Novel pain management strategy for uterine fibroid embolization.

Background: Uterine fibroid embolization can be associated with significant pain due to fibroid ischemia and interventions of the procedure itself. Fentanyl and midazolam are commonly provided for sedation and pain relief, but are not tolerated by all patients. This report outlines a novel pain management strategy for uterine fibroid embolization in a patient who could not receive either opioids or benzodiazepines.

Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes of Omitting Axillary Surgery in Breast Cancer Patients with Chest Wall Recurrence after Mastectomy.

Background: The management of the axilla in breast cancer patients with isolated chest wall recurrence (CWR) after mastectomy remains controversial. Although sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for restaging is feasible, its role is unclear. We aimed to determine if the omission of axillary restaging surgery in female patients with operable presumably isolated CWRs could result in an increased risk of second recurrences.

Curative Approaches for Metaplastic Breast Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Outcome Review.

Purpose: Metaplastic breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and heterogeneous breast cancer subtype, and there are critical gaps in our understanding of its long-term outcomes. This retrospective cohort study aimed to address these gaps by scrutinizing the pathologic and clinical aspects of MBC to enhance clinical decision-making and refine patient care strategies.

Methods And Materials: This registry-based retrospective cohort study included women aged ≥21 years diagnosed with MBC or matrix-producing carcinoma.

Symptomatic hemodialysis arteriovenous fistula with associated subclavian stenosis and a normal fistulogram.

While arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are the optimal route of access for hemodialysis in terms of duration of patency and infection rates, they can still fail due a variety of reasons. Most commonly, AVF failure is due to venous stenotic lesions, resulting in reduced blood flow rate across the fistula. Fistulograms are often used to investigate cases of symptomatic or poor fistula function.

Obesity-associated changes in molecular biology of primary breast cancer.

Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer (BC) and worse prognosis in BC patients, yet its impact on BC biology remains understudied in humans. This study investigates how the biology of untreated primary BC differs according to patients' body mass index (BMI) using data from >2,000 patients. We identify several genomic alterations that are differentially prevalent in overweight or obese patients compared to lean patients.

RAF1 deficiency causes a lethal syndrome that underscores RTK signaling during embryogenesis.

Somatic and germline gain-of-function point mutations in RAF, one of the first oncogenes to be discovered in humans, delineate a group of tumor-prone syndromes known as the RASopathies. In this study, we document the first human phenotype resulting from the germline loss-of-function of the proto-oncogene RAF1 (a.k.

The human pathobiont secreted protease Mfsap1 regulates cell dispersal and exacerbates skin inflammation.

form the dominant eukaryotic microbial community on the human skin. The genus possesses a repertoire of secretory hydrolytic enzymes involved in protein and lipid metabolism which alter the external cutaneous environment. The exact role of most secreted enzymes, including those in interaction with the epithelial surface, is not well characterized.

ZAKα-driven ribotoxic stress response activates the human NLRP1 inflammasome.

Human NLRP1 (NACHT, LRR, and PYD domain-containing protein 1) is an innate immune sensor predominantly expressed in the skin and airway epithelium. Here, we report that human NLRP1 senses the ultraviolet B (UVB)- and toxin-induced ribotoxic stress response (RSR). Biochemically, RSR leads to the direct hyperphosphorylation of a human-specific disordered linker region of NLRP1 (NLRP1) by MAP3K20/ZAKα kinase and its downstream effector, p38.

Preclinical Large Animal Experiments for Surgically Implanted Atrioventricular Valve: Reappraisal and Systematic Review.

Background: The development of atrioventricular bioprosthesis has witnessed an increasing drive toward clinical translation over the last few decades. A significant challenge in the clinical translation of an atrioventricular bioprosthesis from bench to bedside is the appropriate choice of a large animal model to test the safety and effectiveness of the device.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of pre-clinical in vivo studies that would enable us to synthesize a recommended framework.

The Impact of Statin Use and Breast Cancer Recurrence - A Retrospective Study in Singapore.

Introduction: Statins, HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are commonly used cholesterol-lowering medications which are also increasingly recognized to have anti-cancer properties for various cancers, including breast cancer. Most clinical evidence supports a protective effect of statin on reducing breast cancer recurrence, particularly in hormone-receptor positive breast cancers.This study seeks to study the impact of statin use on breast cancer recurrence in an Asian population.

Complications Associated With Totally Implanted Venous Access Devices in the Arm Versus the Chest: A Short-Term Retrospective Study.

Purpose: To retrospectively compare complications for totally implanted venous access devices (TIVADs or ports) in the arm vs. the chest. One participating institution implanted all TIVADs in the arm, whereas the other institution implanted them in the chest.

Comprehensive mapping of SARS-CoV-2 interactions in vivo reveals functional virus-host interactions.

SARS-CoV-2 is a major threat to global health. Here, we investigate the RNA structure and RNA-RNA interactions of wildtype (WT) and a mutant (Δ382) SARS-CoV-2 in cells using Illumina and Nanopore platforms. We identify twelve potentially functional structural elements within the SARS-CoV-2 genome, observe that subgenomic RNAs can form different structures, and that WT and Δ382 virus genomes fold differently.

Rate of Curative Surgery in Real-world Patients with Unresectable Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated with FOLFOXIRI ± Bevacizumab: A Western Canadian Province Experience.

Background: Recent evidence from randomized trials suggests that FOLFOXIRI (fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) ± bevacizumab is associated with higher response rates, with the potential for conversion of unresectable to resectable disease in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). However, limited evidence is available on the efficacy and safety of this regimen in real-world patients with mCRC. The current study aims to evaluate the conversion rate and safety of FOLFOXIRI ± bevacizumab in real-world patients with unresectable mCRC.

European polygenic risk score for prediction of breast cancer shows similar performance in Asian women.

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have been shown to predict breast cancer risk in European women, but their utility in Asian women is unclear. Here we evaluate the best performing PRSs for European-ancestry women using data from 17,262 breast cancer cases and 17,695 controls of Asian ancestry from 13 case-control studies, and 10,255 Chinese women from a prospective cohort (413 incident breast cancers). Compared to women in the middle quintile of the risk distribution, women in the highest 1% of PRS distribution have a ~2.

An algorithm competition for automatic species identification from herbarium specimens.

Premise: Plant biodiversity is threatened, yet many species remain undescribed. It is estimated that >50% of undescribed species have already been collected and are awaiting discovery in herbaria. Robust automatic species identification algorithms using machine learning could accelerate species discovery.

A Circulating miRNA Signature for Stratification of Breast Lesions among Women with Abnormal Screening Mammograms.

Although mammography is the gold standard for breast cancer screening, the high rates of false-positive mammograms remain a concern. Thus, there is an unmet clinical need for a non-invasive and reliable test to differentiate between malignant and benign breast lesions in order to avoid subjecting patients with abnormal mammograms to unnecessary follow-up diagnostic procedures. Serum samples from 116 malignant breast lesions and 64 benign breast lesions were comprehensively profiled for 2,083 microRNAs (miRNAs) using next-generation sequencing.

Comparisons of Outcomes of Real-World Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Treated With FOLFIRINOX Versus Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of FOLFIRINOX (5-FU/leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin) and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (GnP) in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed advanced pancreatic cancer in Saskatchewan, Canada, from 2011 to 2016, who received FOLFIRINOX or GnP were assessed. A Cox proportional multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate prognostic variables.

Prospective study of surgical fixation of radial head fractures using cannulated headless compression screws for simple and complex radial head fractures.

Introduction: Fixing the two-part Mason II radial head fracture using screws is becoming a popular practice. However, the screw fixation efficacy for three-part Mason III and IV fractures is controversial. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of using a uniform technique of headless compression screw fixation in simple, isolated Mason II and complex three-part Mason III and IV radial head fractures in terms of functional outcome, treatment efficiency and assessment of complications with the procedure.

Refractory Hypoglycemia Presenting as First Manifestation of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hypoglycemia is a well-established paraneoplastic manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, hypoglycemia presenting as the primary presentation of HCC is extremely rare. Most cases are resistant to glucose infusion and may lead to severe complications such as hypoglycemic seizures.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography as a Risk Factor for Pancreatic Panniculitis in a Post-Liver Transplant Patient.

Post endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pancreatic panniculitis is a rare condition caused by fat necrosis following release of pancreatic enzymes into the bloodstream. No previous reports of pancreatic panniculitis have been reported in post-liver transplant subjects undergoing ERCP. We present a 63-year-old cryptogenic cirrhotic female post-cadaveric liver transplant who underwent ERCP for suspected biliary stricture and subsequently developed pancreatic panniculitis.

Giant right coronary artery aneurysm on 64-MDCT.

An 81-year-old woman was referred for cardiac computed tomography-angiography (CCTA) after an extracardiac mass was found on echocardiography. CCTA found a giant atherosclerotic right coronary artery aneurysm with a maximal diameter of 80 mm, which was compressing the right atrium and right appendage, proximal superior vena cava, right ventricle inlet and tricuspid annulus.

Docking of noncompetitive inhibitors into dengue virus type 2 protease: understanding the interactions with allosteric binding sites.

A group of flavanones and their chalcones, isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda L., were previously reported to show varying degrees of noncompetitive inhibitory activities toward Dengue virus type 2 (Den2) protease. Results obtained from automated docking studies are in agreement with experimental data in which the ligands were shown to bind to sites other than the active site of the protease.