Do germline genetic variants influence surgical outcomes in drug-resistant epilepsy?

Objective: We retrospectively explored patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who previously underwent presurgical evaluation to identify correlations between surgical outcomes and pathogenic variants in epilepsy genes.

Methods: Through an international collaboration, we evaluated adult DRE patients who were screened for surgical candidacy. Patients with pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) germline variants in genes relevant to their epilepsy were included, regardless of whether the genetic diagnosis was made before or after the presurgical evaluation.

Distinct plasma metabolomic signatures differentiate autoimmune encephalitis from drug-resistant epilepsy.

Objective: Differentiating forms of autoimmune encephalitis (AE) from other causes of seizures helps expedite immunotherapies in AE patients and informs studies regarding their contrasting pathophysiology. We aimed to investigate whether and how Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics could differentiate AE from drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), and stratify AE subtypes.

Methods: This study recruited 238 patients: 162 with DRE and 76 AE, including 27 with contactin-associated protein-like 2 (CASPR2), 29 with leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1 (LGI1) and 20 with N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies.

Salivary Nitric Oxide Levels before and after Treating Caries in Children: A Comparative Study.

Objective: To assess salivary nitric oxide (NO) levels in children with caries at baseline before treatment and compare salivary NO levels before treatment and after 15 and 30 days of the treatment.

Study Design: The saliva sample was collected from a total of 31 children with caries aged between 6 and 12 years. NO levels were estimated in children with caries before and after treatment using Griess reaction.

Gestational stress decreases postpartum mitochondrial respiration in the prefrontal cortex of female rats.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major psychiatric complication of childbirth, affecting up to 20% of mothers, yet remains understudied. Mitochondria, dynamic organelles crucial for cell homeostasis and energy production, share links with many of the proposed mechanisms underlying PPD pathology. Brain mitochondrial function is affected by stress, a major risk factor for development of PPD, and is linked to anxiety-like and social behaviors.

Clinical Evaluation of Retention of Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Pit and Fissure Sealants in Permanent First Molars: An 18 Months Follow-up: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Deep pits and fissures are more prone to caries development due to their complex morphological anatomy. Preventive measures, such as pit and fissure sealants, can help in the reduction of dental caries. Conventional sealants being hydrophobic in nature, require isolation.

Cardiomyocyte-specific circulating cell-free methylated DNA in esophageal cancer patients treated with chemoradiation.

Thoracic high dose radiation therapy (RT) for cancer has been associated with early and late cardiac toxicity. To assess altered rates of cardiomyocyte cell death due to RT we monitored changes in cardiomyocyte-specific, cell-free methylated DNA (cfDNA) shed into the circulation. Eleven patients with distal esophageal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation to 50.

Molecular predictors of response to pembrolizumab in thymic carcinoma.

Thymic carcinoma is rare and has a poorer prognosis than thymomas. The treatment options are limited after failure of platinum-based chemotherapy. We previously performed a single-center phase II study of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced thymic carcinoma, showing a 22.

Clinical features which predict neuronal surface autoantibodies in new-onset focal epilepsy: implications for immunotherapies.

Objective: To generate a score which clinically identifies surface-directed autoantibodies in adults with new-onset focal epilepsy, and evaluate the value of immunotherapy in this clinical setting.

Methods: Prospective clinical and autoantibody evaluations in a cohort of 219 consecutive patients with new-onset focal epilepsy.

Results: 10.

Risk Factors for Early Childhood Caries in Toddlers: An Institution-based Study.

Background Tooth decay experience among toddlers and preschoolers is of epidemic proportions worldwide and dental caries still remains an important childhood disease affecting a considerable part of this population. Though the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is associated with several risk factors such as feeding and oral hygiene practices, Streptococcus mutans levels, socioeconomic status (SES), etc., it is suggested that these factors should be studied adequately to aid in the early prevention and management of ECC.

Somatic mutation signatures in primary liver tumors of workers exposed to ionizing radiation.

Liver cancer is associated with genetic mutations caused by environmental exposures, including occupational exposure to alpha radiation emitted by plutonium. We used whole exome sequencing (WES) to characterize somatic mutations in 3 histologically distinct primary liver tumors (angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)) from Mayak worker subjects occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation (IR) to investigate the contribution of IR to the mutational landscape of liver cancer. DNA sequence analysis revealed these tumors harbor an excess of deletions, with a deletions:substitutions ratio similar to that previously reported in radiation-associated tumors.

Risk factors for post-induction hypotension in children presenting for surgery.

Background: Preoperative factors have been correlated with pre-incision hypotension (PIH) in children undergoing surgery, suggesting that PIH can be predicted through preoperative screening. We studied blood pressure (BP) changes in the 12 min following the induction of anesthesia to study the incidence of post-induction hypotension and to assess the feasibility of predicting PIH in low-risk children without preoperative hypotension or comorbid features.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 200 patients ranging in age from 2 to 8 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists' (ASA) physical status I or II, undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

Vesicular expression and release of ATP from dopaminergic neurons of the mouse retina and midbrain.

Vesicular nucleotide transporter (VNUT) is required for active accumulation of adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) into vesicles for purinergic neurotransmission, however, the cell types that express VNUT in the central nervous system remain unknown. This study characterized VNUT expression within the mammalian retina and brain and assessed a possible functional role in purinergic signaling. Two native isoforms of VNUT were detected in mouse retina and brain based on RNA transcript and protein analysis.

An in vitro and in vivo validation of a novel color-coded syringe device for measuring the intracuff pressure in cuffed endotracheal tubes.

Background: The clinical practice of pediatric anesthesiology has changed with a transition to the use of cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) in infants and children. The monitoring of intracuff pressure has been suggested as one means to limit the potential for damage to the tracheal mucosa. The current study evaluates the accuracy of a novel, color-coded syringe device which provides three zones (green, clear, and red) to estimate the intracuff pressure.

Age-based analysis of pediatric upper airway dimensions using computed tomography imaging.

Background: Recent studies have challenged the historically accepted fact that the larynx is cone-shaped in infants and children. The present study used computed tomography (CT)-based measurements to evaluate airway dimensions. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the dimensional transition between the subglottic area and the cricoid ring in children.

Penicillin allergy and surgical prophylaxis: Cephalosporin cross-reactivity risk in a pediatric tertiary care center.

Background: First generation cephalosporins are commonly used as antibiotic prophylaxis prior to surgery. Patients labeled as penicillin-allergic are often precluded from receiving cephalosporins because of an allergic cross-reactivity. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical practice for surgical prophylaxis at Nationwide Children's Hospital and to determine the incidence of adverse effects and allergic reactions when using cephalosporins in patients labeled as penicillin-allergic.

Changes in intracuff pressure of a cuffed endotracheal tube during prolonged surgical procedures.

Background: With the introduction of redesigned cuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs), there has been an increasing trend toward their use in pediatric patients. Despite improvements in design, an unintended and prolonged hyperinflation of the cuff can compromise tracheal mucosal perfusion. The current study prospectively monitors changes in intracuff pressure continuously in pediatric patients undergoing prolonged surgical procedures.

Modulus-dependent characteristics of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSC) encapsulated in hydrogel microspheres.

Recent studies revealing stem cell behavior dependence on mechanical properties of a substrate has initiated the need to probe matrix mechanics and its influence on stem cell fate in a physiologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment. We investigated the proliferative and osteogenic potentials of Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) immobilized in alginate microspheres with respect to the mechanical properties of alginate hydrogels (1, 1.5 and 2% (w/v)) post incubation in a simulated in vivo environment.

An in vitro and in vivo validation of a novel monitor for intracuff pressure in cuffed endotracheal tubes.

Background: The clinical practice of pediatric anesthesiology has changed with increasing use of cuffed endotracheal tubes (cETTs) in infants and children. To limit the risk of tracheal mucosal damage, regular monitoring of intracuff pressure (CP) is necessary. This study evaluates the efficacy and accuracy of a novel syringe device that provides a digital readout of the CP.

AKT pathway genes define 5 prognostic subgroups in glioblastoma.

Activity of GFR/PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitors in glioblastoma clinical trials has not been robust. We hypothesized variations in the pathway between tumors contribute to poor response. We clustered GBM based on AKT pathway genes and discovered new subtypes then characterized their clinical and molecular features.

A technique to measure the intracuff pressure continuously: an in vivo demonstration of its accuracy.

Objective: A major concern with the use of cuffed endotracheal tubes (cETT) in children is hyperinflation of the cuff which may compromise tracheal mucosal perfusion. To measure the intracuff pressure (CP), we devised a method using the transducer of an invasive pressure monitoring device. The objective of the study was to test the accuracy and validity of this device for instantaneous and continuous CP monitoring.

The relationship between head and neck position and endotracheal tube intracuff pressure in the pediatric population.

Background: Over the past few years, there has been a change in clinical practice with a transition to the use of cuffed instead of uncuffed endotracheal tubes (ETTs) in pediatric patients. These changes have led to concerns regarding unsafe intracuff pressures in pediatric patients, which may result in postoperative morbidity. To avoid these issues, it is generally suggested that the intracuff pressure be maintained at ≤30 cmH2 O.

Influence of hypoxia, high glucose, and low serum on the growth kinetics of mesenchymal stem cells from deciduous and permanent teeth.

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells depends on their ability to survive and proliferate under adverse in vivo scenarios in a particular disease. In most of the sites of injury, especially in diabetic wounds, there can be hypoxia, hyperglycemia, and ischemia, leading to a lack of nutrients. Hence, the aim of our present study was to investigate the influence of hypoxia, high glucose, and low serum concentrations on the growth kinetics and proliferative potential of human dental pulp stem cells from exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) and permanent teeth (DPSC).

Clustering context-specific gene regulatory networks.

Gene regulatory networks (GRNs) learned from high throughput genomic data are often hard to visualize due to the large number of nodes and edges involved, rendering them difficult to appreciate. This becomes an important issue when modular structures are inherent in the inferred networks, such as in the recently proposed context-specific GRNs.(12) In this study, we investigate the application of graph clustering techniques to discern modularity in such highly complex graphs, focusing on context-specific GRNs.