Comparative analysis of dental screening programs for patients awaiting head and neck radiation therapy.

Background: It is recommended that patients awaiting radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) undergo a dental evaluation and receive dental clearance to minimize complications. The authors aimed to compare the time from RT consultation to dental clearance across 3 dental screening programs to inform protocol improvements for patients awaiting RT for HNC.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with HNC awaiting RT who participated in 1 of 3 dental screening programs: (1) in-house dental, (2) community-based (CB) (outside) dental, or (3) mixed (outside dentist with records reviewed by an in-house oral medicine specialist).

Association between pulse wave velocity and coronary atherosclerosis.

Background: Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is considered a more direct and accurate measure of arterial stiffness. This study explored the relationship between PWV and the presence and severity of coronary artery calcification (CAC) and coronary artery plaque (CAP).

Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Miami Heart Study (MiHeart).

Assessment of outcomes and machine Learning-based models to predict local failure risk following stereotactic radiosurgery for small brain metastases.

Introduction: We assessed the outcomes of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for small intact brain metastases (SBM) (≤ 2 cm) and developed machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict the probability of local failure (LF).

Methods: Consecutive patients with SBM treated with SRS between January 2017 and July 2022 were included. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed with related factors to enhance balance for comparison.

Trend and burden of adult cancer-related hospitalizations in the United States.

To calculate national trends and estimates of cancer-related hospitalizations, hospital outcomes, and hospitalization costs. The current study was a retrospective analysis of National Inpatient Sample data, collected during 2008 to 2019. Adult cancer hospitalizations were identified by Clinical Classifications Software codes.

Alcohol Exposure Among Patients With Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Their First-Degree Relatives: The DCM Precision Medicine Study.

Background: Whether prolonged and excessive alcohol consumption contributes to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) remains uncertain. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of alcohol use in patients with DCM and their first-degree relatives (FDRs) and determine if cumulative alcohol exposure associates with DCM/partial DCM or modifies the association of DCM with DCM-relevant rare variants.

Methods: All probands had DCM; FDRs were classified as with or without DCM or partial DCM.

The Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease on Amputation and Death Rates in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease in the United States.

Purpose: To quantify and characterize how advancing stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) affect the incidence of amputation and death among patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) in the United States.

Materials And Methods: The Premier Healthcare Database was used and included data from 8.5 million hospitalizations between 2016 and 2021.

Trends and outcomes of heart failure hospitalizations during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: COVID-19 has affected many hospitalizations. In this study, we intended to understand the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on heart failure hospitalizations in the state of California.

Method: This study was a retrospective analysis of California State Inpatient Database during March to December of 2019 and 2020.

Decorin: matrix-based pan-cancer tumor suppressor.

Studies have shown that decorin is a potent pan-cancer tumor suppressor that is under-expressed in most cancers. Decorin interacts with receptor tyrosine kinases and functions as a pan-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, thereby suppressing oncogenic signals. Decorin deficiency promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and enhances cancer dissemination and metastasis.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for non-spine bone metastases: A meta-analysis and international stereotactic radiosurgery society (ISRS) clinical practice guidelines.

Background: While SBRT to NSBM has become common, particularly in the oligometastatic population, the approach to treating non-spine bone metastases (NSBM) with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) varies widely across institutions and clinical trial protocols. We present a comprehensive systematic review of the literatures to inform practice recommendations on behalf of the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS).

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Sex disparities in outcomes among hospitalizations for heart failure.

This study investigated sex differences in clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of heart failure (HF) hospitalizations using the National Inpatient Sample data, 2016-2019. HF hospitalizations ≥ 41 years of age were included and stratified by sex. Study outcomes were in-hospital mortality, prolonged length of stay, mechanical ventilation, mechanical circulatory support, vasopressor use, and disposition other than home.

Impact of Frailty on COVID-19 Hospitalizations: Results from the California State Inpatient Database.

Objectives: Frail patients are at greater risk of experiencing adverse clinical outcomes in any critical illness due to decreased physiologic reserves, greater susceptibility to the adverse effects of treatment, and greater needs for intensive care. In this study, we sought to assess the prevalence of frailty and associated adverse in-hospital outcomes among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations using the 2020 California State Inpatient Database (SID).

Methods: For this study, we conducted a retrospective analysis of data from all COVID-19 hospital patients aged 18 years and older.

Frailty among stroke patients and its effects on hospital outcomes.

Background: Although assessment of frailty is increasingly being included in routine practice, its effects on hospital outcomes is not well studied. In this study, we used a national database to estimate the effects of frailty on hospital outcomes among stroke patients.

Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of data from Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database collected during the years 2016 to 2019.

Prevalence and outcomes of atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia in patients at high cardiovascular risk. COVID-19 patients with underlying cardiovascular disease are at increased risk of poor clinical outcomes. In this study, we aimed to determine hospital outcomes among patients admitted with AF and COVID-19 infection.

Lipoprotein(a) and Coronary Plaque in Asymptomatic Individuals: The Miami Heart Study at Baptist Health South Florida.

Background: Elevated levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) are independently associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events. However, the mechanisms driving this association are poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the association between Lp(a) and coronary plaque characteristics in a contemporary US cohort without clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography, the noninvasive gold standard for the assessment of coronary atherosclerosis.

Association between high risk of obstructive sleep apnea and inflammatory markers in a population sample of young and middle-aged adults in the Miami Heart Study.

Study Objectives: There are limited data depicting the association between high risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the levels of inflammatory markers in a population-based sample free from cardiovascular disease (CVD). In a large US cohort enriched with a Hispanic population and free of CVD, we aimed to assess the association between high risk of OSA and inflammatory markers.

Methods: We analyzed data for 2,359 clinical CVD-free participants from the Miami Heart Study, aged 40-65 years (May 2015-September 2018).

Burden of cardiovascular disease on coronavirus disease 2019 hospitalizations in the USA.

Background: Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and risk factors have increased rates of adverse events and mortality after hospitalization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we attempted to identify and assess the effects of CVD on COVID-19 hospitalizations in the USA using a large national database.

Methods: The current study was a retrospective analysis of data from the US National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample from 2020.

Porous Nanographenes, Graphene Nanoribbons, and Nanoporous Graphene Selectively Synthesized from the Same Molecular Precursor.

We demonstrate a family of molecular precursors based on 7,10-dibromo-triphenylenes that can selectively produce different varieties of atomically precise porous graphene nanomaterials through the use of different synthetic environments. Upon Yamamoto polymerization of these molecules in solution, the free rotations of the triphenylene units around the C-C bonds result in the formation of cyclotrimers in high yields. In contrast, in on-surface polymerization of the same molecules on Au(111) these rotations are impeded, and the coupling proceeds toward the formation of long polymer chains.

Tunable Magnetic Coupling in Graphene Nanoribbon Quantum Dots.

Carbon-based quantum dots (QDs) enable flexible manipulation of electronic behavior at the nanoscale, but controlling their magnetic properties requires atomically precise structural control. While magnetism is observed in organic molecules and graphene nanoribbons (GNRs), GNR precursors enabling bottom-up fabrication of QDs with various spin ground states have not yet been reported. Here the development of a new GNR precursor that results in magnetic QD structures embedded in semiconducting GNRs is reported.

Gender Differences in Hospital Outcomes among COVID-19 Hospitalizations.

Objectives: Many epidemiological studies have shown that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disproportionately affects males, compared with females, although other studies show that there were no such differences. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in the prevalence of hospitalizations and in-hospital outcomes between the sexes, using a larger administrative database.

Methods: We used the 2020 California State Inpatient Database for this retrospective analysis.

Hybrid Edge Results in Narrowed Band Gap: Bottom-up Liquid-Phase Synthesis of Bent = 6/8 Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons.

Scalable fabrication of graphene nanoribbons with narrow band gaps has been a nontrivial challenge. Here, we have developed a simple approach to access narrow band gaps using hybrid edge structures. Bottom-up liquid-phase synthesis of bent = 6/8 armchair graphene nanoribbons (AGNRs) has been achieved in high efficiency through copolymerization between an -terphenyl monomer and a naphthalene-based monomer, followed by Scholl oxidation.

Racial difference in mortality among COVID-19 hospitalizations in California.

In the US, racial disparities in hospital outcomes are well documented. We explored whether race was associated with all-cause in-hospital mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission among COVID-19 patients in California. This was a retrospective analysis of California State Inpatient Database during 2020.