Left Ventricular and Atrial Function Analysis Following Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Mitral Valve Repair.

Conventional echocardiography used to assess volumes of the left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA) along with mitral regurgitation grade is routine in studies before and after transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (Mitral TEER). Previous studies focus on LV parameter changes and comparison of the functions before and a few months following Mitral TEER implantation, as well as LA reverse remodeling, by assessing LV volumes. However, less is known regarding LA strain changes in the early phase after the procedure.

Demystifying anaerobic respiration: a problem-solving exercise.

Anaerobic respiration reactions are of fundamental importance to global biogeochemical cycling of elements. Yet, the idea that cellular respiration can occur not only in the absence of oxygen but also involve the oxidation of inorganic substrates (e.g.

Less Aggressive Hydration May Be More in Acute Pancreatitis?

Consider a more conservative approach to fluid resuscitation in mild acute pancreatitis to avoid fluid overload without sacrificing patient-oriented clinical outcomes.

Cutaneous and visceral phaeohyphomycosis in an immunocompetent golden retriever.

A 3-year-old castrated male golden retriever was presented for evaluation of 2 cutaneous masses along the abdominal midline and a 6-month history of progressive lethargy and inappetence. Two years earlier, the dog underwent a gastrotomy to retrieve a foreign object and recovered uneventfully. Fluid aspirated from the lesions was culture-negative for aerobic and anaerobic bacterial growth.

A tailored approach in cholesteatoma surgery.

Purpose: In recent years, new techniques have been added to cholesteatoma surgery, and established microsurgical approaches are being reconsidered. This study aims to present the importance of individualized decision-making for the selection of an intact canal wall (CWU) or canal wall down (CWD) surgical procedure for each patient.

Methods: Using the "ChOLE" classification we categorized 264 operations retrospectively.

Rating the aesthetic results after auricular reconstructive surgery for congenital aural atresia with microtia.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to establish a robust rating system for assessing post-operative outcomes in congenital aural atresia patients undergoing auricular reconstruction. The newly introduced EAR scale, a weighted grading system, not only considers anatomical landmarks but also factors such as ear alignment. In addition, the outer-ear cartilage scale and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were introduced.

The impact of regional origin on the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus in a multiethnic European cohort.

Introduction: Women with migration background present specific challenges related to risk stratification and care of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Therefore, this study aims to investigate the role of ethnic origin on the risk of developing GDM in a multiethnic European cohort.

Methods: Pregnant women were included at a median gestational age of 12.

Maternal overweight and obesity and its association with metabolic changes and fetal overgrowth in the absence of gestational diabetes mellitus: A prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Previous studies indicated an association between fetal overgrowth and maternal obesity independent of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the underlying mechanisms beyond this possible association are not completely understood. This study investigates metabolic changes and their association with fetal and neonatal biometry in overweight and obese mothers who remained normal glucose-tolerant during gestation.

Glucometabolic Alterations in Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity but without Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: An Observational Study.

Introduction: Maternal overweight is a risk factor for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, emerging evidence suggests that an increased maternal body mass index (BMI) promotes the development of perinatal complications even in women who do not develop GDM. This study aims to assess physiological glucometabolic changes associated with increased BMI.

Lossless Transformations and Excess Risk Bounds in Statistical Inference.

We study the excess minimum risk in statistical inference, defined as the difference between the minimum expected loss when estimating a random variable from an observed feature vector and the minimum expected loss when estimating the same random variable from a transformation (statistic) of the feature vector. After characterizing lossless transformations, i.e.

Combining bioengineered human skin with bioprinted cartilage for ear reconstruction.

Microtia is a congenital disorder that manifests as a malformation of the external ear leading to psychosocial problems in affected children. Here, we present a tissue-engineered treatment approach based on a bioprinted autologous auricular cartilage construct (EarCartilage) combined with a bioengineered human pigmented and prevascularized dermo-epidermal skin substitute (EarSkin) tested in immunocompromised rats. We confirmed that human-engineered blood capillaries of EarSkin connected to the recipient's vasculature within 1 week, enabling rapid blood perfusion and epidermal maturation.

Reconstructive ossiculoplasty options in primary cholesteatoma surgeries with an intact stapes.

Purpose: In primary cholesteatoma patients, incus destruction with an intact and mobile stapes is a frequent finding. Different techniques have been described to restore the ossicular chain, including incus interposition, stapes augmentation and type III tympanoplasty. Controversy about postoperative hearing results in open versus closed surgical techniques exist.

Rényi Cross-Entropy Measures for Common Distributions and Processes with Memory.

Two Rényi-type generalizations of the Shannon cross-entropy, the Rényi cross-entropy and the Natural Rényi cross-entropy, were recently used as loss functions for the improved design of deep learning generative adversarial networks. In this work, we derive the Rényi and Natural Rényi differential cross-entropy measures in closed form for a wide class of common continuous distributions belonging to the exponential family, and we tabulate the results for ease of reference. We also summarise the Rényi-type cross-entropy rates between stationary Gaussian processes and between finite-alphabet time-invariant Markov sources.

Accelerated evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in free-ranging white-tailed deer.

While SARS-CoV-2 has sporadically infected a wide range of animal species worldwide1, the virus has been repeatedly and frequently detected in white-tailed deer in North America2â€"7. The zoonotic origins of this pandemic virus highlight the need to fill the vast gaps in our knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 ecology and evolution in non-human hosts. Here, we detected SARS-CoV-2 was introduced from humans into white-tailed deer more than 30 times in Ohio, USA during November 2021-March 2022.

Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus in women with a family history of type 2 diabetes in first- and second-degree relatives.

Aims: A family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) markedly increases an individual's lifetime risk of developing the disease. For gestational diabetes (GDM), this risk factor is less well characterized. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between family history of T2DM in first- and second-degree relatives in women with GDM and the differences in metabolic characteristics at early gestation.

New Developments, Challenges and Open Questions in Diagnosis and Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing alongside a rising maternal age at conception, an increasing number of people making unhealthy lifestyle choices and, especially, an increasing pregestational body weight [...

[Role of computed tomography in the preoperative diagnosis of otosclerosis].

Background: Otosclerosis is an osteodystrophy of the otic capsule and presents with progressive conductive hearing loss. Imaging studies, especially computed tomography (CT) and cone-beam CT, have gained increased relevance in the diagnosis of otosclerosis.

Objective: This study investigated whether there is a correlation between the extent of otosclerosis in high-resolution or cone-beam CT and hearing loss in pure-tone audiometry.

Impact of manual crimping on stapedotomy outcomes.

Background: The impact of tight stapes crimping on hearing is a matter of debate. Several studies postulate that tight crimping is essential for lifelong success, whereas others have debated whether firm attachment leads to incus necrosis. Several types of prostheses with different coupling mechanisms have been developed, and manual crimping remains the most frequently used technique.

TyGIS: improved triglyceride-glucose index for the assessment of insulin sensitivity during pregnancy.

Background: The triglyceride-glucose index (TyG) has been proposed as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance, which is a typical trait of pregnancy. However, very few studies analyzed TyG performance as marker of insulin resistance in pregnancy, and they were limited to insulin resistance assessment at fasting rather than in dynamic conditions, i.e.

Assessment of glucose levels in pregnant women with history of COVID-19 in a case-control study.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may negatively affect glucose metabolism. This study aims to assess glucose levels, prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal outcome in women with history of COVID-19. To this purpose, a group of 65 patients with history of COVID-19 and 94 control patients were retrospectively recruited among pregnant women who attended the pregnancy outpatient department between 01/2020 and 02/2022.

Congenital aural atresia: hearing rehabilitation using active middle-ear implants.

Objective: To assess hearing rehabilitation in patients with congenital aural atresia using an active middle-ear implant (Vibrant Soundbridge).

Methods: Of a cohort of 70 microtia and atresia patients, 10 underwent Vibrant Soundbridge implantation between 2008 and 2021. Two of the 10 patients had binaural implantation, resulting in 12 ears for analysis.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy as an alternative to adrenalectomy for the treatment of pheochromocytomas in 8 dogs.

The objective of this report is to describe the use and outcome of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for treatment of pheochromocytomas in 8 dogs. Pheochromocytomas are an uncommon but challenging tumour to manage. Adrenalectomy is the standard of care for treatment of pheochromocytomas in both animals and humans; however, unpredictable catecholamine secretion from the tumour and vascular and local invasion of the tumour and thrombi can pose life-threatening perioperative and anaesthetic risks.

Fatty liver indices and their association with glucose metabolism in pregnancy - An observational cohort study.

Aims: Non-invasive hepatic steatosis indices can be used to assess the risk for metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). This may be helpful to detect metabolic disorders in pregnancy, specifically gestational diabetes (GDM). We aimto examine the association of these indices with parameters of glucose metabolism.