Revisiting Criteria for Psychosis in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Toward Better Phenotypic Classification and Biomarker Research.

Background: Psychotic symptoms are common in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders and are associated with more rapid disease progression and increased mortality. It is unclear to what degree existing criteria are utilized in clinical research and practice.

Objective: To establish research criteria for the diagnosis of psychosis in AD.

Relationship between optic disc hemorrhage and corneal hysteresis.

Objective: To determine the relationship between optic disc hemorrhage (DH) and corneal hysteresis (CH).

Methods: Consecutive patients with prior or current photographic evidence of unilateral DH who had undergone CH measurement with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA; Reichert, Buffalo, NY) were enrolled. Eyes with a history of corneal disease, refractive surgery, or bilateral DH were excluded.

Bacterial Endocarditis Following Deep Enteroscopy: Is Prophylaxis Warranted?

The development of bacterial endocarditis as a result of endoscopic interventions within the gastrointestinal tract is exceedingly rare. Antibiotic prophylaxis for endoscopic procedures is generally not warranted, except for certain high-risk patients. Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is a common endoscopic procedure for evaluation of the small bowel.

Beta Adrenergic Blocker Use in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Concurrent Chronic Heart Failure With a Low Ejection Fraction.

Chronic heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often coexist and present clinicians with diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Beta-blockers are a cornerstone of CHF treatment, in patients with a low ejection fraction, while beta-agonists are utilized for COPD. These 2 therapies exert opposing pharmacological effects.

Topical Recombinant Human Nerve Growth Factor (Cenegermin) for Neurotrophic Keratopathy: A Multicenter Randomized Vehicle-Controlled Pivotal Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of topical cenegermin (recombinant human nerve growth factor) in patients with neurotrophic keratopathy.

Design: Multicenter, randomized, double-masked, vehicle-controlled trial.

Participants: Patients with neurotrophic persistent epithelial defect with or without stromal thinning.

Combined prenatal and postnatal prediction of early neonatal compromise risk.

Objective: Electronic fetal monitoring/cardiotocography (EFM) is nearly ubiquitous, but almost everyone acknowledges there is room for improvement. We have contextualized monitoring by breaking it down into quantifiable components and adding to that, other factors that have not been formally used: i.e.

Sociodemographic Risk Factors for Serious Psychological Distress among U.S. Veterans: Findings from the 2016 National Health Interview Survey.

Serious Psychological Distress (SPD) is a measure of mental health associated with poor functioning. This study identified sociodemographic risk factors for SPD, among veterans using Veterans Health Administration (VHA), TRICARE or the Civilian Health and Medical Programs for Uniformed Services (CHAMP) (all referred herein as VA coverage) and compared risk factors for SPD to non-veterans. VA coverage offers preventative care and treatment for illnesses and injuries to veterans with the aim of improving their quality of life.

KLF4 as a rheostat of osteolysis and osteogenesis in prostate tumors in the bone.

We previously showed that KLF4, a gene highly expressed in murine prostate stem cells, blocks the progression of indolent intraepithelial prostatic lesions into aggressive and rapidly growing tumors. Here, we show that the anti-tumorigenic effect of KLF4 extends to PC3 human prostate cancer cells growing in the bone. We compared KLF4 null cells with cells transduced with a DOX-inducible KLF4 expression system, and find KLF4 function inhibits PC3 growth in monolayer and soft agar cultures.

Individual- and Community-Level Factors in the STD Status of Justice-Involved Youth: Multi-Group, Exploratory Two-Level Analysis.

Justice-involved youth display higher prevalence rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), in comparison with youth in the general population, highlighting a critical public health concern. Individual factors are important predictors of STDs, but only provide a partial understanding of this public health issue. Communities experiencing higher levels of disorder and lower levels of cohesion tend to have fewer institutional resources available, which may impact sexual risk behavior and STDs.

Transient synaptic potentiation in nucleus accumbens shell during refraining from cocaine seeking.

Repeated exposure to drug-associated cues without reward (extinction) leads to refraining from drug seeking in rodents. We determined if refraining is associated with transient synaptic plasticity (t-SP) in nucleus accumbens shell (NAshell), akin to the t-SP measured in the NAcore during cue-induced reinstatement of drug seeking. Using whole cell patch electrophysiology, we found that medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in NAshell expressed increased ratio of AMPA to NMDA glutamate receptor currents during refraining, which normalized to baseline levels by the end of the 2-hour extinction session.

Clinical Outcomes of Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty in Eyes With Glaucoma Drainage Devices.

Precis: In this retrospective case series of 85 eyes, 31.8% developed graft failure and graft survival was 50% at 3 years. The presence of an aqueous shunt has a significantly adverse effect on long-term graft survival.

Challenges to the Standardization of Trauma Data Collection in Burn, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury, and Other Trauma Populations: A Call for Common Data Elements for Acute and Longitudinal Trauma Databases.

Objective: Common data elements (CDEs) promote data sharing, standardization, and uniform data collection, which facilitate meta-analyses and comparisons of studies. Currently, there is no set of CDEs for all trauma populations, but their creation would allow researchers to leverage existing databases to maximize research on trauma outcomes. The purpose of this study is to assess the extent of common data collection among 5 trauma databases.

Assessment of Gender Differences in Perceptions of Work-Life Integration Among Head and Neck Surgeons.

Importance: The factors that contribute to gender discrepancies among attending head and neck surgeons have yet to be fully characterized.

Objective: To evaluate the association of gender difference with the perceived quality of life of head and neck oncological surgeons.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Following approval from the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) review board, a web-based survey study of 37 questions, mainly assessing daily lifestyle and quality of life, was sent to the entire membership.

Demographics and anthropometrics impact benefits of health intervention: data from the Reduce Obesity and Diabetes Project.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of a 4-month school-based health, nutrition and exercise intervention on body fatness and examine possible effects of demographic and anthropometric covariates.

Methods: Height, weight, waist circumference and body composition were measured in a diverse population of 644 NYC middle school students (mean ± SD age 12.7 ± 0.

The Fetal Reserve Index Significantly Outperforms ACOG Category System in Predicting Cord Blood Base Excess and pH: A Methodological Failure of the Category System.

Objective: Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has been used extensively for almost 50 years but performs poorly in predicting and preventing adverse neonatal outcome. In recent years, the current "enhanced" classification of patterns (category I-III system [CAT]) were introduced into routine practice without corroborative studies, which has resulted in even EFM experts lamenting its value. Since abnormalities of arterial cord blood parameters correlate reasonably well with risk of fetal injury, here we compare the statistical performance of EFM using the current CAT system with the Fetal Reserve Index (FRI) for predicting derangements in base excess (BE), pH, and pO in arterial cord blood.

Polymethylmethacrylate Collagen Gel-Injectable Dermal Filler for Full Face Atrophic Acne Scar Correction.

Background/objectives: This trial evaluated the effectiveness and safety of Bellafill for full-face acne scar treatment.

Patients And Methods: In this open-label, nonrandomized, multicenter pilot study investigating the use of polymethylmethacrylate for full-face atrophic acne scar correction, 42 adult subjects with a mean age of 43 years were treated and assessed for safety and effectiveness at Months 4 and 7. There were no hypersensitivity reactions to pretreatment skin testing or during scar treatments.

Avelumab (anti-PD-L1) as first-line switch-maintenance or second-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer: phase 1b results from the JAVELIN Solid Tumor trial.

Background: We evaluated the antitumor activity and safety of avelumab, a human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 antibody, as first-line switch-maintenance (1 L-mn) or second-line (2 L) treatment in patients with advanced gastric/gastroesophageal cancer (GC/GEJC) previously treated with chemotherapy.

Methods: In a phase 1b expansion cohort, patients without (1 L-mn) or with (2 L) disease progression following first-line chemotherapy for advanced GC/GEJC received avelumab 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks. Endpoints included best overall response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety.

Guanfacine Augmentation of a Combined Intervention of Computerized Cognitive Remediation Therapy and Social Skills Training for Schizotypal Personality Disorder.

Objective: Impaired cognition is a hallmark of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, including schizotypal personality disorder, and it is the best predictor of functional outcome. Cognitive remediation therapy has demonstrated efficacy for improving cognition, augmenting other rehabilitation efforts in schizophrenia, and effecting gains in real-world functioning. Pharmacological augmentation of cognitive remediation has been attempted, but the effects of augmentation on combined therapies, such as cognitive remediation and social skills training, have not been studied.