Bacteremia in an American Intensive Care Unit.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are considered the most common cause of nosocomial bloodstream infections; yet, these species are frequently designated as contaminants in the absence of systemic signs and symptoms of infection. Immunocompromised patients or those with prosthetic devices are at increased risk for clinically significant bacteremia. With the advent of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in clinical practice, there has been improved specificity of CoNS isolate identification and further elucidation of underrecognized pathogenic species.

Clinical versus patient-reported measures of depression in bariatric surgery.

Background: Bariatric surgery patients with mental illness may experience worse surgical outcomes compared to those without. Depression is the most prevalent mental health diagnosis amongst Americans with obesity. Accurate diagnosis and treatment is of paramount importance to mitigate perioperative risk.

Optical Coherence Tomography Examination of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Best Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy.

Purpose: To describe the anatomic changes and natural history of vitelliform lesions in Best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).

Design: Prospective comparative case series.

Participants: Twenty patients (40 eyes) with molecular confirmation of mutation in the BEST1 gene and 20 age-matched controls were included.

Distinct sets of FGF receptors sculpt excitatory and inhibitory synaptogenesis.

Neurons in the brain must establish a balanced network of excitatory and inhibitory synapses during development for the brain to function properly. An imbalance between these synapses underlies various neurological and psychiatric disorders. The formation of excitatory and inhibitory synapses requires precise molecular control.