority cluster-randomized health systems trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Background: Home delivery of antiretroviral therapy (ART) by community health workers (CHWs) may improve ART retention by reducing the time burden and out-of-pocket expenditures to regularly attend an ART clinic. In addition, ART home delivery may shorten waiting times and improve quality of care for those in facility-based care by decongesting ART clinics. This trial aims to determine whether ART home delivery for patients who are clinically stable on ART combined with facility-based care for those who are not stable on ART is non-inferior to the standard of care (facility-based care for all ART patients) in achieving and maintaining virological suppression.

Chemoprevention of Keratinocyte Carcinomas: An Updated Review.

A well-established link between ultraviolet exposure and the carcinogenesis of keratinocyte carcinomas exists. Despite increased sun protection efforts, skin cancer remains the most common cancer in the USA. Numerous studies on the topic of chemoprevention investigate alternative topical, oral, and injectable agents to reduce skin cancer incidence in those at risk.