Randomized Controlled Trials Assessing Continuous Outcomes for the Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Knee Osteoarthritis Are Statistically Fragile: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: To assess the statistical fragility of randomized controlled trials that assess the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and report a continuous primary outcome measure with statistical significance.

Methods: A systematic electronic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane database was performed on August 10, 2024. All randomized controlled trials addressing the use of PRP for the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were included that reported statistically significant primary continuous outcomes.

Machine-learning-based integrative -'omics analyses reveal immunologic and metabolic dysregulation in environmental enteric dysfunction.

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a subclinical enteropathy challenging to diagnose due to an overlap of tissue features with other inflammatory enteropathies. EED subjects ( = 52) from Pakistan, controls ( = 25), and a validation EED cohort ( = 30) from Zambia were used to develop a machine-learning-based image analysis classification model. We extracted histologic feature representations from the Pakistan EED model and correlated them to transcriptomics and clinical biomarkers.

Roussy-Lévy Syndrome: Pes Cavus, Tendon Areflexia, Amyotrophy, Gait Ataxia, and Upper Limb Tremor in a Patient with CMT Neuropathy.

Background: Roussy-Lévy syndrome (RLS) is characterized by postural hand tremor seen in patients with familial autosomal dominant Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy.

Phenomenology Shown: This video demonstrates irregular, jerky bilateral kinetic, postural, rest tremor affecting the right > left hand, along with pes cavus and gait ataxia in a patient with CMT disease.

Educational Value: Pes cavus, tendon areflexia, sensory ataxia, and upper limb tremor should prompt consideration of CMT neuropathy.

Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia: a case report.

Introduction And Importance: Pneumocystis jirovecii (PJP) pneumonia is a serious life-threatening condition in immunocompromised individuals and is often associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) + patients. We describe a case of PJP pneumonia which provided a diagnostic challenge in a patient who presented with no known risk factors leading to a delay in initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy.

Case Presentation: A 71-year-old previously healthy white/Caucasian male presented with subacute hypoxic respiratory failure due to multifocal pneumonia with diffuse bilateral ground glass opacities with consolidations despite prior treatment with antibiotics and steroids.

Resistance Training in Patients After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Background: Resistance training has been consistently shown to have multiple health benefits, especially for patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. Patients who have undergone bariatric surgery are recommended to participate in resistance exercise; however, protocols and guidelines for resistance training remain poorly implemented.

Objective: This is a protocol for a systematic review and possibly a meta-analysis that will synthesize evidence of the effects of resistance exercise on changes in body composition, muscular strength, overall weight loss or maintenance of weight loss, and quality of life in patients after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS).

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy without overt immunosuppression.

Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a central nervous system disease caused by the human polyomavirus 2 that usually occurs in a setting of immunodeficiency. PML without overt immunosuppression is considered a rare occurrence but has been described in multiple previous case reports and series. Its prevalence, overall frequency, and prognosis are largely unknown.

Standard clinical and imaging-based small vessel disease parameters associated with mild stroke versus non-mild stroke.

Background: Mild stroke has variable outcomes, and there is an ongoing debate regarding whether the administration of thrombolytics improves outcomes in this subgroup of stroke patients. Having a better understanding of the features of mild stroke may help identify patients who are at risk of poor outcomes.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of clinical and imaging-based small vessel disease features (white matter hyperintensities and cerebral microbleeds) with stroke severity and clinical outcomes in patients with mild stroke.

A 40-Year-Old Woman With COVID-19 and Bilateral Vision Loss.

Mucormycosis is a fast-spreading angioinvasive fungal infection with a very high mortality rate. It is associated with immunodeficiency, diabetes mellitus, iron overload, stem cell transplantation and the use of steroids. As cultures and histopathological biopsy may have low yield in invasive fungal infections, new generation sequencing of cfDNA (cell free deoxyribonucleic acid) has become a cornerstone for diagnosis.

Rituximab in Refractory Myositis and Acute Neuropathy Secondary to Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy.

Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies have been one of the latest advances through the last decade in the treatment of various cancers. As their use is increasing so is the knowledge of their complications which can affect various organ systems including the central and peripheral nervous systems. Management of these complications requires stopping the offending agent and in some cases treating with immunosuppressive agents like intravenous steroids.

PrecisionFDA Truth Challenge V2: Calling variants from short and long reads in difficult-to-map regions.

The precisionFDA Truth Challenge V2 aimed to assess the state of the art of variant calling in challenging genomic regions. Starting with FASTQs, 20 challenge participants applied their variant-calling pipelines and submitted 64 variant call sets for one or more sequencing technologies (Illumina, PacBio HiFi, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies). Submissions were evaluated following best practices for benchmarking small variants with updated Genome in a Bottle benchmark sets and genome stratifications.

Management of Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Following Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus.

Herpes zoster opthalmicus (HZO) is the reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus (VZV) within the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal ganglion (V1). Common complications are postherpetic neuralgia and vasculopathy. Here, we report a rare case of a 47-year-old female presenting with HZO and aseptic cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST).

Current trends in U.S. general surgery practice consolidation.

Background: Consolidation of physician practices is well-documented in recent years, yet minimal data exist regarding consolidation in general surgery. This study evaluates current trends in general surgery practice consolidation.

Methods: Data were obtained through the CMS Physician Compare database.

P022 Biologic Therapy and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients with concomitant PSC-IBD are at higher risk for IBD-related complications including dysplasia and malignancy, however the typical clinical IBD course is less severe. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of biologic use and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in a cohort of PSC-IBD patients.

Nonepileptic, Stereotypical, and Intermittent Symptoms After Subdural Hematoma Evacuation.

Transient neurological deficits can occur in the setting of subdural hemorrhages with subsequent unremarkable electrodiagnostic and radiological evaluation. This scenario is rare and can be difficult for physicians to interpret. These transient neurological deficits are thought to result from relative ischemia, secondary to a lesser-known concept known as cortical spreading depolarization.

Clinical and Imaging Features Associated with the Utilization of Comfort Measures Only in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Up to 10% of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients can die in the first 30 days. Older age and a higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score are associated with transition to comfort measures only (CMO) in AIS. There are insufficient data on specific stroke etiology, infarct location, or vascular territory for the association of AIS with the use of CMO.

Hypertrophic lichen planus of the vulva - A missed diagnosis.

Lichen planus (LP) is an inflammatory dermatosis which can affect the skin, nails, and all mucous membranes, including the genitalia. Lichen planus on vulvar keratinized skin can manifest with diverse clinical features, probably due to higher temperature, PH, humidity, and bacterial flora which may modify typical cutaneous features. While lichen planus (LP) may affect the vulva in isolation, it may also be part of generalized outbreak in up to 20% cases.

Burden and trends of arrhythmias in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and its impact of mortality and resource utilization.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) accounts for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Arrhythmias are considered the main cause of mortality, however, there is paucity of data relating to trends of arrhythmia and associated outcomes in HCM patients.

Methods: Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2003 to 2014 was analyzed.