Elements of Visuopathy of Prematurity Are Unified by Intermittent or Sustained Systemic Inflammation.

We hypothesize that the major pathologies associated with the visual system in preterm infants, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), cerebral visual impairment (CVI), and neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI), are unified by a common etio-pathogenesis involving intermittent and/or sustained systemic inflammation (ISSI). We refer to the resulting adverse visual outcomes (AVO) as "visuopathy of prematurity" (VOP). We present the published evidence supporting an etio-pathogenic paradigm centered around ISSI that begins before birth (early phase 1), is exacerbated in the newborn period (intermediate phase 2), and culminates in adverse visual and neurodevelopmental outcomes (late phase 3).

Retinopathy of Prematurity and Neurodevelopmental and Quality-of-Life Outcomes at 10 Years of Age.

To evaluate, in a cohort of children born extremely preterm, the hypothesis that increasing severity of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is associated with less optimal vision, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and parent-reported quality of life.The Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn study is a multicenter, longitudinal cohort study. Study participants were born before 28 completed weeks of gestation during the years 2002 to 2004 and were enrolled at birth at 14 U.

Retinopathy of prematurity and beyond: P values don't make risk factors.

Suggests not to use p values to decide whether an association exists between two variables. Offers clarification of what p values mean and supports the interpretation of confidence intervals as "compatibility intervals". Advocates for better decision making in pediatric clinical epidemiology.

Biologic Correlates and Consequences of the Social Determinants of Health and Disease.

The consequences of experiences and exposures suffered by those living in poverty can last a lifetime and can even be passed on to the next generation. The challenges associated with poverty have been labeled the "social determinants of health" (SDoH), but this is something of a misnomer. A more appropriate label would be the "social determinants of disease.

Neonatal Sepsis Episodes and Retinopathy of Prematurity in Very Preterm Infants.

Importance: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major morbidity of preterm infants causing visual impairment, including blindness, for which timely treatment is vital and prevention is key. Increasing evidence suggests that exposure to neonatal sepsis contributes to ROP development.

Objective: To investigate the association between neonatal sepsis and ROP in 2 large-scale cohorts of preterm infants born at less than 29 weeks' gestation.

Developmental authenticity - underlying dynamics of inner work processes.

An emerging body of research attends to grasp the concept of authenticity. Nonetheless, a view on the developmental part with its underlying facets of processes, is rare. In this paper, we aim to take a deeper look into the dynamics of inner work processes, that define certain authenticity developmental stages.

Neonatal sepsis as a cause of retinopathy of prematurity: An etiological explanation.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a complex neonatal disorder with multiple contributing factors. In this paper we have mounted the evidence in support of the proposal that neonatal sepsis meets all requirements for being a cause of ROP (not a condition, mechanism, or even innocent bystander) by means of initiating the early stages of the pathomechanism of ROP occurrence, systemic inflammation. We use the model of etiological explanation, which distinguishes between two overlapping processes in ROP causation.

Erythrocyte transfusions are associated with retinopathy of prematurity in extremely low gestational age newborns.

Aim: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major morbidity in preterm infants causing visual impairment including blindness. Prevention and timely treatment are critical. We investigated the potential role of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions as risk factor for ROP development.

Retinal structure and visual pathway function at school age in children born extremely preterm: a population-based study.

Background: Children born extremely preterm (gestational age < 28 weeks) show reduced visual function even without any cerebral or ophthalmological neonatal diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to assess the retinal structure with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual function with pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEPs) in a geographically defined population-based cohort of school-aged children born extremely preterm. Moreover, we aimed to explore the association between measures of retinal structure and visual pathway function in this cohort.

Opioid-related mortality: Dynamic temporal and spatial trends by drug type and demographic subpopulations, Massachusetts, 2005-2021.

Background: Fatal opioid-related overdoses (OOD) present significant public health challenges. Intuitive and replicable analytical approaches are needed to inform targeted public health responses.

Methods: We obtained fatal OOD data for 2005-2021 from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics.

Small Area Forecasting of Opioid-Related Mortality: Bayesian Spatiotemporal Dynamic Modeling Approach.

Background: Opioid-related overdose mortality has remained at crisis levels across the United States, increasing 5-fold and worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to provide forecasts of opioid-related mortality at granular geographical and temporal scales may help guide preemptive public health responses. Current forecasting models focus on prediction on a large geographical scale, such as states or counties, lacking the spatial granularity that local public health officials desire to guide policy decisions and resource allocation.

PRENATAL MATERNAL CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY.

Purpose: Determine whether prenatal maternal characteristics such as sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, or pregnancy complications affect retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) development.

Methods: Medical records of 236 mother-infant dyads from our institution were reviewed, only including dyads in which infants were born at 30 weeks gestational age or earlier. The primary outcome measure was the risk of ROP (defined Stage 1 or greater in either eye) and its association with prenatal maternal variables.

Visual function correlates with neurodevelopment in a population cohort of school-aged children born extremely preterm.

Aim: To investigate visual function and neurodevelopment in a geographically defined population cohort of school-aged children born extremely preterm.

Methods: All children born extremely preterm in Central Norway between 2006 and 2011 (n=65) were identified, and 36 (median age, min/max: 13, 10/16) were included. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity (four spatial frequencies), parent-reported challenges and neuropsychological testing in learning, executive functions, motor skills, perception, reaction time, working and visual memory, processing speed, and pattern separation were measured.

Web-Based Health Information-Seeking Methods and Time Since Provider Engagement: Cross-sectional Study.

Background: The use of web-based methods to seek health information is increasing in popularity. As web-based health information (WHI)-seeking affects health-related decision support and chronic symptom self-management, WHI-seeking from online sources may impact health care decisions and outcomes, including care-seeking decisions. Patients who are routinely connected to physicians are more likely to receive better and more consistent care.

Retinopathy of prematurity.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a devastating neurovascular disease of the retina in newborn infants that can lead to vision deficits or even blindness. In this concise review we discuss our current knowledge about diagnosis, etiology, pathogenesis, intervention, and outcomes of the disease. Major advancements have been made both in categorizing the disease in the new International Classification of Retinopathy of Prematurity, Third Edition classification and in treating severe ROP with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents.

The Representation of Causality and Causation with Ontologies: A Systematic Literature Review.

Objective: To explore how disease-related causality is formally represented in current ontologies and identify their potential limitations.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search on eight databases (PubMed, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engendering (IEEE Xplore), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Scopus, Web of Science databases, Ontobee, OBO Foundry, and Bioportal. We included studies published between January 1, 1970, and December 9, 2020, that formally represent the notions of causality and causation in the medical domain using ontology as a representational tool.

Health Humanities in Medicina: The Auxiliary Stance.

At the core of medicine is the idea to help fellow human beings by improving or even restoring their health [...

Causation and causal inference in obstetrics-gynecology.

Causation and causal inference are of utmost importance in obstetrics and gynecology. In many clinical situations, causal reasoning is involved in etiological explanations, diagnostic considerations, and conversations about prognosis. In this paper, we offer an overview of the philosophical accounts of causation that may not be familiar to, but still be appreciated by, the busy clinician.