Advancements in tantalum based nanoparticles for integrated imaging and photothermal therapy in cancer management.

Tantalum-based nanoparticles (TaNPs) have emerged as promising tools in cancer management, owing to their unique properties that facilitate innovative imaging and photothermal therapy applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in TaNPs, emphasizing their potential in oncology. Key features include excellent biocompatibility, efficient photothermal conversion, and the ability to integrate multifunctional capabilities, such as targeted drug delivery and enhanced imaging.

Comparing Conventional Medical Management to Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Low Back Pain in a Cohort of DISTINCT RCT Patients.

Aim: Low Back Pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has emerged as a more effective, long-term treatment compared to conventional medical management (CMM). The DISTINCT study enrolled and randomized chronic LBP patients with no indication of traditional spine surgery.

Surgical treatment of refractory low back pain using implanted BurstDR spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in a cohort of patients without options for corrective surgery: Findings and results from the DISTINCT study, a prospective randomized multi-center-controlled trial.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a highly prevalent, disabling condition affecting millions of people. Patients with an identifiable anatomic pain generator and resulting neuropathic lower extremity symptoms often undergo spine surgery, but many patients lack identifiable and/or surgically corrective pathology. Nonoperative treatment options often fail to provide sustained relief.

Impact of guideline directed medical therapy on myocardial function in adults with congenital heart disease.

Background: Guideline-directed heart failure therapy with angiotensin receptor blocker/neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi) and sodium-glucose transporter inhibitors (SGLT2i) has been incrementally beneficial in improving outcomes in heart failure patients.

Objective: Evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in adults congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients.

Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, ACHD patients with either New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II symptoms or systemic ejection fraction (EF) <45%, optimized on a combination of beta-blocker (BB), ARNi, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) and SGLT2i were evaluated.

Large Right Atrial Size on Cardiac MRI is Associated with Post-operative Right Ventricular Dysfunction After the Cone Operation for Ebstein Anomaly.

The cone operation has revolutionized care for patients with Ebstein anomaly; however, acute post-operative right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is common in this patient population. A single-center, retrospective review of 28 patients with Ebstein anomaly who underwent cardiac MRI (CMR) prior to cone reconstruction of the tricuspid valve was conducted. Measurements of atrial and ventricular size/function were assessed.

Phytochemicals-linked food safety and human health protective benefits of the selected food-based botanicals.

Phytochemicals-rich food-based botanicals including traditional or under-utilized plant-based ingredients can serve a dual functional role to help counter food contamination of bacterial origin, while also addressing the rise of diet-linked non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes, chronic hypertension and the associated oxidative stress. Hence the screening of these food-based botanicals for their phenolic content and profile, as well as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypertensive properties has relevant merit. Using in vitro assay models, hot water extracts of different forms (slice, pickle, or powder) of amla (Phyllanthus emblica), clove (Syzygium aromaticum), kokum (Garcinia indica), and garlic (Allium sativum) were analyzed for their total soluble phenolic content (TSP) and phenolic profile as well as antimicrobial activity against strains of Salmonella Enteritidis, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli that are associated with food-borne disease outbreaks.

Assessing Left Ventricular Pathology in Patients with Ebstein Anomaly Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance: Looking Past the Right Heart.

Ebstein Anomaly (EA) is a malformation of the right heart, but there is data to suggest that the left ventricle (LV) can suffer from intrinsic structural and functional abnormalities which affect surgical outcomes. The LV in patients with EA is hypertrabeculated with abnormalities in LV function and strain. In this retrospective single-center study, patients with EA who underwent pre-operative cardiac MRI (CMR) between the periods of 2014-2024 were included along with a group of healthy-age-matched controls.

Augmented Biphasic Breathing Using Sniff and an Oral Positive Expiratory Pressure Device (Sniff-PEP) in Fontan Patients.

The use of an oral positive expiratory pressure device (oPEP) with sniff breathing (Sniff-PEP) mimics biphasic ventilation. Biphasic ventilation increases pulmonary blood flow and cardiac output in Fontan patients. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Sniff-PEP on Fontan flow velocities.

The Impact of Changing From a 6+2 to a 3+1 Residency Block Schedule on Patient Access and Other Outcomes.

The "X+Y" residency scheduling model includes "X" weeks of uninterrupted inpatient or subspecialty rotations, followed by "Y" week(s) of uninterrupted outpatient rotations. The optimal ratio of X to Y is unclear. Determine the impact of moving from a 6+2 to a 3+1 schedule on patient access to care, perceived quality of care, and resident/faculty satisfaction.

T1 mapping: a non-invasive tool to assess the systemic right ventricle.

Ventricular remodeling leads to fibrotic changes in systemic right ventricles (RV). Native T1 mapping provides a quantitative measure in myocardial tissue characterization. The aim of our study was to correlate native T1 values of the systemic RV to function and volumetric data.

Effects of a large-scale alcohol ban on population-level alcohol intake, weight, blood pressure, blood glucose, and domestic violence in India: a quasi-experimental population-based study.

Background: Globally, alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for deaths and disability and a causal factor in over 200 diseases, injuries, and health conditions. In April 2016, the manufacture, transport, sale, and consumption of alcohol was banned in Bihar, a populous Indian state. We sought to estimate the impacts of this ban on health outcomes and domestic violence.

Using DaSilva Cone Operation to Establish 1.5 or 2 Ventricle Circulation After Initial Single Ventricle Palliation with Starnes Procedure.

Ebstein anomaly (EA) is a congenital dysplasia of the tricuspid valve resulting in reduced right ventricular (RV) volume and tricuspid regurgitation. Severe EA in the neonatal period is associated with high mortality. The Starnes procedure (fenestrated RV exclusion) is reserved for EA patients with cardiogenic shock and has previously committed patients to single ventricle (SV) palliation.

Interruptions in treatment among adults on anti-retroviral therapy before and after test-and-treat policy in Tanzania.

Introduction: The World Health Organization recommended the initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLHIV) regardless of CD4 cell counts. Tanzania adopted this recommendation known as test-and-treat policy in 2016. However, programmatic implementation of this policy has not been assessed since its initiation.

Accuracy of free-breathing multi-parametric SASHA in identifying T1 and T2 elevations in pediatric orthotopic heart transplant patients.

T1/T2 parametric mapping may reveal patterns of elevation ("hotspots") in myocardial diseases, such as rejection in orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) patients. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of free-breathing (FB) multi-parametric SAturation recovery single-SHot Acquisition (mSASHA) T1/T2 mapping in identifying hotspots present on conventional Breath-held Modified Look-Locker Inversion recovery (BH MOLLI) T1 and T2-prepared balanced steady-state free-precession (BH T2p-bSSFP) maps in pediatric OHT patients. Pediatric OHT patients underwent noncontrast 1.

Narrowing Down the Symptomatology of Isolated Vascular Rings in Children.

Vascular rings may cause respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms due to compression of the trachea and/or esophagus. Advances in imaging have enabled early detection in asymptomatic patients posing new management dilemmas. Surgery is expected to relieve symptoms, although this has not been well studied.

Erectile device insertion following phalloplasty in transgender and non-binary individuals assigned female at birth: a narrative review.

Genital gender affirmation surgery (gGAS) for individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) is complex and requires the staged insertion of an erectile device to permit penetrative intercourse. This final stage of gGAS is challenging, owing to the variable anatomy and lack of supportive structures within the neophallus when compared with erectile device insertion for individuals assigned male at birth. There is a paucity in the literature at present regarding erectile device insertion in trans-sex AFAB patients.

Treatment of Refractory Low Back Pain Using Passive Recharge Burst in Patients Without Options for Corrective Surgery: Findings and Results From the DISTINCT Study, a Prospective Randomized Multicenter Controlled Trial.

Objective: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is effective for relieving chronic intractable pain conditions. The Dorsal spInal cord STImulatioN vs mediCal management for the Treatment of low back pain study evaluates the effectiveness of SCS compared with conventional medical management (CMM) in the treatment of chronic low back pain in patients who had not undergone and were not candidates for lumbar spine surgery.

Methods And Materials: Patients were randomized to passive recharge burst therapy (n = 162) or CMM (n = 107).

Multiphase Spinal Cord Stimulation in Participants With Chronic Back or Leg Pain: Results of the BENEFIT-02 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the safety and effectiveness of a new charge-distributed multiphase stimulation paradigm during an extended spinal cord stimulation (SCS) trial.

Materials And Methods: This prospective, multicenter, randomized, single-blind, feasibility study included participants with chronic low back and/or leg pain and baseline numerical rating scale (NRS) for overall pain intensity ≥6. After a successful commercial SCS trial, participants were randomized to multiphase SCS therapy A (approximately 600-1500 Hz) or B (approximately 300-600 Hz), delivered via an investigational external pulse generator and existing leads during an 11-to-12-day testing period.

Strengthening Nutrition Interventions during Antenatal Care Improved Maternal Dietary Diversity and Child Feeding Practices in Urban Bangladesh: Results of a Quasi-Experimental Evaluation Study.

Background: Bangladesh is urbanizing rapidly, facing challenges of malnutrition, low coverage and poor quality of urban nutrition services.

Objectives: We assessed the effect of integrating maternal, infant, and young child nutrition interventions, delivered at urban Maternal Neonatal and Child Health facilities, on maternal dietary diversity, iron and folic acid (IFA) and calcium consumption, and child feeding practices.

Methods: We used a quasi-experimental design with a nonrandom assignment of 20 health care facilities in Dhaka to intensive and standard service arms.

Correlating the differences in the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike variants on their interactions with human ACE2 receptor.

Spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 variants plays a critical role in infection and transmission through its interaction with human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptors. Prior findings using molecular docking and biomolecular studies reported varied findings on the difference in the interactions among the spike variants with the hACE2 receptors. Hence, it is a prerequisite to understand these interactions in a more precise manner.

Editing the core region in HPFH deletions alters fetal and adult globin expression for treatment of β-hemoglobinopathies.

Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is a commonly adapted strategy to ameliorate β-hemoglobinopathies. However, the continued production of defective adult hemoglobin (HbA) limits HbF tetramer production affecting the therapeutic benefits. Here, we evaluated deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations and identified an 11-kb sequence, encompassing putative repressor region (PRR) to β-globin exon-1 (βE1), as the core deletion that ablates HbA and exhibits superior HbF production compared with HPFH or other well-established targets.