Ultrasonic Scalpel vs. Polymeric Clip Laparoscopic Varicocelectomy in Adolescents with Symptomatic Varicocele.

The aim of this study was to investigate treatment outcomes in adolescents who underwent laparoscopic surgery with an ultrasonic scalpel for symptomatic varicocele compared with adolescents who underwent surgery with a polymer clip. A total of 270 adolescents with a median age of 16 (interquartile range, IQR 13-17) years were included in the study. Taking into account the laparoscopic varicocelectomy technique used, the patients were divided into two groups.

Pharmacogenetic Variants and Plasma Concentrations of Antiseizure Drugs: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Precise estimation of a patient's drug metabolism capacity is important for antiseizure dose personalization.

Objective: To quantify the differences in plasma concentrations for antiseizure drugs associated with variants of genes encoding drug metabolizing enzymes.

Data Sources: PubMed, Clinicaltrialsregister.

Challenges and Solutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Hospitalization and Performance in Elective Pediatric Surgeries.

: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the most frequently performed elective pediatric surgical procedures and the number of hospitalizations and compare it to the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods. : The subjects were patients under 18 years of age who were regularly admitted for selected elective procedures in a single tertiary center in Croatia from 1 March to 31 August of 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Data were collected from the electronic logs of surgical procedures and hospital admissions, logs of one-day surgeries, patients' medical records, and discharge letters.

Impaired metal perception and regulation of associated human foliate papillae tongue transcriptome in long-COVID-19.

Chemosensory impairment is an outstanding symptom of SARS-CoV-2 infections. We hypothesized that measured sensory impairments are accompanied by transcriptomic changes in the foliate papillae area of the tongue. Hospital personnel with known SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) status completed questionnaires on sensory perception (n = 158).