Utilization trends of pedicle subtraction osteotomies compared to posterior spinal fusion for deformity: A national database analysis between 2008–2011

BACKGROUND: Increased awareness regarding the importance of the sagittal spinal profile has led to more aggressive correction of sagittal malalignment. The utilization trends of pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) for sagittal plane correction in spinal deformity surgery have not been well characterized. METHODS: A commercially available database (PearlDiver, Inc) was queried for both Private Payor and 5 % Medicare claims from 2008 to 2011. Revision and clarification of the coding guidelines for PSO were introduced in 2008. Patients who had a thoracic and/or lumbar PSO were identified using CPT codes (22206-22208). In order to appropriately interpret trends in PSO use, three comparison groups were identified. Patients who had a diagnosis of adult spine deformity were identified using ICD-9 codes. Patients who had fusion for spine deformity or posterior spine fusion were identified using CPT codes. Differences in annual utilization and demographics between these four groups were then compared. RESULTS: From the Private Payor database, 199 PSOs were identified with the number of PSOs increasing from 33 in 2008, to 61 in 2011, representing a 185 % increase. From the Medicare data, 102 PSOs were identified, increasing from 13 in 2008 to 32 in 2011, a 246 % increase. In contrast, from both databases, there was minimal to no increase in the incidence of adult spine deformity, fusion for spine deformity or posterior spine fusion over the study time interval. CONCLUSION: Over the study time interval, there was up to a 3.2-fold increase in the utilization of PSOs while the diagnosis of adult spine deformity, fusion for spine deformity and posterior spine fusions had minimal to no increase

Graft-Copolymerization of Acrylate Monomers onto Chitosan Induced by Gamma Radiation: Amphiphilic Polymers and Their Behavior at The Air-Water Interface

Graft polymerization induced by ionizing radiation is a powerful tool in materials science to modifying the physical properties of polymers. Chitosan is a biocompatible, biodegradable, antibacterial, and highly hydrophilic polysaccharide. In this work, we report the obtaining of amphiphilic polymers through graft polymerization of acrylic monomers (methyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, and hexyl acrylate) onto chitosan. The polymerization reaction was carried out by simultaneous irradiation of monomers and chitosan using a gamma radiation source of 60Co. The formation of Langmuir films of amphiphilic polymers was studied at the air-water interface through surface pressure versus main molecular area isotherms (Π-A) and hysteresis cycles of compression and decompression. Finally, it was analyzed the transferring of Langmuir films towards solid substrates to obtaining Langmuir-Blodgett films with potential application as an antibacterial coating. The microstructure of the Langmuir-Blodgett films was characterized by AFM microscopy observing a regular topography with roughness ranging between 0.53 and 0.6 μm

Benefits of Turbid River Plume Habitat for Lake Erie Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Recruitment Determined by Juvenile to Larval Genotype Assignment

Nutrient-rich, turbid river plumes that are common to large lakes and coastal marine ecosystems have been hypothesized to benefit survival of fish during early life stages by increasing food availability and (or) reducing vulnerability to visual predators. However, evidence that river plumes truly benefit the recruitment process remains meager for both freshwater and marine fishes. Here, we use genotype assignment between juvenile and larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from western Lake Erie to estimate and compare recruitment to the age-0 juvenile stage for larvae residing inside the highly turbid, south-shore Maumee River plume versus those occupying the less turbid, more northerly Detroit River plume. Bayesian genotype assignment of a mixed assemblage of juvenile (age-0) yellow perch to putative larval source populations established that recruitment of larvae was higher from the turbid Maumee River plume than for the less turbid Detroit River plume during 2006 and 2007, but not in 2008. Our findings add to the growing evidence that turbid river plumes can indeed enhance survival of fish larvae to recruited life stages, and also demonstrate how novel population genetic analyses of early life stages can contribute to determining critical early life stage processes in the fish recruitment process

Una evaluación de la escala sobre el miedo a la COVID-19 en docentes filipinos profesionales.

The global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has enormously induced psychological impacts on humans like fear. Considering this particular concern, there is a need to test instruments used to measure such psychological impact. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19) Scale originally developed by Ahorsu et al. (2020). A sample of 1,060 K to 12 professional teachers from Mindanao, Philippines were selected to participate in the online survey. The preliminary analysis showed a high level of perceived fear of COVID-19 in the respondents of this study. The results of the series of tests are encouraging as the FCV-19 Scale generated a robust construct validity for both one- and two- factor structure models and a very high internal consistency complemented by strong inter-item correlations and item-total correlations. The results further supported the concurrent validity of the FCV-19 Scale with selected COVID-19-related characteristics significantly predicting fear of COVID-19. Overall, this paper provides an assessment of the fear of COVID-19 in a sample of professional teachers and the properties of the FCV-19 Scale in a particular context. The FCV-19 Scale, a seven-item scale, is a valid and reliable measure that can be used to assess the fear of COVID-19 of Filipino teachers.La crisis mundial de la enfermedad del coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) ha inducido enormemente impactos psicológicos en los humanos como el miedo. Teniendo en cuenta esta preocupación particular, existe la necesidad de probar los instrumentos utilizados para medir dicho impacto psicológico. Este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala Miedo a COVID-19 (FCV-19) desarrollada originalmente por Ahorsu et al. (2020). Se seleccionó una muestra de 1.060 profesores profesionales de K a 12 de Mindanao, Filipinas, para participar en la encuesta en línea. El análisis preliminar mostró un alto nivel de miedo percibido a COVID-19 en los encuestados de este estudio. Los resultados de la serie de pruebas son alentadores ya que la Escala FCV-19 generó una validez de constructo robusta para modelos de estructura de uno y dos factores y una consistencia interna muy alta complementada por fuertes correlaciones entre ítems y correlaciones ítem-total. Los resultados respaldaron aún más la validez concurrente de la escala FCV-19 con características seleccionadas relacionadas con COVID-19 que predicen significativamente el miedo al COVID-19. En general, este artículo proporciona una evaluación del miedo al COVID-19 en una muestra de profesores profesionales y las propiedades de la Escala FCV-19 en un contexto particular. La escala FCV-19, una escala de siete ítems, es una medida válida y confiable que puede usarse para evaluar el miedo al COVID-19 de los maestros filipinos

Particle Backtracking Improves Breeding Subpopulation Discrimination and Natal-Source Identification in Mixed Populations

We provide a novel method to improve the use of natural tagging approaches for subpopulation discrimination and source-origin identification in aquatic and terrestrial animals with a passive dispersive phase. Our method integrates observed site-referenced biological information on individuals in mixed populations with a particle-tracking model to retrace likely dispersal histories prior to capture (i.e., particle backtracking). To illustrate and test our approach, we focus on western Lake Erie\u27s yellow perch (Perca flavescens) population during 2006-2007, using microsatellite DNA and otolith microchemistry from larvae and juveniles as natural tags. Particle backtracking showed that not all larvae collected near a presumed hatching location may have originated there, owing to passive drift during the larval stage that was influenced by strong river-and wind-driven water circulation. Re-assigning larvae to their most probable hatching site (based on probabilistic dispersal trajectories from the particle backtracking model) improved the use of genetics and otolith microchemistry to discriminate among local breeding subpopulations. This enhancement, in turn, altered (and likely improved) the estimated contributions of each breeding subpopulation to the mixed population of juvenile recruits. Our findings indicate that particle backtracking can complement existing tools used to identify the origin of individuals in mixed populations, especially in flow-dominated systems

Scoliosis Research Society members attitudes towards physical therapy and physiotherapeutic scoliosis specific exercises for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Background: Attitudes regarding non-operative treatment for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) may be changing with the publication of BRAiST. Physiotherapeutic Scoliosis Specific Exercises (PSSE) are used to treat AIS, but high-quality evidence is limited. The purpose of this study is to assess the attitudes of members of the Scoliosis Research Society towards PSSE. Methods: A survey was sent to all SRS members with questions on use of Physical Therapy (PT) and PSSE for AIS. Results: The majority of the 263 respondents were from North America (175, 67 %), followed by Asia (37, 14 %) and Europe (36, 14 %). The majority of respondents (166, 63 %) prescribed neither PT nor PSSE, 28 (11 %) prescribed both PT and PSSE, 39 (15 %) prescribe PT only and 30 (11 %) prescribe PSSE only. PT was prescribed by 67 respondents, as an adjunct to bracing (39) and in small curves (32); with goals to improve aesthetics (27) and post-operative outcomes (25). Of the 196 who do not prescribe PT, the main reasons were lack of evidence (149) and the perception that PT had no value (112). PSSE was prescribed by 58 respondents. The most common indication was as an adjunct to bracing (49) or small curves (41); with goals to improve aesthetics (36), prevent curve progression (35) and improve quality of life (31). Of the respondents who do not prescribe PSSE, the main reasons were lack of supporting research (149), a perception that PSSE had no value (108), and lack of access (63). Most respondents state that evidence of efficacy may increase the role of PSSE, with 85 % (223 of 263) favoring funding PSSE studies by the SRS. Conclusion: The results show that 22 % of the respondents use PSSE for AIS, skepticism remains regarding the benefit of PSSE for AIS. Support for SRS funded research suggests belief that there is potential benefit from PSSE and the best way to assess that potential is through evidence development

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) productivity influenced by microbial inocula under nitrogen-limited conditions in aquaponics.

The demand for food will outpace productivity of conventional agriculture due to projected growth of the human population, concomitant with shrinkage of arable land, increasing scarcity of freshwater, and a rapidly changing climate. While aquaponics has potential to sustainably supplement food production with minimal environmental impact, there is a need to better characterize the complex interplay between the various components (fish, plant, microbiome) of these systems to optimize scale up and productivity. Here, we investigated how the commonly-implemented practice of continued microbial community transfer from pre-existing systems might promote or impede productivity of aquaponics. Specifically, we monitored plant growth phenotypes, water chemistry, and microbiome composition of rhizospheres, biofilters, and fish feces over 61-days of lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. crispa) growth in nitrogen-limited aquaponic systems inoculated with bacteria that were either commercially sourced or originating from a pre-existing aquaponic system. Lettuce above- and below-ground growth were significantly reduced across replicates treated with a pre-existing aquaponic system inoculum when compared to replicates treated with a commercial inoculum. Reduced productivity was associated with enrichment in specific bacterial genera in plant roots, including Pseudomonas, following inoculum transfer from pre-existing systems. Increased productivity was associated with enrichment of nitrogen-fixing Rahnella in roots of plants treated with the commercial inoculum. Thus, we show that inoculation from a pre-existing system, rather than from a commercial inoculum, is associated with lower yields. Further work will be necessary to test the putative mechanisms involved

How do validated measures of functional outcome compare with commonly used outcomes in administrative database research for lumbar spinal surgery?

Clinical interpretation of health services research based on administrative databases is limited by the lack of patient-reported functional outcome measures. Reoperation, as a surrogate measure for poor outcome, may be biased by preferences of patients and surgeons and may even be planned a priori. Other available administrative data outcomes, such as postoperative cross sectional imaging (PCSI), may better reflect changes in functional outcome. The purpose was to determine if postoperative events captured from administrative databases, namely reoperation and PCSI, reflect outcomes as derived by validated functional outcome measures (short form 36 scores, Oswestry disability index) for patients who underwent discretionary surgery for specific degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine such as disc herniation, spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis, and isthmic spondylolisthesis. After reviewing the records of all patients surgically treated for disc herniation, spinal stenosis, degenerative spondylolisthesis, and isthmic spondylolisthesis at our institution, we recorded the occurrence of PCSI (MRI or CT-myelograms) and reoperations, as well as demographic, surgical, and functional outcome data. We determined how early (within 6 months) and intermediate (within 18 months) term events (PCSI and reoperations) were associated with changes in intermediate (minimum 1 year) and late (minimum 2 years) term functional outcome, respectively. We further evaluated how early (6–12 months) and intermediate (12–24 months) term changes in functional outcome were associated with the subsequent occurrence of intermediate (12–24 months) and late (beyond 24 months) term adverse events, respectively. From 148 surgically treated patients, we found no significant relationship between the occurrence of PCSI or reoperation and subsequent changes in functional outcome at intermediate or late term. Similarly, earlier changes in functional outcome did not have any significant relationship with subsequent occurrences of adverse events at intermediate or late term. Although it may be tempting to consider administrative database outcome measures as proxies for poor functional outcome, we cannot conclude that a significant relationship exists between the occurrence of PCSI or reoperation and changes in functional outcome