Risk for Post-Spinal Surgery Complications Associated with Pre-Operative Blood Transfusions

Introduction: The frequency of spinal surgeries has increased dramatically in the United States over the past decade and, as with all surgeries, spinal procedures carry inherent risks for complications after the operation. Recently, it has been recognized that procedures in which intra-operative/post-operative blood transfusions are administered carry a higher risk of postoperative morbidity and increased length of hospital stay (Seisean et al.). Despite this, there is little literature, currently, analyzing post-operative complications associated with blood transfusions taking place 72 hours prior to spinal operations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pre-operative blood transfusions in spinal surgeries and elucidate the associations that exist between those transfusions and post-operative complications. Materials & Methods: We retrospectively analyzed cases of spinal surgeries between 2005 and 2014 from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database with the exception of 2009 due to incomplete data. A total of 37,201 patients who had undergone spinal procedures were studied. Patients receiving pre-operative blood transfusions within 72 hours of surgery were documented. Demographic factors, including sex and age, were noted. Comorbidities included in this analysis include body mass index (BMI) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score. Post-operative complications were stratified into major and minor categories. Chi-squared test, Fisher\u27s exact test, and ANOVA were used to perform univariate testing where appropriate, while multivariate analyses were performed to determine independent risk factors for complications. Results:With the exception of pneumonia (p=0.096), blood transfusions prior to spinal surgeries were associated with increased risk for all major and minor complication criteria analyzed, with major complications including myocardial infarction (MI), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), stroke, peripheral nerve injury, deep wound infection, organ cavity infection, sepsis, and death (p Discussion: Overall, patients receiving blood transfusions within 72 hours prior to undergoing spinal procedures had increased rates of several post-operative complications. Among these complications, the most notable include superficial and deep wound infections, MI, pneumonia, DVT, stroke, and even death. Armed with this knowledge, surgeons would better be able to predict, and therefore mitigate, such post-operative complications in these patients. Future research in this area, directed toward stratification of risk based on the patient’s need for pre-operative blood transfusion and procedure type, would provide further insight into preventing post-operative complications after spinal surgeries

Securing the Future of GenAI: Policy and Technology

The rise of Generative AI (GenAI) brings about transformative potential across sectors, but its dual-use nature also amplifies risks. Governments globally are grappling with the challenge of regulating GenAI, balancing innovation against safety. China, the United States (US), and the European Union (EU) are at the forefront with initiatives like the Management of Algorithmic Recommendations, the Executive Order, and the AI Act, respectively. However, the rapid evolution of GenAI capabilities often outpaces the development of comprehensive safety measures, creating a gap between regulatory needs and technical advancements. A workshop co-organized by Google, University of Wisconsin, Madison (UW-Madison), and Stanford University aimed to bridge this gap between GenAI policy and technology. The diverse stakeholders of the GenAI space—from the public and governments to academia and industry—make any safety measures under consideration more complex, as both technical feasibility and regulatory guidance must be realized. This paper summarizes the discussions during the workshop which addressed questions, such as: How regulation can be designed without hindering technological progress? How technology can evolve to meet regulatory standards? The interplay between legislation and technology is a very vast topic, and we don’t claim that this paper is a comprehensive treatment on this topic. This paper is meant to capture findings based on the workshop, and hopefully, can guide discussion on this topic

Old English Literature and Renaissance Drama

The following video contains the session entitled “Old English Literature and Renaissance Drama” from the 2016 Second International Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Thought at Sam Houston State University. The papers presented in this session are "'Heaven swallowed the smoke ‘~The Shaping of Heaven, Hell, and the Hall in Beowulf “ by Deseree Probasco, and “Shifting Philosophies: Prospero from Medieval Servant to Renaissance Master” by Ryan Smit

Table_6_Daily positive and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic.XLSX

The COVID-19 pandemic influenced emotional experiences globally. We examined daily positive and negative affect between May/June 2020 and February 2021 (N = 151,049; 3,509,982 observations) using a convenience sample from a national mobile application-based survey that asked for daily affect reports. Four questions were examined: (1) How did people in the United States feel from May/June 2020 to February 2021?; (2) What demographic variables are related to positive and negative affect?; (3) What is the relationship between experienced stressors and daily affect?; and (4) What is the relationship between daily affect and preventive behavior? Positive affect increased, and negative decreased over time. Demographic differences mirrored those from before the pandemic (e.g., younger participants reported more negative and less positive affect). Stressors such as feeling unwell, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, exposure to COVID-19, and lack of sleep were associated with less positive and more negative affect. Exercising protective behaviors predicted future affect, and affect also predicted future protective behaviors (e.g., less protective behavior when happy but more when grateful and thoughtful). The implications for public health communication were discussed.</p

Table_1_Daily positive and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic.DOCX

The COVID-19 pandemic influenced emotional experiences globally. We examined daily positive and negative affect between May/June 2020 and February 2021 (N = 151,049; 3,509,982 observations) using a convenience sample from a national mobile application-based survey that asked for daily affect reports. Four questions were examined: (1) How did people in the United States feel from May/June 2020 to February 2021?; (2) What demographic variables are related to positive and negative affect?; (3) What is the relationship between experienced stressors and daily affect?; and (4) What is the relationship between daily affect and preventive behavior? Positive affect increased, and negative decreased over time. Demographic differences mirrored those from before the pandemic (e.g., younger participants reported more negative and less positive affect). Stressors such as feeling unwell, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, exposure to COVID-19, and lack of sleep were associated with less positive and more negative affect. Exercising protective behaviors predicted future affect, and affect also predicted future protective behaviors (e.g., less protective behavior when happy but more when grateful and thoughtful). The implications for public health communication were discussed.</p

Table_3_Daily positive and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic.XLSX

The COVID-19 pandemic influenced emotional experiences globally. We examined daily positive and negative affect between May/June 2020 and February 2021 (N = 151,049; 3,509,982 observations) using a convenience sample from a national mobile application-based survey that asked for daily affect reports. Four questions were examined: (1) How did people in the United States feel from May/June 2020 to February 2021?; (2) What demographic variables are related to positive and negative affect?; (3) What is the relationship between experienced stressors and daily affect?; and (4) What is the relationship between daily affect and preventive behavior? Positive affect increased, and negative decreased over time. Demographic differences mirrored those from before the pandemic (e.g., younger participants reported more negative and less positive affect). Stressors such as feeling unwell, experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, exposure to COVID-19, and lack of sleep were associated with less positive and more negative affect. Exercising protective behaviors predicted future affect, and affect also predicted future protective behaviors (e.g., less protective behavior when happy but more when grateful and thoughtful). The implications for public health communication were discussed.</p