Post-ERCP clearance of bile duct stones: should the gallbladder be left in-situ?

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has become the gold standard management for patients who present with common bile duct stone (CBDS). Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally recommended for patients who have CBDS clearance, there is still a significant proportion of patients who are managed expectantly. Our study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of expectant management (EM) versus prophylactic cholecystectomy after initial endoscopic removal of CBDS.

Can genomic signatures guide the selection of host-specific agents for weed biological control?

Biological control of weeds involves deliberate introduction of host-specific natural enemies into invaded range to reduce the negative impacts of invasive species. Assessing the specificity is a crucial step, as introduction of generalist natural enemies into a new territory may pose risks to the recipient communities. A mechanistic understanding of host use can provide valuable insights for the selection of specialist natural enemies, bolster confidence in non-target risk assessment and potentially accelerate the host specificity testing process in biological control.

A Dynamic Traffic Light Control Algorithm to Mitigate Traffic Congestion in Metropolitan Areas.

This paper proposes a convolutional neural network (CNN) model of the signal distribution control algorithm (SDCA) to maximize the dynamic vehicular traffic signal flow for each junction phase. The aim of the proposed algorithm is to determine the reward value and new state. It deconstructs the routing components of the current multi-directional queuing system (MDQS) architecture to identify optimal policies for every traffic scenario.

Phase 1/2 AAV5-hRKp.RPGR (Botaretigene Sparoparvovec) Gene Therapy: Safety and Efficacy in RPGR-Associated X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Purpose: To assess the safety and efficacy of AAV5-hRKp.RPGR in participants with retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR)-associated X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP).

Design: Open-label, phase 1/2 dose escalation/expansion study (ClinicalTrials.

Pseudomelanoma diagnosis in a tertiary ophthalmologic centre in Spain.

Objective: To determine the types and frequency of lesions that can be misdiagnosed as choroidal or ciliary body melanomas (posterior uveal tract melanoma [PUM]).

Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive study examining data from patients referred to Hospital La Paz in Madrid with the diagnosis of possible PUM between January 2005 and March 2020. All patients referred for PUM were studied.