Elective Thoracic Surgical Resections for Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations - A 16 Year Single-Center Experience.

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) cause cerebral abscess and ischemic stroke due to paradoxical emboli, risks that are increasingly recognized. We report the evolving placement of thoracic surgery in multi-disciplinary team management of PAVMs that were sporadic or associated with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. From 1983 to 2006, all patients receiving elective treatment had embolization.

Evaluating social network metrics as indicators of tail injury caused by tail biting in growing-finishing pigs ().

Tail biting is a multifactorial behavior that causes welfare and economic challenges in swine production. As of 2024, research exploring the influence of pig social structure on the development of tail biting is limited. The objective of this study was to explore whether social structures of pigs from different litter origins can impact tail biting and, ultimately, tail damage.

Association of Technology Usage and Decreased Revision TKA Rates for Low-Volume Surgeons Using an Optimal Prosthesis Combination: An Analysis of 53,264 Primary TKAs.

Background: Technology (navigation and robotics) usage during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is often supported by literature involving high-volume surgeons and hospitals, but the value of technology for lower-volume surgeons is uncertain. This study aimed to determine if there was a relationship among surgeon volume, technology usage, and revision rate when using an optimal prosthesis combination (OPC).

Methods: Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry (AOANJRR) data were obtained from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2022, for all primary TKA procedures performed for osteoarthritis using an OPC by a known surgeon ≥5 years after their first recorded procedure.

Fibrin clot augmentation of high-risk meniscal repairs may result in clinical healing in up to 90% of cases.

Objective: While meniscal repair is preferable to meniscectomy, some cases may be at higher risk of failure if repaired. Incorporating fibrin clot (FC) into the repair has been proposed to improve healing rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the failure rates, patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and complications of FC augmented meniscal repair for cases considered to be at higher risk of failure.

Delayed discovery: the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on osteoarthritis clinical trials.

Context: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted clinical research in many medical and surgical fields, resulting in research waste and loss of treatment for patients. Although other areas have been explored, the extent of the pandemic's influence on osteoarthritis (OA) trials is currently unknown.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the reasons for termination of clinical trials investigating OA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cholinergic system adaptations are associated with cognitive function in people recently abstinent from smoking: a (-)-[F]flubatine PET study.

The cholinergic system is a critical mediator of cognition in animals. People who smoke cigarettes exhibit cognitive deficits, especially during quit attempts. Few studies jointly examine the cholinergic system and cognition in people while trying to quit smoking.

Capillary electrophoresis Western blot using inkjet transfer to membrane.

Traditional Western blots are commonly used to separate and assay proteins; however, they have limitations including a long, cumbersome process and large sample requirements. Here, we describe a system for Western blotting where capillary gel electrophoresis is used to separate sodium dodecyl sulfate-protein complexes. The capillary outlet is threaded into a piezoelectric inkjetting head that deposits the separated proteins in a quasi-continuous stream of <100 pL droplets onto a moving membrane.

A Novel Immunoassay for Malondialdehyde-Conjugated Low-Density Lipoprotein Measures Dynamic Changes in the Blood of Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery.

Oxidized low-density lipoproteins play an important role in tissue pathology. In this study, we report a sensitive novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of malondialdehyde-modified low-density lipoprotein (MDA-LDL), a key component of oxidized LDL. The assay is capable of measuring a variable presence of MDA-LDL within human plasma and serum.

Assessment of transient dopamine responses to smoked cannabis.

Background: Dopaminergic mechanisms that may underlie cannabis' reinforcing effects are not well elucidated in humans. This positron emission tomography (PET) imaging study used the dopamine D receptor antagonist [C]raclopride and kinetic modelling testing for transient changes in radiotracer uptake to assess the striatal dopamine response to smoked cannabis in a preliminary sample.

Methods: PET emission data were acquired from regular cannabis users (n = 14; 7 M/7 F; 19-32 years old) over 90 min immediately after [C]raclopride administration (584 ± 95 MBq) as bolus followed by constant infusion (K = 105 min).

Restricted Use of Echocardiography in Suspected Endocarditis during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Multidisciplinary Team Approach.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is challenging to manage in the COVID-19 lockdown period, in part given its reliance on echocardiography for diagnosis and management and the associated virus transmission risks to patients and healthcare workers. This study assesses utilisation of the endocarditis team (ET) in limiting routine echocardiography, especially transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), in patients with suspected IE, and explores the effect on clinical outcomes.

Methods: All patients discussed at the ET meeting at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust during the first lockdown in the UK (23 March to 8 July 2020) were prospectively included and analysed in this observational study.

Do Author Conflicts of Interest and Industry Sponsorship Influence Outcomes of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Regarding Glaucoma Interventions? A Cross-sectional Analysis.

Prcis: In our sample of systematic reviews focusing on treatments for glaucoma, reviews conducted by authors with a conflict of interest were more likely to reach favorable conclusions compared with reviews without conflicted authors.

Purpose: Previous studies have demonstrated that authors' conflict of interest can influence outcomes of systematic reviews. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether the presence of 1 of more conflicts was associated with more favorable results and conclusions in systematic reviews of glaucoma interventions.

COVID-19 and its impact on the cardiovascular system.

Objectives: The clinical impact of SARS-CoV-2 has varied across countries with varying cardiovascular manifestations. We review the cardiac presentations, in-hospital outcomes and development of cardiovascular complications in the initial cohort of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients at Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, UK.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 498 COVID-19 positive adult admissions to our institute from 7 March to 7 April 2020.

Longitudinal imaging of metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors during early and extended alcohol abstinence.

Chronic alcohol use has important effects on the glutamate system. The metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu5) receptor has shown promise in preclinical models as a target to reduce drinking-related behaviors and cue-induced reinstatement, motivating human studies of mGlu5 receptor negative allosteric modulators. The goal of this work was to measure levels of mGlu5 receptor availability with positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the mGlu5 receptor-specific radiotracer [F]FPEB during early and extended alcohol abstinence.

Fast Immunoassay for Microfluidic Western Blotting by Direct Deposition of Reagents onto Capture Membrane.

Western blotting is a widely used protein assay platform, but the technique requires long analysis times and multiple manual steps. Microfluidic systems are currently being explored for increased automation and reduction of analysis times, sample volumes, and reagent consumption for western blots. Previous work has demonstrated that proteins separated by microchip electrophoresis can be captured on membranes by dragging the microchip outlet across the membrane.

The Pre-Registry Commercial Driver Medical Examination: Screening Sensitivity and Certification Lengths for Two Safety-Related Medical Conditions.

Objective: Use independent diagnostic data to analyze the screening effectiveness of the pre-Registry commercial driver medical examination (CDME) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and its sensitivity for hypertension; analyze certification lengths where relevant.

Methods: CDME screening results for 1668 drivers were compared to polysomnogram diagnostic test results, and CDME screening results were evaluated for 1155 drivers with at least one insurance claim with a hypertension diagnostic code. Any CDME documentation of the medical condition was considered as detection by screening.

Employer-mandated obstructive sleep apnea treatment and healthcare cost savings among truckers.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an employer-mandated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis and treatment program on non-OSA-program trucker medical insurance claim costs.

Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis; cohorts constructed by matching (randomly, with replacement) Screen-positive Controls (drivers with insurance screened as likely to have OSA, but not yet diagnosed) with Diagnosed drivers (n = 1,516; cases = 1,224, OSA Negatives = 292), on two factors affecting exposure to medical claims: experience level at hire and weeks of job tenure at the Diagnosed driver's polysomnogram (PSG) date (the "matching date"). All cases received auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (APAP) treatment and were grouped by objective treatment adherence data: any "Positive Adherence" (n = 932) versus "No Adherence" (n = 292).

Electrophoresis of megaDalton proteins inside colloidal silica.

With the growth of the biopharmaceutical industry, there is a need for rapid size-analysis of proteins on the megaDalton scale. The large pore sizes needed for such separations cannot be easily reached by pushing the current limits of size-exclusion chromatography or gel electrophoresis. The concept detailed here is the formation of arbitrarily wide pores by packing nonporous colloidal silica in capillaries.

Patient and operating room staff radiation dose during fenestrated/branched endovascular aneurysm repair using premanufactured devices.

Introduction: Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) is the highest radiation dose procedure performed by vascular surgeons. We sought to characterize the radiation dose to patients and staff during FEVAR procedures with different premanufactured devices.

Methods: A single-center prospective study of FEVARs was performed over 24 months.

Detection and compensation of power imbalance, modulation strength, and bias drift in coherent IQ transmitter through digital filter.

A novel method to simultaneously detect power imbalance, modulation strength, and bias drift of coherent IQ transmitter during the initial power-up is presented. This is achieved by sweeping gain scaling factor of finite impulse filter in a digital domain and monitoring the combined output power. Furthermore, by dithering gain scaling factor of finite impulse filter, the power imbalance is measured with live traffic.

Transmitter skew tolerance and spectral efficiency tradeoff in high baud-rate QAM optical communication systems.

Residual IQ skew in a coherent transmitter severely degrades the performance of long-haul coherent optical communication systems. The impairment is particularly detrimental for a high baud-rate system using quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Furthermore, Nyquist pulse shaping increases the spectral efficiency for WDM systems.

Regression of left ventricular hypertrophy provides an additive physiological benefit following treatment of aortic stenosis: Insights from serial coronary wave intensity analysis.

Aim: Severe aortic stenosis frequently involves the development of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) creating a dichotomous haemodynamic state within the coronary circulation. Whilst the increased force of ventricular contraction enhances its resultant relaxation and thus increases the distal diastolic coronary "suction" force, the presence of LVH has a potentially opposing effect on ventricular-coronary interplay. The aim of this study was to use non-invasive coronary wave intensity analysis (WIA) to separate and measure the sequential effects of outflow tract obstruction relief and then LVH regression following intervention for aortic stenosis.

Accurate model to predict performance of coherent optical transponder for high baud rate and advanced modulation format.

Bit error rate (BER) versus optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) characteristics determines the transmission performance for coherent optical transponder. We have developed a model to predict BER versus OSNR at various receiver optical power (ROP). The model has three parameters, which are related to BER noise floor, filter mismatching, and OSNR value without noise loading.