Morbidity and mortality in premature or low birth weight patients with congenital heart disease in three European pediatric heart centers between 2016 and 2020.

Background: The treatment of preterm and low birth weight (LBW) neonates born with congenital heart disease (CHD) requiring early cardiac intervention remains challenging. We aimed to analyze morbidity and mortality in this combined high-risk patient group.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of preterm [<37 weeks gestational age (GA)] and/or LBW neonates (<2,500 g) born with a diagnosis of CHD, which requires invasive cardiac intervention (surgery or catheter) within their first year of life.

HELLS Is Negatively Regulated by Wild-Type P53 in Liver Cancer by a Mechanism Involving P21 and FOXM1.

The major tumor suppressor P53 () acts primarily as a transcription factor by activating or repressing subsets of its numerous target genes, resulting in different cellular outcomes (e.g., cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and senescence).

Gravitational effects on intraocular pressure and ocular perfusion pressure.

Changes in the gravitational vector by postural changes or weightlessness induce fluid shifts, impacting ocular hemodynamics and regional pressures. This investigation explores the impact of changes in the direction of the gravitational vector on intraocular pressure (IOP), mean arterial pressure at eye level (MAP), and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP), which is critical for ocular health. Thirteen subjects underwent 360° of tilt (including both prone and supine positions) at 15° increments.

Peripheral shift in the viable chondrocyte population of the medial femoral condyle after anterior cruciate ligament injury in the porcine knee.

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries result in posttraumatic osteoarthritis in the medial compartment of the knee, even after surgical treatment. How the chondrocyte distribution within the articular cartilage changes early in this process is currently unknown. The study objective was to investigate the chondrocyte distribution within the medial femoral condyle after an anterior cruciate ligament transection in a preclinical model.

Bridge-Enhanced Anterior Cruciate Ligament Repair Leads to Greater Limb Asymmetry and Less Cartilage Damage Than Untreated ACL Transection or ACL Reconstruction in the Porcine Model.

Background: The extent of posttraumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) in the porcine anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection model is dependent on the surgical treatment selected. In a previous study, animals treated with bridge-enhanced ACL repair using a tissue-engineered implant developed less PTOA than those treated with ACL reconstruction (ACLR). Alterations in gait, including asymmetric weightbearing and shorter stance times, have been noted in clinical studies of subjects with osteoarthritis.

MADVent: A low-cost ventilator for patients with COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced critical shortages of ventilators worldwide. There is an unmet need for rapidly deployable, emergency-use ventilators with sufficient functionality to manage COVID-19 patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Here, we show the development and validation of a simple, portable and low-cost ventilator that may be rapidly manufactured with minimal susceptibility to supply chain disruptions.

Research productivity during orthopedic surgery residency correlates with pre-planned and protected research time: a survey of German-speaking countries.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify modifiable factors associated with research activity among residents working in orthopedic surgery and traumatology.

Methods: Residents at 796 university-affiliated hospitals in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland were invited to participate. The online survey consisted of questions that ascertained 13 modifiable and 17 non-modifiable factors associated with the residents' current research activities.

Evolutionary Selection and Constraint on Human Knee Chondrocyte Regulation Impacts Osteoarthritis Risk.

During human evolution, the knee adapted to the biomechanical demands of bipedalism by altering chondrocyte developmental programs. This adaptive process was likely not without deleterious consequences to health. Today, osteoarthritis occurs in 250 million people, with risk variants enriched in non-coding sequences near chondrocyte genes, loci that likely became optimized during knee evolution.

Proteolysis and cartilage development are activated in the synovium after surgical induction of post traumatic osteoarthritis.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection surgery in the minipig induces post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) in a pattern similar to that seen in human patients after ACL injury. Prior studies have reported the presence of cartilage matrix-degrading proteases, such as Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 4 (ADAMTS-4), in the synovial fluid of injured or arthritic joints; however, the tissue origin of these proteases is unknown. The objective of this study was to identify transcriptional processes activated in the synovium after surgical induction of PTOA with ACL transection, and to determine if processes associated with proteolysis were enriched in the synovium after ACL transection.

Effective repair of articular cartilage using human pluripotent stem cell-derived tissue.

In an effort to develop an effective source of clinically relevant cells and tissues for cartilage repair a directed differentiation method was used to generate articular chondrocytes and cartilage tissues from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). It has previously been demonstrated that chondrocytes derived from hESCs retain a stable cartilage-forming phenotype following subcutaneous implantation in mice. In this report, the potential of hESC-derived articular-like cartilage to repair osteochondral defects created in the rat trochlea was evaluated.

Cartilage Damage Is Related to ACL Stiffness in a Porcine Model of ACL Repair.

Inferior anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) structural properties may inadequately restrain tibiofemoral joint motion following surgery, contributing to the increased risk of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Using both a direct measure of ACL linear stiffness and an in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T *-based prediction model, we hypothesized that cartilage damage and ACL stiffness would increase over time, and that an inverse relationship between cartilage damage and ACL stiffness would emerge at a later stage of healing. After either 6, 12, or 24 weeks (w) of healing after ACL repair, ACL linear stiffness was determined from the force-displacement relationship during tensile testing ex vivo and predicted in vivo from the MRI T *-based multiple linear regression model in 24 Yucatan minipigs.

Timing of fatal BASE jumping incidents: 1981-2018.

BASE jumping, or fixed object parachuting, is a high-risk sport that has evolved significantly since its inception in the 1960s. Differences in parachute technology, teaching methods, jumping locations, practices, and popularity, among other factors, have qualitatively transformed the sport, particularly since 2000. The current study seeks to better understand how the rate of BASE jumping fatalities have changed as BASE jumping has grown.

Synovial fluid proteome changes in ACL injury-induced posttraumatic osteoarthritis: Proteomics analysis of porcine knee synovial fluid.

Surgical transection of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the porcine model leads to posttraumatic osteoarthritis if left untreated. However, a recently developed surgical treatment, bridge-enhanced ACL repair, prevents further cartilage damage. Since the synovial fluid bathes all the intrinsic structures of knee, we reasoned that a comparative analysis of synovial fluid protein contents could help to better understand the observed chondroprotective effects of the bridge-enhanced ACL repair.

Myxedema Ascites: An Unusual Presentation of Uncontrolled Hypothyroidism.

We describe a case of myxedema ascites in a 64-year-old male with a history of hypothyroidism noncompliant with medical therapy who presented with syncope, hematemesis, melena, and abdominal distension. The patient received intravenous levothyroxine with a good response and improved upon discharge. This case highlights the importance of considering hypothyroidism as an etiology of unexplained ascites.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Isolated from the Anterior Cruciate Ligament: Characterization and Comparison of Cells from Young and Old Donors.

Purpose: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) share multiple characteristics of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), allowing their use for regenerative therapies. Injuries to the ACL can affect people of all ages. This study assesses whether the regenerative potential of ACL-derived MSCs (ACL-MSCs) from old donors is as high as the potential of ACL-MSCs from young donors.

Transcriptional profiling of synovium in a porcine model of early post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

To determine the transcriptional profile of synovium during the molecular phase of post-traumatic osteoarthritis, anterior cruciate ligament transections (ACL) were performed in 36 Yucatan minipigs. Equal numbers were randomly assigned to no further treatment, ACL reconstruction or repair. Perimeniscal synovium for histopathology and RNA-sequencing was harvested at 1 and 4 weeks post-operatively and from six healthy control animals.

Magnetic resonance measurements of tissue quantity and quality using T * relaxometry predict temporal changes in the biomechanical properties of the healing ACL.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to develop a magnetic resonance T * relaxometry-based multiple linear regression model to predict the structural properties of the healing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) over a 24-week healing period following ACL repair in Yucatan minipigs. Two hypotheses were tested: (i) that a regression model based on ACL sub-volumes containing short and long T * relaxation times would outperform a competing model based on sub-volumes of short T * relaxation times only; and (ii) that an optimized regression model would be capable of predicting ACL structural properties between 6 and 24 weeks post-repair. ACLs were imaged in 24 minipigs (8/group) at either 6, 12, or 24 weeks after ACL repair.

Tales of diversity: Genomic and morphological characteristics of forty-six Arthrobacter phages.

The vast bacteriophage population harbors an immense reservoir of genetic information. Almost 2000 phage genomes have been sequenced from phages infecting hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria, and analysis of these genomes reveals substantial diversity, pervasive mosaicism, and novel mechanisms for phage replication and lysogeny. Here, we describe the isolation and genomic characterization of 46 phages from environmental samples at various geographic locations in the U.

Transcriptional profiling of articular cartilage in a porcine model of early post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

To identify the molecular pathophysiology present in early post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), the transcriptional profile of articular cartilage and its response to surgical PTOA induction were determined. Thirty six Yucatan minipigs underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) transection and were randomly assigned in equal numbers to no further treatment, reconstruction or ligament repair. Cartilage was harvested at 1 and 4 weeks post-operatively and histology and RNA-sequencing were performed and compared to controls.

Immediate Administration of Intraarticular Triamcinolone Acetonide After Joint Injury Modulates Molecular Outcomes Associated With Early Synovitis.

Objective: To test whether intraarticular corticosteroid injection mitigates injury-induced synovitis and collagen degradation after anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT) and to characterize the synovial response using a functional genomics approach in a preclinical model of posttraumatic osteoarthritis.

Methods: Yorkshire pigs underwent unilateral ACLT without subsequent corticosteroid injection (the ACLT group; n = 6) or ACLT with immediate injection of 20 mg triamcinolone acetonide (the steroid group; n = 6). A control group of pigs (the intact group; n = 6) did not undergo surgery.