Pre-COVID-19 Social Determinants of Health Among Mexican Migrants in Los Angeles and New York City and Their Increased Vulnerability to Unfavorable Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - COVID-19 has disproportionally affected underrepresented minorities (URM) and low-income immigrants in the United States. The aim of the study is to...     

Pain in desmoid-type fibromatosis: Prevalence,determinants and prognosis value

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence, determinants and prognostic value of pain at diagnosis in patients with desmoid-type fibromatosis (DF). We selected patients from the ALTITUDES cohort (NCT02867033), managed by surgery, active surveillance or systemic treatments, with pain assessment at diagnosis. Patients were invited to fill QLQ-C30 questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale. Determinants were identified using logistic models. Prognostic value on event-free survival (EFS) was evaluated using the Cox model. Overall, 382 patients were included in the current study (median age: 40.2 years; 117 men). The prevalence of pain was 36%, without significant difference according to first-line treatment (P = .18). In the multivariate analysis, pain was significantly associated with tumor size >50 mm (P = .013) and tumor site (P < .001); pain was more frequent in the neck and shoulder locations (odds ratio: 3.05 [1.27-7.29]). Pain at baseline was significantly associated with poor quality of life (P < .001), depression (P = .02), lower performance status (P = .03) and functional impairment (P = .001); we also observed a nonsignificant association with anxiety (P = .10). In the univariate analysis, baseline pain was associated with poor EFS; the 3-year EFS was 54% in patients with pain compared to 72% in those without pain. After adjustment for sex, age, size and line of treatment, pain was still associated with poor EFS (hazard ratio: 1.82 [1.23-2.68], P = .003). One third of recently diagnosed patients with DF experienced pain, especially those with larger tumors and neck/shoulder locations. Pain was associated with unfavorable EFS after adjustment for the confounders.     

Model-Based Evaluation of Drying Kinetics and Solvent Diffusion in Pharmaceutical Thin Film Coatings

Pharmaceutical Research - Fluid-bed coating processes make it possible to manufacture pharmaceutical products with tuneable properties. The choice of polymer type and coating thickness provides...     

Treatment of multiple adjacent RT 1 gingival recessions with the modified coronally advanced tunnel (MCAT) technique and a collagen matrix or palatal connective tissue graft: 9-year results of a split-mouth randomized clinical trial

Clinical Oral Investigations - To evaluate t he long-term outcomes following treatment of RT 1 multiple adjacent gingival recessions (MAGR) using the modified coronally advanced tunnel (MCAT) with...     

Drezotomía en el tratamiento del dolor por desaferentización: revisión de resultados y análisis de factores predictores de éxito

Background and objectivesThe treatment of deafferentation pain by spinal DREZotomy is a proven therapeutic option in the literature. In recent years, use of DREZotomy has been relegated to second place due to the emergence of neuromodulation therapies. The objectives of this study are to demonstrate that DREZotomy continues to be an effective and safe treatment and to analyse predictive factors for success.Patients and methodsA retrospective study was conducted of all patients treated in our department with spinal DREZotomy from 1998 to 2018. Bulbar DREZotomy procedures were excluded. A visual analogue scale (VAS) and the reduction of routine medication were used as outcome variables. Demographic, clinical and operative variables were analysed as predictive factors for success.ResultsA total of 27 patients (51.9% female) with a mean age of 53.7 years underwent DREZotomy. The main cause of pain was brachial plexus injury (BPI) (55.6%) followed by neoplasms (18.5%). The mean time of pain evolution was 8.4 years with a mean intensity of 8.7 according to the VAS, even though 63% of the patients had previously received neurostimulation therapy. Favourable outcome (≥ 50% pain reduction in the VAS) was observed in 77.8% of patients during the postoperative period and remained in 59.3% of patients after 22 months average follow-up (mean reduction of 4.9 points). This allowed for a reduction in routine analgesic treatment in 70.4% of them. DREZotomy in BPI-related pain presented a significantly higher success rate (93%) than the other pathologies (41.7%) (p = .001). No association was observed between outcome and age, gender, DREZ technique, duration of pain or previous neurostimulation therapies. There were six neurological complications, four post-operative transient neurological deficits and two permanent deficits.ConclusionDorsal root entry zone surgery is effective and safe for treating patients with deafferentation pain, especially after brachial plexus injury. It can be considered an alternative treatment after failed neurostimulation techniques for pain control. However, its indication should be considered as the first therapeutic option after medical therapy failure due to its good long-term results.