Evaluation of the ETV success score and its predictive value in pediatric occlusive hydrocephalus: implications for patient counseling.

Introduction: Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV) is a well-established treatment for pediatric hydrocephalus, particularly in cases of aqueductal stenosis. The ETV Success Score (ETVSS) is a predictive tool widely used to estimate the likelihood of ETV success based on factors like age. Its accuracy, especially in infants under 3 months, is still debated.

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy for inoperable differentiated thyroid cancers: Impact on tumor resectability.

Background: Limited treatment options exist for inoperable thyroid cancers. We evaluated whether neoadjuvant use of systemic tyrosine kinase inhibitors facilitates surgery of differentiated thyroid cancers in this challenging context.

Methods: A single-institution experience of 42 patients receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors for papillary, follicular and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas between 2018 and 2023 was reviewed to identify differentiated thyroid cancers treated with neoadjuvant tyrosine kinase inhibitors (dabrafenib/trametinib, lenvatinib/pembrolizumab, or lenvatinib alone) via multidisciplinary protocols.

Intraoperative cone-beam computed tomography for catheter placement verification in pediatric hydrocephalus: technical note.

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt placement, essential for managing hydrocephalus, often risks catheter malpositioning, especially in patients with small ventricles. We present a novel technique combining neuronavigation with intraoperative cone-beam computed tomography using the BrainLab system and Loop-X mobile imaging unit. This approach enables real-time verification of catheter placement by integrating preoperative MRI data with intraoperative CT imaging.

3D Imaging Reveals Complex Microvascular Remodeling in the Right Ventricle in Pulmonary Hypertension.

Background: Pathogenic concepts of right ventricular (RV) failure in pulmonary arterial hypertension focus on a critical loss of microvasculature. However, the methods underpinning prior studies did not take into account the 3-dimensional (3D) aspects of cardiac tissue, making accurate quantification difficult. We applied deep-tissue imaging to the pressure-overloaded RV to uncover the 3D properties of the microvascular network and determine whether deficient microvascular adaptation contributes to RV failure.

Early Experience and Lessons Learned Using Implanted Hemodynamic Monitoring in Patients With Fontan Circulation.

Background: Data on the use of implanted hemodynamic monitoring (IHM) in patients with Fontan circulation are limited. This study reports our experience using the CardioMEMS HF system in adults with Fontan circulation.

Methods And Results: This single-center, retrospective study evaluated heart failure hospitalizations, procedural complications, and device-related complications in patients with Fontan circulation referred for IHM placement (2015-2022).

Novel uses for implanted haemodynamic monitoring in adults with subaortic right ventricles.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common complication in patients with complete dextro-transposition of the great arteries (TGA) after atrial switch (D-TGA/AS) and congenitally corrected TGA (ccTGA). In this population with subaortic right ventricles (sRVs), echocardiography is a poor screening tool for PH; implantable invasive haemodynamic monitoring (IHM) could be used for this purpose, but data are limited. The aim of this study is to report on novel uses of IHM in patients with sRV.

Lessons learned after 20 years of real-world experience with natalizumab.

Background: While natalizumab (NTZ) is an effective therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS), it is associated with an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). After 20 years (2002-2022) of experience with NTZ at our center, we observed no cases of PML.

Objectives: We evaluated the likelihood of experiencing PML in a subset of our treatment cohort, as well as reviewed treatment practices at our center that may mitigate PML risk.

Development of the foregut and the formation of the trachea and esophagus in rat embryos. A symphony of confusion.

During embryonic development, the trachea emerges from an area of the foregut, which is often referred to as "anterior" or "common" foregut tube or simply foregut. To explain this process of differentiation, four competing models exist to date. The outgrowth and watershed models propose a foregut that remains constant in length.

CCL17 Promotes Colitis-Associated Tumorigenesis Dependent on the Microbiota.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and a major cause of mortality. Proinflammatory and antitumor immune responses play critical roles in colitis-associated colon cancer. CCL17, a chemokine of the C-C family and ligand for CCR4, is expressed by intestinal dendritic cells in the steady state and is upregulated during colitis in mouse models and inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Pediculated Accessory Liver Lobe with Gallbladder in a Preterm with Umbilical Cord Hernia.

(1) Background: Accessory liver lobes are a rare finding and only a few case reports of accessory liver lobes in abdominal wall defects have been reported so far. In the case of a congenital wall defect including liver parenchyma, there is still an ongoing debate on the definition of the abdominal wall defect and best care practice. Even though congenital abdominal wall defects are frequently diagnosed in prenatal screenings, controversy on the underlying etiology, embryology and underlying anatomy remains.

Perioperative or only adjuvant gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel for resectable pancreatic cancer (NEONAX)-a randomized phase II trial of the AIO pancreatic cancer group.

Background: Data on perioperative chemotherapy in resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (rPDAC) are limited. NEONAX examined perioperative or adjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel in rPDAC (National Comprehensive Cancer Network criteria).

Patients And Methods: NEONAX is a prospective, randomized phase II trial with two independent experimental arms.

A Novel Missense Gene Sequence Variation Resulting in Familial Hypocalciuric Hypercalcemia.

Background/objective: Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH) is an uncommon cause of hypercalcemia; however, it is important to consider and rule out in patients with suspected primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), ideally, before proceeding with surgery. Herein, we present a patient where this process identified a calcium-sensing receptor gene () sequence variant currently labeled as a variant of unknown significance (VUS), yet the patient's family pedigree suggests that it is in fact a pathogenic sequence variant.

Case Report: A 35-year-old woman was referred to the Endocrine Surgery clinic for evaluation of "recurrent PHPT" and need for reoperative parathyroidectomy.

Verification and Temperature-Dependent Rectification by HBQ, the Smallest Unimolecular Donor-Acceptor Rectifier.

Five years ago, rectification of electrical current was found in 4'-bromo-3,4-dicyano-2',5'-dimethoxy-[1,1'-biphenyl]-2,5-dione (), a hemibiquinone (which we will call either or HBQ) that has a very small working length (1.1 nm). Monolayers of HBQ on Au were detected by "nanodozing" atomic force microscopy (AFM) and were contacted with two types of top electrodes: either cold Au or eutectic Ga-In.

KLF4 recruits SWI/SNF to increase chromatin accessibility and reprogram the endothelial enhancer landscape under laminar shear stress.

Physiologic laminar shear stress (LSS) induces an endothelial gene expression profile that is vasculo-protective. In this report, we delineate how LSS mediates changes in the epigenetic landscape to promote this beneficial response. We show that under LSS, KLF4 interacts with the SWI/SNF nucleosome remodeling complex to increase accessibility at enhancer sites that promote the expression of homeostatic endothelial genes.

Thoracoscopic Guided Pericostal Sutures as a Solid Fixation for Primary Closure of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernias.

To describe a minimally invasive technique with primary closure and strong suture connection that is feasible in cases of larger, most common type B defects of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The thoracoscopic approach (TA) is a favorable technique for the repair of CDH and is still evolving globally. A common issue is finding the optimal suture technique for secure closure in order to prevent recurrences.

Minimally Invasive Approaches for Traumatic Rupture of the Pancreas in Children-A Case Series.

Pancreatic trauma in children is rare; therefore, both scientific knowledge and clinical experience regarding its management are limited. Abdominal sonography and subsequent computed tomography (CT) imaging are the diagnostic mainstay after severe abdominal trauma in many pediatric trauma centers. However, the diagnosis of pancreatic injury is missed on the initial imaging in approximately one third of cases, with even higher numbers in young children.

The function of Wtap in N-adenosine methylation of mRNAs controls T cell receptor signaling and survival of T cells.

T cell antigen-receptor (TCR) signaling controls the development, activation and survival of T cells by involving several layers and numerous mechanisms of gene regulation. N-methyladenosine (mA) is the most prevalent messenger RNA modification affecting splicing, translation and stability of transcripts. In the present study, we describe the Wtap protein as essential for mA methyltransferase complex function and reveal its crucial role in TCR signaling in mouse T cells.

Transanal Endoscopic-Assisted Pull-Through Colectomy for Children with High Intestinal Aganglionosis.

Intestinal aganglionosis in children is a common cause of neonatal and infantile obstruction or ileus. Diagnosis is based on a histologically proven absence of enteric ganglion cells in deep biopsies of the gut wall. Therapeutic goal is a one-stage repair with a resection of the affected segment.

The Tabula Sapiens: A multiple-organ, single-cell transcriptomic atlas of humans.

Molecular characterization of cell types using single-cell transcriptome sequencing is revolutionizing cell biology and enabling new insights into the physiology of human organs. We created a human reference atlas comprising nearly 500,000 cells from 24 different tissues and organs, many from the same donor. This atlas enabled molecular characterization of more than 400 cell types, their distribution across tissues, and tissue-specific variation in gene expression.

Chemokine receptor 8 expression may be linked to disease severity and elevated interleukin 6 secretion in acute pancreatitis.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease, which presents with epigastric pain and is clinically diagnosed by amylase and lipase three times the upper limit of normal. The 2012 Atlanta classification stratifies the severity of AP as one of three risk categories namely, mild AP (MAP), moderately severe AP (MSAP), and severe AP (SAP). Challenges in stratifying AP upon diagnosis suggest that a better understanding of the underlying complex pathophysiology may be beneficial.

Evaluation of a novel process for selecting advanced pharmacy practice experiences.

Introduction: Matching an increasing number of pharmacy students with a limited number of advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) sites has become challenging for pharmacy schools. Selective tiered optimization (STO), a process for matching students with competitive APPE electives, was implemented by The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy (UMSOP) in 2015 to address these concerns. This pilot study sought to evaluate student and preceptor satisfaction with the process.

Investigating Semantic Augmentation in Virtual Environments for Image Segmentation Using Convolutional Neural Networks.

Collecting real-world data for the training of neural networks is enormously time-consuming and expensive. As such, the concept of virtualizing the domain and creating synthetic data has been analyzed in many instances. This virtualization offers many possibilities of changing the domain, and with that, enabling the relatively fast creation of data.