Applications of Artificial Intelligence in Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Ultrasound: Current Developments, Limitations and Future Directions.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) effectively diagnoses malignant and pre-malignant gastrointestinal lesions. In the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has shown promising results in enhancing EUS sensitivity and accuracy, particularly for subepithelial lesions (SELs) like gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Furthermore, AI models have shown high accuracy in predicting malignancy in gastric GISTs and distinguishing between benign and malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs).

Endoluminal radiofrequency ablation with stenting versus stenting alone in patients with malignant biliary obstruction: a meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Background: Endoluminal radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a palliative treatment for patients suffering from malignant biliary obstruction (MBO). We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of RFA on stent patency, patient survival, and adverse events.

Methods: Major databases were searched through December 2023 for patients who had undergone stenting with or without RFA for extrahepatic MBO.

Epidemiology and Socioeconomic Impact of Pancreatic Cancer: An Analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990-2019.

Introduction: The aim of this study is to estimate the global burden of pancreatic cancer from 1990 to 2019.

Methods: We reconstructed the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study results for pancreatic cancer across 204 countries and territories. Our study generated estimates for key disease burden indicators, including incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and cost.

Robotic Diagnostic Cerebral Angiography: A Multicenter Experience of 113 Patients.

Background: Neurointerventional robotic systems have potential to reduce occupational radiation, improve procedural precision, and allow for future remote teleoperation. A limited number of single institution case reports and series have been published outlining the safety and feasibility of robot-assisted diagnostic cerebral angiography.

Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective case series of patients undergoing diagnostic cerebral angiography at three separate institutions - University of California, Davis (UCD); University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Clarifying the clinical landscape of pediatric spinal arteriovenous shunts: an institutional experience and individual patient-data meta-analysis.

Background: Pediatric spinal arteriovenous shunts (SAVS) are rare lesions with heterogeneous pathogenesis and clinical manifestations.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics, angioarchitecture, and technical/clinical outcomes in SAVS through a large single-center cohort analysis and meta-analysis of individual patient data.

Methods: A retrospective institutional database identified children (aged 0-21 years) who underwent digital subtraction spinal angiography (DSA) for SAVS between January 1996 and July 2021.

Percutaneous sclerotherapy for head and neck lymphatic malformations in neonates and infants ≤12 months of age.

Background: Percutaneous sclerotherapy is an effective treatment for lymphatic malformations (LM) of the head and neck in adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the indications and efficacy of sclerotherapy for head/neck LM in the neonate and infant population.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients treated with percutaneous sclerotherapy for LM of the head/neck at age ≤12 months at a single vascular anomalies clinic.

Dual-agent percutaneous sclerotherapy technique for macrocystic lymphatic malformations.

Percutaneous sclerotherapy is an effective technique for treating lymphatic malformations of the head and neck, with clinical success rates exceeding 84%.1 Sodium tetradecyl, which damages lipid membranes and stimulates free radical-induced local damage, and doxycycline, which inhibits angiogenesis, have emerged as the safest and most effective of several available sclerosants.2-4 Although severe periprocedural morbidity is rare, temporary local complications are reported in 14% and skin necrosis or scarring in up to 0.

Geometric and Morphologic Features of Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Associated with Methamphetamine Use.

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) use is associated with poor outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). MA exerts both hemodynamic and inflammatory effects, but whether these manifest with altered intracranial aneurysm (IA) remodeling is unknown. The objective of this study was to compare IA geometric and morphologic features in patients with and without MA detected on urine toxicology (Utox) at presentation.

Transradial Approach for Thoracolumbar Spinal Angiography and Tumor Embolization: Feasibility and Technical Considerations.

The transradial approach (TRA) is an effective and safe alternative to transfemoral access for diagnostic neuroangiography and craniocervical interventions. While the technical aspects of supraclavicular intervention are well-described, there are little data on the TRA for thoracolumbar angiography and intervention. The authors describe the feasibility of the TRA for preoperative thoracic tumor embolization, emphasizing technique, device selection, navigation, and catheterization of thoracolumbar segmental arteries.

Brain herniation (encephalocele) into arachnoid granulations: prevalence and association with pulsatile tinnitus and idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Purpose: Brain herniation into arachnoid granulations (BHAG) of the dural venous sinuses is a recently described finding of uncertain etiology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of BHAG in a cohort of patients with pulsatile tinnitus (PT) and to clarify the physiologic and clinical implications of these lesions.

Methods: The imaging and charts of consecutive PT patients were retrospectively reviewed.

Stent retriever versus direct aspiration thrombectomy for acute large vessel occlusion: A meta-analysis including 17,556 patients, from MR CLEAN to present.

Objective: Stent retriever (SR) and direct aspiration (DA) mechanical thrombectomy (MT) improve clinical outcomes for stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion. The purpose is to perform an updated meta-analysis comparing the two techniques.

Methods: PubMed database was searched for studies between January 1, 2015, and July 5th, 2021 with mechanical thrombectomy to treat acute ischemic stroke.

Online Reviews of American Urologists and Opportunities for Improvement.

Introduction: As patients increasingly use physician review websites as their primary source for finding new doctors, urologists must adapt and control their online presence. Herein, we identify factors that impact physician review website ratings, address opportunities to improve online presence and investigate the validity of online physician ratings by comparing their scores to quality measures.

Methods: We extracted urologist profiles from Healthgrades.

Brain Arteriovenous Malformation Recurrence After Apparent Microsurgical Cure: Increased Risk in Children Who Present With Arteriovenous Malformation Rupture.

Background And Purpose: Do children have an increased risk for brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) recurrence compared with adults and does this risk vary depending on initial presentation with AVM rupture?

Methods: We retrospectively studied 115 patients initially presenting with brain AVM under age 25 years who underwent complete surgical resection of the AVM as documented by digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and had delayed follow-up DSA to evaluate for AVM recurrence after apparent initial cure.

Results: The mean time from baseline DSA to follow-up DSA was 2.3 years, ranging from 0 to 15 years.

Jugular Venous Reflux Can Mimic Posterior Fossa Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas on MRI-MRA.

Dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) are high-flow acquired shunts that can carry high risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Because DAVFs can often be managed by endovascular means, early and accurate diagnosis can markedly improve patient morbidity. Time-of-flight and arterial spin-labeling MRA have increased the diagnostic utility of MRI for DAVF by showing hemodynamic rather than anatomic evidence of shunting.

Depression in Patients with Tinnitus: A Systematic Review.

Objective: Tinnitus is a condition that causes distress and impairment across cognitive, functional, and psychiatric spectra. In the psychiatric realm, tinnitus has long been associated with depression. To better characterize the co-occurrence of depression and tinnitus, we performed a systematic review of the prevalence of depression among patients with tinnitus.

Bisphosphonate-induced reductions in rat femoral bone energy absorption and toughness are testing rate-dependent.

Bisphosphonates have been used for years to suppress bone turnover and reduce fracture risk. Bisphosphonates have recently been associated with atypical femoral fractures, which are catastrophic, low trauma, brittle fractures that appear to occur more frequently than in untreated individuals. Previous work using a dog model has demonstrated bisphosphonate-induced reductions in bone toughness (the inverse of brittleness), yet data are lacking to show this occurs in rodents.

Growing support for gay and lesbian equality since 1990.

Since 1991, public acceptance of gays and lesbians has grown dramatically. We use two approaches to examine changing attitudes in U.S.

Structural characterization of a ribose-5-phosphate isomerase B from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis.

Background: Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase is an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of ribose-5-phosphate and ribulose-5-phosphate. This family of enzymes naturally occurs in two distinct classes, RpiA and RpiB, which play an important role in the pentose phosphate pathway and nucleotide and co-factor biogenesis.

Results: Although RpiB occurs predominantly in bacteria, here we report crystal structures of a putative RpiB from the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitis.

Inhibitor-bound complexes of dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase from Babesia bovis.

Babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by eukaryotic Babesia parasites which are morphologically similar to Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria in humans. Like Plasmodium, different species of Babesia are tuned to infect different mammalian hosts, including rats, dogs, horses and cattle. Most species of Plasmodium and Babesia possess an essential bifunctional enzyme for nucleotide synthesis and folate metabolism: dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase.

The Protein Maker: an automated system for high-throughput parallel purification.

The Protein Maker is an automated purification system developed by Emerald BioSystems for high-throughput parallel purification of proteins and antibodies. This instrument allows multiple load, wash and elution buffers to be used in parallel along independent lines for up to 24 individual samples. To demonstrate its utility, its use in the purification of five recombinant PB2 C-terminal domains from various subtypes of the influenza A virus is described.

The public's trust in scientific claims regarding offshore oil drilling.

Our study examines how individuals decide which scientific claims and experts to believe when faced with competing claims regarding a policy issue. Using an experiment in a public opinion survey, we test the source content and credibility hypotheses to assess how much confidence people have in reports about scientific studies of the safety of offshore oil drilling along the California coast. The results show that message content has a substantial impact.