Breast density knowledge and willingness to delay treatment for pre-operative breast cancer imaging among women with a personal history of breast cancer.

Background: Following a breast cancer diagnosis, it is uncertain whether women's breast density knowledge influences their willingness to undergo pre-operative imaging to detect additional cancer in their breasts. We evaluated women's breast density knowledge and their willingness to delay treatment for pre-operative testing.

Methods: We surveyed women identified in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium aged ≥ 18 years, with first breast cancer diagnosed within the prior 6-18 months, who had at least one breast density measurement within the 5 years prior to their diagnosis.

Measuring Greenspace in Rural Areas for Studies of Birth Outcomes: A Comparison of Street View Data and Satellite Data.

Using street view data, in replace of remotely sensed (RS) data, to study the health impact of greenspace has become popular. However, direct comparisons of these two methods of measuring greenspace are still limited, and their findings are inconsistent. On the other hand, almost all studies of greenspace focus on urban areas.

3D bioprinting cowpea mosaic virus as an immunotherapy depot for ovarian cancer prevention in a preclinical mouse model.

Implantable polymeric hydrogels loaded with immunostimulatory cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) were fabricated using digital light processing (DLP) printing technology. The CPMV-laden hydrogels were surgically implanted into the peritoneal cavity to serve as depots for cancer slow-release immunotherapy. Sustained release of CPMV within the intraperitoneal space alleviates the need for repeated dosing and we demonstrated efficacy against ovarian cancer in a metastatic mouse model.

Greenspace and Land Cover Diversity During Pregnancy in a Rural Region, and Associations With Birth Outcomes.

Beneficial effects on health outcomes have been observed from exposure to spaces with substantial green vegetation ("greenspace"). This includes studies of greenspace exposure on birth outcomes; however, these have been conducted largely in urban regions. We characterized residential exposure to greenspace and land cover diversity during pregnancy in rural northern New England, USA, investigating whether variation in greenspace or diversity related to newborn outcomes.

A Novel Cluster Sampling Design that Couples Multiple Surveys to Support Multiple Inferential Objectives.

In the United States the number of health systems that own practices or hospitals have increased in number and complexity leading to interest in assessing the relationship between health organization factors and health outcomes. However, the existence of multiple types of organizations combined with the nesting of some hospitals and practices within health systems and the nesting of some health systems within larger health systems generates numerous analytic objectives and complicates the construction of optimal survey designs. An objective function that explicitly weighs all objectives is theoretically appealing but becomes unwieldy and increasingly ad hoc as the number of objectives increases.

Implementing bubble continuous positive airway pressure in a lower middle-income country: a Nigerian experience.

Bubble CPAP (bCPAP) is used for respiratory distress (RD) in neonates. The leading causes of neonatal mortality can lead to severe RD. Many neonatal deaths are preventable using evidence-based interventions like bCPAP as part of a comprehensive approach.

Venous thromboembolism research priorities: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The impact of the Surgeon General's Call to Action in 2008 has been lower than expected given the public health impact of this disease. This scientific statement highlights future research priorities in VTE, developed by experts and a crowdsourcing survey across 16 scientific organizations.

Multidisciplinary Heart Team Approach for Complex Coronary Artery Disease: Single Center Clinical Presentation.

Background The Heart Team approach is ascribed a Class I recommendation in contemporary guidelines for revascularization of complex coronary artery disease. However, limited data are available regarding the decision-making and outcomes of patients based on this strategy. Methods and Results One hundred sixty-six high-risk coronary artery disease patients underwent Heart Team evaluation at a single institution between January 2015 and November 2018.

Rapid mutation testing in lung cancer tissue samples using a fully automated system and single-use cartridge.

Introduction: Activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor () gene in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients predicts response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The Idylla™ system (Biocartis, Mechelen, Belgium) is a fully integrated, cartridge-based platform that provides automated sample processing and real-time PCR-based mutation detection in a single-use cartridge. This study evaluated the Idylla™ EGFR Mutation Assay cartridges against next-generation sequencing (NGS) using formalin fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) lung cancer tissue samples.

In Situ Vaccination of Tumors Using Plant Viral Nanoparticles.

Viral nanoparticles are self-assembling units that are being developed and applied for a variety of applications. While most clinical uses involve animal viruses, a plant-derived virus, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) has been shown to have antitumor properties in mice when applied as in situ vaccine. Here we describe the production and characterization of CPMV and its use as in situ vaccines in the context of cancer.

Clinical Evaluation of Patients with Vestibular Dysfunction.

Dizziness is a common reason for outpatient neurology consultation. Oftentimes, a complete workup by general practitioner, including MRI brain fails to reveal a cause. Some patients would have also undergone an ENT evaluation before approaching neurology for an answer.

End-user views of an electronic encounter decision aid linked to routine depression screening.

Objective: Our aim was to gather community stakeholder input to inform the development of a digital system linking depression screening to decision support.

Methods: Views and feature requirements were identified through (1) focus groups with patients and consumers with depression, and interviews with primary care clinicians and (2) usability sessions where patients and consumers used the current version of encounter decision aid (eDA) in a primary care waiting room. Qualitative data were analyzed using the framework method.

Homocysteine-Lowering Treatment and the Risk of Fracture: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial and an Updated Meta-Analysis.

High plasma homocysteine is a risk factor for osteoporotic fractures. Several studies have assessed the possible preventive effect of homocysteine-lowering B-vitamin treatment on the risk of fracture with inconclusive results. In the current study, we include new results from the Aspirin Folate Polyp Prevention Study (AFPPS) together with an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Review of the medical literature and assessment of current utilization patterns regarding the use of two common fluorescence in situ hybridization assays in the diagnosis of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans and clear cell sarcoma.

Background: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a tumor of intermediate malignancy, which in selected circumstances can pose difficulty in diagnosis. Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) is a very rare aggressive soft tissue sarcoma that can be difficult to distinguish histologically from melanoma.

Methods: The current literature on t(17;22) COL1A1-PDGFB fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay in DFSP was reviewed.

Medical Care Costs Were Similar Across the Low-dose Computed Tomography and Chest X-Ray Arms of the National Lung Screening Trial Despite Different Rates of Significant Incidental Findings.

Background: The National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) reported lung cancer and all-cause mortality reductions for low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) versus chest x-ray (CXR) screening. Although LDCT lung screening has received a grade B from the United States Preventive Services Task Force and is a covered service under most health plans, concerns remain on the costs engendered by screening, and the impact of the high rate of significant incidental finding (SIF) detection on those costs.

Methods: We linked American College of Radiology Imaging Network NLST and Medicare fee-for-service claims data for participants from 23 sites for 2002-2009.

Appropriate use criteria in dermatopathology: Initial recommendations from the American Society of Dermatopathology.

Background: Appropriate use criteria (AUC) provide physicians guidance in test selection, and can affect health care delivery, reimbursement policy and physician decision-making.

Objectives: The American Society of Dermatopathology, with input from the American Academy of Dermatology and the College of American Pathologists, sought to develop AUC in dermatopathology.

Methods: The RAND/UCLA appropriateness methodology, which combines evidence-based medicine, clinical experience and expert judgment, was used to develop AUC in dermatopathology.

Effectiveness of a Novel Qigong Meditative Movement Practice for Impaired Health in Flight Attendants Exposed to Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke.

This single-arm non-randomized pilot study explores an intervention to improve the health of flight attendants (FA) exposed to second-hand cigarette smoke prior to the smoking ban on commercial airlines. This group exhibits an unusual pattern of long-term pulmonary dysfunction. We report on Phase I of a two-phase clinical trial; the second Phase will be a randomized controlled trial testing digital delivery of the intervention.

Exposure of Secondary School Adolescents from Argentina and Mexico to Smoking Scenes in Movies: a Population-based Estimation.

Background: Smoking scenes in movies promote adolescent smoking onset; thus, the analysis of the number of images of smoking in movies really reaching adolescents has become a subject of increasing interest.

Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the level of exposure to images of smoking in movies watched by adolescents in Argentina and Mexico.

Methods: First-year secondary school students from Argentina and Mexico were surveyed.

Treatment with retinoid X receptor agonist IRX4204 ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Retinoid x receptors (RXRs) are master regulators that control cell growth, differentiation, and survival and form heterodimers with many other family members. Here we show that treatment with the RXR agonist IRX4204 enhances the differentiation of CD4(+) T cells into inducible regulatory T cells (iTreg) and suppresses the development of T helper (Th) 17 cells in vitro. Furthermore in a murine model of multiple sclerosis (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)), treatment with IRX4204 profoundly attenuates both active and Th17-mediated passive disease.

IDEA: Integrated Drug Expression Analysis-Integration of Gene Expression and Clinical Data for the Identification of Therapeutic Candidates.

Cancer drug discovery is an involved process spanning efforts from several fields of study and typically requires years of research and development. However, the advent of high-throughput genomic technologies has allowed for the use of in silico, genomics-based methods to screen drug libraries and accelerate drug discovery. Here we present a novel approach to computationally identify drug candidates for the treatment of breast cancer.

Axonal activity in vivo: technical considerations and implications for the exploration of neural circuits in freely moving animals.

While extracellular somatic action potentials from freely moving rats have been well characterized, axonal activity has not. We have recently reported extracellular tetrode recordings of short duration waveforms (SDWs) with an average peak-trough duration less than 172 μs. These waveforms have significantly shorter duration than somatic action potentials and tend to be triphasic.

The preparatory set: a novel approach to understanding stress, trauma, and the bodymind therapies.

Basic to all motile life is a differential approach/avoid response to perceived features of environment. The stages of response are initial reflexive noticing and orienting to the stimulus, preparation, and execution of response. Preparation involves a coordination of many aspects of the organism: muscle tone, posture, breathing, autonomic functions, motivational/emotional state, attentional orientation, and expectations.