Is Magnetic Resonance Imaging Overused Among Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Introduction: With increasing healthcare costs, it is important to quantify the number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients who have MRIs that are not considered clinically necessary. The purpose of this study was to determine the number of unnecessary preconsultation MRIs done among TKA patients at our institution.

Methods: Eight hundred and sixty-nine patients who underwent a primary TKA were identified.

Algae-fungi symbioses and bacteria-fungi co-exclusion drive tree species-specific differences in canopy bark microbiomes.

With over 3 trillion trees, forest ecosystems comprise nearly one-third of the terrestrial surface of the Earth. Very little attention has been given to the exploration of the above-ground plant microbiome of trees, its complex trophic interactions, and variations among tree species. To address this knowledge gap, we applied a primer-independent shotgun metatranscriptomic approach to assess the entire living canopy bark microbiome comprising prokaryotic and eukaryotic primary producers, decomposers, and various groups of consumers.

Microplastics in a small river: Occurrence and influencing factors along the river Oker, Northern Germany.

Much attention regarding the environmental pollution by plastics had focused on the Oceans. More recently, contamination of freshwater ecosystems has been addressed but information from smaller rivers in moderately populated catchments is still comparatively scarce. This study explored the microplastic (MP) occurrence in the small regional river Oker, Northern Germany (catchment area 1822 km, population of ca.

Carotid intima media thickness in multiple sclerosis: A CLSA study.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased incidence of atherosclerotic disease, including ischemic heart disease and stroke, compared to people without MS even after accounting for risk factors such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes and smoking. We compared carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), a surrogate of atherosclerosis, in people with MS and in two groups of people without MS (rheumatoid arthritis [RA]; all other participants).

Methods: We used data from participants in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) who did not have known vascular disease (ischemic heart disease, stroke, transient ischemic attack, peripheral vascular disease) and who underwent carotid ultrasound for assessment of CIMT.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in multiple sclerosis.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have an increased risk of ischemic heart disease as compared to people without MS after accounting for traditional vascular risk factors.

Objective: We assessed whether subclinical atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disease of arteries, occurs in persons with MS who do not have traditional vascular risk factors, and whether the Framingham Score (FRS) predicted carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) similarly in people with and without MS.

Methods: We recruited participants with and without MS who did not have vascular disease.

Genomes in clinical care.

In the era of precision medicine, genome sequencing (GS) has become more affordable and the importance of genomics and multi-omics in clinical care is increasingly being recognized. However, how to scale and effectively implement GS on an institutional level remains a challenge for many. Here, we present Genome First and Ge-Med, two clinical implementation studies focused on identifying the key pillars and processes that are required to make routine GS and predictive genomics a reality in the clinical setting.

Collectively enhanced Ramsey readout by cavity sub- to superradiant transition.

When an inverted ensemble of atoms is tightly packed on the scale of its emission wavelength or when the atoms are collectively strongly coupled to a single cavity mode, their dipoles will align and decay rapidly via a superradiant burst. However, a spread-out dipole phase distribution theory predicts a required minimum threshold of atomic excitation for superradiance to occur. Here we experimentally confirm this predicted threshold for superradiant emission on a narrow optical transition when exciting the atoms transversely and show how to take advantage of the resulting sub- to superradiant transition.

New Medical Device and Therapeutic Approvals in Otolaryngology: State of the Art Review of 2022.

Objective: To review new drugs and devices relevant to otolaryngology approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022.

Data Sources: Publicly available FDA data on drugs and devices approved in 2022.

Review Methods: A preliminary screen was conducted to identify drugs and devices relevant to otolaryngology.

Change of dominant material properties in laser perforation process with high-energy lasers up to 120 kilowatt.

In laser materials processing, energy losses due to reflection, heat conduction and thermal radiation play an important role. In this publication, we show that with increasing laser intensity, the energy lost within the sample becomes less important for metal perforation processes. We compare the laser-matter interaction of aluminum and steel plates.

The Caribbean intertidal mite (Acari, Oribatida), an unexpected case of cryptic diversity?

Unlabelled: Molecular genetic analyses of Caribbean populations of the supposedly widespread intertidal oribatid mite revealed the existence of a cryptic species. The new species, sp. n.

Prevention of CMV/EBV reactivation by double-specific T cells in patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: results from the randomized phase I/IIa MULTIVIR-01 study.

Introduction: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation is used to cure hematologic malignancies or deficiencies of the hematopoietic system. It is associated with severe immunodeficiency of the host early after transplant and therefore early reactivation of latent herpesviruses such as CMV and EBV within the first 100 days are frequent. Small studies and case series indicated that application of herpes virus specific T cells can control and prevent disease in this patient population.

Claw shape variation in oribatid mites of the genera and : exploring the interplay of habitat, ecology and phylogenetics.

Background: Claws are a commonly observed biological adaptation across a wide range of animal groups. They serve different functions and their link to evolution is challenging to analyze. While there are many studies on the comparative anatomy and morphology of claws in reptiles, birds and several arthropods, knowledge about claws of soil-living oribatid mites, is still limited.

Education and implementation of home spirometry in an adolescent cystic fibrosis population.

Background: Lung function in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) is closely monitored as an objective marker of clinical status. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted our ability to assess individuals from in-person to remote monitoring using telehealth. As part of efforts to monitor individuals remotely during this time, this study describes the process of education and implementation of home spirometry in an adolescent CF population at Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.

CT perfusion for Assessment of poor Neurological outcome in Comatose Cardiac Arrest Patients (CANCCAP): protocol for a prospective study.

Introduction: Cardiac arrest remains one of the most common causes of death with the majority occurring outside of hospitals (out of hospital cardiac arrest). Despite advancements in resuscitation management, approximately 50% of comatose cardiac arrest patients (CCAP) will suffer a severe unsurvivable brain injury. To assess brain injury, a neurological examination is conducted, however, its reliability in predicting outcomes in the first days following cardiac arrest is limited.

The evolution of informed consent in gastroenterology.

With medical litigation on the rise, physicians require a nuanced understanding of the legalities of consenting patients to reduce their liability while practising evidence-based medicine. This study aims to a) clarify the legal duties of gastroenterologists in the UK and USA when gaining informed consent and b) provide recommendations at the international and physician level to improve the consent process and reduce liability.A bibliometric analysis of the Web of Science database with the MeSH terms "gastroenterology" and "informed consent" yielded 383 articles, of which 228 were excluded due to not meeting the inclusion criteria.

Measuring the Cooling Behavior of Melt Pools in L-PBF by Pyrometry.

This study aims to measure the cooling rates or, more precisely, the cooling durations of single laser tracks by pyrometry within the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process. Two-color, as well as one-color pyrometers are tested within this work. Regarding the second, the emissivity of the investigated 30CrMoNb5-2 alloy is determined in-situ within the L-PBF system in order to measure temperature instead of arbitrary units.

Imaging the Terahertz Nanoscale Conductivity of Polycrystalline CsPbBr Perovskite Thin Films.

Terahertz (THz) radiation is a valuable tool to investigate the electronic properties of lead halide perovskites (LHPs). However, attaining high-resolution information remains elusive, as the diffraction-limited spatial resolution (∼300 μm) of conventional THz methods prevents a direct analysis of microscopic effects. Here, we employ THz scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (THz-sSNOM) for nanoscale imaging of cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr) thin films down to the single grain level at 600 GHz.

Minerals and Trace Elements in 990 Beverages and Their Contribution to Dietary Reference Values for German Consumers.

Beverages are an integral part of human nutrition, yet little is known about their contribution to daily intakes of minerals and trace elements in German consumers. Using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, we determined the concentration of five minerals and six trace elements in beverage samples ( = 990, assigned to different beverage groups) collected throughout Germany. For a calculation of their relative contribution to the mineral supply, available beverage consumption data was combined with our quantitative analysis to calculate the average contribution of beverage groups to meet the respective dietary reference values currently used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (D-A-CH region).

Decommission of a Heartmate 3 LVAD in a patient with left ventricular recovery.

Background: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been a significant development in the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure supporting circulation as a bridge to transplant, recovery, or long-term destination therapy. When ventricular recovery occurs, there are multiple described ways of proceeding. HM2 decommissions are well described with varying degrees of explant operations, less so in HM3 due to the novelty of the device.

A manually curated compendium of expression profiles for the microbial cell factory Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Corynebacterium glutamicum is the major host for the industrial production of amino acids and has become one of the best studied model organisms in microbial biotechnology. Rational strain construction has led to an improvement of producer strains and to a variety of novel producer strains with a broad substrate and product spectrum. A key factor for the success of these approaches is detailed knowledge of transcriptional regulation in C.

Diverse Enterococcus faecalis strains show heterogeneity in biofilm properties.

Biofilm formation is important for Enterococcus faecalis to cause healthcare-associated infections. It is unclear how E. faecalis biofilms vary in parameters such as development and composition.

Comparison of the performance of Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay with Abbott RealTime HIV Assay for viral load monitoring using plasma and Dried Blood Spots collected in Kenya.

Introduction: HIV-1 viral Load (VL) testing is recommended for the monitoring of antiretroviral treatment. Dried Blood Spots (DBS) are an effective sample type in resource limited settings, where safe phlebotomy and reliable shipping are hard to guarantee. In HIV high burden countries, high throughput assays can improve access to testing services.

Differences Between Physiological and Pharmacological Actions of Taurine.

In many experimental studies, pharmacological levels of taurine have been used to study physiological functions of taurine. However, this approach is unlikely to be fruitful, as pharmacological administration increases extracellular taurine, while physiological actions of taurine require alterations in intracellular taurine. Recognizing that different mechanisms might underlie the pharmacological and physiological actions of taurine, cardiac properties before and after exposure to various extracellular or intracellular concentrations of taurine were examined.