Project description:PURPOSE: The Boston keratoprosthesis has had variable success rates in the past. However, significant modifications to design and management have recently led to successful outcomes. This study was undertaken to evaluate the outcomes of the Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis at our institution. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of all Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis procedures conducted at a single practice at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary from December 2006 to August 2010. Outcome measures included visual acuity, retention rates, and complications. RESULTS: In all, 58 eyes of 51 patients who received a Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis were included. The most common indication for the keratoprosthesis was failed penetrating keratoplasty (PK) (81.0%; mean 2.4±1.3 PKs per eye). Glaucoma was the most common comorbidity (75.9%). Pre-operative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was <20/400 in 87.9% of eyes. At last follow-up, 43.1% of eyes had a BCVA of 20/200. Retention rate was 87.9% over an average follow-up of 21.5±11.4 months (median 22 months, range 3-47 months). Complications increased with time, with 65.5% of eyes experiencing at least one event by 6 months and 75.9% by 1 year. The most common post-operative complication was retroprosthetic membrane formation (50.0%). CONCLUSIONS: The Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis provides visual recovery for eyes with multiple PK failures or with poor prognosis for primary PK, showing excellent retention rates. However, there is a trend towards a decline in visual acuity with time and the development of late complications, highlighting a need for longer-term studies.
Project description:The efficacy of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is high, but breakthrough infections still occur. We compared the SARS-CoV-2 genomes of 76 breakthrough cases after full vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), or JNJ-78436735 (Janssen) to unvaccinated controls (February-April 2021) in metropolitan New York, including their phylogenetic relationship, distribution of variants, and full spike mutation profiles. The median age of patients in the study was 48 years; 7 required hospitalization and 1 died. Most breakthrough infections (57/76) occurred with B.1.1.7 (Alpha) or B.1.526 (Iota). Among the 7 hospitalized cases, 4 were infected with B.1.1.7, including 1 death. Both unmatched and matched statistical analyses considering age, sex, vaccine type, and study month as covariates supported the null hypothesis of equal variant distributions between vaccinated and unvaccinated in χ2 and McNemar tests (P > 0.1), highlighting a high vaccine efficacy against B.1.1.7 and B.1.526. There was no clear association among breakthroughs between type of vaccine received and variant. In the vaccinated group, spike mutations in the N-terminal domain and receptor-binding domain that have been associated with immune evasion were overrepresented. The evolving dynamic of SARS-CoV-2 variants requires broad genomic analyses of breakthrough infections to provide real-life information on immune escape mediated by circulating variants and their spike mutations.
Project description:Academic medical centers (AMCs) are widely perceived as providing the highest-quality medical care. To investigate disparities in access to such care, we studied the racial/ethnic and payer mixes at private AMCs of New York City (NYC) and Boston, two cities where these prestigious institutions play a dominant role in the health care system. We used individual-level inpatient discharge data for acute care hospitals to examine the degree of hospital racial/ethnic and insurance segregation in both cities using the Index of Dissimilarity, together with recent changes in patterns of care in NYC. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, black patients in NYC were two to three times less likely than whites, and uninsured patients approximately five times less likely than privately insured patients, to be discharged from AMCs. In Boston, minorities were overrepresented at AMCs relative to other hospitals. NYC hospitals were more segregated overall according to race/ethnicity and insurance than Boston hospitals, and insurance segregation became more pronounced in NYC after the Affordable Care Act. Although health reform improved access to insurance, access to AMCs remains limited for disadvantaged populations, which may undermine the quality of care available to these groups.
Project description:In response to two isolated cases of Mycobacterium chelonae infections in tattoo recipients where tap water was used to dilute ink, the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted an investigation using Emergency Department (ED) syndromic surveillance to assess whether an outbreak was occuring. ED visits with chief complaints containing the key word "tattoo" from November 1, 2012 to March 18, 2013 were selected for study. NYC laboratories were also contacted and asked to report skin or soft tissue cultures in tattoo recipients that were positive for non-tuberculosis mycobacterial infection (NTM). Thirty-one TREDV were identified and 14 (45%) were interviewed to determine if a NTM was the cause for the visit. One ED visit met the case definition and was referred to a dermatologist. This individual was negative for NTM. No tattoo-associated NTM cases were reported by NYC laboratories. ED syndromic surveillance was utilized to investigate a non-reportable condition for which no other data source existed. The results were reassuring that an outbreak of NTM in tattoo recipients was not occurring. In response to concerns about potential NTM infections, the department sent a letter to all licensed tattoo artists advising them not to dilute tattoo ink with tap water.
Project description:Sero-monitoring provides context to the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and changes in population immunity following vaccine introduction. Here, we describe results of a cross-sectional hospital-based study of anti-spike seroprevalence in New York City (NYC) from February 2020 to July 2022, and a follow-up period from August 2023 to October 2023. Samples from 55,092 individuals, spanning five epidemiological waves were analyzed. Prevalence ratios (PR) were obtained using Poisson regression. Anti-spike antibody levels increased gradually over the first two waves, with a sharp increase during the 3rd wave coinciding with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in NYC resulting in seroprevalence levels >90% by July 2022. Our data provide insights into the dynamic changes in immunity occurring in a large and diverse metropolitan community faced with a new viral pathogen and reflects the patterns of antibody responses as the pandemic transitions into an endemic stage.
Project description:In December 2019, a new, severe coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, China. Shortly after, the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the United States. The emergence of this virus led many United States governors to enact executive orders in an effort to limit the person-to-person spread of the virus. One state that utilized such measures was New York, which contains New York City (NYC), the most populous city in the United States. Many reports have shown that due to the government-backed shutdowns, the air quality in major global cities improved. However, there has been only limited work on whether this same trend is seen throughout the United States, specifically within the densely populated NYC area. Thus, the focus of this study was to examine whether changes in air quality were observed in NYC resulting from New York State's COVID-19-associated shutdown measures. To do this, daily concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were obtained from 15 central monitoring stations throughout the five NYC boroughs for the first 17 weeks (January through May) of 2015-2020. Decreases in PM2.5 (36%) and NO2 (51%) concentrations were observed shortly after the shutdown took place; however, using a linear time lag model, when changes in these pollutant concentrations were compared to those measured during the same span of time in 2015-2019, no significant difference between the years was found. Therefore, we highlight the importance of considering temporal variability and long-term trends of pollutant concentrations when analyzing for short-term differences in air pollutant concentrations related to the COVID-19 shutdowns.
Project description:Public health interventions such as social distancing and mask wearing decrease the incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but it is unclear whether they decrease the viral load of infected patients and whether changes in viral load impact mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We evaluated 6923 patients with COVID-19 at six New York City hospitals from March 15-May 14, 2020, corresponding with the implementation of public health interventions in March. We assessed changes in cycle threshold (CT) values from reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests and in-hospital mortality and modeled the impact of viral load on mortality. Mean CT values increased between March and May, with the proportion of patients with high viral load decreasing from 47.7% to 7.8%. In-hospital mortality increased from 14.9% in March to 28.4% in early April, and then decreased to 8.7% by May. Patients with high viral loads had increased mortality compared to those with low viral loads (adjusted odds ratio 2.34). If viral load had not declined, an estimated 69 additional deaths would have occurred (5.8% higher mortality). SARS-CoV-2 viral load steadily declined among hospitalized patients in the setting of public health interventions, and this correlated with decreases in mortality.
Project description:BackgroundIn the spring of 2020, New York City was an epicenter of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The post-hospitalization needs of COVID-19 patients were not understood and no outpatient rehabilitation programs had been described.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether a virtual rehabilitation program would lead to improvements in strength and cardiopulmonary endurance when compared with no intervention in patients discharged home with persistent COVID-19 symptoms.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingAcademic medical center.PatientsBetween April and July 2020, 106 patients discharged home with persistent COVID-19 symptoms were treated. Forty-four patients performed virtual physical therapy (VPT); 25 patients performed home physical therapy (HPT); 17 patients performed independent exercise program (IE); and 20 patients did not perform therapy.InterventionsAll patients were assessed by physiatry. VPT sessions were delivered via secure Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant telehealth platform 1-2 times/week. Patients were asked to follow up 2 weeks after initial evaluation.Main outcome measuresPrimary study outcome measures were the change in lower body strength, measured by the 30-second sit-to-stand test; and the change in cardiopulmonary endurance, measured by the 2-minute step test.ResultsAt the time of follow-up, 65% of patients in the VPT group and 88% of patients in the HPT group met the clinically meaningful difference for improvement in sit-to-stand scores, compared with 50% and 17% of those in the IE group and no-exercise group (P = .056). The clinically meaningful difference for improvement in the step test was met by 74% of patients in the VPT group and 50% of patients in the HPT, IE, and no-exercise groups (P = .12).ConclusionsVirtual outpatient rehabilitation for patients recovering from COVID-19 improved lower limb strength and cardiopulmonary endurance, and an HPT program improved lower limb strength. Virtual rehabilitation seems to be an efficacious method of treatment delivery for recovering COVID-19 patients.
Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has modified practice for patients with symptomatic aortic stenosis and could result in higher mortality rates due to treatment delays. In this clinical case series, 3 patients underwent ambulatory transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) thanks to patient and entourage willingness, careful patient selection (including a history of permanent pacemaker placement), and a minimalist procedural approach. No complications occurred during the 30-day follow-up. Performing ambulatory TAVR could reduce the clinical consequences of wait times, minimize exposure to coronavirus contamination, and reduce the use of hospital resources that might be needed for COVID-19 patients. Thanks to a scrupulous minimalist TAVR protocol, ambulatory outpatient management of aortic stenosis was possible in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.