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US to identify abscesses in patients in the emergency department with SSTIs. POCUS increases the ability to rule in the diagnosis and changes management in a clinically relevant number of patients with SSTIs.

Previous reports suggest that many factors impact recovery from burn injury. To improve our understanding of these factors, we queried adult burn survivors using a mixed method design during the first year after injury.

An anonymous, 2-page survey was developed and administered to adult burn survivors during routine outpatient clinic follow-up visits at a regional burn center. Participants rated issues of concern and their impacts on return to pre-burn activity levels. Both quantitative and qualitative data were obtained. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to identify, analyze and report patterns from open-ended responses.

Over seven months in 2016, 187 patients completed the anonymous survey. Study participants were predominantly male, white, and non-Hispanic. Participants who had not yet returned to pre-burn function reported worse outcomes for all issues queried compared to those who had. Burn survivors from racial and ethnic minority groups reported greater difficulty with accessing medical care and information about their injury as well as higher levels of self-identified posttraumatic stress, issues related to appearance and concerns for loss of strength. Several themes and sub-themes were identified that had both negative and positive impact on early recovery. Such themes included healing process, psychological recovery and emotional health, and community reintegration/employment.

Several themes from responses provided insight into challenges as well as key support systems during the first year of recovery after injury. Collectively, these findings can be used to direct clinical outpatient care, patient education and psychosocial support services.

Several themes from responses provided insight into challenges as well as key support systems during the first year of recovery after injury. Collectively, these findings can be used to direct clinical outpatient care, patient education and psychosocial support services.

Abnormalities in fronto-striatal-thalamic (FST) sub-circuits are present in schizophrenia and are associated with cognitive impairments. However, it remains unknown whether abnormalities in FST sub-circuits are present before psychosis onset. This may be elucidated by investigating 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS), a genetic syndrome associated with a 30% risk for developing schizophrenia in adulthood and a decline in Verbal IQ (VIQ) preceding psychosis onset. Here, we examined white matter (WM) tracts in FST sub-circuits, especially those in the dorsolateral (DLPFC) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) sub-circuits, and their associations with VIQ in young adults with 22q11DS.

Diffusion MRI scans were acquired from 21 individuals with 22q11DS with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia, 30 individuals with 22q11DS without prodromal symptoms, and 30 healthy controls (mean age 21±2years). WM tracts were reconstructed between striatum and thalamus with rostral middle frontal gyrus (rMFG) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), representing DLPFC and VLPFC respectively. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) were used for group comparisons. VIQ was assessed and associations with the diffusion measures were evaluated.

FA was significantly increased and RD decreased in most tracts of the DLPFC and VLPFC sub-circuits in 22q11DS. Verbal IQ scores correlated negatively with FA and, at trend level, positively with RD in the right thalamus-IFG tract in 22q11DS with prodromal symptoms.

While abnormalities in FST sub-circuits are associated with schizophrenia, we observed that these abnormalities are also present in 22q11DS individuals with prodromal symptoms and are associated with verbal performance in the right thalamus-IFG tract.

While abnormalities in FST sub-circuits are associated with schizophrenia, we observed that these abnormalities are also present in 22q11DS individuals with prodromal symptoms and are associated with verbal performance in the right thalamus-IFG tract.

Endometriosis (EM) is linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, whether this finding can be applied to the Taiwanese population remained unanswered. To investigate the association between EM and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and the therapeutic effect on the risk of MACCE in Asian women with EM. A retrospective population-based cohort study was performed.

A total of 17 543 patients with EM aged between 18 and 50 years were identified from a general population of 1 million Taiwanese after excluding diagnoses of major CVD and cerebrovascular accident (CVA) prior to EM. The comparison group (n=70 172) without EM was selected by matching the study cohort with age, sex, and income and urbanization levels in a 41 ratio.

During a median follow-up period of 9.2 years, Taiwanese women with EM had a significantly higher frequency of comorbidities, medical and surgical treatment, and MACCE than did their non-EM counterparts (2.76% vs 2.18%, P<.0001). After adjustment for comorbidities, patients with EM had an approximately 1.2-fold increased risk of MACCE (95% CI 1.05-1.29; P=.0053) and a higher cumulative incidence of MACCE compared with the normal population. learn more Neither medical nor surgical treatment increased the risk of MACCE. Furthermore, medical treatment for EM appeared to be protective against MACCE.

Taiwanese women with EM not only had a substantially higher frequency of comorbidities but also an increased risk of MACCE compared with the general population.

Taiwanese women with EM not only had a substantially higher frequency of comorbidities but also an increased risk of MACCE compared with the general population.

Vitamin D plays a major role in biological processes. Its deficiency is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Patients who have undergone endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) present with protein-energy malnutrition, and may be at risk for Vitamin D deficiency, due to their age, less sunlight exposure and lower dietary intake. We aimed to determine the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in PEG-patients, its change under PEG-feeding, and its relationship with serum proteins and risk factors for Vitamin D deficiency.

This was a prospective observational study, over 4 weeks, after gastrostomy. Data were collected at the initial PEG procedure (T0), and after 4 weeks (T1). Initial evaluation included age, gender, underlying disorder, NRS-2002, BMI, serum albumin, transferrin and Vitamin D. At T1 we assessed Vit. D, albumin, and transferrin. Vitamin D was performed with Electrochemiluminescence through Elecsys 2010 assay. Patients were fed with blended homemade meals.

200 patients (118 males), 22-92 years of age, were studied.