Identifying and understanding variation in population-based access to liver transplantation in the United States.

We aimed to identify variations in liver transplant access across transplant referral regions (TRRs), accounting for differences in population characteristics and practice environments. Adult end-stage liver disease (ESLD) deaths and liver waitlist additions from 2015 to 2019 were included. The primary outcome was listing-to-death ratio (LDR).

Should Uterus Transplantation for Transwomen and Transmen Be Subsidized?

Success in uterus transplantation (UTx) among ciswomen suggests that transwomen and some transmen will also likely have interest in this intervention. It does not seem likely, however, that all parties interested in UTx will have the same standing when it comes to federal subsidies or insurance coverage benefits. This analysis describes the comparative moral strength of claims for financial support for UTx that different parties might make.

Challenges and Opportunities for the Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Orthopaedic Pediatric and Sports Medicine Surgery.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are essential tools in assessing treatment response, informing clinical decision making, driving healthcare policy, and providing important prognostic data regarding patient health status change. These tools become essential in orthopaedic disciplines, such as pediatrics and sports medicine, given the diversity of patient populations and procedures. However, the creation and routine administration of standard PROMs alone do not suffice to appropriately facilitate the aforementioned functions.

How to Advise Medical Students Interested in Dermatology: A Survey of Academic Dermatology Mentors.

Dermatology residency programs are among the most competitive residencies of medical specialties. To navigate this competitive process, students seek advice from dermatology mentors who provide a range of responses depending on their experience or preferences. To consolidate this range of advice, we surveyed members of the Association of Professors of Dermatology (APD) on their responses to common questions from medical students regarding quantity of program applications, research gap year, internship year, letters of intent, away rotations, letters of recommendation (LORs), and the new Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) supplemental application.

The initial age-associated decline in early T-cell progenitors reflects fewer pre-thymic progenitors and altered signals in the bone marrow and thymus microenvironments.

Age-related thymus involution results in decreased T-cell production, contributing to increased susceptibility to pathogens and reduced vaccine responsiveness. Elucidating mechanisms underlying thymus involution will inform strategies to restore thymopoiesis with age. The thymus is colonized by circulating bone marrow (BM)-derived thymus seeding progenitors (TSPs) that differentiate into early T-cell progenitors (ETPs).

Geographic Distribution in Training and Practice of Academic Neurological and Orthopedic Spine Surgeons in the United States.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study aimed to stratify the geographic distribution of academic spine surgeons in the United States, analyzing how this distribution highlights differences in academic, demographic, professional metrics, and gaps in access to spine care.

Methods: Spine surgeons were identified using American Association of Neurological Surgeons and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons databases, categorizing into geographic regions of training and practice.

Increased volume of organ offers and decreased efficiency of kidney placement under circle-based kidney allocation.

The newest kidney allocation policy kidney allocation system 250 (KAS250) broadened geographic distribution while increasing allocation system complexity. We studied the volume of kidney offers received by transplant centers and the efficiency of kidney placement since KAS250. We identified deceased-donor kidney offers (N = 907,848; N = 36,226 donors) to 185 US transplant centers from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021 (policy implemented March 15, 2021).

Deep learning for Mpox: Advances, challenges, and opportunities.

Although deep-learning algorithms in dermatology have shown promise in diagnosing skin cancers, less is known about potential applications for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. In a recent publication in Nature Medicine, Thieme et al. develop a deep-learning algorithm to classify skin lesions from Mpox virus (MPXV) infections.

Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physicians: Your Essential Medical Home Neighbors for Children with Disabilities.

Pediatric rehabilitation medicine (PRM) physicians are subspecialists in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation trained to promote the health and function of children with disabilities (CWD) across their lifespans. Management strategies employed include prescribing medications, therapy, and adaptive equipment (braces and mobility devices) to optimize function and allow participation. PRM physicians collaborate with other providers to mitigate the negative consequences of health conditions and injuries.

Estimation of skeletal muscle mass in 4-year-old children using the D-creatine dilution method.

Background: Given limited experience in applying the creatine-(methyl-D) (DCr) dilution method to measure skeletal muscle mass (SMM) in young children, the feasibility of deployment in a fielding setting and performance of the method was assessed in a cohort of 4-year-old children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Methods: Following DCr oral dose (10 mg) administration, single fasting urine samples were collected at 2-4 days (n = 100). Twenty-four-hour post-dose collections and serial spot urine samples on days 2, 3 and 4 were obtained in a subset of participants (n = 10).

The effect of hip exoskeleton weight on kinematics, kinetics, and electromyography during human walking.

In exoskeleton research, transparency is the degree to which a device hinders the movement of the user, a critical component of performance and usability. Transparency is most often evaluated individually, thus lacking generalization. Our goal was to systematically evaluate transparency due to inertial effects on gait of a hypothetical hip exoskeleton.

Psychosocial and quality-of-life factors associated with depigmentation therapy for vitiligo.

Background: There is a paucity of data examining the psychosocial factors relevant to depigmentation therapy, an irreversible treatment for vitiligo. This study explores patients' perspective and experience while undergoing depigmentation therapy and quality-of-life effects of such therapy.

Methods: An online instrument assessing the impact of depigmentation therapy on various psychosocial variables and including the validated Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were administered to two groups of participants with vitiligo: (1) those who are currently undergoing or have completed depigmentation therapy and (2) those with vitiligo who have not undergone depigmentation therapy but had considered it.

Structural Racism Hurts All Nurses.

Why health care must be reenvisioned through a DEI lens.

Spinal cord and brain corticospinal tract lesions are associated with motor progression in tumefactive multiple sclerosis.

Background: Spinal cord lesions have been associated with progressive disease in individuals with typical relapsing remitting MS (RRMS).

Objective: In the current study, we aimed to determine if progressive disease is associated with spinal cord lesions in those with tumefactive multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods: Retrospective chart review of individuals presenting to Mayo Clinic with tumefactive MS with spinal cord MRIs available (n=159).

Recognizing and Maximizing the Nexus of Perioperative Medicine and Narrative Medicine.

Perioperative medicine remains an evolving, interdisciplinary subspecialty, which encompasses the unique perspectives and incorporates the respective vital expertise of numerous stakeholders. This integrated model of perioperative medicine and care has a wide-ranging set of clinical, strategic, and operational goals. Among these various programmatic goals, a subset of 4, specific, interdependent goals include (1) enhancing patient-centered care, (2) embracing shared decision-making, (3) optimizing health literacy, and (4) avoiding futile surgery.

Coaching for the Orthopedic Surgery Leader.

From the increase in telehealth to the expansion of private investors to the growth of transparency (both price and patient outcomes) and value-based care initiatives, health-care delivery is rapidly changing. At the same time, demand for musculoskeletal care continues to rapidly increase, with more than 1.7 billion people globally suffering from musculoskeletal conditions, yet burnout is a major concern and growing since the onset COVID-19 global pandemic.

Treatment of a Large Nail-Bed Pyogenic Granuloma with Topical Timolol.

Nail pyogenic granulomas are common benign vascular lesions often occurring after trauma. A variety of treatment modalities exist, including topical therapies and surgical excision, although both have their pros and cons. In this communication, we describe the case of a 7-year-old boy with repeated toe trauma, who developed a large nail bed pyogenic granuloma after undergoing surgical debridement and nail bed repair.

COVID-19 topics and emotional frames in vaccine hesitation: A social media text and sentiment analysis.

Objective: Addressing gaps in COVID-19 vaccine-hesitancy research, the current study aimed to add depth and nuance to the exploratory research examining vaccine-hesitant groups. Using a larger, but more focused conversation occurring on social media, the results can be used by health communicators to frame emotionally resonant messaging to improve COVID-19 vaccine advocacy while also mitigating negative concerns for vaccine-hesitant individuals.

Methods: Social media mentions were collected using a social media listening software, Brandwatch, to examine topics and sentiments in COVID-19 hesitancy discourse during a period of September 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

Multiphysical Analytical Modeling and Design of A Magnetically Steerable Robotic Catheter for Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease.

This article presents a unique multiphysical analytical modeling framework and solution algorithm to provide an effective tool for design of magnetically steerable robotic catheters (MSRCs) experiencing external interaction loads. Particularly, in this study, we are interested in design and fabrication of a MSRC with flexural patterns for treatment of peripheral artery disease (PAD). Aside from the parameters involved in the magnetic actuation system and the external interaction loads acting on the MSRC, the considered flexural patterns have a critical role on the deformation behavior and steerability of the proposed MSRC.