Preexisting Psychiatric Conditions as Risk Factors for Diagnosed Long COVID-19 Syndrome Within Aggregated Electronic Health Record Data.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the frequency of long COVID diagnosis among patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 with preexisting psychiatric conditions versus those without preexisting psychiatric conditions.

Methods: The TriNetX Analytics platform, an aggregated electronic health record research network containing the deidentified electronic health record data of more than 90 million patients, was queried for patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection based on International Classifications of Disease, Tenth Revision codes. Patients were stratified based on their preexisting psychiatric conditions, and new diagnoses of long COVID were recorded and reported as the primary outcome.

Cytomegalovirus Infection Facilitates the Costimulation of CD57+CD28- CD8 T Cells in HIV Infection and Atherosclerosis via the CD2-LFA-3 Axis.

CD8 T cells are emerging as important mediators in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Immune activation may play a particular role in people with HIV (PWH) who are at an increased risk of CVD, even after controlling for known CVD risk factors. Latent CMV infection is associated with increased CVD risk for both PWH and people without HIV, and human CMV-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells are enriched for an immunosenescent phenotype.

Race, economic status, and disparities in the receipt of benzodiazepine prescriptions in a large primary care sample.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between race, economic status, and patient characteristics with benzodiazepine prescribing in an urban and suburban primary care context.

Method: This retrospective study used data from a previously described cohort of patients seen in a large Ohio healthcare system's primary care clinics from 2019 to 2020. Associations and interactions between race, economic status (using median income of patient ZIP code as a proxy), patient characteristics, and prescription of benzodiazepines were assessed using multivariable logistic regression.

Prescribing of Z-Drugs With and Without Opioid Coprescribing to Primary Care Patients in a Large Health Care System From 2019-2020.

This study aimed to characterize Z-drug prescribing with and without opioid coprescribing pre- and post-COVID-19 lockdown in the primary care clinics of a large health care system. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted that measured the prevalence of Z-drug prescribing with and without opioids for adults aged ≥ 18 years that were seen in the primary care clinics of a large health care system in 2019 and 2020. The pre-COVID time period was defined as March 24, 2019-December 31, 2019, and the post-lockdown time period was defined as March 24, 2020-December 31, 2020.

Recovery of Forearm and Fine Digit Function After Chronic Spinal Cord Injury by Simultaneous Blockade of Inhibitory Matrix Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan Production and the Receptor PTPσ.

Spinal cord injuries (SCI), for which there are limited effective treatments, result in enduring paralysis and hypoesthesia, in part because of the inhibitory microenvironment that develops and limits regeneration/sprouting, especially during chronic stages. Recently, we discovered that targeted enzymatic removal of the inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) component of the extracellular and perineuronal net (PNN) matrix via Chondroitinase ABC (ChABC) rapidly restored robust respiratory function to the previously paralyzed hemi-diaphragm after remarkably long times post-injury (up to 1.5 years) following a cervical level 2 lateral hemi-transection.

Synovial fluid analysis: Relevance for daily clinical practice.

Synovial fluid analysis can provide a prompt and definite diagnosis of crystal-induced arthritis, the most common acute inflammatory arthritis and a cause of chronic arthritis that may mimic rheumatoid, psoriatic, or peripheral spondyloarthritis. In many patients the diagnosis of gout or calcium pyrophosphate arthritis cannot be made with certainty without synovial fluid analysis. Additional information from fluid analysis can assist the clinician in honing the differential diagnosis of non-crystalline arthritis.

Comment on Yang et al., 2020: Melatonergic agents in the prevention of delirium: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

An analysis of delirium prevention considering only older adults is essential. Delirium markedly impacts the older adult population, as it is associated with inpatient occurrence rates from 14% to 56% and hospital mortality rates from 25% to 33% [2]. Ageing comes with a cumulative decline in physiological systems and is a relevant risk factor for chronic diseases [3,4].

Evaluation and treatment of rhinosinusitis with primary antibody deficiency in adults: Evidence-based review with recommendations.

Background: There is clear evidence that the prevalence of primary antibody deficiency (PAD) is higher in patients with recurrent and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) than in the general population. The purpose of this multi-institutional and multidisciplinary evidence-based review with recommendations (EBRR) is to thoroughly review the literature on rhinosinusitis with PAD, summarize the existing evidence, and provide recommendations on the evaluation and management of rhinosinusitis in patients with PAD.

Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were systematically reviewed from inception through August 2022.

The MIF promoter SNP rs755622 is associated with immune activation in glioblastoma.

Intratumoral heterogeneity is a defining hallmark of glioblastoma, driving drug resistance and ultimately recurrence. Many somatic drivers of microenvironmental change have been shown to affect this heterogeneity and, ultimately, the treatment response. However, little is known about how germline mutations affect the tumoral microenvironment.

A Qualitative Analysis of Assessment and Evaluation Practices Within the Individualized Curriculum.

Objective: The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education requires an "individualized curriculum" (IC) in pediatric residency. A shared understanding across programs of methods to evaluate the IC is lacking. We explored pediatric program leaders' perceptions of assessment and evaluation within the IC to further understand and inform most useful practices.

An Analysis of Benzodiazepine Prescribing to Primary Care Patients in a Large Healthcare System from 2019-2020.

We sought to quantify benzodiazepine prescribing by primary care providers from 2019 to 2020 and identify correlates of prescribing. We hypothesized prescribing would increase post-COVID-19 lockdown. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with primary care visits in 2019 or 2020 in a large Ohio healthcare system.

Factors Associated With Asthma Biologic Prescribing and Primary Adherence Among Adults in a Large Health System.

Background: The availability of asthma biologics may not benefit all patients equally.

Objective: We sought to identify patient characteristics associated with asthma biologic prescribing, primary adherence, and effectiveness.

Methods: A retrospective, observational cohort study of 9,147 adults with asthma who established care with a Penn Medicine asthma subspecialist was conducted using Electronic Health Record data from January 1, 2016, to October 18, 2021.

Addressing Administrative and System-Level Challenges to Implementation of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives in Adolescent Medicine and Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology Practices: A Qualitative Study.

Study Objective: Adolescents use long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods less than adults. Practices that specialize in adolescent medicine, including Adolescent Medicine (AM) and Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (PAG), may be well positioned to help improve adolescent access to these methods. We describe administrative and system-level barriers encountered when implementing LARCs for adolescents and strategies that practices have successfully used to address these barriers.

Targeting T-cell metabolism to boost immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of advanced solid cancers, but their overall response rate is still very low for certain tumor subtypes, limiting their clinical scope. Moreover, the high incidence of drug resistance (including primary and acquired) and adverse effects pose significant challenges to the utilization of these therapies in the clinic. ICIs enhance T cell activation and reverse T cell exhaustion, which is a complex and multifactorial process suggesting that the regulatory mechanisms of ICI therapy are highly heterogeneous.

Black Pepper for Tobacco Withdrawal: A Case Report.

Tobacco use continues to be one of humanity's most significant public health concerns, causing more than 8-million deaths annually. Existing treatments for tobacco use disorder are limited in efficacy and there is a strong need for identifying effective novel treatments. Small clinical trials indicate that black pepper essential oil may be helpful for treating nicotine withdrawal and craving.

The role of ethicists in pediatric hematology/oncology: Current status and future needs.

As pediatric hematology/oncology (PHO) becomes more complex and sub-subspecialized, dedicated PHO ethicists have emerged as sub-subspecialists focused on addressing ethical issues encountered in clinical and research practices. PHO physicians and other clinicians with advanced training in bioethics contribute to the field through ethics research, education, and ethics consultation services. Furthermore, there exists a newer generation of PHO trainees interested in bioethics.

Myocardial Involvement in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases.

Systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) are defined by the potential to affect multiple organ systems, and cardiac involvement is a prevalent but often overlooked sequela. Myocardial involvement in SARDs is medicated by macrovascular disease, microvascular dysfunction, and myocarditis. Systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and sarcoidosis are associated with the greatest risk of myocardial damage and heart failure, though myocardial involvement is also seen in other SARDs or their treatments.

Association of the COVID-19 Pandemic With Adolescent and Young Adult Eating Disorder Care Volume.

Importance: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected youth mental health. Increases in site-specific eating disorder (ED) care have been documented; however, multisite studies demonstrating national trends are lacking.

Objective: To compare the number of adolescent/young adult patients seeking inpatient and outpatient ED care before and after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The perceptions of cancer health-care practitioners in New Zealand and the USA toward psychedelic-assisted therapy with cancer patients: A cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: A resurgence of research investigating the administration of psychedelic compounds alongside psychotherapy suggests that this treatment is a promising intervention for anxiety, depression, and existential distress in people with cancer. However, psychedelic treatment that induces a mind-altering experience potentially poses barriers to vulnerable cancer patients, and health-care practitioners may have concerns about referring their patients to trials investigating this approach. The aim of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of cancer health-care practitioners based in New Zealand and the USA related to psychedelic-assisted therapy.