Preexisting Thyroid Disease in Pregnancy: A Brief Overview.

Maternal thyroid disease, with both an excess or deficiency of thyroid hormone, raises the risk profile of affected pregnancies with regards to preeclampsia, preterm birth, placental problems, thyroid derangement of the fetus and neonate, and neurodevelopment of exposed fetuses later in life. Fortunately, close and tight management of thyroid disease within the fluctuating physiologic milieu of pregnancy offers opportunities to significantly improve perinatal outcomes. However, despite guidelines offered by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and American Thyroid Association (ATA), controversy persists regarding interpretation of thyroid labs, screening for disease, surveillance, fetal and placental thyroid physiology, and optimal medication and management strategies.

Comparison of Cardiovascular Outcomes Between Dapagliflozin and Empagliflozin in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis.

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are oral diabetes medications that enhance the excretion of glucose by preventing the renal proximal tubules from reabsorbing glucose, which lowers glucose levels in plasma. Currently, studies have shown that SGLT2 inhibitors have beneficial impacts on cardiovascular outcomes, but their effect varies between the individual SGLT2 inhibitors. Thus, the current meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy of dapagliflozin and empagliflozin in preventing cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Intestinal Spirochetes Associated With Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infection.

A 60-year-old, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative, homosexual male presented to our colorectal clinic with abdominal pain for three weeks followed by persistent watery diarrhea refractory to loperamide. He had no history of recent travel, no known infectious contacts, and his last colonoscopy nine years prior was within normal limits. After one episode of hematochezia, computed tomography of the abdomen/pelvis was performed demonstrating colitis and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related changes to the lung bases.

Efficacy and Safety of Colchicine in Prevention of Secondary Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Patients With Coronary Vessel Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Coronary vessel disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that impacts the blood vessels and heart and is one of the leading causes of disability and death. CVD includes cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease, both illnesses of the vessels transporting the oxygenated blood to the brain or heart. Colchicine is an inexpensive and old drug with strong anti-inflammatory effects.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance: a comprehensive scoping review of global literature.

As countries continue the third year of the pandemic, we believe that there has been unfair attention to COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and safety, while tacitly ignoring serious challenges with vaccine uptake, without which vaccination may not be effective against the spread of COVID-19. While several studies have been published on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, there remains a need to conduct a comprehensive global analysis of vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a scoping review of 60 studies published globally on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance.

Effects of the WRITE Symptoms Interventions on Symptoms and Quality of Life Among Patients With Recurrent Ovarian Cancers: An NRG Oncology/GOG Study (GOG-0259).

Purpose: GOG-259 was a 3-arm randomized controlled trial of two web-based symptom management interventions for patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. Primary aims were to compare the efficacy of the nurse-guided (Nurse-WRITE) and self-directed (SD-WRITE) interventions to Enhanced Usual Care (EUC) in improving symptoms (burden and controllability) and quality of life (QOL).

Methods: Patients with recurrent or persistent ovarian, fallopian, or primary peritoneal cancer with 3+ symptoms were eligible for the study.

Trametinib versus standard of care in patients with recurrent low-grade serous ovarian cancer (GOG 281/LOGS): an international, randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 2/3 trial.

Background: Low-grade serous carcinoma of the ovary or peritoneum is characterised by MAPK pathway aberrations and its reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy relative to high-grade serous carcinoma. We compared the MEK inhibitor trametinib to physician's choice standard of care in patients with recurrent low-grade serous carcinoma.

Methods: This international, randomised, open-label, multicentre, phase 2/3 trial was done at 84 hospitals in the USA and UK.

Health care provider trust in vaccination: a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis.

Background: Vaccine hesitancy is a growing issue globally amongst various populations, including health care providers. This study explores the factors that influence vaccine hesitancy amongst nurses and physicians.

Methods: We performed a qualitative meta-synthesis of 22 qualitative and mixed-method studies exploring the factors that may contribute to vaccine hesitancy amongst nurses and physicians.

Occupational Radiation Exposure Among General Surgery Residents: Should We Be Concerned?

Background: Low-dose ionizing radiation exposure is associated with development of solid organ tumors as well as increased risk of cataract formation in a linear-dose response. While occupational radiation exposure has been studied across subspecialties with regular fluoroscopy exposure such as interventional radiology and urology, the contribution of increasing endovascular case volume to occupational radiation exposure among general surgery residents remains largely unreported. In this study, we sought to determine typical occupational radiation exposure among a pool of general surgery residents as part of a formal radiation safety curriculum.

Heart Failure Patients and Implications of Obesity: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background and objective The prevalence of heart failure (HF) is on the rise; currently, it affects around five million people in the United States (US) and the prevalence is expected to rise from 2.42% in 2012 to 2.97% in 2030.

A Case of Evans Syndrome and Unstable Angina.

Evans syndrome (ES) is characterized by autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. It is more common in the pediatric population than in adults. ES has been reported to be associated with thrombotic events and rarely can lead to acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Integrating 31-Gene Expression Profiling With Clinicopathologic Features to Optimize Cutaneous Melanoma Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis Prediction.

Unlabelled: National guidelines recommend sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) be offered to patients with > 10% likelihood of sentinel lymph node (SLN) positivity. On the other hand, guidelines do not recommend SLNB for patients with T1a tumors without high-risk features who have < 5% likelihood of a positive SLN. However, the decision to perform SLNB is less certain for patients with higher-risk T1 melanomas in which a positive node is expected 5%-10% of the time.

Wooden Chest Syndrome: A Case Report of Fentanyl-Induced Chest Wall Rigidity.

Wooden chest syndrome (WCS) describes a finding of fentanyl-induced skeletal muscle rigidity causing ventilatory failure. Known primarily to anesthesiology, pulmonary, and critical care fields, WCS is a rare complication that may affect patients of all ages if exposed to intravenous fentanyl, characterized by a patient's inability to properly ventilate. Given the rise of synthetic opioid deaths across the United States in the past decade, an understanding of all of fentanyl's effects on the body is necessary.

What factors promote vaccine hesitancy or acceptance during pandemics? A systematic review and thematic analysis.

Examine the factors that promote vaccine hesitancy or acceptance during pandemics, major epidemics and global outbreaks. A systematic review and thematic analysis of 28 studies on the Influenza A/H1N1 pandemic and the global spread of Ebola Virus Disease. We found seven major factors that promote vaccine hesitancy or acceptance: demographic factors influencing vaccination (ethnicity, age, sex, pregnancy, education, and employment), accessibility and cost, personal responsibility and risk perceptions, precautionary measures taken based on the decision to vaccinate, trust in health authorities and vaccines, the safety and efficacy of a new vaccine, and lack of information or vaccine misinformation.

A qualitative meta-synthesis on how autonomy promotes vaccine rejection or delay among health care providers.

In spite of the overwhelming evidence that highlights the effectiveness of routine vaccination, an increasing number of people are refusing to follow recommended vaccination schedules. While the majority of research in this area has focussed on vaccine hesitancy in parents, there is little research on the factors that promote vaccine hesitancy in health care providers (HCPs). Identifying factors that promote vaccine hesitancy in HCPs is essential because it may help broaden our understanding of vaccine hesitancy in patients.