Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients Who Have Survived an Episode of Sepsis in the United States: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Sepsis is a serious condition that may lead to death or profoundly affect the well-being of those who survive. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and summarize evidence on the impact of all-cause sepsis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), physical, cognitive, and psychological outcomes among sepsis survivors in the USA.

Methods: Studies assessing HRQoL, physical, cognitive, and psychological outcomes in patients who survived an episode of sepsis and published from January 1, 2010, to September 30, 2023, were systematically identified through EMBASE, MEDLINE, and MEDLINE In-Process databases, as well as through gray literature.

A Comprehensive Review of the Diagnostics for Pediatric Tuberculosis Based on Assay Time, Ease of Operation, and Performance.

Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is still challenged by several diagnostic bottlenecks, imposing a high TB burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Diagnostic turnaround time (TAT) and ease of operation to suit resource-limited settings are critical aspects that determine early treatment and influence morbidity and mortality. Based on TAT and ease of operation, this article reviews the evolving landscape of TB diagnostics, from traditional methods like microscopy and culture to cutting-edge molecular techniques and biomarker-based approaches.

Comparison of transcutaneous bilirubin under patch-covered skin with total serum bilirubin in neonates undergoing phototherapy.

Transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TcB) is a recognized tool to monitor neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, demonstrating a high correlation with total serum bilirubin (TSB) before phototherapy. However, once phototherapy is started, TcB may become unreliable. To evaluate the correlation and agreement of TcB measured under variously patched skin at different sites (a coin over the sternum, eye shield over the forehead, and diaper area at the back) with TSB.

Triphenylamine-Naphthalimide-Based "On-Off-On" AIEgen for Imaging Golgi Apparatus and Endoplasmic Reticulum.

Golgi apparatus (GA) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are two of the interesting subcellular organelles that are critical for protein synthesis, folding, processing, post-translational modifications, and secretion. Consequently, dysregulation in GA and ER and cross-talk between them are implicated in numerous diseases including cancer. As a result, simultaneous visualization of the GA and ER in cancer cells is extremely crucial for developing cancer therapeutics.

Twenty years of advances in prediction of nucleic acid-binding residues in protein sequences.

Computational prediction of nucleic acid-binding residues in protein sequences is an active field of research, with over 80 methods that were released in the past 2 decades. We identify and discuss 87 sequence-based predictors that include dozens of recently published methods that are surveyed for the first time. We overview historical progress and examine multiple practical issues that include availability and impact of predictors, key features of their predictive models, and important aspects related to their training and assessment.

Extracellular vesicles in dry eye disease and Sjögren's syndrome: A systematic review on their diagnostic and therapeutic role.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), defined as membrane-bound vesicles released from all cells, are being explored for their diagnostic and therapeutic role in dry eye disease (DED). We systematically shortlisted 32 articles on the role of EVs in diagnosing and treating DED. We cover the progress in the last 2 decades on the classification and isolation of EVs and their role in DED.

Daratumumab plus lenalidomide/dexamethasone in untreated multiple myeloma: analysis of key subgroups of the MAIA study.

In the MAIA study (median follow-up, 56.2 months), daratumumab plus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (D-Rd) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival versus lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd) alone in transplant-ineligible newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). In this post hoc analysis of clinically important subgroups in MAIA (median follow-up, 64.

A combination regimen of Intravitreal clindamycin with dexamethasone, systemic co-trimoxazole and steroids for macular Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis in immunocompetent cases.

Purpose: To study the role of intravitreal clindamycin with dexamethasone as an adjuvant to systemic co-trimoxazole and steroids in macular Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis.

Methods: Retrospective study of Toxoplasma retinochoroiditis cases from January 2014 to December 2021 treated with a combination of oral and intravitreal therapy in immunocompetent patients.

Results: 39 eyes of 39 patients were included in this study after meeting the inclusion criteria with the mean age of presentation being 25.

Increased Systemic Immune-Inflammatory Index and Association with Occult Nodal Disease in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: It has been proposed that more aggressive tumors trigger a stronger inflammatory response than less aggressive types. We hypothesize that systemic immune inflammatory index (SII) is associated with occult nodal disease (OND) in clinically node negative (cN0) patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Study Design: The study included patients who underwent lung resection with nodal dissection, according to current guidelines, at a single center between 2010-2021 for NSCLC.

Ethics: The Elixir of Publications.

Scientific papers are the driving force for research, information dissemination, and policymaking that directly impacts society. Thus, ethical practices are the elixir of publications. Adherence to ethical practices promotes integrity in research and publication.

Ethnic enclaves, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and obesity among Hispanic women in Chicago: a latent profile analysis approach.

Purpose: The prevalence of obesity, a crucial risk factor for breast cancer, is markedly higher among Hispanic women. The interaction between ethnic enclaves and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) as a determinant of this disparity warrants further research. We aimed to identify neighborhood profiles based on ethnic enclaves and socioeconomic status to evaluate the association with obesity among Hispanic women in the metropolitan Chicago region.

Oral Cyclosporine in Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis: Indications, Outcomes, and Effect on Corticosteroid Use.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report the indications and outcomes of oral cyclosporine A (oCsA) use in vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) and to assess its effect on corticosteroid use.

Methods: This retrospective review of VKC cases included patients who were prescribed oCsA. Data on clinical characteristics, demographic profile, and treatment were collected.

[18F]FDG PET/CT in Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Case Series Investigating the Clinical Utility in a Challenging and Rare Condition.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a deadly yet rare soft tissue and skin infection that is usually diagnosed clinically. At times, clinical signs may betray the underlying etiology and masquerade as cellulitis in the early course of the disease. We report four cases with clinical suspicion of necrotizing fasciitis, some after the failure of therapy for cellulitis who underwent 18-F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18-F FDG PET/CT) showing the extent of the disease, showing subclinical sites of involvement in patients with necrotizing fasciitis on baseline scan as well as its role in assessing response to treatment using 18-F FDG PET/CT.

Aggregated gold nanoparticles as photoactivators for the photopolymerization of proteins.

Photopolymerization of bovine serum albumin was carried out using reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the irradiation of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The ROS in this case, singlet oxygen (O), targets aromatic amino acids within the protein to induce photopolymerization or crosslinking. Other ROS, like the hydroxyl radical, can also form in solution and under high-energy irradiation.

Central Nervous System Tumor-Embryonal Tumors Type With Neuroendocrine Differentiation.

The central nervous system (CNS) tumor with embryonal tumors type is a rare type of CNS tumor with lack of unifying genetic alterations or diagnostic markers. The CNS tumor-embryonal tumors (CETs) have limited therapeutic options with high probability of adverse events associated with conventional treatment. Identification of somatostatin receptor expression and/or prostate-specific membrane antigen expression in CET patients by using PET/CT imaging may be helpful for deciding therapeutic approaches in these patients as theranostics.

Advancing macromolecular structure determination with microsecond X-ray pulses at a 4th generation synchrotron.

Serial macromolecular crystallography has become a powerful method to reveal room temperature structures of biological macromolecules and perform time-resolved studies. ID29, a flagship beamline of the ESRF 4th generation synchrotron, is the first synchrotron beamline in the world capable of delivering high brilliance microsecond X-ray pulses at high repetition rate for the structure determination of biological macromolecules at room temperature. The cardinal combination of microsecond exposure times, innovative beam characteristics and adaptable sample environment provides high quality complete data, even from an exceptionally small amount of crystalline material, enabling what we collectively term serial microsecond crystallography (SµX).

Inhibiting De Novo Biosynthesis of Ceramide by L-Cycloserine Can Prevent Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration in Albino BALB/c Mice.

Retinal degenerative diseases lead to irreversible vision loss due to photoreceptor cell death, driven by complex genetic and environmental factors. Ceramide, a sphingolipid metabolite, emerges as a critical mediator in the apoptotic cascade associated with retinal degeneration. Our previous work demonstrated L-Cycloserine's ability to protect photoreceptor-derived cells from oxidative stress by inhibiting the de novo ceramide pathway and thus prompting further investigation on its effect in the in vivo retina.

Correlation of degree of acute radiation dermatitis (RD) with skin dose distribution in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiation.

Background: Radiation dermatitis (RD) or skin toxicity is one of the most common acute side effects of radiation in head and neck cancer patients. This study aims to correlate the pattern of volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) dose distribution to the skin with the grades of RD.

Materials And Methods: 80 plans of histopathologically proven squamous cell carcinoma head and neck patients already treated with definitive concurrent chemoradiation [66-70 Gy in 33-35# or 66 Gy in 30# in simultaneous integrated boost (SIB), with concurrent Cisplatin 100 mg/m 3 weekly] at our institution between November 2022 and November 2023 were retrieved from our digital archives.

Folic and folinic acid load tests for dynamic assessments of compliance and metabolism in folate deficiency and hyperhomocysteinaemia patients unresponsive to high-dose folate replacement.

We describe the utility of 'folic and folinic acid load tests' in the investigation of a 26-year-old woman with persistently low serum folate and moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia unresponsive to folic acid supplements. Serum folate, plasma 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), red cell 5-MTHF and plasma total homocysteine at baseline, 2-h, 4-h and 2- or 4-days (if applicable) post administration of a large dose of oral folic acid, or oral or parenteral folinic acid were measured. The tests confirmed non-compliance but also suggested an unsuspected possible defect in the folate pathway based on differential response to folic versus folinic acid supplements.

Third Trimester Development of Central Autonomic Network Connectivity is Altered in an Extrauterine Environment.

Introduction: The Central Autonomic Network (CAN), which involves complex interconnected brain regions that modulate the autonomic nervous system, may be key to understanding higher risk for psychosocial and behavioral challenges in preterm neonates.

Methods: We compared resting state functional connectivity of the CAN in 94 healthy term-born controls and 94 preterm infants at term-equivalent age (TEA). In preterm infants we correlated CAN connectivity with postmenstrual age (PMA).

Role of the transmembrane polar residues on CD151 in cholesterol binding.

Tetraspanins superfamily proteins have been shown to play an important role in several physiological processes and diseases such as cancer. Transmembrane polar residues of tetraspanins have an implication in regulating the process of cancer metastasis. Tetraspanin CD82 has been demonstrated to exert an anti-metastatic role while mutating polar residues in its transmembrane domains (TMDs) abrogates its metastasis inhibitory role.

Managing Friends and Foes: Sanctioning Mutualists in Mixed-Infection Nodules Trades off With Defense Against Antagonists.

Successful plant growth requires plants to minimize harm from antagonists and maximize benefit from mutualists. However, these outcomes may be difficult to achieve simultaneously, since plant defenses activated in response to antagonists can compromise mutualism function, and plant resources allocated to defense may trade off with resources allocated to managing mutualists. Here, we investigate how antagonist attack affects plant ability to manage mutualists with sanctions, in which a plant rewards cooperative mutualists and/or punishes uncooperative mutualists.

Brain development using a multicomponent intravenous lipid emulsion in preterm infants.

Background: Intravenous lipid emulsions are an essential component of nutritional support for very preterm infants. Many neonatal intensive care units have transitioned from traditional soybean oil-only to fish oil-containing multicomponent lipid emulsions, but the neurodevelopmental implications have not been well-explored. The primary aim of this study was to assess extrauterine third trimester brain growth in very preterm infants supported with soybean oil-only compared to fish-oil containing multicomponent lipid emulsions; white matter development and neurobehavioral regulation at term were also investigated.

Versatility and Outcomes of 'Mumbai Technique' of Stacked Cartilage Grafts in Indian Rhinoplasty.

 Augmentation rhinoplasty requires graft with substantial volume. In cases where patient is reluctant to use costal cartilage, this can be done using septum and conchal cartilage graft. Using the technique of "stacked cartilage graft" an assembly is made using septum and conchal cartilage for nasal augmentation and contour defects.