Focal pulsed field ablation in complex atrial tachycardia: First clinical experience and 1-year outcome.

Background: Pulsed field ablation (PFA) has become increasingly important in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. In addition to single-shot devices mainly used for pulmonary vein isolation, focal PFA may provide a treatment option that increases the versatility of the technique.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide data on feasibility, safety, and long-term outcome of focal PFA for ablation of complex atrial tachycardia (AT).

Assessing Feed-Forward Backpropagation Artificial Neural Networks for Strain-Rate-Sensitive Mechanical Modeling.

The manufacturing processes and design of metal and alloy products can be performed over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures. To design and optimize these processes using computational mechanics tools, the selection and calibration of the constitutive models is critical. In the case of hazardous and explosive impact loads, it is not always possible to test material properties.

First clinical data on artificial intelligence-guided catheter ablation in long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation.

Introduction: Despite advanced ablation strategies and major technological improvements, treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) remains challenging and the underlying pathophysiology is not fully understood. This study analyzed the multiple procedure outcome and safety of catheter ablation of spatiotemporal dispersions (DISPERS) detected by artificial intelligence (AI)-guided software in patients with long-standing persistent AF.

Methods And Results: The Volta VX1 software was used for 50 consecutive patients undergoing catheter ablation for persistent AF.

Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) in the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Cervical and Lumbar Pain: A Prospective Observational Clinical Study.

Background: Chronic back pain is a long-lasting disorder, whose main source of pain is often the intervertebral disc that undergoes a degenerative process associated with low-grade inflammation, leading to a reduced quality of life.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of intradiscal and epidural injections of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in patients with chronic clinical symptoms due to intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration.

Study Design: Prospective observational study.

A Fenton Approach to Aromatic Radical Cations and Diarylmethane Synthesis.

Manipulating carbon-centered radicals to add to electron-deficient systems is a well-precedented process. By coupling the Fe(II)-mediated Fenton reaction with the Fe(III)-mediated single-electron oxidation of anisolic compounds, we demonstrate how electron-rich carbon-centered radicals can react with electron-rich arenes through a radical-polar cascade pathway. This bioinspired approach produces diarylmethane derivatives from simple unfunctionalized precursors.

Ranibizumab for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: Anti-VEGF drugs like ranibizumab can be used to treat retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) by halting the formation of abnormal blood vessels, or lasers can be used to burn the edges of the retina where these vessels are present. The objective is to compare the efficacy for ROP between ranibizumab and laser therapy.

Material And Methods: Electronic searches will be carried out in medical databases with key words and controlled vocabulary terms.

Examining the Role of Quality of Institutionalized Healthcare on Maternal Mortality in the Dominican Republic.

The main study objective was to determine the extent to which the quality of institutionalized healthcare, sociodemographic factors of obstetric patients, and institutional factors affect maternal mortality in the Dominican Republic. COM-Poisson distribution and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used to determine the relationship of predictor factors (i.e.

Cost-effectiveness of adjuvant atezolizumab versus best supportive care in the treatment of patients with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer and overexpression of PD-L1.

Aims: To assess the cost-effectiveness of adjuvant atezolizumab in the treatment of early-stage NSCLC patients (stage II-IIIA) with expression PD-L1 ≥ 50% without mutations in EGFR or ALK rearrangements in Spain.

Materials And Methods: A 5-states Markov model (DFS, locoregional recurrence, 1 L-metastatic recurrence, 2 L-metastatic recurrence, and death states) was adapted to the Spanish setting. Demographic characteristics of the hypothetical cohort, transition probabilities from the DFS state, and safety parameters were obtained from IMpower010 study (GO29527).

Economic burden of locoregional and metastatic relapses in resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer in Spain.

Background: There are scarce data of the costs of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) recurrence in Spain. The objective of this study is to assess the economic burden of disease recurrence, for both locoregional and/or metastatic relapses, after appropriate early-stage NSCLC treatment in Spain.

Materials And Methods: A two-round consensus panel of Spanish oncologists and hospital pharmacists was conducted to collect information on patient's flow, treatments, use of healthcare resources and sick leaves in patients with relapsed NSCLC.

Novel Species of Brucella Causing Human Brucellosis, French Guiana.

Human brucellosis is a zoonoses caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella. Infection results in subacute or chronic debilitating disease with nonspecific clinical manifestations and is often associated with consuming unpasteurized dairy products. We report 2 cases of brucellosis in male patients who were hospitalized in distinct towns of French Guiana, an overseas territory of France located on the northeastern shore of South America.

Demystifying normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for greenness exposure assessments and policy interventions in urban greening.

Most nature and health research use the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for measuring greenness exposure. However, little is known about what NDVI measures in terms of vegetation types (e.g.

Deciphering Black Extrinsic Tooth Stain Composition in Children Using Metaproteomics.

The present study focuses on the use of a metaproteomic approach to analyze Black Extrinsic Tooth Stains, a specific type of pigmented extrinsic substance. Metaproteomics is a powerful emerging technology that successfully enabled human protein and bacterial identification of this specific dental biofilm using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 1600 bacterial proteins were identified in black stain (BS) samples and 2058 proteins in dental plaque (DP) samples, whereas 607 and 582 human proteins were identified in BS and DP samples, respectively.

Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) in the Treatment of Cervical and Lumbar Back Pain: A Retrospective Observational Clinical Study.

Background: Plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) is a leukocyte-free platelet-rich plasma (PRP) that is an effective biological approach to tissue repair and has been demonstrated to significantly improve multiple conditions, including low back pain and degenerative disc pathology.

Objectives: The objective of this retrospective study was to analyze the effectiveness of treating both cervical and lumbar spine pain with minimally invasive infiltrations of PRGF-Endoret.

Study Design: Retrospective study design.

Differential effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol dosing on correlates of schizophrenia in the sub-chronic PCP rat model.

Social withdrawal in the sub-chronic phencyclidine (PCP) rat model, a behavioral correlate of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, results from deficits in brain endocannabinoid transmission. As cannabis intake has been shown to affect negatively the course and expression of psychosis, we tested whether the beneficial effects of endocannabinoid-mediated CB1 activation on social withdrawal in PCP-treated rats (5 mg/kg, twice daily for 7 days)also occurred after administration of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 0.1, 0.

Distribution of Toxinogenic Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible from Different Ecological Niches in Algeria.

The diffusion of Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-positive methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a health problem in Algeria. The objectives of the study were to investigate the global distribution of methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and MRSA isolates in different ecological niches in this country. In total, 2246 samples were collected from humans, livestock, wild animals, pets, food products and the aquatic environment, from 12 Algerian provinces.

Changing the Paradigm in Public Health and Disability through a Knowledge Translation Center.

People with disabilities are a health disparity population that face many barriers to health promotion opportunities in their communities. Inclusion in public health initiatives is a critical approach to address the health disparities that people with disabilities experience. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) is tackling health disparities in the areas of physical activity, healthy nutrition, and healthy weight management.

Immune-Related Gene Expression Profiling After PD-1 Blockade in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma, Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma.

Antibody targeting of the immune checkpoint receptor PD1 produces therapeutic activity in a variety of solid tumors, but most patients exhibit partial or complete resistance to treatment for reasons that are unclear. In this study, we evaluated tumor specimens from 65 patients with melanoma, lung nonsquamous, squamous cell lung or head and neck cancers who were treated with the approved PD1-targeting antibodies pembrolizumab or nivolumab. Tumor RNA before anti-PD1 therapy was analyzed on the nCounter system using the PanCancer 730-Immune Panel, and we identified 23 immune-related genes or signatures linked to response and progression-free survival (PFS).

Bone metastases with nerve root compression as a late complication in patient with epithelial pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor with dismal prognoses and poor response to treatments. The most frequent symptoms are due to local invasion. Distant metastases are not uncommon and usually appear at late stage of the disease.

Phencyclidine-induced social withdrawal results from deficient stimulation of cannabinoid CB₁ receptors: implications for schizophrenia.

The neuronal mechanisms underlying social withdrawal, one of the core negative symptoms of schizophrenia, are not well understood. Recent studies suggest an involvement of the endocannabinoid system in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and, in particular, of negative symptoms. We used biochemical, pharmacological, and behavioral approaches to investigate the role played by the endocannabinoid system in social withdrawal induced by sub-chronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP).

Retinoic acid protects against proteasome inhibition associated cell death in SH-SY5Y cells via the AKT pathway.

Inhibition of proteasome activity and the resulting protein accumulation are now known to be important events in the development of many neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Abnormal or over expressed proteins cause endoplasmic reticulum and oxidative stress leading to cell death, thus, normal proteasome function is critical for their removal. We have shown previously, with cultured SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, that proteasome inhibition by the drug epoxomicin results in accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins.

Anti-dyskinetic mechanisms of amantadine and dextromethorphan in the 6-OHDA rat model of Parkinson's disease: role of NMDA vs. 5-HT1A receptors.

Amantadine and dextromethorphan suppress levodopa (L-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia (LID) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model. These effects have been attributed to N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonism. However, amantadine and dextromethorphan are also thought to block serotonin (5-HT) uptake and cause 5-HT overflow, leading to stimulation of 5-HT(1A) receptors, which has been shown to reduce LID.

The cannabinoid agonist WIN55212-2 decreases L-DOPA-induced PKA activation and dyskinetic behavior in 6-OHDA-treated rats.

Chronic Levodopa (L-DOPA), the gold standard therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), causes disabling motor complications (dyskinesias) that are associated with changes in the activity of striatal protein kinase A (PKA) and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa (DARPP-32). In this study, we showed that systemic administration of the cannabinoid agonist WIN55212-2 ameliorated L-DOPA-induced abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) in the 6-OHDA rat model of PD and reversed L-DOPA-induced PKA hyperactivity via a CB(1)-mediated mechanism. This effect was accompanied by increased phosphorylation of DARPP-32 at threonine 34, which was partially blocked by CB(1) antagonism.

2009 Influenza A (H1N1) in Panama: a disease affecting children with a benign course.

Introduction: Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) was identified as the major febrile respiratory illness worldwide during the year 2009. We present a report of its clinical and epidemiological characteristics in children and adults in Panama.

Methodology: A descriptive study from the database of the Gorgas Memorial Institute is presented.

A grounded theory of the process of adherence to oral chemotherapy in Hispanic and caucasian children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) receive treatment that relies on daily self- or parent/caregiver-administered oral chemotherapy for approximately 2 years. Despite the fact that pediatric ALL is uniformly fatal without adequate treatment, nonadherence to oral chemotherapy has been observed in up to one third of patients. Little is known about the reasons for nonadherence in these patients.