Sociodemographic and Clinical Factors Associated With Clinical Outcome in Neuroinfectious Diseases: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To evaluate sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with neuroinfectious diseases at three tertiary care centers in New York City.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at three large urban tertiary care centers between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017. Poor clinical outcome was defined as length of hospital stay (LOS) ≥2 weeks and/or discharge to a location other than home.

Breast Cancer Screening With Automated Breast US and Mammography vs Handheld US and Mammography in Women With Dense Breasts in a Real-World Clinical Setting.

Objective: We compared the performance of 2 breast cancer screening approaches, automated breast US (ABUS) with same-day mammography (ABUS/MG) and handheld US (HHUS) with same-day mammography (HHUS/MG), in women with dense breasts to better understand the relative usefulness of ABUS and HHUS in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods: In this institutional review board-approved, retrospective observational study, we evaluated all ABUS/MG and HHUS/MG screening examinations performed at our institution from May 2013 to September 2021. BI-RADS categories, biopsy pathology results, and diagnostic test characteristics (eg, sensitivity, specificity) were compared between the 2 screening approaches using Fisher's exact test.

The Impact of Positive Fluid Balance on Sepsis Subtypes: A Causal Inference Study.

Introduction: Sepsis, the leading cause of death in hospitalized patients globally, was investigated in this study, examining the varying effects of positive fluid balance on sepsis subtypes through causal inference.

Methods: In this study, data from the eICU database were utilized, extracting 35 features from sepsis patients. Fluid balance during ICU stay was the treatment, and ICU mortality was the primary outcome.

A structured evaluation of cryopreservation in generating single-cell transcriptomes from cerebrospinal fluid.

Single-cell transcriptomics allows characterization of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cells at an unprecedented level. Here, we report a robust cryopreservation protocol adapted for the characterization of fragile CSF cells by single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in moderate- to large-scale studies. Fresh CSF was collected from twenty-one participants at two independent sites.

Characteristics of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Associated With Sarcoidosis Without Therapeutic Immune Suppression.

Importance: Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy can occur in the context of systemic sarcoidosis (S-PML) in the absence of therapeutic immune suppression and can initially be mistaken for neurosarcoidosis or other complications of sarcoidosis. Earlier recognition of S-PML could lead to more effective treatment of the disease.

Objective: To describe characteristics of patients with S-PML.

Compassionate-use pocapavir and immunoglobulin therapy for treatment of rituximab-associated enterovirus meningoencephalitis.

A 71-year-old woman previously on rituximab treatment for rheumatoid arthritis presented with 2 years of progressive neurologic symptoms. She was found to have persistent hypogammaglobulinemia and B cell depletion despite rituximab discontinuation a year prior. MRI revealed diffuse meningeal enhancement along the entire neuroaxis.

Vaccination Against SARS-CoV-2 in Neuroinflammatory Disease: Early Safety/Tolerability Data.

Background: Patients with autoimmune disease and on immunotherapy were largely excluded from seminal anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine trials. This has led to significant vaccine hesitancy in patients with neuroinflammatory diseases (NID); including, but not limited to: multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD), neurosarcoidosis and myelin oligodendrocyte antibody-mediated disease (MOG-AD). Data is urgently needed to help guide clinical care in the NID population.

Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-mediated disease: The difficulty of predicting relapses.

Background: While many patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-mediated disease (MOG-AD) will have a monophasic course, 30-80% of patients will relapse after the initial attack. It is not known which factors predict relapse. Here we describe our clinical experience with MOG-AD and evaluate for factors that correlate with relapsing disease.

Neurologic Safety Monitoring of COVID-19 Vaccines: Lessons From the Past to Inform the Present.

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has triggered a global effort to rapidly develop and deploy effective and safe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations. Vaccination has been one of the most effective medical interventions in human history, although potential safety risks of novel vaccines must be monitored, identified, and quantified. Adverse events must be carefully assessed to define whether they are causally associated with vaccination or coincidence.

Evaluation of ocrelizumab in older progressive multiple sclerosis patients.

Background: Seminal trials evaluating anti-CD20 therapy in progressive MS primarily found benefit in younger, less-disabled patients with more inflammatory disease activity. The risks and benefits of ocrelizumab use in older patients with progressive froms of MS are not known.

Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed for patients older than 55 with primary or secondary progressive MS at the time of ocrelizumab initiation.

Atypical Pneumonia: Definition, Causes, and Imaging Features.

Pneumonia is among the most common causes of death worldwide. The epidemiologic and clinical heterogeneity of pneumonia results in challenges in diagnosis and treatment. There is inconsistency in the definition of the group of microorganisms that cause "atypical pneumonia.

Critical Analysis of a Challenging Case of Post-Infectious N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis.

Infections are increasingly recognized as a common trigger of autoimmune disease, including autoimmune encephalitis. A significant association is particularly shown between HSV-1 encephalitis (HSVE) and a post-infectious autoimmune encephalitis mediated by neuronal autoantibodies, most notably anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies. The clinical significance of these and other novel post-infectious autoantibodies has led to new diagnostic and treatment challenges for clinicians.

Deep Learning-based Quantification of Abdominal Subcutaneous and Visceral Fat Volume on CT Images.

Rationale And Objectives: Develop a deep learning-based algorithm using the U-Net architecture to measure abdominal fat on computed tomography (CT) images.

Materials And Methods: Sequential CT images spanning the abdominal region of seven subjects were manually segmented to calculate subcutaneous fat (SAT) and visceral fat (VAT). The resulting segmentation maps of SAT and VAT were augmented using a template-based data augmentation approach to create a large dataset for neural network training.

Inpatient Neurology Consultations During the Onset of the SARS-CoV-2 New York City Pandemic: A Single Center Case Series.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily causes respiratory illness. However, neurological sequelae from novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can occur. Patients with neurological conditions may be at higher risk of developing worsening of their underlying problem.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Recurrence: Low Yield of Neck Ultrasound With an Undetectable Serum Thyroglobulin Level.

Objectives: To assess the yield of neck ultrasound (US) when serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is undetectable (<0.1 ng/mL) compared to elevated serum Tg in patients with differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) treated with thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine 131 (RAI) ablation.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted from 2010 through 2015 at an academic institution evaluating US results in patients with serum Tg levels obtained within 6 months of a neck US examination after thyroidectomy and RAI.

Prosthetic hip infection with in sickle cell beta thalassemia disease: A case report.

Periprosthetic infection following total hip arthroplasty is a devastating complication that has been reported to occur in up to 1.6% of all primary total hip arthroplasties. We report a previously unrecognized gram-negative bacillus as the infecting agent in a patient with bilateral total hip arthroplasties for stage IV osteonecrosis.

Preserving and vouchering butterflies and moths for large-scale museum-based molecular research.

Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) comprise significant portions of the world's natural history collections, but a standardized tissue preservation protocol for molecular research is largely lacking. Lepidoptera have traditionally been spread on mounting boards to display wing patterns and colors, which are often important for species identification. Many molecular phylogenetic studies have used legs from pinned specimens as the primary source for DNA in order to preserve a morphological voucher, but the amount of available tissue is often limited.

Near-peer teaching programme for medical students.

Background: Near-peer teaching (NPT) is increasingly recognised as an effective method for teaching and learning within medical education. We describe a student-as-teacher programme developed for fourth-year students (MS4s) helping to deliver the second-year Respiratory Pathophysiology course at our medical school.

Methods: Twelve MS4s were paired with faculty members to co-teach one or two small group case-based sessions for second-year students (MS2s).