An Analysis of Six Month Follow-Up Data from a Peer Parent Support Study.

The current study examines trajectories of treatment outcomes 6 months after completion of a peer parent program, NAMI Basics. Fifty-two caregivers who were part of a larger trial completed questionnaires prior to, immediately after, and 6 months after completing NAMI Basics. Growth curve models were used to examine trajectories of caregiver ratings of parent activation and engagement, parent help-seeking intentions, child symptoms, outpatient service use, and parent stress at 6 months after completion of the program. Prior improvements to the outcomes of parent activation and engagement (ß = 2.31, p < .001, d = 1.35), parent help-seeking intentions (ß = 1.94, p = .017, d = 0.69), and child intrapersonal distress (ß = - 3.93, p = 0.046, d = 0.58) were maintained at 6 months, while help-seeking intentions was not (ß = 1.31, p = .222, d = 0.47). Though no changes were observed immediately post-class, caregivers reported significant increases in outpatient services use (ß = - 1.51, p = .030, d = 0.68) and reductions in parenting stress (ß = - 4.99, p = 0.009, d = 0.75) and overall child symptoms (ß = - 19.67, p = 0.001, d = 0.90) at 6 month follow-up. These results suggest that many of the positive impacts of the NAMI Basics program are sustained 6 months after the intervention. Additionally, these results suggest that some positive outcomes of the program may not emerge until several months after taking the class. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Introducing a Measurement Feedback System for Youth Mental Health: Predictors and Impact of Implementation in a Community Agency.

Measurement feedback systems (MFSs) that routinely collect and report client progress to mental health therapists have demonstrated beneficial impact on outcomes in numerous studies, with evidence that there is a dose-response relationship related to the implementation of the MFS. The current study examined the impact of MFS implementation (Implementation Index) on youth symptom outcomes separately by caregiver and youth self-report. Additionally, we tested the extent to which Implementation Index rates varied by individual therapists and clients, and whether therapist and client characteristics predicted MFS implementation. Methods: Administrative data (client charts, youth- and caregiver-reported Youth Outcome Questionnaires) for 229 youth (52.83% Latinx, 42.79% girls, M age = 10.33) treated during a 1-year period at a community mental health organization in Central Texas were analyzed using multi-level modeling. Caregiver-reported symptoms decreased faster for those with a higher MFS Implementation Index. Between-group differences among therapists accounted for a significant proportion of variance in the Implementation Index for caregiver report, whereas client differences accounted for most of the variance in the Implementation Index for youth self-report. Therapist trainee status predicted a significant increase in the Implementation Index for caregiver-report data. Youth symptom improvement as reported by caregivers varied with the extent of MFS implementation fidelity, and MFS implementation fidelity was higher for clients treated by trainees relative to staff therapists for caregiver report of symptoms.

Primary Breast Burkitt Lymphoma. A Case Report of a 16-Year-Old Female with a Rapidly Growing Unilateral Breast Mass.

Introduction: Primary breast Burkitt lymphoma is extremely rare. Commonly endemic Burkitt lymphoma presents with abdominal, jaw, periorbital, or genitourinary mass. Case Presentation: We report a case of a 16-year-old girl with rapidly enlarging left breast swelling associated with evening fevers. This was later confirmed to be stage 1 primary breast Burkitt lymphoma involving the left breast. This represents the first described case of primary breast endemic Burkitt lymphoma in Uganda. She was started on chemotherapy and exhibited an impressive response to the drugs. Conclusion: This case raises awareness of rare sites for endemic Burkitt lymphoma in Uganda. Accurately diagnosing this case was of great importance since it determined the treatment modality (mastectomy or not) which would have an everlasting impact on her life.

Testing the Impact of a Peer-Delivered Family Support Program: A Randomized Clinical Effectiveness Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of NAMI Basics, a peer-led family support program for caregivers of children with mental health concerns, was tested in a sample of caregivers referred to five National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) affiliates in a large southwestern state. METHOD: Caregivers of children with mental health concerns (N=111; 69% biological mothers, 45% Hispanic/Latinx, 33% Caucasian, and 12% African American) were randomly assigned to a six-class NAMI Basics course led by peer parents or an 8-week waitlist condition. At baseline and 8 weeks after the course began, all caregivers completed measures assessing services engagement and activation, attitudes toward mental health services, parenting stress, and youth symptoms. Data were analyzed by using linear regression. RESULTS: Compared with caregivers in the waitlist condition, NAMI Basics participants reported significant increases in parent engagement and activation, as well as intentions to engage with mental health services. NAMI Basics participants also reported significant decreases in their child's intrapersonal and interpersonal distress, compared with those in the waitlist group. No significant differences were noted on measures of parenting stress, attitudes toward mental health services, or stigma. CONCLUSIONS: NAMI Basics affected caregiver outcomes and youth symptoms, as measured by caregiver report, compared with a waitlist control group. Peer-led services, such as NAMI Basics, may increase engagement with effective mental health services for youths and families.

Graft infection after endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

INTRODUCTION: Although the natural history and management of infected open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair is well described, only sporadic case reports have described the fate of patients with infected endografts placed in the abdominal aorta. The present study describes a tertiary referral center's experience with infected endovascular aneurysm repairs (EVARs). METHODS: The medical records of 1302 open and endovascular aortic procedures were queried from January 2000 to January 2010. The cases were reviewed for prior aortic procedures, prosthetic implants, and etiology of current open procedure. Demographics, operative details, and perioperative courses were documented. RESULTS: Nine patients (1 woman) with a mean age of 71 years had an EVAR that later required an open procedure for explantation and surgical revision for suspected infection. All grafts were explanted through a midline transperitoneal approach, with a mean time to explant of 33 months. The explanted endografts included 4 Zenith (Cook, Bloomington, Ind), 2 Ancure (Endovascular Technologies, Menlo Park, Calif), 2 Excluders (Gore, Flagstaff, Ariz), and 1 AneuRx (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn). Eight of the nine original EVARs were performed at other hospitals; 1 patient had EVAR and open explant at the University of Michigan. All patients had preoperative computed tomography scans, except one who was transferred in extremis with a gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Three patients also had a tagged leukocyte scan, and two had magnetic resonance imaging to further reinforce the suspicion of infection before explantation and bypass planning. Rifampin-soaked Hemashield (Boston Scientific) in situ grafts were used in four patients, with extra-anatomic (axillary-bifemoral) bypass used in the other five. The in situ group had no positive preoperative or postoperative cultures, with the exception of the unstable patient who died the day of surgery. For the other five patients, positive tissue cultures were found for Bacteroides, Escherichia coli, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Candida. Three patients were found to have aortic-enteric fistula, two of whom died before discharge from the hospital. The remaining seven survived to discharge. Average length of stay was 22 days, with a median follow-up of 11 months. CONCLUSION: This series of infected EVARs is the largest group of infected AAA endografts reported to date. Because EVAR of AAAs is presently the most common method of repair, development of endograft infection, while rare, can be managed with acceptable mortality rates. Patients presenting with aortic-enteric fistula after EVAR appear to have a more virulent course.

Postthrombotic vein wall remodeling: preliminary observations.

BACKGROUND: Postthrombotic syndrome is characterized by a fibrotic vein injury following deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We sought to quantify the change in vein wall thickness in patients who fail to resolve DVT by 6 months and whether there were differences in blood or plasma levels of inflammatory proteins associated with venous remodeling. METHODS: Patients presenting with confirmed lower extremity DVT were prospectively recruited for this study. Duplex imaging of the lower extremity venous system was performed, and blood was collected at entrance and repeat evaluation with blood draw and ultrasound imaging at 1 and 6 months. DVT resolution and thickness of the vein wall was quantified by ultrasound imaging in each segment affected by thrombus, and a contralateral, unaffected vein wall served as a control. Gene and protein expression of inflammatory markers were examined from leukocytes and serum, respectively. Analysis of variance or Student t-tests were used, and a P < .05 was significant. N = 10 to 12 for all analyses. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients (12 patients with DVT resolution at 6 months, 10 patients with persistent thrombus at 6 months, and 10 healthy controls) were compared. Both resolving and nonresolving DVT were associated with a 1.5- to 1.8-fold increased vein wall thickness at 6 months (P = .008) as compared with nonaffected vein wall segments. However, the thickness of the affected segments was 1.4-fold greater in patients who had total resolution of the DVT by 6 months than in patients who had persistent chronic thrombus 6 months after presentation (P = .01). There was a four- to five-fold increased level of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) antigen in thrombosed patients compared with nonthrombosed patient controls (P < .05), while Toll-like receptor-9 (TLR-9) gene expression was three-fold less than controls (P < .05) at enrollment. D-dimer and P-selectin were higher in thrombosed as compared to controls at diagnosis but not at 6 months. Both TLR-4 (marker of inflammation) and P-selectin gene expression were higher in leukocytes from patients with chronic DVT compared with those who resolved at 1 month after diagnosis (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests ongoing vein wall remodeling after DVT, measurable by ultrasound and associated with certain biomarkers. At 6 months, the vein wall is markedly thickened and directly correlates with resolution. This suggests that the vein wall response is initiated early following thrombus formation and persists even in the presence of total resolution.

Evaluation of soluble P-selectin as a marker for the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis.

OBJECTIVE: The combination of D-dimer and Wells score can exclude, but not confirm, the diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Since thrombosis and inflammation are interrelated, we evaluated the combination of soluble P-selectin (sPsel) with other inflammatory biomarkers for the diagnosis of DVT. METHODS: Sixty-two positive and one hundred and sixteen patients with negative DVT, by duplex scan, were prospectively evaluated for sPsel, D-dimer, C-reactive protein (CRP), microparticles (MPs; total, leukocyte, and platelet-derived and tissue factor positive microparticles), and clinical Wells score. RESULTS: Biomarkers and clinical scores that differentiated DVT positives from negatives were sPsel (87.3 vs 53.4 ng/mL, P < .0001), D-dimer (5.8 vs 2.1 mg/ L, P < .0001), CRP (2.1 vs 0.8 µg/mL, P < .0005), and Wells score (3.2 vs 2.0, P < .0001). For MP analysis, platelet-derived MPs were found to differentiate DVT from negatives. Using multivariable logistic regression, a combination of sPsel and Wells score could establish the diagnosis of DVT (cut point ≥ 90 ng/mL + Wells ≥ 2), with a specificity of 96% and positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%, and could exclude DVT diagnosis (cut point ≤ 60 ng/mL and Wells <2) with a sensitivity of 99%, a specificity of 33%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 96%. CONCLUSION: This study establishes a biomarker and clinical profile combination that can both confirm and exclude the diagnosis of DVT.

Thrombogenesis with continuous blood flow in the inferior vena cava. A novel mouse model.

Several rodent models have been used to study deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, a model that generates consistent venous thrombi in the presence of continuous blood flow, to evaluate therapeutic agents for DVT, is not available. Mice used in the present study were wild-type C57BL/6 (WT), plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) knock out (KO) and Delta Cytoplasmic Tail (DCT). An electrolytic inferior vena cava (IVC) model (EIM) was used. A 25G stainless-steel needle, attached to a silver coated copper wire electrode (anode), was inserted into the exposed caudal IVC. Another electrode (cathode) was placed subcutaneously. A current of 250 muAmps over 15 minutes was applied. Ultrasound imaging was used to demonstrate the presence of IVC blood flow. Analyses included measurement of plasma soluble P-selectin (sP-Sel), thrombus weight (TW), vein wall morphometrics, P-selectin and Von Willebrand factor (vWF) staining, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM); and the effect of enoxaparin on TW was evaluated. A current of 250 muAmps over 15 minutes consistently promoted thrombus formation in the IVC. Plasma sP-Sel was decreased in PAI-1 KO and increased in DCT vs. WT (WT/PAI-1: p=0.003, WT/DCT: p=0.0002). Endothelial activation was demonstrated by SEM, TEM, P-selectin and vWF immunohistochemistry and confirmed by inflammatory cell counts. Ultrasound imaging demonstrated thrombus formation in the presence of blood flow. Enoxaparin significantly reduced the thrombus size by 61% in this model. This EIM closely mimics clinical venous disease and can be used to study endothelial cell activation, leukocyte migration, thrombogenesis and therapeutic applications in the presence of blood flow.