Impact of Acquired Brain Injury on Quality of Life.

Background: An injury to the brain affects a person in some or all cognitive, emotional, behavioural and physical domains impacting quality of life. Quality of life is essential to well-being and optimum functioning of a person in daily life. It is influenced by various individual and social aspects like physical, psychological, social relationships and environment.

Exploring voltage-gated sodium channel conformations and protein-protein interactions using AlphaFold2.

Voltage-gated sodium (Na) channels are vital regulators of electrical activity in excitable cells, playing critical roles in generating and propagating action potentials. Given their importance in physiology, Na channels are key therapeutic targets for treating numerous conditions, yet developing subtype-selective drugs remains challenging due to the high sequence and structural conservation among Na family members. Recent advances in cryo-electron microscopy have resolved nearly all human Na channels, providing valuable insights into their structure and function.

HaloClass: Salt-Tolerant Protein Classification with Protein Language Models.

Salt-tolerant proteins, also known as halophilic proteins, have unique adaptations to function in high-salinity environments. These proteins have naturally evolved in extremophilic organisms, and more recently, are being increasingly applied as enzymes in industrial processes. Due to an abundance of salt-tolerant sequences and a simultaneous lack of experimental structures, most computational methods to predict stability are sequence-based only.

Harnessing Deep Learning Methods for Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Drug Discovery.

Voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs) are pivotal in regulating electrical activity in excitable cells and are critical pharmaceutical targets for treating many diseases including cardiac arrhythmia and neuropathic pain. Despite their significance, challenges such as achieving target selectivity persist in VGIC drug development. Recent progress in deep learning, particularly diffusion models, has enabled the computational design of protein binders for any clinically relevant protein based solely on its structure.

Protein stability prediction by fine-tuning a protein language model on a mega-scale dataset.

Protein stability plays a crucial role in a variety of applications, such as food processing, therapeutics, and the identification of pathogenic mutations. Engineering campaigns commonly seek to improve protein stability, and there is a strong interest in streamlining these processes to enable rapid optimization of highly stabilized proteins with fewer iterations. In this work, we explore utilizing a mega-scale dataset to develop a protein language model optimized for stability prediction.

Role of Amyloid Beta in Neurodegeneration and Therapeutic Strategies for Neuroprotection.

The gradual loss of neurons' structure and function in the central nervous system is known as neurodegeneration. It is a defining feature of several incapacitating illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. The buildup of amyloid beta (Aβ) protein in the brain is one of the several variables linked to neurodegeneration.

Virtual reality technology for surgical learning: qualitative outcomes of the first virtual reality training course for emergency and essential surgery delivered by a UK-Uganda partnership.

Introduction: The extensive resources needed to train surgeons and maintain skill levels in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are limited and confined to urban settings. Surgical education of remote/rural doctors is, therefore, paramount. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to disseminate surgical knowledge and skill development at low costs.

Total ablative stereotactic body radiotherapy to primary and oligometastatic renal cell carcinoma in medically inoperable cases: An institutional analysis.

Introduction: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) has been found to be an effective and safe modality with excellent oncological outcome in medically inoperable primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and oligometastases. There is scarcity of data on the synchronous delivery of SBRT to primary and oligometastatic RCC in patients unfit for nephrectomy. Here, we report the findings of a retrospective study of prospectively collected data on "total ablative SBRT.

Novel approach to prenatal predictors of outcomes for fetuses with severe Ebstein anomaly.

Objective: Ebstein anomaly (EA) is a cardiac malformation with highly variable presentation and severity with limited perinatal management options. We present incorporation of fetal lung measurements into a multidisciplinary evaluation for counseling and predicting postnatal outcomes in patients with severe EA.

Methods: Five fetuses with severe fetal EA were reviewed.

TNFepitope: A webserver for the prediction of TNF-α inducing epitopes.

Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic pro-inflammatory cytokine that is crucial in controlling the signaling pathways within the immune cells. Recent studies reported that higher expression levels of TNF-α are associated with the progression of several diseases, including cancers, cytokine release syndrome in COVID-19, and autoimmune disorders. Thus, it is the need of the hour to develop immunotherapies or subunit vaccines to manage TNF-α progression in various disease conditions.

Optimal Combination of Pitch, Modulation Factor and Dosimetric Considerations in Treatment Planning for Total Body Irradiation Using Helical Tomotherapy.

Objective: The aim of this study is to makethe standard total body irradiation (TBI) protocol for Helical tomotherapy© (HT) and to analyze the optimal pitch and modulation factor (MF) with respect to dose homogeneity index (HI), target dose coverage, target overdose, beam on time (BOT) and mean lung dose.

Materials And Methods: Ten patients who underwent high-dose TBI were taken for this study. For each patient, 35 dose plans were created by different combination of pitch and MF.

Multi-Institutional Clinical Outcomes of Biopsy Gleason Grade Group 5 Prostate Cancers Treated With Contemporary High-Dose Radiation and Long-Term Androgen Deprivation Therapy.

Aims: This multicentric retrospective study reports long-term clinical outcomes of non-metastatic grade group 5 prostate cancers treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone with long-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Materials And Methods: Patients treated across 19 institutions were studied. The key endpoints that were evaluated were 5-year biochemical recurrence-free survival (bRFS), metastases-free survival (MFS), overall survival, together with EBRT-related acute and late toxicities.

Commissioning and Dosimetric Results of an Indigenously Developed Intra-Vaginal Template for Interstitial Plus Intracavitary High dose Rate Image-Guided Brachytherapy of Advanced Cervix Cancer.

Aim: The goal of this study is to discuss the commissioning and dosimetric parameters achieved during the clinical implementation of an indigenously developed intracavitary (IC) plus interstitial (IS) template for high dose rate (HDR) image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) in cancer (Ca) cervix. We want to discuss our achieved values of cumulative equi-effective doses (EQD2) for high-risk clinical target volume (HRCTV) and organ at risk (OAR) and compare it with available published results.

Materials And Methods: Medanta anterior oblique/lateral oblique template has a total of 19 needles including the central tandem.

Preeclampsia and the Kidney: Pathophysiology and Clinical Implications.

Preeclampsia and other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are major contributors to maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. This group of disorders includes chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension, and eclampsia. The body undergoes important physiological changes during pregnancy to allow for normal placental and fetal development.

Impact of asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 infection on fetal growth during pregnancy.

Background: During pregnancy, certain viral infections are known to significantly affect fetal development. Data regarding the impact of COVID-19 viral infection in pregnancy, specifically in asymptomatic or mild cases, remains limited. This presents a challenge in providing prenatal counseling and antepartum surveillance in pregnancies complicated by COVID-19 infection.

Virtual Reality for Anatomy and Surgical Teaching.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant challenges when it comes to the delivery of education across multiple domains. There has been a shift in paradigm towards the use of new innovative methods for the delivery of training within medicine and surgery. In this chapter, there is an outline of one such innovative method, the use of virtual reality for anatomy and surgical teaching.

Obstetric outcomes after fetal intervention - a single-center descriptive review.

Background: Advancements in fetal interventions have enabled management of several fetal congenital anomalies and conditions; these are accomplished ultrasound-guided, fetoscopic or open techniques. Understanding the risk of preterm labor associated with each technique is critical for patient counseling and choice of intervention; however, data on obstetrical outcomes associated with each type of intervention remains limited.

Objective: To provide descriptive information on the risk of preterm birth following fetal intervention, based on underlying disease and procedure performed.

Effect of Lockdown Due to COVID-19 on Health and Lifestyle of Psoriasis Patients: A Web-Based Survey.

Background: Chronic skin diseases like psoriasis affect a patient's physical, psychological, and social functioning as well as well-being, and the lockdown acted as a cofactor in further worsening the quality of life in psoriasis patients.

Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the effect of lockdown on the health, lifestyle, and mental well-being of psoriasis patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done using an online questionnaire shared through messenger applications to the patients of chronic plaque psoriasis who registered in the psoriasis clinic between August 2020 and December 2020.

Trends in Practice Among Shoulder Specialists in the Management of Frozen Shoulder: A Consensus Survey.

Background: The management of frozen shoulder (FS) differs depending on experience level and variation between scientific guidelines and actual practice.

Purpose: To determine the current trends and practices in the management of FS among shoulder specialists and compare them with senior shoulder specialists.

Study Design: Consensus statement.

Expanding our concept of simulation in radiology: a "Radiology Requesting" session for undergraduate medical students.

Objectives: Whilst radiology is central to the modern practice of medicine, graduating doctors often feel unprepared for radiology in practice. Traditional radiological education focuses on image interpretation. Key areas which are undertaught include communication skills relating to the radiology department.

Diagrammatic Approach to Delineate Phrenic Nerve in Central Lung Tumors.

Incremental use of high-dose radiation therapy (RT) with SABR in thoracic tumors has led to identification of many unusual toxicities (chest wall pain, rib fractures, vascular perforation, brachial plexopathy) and consequently additional organs at risk (OARs; chest wall, ribs, bronchial wall, carotid artery, brachial plexus). Phrenic nerve is another structure that may be affected at any point during its long course from origin until end, although symptomatic toxicities have been reported rarely in the setting of reirradiation, large-volume irradiation such as mantle field, or SABR. We undertook a prospective study to describe the delineation of phrenic nerve course on RT planning computed tomography scan as an OAR.

Intraabdominal pressure as a marker for physiologic and pathologic processes in pregnancy.

Increased intraabdominal pressure (IAP) can result in compression of the abdominal-pelvic venous system leading to signs and symptoms of end organ dysfunction. It has been hypothesized as a pathophysiologic process of preeclampsia. We aim to evaluate the role of IAP in normotensive vs preeclamptic, and singleton vs twin pregnancies.