Validity evidence for endoscopic ultrasound competency assessment tools: Systematic review.

Competent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) performance requires a combination of technical, cognitive, and non-technical skills. Direct observation assessment tools can be employed to enhance learning and ascertain clinical competence; however, there is a need to systematically evaluate validity evidence supporting their use. We aimed to evaluate the validity evidence of competency assessment tools for EUS and examine their educational utility.

Intra- and post-procedural patient-reported experience measures and their correlation with post-ERCP adverse events and unplanned healthcare utilization.

Background:  Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) adverse events (AEs) are common, as is unplanned healthcare utilization (UHU). We aimed to assess potential etiologic associations between intra-/post-procedural patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) and post-ERCP AEs and UHU. METHODS : Prospective data from a multicenter collaborative were used.

Lymph Node Metastasis in Extraperitoneal Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Therapy: An Unsolved Problem?

Background/aim: Thanks to the promising benefits obtained in terms of quality of life, there has been growing interest in organ-sparing approaches after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer, mainly represented by transanal local excision and watch-and-wait. The main mandatory criterion is complete lymph nodal response (pN0). However, considering the reduced specificity of current radiological means in identifying one-to-one correspondence between clinical and pathological staging, the problem of underestimating lymph nodal involvement remains unsolved.

Factors associated with symptom severity in Canadian youth with mental health and/or addictions concerns accessing service navigation.

This study investigated the factors associated with clinical symptoms and level of functioning at baseline and after 4 months of navigation, in youth with mental health and/or addiction concerns involved with a family navigation service. Participants in this pre-post study were caregivers who accessed a mental health and addictions navigation service between March 2018 and July 2019 on behalf of their youth aged 13-26 who had mental health and/or addiction concerns. Evaluations were conducted at baseline and at 4 months after entering navigation.

HAP40 is a conserved central regulator of Huntingtin and a potential modulator of Huntington's disease pathogenesis.

Perturbation of huntingtin (HTT)'s physiological function is one postulated pathogenic factor in Huntington's disease (HD). However, little is known how HTT is regulated in vivo. In a proteomic study, we isolated a novel ~40kDa protein as a strong binding partner of Drosophila HTT and demonstrated it was the functional ortholog of HAP40, an HTT associated protein shown recently to modulate HTT's conformation but with unclear physiological and pathologic roles.

Pregnancy and childbirth during incarceration: A qualitative systematic review of lived experiences.

Background: Incarcerated individuals who experience pregnancy or childbirth in correctional facilities face unique considerations for obstetric care and consequently are at greater risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.

Objectives: To characterise patient experiences regarding pregnancy and childbirth during incarceration via qualitative synthesis.

Search Strategy: Medline-OVID, EMBASE, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts, Social Work Abstracts, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycInfo were systematically searched from inception to 24 December 2020.

Evaluated interventions addressing developmental transitions for youth with mental health disorders: a meta-analysis.

Purpose: The objective of this meta-analysis was to provide a quantitative synthesis of the effects of studies evaluating developmentally appropriate programs or interventions for transition-age youth with mental health disorders.

Methods: Studies, between January 1992 and March 2021, were included if they contained a sample population with a median age between 12 and 25 years and with a mental health disorder and described the results of health interventions addressing aspects of developmental transitions. Independent reviewers screened study texts and assessed the risk of bias.

Influence of anterior capsulorhexis shape, centration, size, and location on intraocular lens position: finite element model.

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of anterior capsulorhexis shape, dimension, and eccentricity on intraocular lens (IOL) position.

Setting: Laboratory investigation.

Design: Computational model.

Examining Device-Assessed Physical Activity During the Transition Into Emerging Adulthood: Results From the MovingU Study.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to conduct the first longitudinal investigation using accelerometers to assess physical activity behavior change during individuals' acute transition out of high school.

Methods: Participants in the current investigation were a part of a prospective cohort study called the MovingU Study. Participants were 163 adolescents (M = 16.

Instantaneous wave-free ratio-guided revascularization of non-culprit lesion in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel coronary disease: design and rationale of the WAVE Registry.

Background: The optimal management of patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes and multivessel coronary artery disease is challenging. There is a growing body of evidence supporting invasive functional evaluation of multivessel disease with FFR or iFR, which it has been added to the literature. In this regard, the WAVE Study recently demonstrated the diagnostic accuracy of instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) functional assessment of non-culprit lesions in multivessel patients with STEMI.

Correction to: Pilot study of the multicentre DISCHARGE trial: image quality and protocol adherence results of computed tomography and invasive coronary angiography.

The original version of this article, published on 16 December 2019, unfortunately contained two mistakes.

Italian Multicenter Registry of Bare Metal Stent Use in Modern Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Era (AMARCORD): A multicenter observational study.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the use of bare metal stent (BMS) implantation in current percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) era, focusing on indications for use and clinical outcomes.

Background: Limited data on BMS usage in current clinical practice are available.

Methods: All patients who underwent PCI with at least one BMS implantation in 18 Italian centers from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017, were included in our registry.

Pilot study of the multicentre DISCHARGE Trial: image quality and protocol adherence results of computed tomography and invasive coronary angiography.

Objective: To implement detailed EU cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) quality criteria in the multicentre DISCHARGE trial (FP72007-2013, EC-GA 603266), we reviewed image quality and adherence to CCTA protocol and to the recommendations of invasive coronary angiography (ICA) in a pilot study.

Materials And Methods: From every clinical centre, imaging datasets of three patients per arm were assessed for adherence to the inclusion/exclusion criteria of the pilot study, predefined standards for the CCTA protocol and ICA recommendations, image quality and non-diagnostic (NDX) rate. These parameters were compared via multinomial regression and ANOVA.

Triggers for Atrial Fibrillation: The Role of Anxiety.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most widely recognized arrhythmia. Systemic arterial hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart failure, and valvular heart diseases are major risk factors for the onset and progression of AF. Various studies have emphasized the augmented anxiety rate among AF patients due to the poor quality of life; however, little information is known about the possibility of triggering atrial fibrillation by anxiety.

Aspirin-Dependent Effects on Purinergic P2Y1 Receptor Expression.

Chronic treatment with aspirin in healthy volunteers (HVs) is associated with recovery of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet activation. The purinergic P2Y receptor exerts its effects via a G-protein, which is the same biochemical pathway activated by thromboxane-A2 receptor. We hypothesized that recovery of ADP-induced platelet activation could be attributed to increased P2Y expression induced by chronic aspirin exposure.

A 7-deaza-adenosine analog is a potent and selective inhibitor of hepatitis C virus replication with excellent pharmacokinetic properties.

Improved treatments for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are needed due to the suboptimal response rates and deleterious side effects associated with current treatment options. The triphosphates of 2'-C-methyl-adenosine and 2'-C-methyl-guanosine were previously shown to be potent inhibitors of the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that is responsible for the replication of viral RNA in cells. Here we demonstrate that the inclusion of a 7-deaza modification in a series of purine nucleoside triphosphates results in an increase in inhibitory potency against the HCV RdRp and improved pharmacokinetic properties.

Mechanism of action and antiviral activity of benzimidazole-based allosteric inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the catalytic subunit of the viral RNA amplification machinery and is an appealing target for the development of new therapeutic agents against HCV infection. Nonnucleoside inhibitors based on a benzimidazole scaffold have been recently reported. Compounds of this class are efficient inhibitors of HCV RNA replication in cell culture, thus providing attractive candidates for further development.

Characterization of resistance to non-obligate chain-terminating ribonucleoside analogs that inhibit hepatitis C virus replication in vitro.

The urgent need for efficacious drugs to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection requires a concerted effort to develop inhibitors specific for virally encoded enzymes. We demonstrate that 2'-C-methyl ribonucleosides are efficient chain-terminating inhibitors of HCV genome replication. Characterization of drug-resistant HCV replicons defined a single S282T mutation within the active site of the viral polymerase that conferred loss of sensitivity to structurally related compounds in both replicon and isolated polymerase assays.

In vitro selection and characterization of hepatitis C virus serine protease variants resistant to an active-site peptide inhibitor.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) serine protease is necessary for viral replication and represents a valid target for developing new therapies for HCV infection. Potent and selective inhibitors of this enzyme have been identified and shown to inhibit HCV replication in tissue culture. The optimization of these inhibitors for clinical development would greatly benefit from in vitro systems for the identification and the study of resistant variants.

Hepatitis C virus nonstructural proteins are localized in a modified endoplasmic reticulum of cells expressing viral subgenomic replicons.

For many years our knowledge on hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication has been based on in vitro experiments or transfection studies. Recently, the first reliable system for studying viral replication in tissue culture cells was developed. Taking advantage of this system, we examined in detail the localization of viral nonstructural (NS) proteins in cells containing functional replication complexes.

Tamarin alpha-interferon is active in mouse liver upon intramuscular gene delivery.

Background: The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is responsible for a severe and widespread form of hepatitis for which a durable and effective therapy has not yet been established. The only approved therapy against hepatitis C, alpha-interferon protein intramuscular administration, presents numerous drawbacks that might be overcome by adopting a gene therapy approach. HCV exclusively infects humans and chimpanzees, hence an acceptable animal model for hepatitis C pharmacological studies is not available.