Antimicrobial resistance is a significant cause of mortality globally due to infections, a trend that is expected to continue to rise. As existing treatments fail and new drug discovery slows, the urgency to develop novel antimicrobial therapeutics grows stronger. One promising strategy involves targeting bacterial systems exclusive to pathogens, such as the transcription regulator protein GabR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study aimed to assess survival rates and the causes of both early and late mortality in patients with Stanford type B aortic dissection (TBAAD).
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on all consecutive patients presenting with TBAAD from 2000 to 2018 at a single tertiary care center. The primary end-point was early (<3 months) and late (>3 months) survival following TBAAD, with causes of both early and late mortality evaluated.
Unlabelled: Bacterial pathogens remain poorly characterized in bats, especially in North America. We describe novel (and in some cases panmictic) hemoplasmas (10.1% positivity) and bartonellae (25.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccumulating data suggest that some bat species host emerging viruses that are highly pathogenic in humans and agricultural animals. Laboratory-based studies have highlighted important adaptations in bat immune systems that allow them to better tolerate viral infections compared to humans. Simultaneously, ecological studies have discovered critical extrinsic factors, such as nutritional stress, that correlate with virus shedding in wild-caught bats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study aims to investigate results and outcomes of distal endovascular extensions after frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure.
Methods: Between September 2018 and December 2022, all consecutive patients who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) or complex thoraco-abdominal repair (TAA-EVAR) after FET were included in the study. Patients were assigned to "Aneurysm" group or to "Dissection" group according to underlying patology before FET repair.
Background: 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a major component of gastrointestinal cancer treatments. In multidrug regimens such as FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, and FOLFIRINOX, 5-FU is commonly administered as a bolus followed by an infusion. However, the pharmacologic rationale for incorporating the 5-FU bolus in these regimens is unclear, and there are other effective regimens for gastrointestinal cancers that do not include the bolus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: During the last years a great progress has been noted in device technology and operator experience in treating complex aortic aneurysms. Fenestrated and branched custom-made devices require detailed preoperative planning and production time that can take ≤12 weeks. During this awaiting period, aortic-related mortality is increased.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough the global conversion of wildlife habitat to built environments often has negative impacts on biodiversity, some wildlife species have the ability to cope by living in human-made structures. However, the determinants of this adaptation on a global scale are not well understood and may signify species with unique conservation needs at the human-wildlife interface. Here, we identify the trait profile associated with anthropogenic roosting in bats globally and characterize the evolution of this phenotype using an original dataset of roosting behavior developed across 1,279 extant species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacteria are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, therefore there is an urgent need for new classes of antibiotics to fight antibiotic resistance. Mammals do not express -acetyl-L-ornithine deacetylase (ArgE), an enzyme that is critical for bacterial survival and growth, thus ArgE represents a promising new antibiotic drug target, as inhibitors would not suffer from mechanism-based toxicity. A new ninhydrin-based assay was designed and validated that included the synthesis of the substrate analog , -di-methyl -acetyl-L-ornithine (k/K = 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) is one of the most important enzymes involved in drug metabolism. Genetic polymorphism can influence drug metabolism by CYP2D6 such that a therapy is seriously affected by under- or overdosing of drugs. However, a general explanation at the atomistic level for poor activity is missing so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Natl Cancer Inst Monogr
June 2024
Background: In recent years the US health-care system has witnessed a substantial increase in telehealth use. Telehealth enhances health-care access and quality and may reduce costs. However, there is a concern that the shift from in-person to telehealth care delivery may differentially improve cancer care access and quality in certain clinical settings and for specific patient populations while potentially exacerbating disparities in care for others.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate sex based differences in ascending aorta and arch anatomy in patients with underlying proximal aortic disease and to evaluate their impact on feasibility for total endovascular repair with custom made, branched arch devices.
Methods: This was a retrospective cross sectional review of all patients undergoing open and or total endovascular arch repair due to distal ascending aorta and or aortic arch pathologies in a single high volume aortic centre between 2012 and 2022. Anatomical ascending aorta and aortic arch parameters were analysed on a flow centreline on a dedicated 3D workstation.
Background: Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) has become the standard of care for patients with infrarenal aortic aneurysms over the last 2 decades. Endograft technology and treatment of complications like endoleaks, graft migration, or graft occlusion developed over time. However, sometimes open surgical conversion maybe required.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of target vessel anatomy and post-stenting geometry on the outcome of fenestrated endovascular aortic repair (f-EVAR). A retrospective review of data from a single center was conducted, including all consecutive fenestrated endovascular aortic repairs (f-EVARs) performed between September 2018 and December 2023 for thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) and complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (cAAAs). The analysis focused on the correlation of target vessel instability to target vessel anatomy and geometry after stenting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Previous studies document underuse of next-generation sequencing (NGS). We examined the impact to oncology care for veterans of incorporating NGS ordering into the Veterans Affairs (VA) electronic medical record (EMR) at two New York City VA Medical Centers.
Methods: We identified patients with non-small cell lung cancer and prostate cancer with oncology clinic visits and NGS testing indications between January and December 2021.
Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg
September 2024
Contaminant exposure can harm wildlife. However, measuring contaminant exposure in wildlife can be challenging due to accessibility of species and/or sampling tissue matrices needed to answer research questions regarding exposure. For example, in bats and other taxa that roost, it may be best to collect pooled feces from colonies for minimal disturbance to species of conservation concern, but fecal contaminant concentrations do not provide contaminant bioaccumulation estimates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) has become one of the standard treatment options for complex abdominal aortic aneurysms (cAAAs) and thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs). Despite technological advances in the main endograft design, the lack of dedicated bridging stent-grafts (BSGs) is still the Achilles heel of the procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mid-term outcomes of the BeGraft stent-graft as a dedicated bridging stent for FEVAR and to review the current evidence in literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNumerous factors influence the timing of spring migration in birds, yet the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic variables on migration initiation remains unclear. To test for interactions among weather, migration distance, parasitism, and physiology in determining spring departure date, we used the Dark-eyed Junco () as a model migratory species known to harbor diverse and common haemosporidian parasites. Prior to spring migration departure from their wintering grounds in Indiana, USA, we quantified the intrinsic variables of fat, body condition (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacterial pathogens remain poorly characterized in bats, especially in North America. We describe novel (and in some cases panmictic) hemoplasmas (10.5% positivity) and bartonellae (25.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogen evolution is one of the least predictable components of disease emergence, particularly in nature. Here, building on principles established by the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution, we develop a quantitative, spatially explicit framework for mapping the evolutionary risk of viral emergence. Driven by interest in diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we examine the global biogeography of bat-origin betacoronaviruses, and find that coevolutionary principles suggest geographies of risk that are distinct from the hotspots and coldspots of host richness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF