Repeatability of Pentacam HR in Keratoconus According to Two Different Scan Protocols: 25-3D Scan and 50-Cornea Fine.

This study aims to evaluate the repeatability of the Pentacam HR, comparing two different measurement modes (50-cornea fine and 25-3D scan) in patients affected by keratoconus. Multicenter retrospective study, conducted at Eye Clinic of the ASST-Spedali Civili-University of Brescia, Italy, and St. Paul's Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, United Kingdom.

Tacrolimus- and Mycophenolate-Mediated Toxicity: Clinical Considerations and Options in Management of Post-Transplant Patients.

Tacrolimus and mycophenolate are important immunosuppressive agents used to prevent organ rejection in post-transplant patients. While highly effective, their use is associated with significant toxicity, requiring careful management. Tacrolimus, a calcineurin inhibitor, is linked to nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, metabolic disturbances such as diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular complications such as hypertension and arrhythmias.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Stem Cell Therapies for Pain in Diabetic Neuropathy, Osteoarthritis, and Spinal Cord Injuries.

Purpose Of Review: The use of stem cell therapy is a rapidly evolving and progressing frontier of science that has been used to treat illnesses such as malignancies, immunodeficiencies, and metabolic syndromes. This review aims to give an overview of the use of stem cell therapy in the treatment of pain caused by diabetic neuropathy, osteoarthritis, and other spinal cord pathologies.

Recent Findings: Pain is defined as a generalized or localized feeling of distress related to a physical or emotional stimulus and can be caused by a multitude of pathologies.

Gut Microbiota Metabolites Sensed by Host GPR41/43 Protect Against Hypertension.

Background: Fermentation of dietary fiber by the gut microbiota leads to the production of metabolites called short-chain fatty acids, which lower blood pressure and exert cardioprotective effects. Short-chain fatty acids activate host signaling responses via the functionally redundant receptors GPR41 and GPR43, which are highly expressed by immune cells. Whether and how these receptors protect against hypertension or mediate the cardioprotective effects of dietary fiber remains unknown.

Evidence-Based Application of Natriuretic Peptides in the Evaluation of Chronic Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction in the Ambulatory Outpatient Setting.

Background: Plasma NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) is commonly used to diagnose heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but its diagnostic performance in the ambulatory/outpatient setting is unknown because previous studies lacked objective reference standards.

Methods: Among patients with chronic dyspnea, diagnosis of HFpEF or noncardiac dyspnea was determined conclusively by exercise catheterization in a derivation cohort (n=414), multicenter validation cohort 1 (n=560), validation cohort 2 (n=207), and a nonobese Japanese validation cohort 3 (n=77). Optimal NT-proBNP cut points for HFpEF rule out (optimizing sensitivity) and rule in (optimizing specificity) were derived and tested, stratified by obesity and atrial fibrillation.

Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Mediated Weight Loss and Diabetes Mellitus Benefits: A Narrative Review.

Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are chronic diseases with increasing prevalence, underscoring the urgent need for effective treatment and management strategies. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have emerged as an essential class of drugs for managing both obesity and T2DM, offering additional benefits for cardiovascular and kidney health. GLP-1 RAs work by targeting GLP-1 receptors, mimicking the effects of the natural hormone GLP-1 to regulate blood glucose levels, promote weight loss, and provide potential benefits for cardiovascular health.

Safety and Tolerability of Pivmecillinam During More Than Four Decades of Clinical Experience: A Systematic Review.

The recent US Food and Drug Administration approval of pivmecillinam-an oral prodrug of the amidinopenicillin antibiotic mecillinam-presents a valuable opportunity to address the need for new treatments for uncomplicated urinary tract infection (uUTI). We report findings of a systematic literature review of the safety profile of pivmecillinam/mecillinam based on more than 40 years' experience, mainly in Europe and Canada, to describe its tolerability profile and identify any important safety signals. In total, 110 eligible publications were identified describing use of pivmecillinam/mecillinam as monotherapy or in combination, for treatment of uUTI or other infectious conditions.

"Why Do We Have to be Almost Dead to Qualify for Help?": Criminal Legal and Protection System Responses to Intimate Partner Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada.

Analyzing 30 one-on-one qualitative interviews with Indigenous women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), this article provides a critical examination of responses to IPV by criminal legal and related systems of intervention, such as child and family services. More specifically, the article analyzes the voiced experiences of Indigenous women who sought support from systems designed to address IPV and gendered and sexualized violence. Grounded in Indigenous feminist thought and theories of settler colonial gendered violence, the study reveals that in the context of ongoing settler colonial gendered violence, Indigenous women survivors of IPV victimization in Canada were overwhelmingly met with revictimization and violence by the systems tasked with anti-violence intervention.

Features of intermediate and late dry age-related macular degeneration on adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy: Pinnacle Study Report 8.

Background/objectives: Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy (AOO) has the potential to provide insights into AMD pathology and to assess the risk of progression. We aim to utilise AOO to describe detailed features of intermediate AMD and to characterise microscopic changes during atrophy development.

Subjects/methods: Patients with intermediate AMD were recruited into PINNACLE, a prospective observational cohort study.

Pharmacological profiling of small molecule modulators of the TMEM16A channel and their implications for the control of artery and capillary function.

Background And Purpose: TMEM16A chloride channels constitute a depolarising mechanism in arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and contractile cerebral pericytes. TMEM16A pharmacology is incompletely defined. We elucidated the mode of action and selectivity of a recently identified positive allosteric modulator of TMEM16A (PAM_16A) and of a range of TMEM16A inhibitors.

Opposing roles of p38α-mediated phosphorylation and PRMT1-mediated arginine methylation in driving TDP-43 proteinopathy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder typically characterized by insoluble inclusions of hyperphosphorylated TDP-43. The mechanisms underlying toxic TDP-43 accumulation are not understood. Persistent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is implicated in ALS.

Ketamine Infusion for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Treatment: A Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a neuropathic pain disorder characterized by pain disproportionate to the inciting event that is constant for an extended duration. Numerous treatment options for this condition have been explored with unsatisfactory results in many cases. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist typically used as an anesthetic and analgesic, presents a promising potential treatment for CRPS in patients who fail to respond to traditional therapies.

Cardiometabolic Multimorbidity and Dementia Onset among Middle-aged and Older Adults: Differences by Race/Ethnicity.

Background: Racial/ethnic minoritized groups in the U.S. have higher prevalence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity and experience higher risk of dementia.

Hidden artistic complexity of Peru's Chancay culture discovered in tattoos by laser-stimulated fluorescence.

Tattoos were a prevalent art form in pre-Hispanic South America exemplified by mummified human remains with preserved skin decoration that reflects the personal and cultural representations of their times. Tattoos are known to fade and bleed over time and this is compounded in mummies by the decay of the body, inhibiting the ability to examine the original art. Laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) produces images based on fluorescence emitted from within the target.

Insights From Minnesota on Newborn Screening for Adrenoleukodystrophy: A 5-Year Update.

Our objectives are to report on the outcomes of adrenal insufficiency (AI) and cerebral ALD (cALD) in children diagnosed with X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) identified by newborn screening (NBS) in Minnesota in the first 5 years following initiation of NBS in 02/2017. A retrospective chart review was conducted for children diagnosed with ALD via Minnesota NBS from 02/06/2017 through 02/06/2022. Data reviewed included newborn screening data, diagnostic very long chain fatty acid levels, ABCD1 molecular testing results, serial measurements of ACTH and cortisol, and serial brain MRI results.

Occipital nerve block for headaches: a narrative review.

The occipital nerve block involves the injection of a local anesthetic and possibly a corticosteroid near the occipital nerves at the base of the skull and aims at providing relief from chronic headaches by temporarily numbing or reducing inflammation around the occipital nerves. It has proven to be efficacious in treating chronic headaches, especially those that are refractory to medication; it is both diagnostic and therapeutic with symptom abatement from weeks to months. Occipital nerve blocks can be utilized alone or with standard-of-care therapy for various other headache conditions, such as cluster headaches, episodic headaches or chronic migraines.

Cataract surgery has minimal effect on corneal shape.

Purpose: To quantify the effect of cataract surgery on cornea shape.

Methods: Patients undergoing cataract surgery with standardised 2.75 mm surgical incisions at 110 degrees with a side port at 50 degrees were included.

Six months of hybrid closed-loop therapy improves diabetes-specific positive well-being, and reduces diabetes distress and fear of hypoglycemia: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: This analysis aimed to investigate diabetes-specific psychological outcomes among adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using hybrid closed-loop (HCL) versus standard therapy.

Research Design And Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled, parallel-group clinical trial, adults with T1D were allocated to 26 weeks of HCL (MiniMed™ 670G) or standard therapy (insulin pump or multiple daily injections without real-time continuous glucose monitoring). Psychological outcomes (awareness and fear of hypoglycemia; and diabetes-specific positive well-being, diabetes distress, diabetes treatment satisfaction, and diabetes-specific quality of life (QoL)) were measured at enrollment, mid-trial and end-trial.

Development of an automated microfluidic system for actinide separation and analysis.

Mass spectroscopy and microfluidic technology, when combined, offer significant advantages in radiochemical analysis sample volume and cost reduction. A microfluidic device designed for efficiency has been developed. This device separates uranium from key trace elements by utilising UTEVA® chromatographic resins and nitric acid solutions of different concentrations for adsorption and recovery.

Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF): Emerging Concepts in Diagnosis, Pain Management, and Novel Treatment Options: A Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a hereditary autoinflammatory disorder predominantly affecting individuals of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent, including those with certain heritages including Sephardic Jewish, Armenian, Turkish, and Arab. The disorder affects up to 1 in 200 people making it a very common etiology for pain states worldwide, including serositis mediated painful states of the chest, joint, and abdomen.

Recent Findings: Defined by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammation, FMF can lead to not only severe pain, but complications such as renal amyloidosis, if untreated.

An early precursor CD8 T cell that adapts to acute or chronic viral infection.

This study examines the origin and differentiation of stem-like CD8+ T cells that are essential for sustained T cell immunity in chronic viral infections and cancer and also play a key role in PD-1 directed immunotherapy. These PD-1+ TCF-1+ TOX+ stem-like CD8+ T cells, also referred to as precursors of exhausted T cells, have a distinct program that allows them to adapt to chronic antigen stimulation. Using the mouse model of chronic LCMV infection we found that virus specific stem-like CD8+ T cells are generated early (day 5) during chronic infection suggesting that this crucial fate commitment occurs irrespective of infection outcome.

Inpatient Multimodal Pain Regimens Do Not Impact Hospital Length of Stay or Long-term Postoperative Opioid Use Following 1 and 2-Level Lumbar Fusion.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To determine hospital length of stay (LOS) and long-term opioid consumption among patients who received inpatient multimodal analgesia following lumbar spine surgery, as opposed to those who received opioids alone.

Summary Of Background Data: Opioids have long been the historical choice for managing postoperative pain.

Challenges in intraoperative differentiation of craniopharyngioma and Rathke cleft cyst on endoscopic visualization.

Background: Craniopharyngiomas are epithelial tumors derived from the remnants of the Rathke pouch, while Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) are benign cystic lesions originating from the Rathke pouch itself [1]. Rathke cleft cysts comprise 10-15% of the hypophyseal tumors, while craniopharyngiomas are relatively rare, comprising only 2-5% of intracranial tumors [2]. Both located in the sellar and parasellar regions and share clinical symptoms including headache, visual disturbances, and endocrine dysfunction [3].