Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2019 Feb 15:1-5. Epub 2019 Feb 15.

Division of Infection Control, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,New York.

Oncolytic viral immunotherapy is an emerging treatment modality for cancer that exploits in vivo replication and other viral properties to enhance immune killing of malignant cells. The potential for horizontal transmission of native or engineered oncolytic viruses creates several unique infection control challenges. In 2015, talimogene laherparepvec (TVEC) became the first agent in this class to gain FDA approval for treatment of melanoma, and several others are being developed. Read More

Compend Contin Educ Dent 2019 Feb;40(2):e1-e9

Professor and Director of Graduate Periodontics, Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly prescribed group of drugs in dentistry for managing postoperative pain and discomfort. Little is known regarding their effects on the healing of periodontal and peri-implant tissues.

Methods: The authors conducted a review of the literature to provide an overview of knowledge about NSAIDs and their potential effects on periodontal and implant wound healing. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2019 Feb;98(7):e14574

Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, Yunnan.

Background: Perimenopausal depressive disorder (PDD) is a disease that plagues many perimenopausal women. There is an urgent need for a safe way to treat the disease. With few side effects, acupuncture treatment for PDD has been gradually accepted. Read More

Curr Opin Urol 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Nirmish Singla and Rashed A. Ghandour contributed equally to the article.

Purpose Of Review: To evaluate contemporary sex-specific differences in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) by reviewing diagnostic considerations, clinicopathologic features, oncologic outcomes, environmental exposures, and regional variation in UTUC by sex.

Recent Findings: Although some contemporary studies implicate sex-based differences in UTUC, the literature concerning the effect of sex on clinicopathologic features and oncologic outcomes in UTUC reveals mixed findings. Factors accounting for the time to diagnosis in UTUC seem to differ between men and women. Read More

Psychol Assess 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming.

The reliability and validity of reported exposure to significant trauma is critical to research evaluating outcomes following serious and distressing life events. The current study examined the reliability of reported exposure to disaster, fire, transportation accidents, physical assault, and sexual assault across 5- (N = 251), 12- (N = 223), and 24-month (N = 109) intervals in undergraduates completing a screening measure of probable trauma (N = 3,045). Concordance with later responses to an alternate checklist and events assessed via clinical interview was examined in a subset of participants (N = 274). Read More

Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Purpose: Pharmacy dispensing databases are often used to identify patients' medications at a particular time point, for example to measure prescribing quality or the impact of medication use on clinical outcomes. We performed a systematic review of studies that examined methods to assess medications in use at a specific point in time.

Methods: Comprehensive literature search to identify studies that compared active medications identified using pharmacy databases to medications identified using nonautomated data sources. Read More

J Clin Periodontol 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Periodontology, Federal University Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of mobile applications and text messages, compared with conventional oral hygiene instructions, for improving oral health knowledge and/or reducing gingival inflammation, when delivered to adolescents, adults and mothers of young children.

Methods: Randomized clinical trials evaluating the use of mobile applications or text messages related to oral hygiene and/or oral health education were screened. A search was performed in the Medline-PubMed, Scopus and Embase databases and the gray literature. Read More

J Cross Cult Gerontol 2019 Feb 14. Epub 2019 Feb 14.

Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Trauma Nursing Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Ghotb Ravandi Highway, Kashan, Iran.

Ageism implies negative views and attitudes towards older people. These unconscious behaviors could make the elderly feel as if they were no longer useful for the family and community. Ageism is common in healthcare services. Read More

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Women's Health and Perinatology Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Introduction: Certain medical disorders as well as their management may affect gonadal function. Recent advances in the management these conditions accompanied by the availability and success of methods of fertility preservation has highlighted the need for assessment of ovarian reserve in childhood and adolescence. Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) and antral follicle count are well established markers of ovarian reserve and serum inhibin has also been used. Read More

J Spinal Cord Med 2019 Feb 13:1-11. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

e Division of Physiatry, Division of Medicine , University of Toronto , Toronto , Canada.

Context: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable for capturing the impact of spasticity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in persons with spinal cord damage (SCD) and evaluating the efficacy of interventions.

Objective: To provide practical guidance for measuring HRQoL in persons with spasticity following SCD.

Methods: Literature reviews identified measures of HRQoL and caregiver burden, utilized in studies addressing spasticity in SCD. Read More

Ann Pharmacother 2019 Feb 13:1060028019831634. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

1 St John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Queens, NY, USA.

Objective: The purpose of this review is to summarize the current evidence of the off-label use of intravenous (IV) olanzapine and discuss its risks versus benefits for the management of agitation.

Data Sources: A literature search was conducted to gather relevant data regarding IV use of olanzapine for the management of acute agitation. PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and IPA were searched using the keywords and MESH terms: olanzapine, intravenous, IV, off-label, and agitation. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2019 Feb 13. Epub 2019 Feb 13.

Department of Oral Pathology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

Background: The aim of the present study was to integrate available data published in the literature on extracapsular invasion in cases of CXPA that correlated findings with the prognosis of analysed patients.

Methods: An electronic search was carried out at the MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Collaboration Library databases. Articles that assessed the relationship between extracapsular invasion and survival of patients diagnosed with CXPA were selected for the systematic review. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019 Feb 12;2:CD012828. Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, 123 Mitraparb Road, Amphur Muang, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 40002.

Background: Radical hysterectomy is one of the standard treatments for stage Ia2 to IIa cervical cancer. Bladder dysfunction caused by disruption of the pelvic autonomic nerves is a common complication following standard radical hysterectomy and can affect quality of life significantly. Nerve-sparing radical hysterectomy is a modified radical hysterectomy, developed to permit resection of oncologically relevant tissues surrounding the cervical lesion, while preserving the pelvic autonomic nerves. Read More

Int J Sports Phys Ther 2019 Feb;14(1):65-73

School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom.

Background: Lumbar spine range of motion (ROM) is a key component of injury prevention and normative data has not currently been determined for an elite gymnastics population. In current clinical practice, it is commonplace to measure sagittal spinal alignment, during 'high-load, low-dynamic' control tasks, subjectively, while also only considering the lumbar spine as a single segment.

Purpose: To develop normative data for total lumbar spine ROM and ROM during a simulated landing task (SLT) in an elite gymnastics population, evaluating findings in the context of the existing biomechanical literature. Read More

Chem Sci 2019 Jan 26;10(2):370-377. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Department of Chemical Engineering , Massachusetts Institute of Technology , 77 Massachusetts Avenue , Cambridge , MA 02139 , USA . Email:

We present a supervised learning approach to predict the products of organic reactions given their reactants, reagents, and solvent(s). The prediction task is factored into two stages comparable to manual expert approaches: considering possible sites of reactivity and evaluating their relative likelihoods. By training on hundreds of thousands of reaction precedents covering a broad range of reaction types from the patent literature, the neural model makes informed predictions of chemical reactivity. Read More

Indian J Dermatol 2019 Jan-Feb;64(1):12-18

Department of Medical Biochemistry, Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune-mediated hair follicle disorder. In the literature, there is no study evaluating metabolic syndrome and levels of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) which is proposed as an oxidative stress biomarker in patients with AA.

Aims: The aim was to investigate the presence of metabolic syndrome and the levels of IMA, small dense low-density lipoprotein (sd-LDL), and visfatin levels in AA patients. Read More

Patient Educ Couns 2019 Jan 31. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall St, Woolloongabba, Qld, 4102, Australia. Electronic address:

Objective: To explore the influence of mobile health applications on various dimensions of patient and healthcare provider relationships.

Methods: A systematic, narrative review of English literature reporting experiences and outcomes of using mobile health applications was performed, evaluating communication and relationships between patients and healthcare professionals. Findings were framed thematically within the four dimensions of relationship-centred care. Read More

Heart Lung Circ 2019 Feb 1. Epub 2019 Feb 1.

Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; Western Health, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; Ambulance Victoria, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Traditionally, opioids have been the analgesia of choice for patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Recent studies, however, have raised the possibility of harmful effects of opioid administration through delayed onset of antiplatelet agents.

Objective: To perform a systematic review of the effects of parenteral opioids in patients presenting with STEMI. Read More

Int J Hyg Environ Health 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

The Water Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

The World Health Organization has recommended Water Safety Plans (WSPs), a holistic risk assessment and risk management approach, for drinking-water suppliers across low-, middle- and high-income countries, since publishing its 2004 Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality. While rapid WSP adoption has occurred, capacity is still catching up to implementation needs. Many countries and regions lack case examples, legal requirements, and training resources for WSPs, corresponding to widespread capacity shortfall in the water supply sector. Read More

Lancet Respir Med 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK; National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, UK; Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Electronic address:

Background: Severe emphysema is a debilitating condition with few treatment options. Lung volume reduction procedures in the treatment of severe emphysema have shown excellent results in selected patients but their exact role remains unclear with studies reporting a wide variation in outcomes. We therefore aimed to evaluate the effects of volume reduction. Read More

Addict Sci Clin Pract 2019 Feb 12;14(1). Epub 2019 Feb 12.

Center for Innovation to Implementation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, CA, USA.

Background: Effective medications for treating alcohol use disorders (AUD) are available but underutilized. Multiple barriers to their provision have been identified, and optimal strategies for addressing and overcoming barriers to use of medications for AUD treatment remain elusive. We conducted a structured review of published care delivery and implementation studies evaluating interventions that aimed to increase medication treatment for patients with AUD to identify interventions and component strategies that were most effective. Read More

J Perinat Neonatal Nurs 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

College of Nursing, Washington State University, Spokane (Ms Berry) and Department of Biomedical Informatics, Arizona State University, Scottsdale, Arizona (Dr Colorafi).

Congenital anomalies are the leading cause of infant death in the United States, accounting for 20% of the annual infant mortality. Advancements in ultrasound diagnostic technology allow practitioners to diagnose fetal anomalies as early as 11 weeks' gestational age, 75% of which are detected in low-risk pregnancies. Communicating a fetal anomaly diagnosis to parents and initiating perinatal end-of-life discussions are difficult for healthcare providers and parents alike. Read More

ALTEX 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT), Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC, USA.

Generalized Read-Across (GenRA) is a data driven approach which makes read-across predictions on the basis of a similarity weighted activity of source analogues (nearest neighbors). GenRA has been described in more detail in the literature (Shah et al., 2016; Helman et al. Read More

Chem Soc Rev 2019 Feb 11. Epub 2019 Feb 11.

Department of Chemistry, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 14115-175, Iran.

Over the past decade, electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices have greatly improved, as a wide variety of advanced electrode active materials and new device architectures have been developed. These new materials and devices should be evaluated against clear and rigorous metrics, primarily based on the evidence of real performances. A series of criteria are commonly used to characterize and report performance of EES systems in the literature. Read More

Stud Health Technol Inform 2019 ;257:236-243

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.

The objective of the work described in this paper was to develop a coding scheme focused on socio-technical issues and considerations for the analysis of video data collected in usability studies of health information systems. The usability and safety of health information systems such as electronic health records, decision support and patient facing applications has become a critical issue. Although a variety of studies and methods have appeared in the literature involving video-based analysis of human factors data from healthcare, few have reported the coding scheme used to analyze the data. Read More

J Crit Care 2019 Jan 30;51:39-45. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Purpose: Many patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) die after a decision to withhold or withdraw treatment. To ensure that for each patient the appropriate decision is taken, a careful decision-making process is required. This review identifies strategies that can be used to optimize the decision-making process for continuing versus limiting life sustaining treatment of ICU patients. Read More

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address:

Cognitive dysfunction is a principal determinant of functional impairment in major depressive disorder (MDD) and often persists during periods of euthymia. Abnormalities in the glutamate system, particularly in N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) activity, have been shown to contribute to both mood and cognitive symptoms in MDD. The current narrative review aims to evaluate the potential pro-cognitive effects of targeting the glycine site of NMDARs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, with a special focus on how these results may apply to MDD. Read More

Urol Oncol 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY; Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Karl Landsteiner Institute of Urology and Andrology, Vienna, Austria. Electronic address:

Aim: To investigate the association of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) with oncologic outcomes in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature to clarify the long-term oncologic effect of PBT in patients undergoing nephrectomy for RCC.

Materials And Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Scopus on 15th April 2018 to identify studies that compared patients who received PBT undergoing radical or partial nephrectomy for RCC to patients who did not with the aim of evaluating its impact on overall mortality (OM), cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and disease recurrence using multivariable cox regression analysis.

Results: A total of 19,681 patients in 7 studies matched the selection criteria for the systematic review and meta-analysis. Read More

J Endod 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Restorative Sciences/Endodontics, Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, Dallas, Texas.

Introduction: This review aimed to find the most effective oral premedication in reducing pain in adults after nonsurgical root canal therapy (NSRCT) using network meta-analysis.

Methods: The review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42017071899). A literature search was performed in the MEDLINE and EBSCOhost databases until June 2017 with no language restriction. Read More

BMC Genet 2019 Feb 8;20(1):16. Epub 2019 Feb 8.

Shriners Hospitals for Children Northern California, Sacramento, California, USA.

Background: Glucocorticoids are commonly used in the clinical setting for their potent anti-inflammatory effects; however, significant variations in response to treatment have been demonstrated. Although the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully understood, this variable response may be a result of alterations in human glucocorticoid receptor (hGR) expression and function. In addition to hGRα, the biologically active isoform, a screening of current databases and publications revealed five alternative splice isoforms and hundreds of variants that have been reported to date. Read More

Acta Ophthalmol 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

The Rotterdam Eye Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated systemic fibro inflammatory disease. Treatment of IgG4-related orbital disease (IgG4-ROD) is often indicated to relieve the symptoms and to prevent complications. For IgG4-ROD, no international formal treatment guidelines are available and the optimal treatment strategy is uncertain. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2019 Feb 4;92:297-305. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Children's Health Research Institute, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada; Department of Paediatrics, Western University, London, ON, Canada.

Objectives: This review aimed to describe social outcomes in adulthood for people with a history of childhood-onset epilepsy and identify factors associated with these outcomes; focused on educational attainment, employment, income/financial status, independence/living arrangement, romantic relationships, parenthood, and friendships.

Methods: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO was conducted, as well as forward and backward citation tracking. A total of 45 articles met inclusion criteria. Read More

Hum Factors 2019 Feb 7:18720818821273. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Objective:: In this study, the reliability of measures of upper body postural behavior (head, thorax, neck, and arm) during sustained office work was evaluated.

Background:: Although there has been a substantial body of research examining the technical aspects of posture measurement in office workers using motion sensors, there is a paucity of literature examining whether posture-related behaviors are actually consistent among office workers in the field on different days and times.

Method:: Thirty one office workers performed their usual work for three, 1-hr sessions (two morning sessions and one afternoon session) while wearing wireless motion sensors. Read More

Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg 2019 Feb 7. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, Communications Engineering Branch, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.

Purpose: Chest radiography is the most common imaging modality for pulmonary diseases. Due to its wide usage, there is a rich literature addressing automated detection of cardiopulmonary diseases in digital chest X-rays (CXRs). One of the essential steps for automated analysis of CXRs is localizing the relevant region of interest, i. Read More

Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol 2019 Feb 7:1-10. Epub 2019 Feb 7.

a Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences , University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh , PA , USA.

Introduction: Wheelchair casters fail frequently in the field causing multiple user consequences and wheelchair breakdowns. To inform caster design improvement, there exists no validated tools that can collect caster failures. This need motivated the development of a user-reported, caster failure inspection tool (C-FIT). Read More

J Clin Pharm Ther 2019 Feb 6. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Pharmacy Department, Puerto Real Universitary Hospital, Cadiz, Spain.

What Is Known And Objective: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized primarily by inflammation and pain in the joints. Tofacitinib is an oral drug recently approved for RA treatment; it inhibits Janus protein kinases (JAK) that reduces RA symptoms when conventional DMARDs do not trigger a response. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of biological DMARDs in monotherapy or combined with methotrexate in RA patients and compare the treatments. Read More

RMD Open 2018 19;4(Suppl 1):e000787. Epub 2019 Jan 19.

Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Immunoglobulin G4-related diseases (IgG4-RD) are a group of chronic relapsing-remitting inflammatory conditions, characterised by tissue infiltration with lymphocytes and IgG4-secreting plasma cells, fibrosis and a usually favourable response to steroids. In this narrative review, we summarise the results of a systematic literature research, which was performed as part of the European Reference Network ReCONNET, aimed at evaluating existing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and recommendations in IgG4-RD. From 167 publications initially obtained from a systematic literature search, only one was identified as a systematic multispecialist, evidence-based, consensus guidance statement on diagnosis and treatment of IgG4-RD, which may be recommended for use as CPG in IgG4-RD. Read More

Ther Adv Urol 2019 Jan-Dec;11:1756287218823678. Epub 2019 Jan 28.

Department of Urology, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France.

Background: We aimed to provide a comprehensive literature review on the best practice management of patients with nonmetastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) using neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).

Method: Between July and September 2018, we conducted a systematic review using MEDLINE and EMBASE electronic bibliographic databases. The search strategy included the following terms: Neoadjuvant Therapy and Urinary Bladder Neoplasms. Read More

J Pediatr Orthop B 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Research.

Back pain in children is a complex phenomenon, which has been shown to be associated with physical and psychosocial factors. None of the studies on Indian children have investigated the possible association between back pain and psychosocial factors. We decided to determine the prevalence of back pain in students and association with both physical and psychosocial factors. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2019 Feb 6;21(2):e10265. Epub 2019 Feb 6.

Social Marketing @ Griffith, Griffith Business School, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia.

Background: Young adulthood is a vulnerable period for unhealthy lifestyle adoption and excess weight gain. Scant attention has been focused on developing and evaluating effective weight gain prevention strategies for this age group. Electronic health (eHealth) offers potential as a cost-effective means of delivering convenient, individually-tailored, and contextually-meaningful interventions at scale. Read More

Rev Med Suisse 2019 Feb;15(637):347-350

Service de psychiatrie de liaison et d'intervention de crise, Département de santé mentale et de psychiatrie, HUG, 1211 Genève 14.

In this article, a synthesis of data from the literature on postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to childbirth is presented, knowing that the psychological suffering in this period of life is frequently associated with a certain taboo. The criteria to diagnose psychotraumatism, as well as postpartum PTSD just after the birth are here recalled as well as the importance of evaluating the subjective experience of the mother wich is a central issue. The clinical specificity and key symptoms of postpartum PTSD are described along with the risk and protective factors. Read More

Obes Surg 2019 Feb 5. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, M61, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.

Background: There is limited data in the literature evaluating outcomes of bariatric surgery in severely obese patients with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) as a bridge to make them acceptable candidates for heart transplantation. This study aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in patients with previously implanted LVAD at our institution.

Methods: All the patients with end-stage heart failure (ESHF) and implanted LVAD who underwent LSG from2013 to January 2017 were studied. Read More

Front Neurol 2019 22;10. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Molecular Medicine, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.

The term hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) embraces a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by progressive spasticity and weakness of the lower limbs. There currently exist no specific therapies for HSP, and treatment is exclusively symptomatic, aimed at reducing muscle spasticity, and improving strength and gait. The authors set out to perform a comprehensive systematic review of the available scientific literature on the treatment of HSP, applying Cochrane Collaboration methods. Read More

Pathol Res Pract 2019 Jan 30. Epub 2019 Jan 30.

Department of Surgical Gastroenterology Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Inge Lehmanns Vej 7, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.

Background/introduction: Isolated tumor cells (ITC) are tumor cells identified in the regional lymph nodes of patients with adeno- or squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) or the esophagus. The current staging guidelines for these cancers do not assign any prognostic relevance to ITC, but their role remains debatable. We evaluated current literature to provide an overview of the prognostic relevance of ITC in regional lymph nodes of patients diagnosed with node negative cancer of the esophagus and EGJ. Read More

Syst Rev 2019 Feb 5;8(1):45. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, K1H8L6, Canada.

Background: Angioplasty is a fundamental treatment for atherosclerotic disease in the cardiac, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular beds. However, the optimal duration of balloon inflation has not been identified. Our study will investigate whether prolonged angioplasty balloon inflation of at least 1 min duration, when compared with brief inflation, affects residual stenosis after arterial angioplasty. Read More

F1000Res 2018 12;7:1784. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Centre for Informed Health Choices, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.

: The Informed Health Choices (IHC) Key Concepts are standards for judgement, or principles for evaluating the trustworthiness of treatment claims and treatment comparisons (evidence) used to support claims, and for making treatment choices. The list of concepts provides a framework, or starting point, for teachers, journalists and other intermediaries for identifying and developing resources (such as longer explanations, examples, games and interactive applications) to help people to understand and apply the concepts. The first version of the list was published in 2015 and has been updated yearly since then. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2019 Feb 5;21(2):e11128. Epub 2019 Feb 5.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Background: Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) is a persuasive system as its design combines therapeutic content, technological features, and interactions between the user and the program to reduce anxiety for children and adolescents. How iCBT is designed and delivered differs across programs. Although iCBT is considered an effective approach for treating child and adolescent anxiety, rates of program use (eg, module completion) are highly variable for reasons that are not clear. Read More

Ther Adv Drug Saf 2019 18;10:2042098618815431. Epub 2019 Jan 18.

VA Connecticut Healthcare System, CERC 151B, 950 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.

Polypharmacy is common among older adults and is associated with adverse outcomes. Polypharmacy increases the likelihood of receiving a potentially inappropriate medication (PIM). PIMs have traditionally been defined as medications that have either no benefit (e. Read More

G Ital Dermatol Venereol 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Dermatology, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Introduction: Omalizumab, has been used for almost two decades, mainly in allergic asthma and chronic spontaneous urticaria for which it is highly beneficial. Smaller studies have evaluated the effects of omalizumab in atopic dermatitis (AD). Current treatments options, such as cyclosporine and azathioprine have limited effect on AD and numerous side effects. Read More

G Ital Dermatol Venereol 2019 Feb 4. Epub 2019 Feb 4.

Department of Cardiology, Bozok University School of Medicine, Yozgat, Turkey.

Background: Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory cutaneous disorder that is characterized by remissions and relapses that commonly occur in patients over the age of 30 years. There have been many studies in literature evaluating the relationship between cardiovascular disease and psoriasis, which is a chronic inflammatory disease, however, there have been very few studies to date evaluating the relationship between rosacea and cardiovascular disease risk.

Methods: The study included 52 consecutive rosacea patients and 52 healthy controls matched for age, gender and body mass index. Read More