Anemia rates after one-anastomosis gastric bypass versus sleeve gastrectomy: a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: To compare postoperative anemia rates after one-anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) with those after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in a large nationwide, population-based cohort study.

Methods: We sourced data from the Israeli Bariatric Surgery Registry. The study included a cohort of adults who underwent bariatric surgery (BS) between 2013 and 2017.

ChatGPT vs Medical Professional: Analyzing Responses to Laboratory Medicine Questions on Social Media.

Background: The integration of ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM) developed by OpenAI, into healthcare has sparked significant interest due to its potential to enhance patient care and medical education. With the increasing trend of patients accessing laboratory results online, there is a pressing need to evaluate the effectiveness of ChatGPT in providing accurate laboratory medicine information. Our study evaluates ChatGPT's effectiveness in addressing patient questions in this area, comparing its performance with that of medical professionals on social media.

Retrospective analysis of serum free light chain reference intervals and risk for monoclonal gammopathy suggests different limits than those in international guidelines.

Objectives: Recent reference interval studies of the serum free light chain (FLC) test using contemporary instruments display divergence with the diagnostic range generally adopted as the international standard. In this study, we perform a retrospective reference interval analysis with risk predictions for monoclonal gammopathy.

Methods: Retrospective laboratory and clinical data for 8,986 patients were included in the study.

"Figuring it out on our own": exploring family medicine residents' sexual assault and domestic violence training.

Background: Family physicians are uniquely able to provide comprehensive and longitudinal care to those experiencing sexual assault and domestic violence (SADV). To date, we know little about how Canadian family medicine (FM) residents learn about SADV. This study explored SADV teaching in residency from the perspectives of FM residents.

Communication Efficient Algorithms for Bounding and Approximating the Empirical Entropy in Distributed Systems.

The empirical entropy is a key statistical measure of data frequency vectors, enabling one to estimate how diverse the data are. From the computational point of view, it is important to quickly compute, approximate, or bound the entropy. In a distributed system, the representative ("global") frequency vector is the average of the "local" frequency vectors, each residing in a distinct node.

Thrombin Activity in Rodent and Human Skin: Modified by Inflammation and Correlates with Innervation.

Thrombin is present in peripheral nerves and is involved in the pathogenesis of neuropathy. We evaluated thrombin activity in skin punch biopsies taken from the paws of male mice and rats and from the legs of patients with suspected small-fiber neuropathy (SFN). In mice, inflammation was induced focally by subcutaneous adjuvant injection to one paw and systemically by intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharides (LPS) administration.

Implementation of INHERET, an Online Family History and Cancer Risk Interpretation Program for Primary Care and Specialty Clinics.

Background: Individuals at increased risk for cancer are ascertained at low rates of 1% to 12% in primary care (PC). Underserved populations experience disparities of ascertainment, but data are lacking. INHERET is an online personal and family history tool to facilitate the identification of individuals who are eligible, according to guidelines, to be counseled on germline genetic testing and risk management.

The Non-Tightness of a Convex Relaxation to Rotation Recovery.

We study the Perspective-n-Point (PNP) problem, which is fundamental in 3D vision, for the recovery of camera translation and rotation. A common solution applies polynomial sum-of-squares (SOS) relaxation techniques via semidefinite programming. Our main result is that the polynomials which should be optimized can be non-negative but not SOS, hence the resulting convex relaxation is not tight; specifically, we present an example of real-life configurations for which the convex relaxation in the Lasserre Hierarchy fails, in both the second and third levels.

Reflexing Suspicious β-Region Findings on Capillary Serum Protein Electrophoresis to Immunofixation or Immunosubtraction for Detecting Monoclonal Proteins.

Objectives: Monoclonal immunoglobulins (M-proteins) that migrate in the β region on serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) are often cloaked by this region's normal constituents. The present study interrogates the utility of using both quantitative and qualitative alterations in β-region bands for detection of β-migrating M-proteins.

Methods: Consecutive SPEP cases analyzed by capillary electrophoresis were searched to identify the initial workup on 1,841 patients with increased total β regions, suspicious β-region findings resulting in reflex immunofixation (IFE), or immunosubtraction (ISUB).

Accurate Quantification of Monoclonal Immunoglobulins Migrating in the Beta Region on Protein Electrophoresis.

Background: The concentration of monoclonal immunoglobulins (Igs) in neoplastic monoclonal gammopathic manifestations is generally measured by densitometric scanning of the monoclonal peaks on gel or by measuring absorbance at 210 nm in capillary electrophoresis (CE). For monoclonal Igs migrating in the beta region, measurement is complicated by the major beta-region proteins, namely, transferrin and C3.

Methods: C3 interference in densitometry was eliminated by heat treatment of serum, and monoclonal Igs were quantified by densitometry of the residual band.

Laboratory Detection and Initial Diagnosis of Monoclonal Gammopathies.

Context.—: The process for identifying patients with monoclonal gammopathies is complex. Initial detection of a monoclonal immunoglobulin protein (M protein) in the serum or urine often requires compilation of analytical data from several areas of the laboratory.

In Our Own Time: Medical Students' Informal Social Studying and Learning.

Social studying and learning (SSL) is any independent, elective, self-directed and self-organized approach to learning that involves students working with their peers for the purposes of study, learning, or revision. While in-class collaborative learning has been relatively well-explored, very little is known about how medical students engage in informal SSL or about the impacts it can have. The purpose of this study was to explore medical students' practices and perceptions regarding SSL, and the ways in which this shaped their overall learning experiences.

Trends in Bariatric Surgery: a 5-Year Analysis of the Israel National Bariatric Surgery Registry.

Background: The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016. There are limited data quantifying national trends. The aim of this study is to evaluate and summarize current trends in bariatric surgery in Israel.

An international multi-center serum protein electrophoresis accuracy and M-protein isotyping study. Part II: limit of detection and follow-up of patients with small M-proteins.

Background Electrophoretic methods to detect, characterize and quantify M-proteins play an important role in the management of patients with monoclonal gammopathies (MGs). Significant uncertainty in the quantification and limit of detection (LOD) is documented when M-proteins are <10 g/L. Using spiked sera, we aimed to assess the variability in intact M-protein quantification and LOD across 16 laboratories.

An international multi-center serum protein electrophoresis accuracy and M-protein isotyping study. Part I: factors impacting limit of quantitation of serum protein electrophoresis.

Background Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) is used to quantify the serum monoclonal component or M-protein, for diagnosis and monitoring of monoclonal gammopathies. Significant imprecision and inaccuracy pose challenges in reporting small M-proteins. Using therapeutic monoclonal antibody-spiked sera and a pooled beta-migrating M-protein, we aimed to assess SPEP limitations and variability across 16 laboratories in three continents.

Revisional Bariatric Surgery in Israel: Findings from the Israeli Bariatric Surgery Registry.

Background: Bariatric surgery (BS) is a proven sustainable approach for obesity, and its frequency is increasing worldwide. However, the frequency of revision surgery (RS) is also increasing. This study aimed to evaluate the RS rate in Israel and compare RS to primary surgery (PS).