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Comparison Of Upper Respiratory Viral Load Distributions In Asymptomatic And Symptomatic Children Diagnosed With Sars-Cov-2 Infection In Pediatric Hospital Testing Programs, Larry K Kociolek, Bijal A Parikh, Ariel Hernandez-Leyva, Et Al

Open Access Publications

The distribution of upper respiratory viral loads (VL) in asymptomatic children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unknown. We assessed PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values and estimated VL in infected asymptomatic children diagnosed in nine pediatric hospital testing programs. Records for asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with positive clinical SARS-CoV-2 tests were reviewed. Ct values were (i) adjusted by centering each value around the institutional median Ct value from symptomatic children tested with that assay and (ii) converted to estimated VL (numbers of copies per milliliter) using internal or manufacturer data. Adjusted Ct values and estimated VL …

Positive Information Facilitates Response Inhibition In Older Adults Only When Emotion Is Task-Relevant, Samantha E Williams, Eric J Lenze, Jill D Waring

Open Access Publications

Emotional information is integral to everyday life and impacts a variety of cognitive abilities including response inhibition, a critical skill for maintaining appropriate and flexible behaviour. However, reported effects of emotion on response inhibition are inconsistent in younger adults, and very limited in older adults. Effects of aging are especially relevant because emotion regulation improves with aging despite declining inhibitory control over neutral information. Across three studies, we assessed the impact of emotional facial expressions on response inhibition in younger and older adults while manipulating attention to task stimuli. Emotional faces (versus neutral faces) altered response inhibition only when task …

Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Evaluation Of The Pharmacokinetics, Safety And Efficacy Of Recombinant Antithrombin Versus Placebo In Preterm Preeclampsia, Michael J Paidas, George A Macones, Et Al

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite expectant management, preeclampsia remote from term usually results in preterm delivery. Antithrombin, which displays antiinflammatory and anticoagulant properties, may have a therapeutic role in treating preterm preeclampsia, a disorder characterized by endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and activation of the coagulation system.

OBJECTIVE: This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial aimed to evaluate whether intravenous recombinant human antithrombin could prolong gestation and therefore improve maternal and fetal outcomes.

STUDY DESIGN: We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at 23 hospitals. Women were eligible if they had a singleton pregnancy, early-onset or superimposed preeclampsia at 23 0/7 to 30 0/7 weeks' gestation, and planned …

Impact Of Annual And Semi-Annual Mass Drug Administration For Lymphatic Filariasis And Onchocerciasis On Hookworm Infection In Côte D'Ivoire, Agodio Loukouri, Aboulaye Méité, Benjamin G. Koudou, Charles W. Goss, Daphne Lew, Gary J. Weil, Eliezer K. N'Goran, Peter U. Fischer

Open Access Publications

Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programs to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) in western Africa use the anthelminthics ivermectin plus albendazole. These drugs have the potential to impact also Soil-Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections, since the drugs have a broad range of anthelminthic activity. Integration of preventive chemotherapy efforts for LF, onchocerciasis and STH is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to avoid duplication of MDA and to reduce costs. The objective of the current study was to determine whether five semi-annual rounds of community-wide MDA to eliminate LF and onchocerciasis have a greater impact on STH than three annual …

Association Of Guideline Publication And Delays To Treatment In Pediatric Status Epilepticus, Iván Sánchez Fernández, Réjean M Guerriero, Et Al

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether publication of evidence on delays in time to treatment shortens time to treatment in pediatric refractory convulsive status epilepticus (rSE), we compared time to treatment before (2011-2014) and after (2015-2019) publication of evidence of delays in treatment of rSE in the Pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group (pSERG) as assessed by patient interviews and record review.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected dataset from June 2011 to September 2019 on pediatric patients (1 month-21 years of age) with rSE.

RESULTS: We studied 328 patients (56% male) with median (25th-75th percentile [p

CONCLUSION: Publication …

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis For Preventing Acquisition Of Hiv: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Patients, Prescribers, Uptake, And Spending In The United States, 2015-2016, Stephanie S. Chan, Andre R. Chappel, Karen E. Joynt Maddox, Karen W. Hoover, Ya-Lin A. Huang, Weiming Zhu, Stacy M. Cohen, Pamela W. Klein, Nancy De Lew

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: In 2015, there were approximately 40,000 new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective strategy that reduces the risk of HIV acquisition; however, uptake among those who can benefit from it has lagged. In this study, we 1) compared the characteristics of patients who were prescribed PrEP with individuals newly diagnosed with HIV infection, 2) identified the specialties of practitioners prescribing PrEP, 3) identified metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) within the US where there is relatively low uptake of PrEP, and 4) reported median amounts paid by patients and third-party payors for PrEP.

METHODS AND …

Parental Deployment And Distress, And Adolescent Disordered Eating In Prevention-Seeking Military Dependents, M K Higgins Neyland, Denise E Wilfley, Et Al

Open Access Publications

OBJECTIVE: Parental military deployment can lead to stress in the family system due to concerns about the deployed service-member's safety and increased responsibilities for those not deployed. Parent-related stress can impact adolescent disordered eating. Given the important role that stress plays in disordered eating and obesity, it is crucial to understand the impacts of unique stressors to which vulnerable populations are exposed.

METHOD: We studied 126 adolescent (14.3 ± 1.6 years; 59.5% girls; 44.4% non-Hispanic White; BMI-z, 1.91 ± .39) military dependents prior to entering an obesity and binge-eating disorder prevention trial. The Eating Disorder Examination was used to assess …

End Of An Era Of Administering Erythropoiesis Stimulating Agents Among Veterans Administration Cancer Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia, Shamia Hoque, Brian J. Chen, Martin W. Schoen, Kenneth R. Carson, Jesse Keller, Bartlett J. Witherspoon, Kevin B. Knopf, Y Tony Yang, Benjamin Schooley, Chadi Nabhan, Oliver Sartor, Paul R. Yarnold, Paul Ray, Laura Bobolts, William J. Hrushesky, Michael Dickson, Charles L. Bennett

Open Access Publications

Erythropoisis stimulating agent (ESA) use was addressed in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC) meetings between 2004 and 2008. FDA safety-focused regulatory actions occurred in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, black box warnings advised of early death and venous thromboembolism (VTE) risks with ESAs in oncology. In 2010, a Risk Evaluation Strategies (REMS) was initiated, with cancer patient consent that mortality and VTE risks were noted with ESAs. We report warnings and REMS impacts on ESA utilization among Veterans Administration (VA) cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA). Data were from Veterans Affairs database (2003-2012). Epoetin and …

Integrating A Multidisciplinary Pain Team And Chiropractic Care In A Community Health Center: An Observational Study Of Managing Chronic Spinal Pain, Christopher Prater, Melissa Tepe, Patrick Battaglia

Open Access Publications

BACKGROUND: Chronic spinal pain is one of the most common diseases in the United States. Underserved patients are most affected, and disproportionately may use opioid medications as they lack access to other therapies. It is therefore important to develop systems to treat spinal pain within the primary medical home.

METHODS: We designed a prospective observational pilot study at a community health center to measure the effectiveness of two interventions among an underserved population: a multidisciplinary pain team and chiropractic care. Study outcomes were pain and functional disability measured by the Pain Disability Questionnaire (PDQ), and reduction of opioid dose at …