In Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides are produced by proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which can occur during synaptic vesicle (SV) cycling at presynapses. Precisely how amyloidogenic APP processing may impair presynaptic proteostasis and how to therapeutically target this process remains poorly understood. Using knock-in mouse models of early Aβ pathology, we found proteins with hampered degradation accumulate at presynaptic sites.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Triple Aim of health care involves the simultaneous pursuit of improving the individual experience of care, population health, and reducing per capita costs of care. Our institution established a Mortality Review Committee (MRC) to review instances of inpatient mortality as part of continuing quality improvement with the goal of improving goal concordant care. In this article, we report the experience of MRC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction There is an expanding role for anesthesiologists in the preoperative optimization and postoperative management of patients, often in the context of a so-called perioperative surgical home. Such efforts typically include enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols and often an anesthesiologist-led team for perioperative management. Studies of the cost-effectiveness of such approaches have generally been conducted at single institutions, with most patients cared for by small numbers of surgeons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Faecal incontinence (FI) is a distressing and often stigmatizing condition characterised as the recurrent involuntary passage of liquid or solid faeces. The reported prevalence of FI exhibits considerable variation, ranging from 7 to 15% in the general population, with higher rates reported among older adults and women. This review explores the pathophysiology mechanisms, the diagnostic modalities and the efficiency of treatment options up to date.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrabs are a large subtaxon of the Arthropoda, the most diverse and species-rich metazoan group. Several outstanding questions remain regarding crab diversification, including about the genomic capacitors of physiological and morphological adaptation, that cannot be answered with available genomic resources. Physiologically and ecologically diverse Anomuran porcelain crabs offer a valuable model for investigating these questions and hence genomic resources of these crabs would be particularly useful.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Effective documentation and transfer of clinical information are vital for the continuity of care, patient safety, and maintaining medico-legal records, as outlined by the Royal College of Surgeons "Safe Handover: Guidance from the Working Time Directive working party". Our elective surgery weekend team cross-covers both Colorectal and Upper Gastrointestinal surgical specialties across multiple wards, which poses a significant challenge. The aim of this study was to improve the documentation of patients' weekend plans through the introduction of a weekend handover proforma.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Some patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have superior short- and long-term outcomes with sleeve lobectomy rather than pneumonectomy. Originally sleeve lobectomy was reserved for patients with limited pulmonary function, however, the reported superior results allowed sleeve lobectomy to be performed in expanded patient populations. In a further attempt to improve post-operative outcomes surgeons have adopted minimally invasive techniques Minimally invasive approaches have potential benefits to patients such as decreased morbidity and mortality while maintaining the same caliber of oncologic outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The role of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) as a predictor for survival in single fraction SBRT-treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients remains unclear. We performed an observational cohort study to determine the role of pretreatment NLR in predicting survival of early-stage NSCLC patients after single fraction SBRT.
Methods: A single-institution database of peripheral early-stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT from February 2007 to May 2022 was queried.
Although parasite-mediated selection is a major driver of host evolution, its influence on genetic variation for parasite resistance is not yet well understood. We monitored resistance in a large population of the planktonic crustacean over 8 years, as it underwent yearly epidemics of the bacterial pathogen . We observed cyclic dynamics of resistance: Resistance increased throughout the epidemics, but susceptibility was restored each spring when hosts hatched from sexual resting stages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuality of life (QOL) is a key consideration for patients with early-stage NSCLC choosing between treatment options. Currently, it is not well established whether stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) or surgery offers superior QOL in early-stage NSCLC. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the prospective literature on QOL in patients with early-stage NSCLC after treatment with SBRT or surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Longer bariatric, colorectal, plastic, spine, and urologic operations increase complications and lengths of stay. We aimed to determine whether this is a risk factor for lung lobectomy morbidity.
Methods: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database was queried for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer lobectomy with surgical duration treated as a continuous variable.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) is a rare and very serious arbovirus that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. When symptomatic, patients with this condition are typically seriously ill and the fatality rate is high. We present a fatal case of EEE that exhibited classic symptoms and findings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The cellular prion protein (PrP) is well known for its pathogenic roles in prion diseases, several other neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease), and multiple types of cancer, but the beneficial aspects of PrP and its cleavage products received much less attention.
Areas Covered: Here the authors will systematically review the literatures on the negative as well as protective aspects of PrP and its derivatives (especially PrP N-terminal N1 peptide and shed PrP). The authors will dissect the current findings on N1 and shed PrP, including evidence for their neuroprotective effects, the categories of PrP cleavage, and numerous cleavage enzymes involved.
The cellular prion protein (PrP), some of its derivatives (especially PrP N-terminal N1 peptide and shed PrP), and PrP-containing exosomes have strong neuroprotective activities, which have been reviewed in the companion article (Part I) and are briefly summarized here. We propose that elevating the extracellular levels of a protective PrP form using gene therapy and other approaches is a very promising novel avenue for prophylactic and therapeutic treatments against prion disease, Alzheimer's disease, and several other neurodegenerative diseases. We will dissect the pros and cons of various potential PrP-based treatment options and propose a few strategies that are more likely to succeed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe preferred radiotherapeutic approach for central (CLT) and ultracentral (UCLT) lung tumors is unclear. We assessed the toxicity and outcomes of patients with CLT and UCLT who underwent definitive five-fraction stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). We reviewed the charts of patients with either CLT or UCLT managed with SBRT from June 2010-April 2019.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: With the complexity of cancer treatment rising, the role of multidisciplinary conferences (MDCs) in making diagnostic and treatment decisions has become critical. This study evaluated the impact of a thoracic MDC (T-MDC) on lung cancer care quality and survival.
Methods: Lung cancer cases over 7 years were identified from the Roswell Park cancer registry system.
Background: Despite occurring commonly, the prognoses of second early-stage non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) are not well known.
Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of inoperable patients who underwent thoracic stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) from February 2007 to April 2019. Those with previous small cell lung cancers or SBRT treatments for tumors other than NSCLC were excluded.
The lower Columbia River (Washington and Oregon, USA) has been heavily invaded by a large number of planktonic organisms including the invasive copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi and the planktonic juveniles of the invasive clam, Corbicula fluminea. In order to assess the ecological impacts of these highly abundant invaders, we developed a multivariate auto-regressive (MAR) model of food web dynamics based upon a 12-year time-series of plankton community and environmental data from the Columbia River. Our model results indicate that plankton communities in the lower Columbia River are strongly impacted by the copepod P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis is a case of a woman with massive hemoptysis, associated with a pulmonary artery pseudoaneurysm, and a fistula between the right pulmonary artery and bronchus intermedius. Bronchoscopic evaluation revealed an endobronchial mass in the right bronchus intermedius, suspicious for a tumor. Upon biopsy of the mass, massive bleeding occurred.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe present a comprehensive survey of the scientific literature pertaining to non-indigenous and invasive zooplankton published across the first decades of the twenty-first century (i.e., 2000-2018).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Insomnia occurs in 50 to 80% of lung cancer survivors. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the standard treatment for insomnia (CBTI); however, treatment length and lack of psychologists trained in CBTI limits access. Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (BBTI), a nurse-delivered modified CBTI, is proposed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Standard therapy for stage III non-small cell lung cancer with chemotherapy and conventional radiation has suboptimal outcomes. We hypothesized that a combination of surgery followed by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) would be a safe alternative.
Methods: Patients with stage IIIA (multistation N2) or IIIB non-small cell lung cancer were enrolled from March 2013 to December 2015.