Virtual Reality Facilitated Exercise Increases Sympathetic Activity and Reduces Pain Perception: A Randomized Crossover Study.

OBJECTIVE: Both virtual reality (VR) and exercise reduce pain while avoiding the risks of traditional pharmacotherapy. The aim of this study was to assess how VR-facilitated exercise modulates sympathetic activity and pain perception. DESIGN: Healthy adult volunteers were randomized by hand dominance and then subjected to a standardized cold pressor test while experiencing a VR application. After a 5-minute washout, participants were crossed-over and repeated the test on their other hand while undergoing a VR-facilitated exercise application. Sympathetic activation, pain sensation, and pain tolerance data were collected identically during both conditions. RESULTS: 110 participants were analyzed. Sympathetic activity increased in both conditions but was higher in the VR-facilitated exercise condition (p < 0.0001). Pain sensation scores were initially higher with VR-facilitated exercise but dropped below the VR-only condition by the end of the intervention (p = 0.0175). There were no differences in pain tolerance between conditions (p = 0.18). CONCLUSION: The decrease in pain perception with VR-facilitated exercise condition compared to VR alone indicates VR-facilitated exercise can be a useful tool for managing pain. Though this effect did not translate into higher pain tolerance, VR-facilitated exercise may be a useful intervention in the setting of physical therapy or for patients with chronic pain.

AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Iron Deficiency Anemia: Expert Review.

DESCRIPTION: In this Clinical Practice Update (CPU), we will Best Practice Advice (BPA) guidance on the appropriate management of iron deficiency anemia. METHODS: This expert review was commissioned and approved by the AGA Institute Clinical Practice Updates Committee (CPUC) and the AGA Governing Board to provide timely guidance on a topic of high clinical importance to the AGA membership, and underwent internal peer review by the CPUC and external peer review through standard procedures of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. These Best Practice Advice (BPA) statements were drawn from a review of the published literature and from expert opinion. Since systematic reviews were not performed, these BPA statements do not carry formal ratings regarding the quality of evidence or strength of the presented considerations. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 1: No single formulation of oral iron has any advantages over any other. Ferrous sulfate is preferred as the least expensive iron formulation. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 2: Give oral iron once a day at most. Every-other-day iron dosing may be better tolerated for some patients with similar or equal rates of iron absorption as daily dosing. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 3: Add vitamin C to oral iron supplementation to improve absorption. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 4: Intravenous iron should be used if the patient does not tolerate oral iron, ferritin levels do not improve with a trial of oral iron, or the patient has a condition in which oral iron is not likely to be absorbed. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 5: Intravenous iron formulations that can replace iron deficits with 1 or 2 infusions are preferred over those that require more than 2 infusions. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 6: All intravenous iron formulations have similar risks; true anaphylaxis is very rare. The vast majority of reactions to intravenous iron are complement activation-related pseudo-allergy (infusion reactions) and should be treated as such. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 7: Intravenous iron therapy should be used in individuals who have undergone bariatric procedures, particularly those that are likely to disrupt normal duodenal iron absorption, and have iron-deficiency anemia with no identifiable source of chronic gastrointestinal blood loss. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 8: In individuals with inflammatory bowel disease and iron-deficiency anemia, clinicians first should determine whether iron-deficiency anemia is owing to inadequate intake or absorption, or loss of iron, typically from gastrointestinal bleeding. Active inflammation should be treated effectively to enhance iron absorption or reduce iron depletion. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 9: Intravenous iron therapy should be given in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease, iron-deficiency anemia, and active inflammation with compromised absorption. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 10: In individuals with portal hypertensive gastropathy and iron-deficiency anemia, oral iron supplements initially should be used to replenish iron stores. Intravenous iron therapy should be used in patients with ongoing bleeding who do not respond to oral iron therapy. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 11: In individuals with portal hypertensive gastropathy and iron-deficiency anemia without another identified source of chronic blood loss, treatment of portal hypertension with nonselective ß-blockers can be considered. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 12: In individuals with iron-deficiency anemia secondary to gastric antral vascular ectasia who have an inadequate response to iron replacement, consider endoscopic therapy with endoscopic band ligation or thermal methods such as argon plasma coagulation. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 13: In patients with iron-deficiency anemia and celiac disease, ensure adherence to a gluten-free diet to improve iron absorption. Consider oral iron supplementation based on the severity of iron deficiency and patient tolerance, followed by intravenous iron therapy if iron stores do not improve. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 14: Deep enteroscopy performed in patients with iron-deficiency anemia suspected to have small-bowel bleeding angioectasias should be performed with a distal attachment to improve detection and facilitate treatment. Small-bowel angioectasias may be treated with ablative thermal therapies such as argon plasma coagulation or with mechanical methods such as hemostatic clips. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 15: Endoscopic treatment of angioectasias should be accompanied with iron replacement. Medical therapy for small-bowel angioectasias should be reserved for compassionate treatment in refractory cases when iron replacement and endoscopic therapy are ineffective.

A prospective, observational validation of HRAD±, a novel pediatric affect and cooperation scale.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: HRAD± was developed to quickly assess pediatric perioperative affect and cooperation. HRAD± represents: Happy, Relaxed, Anxious, Distressed, with a yes/no answer to cooperativity. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of HRAD± as an affect and cooperation assessment tool for inhalational mask induction. Secondary aims examined inter-rater reliability (IRR) of HRAD± and predictive validity of induction HRAD± with emergence delirium. DESIGN: This was a prospective observational investigation. SETTING: We conducted this investigation at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, an academic, quaternary care children's hospital in Northern California. PATIENTS: A total of 197 patients were included in this investigation. Children 1-14 years of age, who underwent daytime procedures with inhalational induction of anesthesia and American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I-III were eligible. INTERVENTIONS: During mask induction, two trained research assistants (RAs) independently scored the patient's affect and cooperation. After extubation, the same investigators observed the patient's emergence. MEASUREMENTS: RAs scored each mask induction using the following scales: HRAD±, modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS), Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD), and Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC). Correlations were calculated to HRAD±. IRR of HRAD± between the RAs as well as predictive validity of HRAD± to Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED), Watcha and Cravero scales were calculated. MAIN RESULTS: HRAD± scores strongly correlated with mYPAS (r = 0.840, p < 0.0001) with moderate correlation to OSBD (r = 0.685, p < 0.0001) and ICC (-0.663, p < 0.0001). IRR was moderate for the affect and cooperation portion of the HRAD± scale, respectively (κ = 0.595 [p < 0.0001], κ = 0.478 [p < 0.0001]). A weak correlation was observed with PAED (r = 0.134 [p = 0.0597]) vs HRAD±. No correlations were observed between Watcha (r = 0.013 [p = 0.8559]) and Cravero and HRAD± scales (r = 0.002 [p = 0.9767]). CONCLUSIONS: HRAD± is a clinically useful and simple scale for evaluating pediatric affect and cooperation during inhalational mask induction. Results demonstrate correlation with commonly utilized research assessment scales.

Reducing Preoperative Caregiver Anxiety With Virtual Reality: A Pragmatic, Randomized Controlled Study.

Pediatric patients and their caregivers often experience perioperative anxiety. Interventions reduce caregiver anxiety improve cooperation and contribute to an improved patient experience. This study seeks to evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR)-assisted mindfulness on perioperative caregiver anxiety. Participants were randomized into a standard of care (SOC) group, which included snacks but no technology-based distractions, or a VR group, which included snacks and a VR-guided meditation. Caregiver anxiety was measured before and after the intervention using the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A). Secondary aims explored participants' baseline anxiety with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). VR group participants completed a satisfaction survey. Linear regression models of VAS-A and STAI were used to compare group differences. Satisfaction survey results were reported with descriptive statistics. 26 participants were included, with 12 randomized to the SOC group and 14 to the VR group. VAS-A scores in the VR group were lower than those in the SOC group (p = .002). The STAI found no change in participants' state of anxiety in the SOC group (p = .7108), compared to a significant reduction (p = .014) in the VR group when controlling for anxiety traits. 12 of 14 caregivers in the VR group expressed satisfaction or strong satisfaction. This study supports the implementation of VR mindfulness as a method to reduce caregiver anxiety. VR use in the pediatric healthcare setting is safe and inexpensive, and the intervention had a high degree of participant satisfaction.

Virtual reality facilitated exercise improves pain perception: A crossover study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Both virtual reality (VR) and exercise are recognized for their analgesic and anxiolytic properties. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of VR-facilitated exercise to modulate pain. DESIGN: Within-subject cross-over clinical trial. SETTING: The Stanford Chariot Program conducted this study at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford (LCPHS). PATIENTS: Healthy participants meeting inclusion criteria were recruited by volunteer solicitation from LCPHS. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized by hand dominance and subjected to a standardized cold pressor test with no VR or exercise. After a 5-min wash-out period, participants repeated the test on their other hand while experiencing a VR-facilitated exercise condition. Pain sensitivity, pain tolerance, and sympathetic activation data were collected during both conditions. MEASUREMENTS: Pain sensitivity was scored 0-10 and collected every 30 s. Pain tolerance was recorded as the duration a participant could endure the painful stimuli. Sympathetic activation was measured by skin conductance response density (SCRD) and recorded in 30 s epochs by a biosensor. In all analyses, data were nested by participant. MAIN RESULTS: Forty-one participants completed both interventions. Pain sensitivity was reduced in the VR-facilitated exercise condition (p < 0.0001). There was no difference in pain tolerance between conditions. While both conditions resulted in an increase in sympathetic activity, SCRD was higher at all time points in the VR-facilitated exercise condition. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in pain sensitivity indicates VR-facilitated exercise results in improved pain perception. VR-facilitated exercise may be especially useful for patients with chronic pain or other conditions requiring physical therapy, where pain may be exacerbated by exercise.

Vitamin D Deficiency (VDD) and Benefits of Supplementation in Veterans with IBS-D.

Many veterans deployed to Gulf War areas suffer from persistent chronic diarrhea that is disabling and affects their quality of life. The causes for this condition have eluded investigators until recently and recent literature has shed light on the effect of vitamin D on the brain-gut axis. This study focused on determining clinical causes contributing to diarrhea and assessed whether reversing the identified causes, specifically vitamin D deficiency (VDD), could reduce the incidence of diarrhea in Gulf War veterans (GWVs). All patients completed a workup that included serologies (IBD, celiac), routine laboratory tests (CBC, chemistry panels, TSH, T4, CRP), cultures for enteric pathogens (C diff, bacteria, viruses, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)), and upper and lower endoscopies with histology and a trial of cholestyramine to exclude choleretic diarrhea and rifaximin for dysbiosis. A total of 4221 veterans were screened for chronic diarrhea, yielding 105 GWVs, of which 69 GWVs had irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D). Paired t-tests demonstrated that all GWVs had VDD (t-11.62, df68 and sig(2-tailed) 0.0001) (defined as a vitamin D level less than 30 ng/mL with normal ranges of 30-100 ng/mL) but no positive serologies, inflammatory markers, abnormal endoscopies, cultures, or histology to explain their persistent diarrhea. There was no correlation with age, BMI, or inflammation. Some zip codes had a higher frequency of GWVs with VDD, but the number of deployments had no impact. Treatment with vitamin D supplementation (3000-5000 units), given in the morning, based on weight, reduced the number of bowel movements per day (p < 0.0001) without causing hypercalcemia. We suggest that VDD is important in the etiology of IBS-D in GWVs and that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduces diarrhea.

Associations between county-level public health expenditures and community health planning activities with COVID-19 incidence and mortality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed consequences of past defunding of the U.S. public health system, but the extent to which public health infrastructure is associated with COVID-19 burden is unknown. We aimed to determine whether previous county-level public health expenditures and community health planning activities are associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths. We examined 3050 of 3143 U.S. counties and county equivalents from March 1, 2020 to February 28, 2022. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression and generalized additive models were used to estimate associations between county-level public health expenditures and completion of community health planning activities by a county health department with outcomes of county-level COVID-19 cases and deaths per 100,000 population. After adjusting for county-level covariates, counties in the highest tertile of public health expenditures per capita had on average 542 fewer COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population (95% CI, -1004 to -81) and 21 fewer deaths per 100,000 population (95% CI, -32 to -10) than counties in the lowest tertile. For analyses of community health planning activities, adjusted estimates of association remained negative for COVID-19 deaths, but confidence intervals included negative and positive values. In conclusion, higher levels of local public health expenditures and community health planning activities were associated with fewer county-level COVID-19 deaths, and to a lesser extent, cases. Future public health funding should be aligned with evidence for the value of county health departments programs and explore further which types of spending are most cost effective.

Participant Perceptions of Augmented Reality Simulation for Cardiac Anesthesiology Training: A Prospective, Mixed-Methods Study.

Background: Simulations are a critical component of anesthesia education, and ways to broaden their delivery and accessibility should be studied. The primary aim was to characterize anesthesiology resident, fellow, and faculty experience with augmented reality (AR) simulations. The secondary aim was to explore the feasibility of quantifying performance using integrated eye-tracking technology. Methods: This was a prospective, mixed-methods study using qualitative thematic analysis of user feedback and quantitative analysis of gaze patterns. The study was conducted at a large academic medical center in Northern California. Participants included 7 anesthesiology residents, 6 cardiac anesthesiology fellows, and 5 cardiac anesthesiology attendings. Each subject participated in an AR simulation involving resuscitation of a patient with pericardial tamponade. Postsimulation interviews elicited user feedback, and eye-tracking data were analyzed for gaze duration and latency. Results: Thematic analysis revealed 5 domains of user experience: global assessment, spectrum of immersion, comparative assessment, operational potential, and human-technology interface. Participants reported a positive learning experience and cited AR technology's portability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency as qualities that may expand access to simulation training. Exploratory analyses of gaze patterns suggested that trainees had increased gaze duration of vital signs and gaze latency of malignant arrythmias compared with attendings. Limitations of the study include lack of a control group and underpowered statistical analyses of gaze data. Conclusions: This study suggests positive user perception of AR as a novel modality for medical simulation training. AR technology may increase exposure to simulation education and offer eye-tracking analyses of learner performance.

Groundwater constituents and the incidence of kidney cancer.

BACKGROUND: Kidney cancer incidence demonstrates significant geographic variation suggesting a role for environmental risk factors. This study sought to evaluate associations between groundwater exposures and kidney cancer incidence. METHODS: The authors identified constituents from 18,506 public groundwater wells in all 58 California counties measured in 1996-2010, and obtained county-level kidney cancer incidence data from the California Cancer Registry for 2003-2017. The authors developed a water-wide association study (WWAS) platform using XWAS methodology. Three cohorts were created with 5 years of groundwater measurements and 5-year kidney cancer incidence data. The authors fit Poisson regression models in each cohort to estimate the association between county-level average constituent concentrations and kidney cancer, adjusting for known risk factors: sex, obesity, smoking prevalence, and socioeconomic status at the county level. RESULTS: Thirteen groundwater constituents met stringent WWAS criteria (a false discovery rate <0.10 in the first cohort, followed by p values <.05 in subsequent cohorts) and were associated with kidney cancer incidence. The seven constituents directly related to kidney cancer incidence (and corresponding standardized incidence ratios) were chlordane (1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.10), dieldrin (1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07), 1,2-dichloropropane (1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05), 2,4,5-TP (1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05), glyphosate (1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04), endothall (1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03), and carbaryl (1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.03). Among the six constituents inversely related to kidney cancer incidence, the standardized incidence ratio furthest from the null was for bromide (0.97; 95% CI, 0.94-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified several groundwater constituents associated with kidney cancer. Public health efforts to reduce the burden of kidney cancer should consider groundwater constituents as environmental exposures that may be associated with the incidence of kidney cancer.

A complex systems model of breast cancer etiology: The Paradigm II Model.

BACKGROUND: Complex systems models of breast cancer have previously focused on prediction of prognosis and clinical events for individual women. There is a need for understanding breast cancer at the population level for public health decision-making, for identifying gaps in epidemiologic knowledge and for the education of the public as to the complexity of this most common of cancers. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We developed an agent-based model of breast cancer for the women of the state of California using data from the U.S. Census, the California Health Interview Survey, the California Cancer Registry, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the literature. The model was implemented in the Julia programming language and R computing environment. The Paradigm II model development followed a transdisciplinary process with expertise from multiple relevant disciplinary experts from genetics to epidemiology and sociology with the goal of exploring both upstream determinants at the population level and pathophysiologic etiologic factors at the biologic level. The resulting model reproduces in a reasonable manner the overall age-specific incidence curve for the years 2008-2012 and incidence and relative risks due to specific risk factors such as BRCA1, polygenic risk, alcohol consumption, hormone therapy, breastfeeding, oral contraceptive use and scenarios for environmental toxin exposures. CONCLUSIONS: The Paradigm II model illustrates the role of multiple etiologic factors in breast cancer from domains of biology, behavior and the environment. The value of the model is in providing a virtual laboratory to evaluate a wide range of potential interventions into the social, environmental and behavioral determinants of breast cancer at the population level.

Risk of Incident and Fatal Colorectal Cancer After Young-Onset Adenoma Diagnosis: A National Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality rates are increasing in adults aged <50 years. Young-onset adenoma (YOA)-adenoma detected in adults younger than 50 years-may signify increased CRC risk, but this association has not been widely studied. Our aim was to compare the risk of incident and fatal CRC in adults aged <50 years with YOA diagnosis compared with those with a normal colonoscopy. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of US Veterans aged 18-49 years who received colonoscopy between 2005 and 2016. The primary exposure of interest was YOA. Primary outcomes included incident and fatal CRC. We used Kaplan-Meier curves to calculate cumulative incident and fatal CRC risk and Cox models to examine relative CRC risk. RESULTS: The study cohort included 54,284 Veterans aged <50 years exposed to colonoscopy, among whom 13% (n = 7,233) had YOA at start of follow-up. Cumulative 10-year CRC incidence was 0.11% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.00%-0.27%) after any adenoma diagnosis, 0.18% (95% CI: 0.02%-0.53%) after advanced YOA diagnosis, 0.10% (95% CI: 0.00%-0.28%) after nonadvanced adenoma diagnosis, and 0.06% (95% CI: 0.02%-0.09%) after normal colonoscopy. Veterans with advanced adenoma had 8-fold greater incident CRC risk than those with normal colonoscopy (hazard ratio: 8.0; 95% CI: 1.8-35.6). Across groups, no differences in fatal CRC risk were observed. DISCUSSION: Young-onset advanced adenoma diagnosis was associated with 8-fold increased incident CRC risk compared with normal colonoscopy. However, cumulative CRC incidence and mortality at 10 years among individuals with either young onset non-advanced or advanced adenoma diagnosis were both relatively low.

Strategic Management of Bleeding Small Bowel Gastrointestinal Angiodysplasias (GIADs): A 12 Year Retrospective Review in a Veteran Population and Cost Comparison.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal angiodysplasias (GIADs), also known as gastrointestinal angioectasias, are dilated, abnormally thin-walled blood vessels that occur in the mucosa and submucosa throughout the gastrointestinal tract. As a common cause of small bowel bleeding, GIADs have a significant impact on patient's morbidity and healthcare costs. Presently, somatostatin has been used widely to treat GIADs, but it is unclear if other therapies are as beneficial and cost-effective as somatostatin in managing GIADs. (2) Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed, which included subjects treated with Lanreotide, a somatostatin analog, and other therapies at the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (VALLHCC) from January 2006 to December 2018. Patients who had symptomatic GIADs were detected by video capsule endoscopy (VCE), a device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) or, in our case, push enteroscopy (PE) with an Endocuff. (3) Results: Three hundred twelve patients were diagnosed with GIADs. In this group of patients, 72 underwent ablation (endoscopic BICAP) with the addition of Lanreotide (SST), 63 underwent ablation therapy, eight were treated with SST only, 128 received iron replacement only, 25 received iron plus SST therapy, and 61 were observed with no therapy. Each group was followed via their hemoglobin (Hgb) level immediately thereafter, and Hgb levels were then obtained every 3 months for a 12-month period. After ablation therapy, 63 patients maintained stable Hgb levels over the course of the study, suggesting a significant therapeutic effect by controlling active bleeding. The 27 patients receiving ablation +SST therapy did not show improvements when compared to ablation only and the 128 patients who received iron therapy alone. (4) Conclusions: Importantly, 12 years of managing these patients has given us a cost- and time-sensitive strategy to maintain the patients' Hgb levels and avoid hospital admissions for acute bleeding. Iron treatment alone is effective compared to SST treatment in recovering from GIADs. Eliminating SST treatment from therapeutic intervention would save $89,100-445,550 per patient, depending on the number of doses for private care patients and $14,286-28,772 for VA patients, respectively. A suggested therapy would be to perform DAE on actively bleeding patients, ablate the lesions using a coagulation method, and place the patient on iron. If that fails, gastroenterologists should repeat VCE and perform either PE with Endocuff or balloon enteroscopy (all DAEs).

Assessing Pediatric Life Support Skills Using Augmented Reality Medical Simulation With Eye Tracking: A Pilot Study.

Background: Augmented reality (AR) and eye tracking are promising adjuncts for medical simulation, but they have remained distinct tools. The recently developed Chariot Augmented Reality Medical (CHARM) Simulator combines AR medical simulation with eye tracking. We present a novel approach to applying eye tracking within an AR simulation to assess anesthesiologists during an AR pediatric life support simulation. The primary aim was to explore clinician performance in the simulation. Secondary outcomes explored eye tracking as a measure of shockable rhythm recognition and participant satisfaction. Methods: Anesthesiology residents, pediatric anesthesiology fellows, and attending pediatric anesthesiologists were recruited. Using CHARM, they participated in a pediatric crisis simulation. Performance was scored using the Anesthesia-centric Pediatric Advanced Life Support (A-PALS) scoring instrument, and eye tracking data were analyzed. The Simulation Design Scale measured participant satisfaction. Results: Nine each of residents, fellows, and attendings participated for a total of 27. We were able to successfully progress participants through the AR simulation as demonstrated by typical A-PALS performance scores. We observed no differences in performance across training levels. Eye tracking data successfully allowed comparisons of time to rhythm recognition across training levels, revealing no differences. Finally, simulation satisfaction was high across all participants. Conclusions: While the agreement between A-PALS score and gaze patterns is promising, further research is needed to fully demonstrate the use of AR eye tracking for medical training and assessment. Physicians of multiple training levels were satisfied with the technology.

Quantifying virtual reality pain modulation in healthy volunteers: A randomized, crossover study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging tool to reduce pain and anxiety during procedures. Although VR's clinical benefits are reported, biometric data quantifying VR's effect on pain tolerance is lacking. We used time-lapse, subjective, and biometric data to evaluate VR's effect on modulating pain. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled crossover within-subject clinical trial. SETTING: This study was conducted in the Chariot Lab at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and outdoors at Stanford University School of Medicine. PATIENTS: 156 healthy volunteers were included. INTERVENTIONS: Participants underwent pain-inducing ice immersions while connected to biometric sensors. Participants were randomized to immerse their dominant or non-dominant hand with VR or control (no VR) for one immersion, and then crossed-over to the other hand for the second immersion. We instructed participants to submerge their hand until they reached their pain tolerance or until four minutes elapsed. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes included ice immersion duration, perceived pain scores, and skin conductance response density (SCRD), a marker of sympathetic arousal. We used survival analysis and mixed effects models to compare measurements with and without VR. MAIN RESULTS: 153 participants were included in the analysis. Participants with VR were 64% less likely to remove their hands from the ice bath throughout the immersion's duration compared to control (P < 0.001). Participants with VR reported significantly lower pain scores after controlling for dominant hand treatment assignment, VR vs. no VR treatment order, and gender (P < 0.001). SCRD increased as time progressed for both VR and control groups (P = 0.047 combined), with no significant mean group differences. CONCLUSIONS: Participants with VR were more likely to survive the 4-min ice bath challenge longer and with lower levels of pain perception, supporting VR's effectiveness as a distraction tool during painful procedures. We observed no differences in sympathetic response when comparing VR to no VR.

Endocuff-assisted push enteroscopy increases the detection of proximal small-bowel gastrointestinal angiodysplasias.

Gastrointestinal angiodysplasias (GIADs) are the most common causes for suspected small bowel bleeding. Fifty percent of GIADs do not need treatment due to bleeding cessation, while 45% have high re-bleeding rates, that significantly impact patient outcome and health resource utilization. We suspected that this high re-bleeding rate occurs because not all lesions are detected with present standard of care. This study evaluates whether device-assisted enteroscopy (DAE) utilizing the Endocuff (EC) device could improve GIAD detection. A retrospective chart review of a prospective data collection was performed from January 2006 to December 2018 at VA Loma Linda Healthcare System (VALLHCS) on both inpatients and outpatients referred for active and chronic suspected small bowel bleeding. The patients were initially monitored for bleeding lesions via video capsule endoscopy (VCE) after negative upper and lower endoscopy. GIADs observed between 0% to 40% small bowel transit time (SBTT) were referred for push enteroscopy (PE) with and without (±) the EC device. Twenty-five consecutive patients underwent PE ± EC. No patient had VCE done after PE ± EC. Using PE-EC, GIADs were detected in 9 of 25 (36%) of patients. Importantly, PE+EC detected GIADs in 23 of 25 (92%) patients. The sum of GIADs detected without EC was 26 ± 0.06 vs. 112 ± 0.2 using EC. The average detection rate for PE without EC was significantly lower (1.04 ± 0.06, mean ± SE) as compared to PE with EC (4.48 ± 0.23, mean ± SE, p<0.0005). Additionally, a positive correlation (r=0.51) between capsule enteroscopy (CE) location of GIADs and SBTT was found. The EC device increases the detection of GIADs in the proximal small bowel. We also reconfirm that the location of bleeding GIADs are within the reach of the push enteroscope (PE). Finally, PE + EC may also reduce GIAD miss rates, which may play a role in the reduction of re-bleeding episodes.

Virtual Reality Augments Movement During Physical Therapy: A Pragmatic Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Virtual reality facilitates physical therapy via improved engagement. Although shown to benefit specific patient populations, such as stroke patients, it is less established in otherwise healthy adults and children receiving outpatient physical therapy. The primary objective was to compare total physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality with physical therapy-guided movement alone without virtual reality. DESIGN: This pragmatic, randomized, crossover study compared physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality with physical therapy-guided movement alone without virtual reality in outpatients (ages 6-80 yrs). This community sample had variable physical therapy indications (injury, postoperative, chronic pain), and in pre-existing conditions, therefore, participants served as their own controls. Participants received 10 mins of both physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality and physical therapy-guided movement alone without virtual reality separated by 5 mins. The primary outcome was differences in aggregate movement of physical therapy-guided exercises. Secondary outcomes explored OMNI rating of perceived exertion and participant and physical therapist satisfaction. Paired t tests, χ2 tests, and regression models were used to analyze differences. RESULTS: The 41 participants (17 pediatric and 24 adult) moved significantly more during physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality compared with physical therapy-guided movement alone without virtual reality (1120.88 vs. 672.65 m, P < 0.001), regardless of which intervention was completed first. Physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality treatment was associated with more movement of the target limbs, lower body (P < 0.001), and upper body (P < 0.05). The OMNI rating of perceived exertion scores did not differ between those who started with physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality or physical therapy-guided movement alone without virtual reality, and physical therapist and patient surveys endorsed physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality. CONCLUSIONS: Patients completed more physical therapy-guided movement during physical therapy-guided movement supplemented with virtual reality than physical therapy-guided movement alone without virtual reality, and therapists and patients supported its use. Future studies will examine finer tracking of movements.

Development and assessment of an efficient pediatric affect and cooperation scale.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: HRAD± was developed to quickly evaluate pediatric preprocedural affect and cooperativity during mask induction of anesthesia and peripheral intravenous (PIV) placement. HRAD± represents: Happy, Relaxed, Anxious, Distressed, with a yes/no answer to cooperativity. The primary aim of this study was to compare HRAD± to previously published scales. DESIGN: We conducted an observational study. SETTING: Videos of pediatric patients were collected in the perioperative environment. PATIENTS: Twenty-four children, twenty-one pediatric anesthesiologists and twenty pediatric perioperative providers were included. INTERVENTIONS: To assess the reliability of HRAD±, standard patient videos were created. Children underwent mask induction or PIV placement, and these interventions were video recorded. Mask induction and PIV placement videos were rated by pediatric anesthesiologists and perioperative non-physician providers respectively using HRAD±. MEASUREMENTS: Two trained researchers provided the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS), Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD), and Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC) scores, and we calculated correlations to HRAD±, inter-rater reliability, and intra-rater reliability. MAIN RESULTS: HRAD± scores strongly correlated with mYPAS (r = 0.846, p < 0.0001) and OSBD scores (r = 0.723, p < 0.0001). Cooperativity scores correlated strongly with ICC scores in the mask induction group (r = -0.715, p < 0.0001) and in the PIV group (r = -0.869, p < 0.0001). HRAD± inter-rater reliability for mask induction was 0.414 (p < 0.0001) and for PIV assessment was 0.378 (p < 0.0001). Inter-rater reliability for cooperativity on mask induction was 0.797 (p < 0.0001) and PIV assessment was 0.683 (p < 0.0001). Intra-rater reliability for mask induction was 0.675 and PIV assessments was 0.678. Intra-rater reliability for cooperativity for mask induction was 0.894 and for PIV assessments was 0.765. CONCLUSIONS: HRAD± is an efficient and reliable scale that serves as a practical alternative for measuring pediatric affect during mask induction and PIV placement. The results demonstrate strong correlation with commonly utilized yet more complex affect scales.

A US State Index of Successful Aging: Differences Between States and Over Time.

Policy Points The focus of successful aging is on the social contexts that enable individuals to be productively engaged and secure, with an emphasis on equity. There is currently no index to measure progress towards this goal at the US state level. We developed an empirical index for the evaluation of US state adaptation to societal aging across five critical domains that support successful population aging: (1) productivity and engagement, (2) security, (3) equity, (4) cohesion, and (5) well-being. Our index shows substantial variability over time and is not overly influenced by the performance of an individual domain. This suggests that it can be used to monitor state progress over time toward the goal of supporting successful aging. Rather than a major national trend, there are large between-state differences and changes in our index over time. This suggests individual US state policies and programs, as well as local economic conditions, may have a substantial impact on adaptations to societal aging. CONTEXT: Although it is recognized that aspects of US state environments impact the likelihood that older adults age successfully, there is currently no reliable and comprehensive measure of contexts that best support successful aging at a state level. The current project adapts a multidimensional index previously used to assess adaptation to successful aging in developed countries and applies it to the 50 US states and the District of Columbia. METHODS: We obtained data from multiple sources for all 50 US states and the District of Columbia from 2003 to 2017 in order to measure five distinct domains that define successful population aging: (1) productivity and engagement, (2) security, (3) equity, (4) cohesion, and (5) well-being. We created a ranking of states for the year 2017 based on these domains, and also examined how individual US state rankings changed over time from 2003 to 2017. FINDINGS: The level of adaptation to successful aging varied substantially between states and over time. The highest-ranked states in 2017 were Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Colorado, and New Hampshire, and the lowest-ranked states were Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Mississippi. Mississippi, South Carolina, Iowa, Arizona, and Delaware had the greatest improvement in their ranking over the period of 2003 to 2017. Our findings were generally robust to the weighting scheme used and were not overly influenced by any particular domain. CONCLUSIONS: The US State Index of Successful Aging can be used to monitor US state progress in promoting the well-being and health of aging populations. Factors driving the changes in the index remain to be elucidated.

Barrett's Esophagus: Diagnosis, Management, and Key Updates.

Barrett's esophagus (BE) is the precursor lesion for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) development. Unfortunately, BE screening/surveillance has not provided the anticipated EAC reduction benefit. Noninvasive techniques are increasingly available or undergoing testing to screen for BE among those with/without known risk factors, and the use of artificial intelligence platforms to aid endoscopic screening and surveillance will likely become routine, minimizing missed cases or lesions. Management of high-grade dysplasia and intramucosal EAC is clear with endoscopic eradication therapy preferred to surgery. BE with low-grade dysplasia can be managed with removal of visible lesions combined with endoscopic eradication therapy or endoscopic surveillance at present.