Incidence, presentation, and outcomes of intracranial hemorrhage in left ventricular assist device patients.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the etiology, natural history, and impact of surgical intervention on outcomes of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients presenting with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH).

Methods: The authors completed a retrospective review of LVAD patients who presented with ICH at 2 centers between 2013 and 2022. Patients were reviewed for demographic, clinical, and radiographic variables.

Imaging NRF2 activation in non-small cell lung cancer with positron emission tomography.

Mutations in the NRF2-KEAP1 pathway are common in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and confer broad-spectrum therapeutic resistance, leading to poor outcomes. Currently, there is no means to non-invasively identify NRF2 activation in living subjects. Here, we show that positron emission tomography imaging with the system x radiotracer, [F]FSPG, provides a sensitive and specific marker of NRF2 activation in orthotopic, patient-derived, and genetically engineered mouse models of NSCLC.

Fostering the international interoperability of clinical research networks to tackle undiagnosed and under-researched rare diseases.

Clinical research is an essential component to advance diagnosis and therapeutic development. In 2022, the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) and the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD) brought together key stakeholders from across the globe to discuss common themes in clinical research networks (CRNs) for rare diseases. Various topics were raised during discussions including current state of CRNs, the need for new CRNs, multi-stakeholder perspectives on value of CRNs, and ways to collaborate on a global scale.

Asymmetric sample shapes complicate planar biaxial testing assumptions by intensifying shear strains and stresses.

Planar biaxial testing offers a physiologically relevant approach for mechanically characterizing thin deformable soft tissues, but often relies on erroneous assumptions of uniform strain fields and negligible shear strains and forces. In addition to the complex mechanical behavior exhibited by soft tissues, constraints on sample size, geometry, and aspect ratio often restrict sample shape and symmetry. Using simple PDMS gels, we explored the unknown and unquantified effects of sample shape asymmetry on planar biaxial testing results, including shear strain magnitudes, shear forces measured at the sample's boundary, and the homogeneity of strains experienced at the center of each sample.