Citations

AbstractBackgroundInfertility has been linked with an increased risk of sexual dysfunction in reproductive-aged women, with longer periods of infertility associated with a greater risk.AimThe study’s aim was to examine whether a history of infertility treatment in women is linked to sexual dysfunction during midlife.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was conducted among sexually active women, between the ages of 45 and 65 years, who sought consultation at the women’s health clinics at a US tertiary care center. History of infertility treatment was assessed with a single question that asked participants if they were treated for infertility in the past. The association between a history of infertility treatment and sexual dysfunction—which was diagnosed by a combination of Female Sexual Function Index score ≤26.55 and Female Sexual Distress Scale–Revised score ≥11—was assessed in a multivariable logistic regression model that adjusted for multiple confounders.OutcomesThe primary outcome was sexual dysfunction in midlife women.ResultsThe analysis included 5912 women, with a mean age of 54.1 years. Nearly 16% of women reported receiving treatment for infertility. More than half the women (55%) had sexual dysfunction: 56.3% of those with previous fertility treatments and 54.4% of those without any fertility treatment (P = .3). Receiving treatment for infertility in the younger years did not significantly increase the odds of sexual dysfunction in midlife in univariate (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.94-1.24; P = .3) and multivariable analyses (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.96-1.29; P = .17).Clinical ImplicationsWhile infertility is known to be predictive of sexual dysfunction in women during their reproductive years, there was no association between a history of infertility treatment and sexual dysfunction in midlife women in the current study.Strengths and LimitationsThe study used validated questionnaires accounting for sexual complaints and distress and adjusted for multiple confounding factors. Limitations include the selection bias introduced by the study of women presenting for evaluation of sexual dysfunction, which may have been a result of factors stronger than the influence of infertility. Other limitations include the study’s cross-sectional nature with suboptimal racial and ethnic representation.ConclusionAlthough infertility is commonly associated with female sexual dysfunction in women of reproductive age, the association was not present in midlife women in the current study.

Abstract The field of plastic surgery remains at the forefront of technological and surgical innovation. However, the promising applications of robotics in plastic surgery must be thoughtfully balanced with hospital finances and reimbursements. Robotic systems have been studied extensively across multiple surgical disciplines and across diverse health care systems. The results show that there may be equal or better patient outcomes than alternatives. In an era where fiscal responsibility in health care is a top priority, thoughtful budgeting and spending must be considered and revisited frequently to attain sustainable organizational models that ensure appropriate use of robotic technology.

Abstract Clinical recognition and surgical treatment of patellofemoral instability has evolved dramatically over the past 3 decades. However, few patellofemoral patients present with an isolated medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) tear. Rather, patients often demonstrate patella alta, increased tibial tubercle to trochlear groove (TT‐TG) distance, dysplasia, coronal malalignment, or combinations thereof. Given this, concomitant procedures such as tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) have become increasingly popularized, given their ability to anteriorize, medialize, and even distalize the patella to correct tracking. It is generally recommended that concurrent TTO be considered with primary medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFLR) in patients with closed physes whose TT‐TG distance is larger than 17 to 20 mm. MPFLR + TTO is generally safe and may decrease risk of revision surgery when compared with isolated MPFLR in properly indicated patients. However, it important to measure both knee rotation angle and tibial tubercle lateralization on magnetic resonance imaging, as both factors influence TT‐TG. In patients in whom abnormal knee rotation angle is felt to be the primary driver of TT‐TG, surgeons should proceed with caution when considering concomitant TTO. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but the osteotome may be mightier yet than the scalpel.

ImportanceCurrent olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) staging systems inadequately delineate locally advanced tumors, do not incorporate tumor grade, and poorly estimate survival and recurrence.ObjectiveThe primary aims of this study were to (1) examine the clinical covariates associated with survival and recurrence of ONB in a modern-era multicenter cohort and (2) incorporate Hyams tumor grade into existing staging systems to assess its ability to estimate survival and recurrence.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis retrospective, multicenter, case-control study included patients with ONB who underwent treatment between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2021, at 9 North American academic medical centers.InterventionStandard-of-care ONB treatment.Main Outcome and MeasuresThe main outcomes were overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) as C statistics for model prediction.ResultsA total of 256 patients with ONB (mean [SD] age, 52.0 [15.6] years; 115 female [44.9%]; 141 male [55.1%]) were included. The 5-year rate for OS was 83.5% (95% CI, 78.3%-89.1%); for DFS, 70.8% (95% CI, 64.3%-78.0%); and for DSS, 94.1% (95% CI, 90.5%-97.8%). On multivariable analysis, age, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, involvement of bilateral maxillary sinuses, and positive margins were associated with OS. Only AJCC stage was associated with DFS. Only N stage was associated with DSS. When assessing the ability of staging systems to estimate OS, the best-performing model was the novel modification of the Dulguerov system (C statistic, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.59-0.76), and the Kadish system performed most poorly (C statistic, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.50-0.63). Regarding estimation of DFS, the modified Kadish system performed most poorly (C statistic, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.51-0.66), while the novel modification of the AJCC system performed the best (C statistic, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.66-0.80). Regarding estimation of DSS, the modified Kadish system was the best-performing model (C statistic, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.70-0.94), and the unmodified Kadish performed the worst (C statistic, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.51-0.68). The ability for novel ONB staging systems to estimate disease progression across stages was also assessed. In the novel Kadish staging system, patients with stage VI disease were approximately 7 times as likely to experience disease progression as patients with stage I disease (hazard ratio [HR], 6.84; 95% CI, 1.60-29.20). Results were similar for the novel modified Kadish system (HR, 8.99; 95% CI, 1.62-49.85) and the novel Dulguerov system (HR, 6.86; 95% CI, 2.74-17.18).Conclusions and RelevanceThe study findings indicate that 5-year OS for ONB is favorable and that incorporation of Hyams grade into traditional ONB staging systems is associated with improved estimation of disease progression.

Context Next-generation sequencing–based approaches using RNA have increasingly been used by clinical laboratories for the detection of fusion genes, intragenic rearrangements, and exon-skipping events. Correspondingly, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) has advanced RNA sequencing proficiency testing (PT) to ensure optimal performance of these assays. Objective To report on laboratory performance and practices of RNA sequencing for the detection of fusion genes, intragenic rearrangements, and exon-skipping events using CAP PT data from 8 mailings (2018-A through 2021-B). Design CAP PT RNA sequencing program results from 153 laboratories across 24 proficiency test specimens, interrogating 22 distinct engineered fusion transcripts, were analyzed for correct identification of the fusion event, associated performance variables, and laboratory practices. Results Overall, the 4-year program detection rate (sensitivity) was 95.5% (1486 of 1556 results). False-negative rates were 3.6% (53 of 1463) and 18.3% (17 of 93) for fusion gene and intragenic rearrangement/exon-skipping events, respectively. Only 19 false-positive results were reported among the 8 PT mailings, and most were likely the result of preanalytical or postanalytical errors. There were no practice characteristics (eg, instrumentation, sequencing method) significantly associated with the fusion detection results. Conclusions These data reveal a high overall sensitivity and specificity for fusion gene detection by participating laboratories using clinical RNA sequencing. Performance was comparable across all laboratories, regardless of methodology. The fraction of false-negative results for intragenic rearrangement/exon-skipping events was greater than that for the chimeric fusion genes. False-negative results could not be attributed to any specific practice characteristics.