Detection of Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome after Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

Background: Many children undergo allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for the treatment of malignant and nonmalignant conditions. Unfortunately, pulmonary complications occur frequently post-HSCT, with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) being the most common noninfectious pulmonary complication. Current international guidelines contain conflicting recommendations regarding post-HSCT surveillance for BOS, and a recent NIH workshop highlighted the need for a standardized approach to post-HSCT monitoring. As such, this guideline provides an evidence-based approach to detection of post-HSCT BOS in children. Methods: A multinational, multidisciplinary panel of experts identified six questions regarding surveillance for, and evaluation of, post-HSCT BOS in children. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to answer each question. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach was used to rate the quality of evidence and the strength of recommendations. Results: The panel members considered the strength of each recommendation and evaluated the benefits and risks of applying the intervention. In formulating the recommendations, the panel considered patient and caregiver values, the cost of care, and feasibility. Recommendations addressing the role of screening pulmonary function testing and diagnostic tests in children with suspected post-HSCT BOS were made. Following a Delphi process, new diagnostic criteria for pediatric post-HSCT BOS were also proposed. Conclusions: This document provides an evidence-based approach to the detection of post-HSCT BOS in children while also highlighting considerations for the implementation of each recommendation. Further, the document describes important areas for future research.

The Use of Knotless Suture Tape Construct vs Screw Fixation for Lisfranc Injuries: A Cadaveric Biomechanical Study.

BACKGROUND: Lisfranc injuries are often treated with open reduction and internal fixation using rigid fixation techniques. The use of flexible fixation to stabilize the Lisfranc joint is a newer technique. The purpose of this cadaveric study is to compare the amount of diastasis at the Lisfranc interval under diminished physiologic loads when treated with a knotless suture tape construct and a solid screw. METHODS: Ten cadavers (20 feet) had native motion at the intact Lisfranc interval assessed at multiple increasing loads (69, 138, and 207 N). The Lisfranc ligamentous complex was then disrupted, and testing repeated to evaluate the amount of diastasis. Randomization was performed to determine the type of fixation for each cadaver: solid screw or knotless suture tape construct. Once fixation was completed, specimens were cyclically loaded for 10 000 cycles at loads, and diastasis was quantified after each load cycle to compare the interventions. Diastasis was measured using motion tracking cameras and retroreflective marker sets. A non-inferiority statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: Diastasis mean values were confirmed to be >2 mm for all load bearing conditions in the injury model. Posttreatment, diastasis was significantly reduced when compared to the sectioned conditions (P < .01) for both treatment options. Non-inferiority analyses showed that the knotless suture tape construct did not perform inferior to screw fixation for diastasis at the Lisfranc interval at any of the compared load states. CONCLUSION: Under the loads tested, there is no significant difference in diastasis at the Lisfranc interval when treating ligamentous Lisfranc injuries with a knotless suture tape construct or solid screws. Both reduced diastasis from the injured state and were not different from the intact state. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this cadaveric model with ligamentous Lisfranc injury, diastasis of a knotless suture tape construct is compared to solid screw fixation as tested.

The impact of recreational cannabinoid legalization on utilization in a pregnant population.

Background: Marijuana potency and utilization both continue to increase across the United States. While the overall prevalence of cannabinoid utilization during pregnancy has been surveyed in various studies, the direct impact of changing governmental policies on pregnancy use is less characterized. Thus, we aimed to investigate how the legalization of recreational cannabinoid products impacted use during pregnancy in the state of New Mexico. Methods: Participants who had a live birth during two study epochs were included: pre-legalization (Epoch 1: 1 January 2019-31 March 2021) and post-legalization (Epoch 2: 1 November 2021-30 November 2022). Participants were further divided into case group [prenatal cannabinoid exposure (PCE)] vs. control (no PCE), with cases being identified by documented self-report or a positive laboratory toxicology test for cannabinoid use during pregnancy. Results: A total of 1,191 maternal/infant dyads were included in Epoch 1, and 378 maternal/infant dyads were included in Epoch 2. In Epoch 1, 788 dyads were controls with 403 cases, while Epoch 2 had 292 controls and 86 cases. Interestingly there was a significant decrease in self-report or positive laboratory toxicology tests in Epoch 2 compared to Epoch 1. Infants born following PCE in both Epoch groups were more commonly born via Cesarean section, had significantly smaller birth weight, length, and head circumference as well as significantly lower Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min. Conclusion: The finding of decreased reported cannabinoid use in the post-legalization group is contradictory to previous studies which have shown increased rates of cannabinoid use after legalization. This could be due to multiple factors including changes in screening practices, the COVID-19 pandemic, and lack of commercialization of THC products. Additional studies are needed to further characterize how changing governmental policies impacts utilization during pregnancy.

Improving HIV Case Finding Through Index Testing: Findings from Health Facilities in 12 Districts of South Africa, October 2019-September 2021.

To assess the importance of index testing in HIV case finding, we analyzed quarterly data from October 2019 to September 2021 from 371 facilities in 12 districts in South Africa. Index testing accounted for 2.6% of all HIV tests (index and non-index) (n = 163,633), but 17.8% of all HIV-positive results, with an HIV-positivity 4-times higher than non-index testing modalities (4.1%). Despite twice as many adult females ≥ 15 years accepting index testing (n = 206,715) compared to adult males ≥ 15 years (n = 102,180), females identified fewer contacts (n = 91,123) than males (n = 113,939). Slightly more than half (51.2%) of all contacts elicited were tested (n = 163,633/319,680), while 19.7% (n = 62,978) of elicited contacts were previously diagnosed as HIV-positive and not eligible for further testing. These findings indicate index testing can be effective in increasing HIV diagnoses in South Africa. Further operational research is needed to address gaps identified in the index testing cascade, including elicitation and testing of contacts.