Notes

Regularity and design associated with digital processes useful for the intraoral prosthetic rehab associated with people along with head and neck cancer malignancy: An organized assessment.
nto whether imaging for myocardial inflammation, ischemia, and scar has a role in arrhythmic risk stratification and whether it provides incremental prognostic value in patients with chronic severe mitral regurgitation undergoing active surveillance.
In this pilot study, we demonstrate a novel association between degenerative MVP and FDG uptake, a surrogate for myocardial inflammation and/or ischemia. Such evidence of myocardial injury, even in asymptomatic patients, suggests an ongoing subclinical disease process. These findings warrant further investigation into whether imaging for myocardial inflammation, ischemia, and scar has a role in arrhythmic risk stratification and whether it provides incremental prognostic value in patients with chronic severe mitral regurgitation undergoing active surveillance.
There is a paucity of data detailing cardiac remodeling in female athletes compared with male athletes. The lack of reference cardiac data for elite female basketball players or female athletes of similar size makes it difficult to differentiate athletic remodeling from potential underlying cardiac disorders in this population of athletes.

To assess cardiac structure and function in elite female basketball players.

This cross-sectional echocardiographic study included 140 Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) athletes on active rosters for the 2017 season. The WNBA mandates annual preseason stress echocardiograms for each athlete. The WNBA has partnered with Columbia University to annually perform a review of these studies. Data analysis was performed from June 7, 2017, to October 5, 2017.

Echocardiographic variables included left ventricular (LV) dimensions, wall thickness, mass, prevalence of LV hypertrophy, aortic dimensions, right ventricular (RV) dimension, and right and left atrial size athletes (69.6%), concentric LVH in 7 athletes (30.4%), and concentric remodeling in 27 athletes (19.3%). Mean aortic root diameter was 3.1 cm (95% CI, 3.0-3.2). Only 2 athletes (1.4%) had guideline-defined aortic enlargement compared with a range of 18% to 42% for left and right ventricular and atrial enlargement.

In this study, increased cardiac dimensions were frequently observed in WNBA athletes. Both BSA and physiologic remodeling affected cardiac morphologic findings. This study may provide a framework to define the range of athletic cardiac remodeling exhibited by elite female basketball players.
In this study, increased cardiac dimensions were frequently observed in WNBA athletes. Both BSA and physiologic remodeling affected cardiac morphologic findings. This study may provide a framework to define the range of athletic cardiac remodeling exhibited by elite female basketball players.
Solid organ transplants have declined significantly during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the US. Limited data exist regarding changes in heart transplant (HT).

To describe national and regional trends in waitlist inactivations, waitlist additions, donor recovery, and HT volume during COVID-19.

This descriptive cross-sectional study used publicly available data from the United Network for Organ Sharing and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using 8 prespecified United Network for Organ Sharing regions. Adult (18 years or older) HT candidates listed and deceased donors recovered between January 19 to May 9, 2020.

COVID-19 pandemic.

Changes in waitlist inactivations, waitlist additions, deceased donor recovery, and transplant volumes from the pre-COVID-19 (January 19-March 15, 2020) to the COVID-19 era (March 15-May 9, 2020). Density mapping and linear regression with interrupted time series analysis were used to characterize changes over time and changes by region.

Durin prevalence of COVID-19 cases. This has been accompanied by increased waitlist inactivations, decreased waitlist additions, and decreased donor recovery. Future studies are needed to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with changes in waitlist mortality.
Heart transplant volumes have been significantly reduced in recent months, even in regions with a lower prevalence of COVID-19 cases. This has been accompanied by increased waitlist inactivations, decreased waitlist additions, and decreased donor recovery. Future studies are needed to determine if the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with changes in waitlist mortality.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Veterans Affairs Health Care System provide incentives for hospitals to reduce 30-day readmission and mortality rates. In contrast with the large body of evidence describing readmission and mortality in the Medicare system, it is unclear how heart failure readmission and mortality rates have changed during this period in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

To evaluate trends in readmission and mortality after heart failure admission in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System, which had no financial penalties, in a decade involving focus on heart failure readmission reduction (2007-2017).

This cohort study used data from all Veterans Affairs-paid heart failure admissions from January 2007 to September 2017. All Veterans Affairs-paid hospital admissions to Veterans Affairs and non-Veterans Affairs facilities for a primary diagnosis of heart failure were included, when the admission was paid for by the Veterans Affairs. Data analyses were conducissions, such as public reporting of readmission rates, risk-adjusted 30-day readmission declined despite inclusion of clinical variables in risk adjustment, but mortality did not decline. Future investigations should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of specific approaches to readmission reduction to inform efficient and effective application in individual health systems, hospitals, and practices.
In this analysis of an integrated health care system that provided guidance and nonfinancial incentives for reducing readmissions, such as public reporting of readmission rates, risk-adjusted 30-day readmission declined despite inclusion of clinical variables in risk adjustment, but mortality did not decline. Future investigations should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of specific approaches to readmission reduction to inform efficient and effective application in individual health systems, hospitals, and practices.
Administration of hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated pneumonia carries increased risk of corrected QT (QTc) prolongation and cardiac arrhythmias.

To characterize the risk and degree of QT prolongation in patients with COVID-19 in association with their use of hydroxychloroquine with or without concomitant azithromycin.

This was a cohort study performed at an academic tertiary care center in Boston, Massachusetts, of patients hospitalized with at least 1 positive COVID-19 nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction test result and clinical findings consistent with pneumonia who received at least 1 day of hydroxychloroquine from March 1, 2020, through April 7, 2020.

Change in QT interval after receiving hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin; occurrence of other potential adverse drug events.

Among 90 patients given hydroxychloroquine, 53 received concomitant azithromycin; 44 (48.9%) were female, and the mean (SD) binicians should carefully weigh risks and benefits if considering hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, with close monitoring of QTc and concomitant medication usage.
Investigating outcomes after marginal allograft transplant is essential in determining appropriate and more aggressive use of these allografts.

To determine the time trends in the outcomes of marginal liver allografts as defined by 6 different sets of criteria.

In this cohort, multicenter study, 75 050 patients who received a liver transplant between March 1, 2002, and September 30, 2016, were retrospectively analyzed to last known follow-up (n = 55 395) or death (n = 19 655) using the United Network for Organ Sharing Database. The study period was divided into three 5-year eras 2002-2006, 2007-2011, and 2012-2016. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used to examine the allograft after transplant with marginal allografts, which were defined as 90th percentile Donor Risk Index allografts (calculated over the entire study period), donor after circulatory death allografts, national share allografts, old age (donors >70 years) allograftsage the aggressive use of liver allografts and may indicate a need for a redefinition of allograft marginality in liver transplantation.
The study's findings encourage the aggressive use of liver allografts and may indicate a need for a redefinition of allograft marginality in liver transplantation.Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA); however, its role in AAA pathogenesis is unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D deficiency on AAA development and examine if administering cholecalciferol (CCF) could limit growth of established AAA within the angiotensin-II (AngII) infused apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse model. Mice were rendered vitamin D deficiency through dietary restriction and during AngII infusion developed larger AAAs as assessed by ultrasound and ex vivo morphometry that ruptured more commonly (48% vs. 19%; P=0.028) than controls. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with increased aortic expression of osteopontin and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 than controls. CCF administration to mice with established aortic aneurysms limited AAA growth as assessed by ultrasound (P less then 0.001) and ex vivo morphometry (P=0.036) and reduced rupture rate (8% vs. 46%; P=0.031). This effect was associated with up-regulation of circulating and aortic sclerostin. Incubation of human aortic smooth muscle cells with 1,25-dihyroxyvitamin D3 (the active metabolite of vitamin D) for 48 h induced up-regulation of sclerostin (P less then 0.001) and changed the expression of a range of other genes important in extracellular matrix remodeling. The present study suggests that vitamin D deficiency promotes development of large rupture-prone aortic aneurysms in an experimental model. CCF administration limited both growth and rupture of established aneurysms. These effects of vitamin D appeared to be mediated via changes in genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling, particularly sclerostin.
Gastric cancer (GC) is a complex multifactorial disease. Previous studies have revealed genetic variations associated with the risk of gastric cancer. The purpose of the present study was to determine the correlation between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ZBTB20 and the risk of gastric cancer in Chinese Han population.

We conducted a 'case-control' study involving 509 GC patients and 507 healthy individuals. We selected four SNPs of ZBTB20 (10934270 T/C, rs9288999 G/A, rs9841504 G/C and rs73230612 C/T), and used logistic regression to analyze the relationship between those SNPs and GC risk under different genetic models; multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to analyze the interaction of "SNP-SNP" in gastric cancer risk; ANOVA and univariate analysis were used to analyze the differences in clinical characteristics among different genotypes.

Our results showed that ZBTB20 rs9288999 is a protective factor for the risk of gastric cancer in multiple genetic models, of which the homozygous model is the most significant (OR = 0.
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