On the Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of a Novel Thin-Film Electrode Array for Use in Cochlear Implants.

Thin-film electrode arrays (TFEAs) have been developed as an alternative to conventional electrode arrays (CEAs) used in cochlear implants. However, TFEAs produced by microfabrication techniques have not yet been used clinically because their structural and mechanical properties are far from those of CEAs. The aim of this study is to design, fabricate, and investigate the mechanical and tribological behavior and evaluate the performance of different TFEA designs.

Segmental deformity markers offer novel indicators of deformity progression risk in deformity-matched adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.

Purpose: Identification of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with mild curvatures who pose significant risk of progressing to severe levels of curvatures is of paramount importance for clinical care. This study aimed to compare segmental deformity changes in AIS sub-cohorts that are dichotomised by progression status.

Methods: Thirty-six female participants with Lenke 1 AIS curves were investigated with sequential MRIs during growth.

Surgeon-Modified Fenestrated Stent-grafts for Zone 2 Endovascular Repair of Blunt Traumatic Thoracic Aortic Injury: Early and Midterm Results.

Aim: Blunt traumatic thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) is a highly fatal surgical emergency and is treated with endovascular procedures. We aimed to analyze and report the early and midterm outcomes of surgeon-modified fenestrated stent-grafts (SMFSG) compared with other conventional endovascular methods in patients with BTAI repaired with zone 2 endovascular surgery.

Materials And Methods: Before and after the study was performed, from January 2015 to January 2020 for a period in which conventional endovascular treatments were used and from January 2020 to January 2023 for the second period in which the SMFSG technique was used.

Quantifying Typical Progression of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Longitudinal Three-Dimensional MRI Measures of Disk and Vertebral Deformities.

Study Design: A prospective cohort study.

Objective: Detail typical three-dimensional segmental deformities and their rates of change that occur within developing adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) spines over multiple timepoints.

Summary Of Background Data: AIS is a potentially progressive deforming condition that occurs in three dimensions of the scoliotic spine during periods of growth.

Combined Endovascular Treatment of Complex Aortic Pathologies.

Aim:  Multisegmented aortic pathologies present challenging issues independent of the treatment chosen. Whether open or endovascular, staged, or simultaneous, every treatment modality has its own pros and cons. We revealed our patients retrospectively with early and midterm results who had simultaneous endovascular thoracic and abdominal aortic repair for thoracic aortic pathologies and infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (iAAA) as a single-center experience.

Vertebral body tethering for idiopathic scoliosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Vertebral body tethering (VBT) is a recent procedure to correct and reduce spinal curves in skeletally immature patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the expected curve reduction and potential complications for adolescent patients after VBT.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar and Cochrane databases were searched until February 2022.

Development and validation of a semi-automated measurement tool for calculating consistent and reliable surface metrics describing cosmesis in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a 3D spine deformity that also causes ribcage and torso distortion. While clinical metrics are important for monitoring disorder progression, patients are often most concerned about their cosmesis. The aim of this study was to automate the quantification of AIS cosmesis metrics, which can be measured reliably from patient-specific 3D surface scans (3DSS).

Predicting spinal column profile from surface topography via 3D non-contact surface scanning.

Introduction: 3D Non-Contact surface scanning (3DSS) is used in both biomechanical and clinical studies to capture accurate 3D images of the human torso, and to better understand the shape and posture of the spine-both healthy and pathological. This study sought to determine the efficacy and accuracy of using 3DSS of the posterior torso, to determine the curvature of the spinal column in the lateral lying position.

Methods: A cohort of 50 healthy adults underwent 3DSS and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to correlate the contours of the external spine surface with the internal spinal column.

Gendered Actions with a Genderless Robot: Gender Attribution to Humanoid Robots in Action.

The present study aims to investigate how gender stereotypes affect people's gender attribution to robots. To this end, we examined whether a robot can be assigned a gender depending on a performed action. The study consists of 3 stages.

Unna Boot With Keystone Advancement Flap Leads to Excellent Outcomes for Lower Extremity Reconstruction.

Background: The reconstruction of lower extremity defects can be technically challenging. The keystone island perforator flap is a workhorse reconstructive option for difficult-to-repair regions, including the lower limb. The goal of this study is to evaluate outcomes using the keystone flap in combination with the zinc oxide compression dressing (Unna boot) for repair of lower extremity defects.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Portal Vein Embolization, Associated Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation, and Radiation Lobectomy Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Purpose Of Review: To understand portal vein embolization (PVE), associated liver partition and portal vein ligation (ALPPS) and radiation lobectomy (RL) outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Systematic reviews of future liver remnant (FLR) percent hypertrophy, proportion undergoing hepatectomy and proportion with major complications following PVE, ALPPS, and RL were performed by searching Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Separate meta-analyses using random-effects models with assessment of study heterogeneity and publication bias were performed whenever allowable by available data.

Funnel technique for wide infrarenal aneurysm neck with Lifetech Ankura™ Stent Graft System.

Background: In this study, we present our mid-term results in patients undergoing treatment with the funnel technique and describe technical issues for this bailout technique in extra-wide infrarenal necks.

Methods: Between January 2018 and June 2020, a total of seven male, symptomatic patients (median: 74.5 years; range, 64 to 84 years) who had comorbidities and were in the American Society for Anesthesiologists Class IV and treated by the funnel technique in an endovascular fashion were included.

What factors counteract mid-term survival following endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms?

Introduction: Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is increasingly used, and has become the standard treatment option for AAA.

Aim: To evaluate the outcomes and predictors of survival of endovascular treatment of AAA in the short- and medium-term.

Material And Methods: A total of 222 patients having endovascular AAA repair between January 2013 and December 2019 by the same surgical team were included in the study.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Early Lesion Growth in Presymptomatic Patients with Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy.

Background And Purpose: Cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy is a devastating neurological disorder caused by mutations in the gene. Our aim was to model and compare the growth of early cerebral lesions from longitudinal MRIs obtained in presymptomatic patients with progressive and arrested cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy using quantitative MR imaging-based lesion volumetry.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively quantified and modeled the longitudinal growth of early cerebral lesions from 174 MRIs obtained from 36 presymptomatic male patients with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.

Projected paediatric cervical spine imaging rates with application of NEXUS, Canadian C-Spine and PECARN clinical decision rules in a prospective Australian cohort.

Background: Clinical decision rules (CDRs) are commonly used to guide imaging decisions in cervical spine injury (CSI) assessment despite limited evidence for their use in paediatric populations. We set out to determine CSI incidence, imaging rates and the frequency of previously identified CSI risk factors, and thus assess the projected impact on imaging rates if CDRs were strictly applied as a rule in our population.

Methods: A single-centre prospective observational study on all aged under 16 years presenting for assessment of possible CSI to a tertiary paediatric emergency department over a year, commencing September 2015.

Effectiveness of a Simulation Curriculum on Clinical Application: A Randomized Educational Trial.

Introduction: The use of simulation to develop clinical reasoning and medical decision-making skills for common events is poorly established. Validated head trauma rules help identify children at low risk for clinically important traumatic brain injury and guide the need for neuroimaging. We predicted that interns trained using a high-fidelity, immersive simulation would understand and apply these rules better than those trained using a case-based discussion.

Evaluation of the LI-RADS treatment response algorithm in hepatocellular carcinoma after trans-arterial chemoembolization.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of LI-RADS treatment response algorithm (LR-TRA) and modified RECIST (mRECIST) for the detection of viable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on MRI after trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study includes cirrhotic patients that underwent trans-arterial chemoembolization prior to liver transplantation from 2013 to 2017 with a pre- and post-treatment MRI available. Three blinded readers assigned a LR-TRA and mRECIST category to each lesion.

Long-term results of endovascular intervention with unibody bifurcation endograft for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm management.

Unibody bifurcated endografts have the advantage of reducing the operative time, avoiding migration and iliac limb dislocation in patient with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). We report our long-term experience in patients who underwent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) due to infrarenal AAA with Endologix AFX® endograft system. Between January 2013-December 2018, 68 patients with infrarenal AAA had EVAR procedure with Endologix AFX® endograft system.

Elective Endovascular Repair of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms with Modular and Unibody Type Endografts.

Background: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the performance of modular and unibody endografts for the endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

Methods: Between January 2012 and December 2017, 130 elective infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms treated in an endovascular manner were retrospectively evaluated. Sixty-six patients with the modular type (Medtronic Endurant II and Lifetech Ankura AAA) and 64 patients with the unibody type (Endologix AFX®) were compared with regards to early and postoperative one-year results.

Symptomatic Improvement of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Comparative Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 4 Different Minimally Invasive Therapies.

Purpose: To review and compare the outcomes of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) with 3 other minimally invasive surgical treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia, including photoselective vaporization (PVP), prostatic urethral lift (PUL), and water vapor thermal therapy (WV).

Methods: A literature review was used to identify 35 publications, which included 2,653 patients (studies, patients): PVP (13, 949), PUL (9, 577), WV (3, 330), and PAE (10, 728). The international prostate symptom score (IPSS) and the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) and quality of life (QOL) scores were recorded at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.

Mode of detection matters: Differences in screen-detected versus symptomatic breast cancers.

Objective: Although extensive analyses evaluating screening mammography for breast cancer have been published, some utilized databases do not distinguish between modes of detection, which confounds the conclusions made about the impact of screening mammography.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of women at our institution with pathologically-proven breast cancer from January 2015 to April 2018 was conducted. Subjects were categorized by their mode of diagnosis: screening or non-screening.

Outcomes after EVAR in females are similar to males.

Introduction: Women are less likely to develop infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm; however, when they do, it is almost always associated with challenging anatomy, more rapid aneurysmal growth rate and earlier rupture. Women generally have poorer outcomes following open aneurysm repair; and in this respect, the present study aims to evaluate if it is so after endovascular repair.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of our database was performed for patients underwent endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) between January 2013-March 2020.

Preadmission predictors of severe COVID-19 in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To explore predictors of severe COVID-19 disease in patients with diabetes hospitalized for COVID-19.

Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of adults with diabetes admitted for COVID-19. Bivariate tests and multivariable Cox regression were used to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19, defined as a composite endpoint of intensive care unit admission/intubation or in-hospital death.