Outpatient Simultaneous Bilateral Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasties: Safe With Positive Patient-Reported Outcomes.

Background: Bilateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (bUKA) done on the same day (simultaneous bUKA [sbUKA]) has been shown to be safe and cost-effective in hospital settings. Given the popularity and increased use of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), the purpose of this study was to compare safety and patient-reported outcome measures of sbUKA done at the hospital versus ASC.

Methods: Consecutive primary sbUKAs over five years done by a single surgeon were retrospectively collected.

Valproic Acid Causes Redox-Regulated Post-Translational Protein Modifications That Are Dependent upon P19 Cellular Differentiation States.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a common anti-epileptic drug and known neurodevelopmental toxicant. Although the exact mechanism of VPA toxicity remains unknown, recent findings show that VPA disrupts redox signaling in undifferentiated cells but has little effect on fully differentiated neurons. Redox imbalances often alter oxidative post-translational protein modifications and could affect embryogenesis if developmentally critical proteins are targeted.

Comparison of Pelvic Landmarks for Leg Length Discrepancy Measurement With Robotic Arm-Assisted Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Background: Leg length discrepancy (LLD) is a common complication after total hip arthroplasty (THA) leading to significant morbidity and dissatisfaction for patients. A popular system for robotic arm-assisted THA utilizes preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans for surgical planning. Accurate measurement of leg length is crucial for restoring appropriate patient anatomy during the procedure.

Acceptance, Intent, Hesitance, and Attitudes Towards SAR-CoV-2 Vaccines Among Healthcare Workers in Michigan, USA.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are critical infrastructure workers for whom COVID-19 vaccination was prioritized. It is believed that healthcare workers would have little or no hesitancy to take the COVID-19 vaccines given the risks of the pandemic to them, their families, and their patients.

Objective: The study aims to understand the acceptance and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines among the HCWs in Michigan.

Impact of a pharmacist-led outpatient telemedicine clinic on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a veteran population.

Objectives: The primary objective was to evaluate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) interventions in a pharmacist-led telemedicine clinic. Secondary objectives were to quantify emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for COPD exacerbations.

Setting: A single-center, outpatient telemedicine clinic within the Veterans Affairs (VA) Tennessee Valley Healthcare System from January 2021 to June 2021.

Targeting disseminated estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer cells in bone marrow.

Estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer can recur up to 20 years after initial diagnosis. Delayed recurrences arise from disseminated tumors cells (DTCs) in sites such as bone marrow that remain quiescent during endocrine therapy and subsequently proliferate to produce clinically detectable metastases. Identifying therapies that eliminate DTCs and/or effectively target cells transitioning to proliferation promises to reduce risk of recurrence.

Enhanced mitochondrial fission suppresses signaling and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Mitochondrial dynamics underlies malignant transformation, cancer progression, and response to treatment. Current research presents conflicting evidence for functions of mitochondrial fission and fusion in tumor progression. Here, we investigated how mitochondrial fission and fusion states regulate underlying processes of cancer progression and metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Aim2-mediated/IFN-β-independent regulation of gastric metaplastic lesions via CD8+ T cells.

Development of gastric cancer is often preceded by chronic inflammation, but the immune cellular mechanisms underlying this process are unclear. Here we demonstrated that an inflammasome molecule, absent in melanoma 2 (Aim2), was upregulated in patients with gastric cancer and in spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia of chronically Helicobacter felis-infected stomachs in mice. However, we found that Aim2 was not necessary for inflammasome function during gastritis.

The effect of mechanosensitive channel MscL expression in cancer cells on 3D confined migration.

Metastatic cancer cells migrate through constricted spaces and experience significant compressive stress, but mechanisms enabling migration in confined geometries remain unclear. Cancer cell migration within confined 3-dimensional (3D) microfluidic channels has been shown to be distinct from 2D cell migration. However, whether 3D confined migration can be manipulated by mechanosensory components has not been examined in detail.

Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 (PAI1) Promotes Actin Cytoskeleton Reorganization and Glycolytic Metabolism in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Migration and invasion of cancer cells constitute fundamental processes in tumor progression and metastasis. Migratory cancer cells commonly upregulate expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI1), and PAI1 correlates with poor prognosis in breast cancer. However, mechanisms by which PAI1 promotes migration of cancer cells remain incompletely defined.

Monitoring implantable immunoisolation devices with intrinsic fluorescence of genipin.

Imaging of implanted hydrogel-based biosystems usually requires indirect labeling of the vehicle or cargo, adding complexity and potential risk of altering functionality. Here, for the first time, it is reported that incorporation of genipin into the design of immunoisolation devices can be harnessed for in vivo imaging. Using cell-compatible in situ cross-linking reactions, a fast, efficient and noncytotoxic procedure is shown to maximize fluorescence of microcapsules.

Enhanced Bone Metastases in Skeletally Immature Mice.

Bone constitutes the most common site of breast cancer metastases either at time of presentation or recurrent disease years after seemingly successful therapy. Bone metastases cause substantial morbidity, including life-threatening spinal cord compression and hypercalcemia. Given the high prevalence of patients with breast cancer, health-care costs of bone metastases (>$20,000 per episode) impose a tremendous economic burden on society.

3D Jet Writing: Functional Microtissues Based on Tessellated Scaffold Architectures.

The advent of adaptive manufacturing techniques supports the vision of cell-instructive materials that mimic biological tissues. 3D jet writing, a modified electrospinning process reported herein, yields 3D structures with unprecedented precision and resolution offering customizable pore geometries and scalability to over tens of centimeters. These scaffolds support the 3D expansion and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells in vitro.

Functional Isolation of Tumor-Initiating Cells using Microfluidic-Based Migration Identifies Phosphatidylserine Decarboxylase as a Key Regulator.

Isolation of tumor-initiating cells currently relies on markers that do not reflect essential biologic functions of these cells. We proposed to overcome this limitation by isolating tumor-initiating cells based on enhanced migration, a function tightly linked to tumor-initiating potential through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We developed a high-throughput microfluidic migration platform with automated cell tracking software and facile recovery of cells for downstream functional and genetic analyses.

A Bifunctional MAPK/PI3K Antagonist for Inhibition of Tumor Growth and Metastasis.

Responses to targeted therapies frequently are brief, with patients relapsing with drug-resistant tumors. For oncogenic MEK and BRAF inhibition, drug resistance commonly occurs through activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling and immune checkpoint modulation, providing a robust molecular target for concomitant therapy. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of a bifunctional kinase inhibitor (ST-162) that concurrently targets MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways.