Minimizing pneumocephalus during deep brain stimulation surgery.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is an effective treatment for movement disorders. Introduction of intracranial air following dura opening in DBS surgery can result in targeting inaccuracy and suboptimal outcomes. We develop and evaluate a simple method to minimize pneumocephalus during DBS surgery.

Costs associated with informal health care pathway for patients with suspected Lyme borreliosis.

Objectives: To compare the direct and indirect medical costs for patients with suspected Lyme borreliosis according to whether or not they had used an informal care pathway.

Patients And Methods: We retraced the care pathways of participating patients by a prospective questionnaire survey and a retrospective analysis of care records. Direct and indirect costs were estimated using a micro-costing method from different perspectives.

Follow-up of a randomized trial optimizing neonatal nutrition in preterm very low birthweight infants: growth, serum adipokines, renal function and blood pressure.

Objective: The primary objectives were to compare body mass index (BMI) Z-score (Z), systolic blood pressure (SBP), serum leptin:adiponectin (L:A) ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at ~3 years adjusted age between two arms of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing two modes of human milk fortification for very low-birthweight infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Study Design: Follow-up of RCT at 33-48 months.

Results: Follow-up data are available in 82/120 infants.

Candidate Genes for IgA Nephropathy in Pediatric Patients: Exome-Wide Association Study.

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disorder which is believed to be non-monogenic. We performed an exome-wide association study of 70 children with IgAN and 637 healthy donors. The HLA allele frequencies were compared between the patients and healthy donors from the bone marrow registry of the Pirogov University.

Metixene is an incomplete autophagy inducer in preclinical models of metastatic cancer and brain metastases.

A paucity of chemotherapeutic options for metastatic brain cancer limits patient survival and portends poor clinical outcomes. Using a CNS small-molecule inhibitor library of 320 agents known to be blood-brain barrier permeable and approved by the FDA, we interrogated breast cancer brain metastasis vulnerabilities to identify an effective agent. Metixene, an antiparkinsonian drug, was identified as a top therapeutic agent that was capable of decreasing cellular viability and inducing cell death across different metastatic breast cancer subtypes.

Cellular senescence in glioma.

Introduction: Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor and is often associated with treatment resistance and poor prognosis. Standard treatment typically involves radiotherapy and temozolomide-based chemotherapy, both of which induce cellular senescence-a tumor suppression mechanism.

Discussion: Gliomas employ various mechanisms to bypass or escape senescence and remain in a proliferative state.

Biological principles of adult degenerative scoliosis.

The global aging population has led to an increase in geriatric diseases, including adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS). ADS is a spinal deformity affecting adults, particularly females. It is characterized by asymmetric intervertebral disc and facet joint degeneration, leading to spinal imbalance that can result in severe pain and neurological deficits, thus significantly reducing the quality of life.

Initiating a Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Program: Comprehensive Workflow and Lessons Learned from the Initial 116 Cases.

Introduction: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) represents an incisionless treatment option for essential or parkinsonian tremor. The incisionless nature of this procedure has garnered interest from both patients and providers. As such, an increasing number of centers are initiating new MRgFUS programs, necessitating development of unique workflows to optimize patient care and safety.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the Brain Tumor Immune Microenvironment.

Immunotherapy has emerged as a powerful strategy for halting cancer progression. However, primary malignancies affecting the brain have been exempt to this success. Indeed, brain tumors continue to portend severe morbidity and remain a globally lethal disease.

Integrative molecular roadmap for direct conversion of fibroblasts into myocytes and myogenic progenitor cells.

Transient MyoD overexpression in concert with small molecule treatment reprograms mouse fibroblasts into induced myogenic progenitor cells (iMPCs). However, the molecular landscape and mechanisms orchestrating this cellular conversion remain unknown. Here, we undertook an integrative multiomics approach to delineate the process of iMPC reprogramming in comparison to myogenic transdifferentiation mediated solely by MyoD.

Repurposing autophagy regulators in brain tumors.

Malignant brain tumors, such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and brain metastases, continue to be an unmet medical challenge. Despite advances in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, tumor cell colonization in the central nervous system renders most treatment options ineffective. This is primarily due to the selective permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which hinders the crossing of targeting agents into the brain.

Exploring convolutional neural networks with transfer learning for diagnosing Lyme disease from skin lesion images.

Background And Objective: Lyme disease which is one of the most common infectious vector-borne diseases manifests itself in most cases with erythema migrans (EM) skin lesions. Recent studies show that convolutional neural networks (CNNs) perform well to identify skin lesions from images. Lightweight CNN based pre-scanner applications for resource-constrained mobile devices can help users with early diagnosis of Lyme disease and prevent the transition to a severe late form thanks to appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Combination of tucatinib and neural stem cells secreting anti-HER2 antibody prolongs survival of mice with metastatic brain cancer.

Brain metastases are a leading cause of death in patients with breast cancer. The lack of clinical trials and the presence of the blood-brain barrier limit therapeutic options. Furthermore, overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) increases the incidence of breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM).

The Eclectic Nature of Glioma-Infiltrating Macrophages and Microglia.

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are complex ecosystems composed of highly multifaceted tumor and myeloid cells capable of responding to different environmental pressures, including therapies. Recent studies have uncovered the diverse phenotypical identities of brain-populating myeloid cells. Differences in the immune proportions and phenotypes within tumors seem to be dictated by molecular features of glioma cells.

Optimizing individual nutrition in preterm very low birth weight infants: double-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Objective: In preterm neonates fed human milk, fortification may be adjusted by (1) optimization, based on growth rate and serum nutrient analyses, or (2) individualization, based on serial milk nutrient analyses. The primary aim was to determine whether individualized plus optimized nutrition (experimental) improves velocity of weight gain and linear growth from birth to endpoint (36 weeks postmenstrual age or discharge) when compared with optimized nutrition alone (controls).

Study Design: Double-blinded parallel group randomized trial in 120 neonates <29 weeks gestational age (GA) or <35 weeks and small for GA (birth weight < 10th centile).

Energy conversion efficiency in betavoltaic cells based on the diamond Schottky diode with a thin drift layer.

The HPHT diamond Schottky diode was assembled as a Metal/Intrinsic/p-doped structure betavoltaic cell (BC) with a very thin (1 μm) drift layer and tested under 5-30 keV electron beam irradiation using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The effect of the β-radiation energy and the backscattering of electrons on the energy conversion was studied. From the results obtained, it is shown that, the efficiency of the investigated BC increases from 1.

Comparison of microbiological results obtained from per-wound bone biopsies versus transcutaneous bone biopsies in diabetic foot osteomyelitis: a prospective cohort study.

Transcutaneous bone biopsy (TCB) is the gold standard for taking microbiological specimens in diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO), but this technique is not widely used in diabetic foot care centers. We aimed to evaluate the reliability of per-wound bone biopsy (PWB) cultures by comparing them with concomitant TCB cultures obtained through healthy skin. This is a prospective monocentric study including patients seen in consultation for clinical and radiological diabetic foot osteomyelitis with positive probe-bone tests between April 2015 and May 2018.

[ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION AS A FACTOR OF DEVELOPMENT ISCHEMIC DISORDERS OF INTERSTITIAL CIRCULATION IN BILE PERITONITIS].

In a review article analyzes and summarizes information on the current pathogenesis of bile peritonitis. The role of endothelial dysfunction markers, as a factor in the development of ischemic disorders interstitial circulation contributes to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis of peritonitis, including bile peritonitis. This review is an attempt to synthesize and analyze accumulated information on the pathogenetic aspects of the development of peritonitis, which will optimize the diagnosis, the development of methods of prevention and treatment.

Role of endothelial dysfunction and lymphocyte-platelet adhesion in the pathogenesis of bile peritonitis.

Bile peritonitis is associated with endotoxemia, endothelial dysfunction, and increased level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Under these conditions, serum concentration of NO metabolites (nitrate/nitrite ratio) and NO production by platelets significantly increase in animals with bile peritonitis, which reflects the development of inflammatory process and its antithrombotic activity, respectively. At the same time, platelet adhesion to lymphocytes increased in animals with bile peritonitis.

Morphological changes in the liver during experimental modeling of acute ischemia and reperfusion of the limb.

The development of 4-h ischemia of the limb in dogs was paralleled by disorders in liver microcirculation manifesting in increased vascular permeability, capillary plethora, hemorrhages, and degenerative changes in hepatocytes, which progressed during the reperfusion period.

Morphological changes in the lungs during experimental acute ischemia and reperfusion of the limb.

The development of 4-h ischemia of the limb was associated with significant disorders in pulmonary microcirculation (increased vascular permeability, capillary plethora, hemorrhages). Pathological changes in the lung tissue progressed during the reperfusion period.

Relationship between blood cortisol level and blood parameters in animals with experimental bile peritonitis.

We studied the relationship between blood cortisol level and hemogram parameters in animals with bile peritonitis. A strong correlation was revealed between variations in cortisol concentration and leukocyte count. We found differences in the hormonal regulation of individual cell populations in the peripheral blood.

State of the nonspecific component of the immune system during combination therapy for experimental bile peritonitis.

Combined use of sodium hypochlorite and intravenous laser irradiation of the blood in the postoperation therapy of 24-h bile peritonitis improved recovery of engulfing and digestive activity of neutrophilic granulocytes in the early postoperation period. Enzyme activity of neutrophilic granulocytes in earlier postoperation periods returned to normal after treatment with sodium hypochlorite alone.