Intelligent digital tools for screening of brain connectivity and dementia risk estimation in people affected by mild cognitive impairment: the AI-Mind clinical study protocol.

More than 10 million Europeans show signs of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between normal brain aging and dementia stage memory disorder. The path MCI takes can be divergent; while some maintain stability or even revert to cognitive norms, alarmingly, up to half of the cases progress to dementia within 5 years. Current diagnostic practice lacks the necessary screening tools to identify those at risk of progression.

Efficacy of a Standardized Premedication and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Protocol for Pegaspargase to Prevent Hypersensitivity Reactions.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a standardized premedication and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) protocol to prevent hypersensitivity reactions from pegaspargase infusions. Pegaspargase is an essential therapeutic agent used for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in pediatric patients.

Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study conducted at Wolfson Children's Hospital, Jacksonville, Florida, and included pediatric ALL patients 0 to 21 years old.

A Cardiac Surgery Mini-Elective Increases Specialty Knowledge Acquisition Among Pre-Clinical Medical Students.

Background: The introduction of integrated thoracic surgery residency programs has led to increased recruitment efforts of medical students to pursue a career in cardiac surgery. With little representation of cardiac surgery in medical school curriculum, we assessed a cardiac surgery mini-elective's efficacy in improving perceived knowledge among medical students.

Methods: Preclinical medical students were offered the opportunity to participate in a cardiac surgery mini-elective, which consisted of five 2-hour sessions.

Ultrasonography for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome: correlation of clinical symptoms, cross-sectional areas and electroneuromyography.

This study evaluates the usefulness of ultrasonography in diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The cross-sectional area of the median nerve was measured at the forearm and its entry into the carpal tunnel and compared with clinical symptoms and electroneuromyography. A total of 124 patients were examined, 77 patients with clinically confirmed CTS and 47 controls.

Tofacitinib Suppresses Several JAK-STAT Pathways in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Baseline Signaling Profile Associates With Treatment Response.

Objective: Current knowledge on the actions of tofacitinib on cytokine signaling pathways in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is based on studies. Our study is the first to examine the effects of tofacitinib treatment on Janus kinase (JAK) - signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathways in patients with RA.

Methods: Sixteen patients with active RA, despite treatment with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), received tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily for three months.

ICF Personal Factors Strengthen Commitment to Person-Centered Rehabilitation - A Scoping Review.

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) classification is a biopsychosocial frame of reference that contributes to a holistic understanding of the functioning of a client and the factors involved. Personal factors (PFs) are not currently classified in the ICF due to large societal and cultural diversity and lack of clarity in the scope of such factors. To ascertain which factors in the ICF classification have been defined as PFs in different studies and what conclusions have been drawn on their role in the ICF classification.

Co-development of the CMAP Book: a tool to enhance children's participation in pediatric rehabilitation.

Purpose: The purpose of the co-development project was to create a tool that enhances children's active participation and agency in rehabilitation and in everyday life.

Materials And Methods: Action research was the methodological approach. Participants in the different phases of the process (2015-2017) were children with disabilities, parents and rehabilitation professionals.

Implementation of a protocol to increase the academic productivity of cardiothoracic surgery resident physicians.

Objective: Academic productivity during cardiothoracic surgery residency training is an important program metric, but is highly variable due to multiple factors. This study evaluated the influence of implementing a protocol to increase resident physicians' academic productivity in cardiac surgery.

Methods: A comprehensive protocol for cardiac surgery was implemented at our institution that included active pairing of residents with academically productive faculty, regular research meetings, centralized data storage and analysis with a core team of biostatisticians, a formal peer-review protocol for analytic requests, and project prioritization and feedback.

Resident perception of standardization and credentialing for high-risk bedside procedures in cardiothoracic surgery: Results from an institutional pilot study.

Objectives: Though clear-guidelines are set by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) for the operative cases that cardiothoracic surgery residents must perform to be board-eligible, no such recommendations exist to assess competency for the wide range of high-risk bedside procedures. Our department created and implemented a multidisciplinary course designed to standardize common high-risk bedside procedures and credential our trainees. The aim of this study was to survey the attitudes of residents towards and query the efficacy of such a course.

Thoracic Surgery In-Training Exam Predicts Written But Not Oral Board Pass Rates: A 15-Year Single-Center Analysis.

The purpose of the Thoracic Surgery Director's Association In-Training Exam (ITE) is to gauge competency and progression of thoracic surgery residents and to prepare residents for the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) examinations. We sought to identify the relationship between traditional resident ITE scores and success at passing the written or oral portion of the ABTS examinations. ITE and ABTS examination records from 2003 to 2019 were examined for all 2-year traditional cardiothoracic surgery residents at a single institution.

Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics in patients with histopathologically proven fibrous dysplasia-a systematic review.

Objective: To examine the demographics, lesion location, and characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in patients with histopathologically proven fibrous dysplasia (FD).

Materials And Methods: A systematic literature search of the MRI findings in patients with histologically proven FD was performed. Altogether, 76 articles with 136 patients were evaluated.

Comparative evaluation of CLIA and EIA for Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus.

The purpose of this study was to compare the Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus test analysed with chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) to immunoassay (EIA). One hundred and twenty-five clinical specimens submitted to Karolinska University Hospital for Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus analysis were used to analyse agreement of the CLIA and EIA assays. The imprecision on CLIA was determined by analysis of pooled clinical samples of antigen tubes (TB1 and TB2), a reference material from National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC 82/587) and two controls of the test.

Medical student perceptions of a career in cardiothoracic surgery: Results of an institutional survey.

Objectives: Recruiting medical students to cardiothoracic surgery is critical given new training paradigms and projected cardiothoracic surgeon shortages. This study characterizes current perceptions and exposure to cardiothoracic surgery among all levels of medical students.

Methods: Currently active medical students at all levels at a US allopathic medical school were sent an invitation to complete an online survey.

Evaluation of a simulation-based mini-elective on medical student interest in cardiac surgery.

Background: Integrated cardiothoracic (CT) surgery training programs are an increasingly popular pathway to train CT surgeons. Identifying and engaging medical students early is important to generate interest and ensure highly qualified applicants are aware of opportunities provided by a career in CT surgery.

Methods: An optional CT surgery "mini-elective" was developed for preclinical medical students consisting of five 2-hour sessions covering major procedures in cardiac surgery.

Absence of collagen XVIII in mice causes age-related insufficiency in retinal pigment epithelium proteostasis.

Collagen XVIII has the structural properties of both collagen and proteoglycan. It has been found at the basement membrane/stromal interface where it is thought to mediate their attachment. Endostatin, a proteolytic fragment from collagen XVIII C-terminal end has been reported to possess anti-angiogenic properties.

The antibacterial effect of nitric oxide against ESBL-producing uropathogenic E. coli is improved by combination with miconazole and polymyxin B nonapeptide.

Background: Nitric oxide (NO) is produced as part of the host immune response to bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections. The enzyme flavohemoglobin, coded by the hmp gene, is involved in protecting bacterial cells from the toxic effects of NO and represents a potentially interesting target for development of novel treatment concepts against resistant uropathogenic bacteria. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the in vitro antibacterial effects of NO can be enhanced by pharmacological modulation of the enzyme flavohemoglobin.

Comparison of host response mechanisms evoked by extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL)--and non-ESBL-producing uropathogenic E. coli.

Background: Infections caused by extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing bacteria have been emerging worldwide and the majority of ESBL-producing E. coli strains are isolated from patients with urinary tracts infections. The purpose of this study was to compare the host-response mechanisms in human polymorphonucleated leukocytes (PMN) and renal epithelial cells when stimulated by ESBL- or non-ESBL-producing uropathogenic E.

Vocational rehabilitation evaluation and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF).

Purpose: To identify the most frequent functional limitations according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) obtained by unstandardised clinical assessment of patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders who underwent vocational rehabilitation evaluation; and to compare the obtained list with simplified versions of ICF.

Methods: The descriptions of functional limitations were retrospectively identified for 32 patients. The original vocational rehabilitation evaluation was conducted by a multi-professional team in an out-patient clinic of a university hospital.

Lack of collagen XVIII long isoforms affects kidney podocytes, whereas the short form is needed in the proximal tubular basement membrane.

Collagen XVIII is characterized by three variant N termini, an interrupted collagenous domain, and a C-terminal antiangiogenic domain known as endostatin. We studied here the roles of this collagen type and its variant isoforms in the mouse kidney. Collagen XVIII appeared to be in a polarized orientation in the tubular basement membranes (BMs), the endostatin domain embedded in the BM, and the N terminus residing at the BM-fibrillar matrix interface.

FTY720 rescue therapy in the dark agouti rat model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis: expression of central nervous system genes and reversal of blood-brain-barrier damage.

FTY720 (fingolimod) is an oral sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator in phase III development for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. To further investigate its mode of action, we analyzed gene expression in the central nervous system (CNS) during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). FTY720 downregulated inflammatory genes in addition to vascular adhesion molecules.

Central nervous system drug development: an integrative biomarker approach toward individualized medicine.

Drug development for CNS disorders faces the same formidable hurdles as other therapeutic areas: escalating development costs; novel drug targets with unproven therapeutic potential; and health care systems and regulatory agencies demanding more compelling demonstrations of the value of new drug products. Extensive clinical testing remains the core of registration of new compounds; however, traditional clinical trial methods are falling short in overcoming these development hurdles. The most common CNS disorders targeted for drug treatment are chronic, slowly vitiating processes manifested by highly subjective and context dependent signs and symptoms.

Physical activity and self-perception in school children assessed with the Children and Youth--Physical Self-Perception Profile.

Aim: This study validated the Swedish translation of the Children and Youth--Physical Self-Perception Profile (CY-PSPP) scale and examined the relation between physical self-perception and daily physical activity as well as the relationship between physical self-perception and body mass index (BMI) among Swedish school children.

Methods: Forty-eight children aged 11-12 years completed the CY-PSPP twice with 2 weeks in between. Test-retest reliability, concurrent and content validity were calculated.

Teaching public access defibrillation to lay volunteers--a professional health care provider is not a more effective instructor than a trained lay person.

Background: Survival improves in witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest if the victim receives bystander-initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rapid defibrillation (BLS/AED). The European Resuscitation Council has a simple programme to teach these life-saving skills that require no previous experience of automated external defibrillators (AEDs). To be able to implement the use of AEDs widely, many instructors are needed, and therefore, lay persons may also be used as trainers.

Chronic antidepressants reverse cerebrocortical allopregnanolone decline in the olfactory-bulbectomized rat.

Olfactory bulbectomy is one of the most validated models of depression. We demonstrate that bilateral removal of the olfactory bulbs in rats produced a significant decline of allopregnanolone content in a select cerebrocortical area which was reversed by chronic (3-week) treatment with three different classes of antidepressant (desipramine, fluoxetine, and sertraline, and venlafaxine). The effects of the chronic antidepressant treatments on allopregnanolone cortical content are observed at a time which typically coincides with the drug's abilities to reverse the behavioral deficits of the bulbectomy syndrome.