Robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy vs. laparoscopic and open partial nephrectomy A single-site, two-surgeon, retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: In 2019, our center attempted to transition all partial nephrectomies (PNs) to robotic-assisted laparoscopic PN (RALPN). The purpose of this study was to compare RALPN outcomes to laparoscopic PN (LPN) and open PN (OPN) at our institution, as there is limited literature from Canadian centers.

Methods: In this single-center, two-surgeon, retrospective cohort study, we compared RALPN outcomes during the early phase of our robotics program to OPN and LPN performed just before the introduction of RALPN.

A comparison of the sarcopenic effect of androgen receptor-axis-targeted agents vs. androgen deprivation alone in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.

Introduction: Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with androgen receptor axis-targeted (ARAT) therapy is the standard of care provided to patients with metastatic prostate cancer. While effective, it results in sequelae, such as loss of skeletal muscle mass. In this study, we compared the sarcopenic effects of abiraterone and enzalutamide, two ARATs used to treat metastatic prostate cancer.

Electrophysiological In Vitro Study of Long-Range Signal Transmission by Astrocytic Networks.

Astrocytes are diverse brain cells that form large networks communicating via gap junctions and chemical transmitters. Despite recent advances, the functions of astrocytic networks in information processing in the brain are not fully understood. In culture, brain slices, and in vivo, astrocytes, and neurons grow in tight association, making it challenging to establish whether signals that spread within astrocytic networks communicate with neuronal groups at distant sites, or whether astrocytes solely respond to their local environments.

Examining the impact of postoperative opioid use on length of hospital stay following radical cystectomy.

Introduction: Radical cystectomy (RC) is associated with high rates of morbidity, prolonged hospital stay, and increased opioid use for postoperative pain management; however, the relationship between postoperative opioid use and length of stay (LOS ) remains uncharacterized. This study serves to investigate the association between postoperative opioid use and length of hospital stay after RC. The relationship between patient and surgical factors on LOS was also characterized.

Surgical Masks May Hide Neurological Diagnoses.

COVID-19 has disrupted the routine flow of patients through emergency departments (EDs) across the globe, including the need to consider COVID-19 for nearly all presenting complaints. The constraints of mask wearing and isolation have created inherent barriers to timely stroke care. We present a case that highlights one of the many ways in which the pandemic has negatively impacted the care of the non-COVID patient.

Respiratory epithelial cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19.

COVID-19 has different clinical stages, and effective therapy depends on the location and extent of the infection. The purpose of this review is to provide a background for understanding the progression of the disease throughout the pulmonary epithelium and discuss therapeutic options. The prime sites for infection that will be contrasted in this review are the conducting airways and the gas exchange portions of the lung.

Early adaptive chromatin remodeling events precede pathologic phenotypes and are reinforced in the failing heart.

The temporal nature of chromatin structural changes underpinning pathologic transcription are poorly understood. We measured chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation to study the contribution of chromatin remodeling at different stages of cardiac hypertrophy and failure. ATAC-seq and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing were performed in cardiac myocytes after transverse aortic constriction (TAC) or depletion of the chromatin structural protein CTCF.

Psychosocial Distress in Adult Patients Awaiting Cancer Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Cancer causes substantial emotional and psychosocial distress, which may be exacerbated by delays in treatment. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased wait times for many patients with cancer. In this study, the psychosocial distress associated with waiting for cancer surgery during the pandemic was investigated.

Rare case of upper urinary tract squamous cell carcinoma presenting with significant paraneoplastic syndrome.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract is a rare entity associated with rapidly progressive disease and poor outcomes. Here, we describe a case of a squamous cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract associated with significant progression and paraneoplastic syndrome. Post-operatively, the patient had near complete resolution of her paraneoplastic syndromes with significant improvements in her functional status.

Creation of a primary tumor tissue expression biomarker-augmented prognostic model for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Clinical and pathological factors alone have limited prognostic ability in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Bim, a downstream pro-apoptotic molecule in the PD-1 signaling pathway, has recently been associated with survival in other malignancies. We sought to determine if tissue biomarkers including Bim, added to a previously reported clinical metastases score, improved prediction of cancer-specific survival (CSS) for patients with metastatic ccRCC.

Sports Coaches' Knowledge and Beliefs About the Provision, Reception, and Evaluation of Verbal Feedback.

Coach observation studies conducted since the 1970s have sought to determine the quantity and quality of verbal feedback provided by coaches to their athletes. Relatively few studies, however, have sought to determine the knowledge and beliefs of coaches that underpin this provision of feedback. The purpose of the current study was to identify the beliefs and knowledge that elite team sport coaches hold about providing, receiving and evaluating feedback in their training and competition environments.

Thoughts on the alveolar phase of COVID-19.

COVID-19 can be divided into three clinical stages, and one can speculate that these stages correlate with where the infection resides. For the asymptomatic phase, the infection mostly resides in the nose, where it elicits a minimal innate immune response. For the mildly symptomatic phase, the infection is mostly in the pseudostratified epithelium of the larger airways and is accompanied by a more vigorous innate immune response.

Evaluation of the impact of patient involvement in health technology assessments: A scoping review.

Objectives: While involving patients in health technology assessment (HTA) has become increasingly common and important around the world, little is known about the optimal methods of evaluating patients' involvement (PI) in HTA. This scoping review was undertaken to provide an overview of currently available methods for the evaluation of PI, specifically the impact of PI on HTA recommendations.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using nine databases as well as a grey literature search of the websites of 26 organizations related to the conduct, practice or research of HTA to identify articles, reports and abstracts related to the evaluation of PI impact in HTA.

Pathogenesis of COVID-19 from a cell biology perspective.

COVID-19 can be understood by the region of the lung that is infected. Mild disease will be confined to the conducting airways and severe disease will involve the gas exchange portion of the lung.

Survival outcomes for patients with surgically induced end-stage renal disease.

Introduction: While medically induced end-stage renal disease (m-ESRD) has been well-studied, outcomes in patients with surgically induced ESRD (s-ESRD) are unknown. We sought to quantitatively compare the non-oncological outcomes for s-ESRD and m-ESRD in a large, population-based cohort.

Methods: Medicare patients >65 years old initiating hemodialysis were identified using the U.

The effect of cysteine oxidation on DJ-1 cytoprotective function in human alveolar type II cells.

DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein with cytoprotective functions. It is localized in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondria. The conserved cysteine residue at position 106 (Cys106) within DJ-1 serves as a sensor of redox state and can be oxidized to both the sulfinate (-SO) and sulfonate (-SO) forms.

Transitional human alveolar type II epithelial cells suppress extracellular matrix and growth factor gene expression in lung fibroblasts.

Epithelial-fibroblast interactions are thought to be very important in the adult lung in response to injury, but the specifics of these interactions are not well defined. We developed coculture systems to define the interactions of adult human alveolar epithelial cells with lung fibroblasts. Alveolar type II cells cultured on floating collagen gels reduced the expression of type 1 collagen (COL1A1) and α-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) in fibroblasts.