Continuous genomic diversification of long polynucleotide fragments drives the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

Highly transmissible or immuno-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants have intermittently emerged, resulting in repeated COVID-19 surges. With over 6 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced, there is unprecedented data to decipher the evolution of fitter SARS-CoV-2 variants. Much attention has been directed to studying the functional importance of specific mutations in the Spike protein, but there is limited knowledge of genomic signatures shared by dominant variants.

Prosthetic valve endocarditis: A challenging complication of prosthetic valves.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the surgical outcomes of prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Methods: A total of 21 patients (6 males, 15 females; mean age 58.9±12.

Surgically Treated Pelvic Pain Caused by Nutcracker Syndrome and Worsened by Cockett Syndrome in a Child.

Nutcracker syndrome is rarely seen in the young. Most of the symptoms regress during follow-up. Rarely surgical intervention is necessary.