Approach and Effects of Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair in Women.

Mitral valve disease, particularly mitral regurgitation (MR), exhibits significant sex-related differences in disease patterns and clinical presentation, as well as in management and outcomes. Lack of sex-specific parameters to assess the hemodynamic impact of MR may contribute to delayed recognition of disease progression and later referral of women for intervention. Globally, rheumatic heart disease accounts for most of the burden of mitral valve pathology and affects more women than men across all age groups but few studies have explored whether there are underlying sex-related differences in pathophysiology, diagnosis, management, and outcomes of interventions such as percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty.

Quantitative CT Scan Analysis in Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease.

Background: Quantitative CT imaging may be a useful predictor of outcome in rheumatoid arthritis-related interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).

Research Question: What is the utility of deep learning-based lung fibrosis quantitation on CT imaging in assessing disease severity, predicting mortality, and identifying progression in RA-ILD?.

Study Design And Methods: CT scans on a primary cohort of 289 patients and a validation cohort of 50 individuals with RA-ILD were assessed quantitatively by using the data-driven texture analysis (DTA) method.

Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement Using Annular Reduction by Cinching With TEER in the Commissure (ARCTIC).

Background: Mitral annular calcification with valve dysfunction remains a challenging syndrome. Operative risk is high, and available transcatheter therapies are limited.

Methods: This study describes our initial experience with a novel procedure to address large mitral annuli when no surgical or trial-based transcatheter mitral valve replacement device is available.

Bursal Acromial Resurfacing Improves Shoulder Biomechanics in a Cadaveric Model of Massive Rotator Cuff Tear.

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of bursal acromial resurfacing (acromiograft) on acromiohumeral distance, subacromial contact area, and pressure in a cadaveric model of massive rotator cuff tear.

Methods: Eight fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders were tested using a customized shoulder testing system. Humeral head translation, subacromial contact pressure, and the subacromial contact area were evaluated across 4 conditions: (1) intact shoulder; (2) simulated massive rotator cuff tear, (3) 3-mm acromiograft condition, and (4) 6-mm acromiograft condition.

Scanning the aged to minimize missed injury: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter study.

Background: Despite the high incidence of blunt trauma in older adults, there is a lack of evidence-based guidance for computed tomography (CT) imaging in this population. We aimed to identify an algorithm to guide use of a pan-scan (head/cervical spine [C-spine]/torso) or a selective scan (head/C-spine ± torso). We hypothesized that a patient's initial history and examination could be used to guide imaging.

Isolation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) from endometriotic mice model and their immunomodulatory functions.

Endometriosis is a chronic, painful disease whose etiology remains unknown. The development of novel therapies and diagnostic tools for endometriosis has been limited due in part to challenges in studying the disease. Recently, a few reports have shown that immunosuppressive cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC), may promote the progression of endometriosis.

The secondary somatosensory cortex gates mechanical and heat sensitivity.

The cerebral cortex is vital for the processing and perception of sensory stimuli. In the somatosensory axis, information is received primarily by two distinct regions, the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) somatosensory cortices. Top-down circuits stemming from S1 can modulate mechanical and cooling but not heat stimuli such that circuit inhibition causes blunted perception.

Feasibility of Coronary Access Following Redo-TAVR for Evolut Failure: A Computed Tomography Simulation Study.

Background: Coronary accessibility following redo-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (redo-TAVR) is increasingly important, particularly in younger low-risk patients. This study aimed to predict coronary accessibility after simulated Sapien-3 balloon-expandable valve implantation within an Evolut supra-annular, self-expanding valve using pre-TAVR computed tomography (CT) imaging.

Methods: A total of 219 pre-TAVR CT scans from the Evolut Low-Risk CT substudy were analyzed.

A Deep Learning-Based Radiomic Classifier for Usual Interstitial Pneumonia.

Background: Because chest CT scan has largely supplanted surgical lung biopsy for diagnosing most cases of interstitial lung disease (ILD), tools to standardize CT scan interpretation are urgently needed.

Research Question: Does a deep learning (DL)-based classifier for usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) derived using CT scan features accurately discriminate radiologist-determined visual UIP?

Study Design And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed. Chest CT scans acquired in individuals with and without ILD were drawn from a variety of public and private data sources.

Female and male patients have similar outcomes after transcarotid artery revascularization in prospective trials.

Objective: Sex disparities in outcomes after carotid revascularization have long been a concern, with several studies demonstrating increased postoperative death and stroke for female patients after either carotid endarterectomy or transfemoral stenting. Adverse events after transfemoral stenting are higher in female patients, particularly in symptomatic cases. Our objective was to investigate outcomes after transcarotid artery revascularization (TCAR) stratified by patient sex hypothesizing that the results would be similar between males and females.

Evaluating adaptiveness of an active back exosuit for dynamic lifting and maximum range of motion.

Back exosuits deliver mechanical assistance to reduce the risk of back injury, however, minimising restriction is critical for adoption. We developed the adaptive impedance controller to minimise restriction while maintaining assistance by modulating impedance based on the user's movement direction and nonlinear sine curves. The objective of this study was to compare active assistance, delivered by a back exosuit via our adaptive impedance controller, to three levels of assistance from passive elastics.

Large language models encode clinical knowledge.

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated impressive capabilities, but the bar for clinical applications is high. Attempts to assess the clinical knowledge of models typically rely on automated evaluations based on limited benchmarks. Here, to address these limitations, we present MultiMedQA, a benchmark combining six existing medical question answering datasets spanning professional medicine, research and consumer queries and a new dataset of medical questions searched online, HealthSearchQA.

Broad immunity to SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern mediated by a SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain protein vaccine.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic has fuelled the generation of vaccines at an unprecedented pace and scale. However, many challenges remain, including: the emergence of vaccine-resistant mutant viruses, vaccine stability during storage and transport, waning vaccine-induced immunity, and concerns about infrequent adverse events associated with existing vaccines.

Methods: We report on a protein subunit vaccine comprising the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, dimerised with an immunoglobulin IgG1 Fc domain.

Long-Term Outcomes of Brugada Substrate Ablation: A Report from BRAVO (Brugada Ablation of VF Substrate Ongoing Multicenter Registry).

Background: Treatment options for high-risk Brugada syndrome (BrS) with recurrent ventricular fibrillation (VF) are limited. Catheter ablation is increasingly performed but a large study with long-term outcome data is lacking. We report the results of the multicenter, international BRAVO (Brugada Ablation of VF Substrate Ongoing Registry) for treatment of high-risk symptomatic BrS.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of GBP510/AS03 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 delta challenge in rhesus macaques.

Despite the availability of several effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, additional vaccines will be required for optimal global vaccination. In this study, we investigate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the GBP510 protein subunit vaccine adjuvanted with AS03, which has recently been authorized for marketing in South Korea under the trade name SKYCovione. The antigen in GBP510/AS03 is a two-part recombinant nanoparticle, which displays 60 receptor binding domain (RBD) proteins of SARS-CoV-2 Spike on its surface.

Ribosome Stalling of -Linked Glycoproteins in Cell-Free Extracts.

Ribosome display is a powerful method for selection and directed evolution of proteins expressed from combinatorial libraries. However, the ability to display proteins with complex post-translational modifications such as glycosylation is limited. To address this gap, we developed a set of complementary methods for producing stalled ribosome complexes that displayed asparagine-linked (-linked) glycoproteins in conformations amenable to downstream functional and glycostructural interrogation.

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Enhances Cerebrospinal Fluid Circulation and Restores Cognitive Function in the Rodent Model of Vascular Cognitive Impairment.

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a common sequela of cerebrovascular disorders. Although transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has been considered a complementary treatment for various cognitive disorders, preclinical data on the effect of taVNS on VCI and its mechanism remain ambiguous. To measure cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation during taVNS, we used in vivo two-photon microscopy with CSF and vasculature tracers.