Multi-niche human bone marrow on-a-chip for studying the interactions of adoptive CAR-T cell therapies with multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of bone marrow plasma cells, is the second-most common hematological malignancy. However, despite immunotherapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, relapse is nearly universal. The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment influences how MM cells survive, proliferate, and resist treatment.

Multi-Niche Human Bone Marrow On-A-Chip for Studying the Interactions of Adoptive CAR-T Cell Therapies with Multiple Myeloma.

Unlabelled: Multiple myeloma (MM), a cancer of bone marrow plasma cells, is the second-most common hematological malignancy. However, despite immunotherapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells, relapse is nearly universal. The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment influences how MM cells survive, proliferate, and resist treatment.

A Quantitative, Digital Method to Analyze Human Figure Drawings as a Tool to Assess Body Representations Distortions in Stroke Patients.

Objective: Human figure drawings are widely used in clinical practice as a qualitative indication of Body Representations (BRs) alterations in stroke patients. The objective of this study is to present and validate the use of a new app called QDraw for the quantitative analysis of drawings and to investigate whether this analysis can reveal distortions of BRs in chronic stroke patients.

Results: QDraw has proven to generate reliable data as compared to manual scoring and in terms of inter-rater reliability, as shown by the high correlation coefficients.

Islanded facial artery osteomyomucosal/osseous flap in head and neck reconstruction.

A local pedicled vascularized bone flap can prevent the morbidity and cost of free bone flap surgery in small segmental bone defects or long cartilaginous defects of the head and neck. Such flaps can also be useful in patients who are high risk for surgery. The periosteal vascularity of the mandible can be used to design islanded facial artery-based bone flaps, which can be utilized to that extent.

Facial artery-based islanded myomucosal and bone flaps in head and neck reconstruction.

This article aims to illustrate various applications of facial artery-based islanded myomucosal (iFAMM) and osseous/osteo-myomucosal flaps (iFOMM) in head and neck reconstruction. A retrospective analysis of 75 patients who underwent the reconstruction of various head and neck mucosal defects with iFAMM/iFOMM in a tertiary head and neck cancer department from May 2015 to May 2019 was performed. The patients had surgery for cancer, which involved the oral tongue, floor of mouth, oropharynx, lower alveolus, larynx, hypopharynx, cricopharynx and trachea.

The Red Reflex Exam: Highlighting the Importance of Physical Exam Maneuvers.

A pediatric well-child physical examination consists of various assessments that screen for common abnormalities during development. Checking the red reflex is one such assessment, with the absence of a red reflex indicating a potential ocular abnormality such as a retinoschisis. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians have guidelines that call for routine screening of the red reflex from infancy through adolescence.

Comparison of islanded facial artery myomucosal flap with fasciocutaneous free flaps in the reconstruction of lateral oral tongue defects.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the islanded facial artery myomucosal flap (iFAMM) is a good alternative to fasciocutaneous free flaps (FCFF) in the reconstruction of lateral oral tongue defects. This was a retrospective study of 40 patients with oral tongue cancers (lateral lesions not >4 cm) operated on between August 2014 and March 2017, who underwent primary reconstruction with either an iFAMM or FCFF. The two groups were compared with respect to intraoperative time, total intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, complications, speech, swallowing, aesthetics, donor site morbidity, and economic feasibility.

Endoscope-assisted conservative resection and reconstruction in recurrent subglottic carcinoma.

Background: Very few cases of conservative laryngectomy in recurrent carcinoma of subglottis postradiotherapy have been reported. Technical aspects of conservative resection and reconstruction in subglottic carcinoma have not been well described.

Methods: Herein, we present a case of recurrent carcinoma of subglottis for which conservative resection with adequate margins was done with endoscope assistance and defect reconstructed by buccal mucosa, conchal cartilage, and temporoparietal free flap.

Redesigning existing transcranial magnetic stimulation coils to reduce energy: application to low field magnetic stimulation.

Objective: To present a systematic framework and exemplar for the development of a compact and energy-efficient coil that replicates the electric field (E-field) distribution induced by an existing transcranial magnetic stimulation coil.

Approach: The E-field generated by a conventional low field magnetic stimulation (LFMS) coil was measured for a spherical head model and simulated in both spherical and realistic head models. Then, using a spherical head model and spatial harmonic decomposition, a spherical-shaped cap coil was synthesized such that its windings conformed to a spherical surface and replicated the E-field on the cortical surface while requiring less energy.

A Comparative Study of High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Metabolic Variables in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with and without Nephropathy.

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is a serious chronic complication of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) which impairs the quality of life, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. The high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an acute phase reactant which acts as a non-specific systemic marker of inflammation.

Aim: To find out the relationship between serum hs-CRP and metabolic variables in Type 2 diabetic patients with and without nephropathy.

Field Distribution of Transcranial Static Magnetic Stimulation in Realistic Human Head Model.

Objective: The objective of this work was to characterize the magnetic field (B-field) that arises in a human brain model from the application of transcranial static magnetic field stimulation (tSMS).

Materials And Methods: The spatial distribution of the B-field magnitude and gradient of a cylindrical, 5.08 cm × 2.

Monte Carlo simulations of randomized clinical trials in epilepsy.

Background: The placebo response in epilepsy randomized clinical trials (RCTs) has recently been shown to largely reflect underlying natural variability in seizure frequency. Based on this observation, we sought to explore the parameter space of RCT design to optimize trial efficiency and cost.

Methods: We used one of the world's largest patient reported seizure diary databases, SeizureTracker.

Simulating Clinical Trials With and Without Intracranial EEG Data.

Objective: It is currently unknown if knowledge of clinically silent (electrographic) seizures improves the statistical efficiency of clinical trials.

Methods: Using data obtained from 10 patients with chronically implanted subdural electrodes over an average of 1 year, a Monte Carlo bootstrapping simulation study was performed to estimate the statistical power of running a clinical trial based on A) patient reported seizures with intracranial EEG (icEEG) confirmation, B) all patient reported events, or C) all icEEG confirmed seizures. A "drug" was modeled as having 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% efficacy in 1000 simulated trials each.

A big data approach to the development of mixed-effects models for seizure count data.

Objective: Our objective was to develop a generalized linear mixed model for predicting seizure count that is useful in the design and analysis of clinical trials. This model also may benefit the design and interpretation of seizure-recording paradigms. Most existing seizure count models do not include children, and there is currently no consensus regarding the most suitable model that can be applied to children and adults.

Reverse peroneal artery flap for large defects of ankle and foot: A reliable reconstructive technique.

Background: Large soft tissue defects around the lower third of the leg, ankle and foot always have been challenging to reconstruct. Reverse sural flaps have been used for this problem with variable success. Free tissue transfer has revolutionised management of these problem wounds in selected cases.

Salvage of foot with extensive giant cell tumour with transfer of vascularised fibular bone graft.

Though giant cell tumor is not uncommon in young adults, simultaneous involvement of multiple mid-foot bones is very uncommon and very difficult to treat. For reconstruction of large segmental bony defects following tumour excision, free vascularized bone graft is an excellent surgical option. We report a case with extensive involvement of all the tarsal bones and metatarsal bases in a young adult.