5-FU Weakens Defensive Functions of the Junctional Epithelium.

Aim: To investigate additional factors contributing to the pathophysiology of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis and periodontitis beyond the systemic immune suppression caused by the chemotherapeutic agent 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU).

Methods: 5-Fluorouracil was topically delivered to the non-keratinized, rapidly proliferating junctional epithelium (JE) surrounding the dentition, and acts as an immunologic and functional barrier to bacterial ingression. Various techniques, including EdU incorporation, quantitative immunohistochemistry (qIHC), histology, enzymatic activity assays, and micro-computed tomographic (μCT) imaging, were employed to analyze the JE at multiple time points following topical 5-FU treatment.

Preoperative hemoglobin to albumin ratio as a prognostic predictor for patients with colorectal cancer surgery.

The purpose of this study was to identify whether the preoperative hemoglobin to albumin ratio (HAR) could predict the prognosis of patients who underwent colorectal cancer (CRC) radical resection. This study enrolled 4018 consecutive CRC patients, calculating HAR as the hemoglobin count divided by albumin count. Patients were divided into the high and low HAR groups based on a cut-off value (0.

Disaccharidase Enzyme Deficiency in Adult Patients with Gas and Bloating.

Introduction: Disaccharidases produced by the small intestinal brush border facilitate digestion of dietary carbohydrates. If deficient, they can cause carbohydrate malabsorption resulting in several abdominal symptoms. Our aim was to examine the prevalence of disaccharidase deficiency and correlate this with abdominal symptoms in adult patients with chronic abdominal symptoms.

Gaps in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for Blindness and Low Vision: The Imperative of Rehabilitation for Visual Disability.

Persons with blindness and low vision experience increased fall and injury risk beyond atypical biomechanics and balance impairments. Falling risk doubles with blindness, and more than triples with depth perception losses. Despite this, physical therapy focuses on musculoskeletal injuries postevent rather than taking a proactive and preventative approach for persons with blindness and low vision.

In Vitro Analysis of Enamel Abrasion Using a Novel Manual Nano-Bristle Toothbrush: An Atomic Force Microscopy Study.

Introduction: To evaluate the enamel abrasion effects of soft, ultra-soft, and nano-bristle toothbrushes using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to guide toothbrush selection for optimal enamel preservation.

Methods: This in vitro study involved 45 extracted human teeth (central and lateral incisors), randomly assigned to three groups (n=15 each): Group I (nano-bristle), Group II (ultra-soft bristle), and Group III (soft bristle). Each specimen underwent 10,000 brushing cycles with a standardized 2 N force to simulate one year of brushing.

Clonal phylogenies inferred from bulk, single cell, and spatial transcriptomic analysis of epithelial cancers.

Epithelial cancers are typically heterogeneous with primary prostate cancer being a typical example of histological and genomic variation. Prior studies of primary prostate cancer tumour genetics revealed extensive inter and intra-patient genomic tumour heterogeneity. Recent advances in machine learning have enabled the inference of ground-truth genomic single-nucleotide and copy number variant status from transcript data.

Evaluation of Peer Review of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Operator Performance.

Background: Case-based peer review of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is used by many hospitals for quality improvement and to make decisions regarding physician competency. However, there are no studies testing the reliability or validity of peer review for PCI performance evaluation.

Methods: We recruited interventional cardiologists from 12 Veterans Affairs Health System facilities throughout the United States to provide PCI cases for review.

Novel Concepts on the Functional Neuroanatomy of the Anorectum: Implications for Anorectal Neuropathy and Neuromodulation Therapy.

Anorectal neuropathy causes anorectal dysfunction, yet it is poorly recognized. This stems from both a lack of understanding of the extrinsic and intrinsic innervation of the anorectum and tools for evaluation of neuronal function. Our objective was to provide an improved understanding of the neuronal networks of the anorectum and discuss its functional significance.

Spectral convolutional neural network chip for in-sensor edge computing of incoherent natural light.

Optical neural networks are considered next-generation physical implementations of artificial neural networks, but their capabilities are limited by on-chip integration scale and requirement for coherent light sources. This study proposes a spectral convolutional neural network (SCNN) with matter meta-imaging. The optical convolutional layer is implemented by integrating very large-scale and pixel-aligned spectral filters on CMOS image sensor.

Elimination of High-grade Gliomas Through Induced Cytolysis, Elucidated by Two Patient Cases.

Background/aim: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of primary malignant tumors in the central nervous system of adults. In practice, all patients with GBM experience relapse, and treatment options become limited following first-line therapy. We previously reported a new, successful treatment approach for a GBM patient, implemented in direct conjunction with surgical intervention.

Neurodevelopmental impairment in children with Robin sequence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To estimate the global prevalence of neurodevelopmental impairment in children with Robin sequence (RS) at one year or more of age.

Study Design: Electronic databases such as PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, Emcare, MedNAR and Cochrane library were searched systematically from inception to 31st May 2024. Studies reporting on the neurodevelopmental (global, cognitive, or motor) outcomes in children with RS were included.

Pediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas- a prospective observational study from a tertiary care neurosurgical center.

Introduction: Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) in children comprises 80% of brainstem gliomas. In 2021, 5th edition of WHO CNS tumor classification defined H3K27M altered diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs) which replaced this entity. Lesion location precludes resection and the only current option available is radiotherapy.

The Role of Snake Venom Proteins in Inducing Inflammation Post-Envenomation: An Overview on Mechanistic Insights and Treatment Strategies.

The intricate combination of organic and inorganic compounds found in snake venom includes proteins, peptides, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleotides, and metal ions. These components work together to immobilise and consume prey through processes such as paralysis and hypotension. Proteins, both enzymatic and non-enzymatic, form the primary components of the venom.

Single oral dose of gabapentin reduces vigilance and increases play behavior without changing mobility in New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Objective: To evaluate rabbit behavioral responses and activity after gabapentin administration.

Methods: In this study, 5 intact female and 3 intact male New Zealand white rabbits aged 8 to 12 months were administered a single oral 25-mg/kg dose of gabapentin. This study was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021.

Enhancing Clinical Trial Efficiency: The Impact of a Dual Digital Alert System on Quantitative Imaging Report Turnaround Time.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a dual digital alert system and automatic radiologist reassignment in improving the efficiency of quantitative imaging report delivery for clinical trials.

Materials And Methods: Assessing tumor metrics is critical to oncologic disease management, informed treatment planning, and for monitoring therapeutic response and even more so in cancer clinical research trials. A collaborative effort with the Institutional Research Information Systems division led to developing a web-based system with a Java backend, tested using Agile methodology to improve patient care with improved turnaround time (TAT) of quantitative reports.

Demodex and the eye - A review.

Demodexblepharitis (DB) has become one of the common differential diagnoses in patients presenting with red eyes in daily clinics. In this review article, we have incorporated a detailed discussion about the mite and the various mechanisms by which it causes different signs and symptoms, the risk factors, and diagnostic methods with current and emerging treatment modalities. Because of the chronic symptoms and rather a late diagnosis, DB considerably affects patients' quality of life.

Chromatin State Maps of Blood Pressure-Relevant Renal Segments Reveal Potential Regulatory Role for SNPs.

Background: Hypertension or elevated blood pressure (BP) is a worldwide clinical challenge and the leading primary risk factor for kidney dysfunctions, heart failure, and cerebrovascular disease. The kidney is a central regulator of BP by maintaining sodium-water balance. Multiple genome-wide association studies revealed that BP is a heritable quantitative trait, modulated by several genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Application of Ultrasound-Guided Thoracic Paravertebral Block in Clinical Surgical Treatment.

Aim: There is a lack of consensus regarding the efficacy of thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) and erector spinae plane block (ESPB) for postoperative pain in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The comparison of TPVB and ESPB was explored through a systematic review and meta-analysis (MA) of relevant RCTs.

Methods: A comprehensive search of relevant literature was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Embase, and MEDLINE, from 2019 to June 2024.

Real-world effectiveness and causal mediation study of BNT162b2 on long COVID risks in children and adolescents.

Background: The impact of pre-infection vaccination on the risk of long COVID remains unclear in the pediatric population. We aim to assess the effectiveness of BNT162b2 on long COVID risks with various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in children and adolescents, using comparative effectiveness methods. We further explore if such pre-infection vaccination can mitigate the risk of long COVID beyond its established protective benefits against SARS-CoV-2 infection using causal mediation analysis.

Hormone Replacement Therapy in Postmenopausal Women Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty is Associated With Reduced 10-Year Periprosthetic Femoral Fracture Rate.

Background: In postmenopausal women who are estrogen deficient, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been shown to improve fragility fracture risk. However, few studies have examined the relationship between HRT and periprosthetic fracture (PPF) risk after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of HRT use on 10-year PPF risk following THA.

Protocol of randomized-controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of three different interventions to reduce healthcare provider burnout.

Background: Burnout is among the greatest challenges facing healthcare today. Healthcare providers have been found to experience burnout at significant rates, with COVID-19 exacerbating the challenge. Burnout in the healthcare setting has been associated with decreases in job satisfaction, productivity, professionalism, quality of care, and patient satisfaction, as well as increases in career choice regret, intent to leave, and patient safety incidents.

Restrictive versus Liberal Transfusion in Myocardial Infarction - A Patient-Level Meta-Analysis.

Background: Clinical guidelines have concluded that there are insufficient data to provide recommendations for the hemoglobin threshold for the use of red cell transfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and anemia. After the recent publication of the Myocardial Infarction and Transfusion (MINT) trial, we performed an individual patient-level data meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of restrictive versus liberal blood transfusion strategies.

Methods: We conducted searches in major databases.

Inflammation in the Peri-ACS Period: Ready for Prime Time?

Inflammation has been demonstrated to negatively impact patients in the peri-ACS period. This narrative review outlines the inflammatory response in ACS, highlighting the role of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway following acute plaque rupture and coronary intervention and its potential as a pharmacologic target. RECENT: nvestigators have leveraged medications targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome currently used for other inflammatory pathologies, including colchicine, tocilizumab and anakinra.

LPSGM: A Unified Flexible Large PSG Model for Sleep Staging and Mental Disorder Diagnosis.

We present the Large PSG Model (LPSGM), a unified and flexible framework for sleep staging and disease diagnosis using polysomnography (PSG) data. LPSGM is designed to address the challenges of cross-center generalization in sleep staging and to enable fine-tuning for downstream disease diagnosis tasks. LPSGM introduces a unified training framework for heterogeneous datasets and allows flexible channel input adjustments during inference.