Vitreous Sensing Vitrectomy.

Purpose: Adequately visualizing the vitreous at times during vitrectomy can be challenging for surgeons. We describe a novel technique using surgical data from the vitrectomy machine to differentiate between vitreous and balanced salt solution (BSS) in real time.

Methods: Vitrectomy was performed in ex vivo porcine eyes across a range of vacuum levels and across available vitrectors on the Alcon Constellation.

Implementation of antepartum preterm birth interventions: A scoping review.

While antenatal recommendations regarding preterm birth are essential to preventing neonatal morbidity and mortality, implementation of these recommendations underscore how health system capacity and systemic factors, such as access and quality, greatly influence their utilization. To date, there is limited synthesis focused on the implementation of antenatal preterm birth interventions. Our objectives were to focus on implementation science studies intended to 1) increase referral mechanisms of pregnant people to higher levels of care where the management of preterm labor or delivery is possible and 2) map the implementation of preterm birth interventions, including the administration of antenatal corticosteroids, magnesium sulfate, and antibiotics.

Concurrent Control of Sodium and Bicarbonate Serum Concentrations Using a Four-Stream Hemodialysis Fluid Delivery System.

Background: Previously, two reports proposed a four-stream dialysis fluid delivery system consisting of an acid concentrate, a base concentrate, a sodium chloride concentrate, and product water for correcting dysnatremias and metabolic acid-base disorders separately, by hemodialysis.

Methods: This report describes a new method for the clinical use of the previously reported four-stream dialysis fluid delivery system to treat concurrently dysnatremias and metabolic acid-base disturbances by hemodialysis. Pumps attached to each concentrate are designed to control its flow rate.

Congenital melanocytic nevi initiated by BRAF fusion oncogene with firmness, pruritus, and desmoplastic stroma.

Background: Large and giant congenital melanocytic nevi present a risk for developing melanoma or neurocutaneous melanosis. Most are caused by NRAS or, less commonly, BRAF mutations.

Objectives: We present a series of patients with large to giant congenital melanocytic nevi with BRAF fusion genes as driver alterations and describe their unique clinical presentation.

Quantifying the Deficits of Body Water and Monovalent Cations in Hyperglycemic Emergencies.

Hyperglycemic emergencies cause significant losses of body water, sodium, and potassium. This report presents a method for computing the actual losses of water and monovalent cations in these emergencies. We developed formulas for computing the losses of water and monovalent cations as a function of the presenting serum sodium and glucose levels, the sum of the concentrations of sodium plus potassium in the lost fluids, and body water at the time of hyperglycemia presentation as measured by bioimpedance or in the initial euglycemic state as estimated by anthropometric formulas.

Investigating the Bromoform Membrane Interactions Using Atomistic Simulations and Machine Learning: Implications for Climate Change Mitigation.

Methane emissions from livestock contribute to global warming. Seaweeds used as food additive offer a promising emission mitigation strategy because seaweeds are enriched in bromoform─a methanogenesis inhibitor. Therefore, understanding bromoform storage and production in seaweeds and particularly in a cell-like environment is crucial.

Germline sequence variation in cancer genes in Rwandan breast and prostate cancer cases.

Cancer genetic data from Sub-Saharan African (SSA) are limited. Patients with female breast (fBC), male breast (mBC), and prostate cancer (PC) in Rwanda underwent germline genetic testing and counseling. Demographic and disease-specific information was collected.

Method for Quantitative Analysis of Vitreoretinal Adhesion in Ex Vivo Model.

Purpose: Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is implicated in numerous retinal pathologies. A necessary step in developing new therapies, an area of significant interest, is a quantifiable assessment of posterior vitreous adhesion (PVA) that is also clinically relevant.

Methods: A 23-gauge vitrector was used at varying levels of vacuum to attempt PVD induction in a porcine eye model injected with either balanced salt solution (BSS) (control) or plasmin (2, 3, or 5 U), which can pharmacologically induce PVD.

Using Natural Language Processing on Expert Panel Discussions to Gain Insights for Recruitment, Retention and Intervention Adherence for Online Social Support Interventions on a Stage II-III Clinical Trial Among Hispanic and African American Dementia Caregivers.

We applied natural language processing (NLP) to a corpus extracted from 4 hours of expert panel discussion transcripts to determine the sustainability of a Stage II-III clinical trial of online social support interventions for Hispanic and African American dementia caregivers. Prominent topics included Technology/hard to reach populations, Training younger populations, Building trust, Privacy and security issues, Simplification of screening questions and recruitment procedures, Understanding participants' needs, Planning strategies and logistics, Potential recruitment places, Adjusting intervention size downwards to engage elderly participants, Targeting different generations, Internet-based interventions by age range, and Providing step-by-step instructions and an overview of the entire research process during recruitment. The application of NLP to qualitative data on a dementia caregiving clinical trial provides useful insights for recruitment, retention, and adherence to guidelines for such interventions serving Hispanic and African American dementia caregivers.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the productivity and career prospects of musculoskeletal researchers.

Academic researchers faced a multitude of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, including widespread shelter-in-place orders, workplace closures, and cessation of in-person meetings and laboratory activities. The extent to which these challenges impacted musculoskeletal researchers, specifically, is unknown. We developed an anonymous web-based survey to determine the pandemic's impact on research productivity and career prospects among musculoskeletal research trainees and faculty.

Hypernatremia in Hyperglycemia: Clinical Features and Relationship to Fractional Changes in Body Water and Monovalent Cations during Its Development.

In hyperglycemia, the serum sodium concentration () receives influences from (a) the fluid exit from the intracellular compartment and thirst, which cause decreases; (b) osmotic diuresis with sums of the urinary sodium plus potassium concentration lower than the baseline euglycemic , which results in a increase; and (c), in some cases, gains or losses of fluid, sodium, and potassium through the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract, and the skin. Hyperglycemic patients with hypernatremia have large deficits of body water and usually hypovolemia and develop severe clinical manifestations and significant mortality. To assist with the correction of both the severe dehydration and the hypovolemia, we developed formulas computing the fractional losses of the body water and monovalent cations in hyperglycemia.

Risk-stratified thromboprophylaxis effects of aspirin versus low-molecular-weight heparin in orthopedic trauma patients: A secondary analysis of the PREVENT CLOT trial.

Background: The PREVENT CLOT trial concluded that thromboprophylaxis with aspirin was noninferior to low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in preventing death after orthopedic trauma. However, it was unclear if these results applied to patients at highest risk of thrombosis. Therefore, we assessed if the effect of aspirin versus LMWH differed based on patients' baseline risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Social cognition and behavioral changes in patients with posterior cortical atrophy.

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a rare neurodegenerative condition characterized by progressive visual and visuospatial dysfunction. The consensus criteria state that patients should present "relatively spared behavior and personality" in early stages. However, limited research has focused on these symptoms in PCA.

Impact of Oral Anticoagulation on Clinical Outcomes in Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation.

Introduction: The impact of postoperative oral anticoagulation (OAC) with warfarin on postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was the focus of this examination of patients from the randomized endo-vein graft prospective (REGROUP) Trial.

Material And Methods: REGROUP was a prospective randomized Veterans Affairs cooperative study comparing endoscopic versus open vein harvest in elective CABG patients (March 2014-April 2017) at 16 Veterans Affairs facilities. This study compared new-onset POAF patients who were treated with warfarin versus no-warfarin.

A tradeoff between enterovirus A71 particle stability and cell entry.

A central role of viral capsids is to protect the viral genome from the harsh extracellular environment while facilitating initiation of infection when the virus encounters a target cell. Viruses are thought to have evolved an optimal equilibrium between particle stability and efficiency of cell entry. In this study, we genetically perturb this equilibrium in a non-enveloped virus, enterovirus A71 to determine its structural basis.

Comparing Emotional Valence Scores of Twitter Messages from Human Coding and Machine Learning Algorithms Among Hispanic and African American Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia.

We compared emotional valence scores as determined via machine learning approaches to human-coded scores of direct messages on Twitter from our 2,301 followers during a Twitter-based clinical trial screening for Hispanic and African American family caregivers of persons with dementia. We manually assigned emotional valence scores to 249 randomly selected direct Twitter messages from our followers (N=2,301), then we applied three machine learning sentiment analysis algorithms to extract emotional valence scores for each message and compared their mean scores to the human coding results. The aggregated mean emotional scores from the natural language processing were slightly positive, while the mean score from human coding as a gold standard was negative.

Analyzing Twitter-Based Social Networks of Support Communities for Hispanic and African American Family Caregivers of Persons with Dementia.

We applied social network analysis to compare Hispanic and Black dementia caregiving networks on Twitter that were established as part of a clinical trial from January 12, 2022, to October 31, 2022. We extracted Twitter data from our caregiver support communities (N=1980 followers, 811 enrollees) via the Twitter API and used social network analysis software to compare friend/follower interactions within each Hispanic and Black caregiving network. Analysis of the social networks revealed that enrolled family caregivers without prior social media competency had overall low connectedness compared to both enrolled and non-enrolled caregivers with social media competency, who were more integrated into the communities that developed through the clinical trial, partly due to their ties to external dementia caregiving groups.

Pseudohyponatremia: Mechanism, Diagnosis, Clinical Associations and Management.

Pseudohyponatremia remains a problem for clinical laboratories. In this study, we analyzed the mechanisms, diagnosis, clinical consequences, and conditions associated with pseudohyponatremia, and future developments for its elimination. The two methods involved assess the serum sodium concentration ([Na]) using sodium ion-specific electrodes: (a) a direct ion-specific electrode (ISE), and (b) an indirect ISE.

Spared speech fluency is associated with increased functional connectivity in the speech production network in semantic variant primary progressive aphasia.

Semantic variant primary progressive aphasia is a clinical syndrome characterized by marked semantic deficits, anterior temporal lobe atrophy and reduced connectivity within a distributed set of regions belonging to the functional network associated with semantic processing. However, to fully depict the clinical signature of semantic variant primary progressive aphasia, it is necessary to also characterize preserved neural networks and linguistic abilities, such as those subserving speech production. In this case-control observational study, we employed whole-brain seed-based connectivity on task-free MRI data of 32 semantic variant primary progressive aphasia patients and 46 healthy controls to investigate the functional connectivity of the speech production network and its relationship with the underlying grey matter.