Outcomes of aortic arch repair using the frozen elephant trunk technique: analysis of a Scandinavian center's results over 14 years.

Background: The frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique enables repair of aortic arch pathology, with possibility for endovascular treatment of distal thoracic aortic disease. We aimed to study outcomes of FET repair of complex aortic arch disease at a Scandinavian tertiary referral center.

Methods: All patients who underwent FET repair of the aortic arch 2006-2020 were included.

Digital droplet PCR TERT promoter mutational screening in fine needle aspiration cytology of thyroid lesions: A highly specific technique for pre-operative identification of high-risk cases.

Background: Despite the advent of comprehensive molecular testing in surgical pathology, most centers still rely on the morphological assessment of fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) to triage patients with thyroid nodules for surgery. Subsets of patients could benefit from the inclusion of molecular testing to increase the diagnostic and/or prognostic properties of the cytology analysis, including the assessment of TERT promoter mutations, an event coupled with thyroid malignancy, and poor prognosis.

Methods: In this prospective study, preoperative FNAC material from 65 cases was assessed for TERT promoter hotspot mutations C228T and C250T using the digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) technique on frozen pellets and re-evaluated postoperatively.

Neurocognitive deficits in COVID-19 patients five months after discharge from hospital.

This observational cohort study explored objective neurocognitive deficits in COVID-19 patients five months after discharge, and any associations with demographic factors and disease severity indicators. Medical notes of all COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital in Region Östergötland, Sweden, March-May 2020, were reviewed. After applying exclusion criteria, 433 patients were screened by telephone.

Seven Domains of Persisting Problems after Hospital-treated Covid-19 Indicate a Need For a Multiprofessional Rehabilitation Approach.

Objectives: To identify domains of persisting problems at 4 months after discharge in patients previously hospitalized due to COVID-19, with a focus on a subgroup of patients reporting symptoms to an extent indicative of rehabilitation needs.

Design: Ambidirectional observational cohort study.

Patients: All patients with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis admitted to hospital in a Swedish healthcare region during the period 1 March to 31 May 2020.

Eligibility of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation on in-hospital cardiac arrests in Sweden: a national registry study.

Aims: Extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) for refractory cardiac arrest (CA) is used in selected cases. The incidence of ECPR-eligible patients is not known. The aim of this study was to identify the ECPR-eligible patients among in-hospital CAs (IHCA) in Sweden and to estimate the potential gain in survival and neurological outcome, if ECPR was to be used.

Prognostic Utility of the Ki-67 Labeling Index in Follicular Thyroid Tumors: a 20-Year Experience from a Tertiary Thyroid Center.

Follicular thyroid tumors pose a diagnostic challenge on the preoperative level, as the discrimination between follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and adenoma (FTA) demands careful histopathological investigation. Moreover, prognostication of FTCs is mostly based on tumor size and extent of invasive properties, while immunohistochemical markers pinpointing high-risk cases are lacking. We have routinely established a Ki-67 labeling index for follicular thyroid tumors since 1999.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guided by End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide-a Porcine Model.

Extracorporeal membrane cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for selected cases and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO) could be used to guide initiation of ECPR. Ventricular fibrillation was induced in 12 pigs and CPR was performed until ETCO fell below 10 mmHg; then, ECPR was performed. Animals were divided into group short (G) and group long (G), according to time of CPR.

Brain MRI and neuropsychological findings at long-term follow-up after COVID-19 hospitalisation: an observational cohort study.

Objectives: To report findings on brain MRI and neurocognitive function, as well as persisting fatigue at long-term follow-up after COVID-19 hospitalisation in patients identified as high risk for affection of the central nervous system.

Design: Ambidirectional observational cohort study.

Setting: All 734 patients from a regional population in Sweden with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis admitted to hospital during the period 1 March to 31 May 2020.

Nuclear-specific accumulation of () mRNA in promoter mutated follicular thyroid tumours visualised by in situ hybridisation: a possible clinical screening tool?

Aims: Upregulation of the () gene is a frequent finding in follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) with metastatic features. The augmented expression is usually caused by promoter mutations. As TERT protein immunohistochemistry might not correlate to mRNA levels in follicular thyroid tumours, we therefore sought to determine if visualisation of mRNA through in situ hybridisation could highlight high-risk cases.

Spatial Distribution Patterns of Clinically Relevant TERT Promoter Mutations in Follicular Thyroid Tumors of Uncertain Malignant Potential: Advantages of the Digital Droplet PCR Technique.

In thyroid carcinomas, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations C228T and C250T predict an unfavorable clinical outcome. The analysis is particularly valuable when assessing histologically equivocal follicular thyroid tumors of uncertain malignant potential (FT-UMPs). Given recent findings of TERT promoter mutational heterogeneity in thyroid cancer, we determined the frequency of this phenomenon in FT-UMPs and minimally invasive follicular thyroid carcinomas.

End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide Impacts Brain and Kidney Injury in Experimental Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR).

Purpose: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation-assisted cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) is proposed for cardiac resuscitation in selected cases. End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) is easily obtained during conventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). We hypothesized that the level of ETCO2 during CPR would reflect the degree of brain and kidney damage following ECPR in experimental refractory cardiac arrest.

Effects of maternal high-fat/high sucrose diet on hepatic lipid metabolism in rat offspring.

Maternal obesity and/or high-fat diet during pregnancy predispose the offspring to metabolic disease. It is however unclear how pre-natal and post-natal exposure respectively affect the risk of hepatic steatosis and the trajectory towards non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in the offspring. We investigate hepatic lipid metabolism and how these factors are related to metabolic outcome in new born and young rats.

Macrofollicular Variant of Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma (MV-FTC) with a Somatic DICER1 Gene Mutation: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Benign thyroid lesions such as multinodular goiter and adenomatoid nodules are well-circumscribed lesions displaying a macrofollicular growth pattern and lack of nuclear atypia. The highly unusual macrofollicular variant of follicular thyroid carcinoma (MV-FTC) mirrors these attributes and is thereby misclassified by cytological examination of fine-needle aspiration biopsies. The MV-FTC diagnosis is instead suggested following histological investigation, in which malignant attributes, most commonly capsular invasion, are noted.

Changes in long-chain fatty acid composition of milk fat globule membrane and expression of mammary lipogenic genes in dairy cows fed sunflower seeds and rumen-protected choline.

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of crushed high oleic sunflower seeds (HOS) and rumen-protected choline (RPC) on the fatty acid (FA) profile of phospholipids and sphingomyelin and mammary transcription of genes that are important for milk fat synthesis and de novo synthesis of sphingolipids. Twenty-four cows were divided into four groups that either received an unsupplemented diet (Control), the Control diet supplemented with 50 g RPC per day, a diet supplemented with HOS at 10% of dry matter, or RPC and HOS in combination (RPC + HOS). RPC supplementation had no effect on the FA composition of milk or sphingomyelin.

Metastatic Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma in Complete Remission: Morphological, Molecular, and Clinical Work-Up of a Rare Case.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) exhibits an exceedingly poor prognosis, and the current treatment options are, for most cases, palliative by nature. Few reports of long-time survivors exist, although in these patients, tumors often were limited to the thyroid and/or regional lymph nodes. We describe a 64-year-old male who developed a rapidly growing mass in the left thyroid lobe.

Fatty acid profile of phospholipids and sphingomyelin in milk and regulation of sphingomyelin synthesis of mammary glands in cows receiving increasing levels of crushed sunflower seeds.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of increasing dietary supplementation of crushed sunflower seed (CSS) in the diet of dairy cows on the fatty acid (FA) composition of phospholipids and sphingomyelin in milk, and on mammary transcription of genes that are important for sphingomyelin de novo synthesis. Four groups of 6 cows received diets supplemented with CSS at 0% (control), or 5, 10, or 15% of dry matter for a 5-wk experimental period. Milk samples and mammary biopsies were collected at the end of the experiment.

Continuous-flow LVADs in the Nordic countries: complications and mortality and its predictors.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess complications and mortality and its predictors, with continuous-flow left ventricular assist devices (CF-LVADs) in the Nordic Countries.

Design: This was a retrospective, international, multicenter cohort study.

Results: Between 1993 and 2013, 442 surgically implanted long-term mechanical assist devices were used among 8 centers in the Nordic countries.

Survival after refractory cardiogenic shock is comparable in patients with Impella and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation when adjusted for SAVE score.

Objectives: Survival after different short-term mechanical circulatory support is difficult to compare because various systems are used and patient disease severity is most often not adjusted for. This study compares the outcome after the use of Impella and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in refractory cardiogenic shock, adjusted for disease severity through the survival after the VA-ECMO (SAVE) score.

Methods: Patients with refractory shock treated with either VA-ECMO or Impella between January 2003 and August 2015 were included.

High-fat feeding induces mobilization of vitamin C in obese prone rats.

In obesity and dyslipidemia, hydrolysis of triacylglycerol (TAG) into non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) may contribute to insulin resistance, and production of oxygenated, bioactive polyunsaturated fatty acids may increase oxidative stress. Here we show that after six weeks of high-fat feeding of obese prone rats (Crl:OP(CD), vitamin C was increased both in liver (P < 0.01) and plasma (P < 0.

Fatty acid composition and phospholipid types used in infant formulas modifies the establishment of human gut bacteria in germ-free mice.

Human milk fat contains high concentrations of medium-chained fatty acids (MCFA) and triacylglycerols emulsified by a sphingomyelin-rich phospholipid membrane (milk phospholipids, MPL). Infant formula comprises mainly long-chained fatty acids (LCFA) emulsified with dairy proteins and soy lecithin (SL) lacking sphingomyelin. Sphingomyelin content and saturation level of phospholipids affect the gut lipase activity, which alters the concentrations of lipid hydrolysis products in ileum and colon, and hereby putatively affects the competitive advantage of specific gut bacteria.

Supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), vitamin D and uridine in combination with six weeks of cognitive and motor training in prepubescent children: a pilot study.

Background: Learning and memory have been shown to be influenced by combination of dietary supplements and exercise in animal models, but there is little available evidence from human subjects. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of combining a motor- and cognitive exercise program with dietary supplementation consisting of 500 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), 10 μg vitamin D and 1000 mg uridine (DDU-supplement) in 16 prepubescent children (age 8-11 years).

Methods: We designed a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study lasting 6 weeks in which DDU-supplement or placebo was ingested daily.

Effects of Gliadin consumption on the Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolic Homeostasis in Mice Fed a High-fat Diet.

Dietary gluten causes severe disorders like celiac disease in gluten-intolerant humans. However, currently understanding of its impact in tolerant individuals is limited. Our objective was to test whether gliadin, one of the detrimental parts of gluten, would impact the metabolic effects of an obesogenic diet.

Optimization of tolerability and efficacy of the novel dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist KBP-089 through dose escalation and combination with a GLP-1 analog.

Amylin and GLP-1 agonism induce a well-known anorexic effect at dose initiation, which is managed by dose escalation. In this study we investigated how to optimize tolerability while maintaining efficacy of a novel, highly potent dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist (DACRA), KBP-089. Furthermore, we tested the GLP-1 add-on potential of KBP-089 in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats.