Aerosol mitigation in upper airway surgery.

Background: Aerosol generating procedures pose a risk for SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and comprise a large percentage of cases performed in otolaryngology. An optimal method to mitigate this hazard does not currently exist. This study examined methods to mitigate surgical aerosols from the operating room.

Urological outcomes in adult females born with anorectal malformation or Hirschsprung disease.

Introduction: Women born with anorectal malformation (ARM) or Hirschsprung disease (HD) may have impaired urologic function resulting in sequelae in adulthood. This study assessed and compared self-reported urinary outcomes in adult females born with ARM or HD to a reference population.

Methods: This was an IRB approved, cross-sectional study of female-born patients with ARM or HD, who completed surveys between November 2021 and August 2022.

Transanal proximal rectosigmoidectomy: a single-center experience in surgically treated severe medically refractory idiopathic constipation.

Purpose: To present the functional results after a transanal proximal rectosigmoidectomy in patients with severe idiopathic constipation in which medical treatment has failed.

Methods: Patients with severe idiopathic constipation who underwent transanal proximal rectosigmoidectomy (TPRS) at Children's Hospital Colorado between June 2019 and March 2024 were included in the study. We compared multiple pre- and post-operative outcome measures and the patient's bowel regimen before and after resection.

Low-risk pneumatosis intestinalis in the pediatric surgical population.

Background: Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI, presence of air in bowel wall) develops in a variety of settings and due to a variety of insults which is then characterized by varying severity and clinical course. Anecdotally, many of these cases are benign with few clinical sequelae; however, we lack evidence-based guidelines to help guide management of such lower-risk cases. We aimed to describe the clinical entity of low-risk PI, characterize the population of children who develop this form of PI, determine if management approach or clinical outcomes differed depending on the managing physician's field of practice, and finally determine if a shortened course of NPO and antibiotics was safe in the population of children with low-risk PI.

Gastrointestinal quality of life and bowel function in adults born with anorectal malformation and hirschsprung disease.

Purpose: To assess the quality of life and disease-specific functioning of adults with anorectal malformations (ARM) or Hirschsprung disease (HD) compared to healthy reference scores.

Methods: Patients with the diagnosis of ARM or HD from the Adult Colorectal Research Registry completed the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQoLI), and the Bowel Function Score (BFS) between October 2019 and August 2022. One-sample Wilcoxon test compared the results to reported healthy references with a significance level of < 0.

Fertility concerns and outcomes in females with anorectal malformations.

Purpose: To assess fertility concerns and to describe pregnancy outcomes in patients with anorectal malformations (ARM).

Methods: This is an IRB approved, cross-sectional study of patients in the Adult Colorectal Research Registry who completed reproductive health surveys between November 2021 and August 2022. Patients assigned female at birth with age 18 or older and ARM were included.

Incidence of medullary thyroid carcinoma and Hirschsprung disease based on the cosmos database.

Purpose: Multiple endocrine neoplasia Type 2A (MEN2A) can occur with Hirschsprung disease (HD) due to mutation in the RET proto-oncogene, with the majority developing medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Given the comorbidity, many parents have contacted us to share concerns and unfortunate experiences about the prevalence rates of MEN2A/MTC in patients with HD. The aim is to determine the prevalence rate of patients with HD and MEN2A or medullary thyroid carcinoma, respectively.

What is the role of neutropenia in pediatric cancer patients with pneumatosis intestinalis?

Background: We aimed to identify prognostic indicators in pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) in a pediatric oncology population. We hypothesized that neutropenia would be an independent risk factor for adverse outcomes, including the need for abdominal operation to treat PI and for the development of recurrent PI.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of all patients treated for PI between 2009 and 2019 with a diagnosis of cancer or history of bone marrow transplant (BMT).

Longitudinal assessment of anxiety and depression symptoms in U.S. adolescents across six months of the coronavirus pandemic.

Background: The present study aimed to describe anxiety and depression symptoms at two timepoints during the coronavirus pandemic and evaluate demographic predictors.

Methods: U.S.

Acute vaping in a golden Syrian hamster causes inflammatory response transcriptomic changes.

E-cigarette vaping is a major aspect of nicotine consumption, especially for children and young adults. Although it is branded as a safer alternative to cigarette smoking, murine and rat models of subacute and chronic e-cigarette vaping exposure have shown many proinflammatory changes in the respiratory tract. An acute vaping exposure paradigm has not been demonstrated in the golden Syrian hamster, and the hamster is a readily available small animal model that has the unique benefit of becoming infected with and transmitting respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, without genetic alteration of the animal or virus.

A National Survey of U.S. Adolescent Sleep Duration, Timing, and Social Jetlag During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: To assess changes in duration, timing, and social jetlag in adolescent sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the impact of mood, physical activity, and social interactions on sleep.

Study Design: An online survey queried adolescents' sleep before (through retrospective report) and during the initial phase of COVID-19 in May 2020. Adolescents (N = 3,494), 13-19 years old, in the United States (U.

Granzyme B CD4 T cells accumulate in the colon during chronic HIV-1 infection.

Chronic HIV-1 infection results in the sustained disruption of gut homeostasis culminating in alterations in microbial communities (dysbiosis) and increased microbial translocation. Major questions remain on how interactions between translocating microbes and gut immune cells impact HIV-1-associated gut pathogenesis. We previously reported that exposure of human gut cells to enteric commensal bacteria upregulated the serine protease and cytotoxic marker Granzyme B (GZB) in CD4 T cells, and GZB expression was further increased in HIV-1-infected CD4 T cells.

Qualitative Differences Between the IFNα subtypes and IFNβ Influence Chronic Mucosal HIV-1 Pathogenesis.

The Type I Interferons (IFN-Is) are innate antiviral cytokines that include 12 different IFNα subtypes and IFNβ that signal through the IFN-I receptor (IFNAR), inducing hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) that comprise the 'interferome'. Quantitative differences in IFNAR binding correlate with antiviral activity, but whether IFN-Is exhibit qualitative differences remains controversial. Moreover, the IFN-I response is protective during acute HIV-1 infection, but likely pathogenic during the chronic stages.

Why Delay? Early Enteral Nutrition in Pediatric Burn Patients Improves Outcomes.

Children who sustain moderate to large surface area burns present in a hypermetabolic state with increased caloric and protein requirements. A policy was implemented at our institution in 2017 to initiate enteral nutrition (EN) in pediatric burn patients within 4 hours of admission. The authors hypothesize that early EN (initiated within 4 hours of admission) is more beneficial than late EN (initiated ≥ 4 hours from admission) for pediatric burn patients and is associated with decreased rates of pneumonia, increased calorie and protein intake, fewer feeding complications, a shorter Intensive Care Unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), and a reduced hospital LOS.

Bone alkaline phosphatase in rheumatoid arthritis: a longitudinal study.

Objective: To determine whether the raised total alkaline phosphatase (TAP) found in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is derived primarily from an increase of the bone or liver isoenzyme, and to evaluate the treatment effect of steroids and disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) on bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) in serial analyses.

Methods: 58 patients with RA were treated with the DMARD gold sodium thiomalate (n = 22), D-penicillamine (n = 18), or sulfasalazine (n = 18) over a 24 week period with regular assessment of disease activity and measurement of BAP using a newly developed specific double monoclonal radioimmunometric assay.

Results: In the RA group as a whole, BAP correlated with TAP at all time points (e.

Serum hyaluronan concentrations predict survival in patients with chronic renal failure on maintenance haemodialysis.

Background: Malnutrition and wasting are common in chronic renal failure and are adverse prognostic features. The underlying mechanisms are complex and not fully understood. Hyaluronan is present in increased concentrations in chronic renal failure and may be associated with adverse features of chronic renal failure.

Bone alkaline phosphatase in rheumatic diseases.

A double monoclonal immunoradiometric assay specific for bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) was used to determine whether the raised total alkaline phosphatase (TAP) often found in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is derived from bone or liver. Fifty-eight patients with RA were compared to 14 with AS and 14 with non-inflammatory rheumatic diseases (NI). None had clinical liver disease and only one had a slightly elevated aspartate transaminase activity.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in serum. Comparison of monoclonal versus polyclonal assay based on 392 blood samples.

Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) is the best described serum tumor marker for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Almost all clinical studies carried out so far used assays involving polyclonal antibodies against NSE; the majority of the studies analyzed the samples by a RIA NSE kit. We evaluated a new monoclonal kit and compared it to the polyclonal kit.

Bone alkaline phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen in the monitoring of prostate cancer.

A retrospective study has been made on the interrelationship of serum bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), measured by the Ostase-RIA, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in 156 patients with M0 and M1 prostate cancer. BAP is a more sensitive and more specific method of determining osteoblast activity than total alkaline phosphatase (TAP). The main difference between these two assays is seen when the TAP is in the range of normal to twice-normal.

Serum neuron-specific enolase (S-NSE) in progressive small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Clinical decision making is based on results from qualitative and quantitative information. To provide quantitative data, various laboratory variables are widely used in the clinical evaluation of patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The tumour marker serum neuron-specific enolase (S-NSE) and the routine laboratory parameter serum lactate dehydrogenase (S-LDH) have been investigated, mostly separately.

Neuron-specific enolase.

The clinical value of neuron-specific enolase as a marker is small cell lung cancer, neuroblastoma, melanoma and seminoma has been reviewed. The role of serum and cerebrospinal NSE in benign and malignant disease of the central nervous system is discussed.

The role of CA-242 and CEA in surveillance following curative resection for colorectal cancer.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of a new tumour marker, CA-242, alone or in combination with CEA in the practical management of colorectal cancer patients after potentially curative resection. A cohort of 149 patients who had undergone 'curative' surgery was followed up according to an intensive protocol in order to detect recurrent disease. Over a median tumour marker follow-up period of 24 months there were 25 recurrences in 24 patients.

Commercial assays for serum osteocalcin give clinically discordant results.

Serum samples from 9 healthy controls and from subjects with primary hyperparathyroidism (n = 5), Paget disease (n = 3), pregnancy (n = 5), glucocorticoid therapy (n = 5), postmenopausal osteoporosis (n = 10), and renal failure (n = 10) were used to assess the clinical agreement among eight commercially available assay kits for osteocalcin (OC). These kits differ in their assay configurations (six radioimmunoassays, two immunoradiometric assays), standards (five bovine, three human), and antibodies (six polyclonal, two monoclonal). Individual results were divided by the mean OC of the control subjects for each assay and expressed as percentage deviations.

Clinical evaluation of serum tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS) in non-small cell lung cancer.

M3 is an epitope of the tissue polypeptide antigen detectable in the serum by immunoradiometric assay. This epitope is referred to as tissue polypeptide-specific antigen (TPS). We examined the pretreatment TPS level of 160 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and 71 patients who suffered from non-malignant pulmonary diseases.