Publications by authors named "Cindy Wang"

Objective: Legal cannabis dispensary employees ("Budtenders") are a significant resource for cannabis users. Current research indicates that cannabis use may adversely impact mental health. Public perception, however, is often inconsistent with this evidence, leading to increased use and disproportionate harm towards individuals with mental health disorders.

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Study Design: Long-term retrospective observational study.

Objective: Assess the influence of upper instrumented vertebrae (UIV) and future cervical spine surgery on patient-reported outcomes in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) treated with Harrington rod fusion.

Summary Of Background Data: Harrington rod has been largely replaced by pedicle screw fixation due to many considerations, including complications like pseudoarthrosis and implant failure.

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Background: Precision oncology depends on identifying the biological vulnerabilities of a tumor. Molecular assays, like transcriptomics, provide an information-rich view of the tumor that can be leveraged to inform therapeutic selection. However, the costs of such assays can be prohibitive for clinical translation at scale.

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Aim: Real-world outcomes in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (eHCC) are not well characterized. We aimed to evaluate treatment patterns and long-term outcomes in patients with eHCC treated with resection or ablation in the United States.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective study with Optum's de-identified Market Clarity Data.

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Purpose: To quantify and evaluate gait spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters in patients with symptomatic lumbar degeneration disc disease(LDD) with unilateral radiculopathy and/or neurogenic claudication.

Methods: Seventy-eight pre-operative patients with LDD and 27 healthy adult volunteers were identified at a single institution. Participants were fitted with a full-body external reflective marker set for gait analysis using a three-dimensional motion capture system.

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Background: Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Although pharmacotherapy can be effective, it is difficult to predict whether a patient will respond, leading to delays in care. Machine learning has emerged as a powerful tool to interpret clinical data to predict clinical outcomes but has not yet been applied to this question.

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Background: The worldwide introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 may have changed how its users perceive and interact with other chatbots. This possibility may confound the comparison of responses to pre-ChatGPT and post-ChatGPT iterations of pre-existing chatbots, in turn affecting the direction of their evolution. Before the release of ChatGPT, we created a therapeutic chatbot, MIBot, whose goal is to use motivational interviewing to guide smokers toward making the decision to quit smoking.

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Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) influences the pathobiology of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas (HSNCCs). While deep learning shows promise in detecting HPV from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slides, the histologic features utilized remain unclear. This study leverages artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models to characterize histopathologic features associated with HPV presence and objectively describe patterns of variability in the HPV-positive space.

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BackgroundAn occupational hazard is any workplace condition that poses a risk to an employee's health. Occupational hazards are ubiquitous in the field of anesthesiology and often go underappreciated. These hazards warrant careful assessment and strategic preventative planning.

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Prior research has shown that the death of a baby (whether it be through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss) can have profound effects on the parents involved. However, research has yet to adequately understand how these effects differ cross-culturally. Our research addresses these issues through a qualitative study of 47 bereaved mothers in the United States and New Zealand-cultures that have differing perspectives on death.

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Background: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. Despite a high overall cure rate, relapsed B-cell ALL remains a leading cause of cancer-related death among children. The addition of the bispecific T-cell engager molecule blinatumomab (an anti-CD19 and anti-CD3 single-chain molecule) to therapy for newly diagnosed standard-risk (as defined by the National Cancer Institute) B-cell ALL in children may improve outcomes.

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Background: Motivational interviewing (MI) is a therapeutic technique that has been successful in helping smokers reduce smoking but has limited accessibility due to the high cost and low availability of clinicians. To address this, the MIBot project has sought to develop a chatbot that emulates an MI session with a client with the specific goal of moving an ambivalent smoker toward the direction of quitting. One key element of an MI conversation is reflective listening, where a therapist expresses their understanding of what the client has said by uttering a reflection that encourages the client to continue their thought process.

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Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) inhibitors are among the most potent treatments for inflammatory arthropathies including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and spondyloarthropathies. The availability of these biologic agents have revolutionized the management of these conditions and improved patient outcomes. Though generally safe, these biologics may contribute to the induction or exacerbation of colitis.

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(Project LINK) was a service-learning cultural competence training programme completed by undergraduate dietetic students enrolled in the University of Saskatchewan's (USASK) nutrition and dietetic programme.This paper evaluates the impact of participation in the programme on students' cultural competence. We conducted a cross-sectional survey and qualitative analysis of reflective essays of 107 participants of Project LINK from 2011 to 2014.

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A distinct adipose tissue distribution pattern was observed in patients with methylmalonyl-CoA mutase deficiency, an inborn error of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) metabolism, characterized by centripetal obesity with proximal upper and lower extremity fat deposition and paucity of visceral fat, that resembles familial multiple lipomatosis syndrome. To explore brown and white fat physiology in methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), body composition, adipokines, and inflammatory markers were assessed in 46 patients with MMA and 99 matched controls. Fibroblast growth factor 21 levels were associated with acyl-CoA accretion, aberrant methylmalonylation in adipose tissue, and an attenuated inflammatory cytokine profile.

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Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint blockade therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. Although PD-1 blockade is effective in a subset of patients with cancer, many fail to respond because of either primary or acquired resistance. Thus, next-generation strategies are needed to expand the depth and breadth of clinical responses.

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Objective: Progressive hepatic fibrosis can be considered the final stage of chronic liver disease. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) play a central role in liver fibrogenesis. Thyroid hormones (TH, e.

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Despite almost one-third of women suffering from the loss of a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss, it is surprising how little research examines how such loss affects the identity and stigmas experienced by these individuals. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with bereaved mothers (in particular, mothers who lost a baby during pregnancy or within one year after birth), this research sheds light on the bereaved mother's experiences after loss. Specifically, this research applies the identity-threat model of stigma to showcase the process of stigmatized loss.

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Hematologic malignancy is a risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults; however, data specific to children with leukemia are limited. High-quality infectious adverse event data from the ongoing Children's Oncology Group (COG) standard-risk B acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (ALL/LLy) trial, AALL1731, were analyzed to provide a disease-specific estimate of SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes in pediatric ALL. Of 253 patients with reported infections, the majority (77.

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Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to determine the primary, assisted primary and secondary patency rates of the Endologix AFX stent-graft in patients considered high risk for open surgery with complex aorto-iliac occlusive disease. The secondary objective was to determine 30-day major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of clinical records of 38 patients who underwent AFX stent-graft placement for aorto-iliac occlusive disease from 2016 to 2019.

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Anatomical variations of the spinal cord are seen in many manifestations; one rare variant that does not stem from a neural tube defect is known as a split cord malformation (SCM). In this variation, a deviation from normal development causes the spinal cord to divide into two hemicords, typically in the lumbar region. In the case described here, a SCM was observed with large, bilateral, radiculopial arteries.

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