Objective Expanded legal access to cannabis in the United States has led to its increased use for treating medical conditions. We assessed the use of and attitudes toward cannabis for treating gynecological conditions. Materials and Methods We utilized Amazon.com Inc.'s Mechanic Turk platform to administer a survey to U.S. women 18 years and older about cannabis use for recreational and medicinal purposes and willingness to use cannabis to treat 17 gynecological conditions. We collected sociodemographic data and views about the legal status of cannabis. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with willingness to use cannabis for gynecological conditions. Results In our analytical sample (N = 995), women who reported ever using cannabis were more willing to use cannabis to treat a gynecological condition compared with never users (91.6% vs. 64.6%, p  less then  0.01). Women willing to use cannabis for gynecological conditions were most interested in using cannabis for treating gynecological pain (61.2% of never users vs. 90.0% of ever users; p  less then  0.001) compared with procedural pain (38.2% vs. 79.0%, respectively; p  less then  0.001) or other conditions (38.0% vs. 79.8%, respectively; p  less then  0.001). In multivariate analysis, willingness to use cannabis for a gynecological condition was associated only with a history of ever using cannabis and views that cannabis should be legal in some capacity and not by age, race, or education. Conclusions The majority of women would consider using cannabis to treat gynecological conditions. Overall, respondents who had a history of cannabis use were more likely to report willingness to use cannabis for all gynecological conditions, but a large proportion of those who reported never using cannabis were also willing to use it.Background Black women are at an increased risk of developing fibroids, but the cause is unclear. Douching and perineal talc use are common lifestyle exposures among Black women, and may be risk factors for fibroid development. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study consisted of Black women 23-35 years of age in the metropolitan Detroit area (n = 1693) without prior diagnoses of fibroids and intact uteri. Main exposures were ever douching (yes/no) and any perineal talc use (ever/never). Main outcomes were prevalent fibroids at baseline (yes/no) and total fibroid volume at baseline (no fibroids/ less then median total volume (2.00 cm3)/≥median total volume). We used log binomial regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and confidence intervals (95% CI) for fibroid prevalence and multinomial logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI for total fibroid volume. Result(s) Fibroid prevalence was 23%. Forty-three percent of women reported ever douching and 15% reported ever using perineal talc. We did not observe an association between ever douching and fibroid prevalence [PR (95% CI)1.05 (0.89-1.23)] or total fibroid volume [OR (95% CI) ≤200 cm3 1.04 (0.66-1.42)] and [OR (95% CI) ≥200 cm3 1.06 (0.77-1.44)]. Women who ever used perineal talc had an increased prevalence of fibroids [PR (95% CI) 1.19 (0.97-1.46)]. This association was seen with both large and small total fibroid volume [OR (95% CI) volume ≤200 cm3 1.23 (0.81-1.86)] and [OR (95% CI) volume ≥200 cm3 1.39 (0.93-2.09)]. Conclusion(s) Our results suggest that perineal talc use is associated with increased fibroid prevalence. Additional research is warranted to investigate perineal talc in relation to fibroid risk in a prospective setting and to conduct laboratory work on potential tumorigenic effects of talc in the myometrium.
  An intact meniscus is considered a secondary stabilizer of the knee after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). While loss of the meniscus can increase forces on the anterior cruciate ligament graft after reconstruction, it is unclear whether this increased loading affects the success of the graft after ACLR.
 
  To identify the risk of subsequent knee surgery when meniscectomy, either partial or total, is performed at the time of index ACLR.
 
  Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.
 
  We conducted a matched cohort study using data from the Kaiser Permanente Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Registry. Patients were identified who had a primary ACLR performed between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2016, with up to 12 years of follow-up.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/blu-451.html  The study sample comprised patients with ACLR who had a lateral meniscectomy (n = 2581), medial meniscectomy (n = 1802), or lateral and medial meniscectomies (n = 666). For each meniscectomy subgroup, patients with ACLR alone were matched to patients with a meion risk was observed for patients undergoing primary ACLR between groups with and without meniscectomy at the time of index surgery. Partial lateral meniscectomy at the time of index ACLR did associate with a higher risk of subsequent lateral meniscectomy.
 No difference in aseptic revision risk was observed for patients undergoing primary ACLR between groups with and without meniscectomy at the time of index surgery. Partial lateral meniscectomy at the time of index ACLR did associate with a higher risk of subsequent lateral meniscectomy.A new hybrid actuated soft finger with active variable stiffness is proposed for the first time by integrating gas-driven and ribbon-driven mechanisms. By carefully coordinating the two mechanisms, the bending deformation and the stiffness modulation processes of the soft finger can be uncoupled, providing it with both high flexibility and good variable stiffness. Although the soft finger, made entirely from flexible materials, works under a low and safe gas pressure of below 35 kPa, the maximum bending angle reaches ∼210°, and a single soft finger can withstand a weight of 1.25 kg. For any bending angle, with the help of the ribbon-driven mechanism, the stiffness of the soft finger can increase by three to six times. In addition, theoretical models are established for the evaluation of the bending-deformation characteristic and the output force of the soft finger, which are verified by experiments. A dual-finger soft robotic gripper is assembled by utilizing two soft fingers, which can easily and stably grab various objects with different sizes, shapes, and weights.