Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

Beyond Screening In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Domain-Standardized, Measure-Flexible Framework For Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessment, Etiane Navarro

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a multisystem neurodegenerative disorder in which cognitive, behavioral, language, and social-cognitive changes may occur across clinical phenotypes, including the ALS-frontotemporal spectrum. Neuropsychological assessment is important for characterizing nonmotor manifestations and identifying changes relevant to autonomy, everyday functioning, and clinical management. This systematic review examined literature identified through APA PsycINFO, PubMed, Google Scholar, and supplementary searching to characterize neuropsychological domains, measures, phenotype-related findings, and disease-specific limitations relevant to comprehensive assessment. Two hundred records underwent title and abstract screening, 150 reports were reviewed in full text, and 61 resources were retained for synthesis. ALS-specific screening instruments, including …

Correlation Of Esophageal Dysfunction On High-Resolution Manometry And Chest Ct In Scleroderma, Thao G. Huynh, Zsuzsanna H Mcmahan

Summer Research Program Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Biosensor Development In East Africa: A Systematic Review Of Technologies, Applications, Challenges, And Future Directions, Ally Mahadhy

Tanzania Journal of Science

Biosensors integrate biological recognition elements with signal transduction systems to generate quantitative or semi-quantitative analytical information and have applications across healthcare, food safety, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and wildlife health. Despite substantial global advances, biosensor development in East Africa remains poorly characterized. This systematic review, conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, evaluated published evidence from 1995 to 2025 within a predefined East African Community geographical scope. Eligibility was based on IUPAC-aligned operational criteria requiring an integrated biological recognition element, transduction mechanism, and quantitative or semi-quantitative signal output. Three locally developed biosensors met the criteria: an electrochemical nano-biosensor for schistosomiasis diagnosis in …

Development Of An Indirect Elisa Kit For Measurement Of Circulating Thyroid Peroxidase Levels In Patients With Hypothyroidism, Aulanni’Am Aulanni’Am, Devi Ramadani, Almas Dwi Khairana, Saidun Fiddaroini, Muhammad Fikri Nur, Andreas Budi Wijaya, Rulli Rosandi, Dyah Kinasih Wuragil, Wibi Riawan

Makara Journal of Science

Hypothyroidism, characterized by insufficient thyroid hormone production, affects approximately 5% of the population, especially women, thus increasing pregnancy-related risks. Conventional screening mainly measures thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4). Detecting the presence of anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies indi-cates autoimmune thyroid disease. This study developed an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for detecting circulating TPO using polyclonal antibodies generated in rabbits. TPO was isolated from positive sera of pa-tients with hypothyroidism, purified by electroelution, and confirmed as a 52-kDa protein by Western blot. Rabbits immunized with this protein produced polyclonal antibodies with the highest titer (OD = 0.334) at …

Nuclear Neuroimaging Approaches To Traumatic Brain Injury: Current Insights And Future Directions, Shivani Daksh, Anupriya Adhikari, Nikhil Kumar, Garima Mann, Anupama Datta

Makara Journal of Science

The aftermath of a traumatic brain injury is characterized by a state of disruption, progressing into secondary injury and culminating in a complex network of interconnected pathophysiological disturbances.  The potential risk of developing neurological disorders after TBI highlights the pressing need to enhance our understanding and develop therapeutic in-terventions to alleviate its devastating consequences. Traumatic brain injury can lead to a range of problems, including pain, swelling, axonal degeneration, and chronic amnestic and non-amnestic cognitive impairments. The first and essential step in the management of TBI is to identify and characterize the clinical symptoms. This systematic review outlines the established …

From Advisory To Action: The Case For Preserving Paccarb In The Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance, Leila S. Hojat, Muhammad Dhanani, Amy Y. Kang, Salome O. Chitavi, Robert A. Weinstein, Edward Stenehjem

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) was established to advise the government on strategies to mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and its increasing threat to public health and national security. Its members included experts from diverse disciplines such as healthcare, veterinary medicine, industry, public health, and agriculture who were positioned to interface with key stakeholders and the public in an aspirational multidisciplinary approach to combating AMR. The council was successful in elevating AMR as a national priority and played a crucial role in watershed events for antimicrobial stewardship (AS) such as the development of the second National Action …

Evaluating Electronic Health Record Intervention Efficacy In Enhancing Inpatient Initiation Of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy, Sheraz Qamar, Trisha Sindhu, Charlotte Pirquet, Benjamin Richter, Charlotte Sacksteder, Tatianna Branch, Jeffrey Riggio, Cara Martino, Patricia C. Henwood, Alan Kubey

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. Despite evidence supporting guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), prescribing remains suboptimal, particularly at hospital discharge.

PROJECT RATIONALE: Hospitalization provides an opportunity to initiate or optimize GDMT, but workflow barriers and practice variation limit implementation. To address this gap, our system implemented a system-wide HF quality improvement initiative featuring evidence-based order sets and an electronic health record smart phrase ("HFNOTE") to centralize and standardize documentation and encourage GDMT use.

PROJECT SUMMARY: We analyzed 2,859 HF hospitalizations across 10 hospitals between December 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Use of …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Perioperative Application Of Biofeedback-Based Virtual Reality Vs Control For Pain And Anxiety In Children And Adolescents Undergoing Surgery: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial, Anna Lin, Brenna Rachwal, Lindsey Asti, Zandantsetseg Orgil, Isabela Santiago, Lili Ding, Susmita Kashikar-Zuck, Christopher King, Sara Williams, William Black, Peter Minneci, Vanessa Olbrecht

Department of Anesthesiology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The impact of biofeedback-based virtual reality (VR-BF) on pain and anxiety in pediatric surgical patients remains unexplored.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of perioperative VR-BF use in children and adolescents.

METHODS: We performed a single-blind, 2-arm, randomized pilot trial. Children aged 12 to 18 years undergoing surgery with expected moderate-to-severe postoperative pain and more than 1 overnight admission were randomized (1:1) to the intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group received VR-BF using ForeVR (functional outcome response to engaging virtual reality [VR]), a novel, gamified digital intervention that integrates …

Successful Treatment Of Recurrent Epithelioid Trophoblastic Tumor (Ett) With Pembrolizumab After Pembrolizumab: A Case Report And Review Of Literature In Treatment Of Ett, Sarah Mokma, Sarah Alnaif, Nicholas Cardillo

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

BACKGROUND: Epithelioid Trophoblastic Tumors (ETT) are rare, which makes an optimal treatment regimen difficult to determine. Since PD-L1 is expressed in placental tissue and in gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN), immunotherapies such as pembrolizumab have been proposed as possible treatments.

CASE PRESENTATION: The case presented is a 50-year-old postmenopausal female who presented with postmenopausal bleeding and a large, fungating cervical mass. Cervical biopsies confirmed ETT. The patient underwent primary debulking surgery with radical abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and sigmoid colon resection. The patient was diagnosed with a FIGO Stage IV ETT due to tumor extension to sigmoid colon with a high-risk …

Exploring Which Ehr Interventions Improve Heart Failure Hospitalization Outcomes Across 10 Hospitals, Sheraz Qamar, Andres Alvarado, Thomas Buckwalter, Patricia C. Henwood, Dana Jordan, Cara Martino, Jeffrey Riggio, Charlotte Sacksteder, Jared Vanderzell, Alan Kubey

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) remains a major cause of mortality and hospitalization despite advances in guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). Electronic health record (EHR)-based clinical decision support tools may improve care delivery, but their impact on outcomes remains ill-defined.

PROJECT RATIONALE: As part of a system-wide HF quality improvement initiative, we evaluated 2 EHR interventions: an evidence-based HF admission order set promoting early diuresis and GDMT optimization, and a templated HF documentation tool (HFNOTE) designed to capture clinical complexity.

PROJECT SUMMARY: We analyzed 4,865 HF hospitalizations across 10 hospitals between December 2024 and June 2025. Overall risk-adjusted mortality index was 0.83 …

Validation Of Next‑Generation Sequencing‑Derived Circulating Mrna Variants As Potential Diagnostic Tools In Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Cholangiocarcinoma, Daniel Zezulinski, Maarouf A. Hoteit, David E. Kaplan, Tingting Zhan, Cataldo Doria, Timothy M. Block, Aejaz Sayeed

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

Liquid biopsy can transform oncology practice through early detection and real‑time monitoring of cancer progression and response to treatment. Circulating cell‑free tumor RNA offers promise as a novel and emerging alternative to circulating cell‑free tumor DNA for detecting the presence and understanding the biology of liver tumors. Both circulating DNA and RNA, which predominantly reside in extracellular vesicles, carry evidence of vital germline and somatic mutations. High impact single nucleotide changes, insertions and deletions in circulating RNA (ctRNA) serve a key role in cancer development and progression. Tumor cells exploit the RNA splicing machinery to induce structural and functional changes …

Analysis Of The Influence Of Anthropometric Dimensions Of Postural Ergonomics Using Multiple Linear Regression, Gashbeen Faisal Najmaddin, Edrees Muhammed Tahir Harki

Al-Bahir

Ergonomics is the study of designing and arranging a workspace or product to optimize the “fit” between people and their work, ensuring safety, comfort, and efficiency. The scientific literature indicates that ergonomic perspectives on the workplace are connected to the anthropometrics of societies. This study primarily aims to create a model that integrates multiple predictive variables to estimate the target variable. Multiple linear regression analysis is used to identify how different anthropometric dimensions predict postural ergonomics during prolonged sitting. Based on the regression models’ results, the predicted can be calculated using user anthropometry and existing chair dimensions. Furthermore, the primary …

The Increasing Degree Of Salivary Diagnostics In Healthcare, Kristi M. Soileau, Joseph Zimmermann, Preston Tran

New Orleans Dental Association News

Saliva is being researched as a potential significant player in disease diagnostics. The financial implications could likely become much more noteworthy, as dentists and physicians recognize. The many benefits of salivary testing over the more traditional methods of blood and urine sampling, while there remains much research to be performed to fully elucidate both the benefits and limitations of salivary diagnostics, this field promises to shine a brighter light on making healthcare testing more affordable, practical, and pleasant overall.

Can Peripheral Angiography Be Safely Performed In Patients With Chronic Renal Insufficiency Without Significant Risk Of Contrast-Associated Renal Injury In Outpatient Settings?, Mubashar Choudry, Artem Shmelev, 0. Pierce Sebastian, Noor-E-Fatima Khan, Aleezay Farhat, Donald Wilkerson

Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives

Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is a known complication following

coronary angiographic procedures using iodinated contrast media (ICM). The risk of CA-AKI is

multifactorial, dependent largely on estimated glomerular filtration rates. The most important

and accepted hospital-based preventive strategy involves both a reduction of iodinated contrast

and multi-hour pre- and post-intervention normal saline hydration. Because of time constraints,

neither ambulatory surgical centers (ASC), nor outpatient-based laboratories (OBL)

can provide similar degrees of pre- and post-intervention hydration. The utilization of

carbon dioxide (CO₂) imaging, intravascular ultrasonography, and limited iso-osmolar

contrast agents may provide an alternative preventive strategy.

Discovering Repurposable Drugs For Alzheimer's Disease And Related Dementias: Target Trial Emulation Using Decentralised Real-World Data, Qiong Wu, Lu Li, Yuqing Lei, Ting Zhou, Huilin Tang, Bingyu Zhang, Yiwen Lu, Maxwell Salvatore, Dazheng Zhang, Jiayi Tong, Tingyin Wang, Siqi Chen, Haoyang Li, Zhenxing Xu, Yu Huang, Yu Hu, Na Hong, Yujia Zhou, Fongci Lin, Kyra O'Brien, Yong Chen, Ruowang Li, Hua Xu, Fei Wang, Jiang Bian, David Wolk, Yong Chen

College of Population Health Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) affect nearly 6.9 million Americans, with the number expected to triple by 2050, while disease-modifying therapies remain unavailable. Drug repurposing, which identifies new indications for already approved medications, offers a more efficient and cost-effective pathway to accelerate development of effective therapies for ADRD. The aim of this study is to identify potential drug repurposing signals by systematically screening routinely prescribed drugs for associations with progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to ADRD.

METHODS: We conducted a multi-site target trial emulation using electronic health record (EHR) data from four decentralised databases: INSIGHT Clinical Research …

Intrawound Vancomycin For Prevention Of Surgical Site Infection: Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Clinical Trials, Shaan Patel, Shiva Nischal, Kush Kale, Angelette Mendonca, Nelson Sofoluke, Srinivas Prasad, James Harrop, Daniel Refai

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection remains a major cause of postoperative morbidity. Intrawound vancomycin has been proposed as an adjunct to standard prophylaxis, but its effectiveness across surgical settings remains uncertain. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials aimed to evaluate the association between intraoperative intrawound vancomycin and surgical site infection in adults undergoing surgery.

METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL were searched from database inception to March 2026 for randomized clinical trials comparing intrawound vancomycin with standard care in adults undergoing operative procedures. Two reviewers independently performed screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment using the Cochrane Risk of Bias …

Preoperative Urine Drug Screen To Increase Surgical Efficiency, Joseph Mashinchi

SIU Journal of Medical Science Scholarly Works

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to standardize the use of preoperative urine drug screens for adults scheduled for elective surgery in order to improve surgical efficiency and reduce perioperative and postoperative complications.

Method: A PubMed Search was conducted to review literature published within the past five years. The joint terms “urine drug screen and surgery” were used in the search. A literature review was conducted after reviewing multiple articles and screening for their quality, timeliness, and pertinence to elective surgical procedures and illicit drug use.

Results: Performing a urine drug screen prior to elective surgical procedure identified illicit …

The Promise Of Precision: Evaluating The Efficacy Of Robotic-Assisted Total Knee Arthroplasty, Jodi Wernikoff

SIU Journal of Medical Science Scholarly Works

Purpose: This article aims to review the treatment of patients diagnosed with primary knee osteoarthritis requiring a total knee arthroplasty and examine if the use of robotic- assisted surgery compared to traditional manual surgery results in improved functional outcomes and fewer post-operative complications.

Method: A PubMed literature search was conducted using the search terms total knee arthroplasty, robot surgical procedures, knee osteoarthritis, and quality of life. Nine articles were retrieved and served as the basis for this clinical review.

Results: While RA-TKA holds promise, more comprehensive comparative research is still required to assess the efficacy of RA-TKA in comparison to …

Artificial Intelligence Models For Automated And Semiautomated Analysis And Interpretation Of Clinical Electroencephalography, Sándor Beniczky, Birgit Frauscher, Fábio Nascimento, Shobi Sivathamboo, Catalina Rojas, Michael Sperling, Samden Lhatoo, Philippe Ryvlin, Levin Kuhlmann

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Electroencephalography is the most commonly used diagnostic tool for epilepsy. However, interpreting electroencephalograms (EEGs) requires expertise that is not widely available. Advances in digital technology and wearables have enabled large-scale EEG recording, generating vast amounts of data that cannot be managed through traditional visual interpretation by experts. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to augment human expertise and reduce workloads. The application of artificial neural networks in analysing clinical EEG recordings has led to major breakthroughs, bringing AI-based EEG interpretation closer to clinical implementation. In this Review, we summarise the most important research and development results in this field from …