Unmasking anxiety: a head-to-head comparison of open and closed masks in head and neck cancer radiotherapy.

Background: Facemasks accurately immobilise patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving radiotherapy (RT). However, such masks are associated with treatment related distress, a prognostic factor for poorer survival. Open masks offer increased comfort and patient satisfaction.

TEG® 6s coagulation testing with a novel heparin neutralization cartridge: Technical validation and determination of normal reference ranges.

Objectives: We sought to establish normal reference ranges (NRRs) for a novel TEG 6s cartridge (TEG 6s Citrated: K, KH, RTH, FFH [Global Hemostasis]) (Haemonetics Corporation, Boston, MA, US).

Methods: Healthy volunteers (≥18 years of age) included in this single-arm study provided single samples of whole blood. Primary end points included TEG parameters in the citrated kaolin (CK), CK with heparinase (CKH), RapidTEG with heparinase (CRTH), and functional fibrinogen with heparinase (CFFH) assays.

Vcam1+ Fibro-adipogenic Progenitors Mark Fatty Infiltration in Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia.

Skeletal muscle health and function is a critical determinant of clinical outcomes in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Herein, we identify fatty infiltration, the ectopic deposition of adipocytes in skeletal muscle, as a histological hallmark of end-stage PAD, also known as chronic limb threatening ischemia (CLTI). Leveraging single cell transcriptome mapping in mouse models of PAD, we identify a pro-adipogenic mesenchymal stromal cell population marked by expression of Vcam1 (termed Vcam1+ FAPs) that expands in the ischemic limb.