The Amygdala Noradrenergic System Is Compromised With Alcohol Use Disorder.

Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a leading preventable cause of death. The central amygdala (CeA) is a hub for stress and AUD, while dysfunction of the noradrenaline stress system is implicated in AUD relapse.

Methods: Here, we investigated whether alcohol (ethanol) dependence and protracted withdrawal alter noradrenergic regulation of the amygdala in rodents and humans.

Identifying risk factors for postoperative diabetes insipidus in more than 2500 patients undergoing transsphenoidal surgery: a single-institution experience.

Objective: Diabetes insipidus (DI) following transsphenoidal surgery can adversely impact quality of life and be difficult to manage. This study sought to characterize pre- and perioperative risk factors that may predispose patients to DI after pituitary surgery.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients treated at a single institution from 2007 to 2019 was conducted.

MutL homolog 1 methylation and microsatellite instability in sporadic colorectal tumors among Filipinos.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) ranks third in terms of incidence and second in mortality worldwide. In CRC, the silencing of mismatch repair genes, including the mutL homolog 1 () has been linked to microsatellite instability (MSI), the lengthening or shortening of microsatellite repeats. Very limited data have been presented so far on the link of methylation and MSI in Southeast Asia populations with sporadic CRC, and on its clinical significance.

Altered brain responses to specific negative emotions in schizophrenia.

Deficits in emotion processing are a core feature of schizophrenia, but their neurobiological bases are poorly understood. Previous research, mainly focused on emotional face processing and emotion recognition deficits, has shown controverted results. Furthermore, the use of faces has been questioned for not entailing an appropriate stimulus to study emotional processing.

Compassion, communication, and the perception of control: a mixed methods study to investigate patients' perspectives on clinical practices for alleviating distress and promoting empowerment during awake craniotomies.

Purpose: To inquire into clinical practices perceived to mitigate patients' intraoperative distress during awake craniotomies.

Methods: This mixed-methods study involved administration of Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale and PTSD Checklist prior to the awake craniotomy to evaluate anxiety and information-seeking related to the procedure and symptoms of PTSD. Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and Depression Module of the Patient Health Questionnaire were administered before and after the procedure to evaluate generalized anxiety and depression.

Validation of AD8-Philippines (AD8-P): A Brief Informant-Based Questionnaire for Dementia Screening in the Philippines.

Aim: This study was aimed at validating the Filipino version of AD8 (AD8-P).

Methods: Community-dwelling Filipino older persons aged ≥60 years, together with their informants, participated in this study. Psychologists independently interviewed the informants with AD8-P and administered the Filipino-validated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-P) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-P) to the older persons.

A Multi-center Genome-wide Association Study of Cervical Dystonia.

Background: Several monogenic causes for isolated dystonia have been identified, but they collectively account for only a small proportion of cases. Two genome-wide association studies have reported a few potential dystonia risk loci; but conclusions have been limited by small sample sizes, partial coverage of genetic variants, or poor reproducibility.

Objective: To identify robust genetic variants and loci in a large multicenter cervical dystonia cohort using a genome-wide approach.

Helping Mothers Survive: Program Evaluation and Early Outcomes of Maternal Care Training in the Dominican Republic.

In 2017, approximately 295,000 women died during and immediately following pregnancy and childbirth worldwide, with 94% of these deaths occurring in low-resource settings. The Dominican Republic (DR) exhibits one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the region of Latin America and the Caribbean despite the fact that 99% of registered births in the country are reportedly attended by a skilled birth attendant. This paradox implies that programs to support healthcare worker knowledge and skills improvement are vital to improving maternal health outcomes in the DR.

Novel Optineurin Frameshift Insertion in a Family With Frontotemporal Dementia and Parkinsonism Without Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is a common cause of Young Onset Dementia and has diverse clinical manifestations involving behavior, executive function, language and motor function, including parkinsonism. Up to 50% of FTD patients report a positive family history, supporting a strong genetic basis, particularly in cases with both FTD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FTD-ALS). Mutations in three genes are associated with the majority of familial FTD (fFTD) cases - microtubule associated protein tau gene (), granulin precursor (), and hexanucleotide repeat expansions in chromosome 9 open reading frame 72- SMCR8complex subunit (C9orf72) while mutations in other genes such as optineurin () have rarely been reported.

Dementia Incidence, Burden and Cost of Care: A Filipino Community-Based Study.

In the midst of competing priorities and limited resources in low-middle-income countries (LMIC), convincing epidemiological evidence is critical for urging governments to develop national dementia plans. The majority of primary epidemiological studies on dementia are from high income countries (HIC). Implications for developing countries are typically extrapolated from these outcomes through modeling, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews.

Challenges and recommendations for magnetic hyperthermia characterization measurements.

Purpose: The localized heating of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) the application of time-varying magnetic fields - a process known as magnetic field hyperthermia (MFH) - can greatly enhance existing options for cancer treatment; but for broad clinical uptake its optimization, reproducibility and safety must be comprehensively proven. As part of this effort, the quantification of MNP heating - characterized by the specific loss power (), measured in W/g, or by the intrinsic loss power (), in Hm/kg - is frequently reported. However, in / measurements to date, the apparatus, the analysis techniques and the field conditions used by different researchers have varied greatly, leading to questions as to the reproducibility of the measurements.

Six Years' Experience Using Specialty National Residency Index: An Early Dashboard to Document Change Over Time.

Background And Objectives: A decade ago, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors developed the Residency Performance Index (RPI) as a novel dashboard of metrics to support residency programs' quality improvement efforts. Although the RPI has since been discontinued, we sought to identify lessons learned from an analysis of 6 years of data collected while the RPI was in use to inform future quality and accreditation efforts implemented at the national level.

Methods: The RPI collected data from 2012-2017 for nearly 250 distinct family medicine residency programs, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.

The Impact of Surgical Strategy and Rifampin on Treatment Outcome in Cutibacterium Periprosthetic Joint Infections.

Background: Cutibacterium species are common pathogens in periprosthetic joint infections (PJI). These infections are often treated with β-lactams or clindamycin as monotherapy, or in combination with rifampin. Clinical evidence supporting the value of adding rifampin for treatment of Cutibacterium PJI is lacking.

Ways of Being in Generalist Practice: Using Five "T" Habits of Mind to Guide Ethical Behavior.

The practice of generalist medicine differs from the practice of other clinical disciplines. We postulate that the application of ethics in generalist practice similarly differs from its application in other healthcare settings. In contrast to the problem-focused practice of ethics in other medical specialties, the practice of ethics in generalist medicine blends habits of mind with behaviors applied routinely over time-an ethical way of being.

Marijuana Screening and Trauma Outcomes.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if positive marijuana toxicology screen is associated with worse outcomes following trauma.

Methods: A 3-year retrospective study was conducted on adult trauma patients using a Level II trauma registry. Patients were included if they had marijuana toxicology results available and were excluded if they tested positive for polysubstance.

An Epidemic of Dengue Virus Serotype-4 during the 2015 - 2017: the Emergence of a Novel Genotype IIa of DENV-4 in the Philippines.

Volume 72 no 6, p.413-419, 2019. Page 418, Acknowledgments "We would like to thank all staff and members of the Department of Virology, NEKKEN, Nagasaki University, Japan for providing technical support and advice.

[The regenerative medicine and stem cell business: confusion with legal implications].

The rise of regenerative medicine and the growth of the offer of autologous therapies, obtained from blood, cells or tissues of the patients, have been favoured by the current availability of an increasing number of commercial devices. Most of these devices are easy to use, allowing the elaboration of products and its application within the same procedure. Regardless of the questionable efficacy and safety of many of the treatments offered under the claim of stem cells or regenerative medicine, most of the centres and professionals offering these treatments are unaware of the legal requirements and implications of their use.

Investigation of factors influencing the implementation of two shared decision-making interventions in contraceptive care: a qualitative interview study among clinical and administrative staff.

Background: There is limited evidence on how to implement shared decision-making (SDM) interventions in routine practice. We conducted a qualitative study, embedded within a 2 × 2 factorial cluster randomized controlled trial, to assess the acceptability and feasibility of two interventions for facilitating SDM about contraceptive methods in primary care and family planning clinics. The two SDM interventions comprised a patient-targeted intervention (video and prompt card) and a provider-targeted intervention (encounter decision aids and training).

Benchmarking blood sugar control in the small rural intensive care unit.

: We sought to determine a benchmark for our blood glucose monitoring and compare our data to published data.: Natividad Medical Center is a 172-bed rural hospital located in Salinas, California.Point of care blood glucose (POC-BG) data was extracted from our EMR for all ICU patients greater than 18 years of age between January 2014 and May 2018.

Determining Filipino Normative Data for a Battery of Neuropsychological Tests: The Filipino Norming Project (FNP).

Background: Filipino normative data for neuropsychological tests are lacking.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the Filipino normative data for the Filipino Norming Project (FNP) Neuropsychological Battery, combining the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) and the Neuropsychological Test Battery from the Uniform Dataset of Alzheimer's Disease Center (UDS-ADC).

Methods: We recruited participants 60 years and older with normal cognition (MMSE score of 25 and above and did not fulfill criteria for dementia according to DSM-IV criteria).