Longitudinal associations between intersectional stigmas, antiretroviral therapy adherence, and viral load among women living with HIV using multidimensional latent transition item response analysis.

Background: In the US, Women, especially Black and Latina women living in disadvantaged environments, are disproportionally affected by HIV. Women living with HIV (WLHIV) have higher rates of suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, and detectable viral load (VL). Experiences of intersectional poverty, HIV, gender, and racial stigmas may increase the rates of detectable VL through suboptimal ART adherence.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Collecting Passive Smartphone Data for Potential Use in Digital Phenotyping Among Family Caregivers and Patients With Advanced Cancer.

Purpose: Modeling passively collected smartphone sensor data (called digital phenotyping) has the potential to detect distress among family caregivers and patients with advanced cancer and could lead to novel clinical models of cancer care. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of collecting passive smartphone data from family caregivers and their care recipients with advanced cancer over 24 weeks.

Methods: This was an observational feasibility study.

Development of a physical performance summary score in middle age: Findings from the CARDIA Function study.

Few physical performance batteries exist that appropriately evaluate physical limitations in middle-aged adults. We aimed to develop a physical performance summary score that is appropriate for use in epidemiology studies of middle-aged adults using data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Function study, which assessed self-reported function (PROMIS-SF20a) and physical performance measures (gait speed, balance, lower-body strength, grip strength, and cardiovascular endurance). The CARDIA Physical Performance (CAPP) score was developed using sex-specific quartiles, assigning points based on these quartiles (0 for not attempted, 1-4 for each quartile), and summing points across all performance measures (0-20, higher scores reflect greater performance).

Subjective Well-Being among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life.

Life satisfaction and happiness are related but distinct assessments of life quality with established links to sociodemographic and health factors. Despite a rich literature on quality of life, there remains a paucity of research on this topic among African Americans. This investigation explored (1) the sociodemographic correlates of life satisfaction and happiness and (2) how life satisfaction and happiness are related to health factors and adversity-relevant life circumstances.

Engraft: A Collaborative Learning Health Network for Enhanced Transplant and Cellular Therapy Outcomes.

The Engraft Learning Health Network (LHN) aims to improve outcomes for patients undergoing transplant and cellular therapy (TCT) through a collaborative, data-driven approach. Engraft brings together diverse stakeholders, including clinicians, patients, caregivers, and institutions, to standardize best practices and accelerate the dissemination of innovations in TCT care. By establishing a multicenter, real-world clinical registry focused on rapid-cycle quality improvement (QI) and implementation research, Engraft seeks to reduce variability in clinical practice to improve TCT outcomes across centers.

Empowering Futures: The Impact of Surgical Research Pipeline Programs on Undergraduate Career Development.

Purpose: Surgical research pipeline programs provide a unique insight into academic surgery, offering a distinctive opportunity for aspiring future surgeons and medical professionals to identify suitable mentorship. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an academic summer research, shadowing, and mentorship program on undergraduate students with interest in the fields of medicine and surgery.

Methods: We conducted a convergent mixed methods study on undergraduate students who participated in the Surgery Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program from 2017 to 2022, excluding the 2020 cohort as their experience was highly impacted by COVID-19.

Novel inhibitory effect of Omega-3 fatty acids regulating pancreatic cancer progression.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating malignancy in great need of new and more effective treatment approaches. In recent years, studies have indicated that nutritional interventions, particularly nutraceuticals, may provide novel avenues to modulate cancer progression. Here, our study characterizes the impact of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as a nutraceutical intervention in pancreatic cancer using a genetically engineered mouse model driven by KrasG12D and Trp53R172H.

Cystic Fibrosis Experience of Care Survey: Patient-Caregiver-Clinician Collaborative Design and Implementation.

People with cystic fibrosis (PwCF), families, and clinicians, partner to co-produce care, navigate access barriers, address mental health and social factors, follow specific infection prevention and control practices, and share decision-making regarding treatments and daily care. Standard patient satisfaction and experience of care surveys are not tailored to return relevant, actionable data for specific populations. To improve the care experience, the U.

Patient Insights on Integrating Sleep Apnea Testing into Routine Stroke and TIA Care.

AHA/ASA guidelines recommend patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) be considered for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) evaluation, given the high prevalence of OSA and improved outcomes for cerebrovascular disease when OSA is treated. However, OSA testing has not been incorporated into routine cerebrovascular management. We interviewed 30 patients hospitalized for acute stroke/TIA at six Veterans Affairs facilities participating in a stepped-wedge implementation trial to improve timely OSA testing after stroke/TIA.

Common Benign Bone Lesions and Return to Sports: A Case Report and Scoping Review.

Background: Benign bone lesions are a common incidental finding in athletes during workup for musculoskeletal complaints, and athletes are frequently advised to halt participation in contact sports. There are no current guidelines to assist clinicians in referring patients with these lesions to a subspecialist or in advising athletes on the safety of returning to sport.

Purpose: To assist sports medicine physicians in appropriate referral for patients with benign bone lesions through presentation of a literature review and the case of an adolescent athlete with a benign bone lesion in a location with a significant fracture risk.

Psilocybin: From Psychiatric Pariah to Perceived Panacea.

Objective: The authors critically examine the evidence base for psilocybin administered with psychological support/therapy (PST) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and offer practical recommendations to guide future research endeavors.

Methods: PubMed was searched for English-language articles from January 1998 to November 2023, using the search term "psilocybin." A total of 1,449 articles were identified and screened through titles and abstracts.

Association of continuous renal replacement therapy downtime with fluid balance gap and clinical outcomes: a retrospective cohort analysis utilizing EHR and machine data.

Background: Fluid balance gap (FBgap-prescribed vs. achieved) is associated with hospital mortality. Downtime is an important quality indicator for the delivery of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).

The Perceived Impact of Global Surgery Engagement on Career Advancement among US Medical Students.

Introduction: There is growing interest among medical institutions to formalize global surgery training. Understanding medical students' perceptions of how global surgery engagement can enhance career advancement is essential for providing appropriate guidance and support for individuals with aspirations in academic global surgery.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study of US-based medical students from 38 participating schools was performed.

The effect of a Veterans Affairs rapid rehousing and homelessness prevention program on long-term housing instability.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of enrolling in Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) on short- and long-term housing outcomes among Veterans experiencing housing instability.

Study Setting And Design: We analyzed data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic health record (EHR) between October 2015 and December 2018 using the target trial emulation framework. Veterans were included in one or more trials if they were 18 years or older, had recent evidence of housing instability, had received care in VA for at least 1 year, and had never before enrolled in SSVF.

Threads of Care: Unraveling the Impact of Agency Nursing Staff on Nursing Home Quality.

Objective: To assess the association of agency nursing staff utilization with nursing home (NH) quality.

Background: Nursing staff are the primary caregivers in NHs, where high-quality care is contingent upon their adequacy and expertise. Long-standing staffing challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have led NHs to rely on agency/contract labor to alleviate staffing shortages.

Comparison of Alternative Approaches to Using Race-and-Ethnicity Data in Estimating Differences in Health Care and Social Determinants of Health.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare 2 approaches for representing self-reported race-and-ethnicity, additive modeling (AM), in which every race or ethnicity a person endorses counts toward measurement of that category, and a commonly used mutually exclusive categorization (MEC) approach. The benchmark was a gold-standard, but often impractical approach that analyzes all combinations of race-and-ethnicity as distinct groups.

Methods: Data came from 313,739 respondents to the 2021 Medicare Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) surveys who self-reported race-and-ethnicity.

Systematic literature review and meta-analysis informing the EULAR points to consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with inflammatory arthritis and a history of cancer.

Background: Targeted therapies have been associated with potential risk of malignancy, which is a common concern in daily rheumatology practice in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and a history of cancer.

Objectives: To perform a systematic literature review to inform a Task Force formulating EULAR points to consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with IA and a history of cancer.

Methods: Specific research questions were defined within the Task Force before formulating the exact research queries with a librarian.

2024 EULAR points to consider on the initiation of targeted therapies in patients with inflammatory arthritis and a history of cancer.

Background: Potential associations between targeted therapies and a new cancer in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) and a previous malignancy are a frequent concern in daily rheumatology practice.

Objectives: To develop points to consider (PTC) to assist rheumatologists when initiating a targeted therapy in the context of a previous malignancy.

Methods: Following EULAR standardised operating procedures, a task force met to define the research questions for a systematic literature review and to formulate the overarching principles (OPs) and the PTC.

Overview and Comparison of Interscalene Block Techniques for Brachial Plexus Pain Management.

Purpose Of Review: Peripheral nerve blocks are performed using local anesthetics that are commonly performed prior to surgery to either be the sole anesthetic and/or for postoperative pain management. Interscalene blocks are a specific type of nerve block that targets the superior and middle trunks of the brachial plexus inhibiting transmission of pain signals from the upper extremities to the central nervous system making them useful in mitigating pain following surgeries involving the shoulder, upper arm, and elbow.

Recent Findings: Previously, interscalene blocks were performed with a nerve stimulator, which is an instrument designed to generate a twitch in surrounding muscles to verify the anesthetic block was placed in the correct location.

Novel variant alters splicing of in family with features of Loeys-Dietz syndrome.

Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a connective tissue disorder representing a wide spectrum of phenotypes, ranging from isolated thoracic aortic aneurysm or dissection to a more severe syndromic presentation with multisystemic involvement. Significant clinical variability has been noted for both related and unrelated individuals with the same pathogenic variant. We report a family of five affected individuals with notable phenotypic variability who appear to have two distinct molecular causes of LDS, one attributable to a missense variant in and the other an intronic variant 6 bp upstream from a splice junction in .