Improving UTI Diagnostics in Oncology: Reliability of Reflex Urine Culture in Immunosuppressed Neutropenic and Non-neutropenic Cancer Patients.

Background: Urinary tract infections are prone to overdiagnosis, and reflex urine culture protocols offer a valuable opportunity for diagnostic stewardship in this arena. However, there is no recommended standard testing approach. Cancer patients are often excluded from reflex urine culture protocols, especially if severely immunosuppressed or neutropenic.

High Gain, Low Voltage Solar-Blind Deep UV Photodetector Based on GaO/(AlGa)O/GaN nBp Heterojunction.

In this study an (AlGa)O barrier layer is inserted between β-GaO and GaN in a p-GaN/n-GaO diode photodetector, causing the dark current to decrease considerably, and device performance to improve significantly. The β-GaO/β-(AlGa)O/GaN n-type/Barrier/p-type photodetector achieves a photocurrent gain of 1246, responsivity of 237 A W, and specific detectivity of 5.23 × 10 cm Hz W under a bias of -20 V.

Assessment of clinical characteristics and mortality in patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 from January 2022 to November 2022, when Omicron variants were predominant in the United States.

Objective: To describe the demographic/clinical characteristics, treatment patterns, and mortality among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during Omicron predominance by immunocompromised and high-risk status.

Methods: Retrospective observational study of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 between January 1, 2022 and November 30, 2022, using data from the Optum de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database. Patient demographic/clinical characteristics, treatments, mortality and costs, were assessed, during the emergence of BA.

Adenoid basal cell carcinoma: An underrecognized cervical malignancy.

Introduction: Adenoid basal cell carcinoma is a rare cervical malignancy which is indolent in nature but resembles more commonly occurring aggressive malignancies.

Cases: Here we describe three cases of cervical adenoid basal cell carcinoma. All patients had a history of cervical dysplasia with high-risk HPV.

Effectiveness of interventions to prevent drowning among children under age 20 years: a global scoping review.

Background: Drowning is a leading cause of death among young children. The United Nations Resolution on global drowning prevention (2021) and World Health Assembly Resolution in 2023 have drawn attention to the issue. This scoping review synthesizes the current evidence on the effectiveness of child drowning prevention interventions since the 2008 World Report on Child Injury Prevention and implications for their implementation.

Operative Time Learning Curve for an Image-Free Robotic Arm Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Cumulative Sum Analysis.

Background: Robotic arm assisted total knee arthroplasty (RA-TKA) aims to improve accuracy in bone resection, implant positioning, and joint alignment compared to manual TKA (M-TKA). However, the learning curve of RA-TKA can disrupt operating room efficiency, increase complications, and raise costs. This study examines the operative time learning curve of RA-TKA using a single robotic system.

Evaluating the Diagnostic Accuracy and Challenges of the Two-Week Wait Referral Pathway for Skin Cancers in Primary Care.

Skin cancers are among the most common cancers in the Western world, with incidence rates increasing significantly over time. Skin cancer survival rates are highly dependent upon early identification. In the United Kingdom (UK), initial assessment of skin lesions is carried out via general practitioners (GPs) who identify and refer suspected cases under the two-week pathway in compliance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Cathepsin-D and outcomes in peripartum cardiomyopathy: Results from IPAC.

Objective: Evaluate the relationship of cathepsin-D (CD) on disease severity and clinical outcomes for women with peripartum cardiomyopathy.

Background: Cathepsin-D is a protease released during oxidative stress that cleaves prolactin (PRL) generating a 16 kDa fragment that is pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic, and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM).

Methods: In 99 women with newly diagnosed PPCM enrolled in the Investigation in Pregnancy Associated Cardiomyopathy (IPAC) study, CD levels were assessed by ELISA from serum obtained at study entry.

Health Disparities in Rheumatology in the United States.

Objective: Underserved populations are often at risk of experiencing systematic healthcare disparities. Existing disparities in care access, quality of care received, and treatment outcomes among patients with rheumatic disease are not well understood.

Methods: We conducted a targeted literature review to understand disparities in health outcomes, treatment patterns, and healthcare management faced by rheumatology patients in the United States, with a focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Global regulators enable bacterial adaptation to a phenotypic trade-off.

Cellular fitness depends on multiple phenotypes that must be balanced during evolutionary adaptation. For instance, coordinating growth and motility is critical for microbial colonization and cancer invasiveness. In bacteria, these phenotypes are controlled by local regulators that target single operons, as well as by global regulators that impact hundreds of genes.

ETV2/ER71 regulates hematovascular lineage generation and vascularization through an H3K9 demethylase, KDM4A.

ETV2/ER71, an ETS (E-twenty six) transcription factor, is critical for hematopoiesis and vascular development. However, research about the molecular mechanisms behind ETV2-mediated gene transcription is limited. Herein, we demonstrate that ETV2 and KDM4A, an H3K9 demethylase, regulate hematopoietic and endothelial genes.

The impact of task-sharing scalable mental health interventions on non-specialist providers: a scoping review.

Task-sharing approaches that train non-specialist providers (NSPs), people without specialized clinical training, are increasingly utilized to address the global mental health treatment gap. This review consolidates findings from peer reviewed articles on the impact of task-sharing mental health interventions on NSPs at the individual, family and community level. Studies that highlighted facilitators, barriers and recommendations for improving the experiences of NSPs were also included in the review.

Background and design of the Physical Frailty and Symptom Monitoring and Management Behaviors in Heart Failure (PRISM-HF) study: A mixed methods study.

Background: Many adults with heart failure (HF) are physically frail and have worse outcomes. While the biological profile of physical frailty in HF has been examined, the behavioral profile remains unstudied. Physical frailty may impact self-care behaviors, particularly symptom monitoring and management (SMM), which in turn results in adverse outcomes.

Fact-checks focus on famous politicians, not partisans.

Does the fact-checking enterprise focus its attention on one party? If Republican or Democratic politicians were systematically more likely to have their statements evaluated, that would call into question both the impartiality of the fact-checking enterprise and the results of the many papers that rely on fact-checks to drive other measurements. Despite frequent claims that fact-checking organizations are biased against Republicans, there is little systematic evidence regarding political bias in this industry. We address these gaps using data on how often each member of Congress was fact-checked from 2018 to 2021.

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease associated optic neuropathy in an adolescent.

Purpose: We present a case of Kikuchi-Fujimoto Disease (KFD) associated with bilateral optic neuropathy progressing to vision loss.

Observations: A 17-year-old male was referred for bilateral optic nerve pallor. Eight years prior, he was diagnosed with KFD after workup for lymphadenopathy and treated with prednisolone acutely followed by long-term Plaquenil.

A Comparative Review of the Terms Epipharyngitis and Nasopharyngitis in Medical Literature.

This review explores the usage of the term "epipharyngitis" in medical literature, particularly in non-English-speaking contexts. The term, although rarely used in contemporary English-language medical literature, may lead to confusion due to its overlap with more commonly used terms like "nasopharyngitis." This review aims to trace the origins of the term, analyze its usage across different languages, and discuss the implications of term differences in clinical practice and medical education.

Correlation of the Radiographic Grading of Knee Osteoarthritis With Physical Function but Not Emotional Quality of Life Scores.

Background Multiple studies have shown that symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (OA) weakly correlate with the radiographic severity of the disease. Our objective was to determine possible correlations between the radiographic severity of knee OA and clinical manifestations such as disability, pain scores, and emotional health. Methods A retrospective review of registry data of 305 patients with knee OA was collected.

Prognostic Factors of Hodgkin's Disease Recurrence: An Experience From a Tertiary Academic Center in Iran.

Introduction Despite the favorable prognosis of Hodgkin's disease (HD), some patients experience disease recurrence. Therefore, determining recurrence prognostic factors is very crucial to identify patients at risk of early relapse, maintain remission, and improve outcomes. Materials and methods This retrospective cohort study enrolled HD patients at the National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (NRITLD), Masih Daneshvari Hospital, between January 1, 2002, and June 30, 2018.

Tourniquet and/or Adductor Canal Block Use Confer No Additional Early Quadriceps Weakness Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: An Analysis of 203 Patients.

Background: Quadriceps weakness following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) delays rehabilitation and increases fall risk. The combined impact of tourniquets and adductor canal blocks (ACBs) on postoperative quadriceps strength has not been defined. This study evaluated the early effects of tourniquet and/or ACB usage on quadriceps strength following TKA.

Identifying Predictors of Extended Intensive Care Unit Stay Following Posterior Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: An Analysis of 101 ACS NSQIP Pediatric Participating Centers.

Background: While prolonged operative time and increased levels fused have been shown to increase the risk of prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) length-of-stay (LOS), studies are limited in guiding decision-making regarding the need for intensive care postoperatively. This is especially the case among the cohort of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients undergoing posterior spinal fusion (PSF); associations between comorbidities and ICU LOS are not well-delineated.

Methods: AIS patients who underwent PSF from January 1st, 2016 to December 1st, 2016 at 101 participating centers were identified using the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Im-provement Project (NSQIP) Pediatric database.

The Fragility of Statistical Findings in Meniscus Repair Literature: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Within the realm of orthopedic literature, the determination of statistical significance for outcomes relies on probability analysis and the reporting of P-values. The aim of this study was to employ fragility analysis as a means of evaluating the resilience of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that assess meniscus surgeries. It was hypothesized that dichotomous outcomes would be statistically fragile and comparable to other orthopedic specialties.

The Efficacy of Prophylactic Vancomycin in Decreasing Surgical Site Infections in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients: A Large Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: The use of vancomycin powder in spine surgery has been supported in adult populations, however, its efficacy in preventing postoperative surgical site infections in AIS patients is yet to be determined.

Methods: A multi-center review was conducted from June 2010 to February 2019, using ICD and CPT codes to identify AIS patients who underwent primary PSF. The patients were divided into two groups: the vancomycin cohort (receiving local vancomycin powder prior to wound closure) and the non-vancomycin cohort.