57,361 results match your criteria: "Duke University Medical Center[Affiliation]"

Purpose: To assess the correlation of lesion growth rate and baseline factors, including foveal involvement and focality, on visual loss as measured by best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in patients with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Design: Retrospective analysis of the lampalizumab phase 3 (NCT02247479 and NCT02247531) and prospective observational (NCT02479386) trials.

Participants: Patients with bilateral GA.

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Background: Airway tissue eosinophilia can be an observed feature of obesity-associated type 2 (T2) asthma, but the processes mediating this inflammation are unknown.

Objective: To investigate a process whereby leptin, an adipokine elevated in obesity, potentiates pulmonary eosinophilia and eotaxin production by airway fibroblasts in T2 asthma.

Methods: We assessed associations between body mass index and airway eosinophilia as well as leptin and eotaxin production in 78 participants with asthma, 36 of whom exhibited obesity.

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Commentary: Staging to biventricular repair with a systemic-to-pulmonary artery shunt: An oldie but still a goodie?

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg

November 2024

Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC. Electronic address:

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Purpose: Current radiotherapy (RT) in glioblastoma (GBM) is delivered as constant dose fractions (CDF), which do not account for intratumoral-heterogeneity and radio-selection in GBM. These factors contribute to differential treatment response complicating the therapeutic efficacy of this principle. Our study aims to investigate an alternative dosing strategy to overcome radio-resistance using a novel longitudinal radiation cytotoxicity assay.

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Utilization of Potassium Binders for the Management of Hyperkalemia in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Position Statement by US Nephrologists.

Adv Kidney Dis Health

November 2024

Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina Kidney Center, Chapel Hill, NC and the WG (Bill) Hefner Salisbury VA Medical Center, Salisbury, NC. Electronic address:

Two potassium (K) binders-patiromer sorbitex calcium and sodium zirconium cyclosilicate-are recommended by international guidelines for the management of hyperkalemia. There is, however, no universally accepted best practice for how to appropriately utilize K binders in the long-term clinical management of CKD. A panel of eight US-based nephrologists convened in October 2022 to develop a consensus statement regarding utilizing K binders in clinical practice to help manage patients with nonemergent, persistent/recurrent hyperkalemia in CKD.

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To develop a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) agent to self-interact with the treatment planning system (TPS) to automatically generate intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans for head-and-neck (HN) cancer with consistent organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing performance. Methods: With IRB approval, one hundred and twenty HN patients receiving IMRT were included. The DRL agent was trained with 20 patients.

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Objective: The objective of this study was to identify baseline patient and surgical factors predictive of optimal outcomes in staged versus same-day combined-approach surgery.

Methods: Adult spinal deformity (ASD) patients with baseline and perioperative (by 6 weeks) data were stratified based on single-stage (same-day) or multistage (staged) surgery, excluding planned multiple hospitalizations. Means comparison analyses were used to assess baseline demographic, radiographic, and surgical differences between cohorts.

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Article Synopsis
  • MYD88 is a key protein involved in immune signaling and is commonly mutated (L265P) in blood cancers, leading to tumor progression.
  • Researchers discovered lasalocid-A, a small molecule that selectively kills lymphoma cells with the MYD88 L265P mutation by promoting the degradation of the mutated protein.
  • The study showed that lasalocid-A not only effectively works in lab models but also has potential benefits for treating resistant lymphoma types and can enhance the effects of other cancer drugs.
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Background: Nodal surveillance (NS) has overtaken completion lymphadenectomy as the preferred management for sentinel node-positive (SLN+) melanoma, but requires frequent exams and nodal ultrasound (US). Social determinants of health (SDoH) may affect US adherence in real-world populations, and evaluation of these potential impacts is needed.

Methods: Adults with SLN+ melanoma diagnosed from July 2017 to December 2019 who received NS at nine cancer centers were identified retrospectively.

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Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use and Outcomes With WATCHMAN FLX: A SURPASS Analysis of the NCDR Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Registry.

J Am Heart Assoc

December 2024

Section of Cardiovascular Medicine Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut and Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital New Haven CT USA.

Background: Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is increasingly used as an alternative to oral anticoagulation for stroke prevention in select patients with atrial fibrillation. Data on outcomes in racial and ethnic minority individuals are limited. This analysis assessed differences in the use and outcomes of LAAO by race and ethnicity in a large national registry.

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Nucleosome repositioning in cardiac reprogramming.

bioRxiv

November 2024

Mandel Center for Heart and Vascular Research, and the Duke Cardiovascular Research Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.

Early events in the reprogramming of fibroblasts to cardiac muscle cells are unclear. While various histone undergo modification and re-positioning, and these correlate with the activity of certain genes, it is unknown if these events are causal or happen in response to reprogramming. Histone modification and re-positioning would be expected to open up chromatin on lineage-specific genes and this can be ascertained by studying nucleosome architecture.

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Article Synopsis
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of heart failure, and this study analyzes genetic factors by examining 14,256 DCM cases and 36,203 participants from the UK Biobank for related traits.
  • Researchers discovered 80 genomic risk loci and pinpointed 62 potential effector genes tied to DCM, including some linked to rare variants.
  • The study uses advanced transcriptomics to explore how cellular functions contribute to DCM, showing that polygenic scores can help predict the disease in the general population and emphasize the importance of genetic testing and development of precise treatments.
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Transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) is a versatile, MR-guided, incisionless intervention with diagnostic and therapeutic applications for neurologic and psychiatric diseases. It is currently FDA-approved as a thermoablative treatment of essential tremor and Parkinson disease. However, other applications of FUS including BBB opening for diagnostic and therapeutic applications, sonodynamic therapy, histotripsy, and low-intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation are all in clinical trials.

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Predictors of donation after circulatory death lung utilization and allograft survival.

J Heart Lung Transplant

November 2024

Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.

Background: Understanding donor factors associated with successful lung transplantation (LTx) following donation after circulatory death (DCD) is important in optimizing donor management. In this study, we examined critical care and ventilatory factors associated with DCD LTx and allograft survival using a unique detailed donor management database.

Methods: The Donor Management Goals national registry was queried for DCD donors between January 2016 and July 2023.

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Introduction: As undergraduate medical education becomes increasingly longitudinal, particular attention is needed to maintain sufficient exposure to surgical disciplines. While traditional medical student clerkships are isolated 4 to 8-wk blocks on a single service, one unique adjunct to the traditional clerkship model is the continuity clinic (CC): a weekly longitudinal requirement that occurs either during the traditional clerkship or following clerkships while conducting independent research. This study compares attending surgeon and medical student perceptions of important characteristics in evaluating a student in CC and the perceived utility of this experience in assessment and preparation for subinternships.

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Background: Recent evidence suggests that 1 dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may have similar effectiveness in reducing HPV infection risk compared to 2 or 3 doses.

Objective: To evaluate the public health impact and cost-effectiveness of implementing a 1-dose or a 2-dose program of the 9-valent HPV vaccine in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC).

Methods: We adapted a dynamic transmission model to the Indonesia setting, and conducted a probabilistic sensitivity analysis using distributions reflecting the uncertainty in levels and durability of protection of a 1-dose that were estimated under a Bayesian framework incorporating 3-year vaccine efficacy data from the KEN SHE trial (base-case) and 10 year effectiveness data from the India IARC study (alternative analysis).

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Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and aggressive primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor in adults, continues to have a dismal prognosis. Across hundreds of clinical trials, few novel approaches have translated to clinical practice while survival has improved by only a few months over the past three decades. Randomized controlled trials of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which have seen impressive success for advanced or metastatic extracranial solid tumors, have so far failed to demonstrate a clinical benefit for patients with GBM.

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Symptoms Burden as a Clinical Outcomes Assessment in Heart Failure Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

JACC Heart Fail

November 2024

Division of Cardiology, University of Colorado School Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA; Cardiovascular Institute, University of Colorado School Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA; ARCA Biopharma, Westminster, Colorado, USA. Electronic address:

Background: Safe and effective pharmacologic therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) in heart failure (HF) is an unmet need. In AF clinical trials, the standard primary endpoint of time to first symptomatic AF event (TTFSE) has several disadvantages, which could theoretically be overcome by measurement of AF-specific symptoms burden during an entire follow-up period.

Objectives: The authors sought to develop and validate a method of measuring symptom burden of AF in a HF population.

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Patient Preferences for Features Associated With Leadless Versus Conventional Transvenous Cardiac Pacemakers.

Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes

December 2024

Duke Clinical Research Institute (S.D.R., J.-C.Y., M.J.W., J.S., F.R.J., S.O., S.M.A.-K.), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC.

Article Synopsis
  • A study examined patient preferences for different types of pacemakers, including new dual-chamber leadless options and traditional transvenous ones, to identify which features are most important to them.
  • Surveying 117 patients, researchers found that half preferred leadless pacemakers while the other half favored conventional ones, highlighting a significant division in choices.
  • Key factors influencing patient decisions included preferred pacemaker type, acceptance of complication and infection risks, and the time since regulatory approval, with many willing to accept higher risks for their preferred options.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how race and ethnicity influence antibiotic usage among hospitalized children, utilizing data from over 846,000 inpatient visits in 2022 across the Pediatric Health Information System.
  • Findings indicate that Non-Hispanic Black children were less likely to receive antibiotics compared to Non-Hispanic White children, while Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander children had a higher likelihood of receiving them.
  • The authors suggest that hospitals should re-evaluate their policies regarding antibiotic prescriptions to address these disparities, and further research is needed to better understand the factors contributing to these variations in treatment.
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Mechanisms and risk factors for perinatal allergic disease.

Curr Opin Immunol

December 2024

Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, 169857 Singapore; Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, Singapore. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • * Early-life triggers for allergic diseases can start before birth and involve the intricate programming of the fetal immune system by maternal factors like cytokines and antibodies.
  • * Maternal influences, including lifestyle and environmental factors, modify immune responses and can either help the child develop tolerance to allergens or increase their risk of allergic diseases, informing potential new treatments and preventive strategies.
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Background: The WHO HIV testing algorithm for high prevalence populations recommends the use of three different serologic assays, though this approach may lead to diagnostic misclassification. The study objective was to compare dried blood spot (DBS)-based HIV-1 nucleic acid detection methods to determine their suitability to confirm the diagnosis of HIV-1 in adults generally with suppressed or low-level plasma HIV-1 RNA.

Methods: Four methods were evaluated: Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 Qual Assay (Xpert), Hologic Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx assay (Aptima), Roche Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas TaqMan HIV-1 test, v.

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