Representation Quotients to Examine Diversity in Ophthalmology Residency Applicants and Matriculants.

Importance: A diverse ophthalmic workforce is key to equitable care, and identifying areas of underrepresentation is important in tackling vision care disparities.

Objective: To evaluate the diversity of applicants and matriculants in ophthalmology residency programs relative to medical school graduates and analyze the intersection of race and gender within this pathway.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cross-sectional study conducted from 2022 to 2024 used representation quotients (RQs) using reports from the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology and San Francisco Match, along with demographic data from the Association of American Medical Colleges from 2008 to 2021.

Exploring the Common Mutational Landscape in Cutaneous Melanoma and Pancreatic Cancer.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) and pancreatic cancer are aggressive tumors whose incidences are rapidly increasing in the last years. This review aims to provide a complete and update description about mutational landscape in CM and pancreatic cancer, focusing on similarities of these two apparently so different tumors in terms of site, type of cell involved, and embryonic origin. The familial forms of CM and pancreatic cancers are often characterized by a common mutated gene, namely CDKN2A.

Evaluation of Zeolite Composites by IR and NMR Spectroscopy.

In this study, we assessed the quantity, strength, and acidity of zeolite composites comprising Silicalite-1 grown on ZSM-5 crystals using a combination of infrared (IR) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The composites were created through the direct growth of Silicalite-1 crystals on ZSM-5 (P_ZSM-5), either with or without the organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) introduced into the ZSM-5 channels (samples: H_ZSM-5_Sil1 and TPA_ZSM-5_Sil1). The results revealed that Silicalite-1 grew differently when the ZSM-5 core was in the H form (empty pores) compared to when the OSDA was still present in the sample.

Assessing the heterogeneity of the impact of COVID-19 incidence on all-cause excess mortality among healthcare districts in Lombardy, Italy, to evaluate the local response to the pandemic: an ecological study.

Objectives: The fragmentation of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic at national, regional and local levels is a possible source of variability in the impact of the pandemic on society. This study aims to assess how much of this variability affected the burden of COVID-19, measured in terms of all-cause 2020 excess mortality.

Design: Ecological retrospective study.

Strategies to convert hospital beds for COVID-19 patients to minimize emergency department overcrowding.

The shortage of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients has been one critical cause of Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding. We aimed at elaborating a strategy of conversion of hospital beds, from non-COVID-19 to COVID-19 care, minimizing both ED overcrowding and the number of beds eventually converted. Observational retrospective study.

Abdominal ultrasound in the characterization of branch-duct intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms: A new tool for surveillance of low-risk patients?

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is regarded as gold-standard for intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) follow-up. Given the low risk of transformation and the increasing population under surveillance, there is growing interest in identifying optimal follow-up strategies.

Aim: To evaluate reliability of abdominal ultrasound (US) for characterization of low-risk IPMN, compared to MRI.

Detection of patients with COVID-19 by the emergency medical services in Lombardy through an operator-based interview and machine learning models.

Background: The regional emergency medical service (EMS) in Lombardy (Italy) developed clinical algorithms based on operator-based interviews to detect patients with COVID-19 and refer them to the most appropriate hospitals. Machine learning (ML)-based models using additional clinical and geospatial epidemiological data may improve the identification of infected patients and guide EMS in detecting COVID-19 cases before confirmation with SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase PCR (rtPCR).

Methods: This was an observational, retrospective cohort study using data from October 2020 to July 2021 (training set) and October 2021 to December 2021 (validation set) from patients who underwent a SARS-CoV-2 rtPCR test within 7 days of an EMS call.

Role of the CD40-CD40 Ligand Pathway in Cardiovascular Events, Neurological Alterations, and Other Clinical Complications of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients: Protective Role of Adsorptive Membranes.

Despite the recent advances in dialysis technology, mortality rate of chronic uremic patients still remains excessively high: of note, in comparison to age- and sex-matched healthy controls, this frail population shows a higher incidence of infections, cancer, cognitive decline, and, in particular, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) that represent nowadays the first cause of mortality. Several traditional and nontraditional factors contribute to this increased risk for MACE and accelerated cellular senescence: among these, inflammation has been shown to play a key role. The costimulatory pathway CD40-CD40 Ligand (CD40L) is harmfully activated during inflammation and uremia-associated clinical complications: in particular, the soluble form of CD40L (sCD40L) can bind to the CD40 receptor triggering a cascade of detrimental pathways in immune and nonimmune cells.

as a Promising Model Organism in Chronobiology.

Circadian rhythms represent an adaptive feature, ubiquitously found in nature, which grants living beings the ability to anticipate daily variations in their environment. They have been found in a multitude of organisms, ranging from bacteria to fungi, plants, and animals. Circadian rhythms are generated by endogenous clocks that can be entrained daily by environmental cycles such as light and temperature.

Adherence to Guidelines Influenced the Mortality, Hospital Stay, and Health Care System Costs in Patients With Acute Pancreatitis.

Objectives: The primary end point was the compliance rate with guidelines. The secondaries were mortality, hospital stay, and costs.

Methods: This study included 1904 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP): group A, diagnosed before 2013, and group B, after 2013.

Longitudinal trends in volume of oculoplastic procedures without ACGME minimum requirements among United States ophthalmology residents: an ACGME case log analysis.

Purpose: To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports that investigate trends in ophthalmology residents' exposure to oculoplastic procedures without Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) minimum requirements. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated publicly available ACGME ophthalmology residency case logs from 2009 to 2021.

Methods: National resident averages and standard deviations were collected for the following oculoplastic procedures without minimum ACGME requirements: eye removal and implant, lacrimal surgery, other orbital surgery (e.

Evolving knowledge in surgical oncology of pancreatic cancer: from theory to clinical practice-a fifteen-year journey at a tertiary referral centre.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an increasing disease having a poor prognosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different models of care for pancreatic cancer in a tertiary referral centre in the period 2006-2020. Retrospective study of patients with PDAC observed from January 2006 to December 2020.

Orbital Implants Receiving Food and Drug Administration Premarket Notification.

Purpose: This perspective explores the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) program, occasionally referred to as premarket notification, which facilitates faster marketing of Class II medical devices, such as orbital implants by demonstrating "substantial equivalence" to previously approved devices. This allows for FDA clearance, rather than FDA approval of orbital implants via comparison to currently marketed implants rather than clinically proven safety standards.

Methods: Utilizing the FDA's publicly available 510(k) Premarket Notification database, we conducted a thorough search of FDA-cleared orbital implants dating back to the inception of the 510(k) process in 1976.

Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery in the Management of Optic Nerve Sheath Meningiomas: An International Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Twenty Studies.

Background: Optic nerve sheath meningiomas (ONMs) are often managed with radiotherapy (RT) with the goal of achieving radiographic local control (LC) and preventing deterioration of visual acuity (VA). We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes for patients with ONM treated with RT.

Methods: The PICOS/PRISMA/MOOSE selection criteria were used to identify studies.

Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Endothelial Progenitor Cells Protect Human Glomerular Endothelial Cells and Podocytes from Complement- and Cytokine-Mediated Injury.

Glomerulonephritis are renal inflammatory processes characterized by increased permeability of the Glomerular Filtration Barrier (GFB) with consequent hematuria and proteinuria. Glomerular endothelial cells (GEC) and podocytes are part of the GFB and contribute to the maintenance of its structural and functional integrity through the release of paracrine mediators. Activation of the complement cascade and pro-inflammatory cytokines (CK) such as Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) can alter GFB function, causing acute glomerular injury and progression toward chronic kidney disease.

Public health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emergency healthcare system.

Background: The Lombardy region has been the Italian region most affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. The emergency healthcare system was under deep stress throughout the past year due to the admission of COVID-19 patients to the emergency department (ED) and had to be thoroughly reorganized.

Methods: We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of patients admitted into the ED recorded in the Lombardy online regional portal called EUOL (Emergenza e Urgenza OnLine).

Purification of Wastewater from Biomass-Derived Syngas Scrubber Using Biochar and Activated Carbons.

Phenol is a major component in the scrubber wastewater used for syngas purification in biomass-based gasification plants. Adsorption is a common strategy for wastewater purification, and carbon materials, such as activated carbons and biochar, may be used for its remediation. In this work, we compare the adsorption behavior towards phenol of two biochar samples, produced by pyrolysis and gasification of lignocellulose biomass, with two commercial activated carbons.

External validation of nomogram for predicting malignant intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN): from the theory to the clinical practice using the decision curve analysis model.

The management of IPMNs is a challenging and controversial issue because the risk of malignancy is difficult to predict. The present study aimed to assess the clinical usefulness of two preoperative nomograms for predicting malignancy of IPMNs allowing their proper management. Retrospective study of patients affected by IPMNs.

Citrate high volume on-line hemodiafiltration modulates serum Interleukin-6 and Klotho levels: the multicenter randomized controlled study "Hephaestus".

Background: Studies addressing the anti-inflammatory properties of citrate dialysate enrolled patients in both hemodialysis (HD) and hemodiafiltration (HDF), the latter not adjusted for adequate convective exchange. This is a potential source of confounding in that HDF itself has anti-inflammatory effects regardless of the buffer, and optimal clinical outcomes are related to the amount of convection.

Methods: To distinguish the merits of the buffer from those of convection, we performed a 6-month, prospective, randomized, crossover AB-BA study.

The Effect of Zeolite Features on the Dehydration Reaction of Methanol to Dimethyl Ether: Catalytic Behaviour and Kinetics.

The synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) is an important step in the production of chemical intermediate because it is possible to prepare it by direct hydrogenation of CO. This paper reports the effect of different zeolitic frameworks (such as: BEA, EUO, FER, MFI, MOR, MTW, TON) on methanol conversion, DME selectivity and catalyst deactivation. The effect of crystal size, Si/Al ratio and acidity of the investigated catalysts have been also studied.