Evaluating the Accuracy and Efficiency of Imaging Modalities in Guiding Ablation for Metastatic Spinal Column Tumors: A Systematic Review.

Background/objectives: Spinal metastases are a frequent and serious complication in cancer patients, often causing severe pain, instability, and neurological deficits. Thermal ablation techniques such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), microwave ablation (MWA), and cryoablation (CA) have emerged as minimally invasive treatments. These techniques rely on precise imaging guidance to effectively target lesions while minimizing complications.

Minimum 10-year follow-up after open reduction and internal fixation of radial head fractures Mason type II and III.

Background: The treatment of complex radial head fractures remains controversial with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), radial head arthroplasty, and radial head excision being the most common treatment options. While ORIF is the preferred treatment strategy for Mason type II fractures, the optimal treatment of Mason type III fractures is debated. The purpose of this study was to report minimum 10-year outcomes after ORIF of Mason type II and type III radial head fractures.

The effect of number of knots per throw, knot technique, and suture type on strength properties of suspensory fixation button surgical procedures.

Background: Previous studies of the cortical suspensory button (CSB) implant have analyzed fixation strength as a function of suture type and surgical technique, but knot configuration remains an area of interest. This study investigates 4-strand knot configurations in CSB suspensory fixation, specifically comparing the use of 2 separate knots with a single knot. We hypothesize that using 2 knots on the distal side of the CSB with #2 suture will yield the strongest and stiffest suspensory fixation.

Identification of potential pharmacological chaperones that selectively stabilize mutated Aspartoacylases in Canavan disease.

Canavan disease is caused by mutations in the ASPA gene, leading to diminished catalytic activity of aspartoacylase in the brain. Clinical missense mutations are found throughout the enzyme structure, with many of these mutated enzymes having not only decreased activity but also compromised stability. High-throughput screening of a small molecule library has identified several compounds that significantly increase the thermal stability of the E285A mutant enzyme, the most predominant clinical mutation in Canavan disease, while having a negligible effect on the native enzyme.

High rate of potentially inappropriate medication use in older people: a case-control study.

Annually, 172 million fall events cause temporary or permanent impairment in older adults, and this number is increasing. Contributing factors that increase the risk for falls include age, polypharmacy, and malnutrition. This study evaluated medications mainly included in the EU(7)-PIM (potentially inappropriate medication) list.

From Detection to Decision: How STIR Sequence MRI Influences Treatment Strategies for Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) significantly impair quality of life. This study evaluates the impact of STIR sequence MR imaging on clinical decision-making for treating OVFs, mainly focusing on how MRI findings influence treatment modifications compared to those based solely on CT scans. This retrospective analysis reviewed cases from the Manninger Jenő National Traumatology Institute over ten years, where patients with suspected OVFs underwent CT and STIR sequence MR imaging.

Treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients with Cervical Spinal Injury with Anterior Single-Stage Fixation with Bone Cement Augmentation.

Cervical spine fractures in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are characterized as highly unstable fractures posing an elevated risk of neurological deficit and a significantly elevated mortality rate. This study assesses the efficacy and safety of single-stage plate stabilization with ventral cement augmentation in treating subaxial cervical spine fractures in patients with AS. Over 86 months, 38 patients diagnosed with AS received ventral plate stabilization with cement augmentation after suffering unstable subaxial cervical fractures.

Not first-line antihypertensive agents, but still effective-The efficacy and safety of imidazoline receptor agonists: A network meta-analysis.

Cardiovascular disorders are the leading cause of death in the world. Many organ diseases (kidney, heart, and brain) are substantially more prone to develop in people with hypertension. In the treatment of hypertension, first-line medications are recommended, while imidazoline receptor agonists are not first-line antihypertensives.

Evaluation of medication safety assessment tools for pharmacist-led medication reviews: the Eastern European pilot project.

Pharmacist-led medication reviews (MR) are one of the key methods to support medication safety in polypharmacy patients. The aims of this study were to pilot MRs in Eastern European community pharmacies, describe medication use in polypharmacy patients, and evaluate the usability of medication safety assessment tools. The MR pilot was undertaken in Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Permanent neonatal diabetes-causing insulin mutations have dominant negative effects on beta cell identity.

Objective: Heterozygous coding sequence mutations of the INS gene are a cause of permanent neonatal diabetes (PNDM), requiring insulin therapy similar to T1D. While the negative effects on insulin processing and secretion are known, how dominant insulin mutations result in a continued decline of beta cell function after birth is not well understood.

Methods: We explored the causes of beta cell failure in two PNDM patients with two distinct INS mutations using patient-derived iPSCs and mutated hESCs.

Multi-failure psoriasis patients: characterization of the patients and response to biological therapy in a multicenter Italian cohort.

Introduction: Patients with psoriasis who have failed multiple biologic drugs have been defined as "multi-failure," although there are no clear data on the characteristics, comorbidities, and best treatment strategies for this population. Nowadays, given the next generation and the number of biologics available, patients are considered multi-failure when ≥4 biologics fail to achieve a good response.

Methods: Demographic characteristics and efficacy of anti-interleukin drugs in multi-failure patients were compared to a cohort of general psoriatic patients treated with IL-23 or IL-17 inhibitors.

A growth-based assay using fluorescent protein emission to screen for S-adenosylmethionine synthetase inhibitors.

The use of cell growth-based assays to identify inhibitory compounds is straightforward and inexpensive, but is also inherently insensitive and somewhat nonspecific. To overcome these limitations and develop a sensitive, specific cell-based assay, two different approaches were combined. To address the sensitivity limitation, different fluorescent proteins have been introduced into a bacterial expression system to serve as growth reporters.

Permanent Neonatal diabetes-causing Insulin mutations have dominant negative effects on beta cell identity.

Heterozygous coding sequence mutations of the gene are a cause of permanent neonatal diabetes (PNDM) that results from beta cell failure. We explored the causes of beta cell failure in two PNDM patients with two distinct mutations. Using b and mutated hESCs, we detected accumulation of misfolded proinsulin and impaired proinsulin processing , and a dominant-negative effect of these mutations on the in vivo performance of patient-derived SC-beta cells after transplantation into NSG mice.

Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) Reconstruction With Proximal Single-Tunnel Suspensory Fixation.

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction of the medial elbow is considered to be the gold standard for treating valgus instability seen in overhead throwing athletes. The first UCL construction was performed by Frank Jobe in 1974, and this procedure has evolved over time to include multiple techniques that improved the biomechanical strength of the graft fixation and maximize the rate of return to athletic competition for these patients. The most common UCL-reconstruction technique used today is the docking technique.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ambulatory Care Antibiotic Use in Hungary: A Population-Based Observational Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions have potentially impacted the use of antibiotics. We aimed to analyze the use of systemic antibiotics (J01) in ambulatory care in Hungary during two pandemic years, to compare it with pre-COVID levels (January 2015-December 2019), and to describe trends based on monthly utilization. Our main findings were that during the studied COVID-19 pandemic period, compared to the pre-COVID level, an impressive 23.

[Deprescribing: an essential part of rational pharmacotherapy].

Deprescribing is a planned, systematic process supervised by a healthcare professional. It is considered to be a fundamental part of good prescribing. Deprescribing can be defined as the complete withdrawal of medications as well as dose reduction.

Biomechanical comparison of ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction with single-tunnel proximal suspensory fixation versus modified docking technique.

Background: Despite technical advancement, elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction is a challenging procedure due to the limitations regarding the challenging tunnel placement and potential injury to the ulnar nerve. Furthermore, current techniques for reconstruction and repair are inferior functionally and biomechanically when compared to native UCL tissue. A modified docking technique using a single-tunnel proximal suspensory fixation may reduce complications and potentially provide a technique for UCL reconstruction that is biomechanically superior.

Lightweight Gas Sensor Based on MEMS Pre-Concentration and Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy Inside a Hollow Fiber.

This paper reports on a compact and lightweight sensor for analysis of gases/vapors by means of a MEMS-based pre-concentrator coupled to a miniaturized infrared absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) module. The pre-concentrator was utilized to sample and trap vapors in a MEMS cartridge filled with sorbent material and to release them once concentrated by fast thermal desorption. It was also equipped with a photoionization detector for in-line detection and monitoring of the sampled concentration.

Compact GC-QEPAS for On-Site Analysis of Chemical Threats.

This paper reports on a compact, portable, and selective chemical sensor for hazardous vapors at trace levels, which is under development and validation within the EU project H2020 "RISEN". Starting from the prototype developed for a previous EU project, here, we implemented an updated two-stage purge and trap vapor pre-concentration system, a more compact MEMS- based fast gas-chromatographic separation module (Compact-GC), a new miniaturized quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) detector, and a new compact laser source. The system provides two-dimensional selectivity combining GC retention time and QEPAS spectral information and was specifically designed to be rugged, portable, suitable for on-site analysis of a crime scene, with accurate response in few minutes and in the presence of strong chemical background.

Dual-Acting Peptides Target EZH2 and AR: A New Paradigm for Effective Treatment of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer starts as a treatable hormone-dependent disease, but often ends in a drug-resistant form called castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Despite the development of the antiandrogens enzalutamide and abiraterone for CRPC, which target the androgen receptor (AR), drug resistance usually develops within 6 months and metastatic CRPC (mCRPC) leads to lethality. EZH2, found with SUZ12, EED, and RbAP48 in Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), has emerged as an alternative target for the treatment of deadly mCRPC.

Additively Manufactured Detection Module with Integrated Tuning Fork for Enhanced Photo-Acoustic Spectroscopy.

Starting from Quartz-Enhanced Photo-Acoustic Spectroscopy (QEPAS), we have explored the potential of a tightly linked method of gas/vapor sensing, from now on referred to as Tuning-Fork-Enhanced Photo-Acoustic Spectroscopy (TFEPAS). TFEPAS utilizes a non-piezoelectric metal or dielectric tuning fork to transduce the photoacoustic excitation and an optical interferometric readout to measure the amplitude of the tuning fork vibration. In particular, we have devised a solution based on Additive Manufacturing (AM) for the Absorption Detection Module (ADM).