Sternal Reconstruction for Refractory Pectus Excavatum From Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.

A 44-year-old man with a history of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and pectus excavatum presented with multiyear history of progressive, severe respiratory dysfunction, pain, recurrent respiratory infection, and chest wall deformity. With bioprosthetic engineers, the surgical team customized a 3-dimensional printed model of a sternal implant interacting with the patient's anatomy. After approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the customized sternal plates were created and implanted in a sternal reconstruction operation.

The Safety and Late Hemodynamics of Donor Cardiac Undersizing in Heart Transplantation.

Background: Predicted heart mass ratio (PHMr) has become the standard donor-recipient size matching method in heart transplantation. While utilization of small PHMr hearts is associated with increased one-year mortality, the underlying mechanisms and time horizon of mortality remain uncertain.

Methods: A single institution analysis of isolated heart transplant recipients (01/2019-7/2022) was performed (N=334).

Durability of Aortic Homografts in Pulmonary Atresia and Major Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries.

It is well-known that right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery homograft conduit durability is worse for smaller conduits and smaller/younger patients. However, there is limited literature on age and conduit-size specific outcomes, or on the role of conduit oversizing. Patients diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries undergoing right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction with a valved aortic homograft conduit from November 2001 through March 2023, at our institution were included.

Hybrid Stenting of Pulmonary Venous Baffle Stenosis: Subxiphoid Approach in Transposition of the Great Arteries.

A 31-year-old woman with transposition of the great arteries status post-Senning operation presents with severe pulmonary venous baffle obstruction. Both standards of care (percutaneous stenting or open repair) were deemed suboptimal and/or high risk. A multidisciplinary, hybrid approach via subxiphoid incision, guided by 3-dimensional modeling, provided a lower risk and minimally invasive intervention.

Anti-racism bystander training: A critical need in medical schools.

Despite increasing acknowledgment of racism in both the curricular and clinical spaces, it continues to pervade the medical field, with clear detrimental impacts to the health of our patients. The introduction of anti-racism bystander training (ARBT) may provide a unique opportunity to reduce inequitable care and health disparities that occur secondary to racism in healthcare. ARBT, in its various forms, has been shown to be an effective method to increase participants' confidence and efficacy in intervening on observed racist encounters.

Short- and Mid-Term Results of Pulmonary Valve Replacement with the Inspiris Valve.

Background: Various bioprosthetic valves are used off-label for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR), but there is no consensus on whether a particular valve is best for this application. Recently, the Inspiris Resilia valve (Edwards Lifesciences Inc) was approved for aortic valve replacement, and surgeons have begun using it for PVR. There is limited evidence on the performance of the Inspiris valve compared with other valves in the pulmonary position.

Growable Shunt as Novel Therapy in Children Requiring Aortopulmonary Shunt for Extended Time.

We describe a 35-month-old girl with a complex congenital heart defect including double-inlet left ventricle who presented with an occluded ductal stent. We performed pulmonary artery unifocalization and central shunt placement to bridge to Fontan or as final palliation. Anticipating a prolonged role for the shunt, we used a novel approach to aortopulmonary shunt construction consisting of a stent-restricted shunt that allows extended shunt longevity through an ability to "grow" with the patient's somatic growth.

Minimally invasive adnexa-sparing surgery for benign ovarian and paratubal masses in children.

Background: The precision of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) to resect benign ovarian and paratubal masses while preserving adnexa in children is unclear. This study evaluated the integrity of laparoscopy to spare adnexa while resecting benign pathologies in children.

Methods: The institutional pathology database was queried to identify patients aged 18 years and younger having any ovarian or tubal lesion resected at a comprehensive children's hospital between 2006 and 2021.

Eco-friendly method for construction of superhydrophobic graphene-based coating on copper substrate and its corrosion resistance performance.

In this work, Ni and Ni-graphene, Ni-G, films were electrodeposited on copper substrate by potentiostatic deposition. To achieve superhydrophobicity, myristic acid, MA, was used to modify the surface of the electrodeposited coatings. The manufactured Ni film modified with myristic acid, Ni-MA, and the Ni-G film modified with myristic acid, Ni-G-MA, show excellent superhydrophobic, SHP, properties with a water contact angle of 159° and 162°, respectively.

Does Successful Myringoplasty Affect Eustachian Tube Function?

Unlabelled: Eustachian tube (ET) is a tube connecting the middle ear cavity with the nasopharynx and has an important role in equalization of pressure around TM. Many studies investigated the role of ET function tests on the results of myringoplasty/tympanoplasty. Our aim is to assess the effect of successful myringoplasty on Eustachian tube function.

Potential Toxic Effects of Exposure to Titanium Silicon Oxide Nanoparticles in Male Rats.

Recently, nano titanium silicon oxide (TiSiO NPs) has been used in different fields and industries. Very few toxicological data exist for TiSiO NPs. In the present study, the potential adverse effects of oral exposure to a single dose of TiSiO NPs ≤ 50 nm (250 mg/kg b.

Host biotin is required for liver stage development in malaria parasites.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a biotin-dependent enzyme that is the target of several classes of herbicides. Malaria parasites contain a plant-like ACC, and this is the only protein predicted to be biotinylated in the parasite. We found that ACC is expressed in the apicoplast organelle in liver- and blood-stage malaria parasites; however, it is activated through biotinylation only in the liver stages.

Longitudinal analysis of Plasmodium sporozoite motility in the dermis reveals component of blood vessel recognition.

Malaria infection starts with injection of Plasmodium sporozoites by an Anopheles mosquito into the skin of the mammalian host. How sporozoites locate and enter a blood vessel is a critical, but poorly understood process. In this study, we examine sporozoite motility and their interaction with dermal blood vessels, using intravital microscopy in mice.

Reversible Conformational Change in the Plasmodium falciparum Circumsporozoite Protein Masks Its Adhesion Domains.

The extended rod-like Plasmodium falciparum circumsporozoite protein (CSP) is comprised of three primary domains: a charged N terminus that binds heparan sulfate proteoglycans, a central NANP repeat domain, and a C terminus containing a thrombospondin-like type I repeat (TSR) domain. Only the last two domains are incorporated in RTS,S, the leading malaria vaccine in phase 3 trials that, to date, protects about 50% of vaccinated children against clinical disease. A seroepidemiological study indicated that the N-terminal domain might improve the efficacy of a new CSP vaccine.

A naturally variable residue in the S1 subsite of M1 family aminopeptidases modulates catalytic properties and promotes functional specialization.

M1 family metallo-aminopeptidases fulfill a wide range of critical and in some cases medically relevant roles in humans and human pathogens. The specificity of M1-aminopeptidases is dominated by the interaction of the well defined S1 subsite with the side chain of the first (P1) residue of the substrate and can vary widely. Extensive natural variation occurs at one of the residues that contributes to formation of the cylindrical S1 subsite.

Shedding of TRAP by a rhomboid protease from the malaria sporozoite surface is essential for gliding motility and sporozoite infectivity.

Plasmodium sporozoites, the infective stage of the malaria parasite, move by gliding motility, a unique form of locomotion required for tissue migration and host cell invasion. TRAP, a transmembrane protein with extracellular adhesive domains and a cytoplasmic tail linked to the actomyosin motor, is central to this process. Forward movement is achieved when TRAP, bound to matrix or host cell receptors, is translocated posteriorly.

Engagement of the S1, S1' and S2' subsites drives efficient catalysis of peptide bond hydrolysis by the M1-family aminopeptidase from Plasmodium falciparum.

The M1-family aminopeptidase PfA-M1 catalyzes the last step in the catabolism of human hemoglobin to amino acids in the Plasmodium falciparum food vacuole. In this study, the structural features of the substrate that promote efficient PfA-M1-catalyzed peptide bond hydrolysis were analyzed. X-Ala and Ala-X dipeptide substrates were employed to characterize the specificities of the enzyme's S1 and S1' subsites.

Distribution and biochemical properties of an M1-family aminopeptidase in Plasmodium falciparum indicate a role in vacuolar hemoglobin catabolism.

Aminopeptidases catalyze N-terminal peptide bond hydrolysis and occupy many diverse roles across all domains of life. Here we present evidence that an M1-family aminopeptidase, PfA-M1, has been recruited to specialized roles in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. PfA-M1 is abundant in two subcellular compartments in asexual intraerythrocytic parasites; that is, the food vacuole, where the catabolism of host hemoglobin takes place, and the nucleus.

Evidence for catalytic roles for Plasmodium falciparum aminopeptidase P in the food vacuole and cytosol.

The metalloenzyme aminopeptidase P catalyzes the hydrolysis of amino acids from the amino termini of peptides with a prolyl residue in the second position. The human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum expresses a homolog of aminopeptidase P during its asexual intraerythrocytic cycle. P.

Biosafety of recombinant and wild type nucleopolyhedroviruses as bioinsecticides.

The entomopathogenic Autographa californica (Speyer) nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) has been genetically modified to increase its speed of kill. The potential adverse effects of a recombinant AcMNPV (AcAaIT) as well as wild type AcMNPV and wild type Spodoptera littoralis NPV (SlNPV) were studied. Cotton plants were treated with these viruses at concentrations that were adjusted to resemble the recommended field application rate (4 x 10(12) PIBs/feddan, feddan = 4,200 m2) and 3rd instar larvae of S.

MR imaging of the finger tendons: normal anatomy and commonly encountered pathology.

MR imaging has emerged as a powerful tool in the evaluation of soft tissue structures such as the tendons of the hand and finger due to its excellent soft tissue contrast and multiplanar imaging capabilities. In the finger and hand, perhaps more than in any other location in the body, a detailed and intimate understanding of anatomy is crucial for lesion localization, directing clinical management and predicting long-term prognosis. These issues are of paramount importance to both the clinician and imager, both faced with the challenge of the complex anatomy and pathology associated with these delicate structures.