Knowing is Half the Battle: The Factors Leading to Efficient Recruitment of Representative Samples in Schizophrenia Research.

Background And Objectives: Drug development in schizophrenia is limited by the differential scaling of the active treatment and placebo arms of a study, such that, as the number of sites increases, the magnitude of placebo response disproportionately increases. The objective of this article was to identify factors conducive to efficient recruitment as a step towards trial designs allowing recruitment of more participants per site, leading to reduced variability, and potentially a smaller placebo effect.

Patients And Methods: Using the information of 554 individuals, we calculated the percentage of individuals who were screened, consented, and retained in our research, along with rationale for nonconsent.

High-Resolution Free-Breathing Chemical-Shift-Encoded MRI for Characterizing Lymph Nodes in the Upper Abdomen.

Objectives: Accurate lymph node (LN) staging is crucial for managing upper abdominal cancers. Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging effectively distinguishes healthy and metastatic LNs through fat/water and -weighted imaging. However, respiratory motion artifacts complicate detection of abdominal LNs.

Utilization and Outcomes Associated With Intravascular Ultrasound During Abdominal and Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Interventions in the United States in the Contemporary Era (2016-2023).

Background: Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) use in aortic endovascular interventions, including thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), may have similar benefits to those seen in coronary and peripheral interventions, but limited utilization and outcome data exist.

Methods: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services claims data were used to identify patients undergoing TEVAR and EVAR from 2016 to 2023. Utilization trends were stratified by region, urbanicity, distressed communities index, community versus academic center, Medicare versus dual enrollment status, indication, urgency, and presence of dissection with malperfusion.

Covered Stent Correction for Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defects, an Emerging Alternative to Surgical Repair: Results of an International Registry.

Background: Covered stent correction for a sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) was first performed in 2009. This innovative approach was initially viewed as experimental and was reserved for highly selected patients with unusual anatomic variants. In 2016, increasing numbers of procedures began to be performed, and in several centers, it is now offered as a standard of care option alongside surgical repair.

AAV delivery strategy with mechanical support for safe and efficacious cardiac gene transfer in swine.

Adeno-associated virus-based gene therapy is a promising avenue in heart failure treatment, but has shown limited cardiac virus uptake in humans, requiring new approaches for clinical translation. Using a Yorkshire swine ischemic heart failure model, we demonstrate significant improvement in gene uptake with temporary coronary occlusions assisted by mechanical circulatory support. We first show that mechanical support during coronary artery occlusions prevents hemodynamic deterioration (n = 5 female).

Outcomes of Adjunct Emergent Stenting Versus Mechanical Thrombectomy Alone: The RESCUE-ICAS Registry.

Background: Underlying intracranial stenosis is the most common cause of failed mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion. Adjunct emergent stenting is sometimes performed to improve or maintain reperfusion, despite limited data regarding its safety or efficacy.

Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter observational international cohort study.

Impacts of Hospital Volume and Patient-Hospital Distances on Outcomes of Older Adults Receiving Percutaneous Microaxial Ventricular Assist Devices for Cardiogenic Shock.

Background: Percutaneous microaxial ventricular assist devices (pVADs) have the potential to reduce mortality of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS). However, the association between the distribution of pVAD-performing centers and outcomes of CS has not been explored.

Methods: This observational study included Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 to 99 years treated with pVAD for CS from 2016 to 2020.

Antibiotic stewardship bundle for uncomplicated gram-negative bacteremia at an academic health system: a quasi-experimental study.

Objective: To evaluate whether an antimicrobial stewardship bundle (ASB) can safely empower frontline providers in the treatment of gram-negative bloodstream infections (GN-BSI).

Intervention And Method: From March 2021 to February 2022, we implemented an ASB intervention for GN-BSI in the electronic medical record (EMR) to guide clinicians at the point of care to optimize their own antibiotic decision-making. We conducted a before-and-after quasi-experimental pre-bundle (preBG) and post-bundle (postBG) study evaluating a composite of in-hospital mortality, infection-related readmission, GN-BSI recurrence, and bundle-related outcomes.

Overcoming the Impact of Students for Fair Admission v Harvard to Build a More Representative Health Care Workforce: Perspectives from Ending Unequal Treatment.

Policy Points In a recently commissioned report on solutions for eliminating racial and ethnic health care inequities entitled Ending Unequal Treatment, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found a health workforce that is representative of the communities it serves is essential for health care equity. The Supreme Court decision to ban race-conscious admission constraints pathways toward health workforce representativeness and equity. This paper draws on the National Academies report's findings that health care workforce representativeness improves care quality, population health, and equity to discuss policy and programmatic options for various participants to promote health workforce representativeness in the context of race-conscious admissions bans.

Curriculum Research: Disseminating Neuropalliative Care Education Through an Adaptable Curriculum: A Multisite Feasibility Trial.

Introduction And Problem Statement: Neurologic disease is a leading cause of disability and death worldwide. As the global population ages, the burden of these diseases is expected to increase. Despite this increased clinical need, neurology trainees are seldom taught skills and concepts in palliative care.

Robustness of tricuspid regurgitation reduction at 1 year following edge-to-edge repair for primary tricuspid regurgitation.

Background And Objective: Within recent years, transcatheter tricuspid edge-to-edge repair (T-TEER) has emerged as a safe and effective treatment option in patients with secondary tricuspid regurgitation (TR). However, for primary TR, data on the robustness and durability of TR reduction 1 year following T-TEER is limited.

Methods: All consecutive patients treated with T-TEER for TR at two high-volume centers between September 2018 and December 2022 were enrolled in a registry.

Relacorilant plus nab-paclitaxel for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: results from the open-label RELIANT study.

Background: Modulation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity in tumor cells enhances chemotherapy efficacy. We evaluated the selective GR modulator relacorilant plus nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC) who had received at least 2 prior therapy lines.

Patients And Methods: In this open-label, single-arm, phase III study, patients received once-daily oral relacorilant (100 mg, titrated to 150 mg in 25 mg increments/cycle) and nab-paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) on days 1, 8, and 15 of 28-day cycles.