Cardiopulmonary Impact of the Minimally Invasive Repair of Pectus Excavatum in Pediatric patients: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Introduction: The physiologic benefits of the minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) on cardiopulmonary function are poorly understood in pediatrics. We sought to examine the effects of MIRPE on exercise response during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).

Methods: A prospective-pilot study was conduct of patients ≤18 years who presented for pectus bar removal.

A narrative clinical trials review in the realm of focal therapy for localized prostate cancer.

Background And Objective: The role of focal therapy in the treatment of localized prostate cancer is evolving. However, despite accumulating evidence, current guidelines and regulatory bodies refrain from endorsing focal therapy outside of clinical trials. Our goal was the to review the focal therapy realm for ongoing clinical trials and high impact recently published trials.

Activation of α2B/2C adrenergic receptor ameliorates ocular surface inflammation through enhancing regulatory T cell function.

There is an unmet need for effectively treating dry eye disease (DED), a T cell-mediated chronic, inflammatory ocular surface disorder. Given the potential of nonneuronal adrenergic system in modulating T cell response, we herein investigated the therapeutic efficacy and the underlying mechanisms of a specific alpha 2 adrenergic receptor agonist (AGN-762, selective for α2B/2C receptor subtypes) in a mouse model of DED. Experimental DED was treated with the AGN-762 by oral gavage, either at disease induction or after disease establishment, and showed sustained amelioration, along with reduced expression of DED-pathogenic cytokines in ocular surface tissues, decreased corneal MHC-IICD11b cells and lymphoid Th17 cells, and higher function of regulatory T cells (Treg).

Necrotizing fasciitis: treatment concepts & clinical outcomes - an institutional experience.

Background: A severe infection of the skin and soft tissues, Necrotizing Fasciitis (NF), spreads quickly along the deep fascia. This study aimed to characterize the clinicopathological features, analyze the implicated bacteria's antibiotic sensitivity, evaluate surgical management, and assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) score in Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection (NST).

Methods: This single-center prospective observational study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, with 171 proven cases of NSTI between 2019 and 2021.

Inhibition of mast cell degranulation by novel small molecule MRGPRX2 antagonists.

Background: Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) is a promiscuous receptor on mast cells that mediates IgE-independent degranulation and has been implicated in multiple mast cell-mediated disorders, including chronic urticaria, atopic dermatitis, and pain disorders. Although it is a promising therapeutic target, few potent, selective, small molecule antagonists have been identified, and functional effects of human MRGPRX2 inhibition have not been evaluated in vivo.

Objective: We sought to identify and characterize novel, potent, and selective orally active small molecule MRGPRX2 antagonists for potential treatment of mast cell-mediated disease.

Augmenting Telepostpartum Care With Vision-Based Detection of Breastfeeding-Related Conditions: Algorithm Development and Validation.

Background: Breastfeeding benefits both the mother and infant and is a topic of attention in public health. After childbirth, untreated medical conditions or lack of support lead many mothers to discontinue breastfeeding. For instance, nipple damage and mastitis affect 80% and 20% of US mothers, respectively.

Five million nights: temporal dynamics in human sleep phenotypes.

Sleep monitoring has become widespread with the rise of affordable wearable devices. However, converting sleep data into actionable change remains challenging as diverse factors can cause combinations of sleep parameters to differ both between people and within people over time. Researchers have attempted to combine sleep parameters to improve detecting similarities between nights of sleep.

A Potpourri of Trichoscopic Findings: Unique Presentation of Hyperthyroidism-Induced Hair Changes.

Hyperthyroidism is known to cause thin, brittle hair, and premature graying. Hair shaft abnormalities in hyperthyroidism have not been described in the literature. A visible and microscopic change in the hair shaft due to cosmetic procedures and environmental factors is known as hair weathering.

Preoperative Metal Allergy Testing for Pectus Excavatum Repair Does Not Effectively Identify Patients Who Develop Metal bar Allergy.

Background: Metal allergy following placement of a metal pectus bar for minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE) is a rare complication with potentially significant morbidity. There is no consensus regarding preoperative metal allergy testing (MAT). This study aims to assess incidence of metal allergy and titanium bar use in tested and untested patients and trends in MAT with different approaches to MAT.

Variability of temperature measurements recorded by a wearable device by biological sex.

Background: Females have been historically excluded from biomedical research due in part to the documented presumption that results with male subjects will generalize effectively to females. This has been justified in part by the assumption that ovarian rhythms will increase the overall variance of pooled random samples. But not all variance in samples is random.

Dynamic evaluation of blood immune cells predictive of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC by multicolor spectrum flow cytometry.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) only benefit a subset of cancer patients, underlining the need for predictive biomarkers for patient selection. Given the limitations of tumor tissue availability, flow cytometry of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) is considered a noninvasive method for immune monitoring. This study explores the use of spectrum flow cytometry, which allows a more comprehensive analysis of a greater number of markers using fewer immune cells, to identify potential blood immune biomarkers and monitor ICI treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

The Brain Overwork Scale: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study on the Psychometric Properties of a New 10-Item Scale to Assess Mental Distress in Mongolia.

Identifying mental distress is a complex task, particularly when individuals experience physical symptoms. Traditional self-report questionnaires that detect psychiatric symptoms using emotional words may not work for these individuals. Consequently, there is a need for a screening tool that can identify both the physical and mental symptoms of mental distress in individuals without a clinical diagnosis.

Performance evaluation of the PennPET explorer with expanded axial coverage.

This work evaluated the updated PennPET Explorer total-body (TB) PET scanner, which was extended to 6 rings with updated readout firmware to achieve a 142 cm axial field of view (AFOV) without 7.6 cm inter-ring axial gaps.National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2018 measurements were performed with modifications including longer phantoms for sensitivity and count-rate measurements and additional positions for spatial resolution and image quality.

Prevalence of dyspnoea and usage of opioids in managing dyspnoea in advanced cancer patients: a longitudinal observational multi-centre study from India.

Context: Breathlessness is one of the devastating symptoms experienced by patients with advanced cancer and can be very challenging to manage.

Objectives: To find the point prevalence of dyspnoea in advanced cancer patients presenting to palliative care out-patient clinics, and the usage of opioids in palliation of dyspnoea.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study among all consecutive patients presenting to the outpatient clinics of six cancer centres in India from different parts of the country.

Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Apremilast in the Management of Lichen Planus.

Introduction: Lichen planus is a chronic disease with often disappointing and less than optimal treatment options. Apremilast modulates inflammatory signalling pathways which play a central role in the pathogenesis of lichen planus, thus making it useful in the management of such patients.

Materials And Methods: The present study was an investigator-initiated, single-centre, non-randomized, open-label, pilot study of the efficacy and safety of Apremilast in the treatment of lichen planus.