Dataset of surveyed PFAS in water, sediment, and soil of Fountain Creek Watershed, Colorado, USA.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread and highly persistent organic chemicals with adverse health effects. The US Environmental Protection Agency has issued health advisory limits of 70 ng/L for aqueous concentrations of PFOA + PFOS. In the Colorado Springs, Colorado (USA), metro area, the Widefield Aquifer (groundwater) and Fountain Creek Watershed (surface water) have been contaminated by PFAS from aqueous film-forming foams.

Outcomes of thoracic aortic interventions in Marfan syndrome in the state of Texas over 11 years.

Objectives: Marfan syndrome is a heritable connective tissue disorder with significant aortopathy and conveys substantial cardiovascular morbidity. This study characterizes the mortality and morbidities of thoracic aortic interventions (TAI) in the Marfan syndrome population in the state of Texas from 2009 to 2019.

Methods: A retrospective review of the Texas Inpatient Discharge Dataset from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2019.

Cancer caregivers at the end-of-life: How much me vs. how much we?

Objective: This study explored cancer caregivers' individual and communal coping through their use of personal and communal pronouns during naturally occurring conversations.

Methods: Nurse-home hospice visits involving cancer patients and their partner caregivers were audio recorded and then transcribed. Pronoun use was analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) software and descriptive statistics compared patient and partner caregivers' pronoun use.

Utilization of donor-derived Cell-Free DNA in pediatric kidney transplant recipients: A single center study.

Unlabelled: High donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) levels indicate transplant allograft injury and can identify graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients. Here, we evaluated the use of dd-cfDNA in pediatric kidney transplant rejection monitoring and treatment.

Methods: Forty-two pediatric kidney transplant patients were enrolled between February 2020 and August 2021.

Infections following bispecific antibodies in myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Bispecific antibodies, a novel immunotherapy with promising efficacy against multiple myeloma, form immune synapses between T-cell surface marker CD3 and malignant cell markers, including B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), FcRH5, and G protein-coupled receptor GPRC5D. These bispecific antibodies so effectively deplete plasma cells (and to some extent T-cells) that patients are at increased risk of developing infections. A systematic review and meta-analysis of infections in published studies of patients with myeloma treated with bispecific antibodies was conducted to better characterize the infection risks.

Informing pandemic response in the face of uncertainty. .

Our ability to forecast epidemics more than a few weeks into the future is constrained by the complexity of disease systems, our limited ability to measure the current state of an epidemic, and uncertainties in how human action will affect transmission. Realistic longer-term projections (spanning more than a few weeks) may, however, be possible under defined scenarios that specify the future state of critical epidemic drivers, with the additional benefit that such scenarios can be used to anticipate the comparative effect of control measures. Since December 2020, the U.

Breastfeeding initiation and duration among people with mild chronic hypertension: a secondary analysis of the Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy trial.

Background: Increased duration of breastfeeding improves maternal cardiovascular health and may be especially beneficial in high-risk populations, such as those with chronic hypertension. Others have shown that individuals with hypertension are less likely to breastfeed, and there has been limited research aimed at supporting breastfeeding goals in this population. The impact of perinatal blood pressure control on breastfeeding outcomes among people with chronic hypertension is unknown.

Expanding use of the HeartMate 3 ventricular assist device in pediatric and adult patients within the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION).

Background: We report current outcomes in patients supported with the HeartMate 3 (HM3) ventricular assist device in a multicenter learning network.

Methods: The Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network database was queried for HM3 implants between 12/2017 and 5/2022. Clinical characteristics, postimplant course, and adverse events were collected.

Current Landscape of Uveitis Specialists in the United States.

 This study characterizes the current landscape of uveitis specialists and their practice settings in the United States.  An anonymous Internet-based survey with questions pertaining to training history and practice characteristics was distributed via REDCap to the American Uveitis Society and Young Uveitis Specialists listservs.  Forty-eight uveitis specialists in the United States responded to the survey out of 174 uveitis specialists that identify as practicing in the United States.

The journey of becoming a congenital heart surgeon: Too long, too costly, too unpredictable.

Objective: The pathway to become a congenital heart surgeon (CHS) is challenging and unpredictable. Previous voluntary manpower surveys have shed partial light on this problem but have not included all trainees. We believe that this arduous journey merits more attention.

Carotid Artery Operation Delay During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Results of a Multicenter International Study.

Background: To measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of patients with carotid artery stenosis.

Methods: We prospectively collected data from 25 centers (19 centers in the United States and 6 centers internationally) on postponed carotid artery operations between March 2020 and January 2022. We describe the characteristics of these patients and their planned operations, along with outcomes including mortality and neurological deterioration during the period of operative delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pacemaker Management and In-Hospital Outcomes in Neonatal Congenital Atrioventricular Block.

Background: Neonatal congenital atrioventricular block (nCAVB) is rare, causes bradycardia, confers high mortality, and frequently requires pacing. In-hospital outcomes and pacemaker management in nCAVB are limited.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze pacing and outcomes of nCAVB with and without congenital heart disease (CHD) using a multicenter database.

Syndecan-4 proteoliposomes enhance revascularization in a rabbit hind limb ischemia model of peripheral ischemia.

Regenerative therapeutics for treating peripheral arterial disease are an appealing strategy for creating more durable solutions for limb ischemia. In this work, we performed preclinical testing of an injectable formulation of syndecan-4 proteoliposomes combined with growth factors as treatment for peripheral ischemia delivered in an alginate hydrogel. We tested this therapy in an advanced model of hindlimb ischemia in rabbits with diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

Aripiprazole Plasma Concentrations Delivered from Two 2-Month Long-Acting Injectable Formulations: An Indirect Comparison.

Aripiprazole 2-month ready-to-use 960 mg (Ari 2MRTU 960) is a novel long-acting injectable (LAI) formulation of aripiprazole monohydrate for administration once every 2 months, developed for the treatment of schizophrenia or maintenance monotherapy treatment of bipolar I disorder in adults (indication will vary by country). Aripiprazole lauroxil 1064 mg (AL 1064) is an LAI formulation of aripiprazole lauroxil, an aripiprazole prodrug, for administration once every 2 months, indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. This analysis provides an indirect comparison of aripiprazole plasma concentrations following multiple doses of either formulation.

Activity and Participation, Bimanual Function, and Prosthesis Satisfaction are Strong Predictors of General Well-Being Among Upper Limb Prosthesis Users.

Objective: To determine the role of multiple factors on general well-being for upper limb prosthesis users.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional observational design.

Setting: Prosthetic clinics across the United States.

Evaluating variation in pre-operative evaluation and planning for children undergoing atrial or ventricular septal defect repair.

Background: CHD care is resource-intensive. Unwarranted variation in care may increase cost and result in poorer health outcomes. We hypothesise that process variation exists within the pre-operative evaluation and planning process for children undergoing repair of atrial septal defect or ventricular septal defect and that substantial variation occurs in a small number of care points.

Brief exposure to intermittent hypoxia increases erythropoietin levels in older adults.

Eight 4-min cycles of intermittent hypoxia represent the shortest hypoxic exposure to increase erythropoietin (EPO) levels in young adults. The impact of aging on the EPO response to a hypoxic stimulus remains equivocal. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of the same intermittent hypoxia protocol on EPO levels in older adults.

Sunspot activity and birth defects among Texas births (1999-2016).

Background: Building on findings that linked higher levels of sunspot (SS) activity with a range of health and adverse birth outcomes, we sought to understand how SS activity over a 17-year time period may be correlated with the occurrence of birth defects.

Methods: Data from the Texas Birth Defects Registry, vital events from the Texas Center for Health Statistics, and mean monthly numbers of sunspots from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were utilized. Poisson regression was used to calculate crude/adjusted prevalence ratios (cPRs/aPRs) and 95% confidence intervals for three quartiles (Q) of increasing SS activity (compared to a referent of low activity) and 44 birth defects (31 non-cardiac; 13 cardiac) with estimated dates of conception from 1998 to 2016.

SARS-CoV-2 Serostatus and COVID-19 Illness Characteristics by Variant Time Period in Non-Hospitalized Children and Adolescents.

Objective: To describe COVID-19 illness characteristics, risk factors, and SARS-CoV-2 serostatus by variant time period in a large community-based pediatric sample.

Design: Data were collected prospectively over four timepoints between October 2020 and November 2022 from a population-based cohort ages 5 to 19 years old.

Setting: State of Texas, USA.

Return to the Operating Room for Unplanned Pin Removal After Percutaneous Pinning of Supracondylar Humerus Fractures: A Retrospective Review.

Background: Pin migration is a common complication associated with closed reduced and percutaneous pinning (CRPP) of supracondylar humerus fractures (SCHF) in children. Though this complication occurs frequently, little work has been done to elicit circumstances surrounding this complication. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients with SCHF treated with percutaneous pins who needed to return to the operating room for pin removal.