The antibacterial activity of a photoactivatable diarylacetylene against Gram-positive bacteria.

The emergence of antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to human health, and therefore, alternatives to existing compounds are urgently needed. In this context, a novel fluorescent photoactivatable diarylacetylene has been identified and characterised for its antibacterial activity, which preferentially eliminates Gram-positive over Gram-negative bacteria. Experiments confirmed that the Gram-negative lipopolysaccharide-rich outer surface is responsible for tolerance, as strains with reduced outer membrane integrity showed increased susceptibility.

Bullseye Analysis: A Fluorescence Microscopy Technique to Detect Local Changes in Intracellular Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Production.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are naturally produced compounds that play important roles in cell signaling, gene regulation, and biological defense, including involvement in the oxidative burst that is central to the anti-microbial actions of macrophages. However, these highly reactive, short-lived radical species also stimulate cells to undergo programmed cell death at high concentrations, as well as causing detrimental effects such as oxidation of macromolecules at more moderate levels. Imaging ROS is highly challenging, with many researchers working on the challenge over the past 10-15 years without producing a definitive method.

The Military Medical Officer's Current-Day Professional Identity: An Enhanced Model.

Background: As the landscapes of war have evolved, so too has the role of the military medical officer (MMO). Colonel (Retired) Barry Wolcott developed a "vector" model in the 1990s, illustrating the dual professional role of the MMO. Since then, propelled by the War on Terror, MMOs have adapted to treating patients in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous operational environments.

Complete Genome Sequence of Bacteriophage vB_Hercules_Set, Which Infects Enteric Pathogen Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium.

We report the isolation, sequencing, and annotation of bacteriophage vB_Hercules_Set, a kuttervirus infecting human pathogen Salmonella enterica. vB_Hercules_Set was isolated from a slurry of soil and deli meat collected in New Hampshire in 2021. The genome length is 157,338 nucleotides, containing 210 protein-coding genes and five tRNAs.

Delaying Postoperative Radiotherapy in Low-Grade Esthesioneuroblastoma: Is It Worth the Wait?

 Consensus in timing of radiotherapy is yet to be established in esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB).  This study was aimed to investigate if planned adjuvant radiotherapy improves tumor control after complete margin negative resection of low Hyams' grade (1 or 2) ENB.  A retrospective review of patients with pathologically confirmed negative margin resection of Kadish's stage B or C and Hyams' grade 1 and 2 ENBs was conducted.

Clinical utility of brain biopsy for presumed CNS relapse of systemic lymphoma.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the frequency with which brain biopsy for presumed CNS relapse of systemic hematological malignancies yields new, actionable diagnostic information. Hematological malignancies represent a disparate group of genetic and histopathological disorders. Proclivity for brain involvement is dependent on the unique entity and may occur synchronously or metasynchronously with the systemic lesion.

Cellular localisation of structurally diverse diphenylacetylene fluorophores.

Fluorescent probes are increasingly used as reporter molecules in a wide variety of biophysical experiments, but when designing new compounds it can often be difficult to anticipate the effect that changing chemical structure can have on cellular localisation and fluorescence behaviour. To provide further chemical rationale for probe design, a series of donor-acceptor diphenylacetylene fluorophores with varying lipophilicities and structures were synthesised and analysed in human epidermal cells using a range of cellular imaging techniques. These experiments showed that, within this family, the greatest determinants of cellular localisation were overall lipophilicity and the presence of ionisable groups.

Integrating user behavior with engineering design of point-of-care diagnostic devices: theoretical framework and empirical findings.

With point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices becoming increasingly available to untrained users, it will be critical to understand how real-world user behavior can best inform and guide the engineering design process. Social sciences present frameworks for analyzing user behavior, but they have not yet been applied to POC diagnostics in a methodical manner. Here, we develop a framework that synthesizes two models that can collectively account for user behavior and experience with POC diagnostic devices: a social psychological information-motivation-behavior (IMB) model (first described by Fisher and Fisher) for identifying determinants for health-related behavior, and user experience (UX) elements for studying interactions between users and products.

Radiosurgical Management of Patients With Persistent or Recurrent Cushing Disease After Prior Transsphenoidal Surgery: A Management Algorithm Based on a 25-Year Experience.

Background: Patients with persistent or recurrent Cushing disease (CD) after prior transsphenoidal surgery require further treatment to reduce the disease's metabolic consequences.

Objective: To assess patient outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for persistent or recurrent CD from adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary adenomas and propose a management algorithm.

Methods: Retrospective review of 38 patients without prior radiation treatment having SRS for ACTH-secreting pituitary adenomas from 1990 to 2015.

Is There a Need for a 6-Month Postradiosurgery Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Treatment of Vestibular Schwannoma?

Background: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a common treatment modality for vestibular schwannoma (VS), with a role in primary and recurrent/progressive algorithms. At our institution, routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is obtained at 6 and 12 mo following SRS for VS.

Objective: To analyze the safety and financial impact of eliminating the 6-mo post-SRS MRI in asymptomatic VS patients.

Transsylvian, Carotid-Oculomotor Triangle Approach for Resection of a Rapidly Enlarging Midbrain-Pontine Cavernous Malformation: 3-Dimensional Operative Video.

Cavernous malformations (CM) of the anterior midbrain are best reached through an orbitozygomatic (OZ) approach with removal of the orbital rim and wide Sylvian fissure dissection. Our surgical video demonstrates this approach to resect a ruptured CM in a 36-yr-old woman who presented with headaches, left face and left arm paresthesias/weakness, and right-sided partial oculomotor nerve (CN III) palsy. Initial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a midbrain CM, and the patient was managed conservatively.

Bringing Real-Time Geospatial Precision to HIV Surveillance Through Smartphones: Feasibility Study.

Background: Precise measurements of HIV incidences at community level can help mount a more effective public health response, but the most reliable methods currently require labor-intensive population surveys. Novel mobile phone technologies are being tested for adherence to medical appointments and antiretroviral therapy, but using them to track HIV test results with automatically generated geospatial coordinates has not been widely tested.

Objective: We customized a portable reader for interpreting the results of HIV lateral flow tests and developed a mobile phone app to track HIV test results in urban and rural locations in Rwanda.

Esthesioneuroblastoma and Olfactory Preservation: Is it Reasonable to Attempt Smell Preservation?

Unlabelled:  Olfactory preservation after resection of esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) has been reported, however, the ability to predict tumor involvement of the olfactory system is critical to this surgical strategy. This study aims to answer the question: Can a surgeon predict, based on preoperative imaging, whether there is unilateral involvement of the olfactory system allowing for safe attempt of olfactory preservation?  This is a retrospective review of post-resection ENB meeting inclusion criteria of having bilateral olfactory tracts and bulbs submitted at the time of primary resection for pathologic margins. Five board-certified skull base surgeons blinded to the pathology individually reviewed the preoperative MRI scans to predict degree of tumor involvement.

Beyond Gross Total and Subtotal: Does Volumetric Resection Matter in Nonfunctioning Pituitary Macroadenomas?

Introduction: No study has volumetrically examined resection degree and recurrence in pituitary macroadenoma (PMA). We analyzed the impact of volumetric tumor resection on prediction of tumor recurrence and retreatment in a cohort of patients with nonfunctioning PMA ≥2 cm.

Methods: Records were reviewed from 1998-2008 for patients with null cell or nonsecreting PMA ≥2 cm.

Estimating the Global Incidence of Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review for Central Nervous System Vascular Lesions and Meta-Analysis of Ruptured Aneurysms.

Introduction: There is increasing acknowledgement that surgical care is important in global health initiatives. In particular, neurosurgical care is as limited as 1 per 10 million people in parts of the world. We performed a systematic literature review to examine the worldwide incidence of central nervous system vascular lesions and a meta-analysis of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) to define the disease burden and inform neurosurgical global health efforts.

Adult Pilocytic Astrocytoma: An Institutional Series and Systematic Literature Review for Extent of Resection and Recurrence.

Introduction: Pilocytic astrocytoma is a classically benign tumor that most often affects pediatric patients. Rarely, it occurs during adulthood. We present a case series and systematic literature review of adult pilocytic astrocytoma (APA) to examine the clinical presentation, extent of resection, and recurrence rate associated with this tumor in this population.

Diagnosis and Outcome of Biopsies of Indeterminate Lesions of the Cavernous Sinus and Meckel's Cave: A Retrospective Case Series in 85 Patients.

Background: When clinical presentation, laboratory studies, or imaging cannot diagnose cavernous sinus (CS) and/or Meckel's cave (MC) lesions, biopsy may be necessary.

Objective: To review our institutional series of biopsies of indeterminate CS and MC lesions.

Methods: Records from January 1994 to June 2016 were searched for biopsied indeterminate CS and MC lesions.

Effect of body mass index on outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage treated with clipping versus coiling.

OBJECTIVE It has been suggested that increased body mass index (BMI) may confer a protective effect on patients who suffer from aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Whether the modality of aneurysm occlusion influences the effect of BMI on patient outcomes is not well understood. The authors aimed to compare the effect of BMI on outcomes for patients with aSAH treated with surgical clipping versus endovascular coiling.

Prolonged viral replication and longitudinal viral dynamic differences among respiratory syncytial virus infected infants.

BackgroundLongitudinal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) dynamics have not been well studied despite the existence of factors favoring prolonged RSV replication including high mutation rates allowing rapid evolution and potential escape from immune control. We therefore measured viral load in previously RSV-naive infants over prolonged time spans.MethodsDuring 2014-2015, quantitative nasal aspirates were collected from 51 RSV-PCR+ infants.

Trends in Management of Intracranial Meningiomas: Analysis of 49,921 Cases from Modern Cohort.

Objective: We sought to characterize patterns and treatment for intracranial meningiomas in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results set of cancer registries.

Methods: SEER data was queried from 2004-2012 for cases of intracranial meningioma using appropriate topography and histology codes.

Results: A total of 49,921 patients with intracranial meningioma were identified.

How I do it: surgical ligation of craniocervical junction dural AV fistulas.

Background: Dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) of the craniocervical junction are uncommon vascular lesions, which often require surgical treatment even in the endovascular era.

Methods: Most commonly, the fistula is placed laterally, and surgical ligation is performed through a lateral suboccipital craniotomy. After dural opening, the area is inspected, and the arterialized vein is identified emerging from the dura, often adjacent to the entry point of the vertebral artery, and ligated.

Slip interface imaging based on MR-elastography preoperatively predicts meningioma-brain adhesion.

Purpose: To investigate the ability of slip interface imaging (SII), a recently developed magnetic resonance elastography (MRE)-based technique, to predict the degree of meningioma-brain adhesion, using findings at surgery as the reference standard.

Materials And Methods: With Institutional Review Board approval and written informed consent, 25 patients with meningiomas >2.5 cm in maximal diameter underwent preoperative SII assessment.

Laser controlled atom source for optical clocks.

Precision timekeeping has been a driving force in innovation, from defining agricultural seasons to atomic clocks enabling satellite navigation, broadband communication and high-speed trading. We are on the verge of a revolution in atomic timekeeping, where optical clocks promise an over thousand-fold improvement in stability and accuracy. However, complex setups and sensitivity to thermal radiation pose limitations to progress.

Patient willingness to undergo efavirenz dose reduction based on pharmacogenetic testing.

Aim: Among HIV-infected adults receiving efavirenz fixed-dose combination tablets, genotyping could guide efavirenz dose reduction but would require more pills.

Methods: We assessed willingness to dose reduce among 129 patients at an HIV primary care clinic in the southeastern USA.

Results: When told that switching from one pill to two or three pills "might make you feel a little better", 47% expressed definite or possible willingness.