Surgeons' opinions and concerns regarding prophylactic mesh placement when conducting a permanent ileo- and colostomy A survey among 172 surgeons in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Background: Prophylactic mesh placement when creating a permanent colostomy was recommended by the 2017 European Hernia Society guidelines on the prevention and treatment of parastomal hernias (GPTPH2017). The extent of this recommendation is under debate based on the long-term data from clinical trials. Our aim was to conduct a survey of surgeons revealing perspectives and concerns regarding GPTPH2017 and to discuss their concerns.

A deep learning approach for automated scoring of the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure.

Memory deficits are a hallmark of many different neurological and psychiatric conditions. The Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF) is the state-of-the-art assessment tool for neuropsychologists across the globe to assess the degree of non-verbal visual memory deterioration. To obtain a score, a trained clinician inspects a patient's ROCF drawing and quantifies deviations from the original figure.

Implications of living evidence formats for coverage decisions in the German health care system.

Decision-makers consult systematic reviews and clinical guidelines to make informed coverage decisions based on the current state of evidence. Outdated recommendations in rapidly evolving areas such as lung cancer treatment, are challenging. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for good decision-making under uncertainty.

[Hybrid diagnosis-related groups-The challenge].

The introduction of hybrid diagnosis-related groups (DRG) presents new challenges for healthcare providers and health insurances. The same applied in 2023 to the institute designated by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) to extract medical procedures and calculate remuneration levels for the first hybrid DRGs. A responsible calculation methodology and a realistic data basis are required as the result of the calculation can lead to controversy, even to a splitting among specialist groups and constructs.

Closed-loop fMRI at the mesoscopic scale of columns and layers: Can we do it and why would we want to?

Technological advances in fMRI including ultra-high magnetic fields (≥ 7 T) and acquisition methods that increase spatial specificity have paved the way for studies of the human cortex at the scale of layers and columns. This mesoscopic scale promises an improved mechanistic understanding of human cortical function so far only accessible to invasive animal neurophysiology. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have applied such methods to better understand the cortical function in perception and cognition.

Paradigm Shift: Outcomes from a Physician-Scientist Undergraduate Pipeline Program.

Diverse medical and research teams are essential to culturally-responsive care and robust progress of biomedical research. However, structural inequities stymie the entry of trainees from underrepresented in medicine (URiM) backgrounds into the physician-scientist pipeline. The Preparation for Graduate and Medical Education (PARAdiGM) program was designed to provide students from underrepresented backgrounds early exposure to physician-scientist training in the context of ample mentorship and programmatic support.

Clinical and economic outcomes of a pharmacogenomics-enriched comprehensive medication management program in a self-insured employee population.

Clinical and economic outcomes from a pharmacogenomics-enriched comprehensive medication management program were evaluated over 26 months in a self-insured U.S. employee population (n = 452 participants; n = 1500 controls) using propensity matched pre-post design with adjusted negative binomial and linear regression models.

Dynamic layer-specific processing in the prefrontal cortex during working memory.

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is reliably engaged in working memory (WM) and comprises different cytoarchitectonic layers, yet their functional role in human WM is unclear. Here, participants completed a delayed-match-to-sample task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at ultra-high resolution. We examine layer-specific activity to manipulations in WM load and motor response.

Treatment Modalities for Insomnia in Adults Aged 55 and Older: A Systematic Review of Literature from 2018 to 2023.

Purpose Of Review: Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder experienced by older adults. There is a wide range of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options in existing literature. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize randomized controlled trials of insomnia treatment modalities for adults aged 55 and older over the last 5 years.

Patterns of failure after salvage head and neck surgery.

Background: Advancements in immunotherapy for recurrent head and neck cancer have necessitated a better understanding of salvage surgical outcomes. This study aimed to determine patterns of failure following salvage head and neck surgery.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 280 patients who underwent salvage surgery for recurrent mucosal squamous cell carcinoma from 1997 to 2018.

Surface properties of the seas of Titan as revealed by Cassini mission bistatic radar experiments.

Saturn's moon Titan was explored by the Cassini spacecraft from 2004 to 2017. While Cassini revealed a lot about this Earth-like world, its radar observations could only provide limited information about Titan's liquid hydrocarbons seas Kraken, Ligeia and Punga Mare. Here, we show the results of the analysis of the Cassini mission bistatic radar experiments data of Titan's polar seas.

The Global Experience of Laryngeal Transplantation: Series of Eleven Patients in Three Continents.

Background: The loss of laryngeal function affects breathing, swallowing, and voice, thus severely compromises quality of life. Laryngeal transplantation has long been suggested as a solution for selected highly affected patients with complete laryngeal function loss.

Objective: To obtain insights regarding the advantages, weaknesses, and limitations of this procedure and facilitate future advances, we collected uniform data from all known laryngeal transplants reported internationally.

Phylogenetic and Chemical Probing Information as Soft Constraints in RNA Secondary Structure Prediction.

Extrinsic, experimental information can be incorporated into thermodynamics-based RNA folding algorithms in the form of pseudo-energies. Evolutionary conservation of RNA secondary structure elements is detectable in alignments of phylogenetically related sequences and provides evidence for the presence of certain base pairs that can also be converted into pseudo-energy contributions. We show that the centroid base pairs computed from a consensus folding model such as RNAalifold result in a substantial improvement of the prediction accuracy for single sequences.

Is there a link between Spigelian and inguinal hernias? A case series.

Introduction: Spigelian hernias are among the rare primary ventral hernias. Diagnosis is often difficult, as many cases are asymptomatic. Spigelian and inguinal hernias are usually considered separately in current scientific literature.

A Guide to Computational Cotranscriptional Folding Featuring the SRP RNA.

Although RNA molecules are synthesized via transcription, little is known about the general impact of cotranscriptional folding in vivo. We present different computational approaches for the simulation of changing structure ensembles during transcription, including interpretations with respect to experimental data from literature. Specifically, we analyze different mutations of the E.

Modified Nucleotides and RNA Structure Prediction.

Nucleotide modifications are occurrent in all types of RNA and play an important role in RNA structure formation and stability. Modified bases not only possess the ability to shift the RNA structure ensemble towards desired functional confirmations. By changes in the base pairing partner preference, they may even enlarge or reduce the conformational space, i.

RNA Secondary Structure Thermodynamics.

Several different ways to predict RNA secondary structures have been suggested in the literature. Statistical methods, such as those that utilize stochastic context-free grammars (SCFGs), or approaches based on machine learning aim to predict the best representative structure for the underlying ensemble of possible conformations. Their parameters have therefore been trained on larger subsets of well-curated, known secondary structures.

Evaluating the impact of the degree of extranodal extension on outcomes in locally advanced oral cavity cancer.

Background: Evaluate whether extranodal extension (ENE) extent impacts outcomes in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC).

Methods: From an institutional database, patients with OCSCC and pathologic ENE who received adjuvant treatment were included. Surgical slides were reviewed to confirm ENE extent.

Laser Versus Cold Steel for Endoscopic Management of Subglottic Stenosis.

Objective: Endoscopic management of subglottic stenosis (SGS) includes a wide range of techniques. This 17-year review compares treatment outcomes between carbon dioxide (CO) laser and cold steel.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Sleep Quality and Associated Factors Among Survivors of Breast Cancer: From Diagnosis to One Year Postdiagnosis.

Objectives: To examine sleep quality and self-reported causes of sleep disturbance among patients with breast cancer at diagnosis and one year later.

Sample & Setting: 486 of 606 patients with histologically confirmed breast cancer completed a Pittsburgh Quality Sleep Index (PSQI) survey at the time of diagnosis and again one year later.

Methods & Variables: In this secondary data analysis, descriptive statistics were computed for seven PSQI components and its global score.

Long-term evaluation of the Hernia Compact course of the German Hernia School.

Introduction: Since 2011, the German Hernia Society has developed the German Hernia School (GHS) as a standardized hernia surgery training program for younger surgeons, consisting of the Hernia Compact basic module. It is a standardized three day training program (cadaver workshop, ultrasound simulation training, and hands-on training). After 12 years of experience, a survey was conducted to evaluate the long term effect of this training.

A continuing clinical education course to maintain clinical competencies and foster new clinical knowledge during the graduate school years of MD-PhD training.

Introduction: Most students in MD-PhD programs take a leave of absence from medical school to complete PhD training, which promotes a natural loss of clinical skills and knowledge and could negatively impact a student's long-term clinical knowledge. To address this concern, clinical refresher courses in the final year of PhD training have traditionally been used; however, effectiveness of such courses versus a longitudinal clinical course spanning all PhD training years is unclear.

Methods: The University of Alabama at Birmingham MD-PhD Program implemented a comprehensive continuing clinical education (CCE) course spanning PhD training years that features three course components: (1) clinical skills; (2) clinical knowledge; and (3) specialty exposure activities.

Racial and ethnic differences in diagnosis age and blood biomarkers in a pediatric inflammatory bowel disease cohort.

Objective: Prompt diagnosis of pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is crucial for preventing a complicated disease course; however, it is not well understood how social determinants of health might affect pediatric IBD diagnosis. This study examined differences in diagnosis age, biomarkers of disease severity, and anthropometrics with sociodemographic factors in a pediatric IBD cohort.

Methods: Pediatric IBD patients (n = 114) and their parents/caregivers were enrolled from the Children's of Alabama Pediatric IBD Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama.