Publications by authors named "M Mourad"
Humans live under constant threat from pathogenic microorganisms and minimizing such threat has been a major evolutionary selective force in shaping human behavior and health. A particular adaptive mechanism against the harm caused by parasites and their infectiousness is disgust sensitivity, which has evolved to detect and avoid poisonous foods as well as bodily secretions harboring virulent microorganisms. This ubiquitous and reflexive behavior requires the integration of several internal and external sensory signals between the brain, the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and the gastrointestinal tract.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Traditionally, midline vertical skin incisions have been utilized during surgery for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS), as it is considered to maximize exposure and allow for a uterine incision to avoid the placenta. However, literature directly comparing outcomes of vertical versus transverse incisions in PAS is sparse. Our objective was to compare maternal outcomes between patients who underwent a vertical versus a transverse skin incision for PAS.
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- The Distressed Communities Index (DCI) is a tool that measures socioeconomic disparities by zip code, and this study investigates how DCI scores relate to outcomes after inguinal hernia repair surgery.
- The research analyzed 30,927 patients who underwent surgery from 2015 to 2023, classifying them into five DCI quintiles, with results showing that patients in more distressed communities had higher comorbidity rates and poorer surgical outcomes.
- The findings suggest that higher DCI scores correlate with increased surgical risks, including complications and longer operating times, indicating the need for focused patient optimization prior to surgery based on DCI scores.
Objective: Bilateral vocal fold paralysis can be a disabling condition with an adverse impact on quality of life. Various glottal widening procedures to secure the airway have been described. These include total or partial arytenoidectomy with or without reinnervation, cordotomy, arytenoidopexy, and others.
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- Anti-PD1 antibodies, specifically Pembrolizumab, have emerged as a notable treatment option for skin cancers like melanoma and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, but their use in resectable cases remains unproven.
- A 49-year-old woman with Xeroderma Pigmentosum and stage IVA cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma opted for neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab treatment instead of surgery, experiencing significant tumor reduction after two cycles.
- Following her positive response, a multidisciplinary team decided on radiation therapy instead of surgical neck dissection, ultimately continuing with adjuvant immunotherapy.