Pre-Catheterization Computed Tomography Angiography Aids in the Selection of Ductus Arteriosus Stent Length for Ductal-Dependent Pulmonary Blood Flow.

PDA stenting is increasingly utilized for patients with ductal-dependent pulmonary blood flow. Predicting optimal stent length prior to and during the intervention remains a challenge. The utility of pre-catheterization computed tomography angiography (CTA) to predict stent length was evaluated.

Receipt of Medications for Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorders: The Importance of Service Utilization Patterns.

Medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) and opioid use disorder (MOUD) are underutilized evidence-based treatments. While patients often receive treatment in multiple medical treatment settings, it is unknown whether certain treatment settings or combinations of settings are associated with increased receipt of MAUD or MOUD. Data from the cross-sectional 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health were used to identify treatment settings where adult respondents received any past year alcohol treatment (n = 476, 33% female) or, separately, opioid treatment (n = 337, 38% female).

Disparities in Continuous Glucose Monitoring Among Patients Receiving Care in Federally Qualified Health Centers.

Importance: While continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been found to improve diabetes care processes and outcomes, adoption remains low.

Objective: To examine the association between CGM prescriptions and individual characteristics among patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D, respectively).

Design, Setting, And Participants: Retrospective cross-sectional study using electronic health record data for patients with T1D or T1D from 275 clinic sites nationwide between January 2014 and February 2021.

Ethical Issues Faced by Data Monitoring Committees: Results from an Exploratory Qualitative Study.

To protect research participants and ensure scientific integrity in clinical trials, independent data monitoring committees (DMCs, also known as data and safety monitoring boards) increasingly oversee randomized clinical trials and recommend modifying or stopping research. Little is known about the ethical issues DMCs face. We conducted semistructured interviews of DMC members using a qualitative description approach with low-inference interpretation.

Weight loss and health status 10 years after laparoscopic adjustable gastric band insertion in adolescents: a follow-up report from Teen-LABS.

Background: Metabolic and bariatric surgery is a safe and effective treatment strategy for severe childhood obesity, affecting 10% of US adolescents.

Objectives: This prospective observational study addresses knowledge gaps related to changes in weight, cardiometabolic risk, and weight-related quality of life (WRQOL) in adolescents 10 years after laparoscopic adjustable gastric band (LAGB) insertion.

Setting: Five Teen-Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) US centers.

Pain Assessment in the Patient Unable to Self- Report: Clinical Practice Recommendations in Support of the ASPMN 2024 Position Statement.

Recognizing and managing pain is especially challenging for vulnerable populations who cannot communicate their discomfort. Because there is no valid and reliable objective measure of pain, the American Society for Pain Management Nursing advocates for comprehensive assessment practices articulated in a Hierarchy of Pain Assessment. These practices must gather relevant information to infer the presence of pain and evaluate a patient's response to treatment.

Mycobacteroides abscessus outbreak and mitigation in a cardiothoracic transplant population: the problem with tap water.

Background: Hospital outbreaks caused by Mycobacteroides abscessus complex are a major cause for concern in vulnerable patients such as the cardiothoracic transplant population.

Aim: To describe the outbreak investigation and mitigation steps undertaken to address an increase in healthcare-associated M. abscessus complex cases in an inpatient cardiothoracic transplant population.

Transition to Enteral Triazole Antifungal Therapy for Pediatric Invasive Candidiasis: Secondary Analysis of a Multicenter Cohort Study Conducted by the Pediatric Fungal Network.

Of 319 children with invasive candidiasis, 67 (21%) transitioned from intravenous to enteral antifungal therapy. Eight (12%) transitioned back to intravenous antifungal therapy, one due to perceived treatment failure defined by clinical progression or worsening. Global treatment response at study completion was successful in 66 participants who transitioned to enteral therapy.

A Stepped-Wedge, Cluster-Randomized, Multisite Study of Text Messaging Plus Peer Navigation to Improve Adherence and Viral Suppression Among Youth on Antiretroviral Therapy.

Background: To address the need for improved virologic suppression among youth living with HIV (YLH) on antiretroviral treatment (ART), we evaluated peer navigation plus TXTXT daily text message ART reminders.

Setting: YLH aged 15-24 years on ART for at least 3 months at 6 research sites in 4 Nigerian cities.

Methods: Using a stepped-wedge design, cluster 1 was nonrandomized, whereas clusters 2 and 3 were randomized to sequences of routine care (control period) and 48 weeks of the combination intervention (intervention period).

Communicating in Verse: How Reading Poetry Can Expand How We Care for Patients.

It is a foundational principle of medical humanities that the appreciation of literature and other humanities enrich and expand medical training. But what are the mechanisms by which this happens? As a faculty member and former medical student, who met during an interdisciplinary and multi-institutional 5-session poetry seminar, we reflect on how poetry enriches our own experiences working with patients, as well as how we care for patients. Reading poetry in medicine has the potential to enhance observational skills, model an appreciation of uncertainties, and generate joy.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Emotional Reactions to the Flint Water Crisis among Michigan Women in Communities Outside of Flint.

Objective: To determine whether Black women in Michigan communities outside of Flint were more likely than women in other racial and ethnic groups to report negative emotional reactions to the Flint Water Crisis, an ongoing public health disaster that has been widely attributed to anti-Black structural racism.

Methods: Data were from a 2020 survey of Michigan women aged 18-45 in communities outside of Flint (N=888). We used logistic regression models to examine racial and ethnic differences in the odds of negative emotional reactions to the Flint Water Crisis.

Blinatumomab for MRD-Negative Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Adults.

Background: Many older adults with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) have a relapse despite having a measurable residual disease (MRD)-negative complete remission with combination chemotherapy. The addition of blinatumomab, a bispecific T-cell engager molecule that is approved for the treatment of relapsed, refractory, and MRD-positive BCP-ALL, may have efficacy in patients with MRD-negative remission.

Methods: In a phase 3 trial, we randomly assigned patients 30 to 70 years of age with -negative BCP-ALL (with :: indicating fusion) who had MRD-negative remission (defined as <0.

Regional variability of cardiovascular magnetic resonance access and utilization in the United States.

Background: Clinical guidelines and scientific data increasingly support the appropriate use of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) . The extent of CMR adoption across the United States (US) remains unclear. This observational analysis aims to capture CMR practice patterns in the US.

Post-Acute Sequelae of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) After Infection During Pregnancy.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC) after infection with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy and to characterize associated risk factors.

Methods: In a multicenter cohort study (NIH RECOVER [Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery]-Pregnancy Cohort), individuals who were pregnant during their first SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled across the United States from December 2021 to September 2023, either within 30 days of their infection or at differential time points thereafter. The primary outcome was PASC , defined as score of 12 or higher based on symptoms and severity as previously published by the NIH RECOVER-Adult Cohort, at the first study visit at least 6 months after the participant's first SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The Community Health Advocacy Initiative: A Longitudinal Experiential Curriculum in Community Engagement for Preclerkship Medical Students.

Introduction: Community partnership is a key strategy for addressing the social determinants of health and achieving health equity. There are few examples of curricula for undergraduate medical education that teach all, rather than self-selected, medical students to collaborate with community members to improve health. We describe the design and implementation of the Community Health Advocacy Initiative (CHAI) curriculum, a new yearlong educational program for medical students at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Reckoning With Our Past and Righting Our Future: Report From the Behavior Therapy Task Force on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression Change Efforts (SOGIECEs).

Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression change efforts (SOGIECEs) are discredited practices that are associated with serious negative effects and incompatible with modern standards for clinical practice. Despite evidence linking SOGIECEs with serious iatrogenic effects, and despite support for LGBTQ+-affirmative care alternatives, SOGIECE practices persist. In the 1970s and 1980s, Behavior Therapy published articles testing and/or endorsing SOGIECEs, thereby contributing to their overall development, acceptance, and use.

Impact of a Sensor-Based Platform on the Outcome of Medial Off-Loader Bracing in Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of a medial off-loader brace with sensor monitoring capabilities and associated phone application in improving outcomes for individuals with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: This is a randomized clinical trial of participants with knee osteoarthritis, aged 40-75 with two groups: 1) brace-only and 2) brace+sensor (sensor providing walking time, knee range of motion, and 7-day activity streak). Both groups received a prefabricated custom-fitted medial off-loader brace and 12-wk self-guided exercise therapy program.

Pediatric Vital Signs Documentation in a Nationally Representative US Emergency Department Sample.

Objectives: Vital sign measurement and interpretation are essential components of assessment in the emergency department. We sought to assess the completeness of vital signs documentation (defined as a temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation) in a nationally representative sample of children presenting to the emergency department, characterize abnormal vital signs using pediatric advanced life support (PALS) criteria, and evaluate their association with hospitalization or transfer.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study using the 2016-2021 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

Historical Redlining and Contemporary Violent Victimization Over the Life Course.

Introduction: This study assesses the relationship between living in historically redlined communities and the incidence of violent victimization and examines differences in this relationship across race and ethnicity.

Methods: Data are from the U.S.