Impact of Hospital Lead Extraction Volume on Management of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device-Associated Infective Endocarditis.

Background: Utilization of transvenous lead extraction/removal (TLE) for the management of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED)-associated infective endocarditis (IE) remains low.

Objective: To examine the impact of hospital TLE procedural volume on TLE utilization and outcomes for patients with CIED-associated IE.

Methods: Using the Nationwide Readmissions Database, we evaluated 21,545 admissions for patients (mean age 70, 39% female) with CIEDs hospitalized with IE at TLE centres.

VGLL-fusions define a new class of intraparenchymal CNS schwannoma.

Background: Intracerebral schwannomas are rare tumors resembling their peripheral nerve sheath counterparts but localized in the CNS. They are not classified as a separate tumor type in the 2021 WHO classification. This study aimed to compile and characterize these rare neoplasms morphologically and molecularly.

Prognostic Value and Safety of Serial Exercise Echocardiography in Asymptomatic Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Background: The prognostic value of serial exercise echocardiography (EEC) in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis is unknown. We sought to evaluate the safety and utility of monitoring patients with asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis by annual EECs to refer them to aortic valve replacement (AVR) or to keep them under follow-up.

Methods And Results: The cohort comprised 196 patients, with a normal screening EEC and a minimal follow-up of 18 months.

E-box independent chromatin recruitment turns MYOD into a transcriptional repressor.

MYOD is an E-box sequence-specific basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) transcriptional activator that, when expressed in non-muscle cells, induces nuclear reprogramming toward skeletal myogenesis by promoting chromatin accessibility at previously silent loci. Here, we report on the identification of a previously unrecognized property of MYOD as repressor of gene expression, via E-box-independent chromatin binding within accessible genomic elements, which invariably leads to reduced chromatin accessibility. MYOD-mediated repression requires the integrity of functional domains previously implicated in MYOD-mediated activation of gene expression.

Management of Severe Pyogenic Spinal Infections: The 2SICK Study by the EANS Spine Section.

Background Context: Spondylodiscitis management presents significant clinical challenges, particularly in critically ill patients, where the risks and benefits of surgical intervention must be carefully balanced. The optimal timing of surgery in this context remains a subject of debate.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early surgery versus delayed surgery or conservative management in critically ill patients with de novo pyogenic spondylodiscitis.