Development of a Japanese version of the patient perceptions of deprescribing - Short form.

Background: Deprescribing is a critical component of clinical practice, especially in geriatric medicine. Nevertheless, the attributes of patients who are prepared for, interested in, and could potentially benefit from deprescribing have not been well examined. The Patient Perceptions of Deprescribing (PPoD) evaluates patients' overall readiness for deprescribing and is complemented by an 11-item validated short form (SF-PPoD).

Evaluating the readability of FDA-approved JAK inhibitor medication guides in dermatology.

Prior studies have highlighted significant challenges in the readability of patient educational materials in dermatology, which may represent a barrier to optimal treatment outcomes. As newer Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) gain FDA approval and are integrated into treatment regimens, it is crucial for patients to understand their usage, risks, and benefits. We evaluated the readability of FDA-approved JAKi medication guides to see if lessons from prior readability studies have been incorporated into these newer materials.

Barriers and facilitators to conducting human subjects research at a safety net institution from the perspective of researchers.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed glaring problems with clinical research enterprise. Faced with crisis, several trials opened rapidly but enrolled homogenous populations with few Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals. Inclusive trial enrollment is important to inspire trust and confidence in BIPOC populations that have been historically excluded or harmed from research and to improve the generalizability of research findings.

Diuretics in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Diuretic drugs act on electrolyte transporters in the kidney to induce diuresis and are often used in chronic kidney disease (CKD), given that nephron loss creates a deficit in the ability to excrete dietary sodium, which promotes an increase in plasma volume. This rise in plasma volume is exacerbated by CKD-induced systemic and intra-renal activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system, which further limits urinary sodium excretion. In the absence of a compensatory decrease in systemic vascular resistance, increases in plasma volume induced by sodium retention can manifest as a rise in systemic arterial blood pressure.

The technical expert/clinical user/patient panel (TECUPP): centering patient and family perspectives in patient-reported measure development.

Patient and caregiver perspectives are increasingly incorporated into health care research and policymaking, but their inclusion in the quality measure development process often is not robust. We describe a stakeholder panel model for incorporating patient/caregiver voices in the development of patient-reported measures, the Technical Expert/Clinical User/Patient Panel (TECUPP) model. This model is characterized by significant or equal representation of people with lived experience of the disease or condition (as patients or caregivers) to the clinicians and others with technical expertise who typically comprise technical expert panels.

Global Challenges in the Access of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke (Global MT Access).

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the standard of care for eligible acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) since 2015.

Aim: Our aim was to determine the key challenges for MT implementation and access worldwide.

Methods: We conducted an international online survey consisting of 37 questions, distributed through the World Stroke Organization network, and as invited by co-authors between December 2022 and March 2023.

Purpose in life and posttraumatic stress symptoms among military veterans: A network analysis.

Researchers have begun to explore factors that might promote better adjustment following exposure to traumatic events, including the extent to which individuals have a strong sense of meaning in their lives. Given that studies have shown the potential benefits of cultivating meaning in alleviating posttraumatic stress reactions, it is important to pinpoint specific aspects of meaning that may better inform individualized trauma-focused treatments. One aspect of meaning that may be particularly relevant to trauma survivors is reflected in perceptions of purpose in life.

Maternal Gut Microbiome-Mediated Epigenetic Modifications in Cognitive Development and Impairments: A New Frontier for Therapeutic Innovation.

Cognitive impairment in various mental illnesses, particularly neuropsychiatric disorders, has adverse functional and clinical consequences. While genetic mutations and epigenetic dysregulations of several genes during embryonic and adult periods are linked to cognitive impairment in mental disorders, the composition and diversity of resident bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract-shaped by environmental factors-also influence the brain epigenome, affecting behavior and cognitive functions. Accordingly, many recent studies have provided evidence that human gut microbiota may offer a potential avenue for improving cognitive deficits.

Examining Virtual Delivery of Strength at Home for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration.

This study examined the effectiveness of the virtual delivery of the Strength at Home (SAH) intervention program for intimate partner violence in a sample of 605 military veterans across 69 Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers through a national implementation of the program. Outcome measures included physical IPV, psychological IPV, coercive control behaviors, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and alcohol misuse. Significant pre-intervention to post-intervention reductions were found for all the outcomes, with similar effect size estimates relative to a prior investigation of in-person-delivered SAH through the same national VA implementation.

Co-occurring Psychopathology in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Differences by Sex in the ECHO Cohorts.

Purpose: Our goals were to: 1) examine the occurrence of behavioral and emotional symptoms in children on the autism spectrum in a large national sample, stratifying by sex, and 2) evaluate whether children with increased autism-related social communication deficits also experience more behavioral and emotional problems.

Methods:  Participants (n = 7,998) were from 37 cohorts from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program. Cross-sectional information on demographic factors, parent-report of an ASD diagnosis by clinician, Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores, and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores were obtained for children aged 2.

Induction of Retinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in a Mouse Eye Model.

Ischemia-reperfusion injuries are known to cause a range of retinal pathologies, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, retinal vascular occlusions, and other vaso-occlusive conditions. This manuscript presents a method for inducing ischemia-reperfusion injury in a mouse model. The method utilized anterior chamber cannulation attached to a saline reservoir, generating hydrostatic pressure to raise the intraocular pressure to 90-100 mmHg.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Guide Food Choices and Diabetes Self-Care in People with Type 2 Diabetes not Taking Insulin.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is an effective tool for individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) on insulin. This study evaluated the effect of using CGM to reduce hyperglycemia, by focusing on food and lifestyle choices, in people with T2D not taking insulin. A 6-month randomized, prospective four-center study was conducted.

Moral injury: State of the Science.

In this paper, I provide a concise overview of the state of the scientific study of moral injury (MI). I argue that the state of science is immature, characterized by the lack of a paradigmatic theory and a lack of rigor in terms of construct definition and measurement. Because researchers, clinicians, and the media reify the results of empirical and clinical outcome studies that are chiefly exploratory and fraught with internal validity problems, enthusiasm about MI continues to far outweigh scientific and actionable, practice-based knowledge.

Analysis of gene expression of Babesia gibsoni cultured with diminazene aceturate using RNA sequencing.

A comprehensive and quantitative method to compare gene expression may be useful for investigating the mechanisms responsible for diminazene aceturate (DA) resistance in Babesia gibsoni. Therefore, the gene expression of B. gibsoni cultured with DA was compared with those without DA using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

C-reactive protein as a possible indicator of PTSD prognosis and comorbid anhedonia.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often chronic, which is costly to the individual and society. Easy-to-measure prognostic indicators can help to ensure that those with the greatest symptoms receive treatment. Inflammatory biomarkers may precede and predict depression chronicity and worsening, as well as PTSD.

Using What Matters Most to improve health care delivery for individuals and populations of veterans experiencing homelessness and substance use disorders.

Objectives: To understand ways in which the Personal Health Inventory (PHI), a tool to prompt reflection on what matters most and status in 8 components of health and well-being, can be used to inform care of homeless veterans entering a Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, at individual and programmatic levels.

Methods: Mixed method study was conducted at one residential treatment program. Quantitative data was collected from the PHI (n=64) and was analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Rescue therapy after failed thrombectomy in medium/distal vessel occlusions: A retrospective analysis of an international, multi-center registry.

Background: There are limited therapeutic options in cases of failed reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [mTICI] score < 2b) after stent-retriever and/or aspiration based endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the absence of data supporting its use, rescue therapy (balloon angioplasty and/or stent implantation) is often utilized in such cases. Studies are limited to large vessel occlusions, while the outcomes and complications after rescue therapy in medium/distal vessel occlusions (MDVOs) have not been reported.

Urinary Kidney Injury Biomarker Profiles in Healthy Individuals and After Nephrotoxic and Ischemic Injury.

Two observational studies were conducted to support an initiative to qualify translational kidney safety biomarkers as clinical drug development tools that identify tubular injury prior to changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Normal healthy volunteers provided three morning spot urine collections over 4 weeks. Patients undergoing surgical resection and intrathoracic cisplatin for malignant pleural mesothelioma provided urine samples pre- and postoperatively at 4, 8, and 12 hours and daily for 6 days.

Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating the Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Knee Osteoarthritis: Adherence to Minimum Information for Studies Evaluating Biologics in Orthopaedics.

Background: The Minimum Information for Studies Evaluating Biologics in Orthopedics (MIBO) guidelines were developed in May 2017 to encourage improved reporting standards, promote increased transparency and reproducibility, and enhance clinical evaluation capabilities. The MIBO guidelines consist of 23 checklist items considered necessary to critically appraise clinical studies evaluating platelet-rich plasma (PRP).

Purpose: To assess randomized controlled trials that evaluated PRP for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in order to systematically review their adherence to the MIBO guidelines.

Gentrification, gun violence, and disparities in access to care for shooting victims.

Background: Gentrification is associated with redistribution of shootings but impacts on access to care are unknown. We evaluate the association of gentrification with shooting rates, transport times, and survival in Boston.

Methods: Gentrification was defined using income, housing, and educational attainment from the 2010-2020 census.

Outcomes of venous sinus stenosis stenting in patients with pulsatile tinnitus and sigmoid sinus wall anomalies.

Background: Transverse sinus stenosis (TSS) and sigmoid sinus wall anomalies (SSWAs) are the most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus (PT). While these conditions may co-occur, they usually require different management approaches. This study aims to evaluate whether TSS stenting alone, without targeted treatment of SSWAs, is sufficient to resolve PT in patients presenting with PT, TSS, and SSWAs.