Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation-Influence of Modifiable Risk Factors and Ablation Modality on Procedural Efficacy and Safety.

Background: Modifiable lifestyle risk factors, in particular obesity and related conditions, are important drivers of atrial fibrillation (AF), impacting the severity of symptoms and influence the efficacy and safety of treatment.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the impact of modifiable lifestyle factors on the effectiveness and safety of AF ablation, and examine the procedural characteristics, efficacy, safety and cost outcomes of cryoballoon vs radiofrequency ablation, in a real-world clinical setting.

Method: Patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF (June 2017 to December 2020) were included in this retrospective analysis.

AIRWAY MANAGEMENT IN LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS.

In this study, we aimed to compare supraglottic airway devices (Supreme and i-gel laryngeal mask) with tracheal tube with respect to airway control and efficiency in ventilation and oxygenation. The study included 325 patients of ASA I-II who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In group 1, the airway was secured using endotracheal intubation (115 patients).

FAIMER Global Faculty Development: A Sustainable Partnership Model to Advance Health Professions Education.

The Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER), a member of Intealth, offers longitudinal faculty development programs (LFDPs) in health professions education (HPE) and leadership through its International FAIMER Institute (IFI) in the United States and FAIMER Regional Institutes (FRIs) globally. FAIMER fosters mutual collaboration and delineates shared responsibilities for FRI development in partnership with local institutions, using an adapted hub-and-spoke organizational design. This paper describes FAIMER's model, its sustainability, and its impacts at individual, institutional, and national levels.

Epidemiological Predictors of Positive SARS-CoV-2 Polymerase Chain Reaction Test in Three Cohorts: Hospitalized Patients, Healthcare Workers, and Military Population, Serbia, 2020.

(1) Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its resulting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a fast-moving pandemic. Diagnostic testing, aimed to identify patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, plays a key role in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in different populations. (2) Methods: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate predictors associated with positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) SARS-CoV-2 test results in hospitalized patients, healthcare workers (HCWs), and military personnel (MP) during 2020, before the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines.

Evolution of Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates Certification in the Absence of the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Examination.

The United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) was paused in 2020 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and discontinued in 2021. Step 2 CS was an important tool to assess readiness of international medical graduates (IMGs) to enter graduate medical education (GME) in the United States. This article describes the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates' (ECFMG's) response to the discontinuation of Step 2 CS.

, , and Variants: Genetic Modifiers of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Analyzed in Serbian Patients.

Background: Clinical course variability in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is partially explained by the mutation location in the gene and variants in modifier genes. We assessed the effect of the , , and genes and mutation location on loss of ambulation (LoA).

Methods: SNPs in -rs28357094, -rs2303729, rs1131620, rs1051303, rs10880, and -rs1883832 were genotyped, and their effect was assessed by survival and hierarchical cluster analysis.

Relationships between Milk and Blood Biochemical Parameters and Metabolic Status in Dairy Cows during Lactation.

This study aimed to determine blood and milk metabolic parameters and their correlations for the purpose of evaluating metabolic status in dairy cows. Blood and milk samples were collected from 100 Holstein dairy cows during morning milking. The cows were allocated to four groups according to the production period, including cows in early ( = 18), full ( = 26), mid ( = 25) and late ( = 31) lactation.

The association between erector spinae plane block timing and reduced rib fracture related respiratory complications: A cohort study.

Study Objective: Is erector spinae plane (ESP) catheter insertion within 24 h of hospital admission for rib fractures associated with a lower incidence of respiratory complications compared to those having an ESP within 48 h or after 48 h of admission.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Hospital.

International consensus conference recommendations on ultrasound education for undergraduate medical students.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide expert consensus recommendations to establish a global ultrasound curriculum for undergraduate medical students.

Methods: 64 multi-disciplinary ultrasound experts from 16 countries, 50 multi-disciplinary ultrasound consultants, and 21 medical students and residents contributed to these recommendations. A modified Delphi consensus method was used that included a systematic literature search, evaluation of the quality of literature by the GRADE system, and the RAND appropriateness method for panel judgment and consensus decisions.

Femoral artery blowout syndrome following radical vulvectomy and radiation therapy.

Arterial blowout syndrome has mostly been described in carotid arteries and has been attributed to factors associated with head and neck neoplasia, radical resection, and a history of irradiation. Only sporadic cases have been described in other arteries. Herein we present a case of the femoral artery blowout syndrome, six months after radical surgery of the vulva and radiation therapy.

Child Neurology: Neuroretinitis in 2 Patients.

Neuroretinitis due to infection is a rare cause of vision loss in children. Two pediatric cases of acute unilateral vision loss accompanied by edema of the optic nerve on fundoscopic examination are presented. Severe causes of vision loss were excluded.

Towards Identifying Optimal Biased Feedback for Various User States and Traits in Motor Imagery BCI.

Objective: Neural self-regulation is necessary for achieving control over brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). This can be an arduous learning process especially for motor imagery BCI. Various training methods were proposed to assist users in accomplishing BCI control and increase performance.

Long-Term BCI Training of a Tetraplegic User: Adaptive Riemannian Classifiers and User Training.

While often presented as promising assistive technologies for motor-impaired users, electroencephalography (EEG)-based Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) remain barely used outside laboratories due to low reliability in real-life conditions. There is thus a need to design long-term reliable BCIs that can be used outside-of-the-lab by end-users, e.g.

Standardization of protocol design for user training in EEG-based brain-computer interface.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are systems that enable a person to interact with a machine using only neural activity. Such interaction can be non-intuitive for the user hence user training methods are developed to increase one's understanding, confidence and motivation, which would in parallel increase system performance. To clearly address the current issues in the BCI user training protocol design, here it is divided intoperiod and BCIperiod.

A review of user training methods in brain computer interfaces based on mental tasks.

Mental-tasks based brain-computer interfaces (MT-BCIs) allow their users to interact with an external device solely by using brain signals produced through mental tasks. While MT-BCIs are promising for many applications, they are still barely used outside laboratories due to their lack of reliability. MT-BCIs require their users to develop the ability to self-regulate specific brain signals.

Cardiac findings in pediatric patients with spinal muscular atrophy types 2 and 3.

Background: It is unclear whether the heart is affected in pediatric patients with milder forms of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Therefore, we aimed to determine the presence of any cardiac abnormalities in these patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of children and adolescents with SMA types 2 and 3 between July 2018 and July 2019.

Primary hydatid disease of the transverse abdominal muscle A case report.

Introduction: Echinococcus is a parasitic disease that affects all organs and tissues. The most commonly affected are liver (70-80%) and lungs (10-25%), while very rarely, in about 5% of cases, it can be found in the spleen, kidneys, brain, heart, pancreas, muscles and skeleton.

Case Report: Although localization of hydatid cyst in muscle is rare, it is important to consideredPORT it in the differential diagnosis of a cystic mass in the muscle.

Severe Anaphylactic Reaction to Diclofenac during Intravenous Anesthesia for In Vitro Fertilization.

We present a case of a severe anaphylactic reaction to diclofenac, administered as an intravenous infusion in a 45-year-old patient, during intravenous anesthesia for in vitro fertilization. During the preoperative clinical examination and obtaining of anamnestic data, the patient denied symptoms of allergies to medicines and other substances. The dominant clinical manifestations of anaphylactic reaction were: hypotension, tachycardia, angioedema, bronchospasm, and delayed awakening following anesthesia.

Active inference as a unifying, generic and adaptive framework for a P300-based BCI.

Objective: Going adaptive is a major challenge for the field of brain-computer interface (BCI). This entails a machine that optimally articulates inference about the user's intentions and its own actions. Adaptation can operate over several dimensions which calls for a generic and flexible framework.

Non-traumatic myositis ossificans of the thigh. A case report.

Introduction: Myositis ossificans (MO) is an ectopic ossification characterized by an appearance of bone formation predominantly in muscle tissue. Trauma is the most common etiological factor, observed in almost 60-75% of cases, whereas a non-traumatic MO is rarely described in the literature. A diagnosis is based on clinical and radiological findings.

Impact of Education on Hypothermia Delivery during Neonatal Transport.

Background: Moderate therapeutic hypothermia (TH) initiated within 6 h of life reduces adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants after perinatal hypoxic ischaemic insult. For infants born in non-tertiary centres, TH may be initiated manually en route to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). However, both over- and undercooling is reported with this strategy, precluding some infants from the benefits of TH.

EEG neurofeedback research: A fertile ground for psychiatry?

The clinical efficacy of neurofeedback is still a matter of debate. This paper analyzes the factors that should be taken into account in a transdisciplinary approach to evaluate the use of EEG NFB as a therapeutic tool in psychiatry. Neurofeedback is a neurocognitive therapy based on human-computer interaction that enables subjects to train voluntarily and modify functional biomarkers that are related to a defined mental disorder.

Effectiveness of Augmented Reality Mobile Simulator in Teaching Local Anesthesia of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile augmented reality simulator for local anesthesia training with dental students who are administering inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB) for the first time. Participants in this prospective study conducted in 2016 were 41 fourth- and fifth-year students randomly divided into two groups: a control group with 19 students and an experimental group with 22 students. In addition to theoretical instruction and exercises, students in the experimental group used the mobile augmented reality simulator in a dental office 2h weekly for four weeks.

Molecular signature of response to preoperative radiotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer.

Background: Radiation therapy is an indispensable part of various treatment modalities for breast cancer. Specifically, for non-inflammatory locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients, preoperative radiotherapy (pRT) is currently indicated as a second line therapy in the event of lack of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Still approximately one third of patients fails to respond favourably to pRT.