Descriptive Characterization of High-Frequency Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission Source Components in Children.

Purpose: Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) provide an objective assessment of cochlear function and are used for serial ototoxicity monitoring in pediatric cancer patients. DPOAEs are modeled as having distortion (near ) and reflection (near 2-) component sources, and developmental changes are observed in these components' relative strengths in infants compared with adults. However, little is known about source component strengths in childhood or at extended high frequencies (EHFs; > 8 kHz).

Modeling the Partitioning of Anionic Carboxylic and Perfluoroalkyl Carboxylic and Sulfonic Acids to Octanol and Membrane Lipid.

Perfluoroalkyl carboxylic and sulfonic acids (PFCAs and PFSAs, respectively) have low acid dissociation constant values and are, therefore, deprotonated under most experimental and environmental conditions. Hence, the anionic species dominate their partitioning between water and organic phases, including octanol and phospholipid bilayers which are often used as model systems for environmental and biological matrices. However, data for solvent-water (SW) and membrane-water partition coefficients of the anion species are only available for a few per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Impact of mandatory nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) testing approval on hospital-onset infection (HO-CDI) rates: A diagnostic stewardship intervention.

Misclassification of colonization as hospital-onset infection (HO-CDI) can lead to unnecessary treatment of patients and substantial financial penalties for hospitals. We successfully implemented mandatory PCR testing approval as a strategy to optimize testing, which was associated with a significant decline in the monthly incidence of HO-CDI rates and lowering of our standardized infection ratio to 0.77 (from 1.

Climate Change Policies and Older Adults: An Analysis of States' Climate Adaptation Plans.

Background And Objectives: As climate change drives more frequent and intense weather events, older adults face disproportionate impacts, including having the highest mortality rates from storms, wildfires, flooding, and heat waves. State governments are critical in deploying local resources to help address climate change impacts. This policy study analyzes states' climate adaptation plans to assess the methods through which they address the impact of climate change on older adults.

Impact of the COVID-19 vaccination mandate on the primary care workforce and differences between rural and urban settings to inform future policy decision-making.

Introduction: Little is known about the impact of mandated vaccination policies on the primary care clinic workforce in the United States or differences between rural and urban settings, especially for COVID-19. With the continued pandemic and an anticipated increase in novel disease outbreaks and emerging vaccines, healthcare systems need additional information on how vaccine mandates impact the healthcare workforce to aid in future decision-making.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of Oregon primary care clinic staff between October 28, 2021- November 18, 2021, following implementation of a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for healthcare personnel.

The Association of Learning Health System Practicing Hospitals and other Health Information Interested Hospitals with Patient-Generated Health Data Uptake.

Patient generated health data (PGHD) has been described as a necessary addition to provider-generated information for improving care processes in US hospitals. This study evaluated the distribution of Health Information Interested (HII) US hospitals that are more likely to capture or use PGHD. The literature suggests that HII hospitals are more likely to capture and use PGHD.

Content and User Engagement of Health-Related Behavior Tweets Posted by Mass Media Outlets From Spain and the United States Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observational Infodemiology Study.

Background: During the early pandemic, there was substantial variation in public and government responses to COVID-19 in Europe and the United States. Mass media are a vital source of health information and news, frequently disseminating this information through social media, and may influence public and policy responses to the pandemic.

Objective: This study aims to describe the extent to which major media outlets in the United States and Spain tweeted about health-related behaviors (HRBs) relevant to COVID-19, compare the tweeting patterns between media outlets of both countries, and determine user engagement in response to these tweets.

Using Nudges to Reduce Missed Appointments in Primary Care and Mental Health: a Pragmatic Trial.

Background: Missed appointments ("no-shows") are a persistent and costly problem in healthcare. Appointment reminders are widely used but usually do not include messages specifically designed to nudge patients to attend appointments.

Objective: To determine the effect of incorporating nudges into appointment reminder letters on measures of appointment attendance.

Jumping Through Hoops: Community Care Clinician and Staff Experiences Providing Primary Care to Rural Veterans.

Background: The 2019 VA Maintaining Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act, or MISSION Act, aimed to improve rural veteran access to care by expanding coverage for services in the community. Increased access to clinicians outside the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) could benefit rural veterans, who often face obstacles obtaining VA care. This solution, however, relies on clinics willing to navigate VA administrative processes.

Degradation of Chloroform by Zerovalent Iron: Effects of Mechanochemical Sulfidation and Nitridation on the Kinetics and Mechanism.

Chloroform (CF) is a widely used chemical reagent and disinfectant and a probable human carcinogen. The extensive literature on halocarbon reduction with zerovalent iron (ZVI) shows that transformation of CF is slow, even with nano, bimetallic, sulfidated, and other modified forms of ZVI. In this study, an alternative method of ZVI modification─involving simultaneous sulfidation and nitridation through mechanochemical ball milling─was developed and shown to give improved degradation of CF (i.

Extreme Heat Vulnerability Among Older Adults: A Multilevel Risk Index for Portland, Oregon.

Background And Objectives: Extreme heat is an environmental health equity concern disproportionately affecting low-income older adults and people of color. Exposure factors, such as living in rental housing and lack of air conditioning, and sensitivity factors, such as chronic disease and social isolation, increase mortality risk among older adults. Older persons face multiple barriers to adaptive heat mitigation, particularly those living in historically temperate climates.

Predicting Breast Cancer Risk for Women Veterans of African Ancestry in the Million Veteran Program.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer and, therefore, a major health threat for women in the United States and worldwide. We have seen over the years major advances in breast cancer prevention and care. Breast cancer screening with mammography leads to reduction in breast cancer mortality, and breast cancer prevention treatment with antiestrogens results in reduction in breast cancer incidence.

Inflammation and Fibrosis in Orbital Inflammatory Disease: A Histopathologic Analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the histopathologic inflammation and fibrosis of orbital adipose tissue in orbital inflammatory disease (OID) specimens.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, inflammation, and fibrosis in orbital adipose tissue from patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), sarcoidosis, nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI), and healthy controls were scored by 2 masked ocular pathologists. Both categories were scored on a scale of 0 to 3 with scoring criteria based on the percentage of specimens containing inflammation or fibrosis, respectively.

Comparative effectiveness of urine drug screening strategies alongside opioid agonist treatment in British Columbia, Canada: a population-based observational study protocol.

Introduction: Urine drug tests (UDTs) are commonly used for monitoring opioid agonist treatment (OAT) responses, supporting the clinical decision for take-home doses and monitoring potential diversion. However, there is limited evidence supporting the utility of mandatory UDTs-particularly the impact of UDT frequency on OAT retention. Real-world evidence can inform patient-centred approaches to OAT and improve current strategies to address the ongoing opioid public health emergency.

Effectiveness of worksite wellness programs based on physical activity to improve workers' health and productivity: a systematic review.

Background: Although the scientific literature has previously described the impact of worksite programs based on physical activity (WPPAs) on employees' productivity and health in different contexts, the effect of these programs has not been analyzed based on the characteristics or modalities of physical activity (PA) performed (e.g., aerobic exercise, strength training, flexibility).

A cross-sectional analysis of work schedule notice and depressive symptoms in the United States.

The implementation of last-minute work scheduling practices, including fluctuations in work hours, shift cancellations, and short notice, reflects a new norm in employment in the United States. This study aimed to investigate whether work schedule notice of ≤2 weeks was associated with high depressive symptoms. We used data from the 2019 cycle of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (N = 4963 adults aged 37-42 years).

Developing patient-refined colorectal cancer screening materials: application of a virtual community engagement approach.

Introduction: In partnership with a federally qualified health center (FQHC), an adapted virtual version of boot camp translation (BCT) was used to elicit input from Spanish-speaking Latino patients and staff to develop messaging and patient education materials for follow-up colonoscopy after abnormal fecal testing. We describe how we adapted an existing in-person BCT process to be delivered virtually and present evaluations from participants on the virtual format.

Methods: Three virtual BCT sessions were facilitated by bilingual staff and conducted via Zoom.

The association between preconception cannabis use and depression and anxiety during pregnancy.

Objective: Cannabis use among individuals of reproductive age has increased with cannabis legalization and heightened stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study provides data on preconception cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) during the pandemic and models the association between preconception cannabis use and depression and anxiety during pregnancy.

Methods: Data on substance use and depression and anxiety symptoms were collected from questionnaires and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) from pregnant individuals in Oregon in 2019-2022.

Differential Employment Quality and Educational Inequities in Mental Health: A Causal Mediation Analysis.

Background: In the United States, inequities in mental distress between those more and less educated have widened over recent years. Employment quality, a multidimensional construct reflecting the relational and contractual features of employer-employee relationships, may mediate this inequity throughout adulthood, yet no study has examined the extent of this mediation in the United States, or how it varies across racialized and gendered populations.

Methods: Using the information on working-age adults from the 2001 to 2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we construct a composite measure of employment quality via principal component analysis.

Hospital Procedural Volume and Clinical Outcomes Following Septal Reduction Therapy in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Background Prior national data showed a substantial in-hospital mortality in septal myectomy (SM) with an inverse volume-outcomes relationship. This study sought to assess the contemporary outcomes of septal reduction therapy and volume-outcome relationship in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results All septal reduction therapy admissions between 2010 to 2019 in the United States were analyzed using the National Readmission Databases.