Tufts Medical Center

Smooth muscle cell mineralocorticoid receptor does not contribute to atherosclerosis in male or female ApoE-knockout mice

Background Young women have a lower risk of myocardial infarction (MI) compared to age-matched men, protection that is lost with aging or obesity. There are sex differences in human plaque histopathology, where male plaques are more inflamed and female plaques have more smooth mu...

Acute Effects of Impella 5.5 on Biventricular Filling and Pressure–Volume Area in Patients With Heart Failure Associated Cardiogenic Shock

Use of Impella 5.5 in patients with decompensated heart failure-associated cardiogenic shock (ADHF-CS) is increasing as a bridge to advanced therapies. The effects of maximal trans-valvular unloading on biventricular filling and pressure–volume area (PVA) in ADHF-CS are poorly un...

Return of Mailed Multitarget Stool DNA Test Kits and Subsequent Colorectal Cancer Incidence in the United States: A Retrospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION: Completion of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is essential to realizing the benefits of early detection and prevention; however, many individuals do not complete screening after a test is provided. The association between screening completion and subsequent CRC in...

Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Lowering in People With and Without Chronic Kidney Disease

Importance There is uncertainty about the effects of intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering on risks of cardiovascular disease and kidney failure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Objective To assess the standardized effects of intensive BP lowering on cardiovascular...

Comparison of prenatal self-report of tobacco use to direct measurement of umbilical cord cotinine

Abstract Objective This study compared maternal self-reports of prenatal tobacco product use with biochemically confirmed cotinine in umbilical cord tissue in newborns exposed to opioids in utero and unexposed controls. Study design Secondary data analysis on 179 pregnant women a...

Anticoagulation Treatment Response Among Phenotypic ESUS Clusters: Evidence From CASPR

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate treatment effect heterogeneity across phenotypic clusters of patients with cryptogenic embolic stroke using causal inference methods. Methods From a retrospective, multicenter cohort of patients with cryptogenic embolic stroke, we estimated the trea...

Orthobiologic Augmentation for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Is Not Associated With Improved Clinical or Radiographic Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Purpose To review current randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of orthobiologic augmentation for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) for clinical or radiographic outcomes. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science databases were queried...

Acceptance of Organs From Deceased Donors: Results of a Global Survey.

Background: With <10% of transplantation needs being met, one contributing factor may be the potential subjectivity in transplant specialists' acceptance of organs. Such decisions, if influenced by knowledge and/or comfort gaps, warrant intervention. We assessed knowledge and com...

Mind the Gap: Disparities in Education on Organ Donation and Transplantation-Results of a Global Survey.

Background: Widely accessible education on organ donation and transplantation (ODT) is a tool to reduce waiting lists, as <10% of transplant needs are met (Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation). We aimed to assess the current state of access to education on ODT worl...

Linguistic features from paragraph recall are markers of cognitive impairment

Abstract Objective Cognitive impairment is associated with language changes that may be elicited from verbal responses during neuropsychological assessments that are not captured in traditional scoring. The current study investigated the utility of a linguistic analysis of paragr...

Factors associated with longitudinal survey adherence and smartwatch usage among older adults in the electronic Framingham Heart Study

Sustaining long-term adherence to digital health protocols remains a major challenge, and factors influencing sustained use of digital devices among older adults are poorly understood. We identified sociodemographic, health-related, and technological factors associated with longi...

Back to economic fundamentals: a welfare-based accounting framework for societal value in health technology assessment

Practical adoption of “novel” value elements in value assessment remains uneven, in part because components are often defined inconsistently and may overlap. We develop a welfare-grounded accounting framework to organize societal value components and clarify when proposed element...

Implementation Strategies for Strengthening Community and Stakeholder Engagement in Clinical and Translational Pilot Studies

This article details participatory strategies in modestly funded, short-term studies that shape larger clinical and translational research. Specifically, we document engagement practices and strategies used in small-scale pilot studies for which the funder required applicants hav...

0060An Investigation of the Correlation Between Ultrafiltration and Postoperative Thrombocytopenia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Thrombocytopenia following cardiac surgery is common, and its association with increased morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery patients is well established. Interventions that impact platelet function or concentration therefore warrant significant attention and de...

An Endovascular Approach for Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Assessing Morphometric Candidacy After Venous Sinus Stenting

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Current treatments of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), a disorder of elevated intracranial pressure, include ventriculoperitoneal shunting and venous sinus stenting (VSS). Recently, transvenous endovascular shunting using the CereVasc eShunt s...

Paternal but not maternal adiposity is associated with reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in neonatal umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells

Parental adiposity is linked to offspring cardiometabolic risk, but whether altered insulin responsiveness is measurable at birth is unclear. We examined associations among maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI, documented in the medical record) and paternal preconception B...

Fatty Acid and Oxylipin Metabolism Differentiate Isolated Postcapillary From Combined Pre- and Postcapillary Pulmonary Hypertension

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to left-sided heart disease (Group 2 PH) is the most common type of PH and comprises 2 subtypes with distinct clinical profiles and outcomes: isolated postcapillary PH and combined pre- and postcapillary PH (Cpc-PH). Bioactive lipid der...

Cleft Summit 2025: How to Ensure Psychosocial Assessments Actually Improve the Lives of Children with Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Objective The 3 rd Cleft Summit examined whether and how cleft teams assess the psychosocial impact of facial differences on children and their families and sought to develop actionable strategies for improving psychosocial outcomes. Design Expert consensus study followed by a de...

A 6-Year-Old With Becker Muscular Dystrophy and Catatonia

Catatonia is often underrecognized and underdiagnosed, particularly in young children. Catatonia occurs secondary to a medical and/or psychiatric etiology. The diagnosis can be supported by validated rating scales, including the Pediatric Catatonia Rating Scale and/or response to...

Communication and support needs of dementia care partners at end-of-life

Background Care partners of people with dementia have many responsibilities, including providing care at end-of-life (EOL). Discussions about EOL are often delayed until late in the course of disease, if they occur at all. Objective Learn about the communication and support that...