Influence of Preoperative Depression on Cervical Spine Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: To quantify the association of preoperative depression on patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) after cervical spine surgery.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, PsychInfo, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.

Quantum-Enhanced Detection of Viral cDNA via Luminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Using Upconversion and Gold Nanoparticles.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global economies and healthcare systems, revealing critical vulnerabilities in both. In response, our study introduces a groundbreaking method for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 cDNA, leveraging Luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) between upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to achieve an unprecedented detection limit of 242 femtomolar (fM). This innovative sensing platform utilizes UCNPs conjugated with one primer and AuNPs with another, targeting the 5' and 3' ends of the SARS-CoV-2 cDNA, respectively, enabling precise differentiation of mismatched DNA sequences and significantly enhancing detection specificity.

The harms of promoting the lab leak hypothesis for SARS-CoV-2 origins without evidence.

Science is humanity's best insurance against threats from nature, but it is a fragile enterprise that must be nourished and protected. The preponderance of scientific evidence indicates a natural origin for SARS-CoV-2. Yet, the theory that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered in and escaped from a lab dominates media attention, even in the absence of strong evidence.

SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors That Leverage Unique Interactions with the Solvent Exposed S3 Site of the Enzyme.

The main protease (M) of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for the virus's replication and pathogenicity. Its active site is characterized by four distinct pockets (S1, S2, S4, and S1-3') and a solvent-exposed S3 site for accommodating a protein substrate. During X-ray crystallographic analyses of M bound with dipeptide inhibitors containing a flexible -terminal group, we often observed an unexpected binding mode.

Deep mining of the Sequence Read Archive reveals major genetic innovations in coronaviruses and other nidoviruses of aquatic vertebrates.

Virus discovery by genomics and metagenomics empowered studies of viromes, facilitated characterization of pathogen epidemiology, and redefined our understanding of the natural genetic diversity of viruses with profound functional and structural implications. Here we employed a data-driven virus discovery approach that directly queries unprocessed sequencing data in a highly parallelized way and involves a targeted viral genome assembly strategy in a wide range of sequence similarity. By screening more than 269,000 datasets of numerous authors from the Sequence Read Archive and using two metrics that quantitatively assess assembly quality, we discovered 40 nidoviruses from six virus families whose members infect vertebrate hosts.

Discovery of First-in-Class PROTAC Degraders of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease.

We have witnessed three coronavirus (CoV) outbreaks in the past two decades, including the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Main protease (M), a highly conserved protease among various CoVs, is essential for viral replication and pathogenesis, making it a prime target for antiviral drug development. Here, we leverage proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology to develop a new class of small-molecule antivirals that induce the degradation of SARS-CoV-2 M.

Azapeptides with unique covalent warheads as SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors.

The main protease (M) of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, is a pivotal nonstructural protein critical for viral replication and pathogenesis. Its protease function relies on three active site pockets for substrate recognition and a catalytic cysteine for enzymatic activity. To develop potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals, we successfully synthesized a diverse range of azapeptide inhibitors with various covalent warheads to target M's catalytic cysteine.

Preoperative Mobile Health Data Improve Predictions of Recovery From Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Background And Objectives: Neurosurgeons and hospitals devote tremendous resources to improving recovery from lumbar spine surgery. Current efforts to predict surgical recovery rely on one-time patient report and health record information. However, longitudinal mobile health (mHealth) assessments integrating symptom dynamics from ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and wearable biometric data may capture important influences on recovery.

Impact of Controlled Versus Uncontrolled mFI-5 Frailty on Perioperative Complications After Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Objectives: We substratified the mFI-5 frailty index to reflect controlled and uncontrolled conditions and assess their relationship to perioperative complications.

Summary Of Background Data: Risk assessment before adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery is critical because the surgery is highly invasive with a high complication rate.

Validating the inactivation of viral pathogens with a focus on SARS-CoV-2 to safely transfer samples from high-containment laboratories.

Introduction: Pathogen leak from a high-containment laboratory seriously threatens human safety, animal welfare, and environmental security. Transportation of pathogens from a higher (BSL4 or BSL3) to a lower (BSL2) containment laboratory for downstream experimentation requires complete pathogen inactivation. Validation of pathogen inactivation is necessary to ensure safety during transportation.

A Novel Non-Destructive Rapid Tool for Estimating Amino Acid Composition and Secondary Structures of Proteins in Solution.

Amino-acid protein composition plays an important role in biology, medicine, and nutrition. Here, a groundbreaking protein analysis technique that quickly estimates amino acid composition and secondary structure across various protein sizes, while maintaining their natural states is introduced and validated. This method combines multivariate statistics and the thermostable Raman interaction profiling (TRIP) technique, eliminating the need for complex preparations.

Implications of Preoperative Depression for Lumbar Spine Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Comorbid depression is common among patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease. Although a well-researched topic, the evidence of the role of depression in spine surgery outcomes remains inconclusive.

Objective: To investigate the association between preoperative depression and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) after lumbar spine surgery.

Avoiding Pitfalls in Adult Spinal Deformity.

To avoid the high rate of complications associated with the surgical management of adult spinal deformity, it is important to recognize and avoid three major pitfalls. The first is patient selection and determining which cases are appropriately indicated. The second is optimizing modifiable medical issues that can lead to a poor outcome, such as smoking, vitamin D deficiency, nutritional status, and poor bone quality.

Inflation-adjusted medicare physician reimbursement for adult spinal deformity surgery substantially declined from 2002 to 2020.

Purpose: Physician fees for orthopaedic surgeons by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are increasingly scrutinized. The present retrospective review aims to assess whether adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgeries are properly valued for Medicare reimbursement.

Methods: Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes related to posterior fusion of spinal deformity of ≤ 6, 7-12, and ≥ 13 vertebral levels, as well as additional arthrodesis and osteotomy levels, were assessed for (1) Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2002 to 2020, calculated using physician fee data from the CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool; and (2) work relative value units (RVUs) per operative minute, using data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Expression dynamics of the aplysia abyssovirus.

Two recent studies documented the genome of a novel, extremely large (35.9 kb), nidovirus in RNA sequence databases from the marine neural model Aplysia californica. The goal of the present study was to document the distribution and transcriptional dynamics of this virus, Aplysia abyssovirus 1 (AAbV), in maricultured and wild animals.

Measuring Value in Spine Care Using the PROMIS-Preference Scoring System.

Background: A transition to value-based care requires a thorough understanding of the costs and impacts of various interventions on patients' overall health utility. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) has gained popularity and is frequently used to assess physical, mental, and social health domains in clinical and research settings. To assess health utility, the PROMIS-Preference (PROPr) score, a societal preference-based measure, has been proposed to produce a single estimate of health utility.

Predicting major complications and discharge disposition after adult spinal deformity surgery.

Background Context: Several spine-specific comorbidity indices are available to help risk-stratify patients before they undergo invasive spine procedures. Studies of patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) typically use the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), which is not specific to spine patients.

Purpose: To compare the CCI with the Seattle Spine Score (SSS), the Adult Spinal Deformity-Comorbidity Score (ASD-CS), and the Modified 5-Item Frailty Index (mFI-5) and identify which tool more accurately predicted major perioperative complications and discharge disposition after ASD surgery.

Discovery of First-in-Class PROTAC Degraders of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease.

We have witnessed three coronavirus (CoV) outbreaks in the past two decades, including the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Main protease (M ) is a highly conserved and essential protease that plays key roles in viral replication and pathogenesis among various CoVs, representing one of the most attractive drug targets for antiviral drug development. Traditional antiviral drug development strategies focus on the pursuit of high-affinity binding inhibitors against M .

Trends in usage of navigation and robotic assistance in elective spine surgeries: a study of 105,212 cases from 2007 to 2015.

Objective: Identify trends of navigation and robotic-assisted elective spine surgeries.

Methods: Elective spine surgery patients between 2007 and 2015 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) were isolated by ICD-9 codes for Navigation [Nav] or Robotic [Rob]-Assisted surgery. Basic demographics and surgical variables were identified via chi-squared and t tests.

Abnormal Postoperative PROMIS Scores are Associated With Patient Satisfaction in Adult Spinal Deformity and Degenerative Spine Patients.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Objectives: To evaluate (1) patient satisfaction after adult spine surgery; (2) associations between the number of abnormal PROMIS domain scores and postoperative satisfaction; and (3) associations between the normalization of a patient's worst preoperative PROMIS domain score and postoperative satisfaction.

Summary Of Background Data: Although "legacy" patient-reported outcome measures correlate with patient satisfaction after adult spine surgery, it is unclear whether PROMIS scores do.