Anatomical Variation of Abdominal Wall Musculature: An Objective Assessment Using Cross-Sectional Imaging.

To determine normal anatomical variation of abdominal wall musculature. A retrospective analysis of CT scans was performed on adults (>18 years) with normal abdominal wall muscles. Two radiologists analysed the images independently.

Validation of a Novel Mobile Application for Assessing Pediatric Tracheostomy Emergency Simulations.

Objective: Pediatric tracheostomy is associated with high morbidity and mortality, yet clinician knowledge and quality of tracheostomy care may vary widely. In situ simulation is effective at detecting and mitigating related latent safety threats, but evaluation via retrospective video review has disadvantages (eg, delayed analysis, and potential data loss). We evaluated whether a novel mobile application is accurate and reliable for assessment of in situ tracheostomy emergency simulations.

SARS-CoV-2 wastewater variant surveillance: pandemic response leveraging FDA's GenomeTrakr network.

Unlabelled: Wastewater surveillance has emerged as a crucial public health tool for population-level pathogen surveillance. Supported by funding from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the FDA's genomic epidemiology program, GenomeTrakr, was leveraged to sequence SARS-CoV-2 from wastewater sites across the United States. This initiative required the evaluation, optimization, development, and publication of new methods and analytical tools spanning sample collection through variant analyses.

Convergent Adaptation of True Crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) to a Gradient of Terrestrial Environments.

For much of terrestrial biodiversity, the evolutionary pathways of adaptation from marine ancestors are poorly understood and have usually been viewed as a binary trait. True crabs, the decapod crustacean infraorder Brachyura, comprise over 7600 species representing a striking diversity of morphology and ecology, including repeated adaptation to non-marine habitats. Here, we reconstruct the evolutionary history of Brachyura using new and published sequences of 10 genes for 344 tips spanning 88 of 109 brachyuran families.

bettercallsal: better calling of serotypes from enrichment cultures using shotgun metagenomic profiling and its application in an outbreak setting.

Most current subtyping analyses rely on whole genome sequencing (WGS), which focuses on the high-resolution analysis of single genomes or multiple single genomes from the isolated colonies on microbiological agar plates. In this study, we introduce bioinformatics innovations for a metagenomic outbreak response workflow that accurately identifies multiple serovars at the same time. bettercallsal is one of the first analysis tools to identify multiple serotypes from metagenomic or quasi-metagenomic datasets with high accuracy, allowing these isolate-independent methods to be incorporated into surveillance and root cause investigations.

Optimal cancer care pathways - the ideal versus reality for patient-centric cancer care during COVID-19.

Objectives To assess whether compliance with the nationally endorsed Optimal Care Pathways is evident in 75% of patients treated with curative intent treatment and if this compliance was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic (hereinafter COVID-19). Methods This retrospective study included patients undergoing curative treatment with radiotherapy in head and neck (HN), breast, lung and gastrointestinal malignancies between January 2019 and June 2021 in a single NSW outer metropolitan cancer service. For care delivered within the remit of cancer services, the primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients whose treatment complied with the Optimal Care Pathways recommended time frame.

Asymmetric Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Pediatric Vestibular Migraine.

Objective: Although ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP) abnormalities have been associated with vestibular migraine (VM) in adults, no studies have evaluated this in pediatric patients with VM. oVEMP asymmetry with normal cervical VEMP (cVEMP) findings may be a reliable VM biomarker in adults. We characterize VEMP results among pediatric patients with VM and benign recurrent vertigo of childhood (BRVC), a migraine precursor, and compare these results with VEMP findings from pediatric patients with nonmigrainous vestibular diagnoses.

Using low-coverage whole genome sequencing (genome skimming) to delineate three introgressed species of buffalofish (Ictiobus).

Consumption of buffalofish has been sporadically associated with Haff disease-like illnesses involving sudden onset muscle pain and weakness due to skeletal muscle rhabdomyolysis, but determination of precisely which species are associated with these illnesses has been impeded by a lack of species-specific DNA-based markers. Here, three closely related species of buffalofish native to the Mississippi River Basin (Ictiobus bubalus, Ictiobus cyprinellus and Ictiobus niger) that have previously proven genetically indistinguishable using both mitochondrial and nuclear single-locus sequencing were reliably discriminated using low-coverage whole genome sequencing ('genome skimming'). Using 44 specimens representing the three species collected from the mid/upper (Missouri) and lower (Louisiana) regions of the species' native ranges, the SISRS (Site Identification from Short Read Sequences) bioinformatics pipeline was adapted to (1) identify over 620Mbp of putatively homologous nuclear sequence data and (2) isolate over 140,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that supported accurate species delimitation, all without the use of a reference genome or annotation data.

Allopatric mosaics in the Indo-West Pacific crab subfamily Chlorodiellinae reveal correlated patterns of sympatry, genetic divergence, and genitalic disparity.

Molecular studies have revealed that many species once thought to be wide-ranging in the Indo-West Pacific contain allopatric mosaics of endemic lineages. These lineages provide compelling evidence that substantial time is needed to evolve isolating mechanisms sufficient to permit successful secondary sympatry, and that divergence is initiated in allopatry. In this context, questions arise regarding the nature, timing, and origin of isolating mechanisms that permit secondary sympatry.

Establishing Peer Consensus About the Use of Long-Term Biosynthetic Absorbable Mesh for Hernia (Grades 2-3) as the Standard of Care.

Background: Standard synthetic and biologic meshes, often used in hernia repair, have commonly been used and each have their strengths but associated drawbacks. Long-term biosynthetic absorbable (LTBA) mesh has been developed to combine the strengths of synthetic and biologic meshes without the associated weaknesses. As a newer type of mesh, the supporting evidence base is still growing, and their optimum use has yet to be defined.

Assembly and Use of a Microfluidic Device to Study Nuclear Mechanobiology During Confined Migration.

Cancer metastasis, that is, the spreading of tumor cells from the primary tumor to distant sites, requires cancer cells to travel through pores substantially smaller than their cross section . This "confined migration" requires substantial deformation by the relatively large and rigid nucleus, which can impact nuclear compartmentalization, trigger cellular mechanotransduction pathways, and increase genomic instability. To improve our understanding of how cells perform and respond to confined migration, we developed polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices in which cells migrate through a precisely controlled "field of pillars" that closely mimic the intermittent confinement of tumor microenvironments and interstitial spaces.

Are preoperative CT variables associated with the success or failure of subsequent ventral hernia repair: nested case-control study.

Objectives: Systematic review of CT measurements to predict the success or failure of subsequent ventral hernia repair has found limited data available in the indexed literature. To rectify this, we investigated multiple preoperative CT metrics to identify if any were associated with postoperative reherniation.

Methods: Following ethical permission, we identified patients who had undergone ventral hernia repair and had preoperative CT scanning available.

A Systematic Review Examining the Experimental Methodology Behind In Vivo Testing of Hiatus Hernia and Diaphragmatic Hernia Mesh.

Introduction: Mesh implants are regularly used to help repair both hiatus hernias (HH) and diaphragmatic hernias (DH). In vivo studies are used to test not only mesh safety, but increasingly comparative efficacy. Our work examines the field of in vivo mesh testing for HH and DH models to establish current practices and standards.

The Use of Botulinum Toxin in Complex Hernia Surgery: Achieving a Sense of Closure.

Abdominal wall surgeons have developed a host of tools to help facilitate fascial closure. Botulinum toxin A is one of the most recently identified treatments and has grown in popularity over recent years; showing great promise in a number of case series and cohort studies. The toxin paralyses lateral abdominal wall muscles in order to increase laxity of the tissues-facilitating medialisation of the rectus muscles.

Perceptions of cigarettes and e-cigarettes: does health literacy matter?

Objective: This study assessed the relationship between health literacy, perceptions of traditional and electronic cigarettes, and smoking status among college students.

Participants: Participants ( = 150; = 20.41 years, 3.

Perioperative optimization in complex abdominal wall hernias: Delphi consensus statement.

Background: The incidence of incisional hernia after major abdominal surgery via a midline laparotomy is 20-41 per cent with short-term follow-up, and over 50 per cent in those surviving an abdominal catastrophe. Abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) requires complex operations, often involving mesh resection, management of scarred skin, fistula takedown, component separation or flap reconstruction. Patients tend to have more complex conditions, with multiple co-morbidities predisposing them to a vicious cycle of complications and, subsequently, hernia recurrence.

Kidney Transplant Cortical Necrosis Observed During Pelvic Radiation Therapy.

A 61 year-old female kidney transplant recipient developed radiologic and biopsy-confirmed cortical necrosis in her transplant with elevated serum creatinine levels during concurrent chemoradiation therapy for anal squamous cell carcinoma. Acute anatomic and pathologic changes within a transplanted kidney during chemoradiation therapy have not been described previously in the literature. Further research is required to ascertain the potential significance and long-term clinical consequences of such findings.

Contemporary imaging of rectus diastasis and the abdominal wall.

Diastasis of the rectus abdominis muscles (rectus diastasis, RD) is common, particularly in postpartum women. Although imaging is not always mandatory for assessment, several cross-sectional imaging techniques, in particular ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can depict the abdominal wall in exquisite detail. They permit simultaneous assessment of the degree and craniocaudal extent of RD, evaluation for co-existent hernia and subjective judgement of muscle quality.

Reporting guideline for interventional trials of primary and incisional ventral hernia repair.

Background: Primary and incisional ventral hernia trials collect unstandardized inconsistent data, limiting data interpretation and comparison. This study aimed to create two minimum data sets for primary and incisional ventral hernia interventional trials to standardize data collection and improve trial comparison. To support these data sets, standardized patient-reported outcome measures and trial methodology criteria were created.

Slowly resorbable biosynthetic mesh: 2-year results in VHWG grade 3 hernia repair.

Introduction: Information on the long-term performance of biosynthetic meshes is scarce. This study analyses the performance of biosynthetic mesh (Phasix™) over 24 months.

Methods: A prospective, international European multi-center trial is described.

Online social cohesion reflects real-world group action in Syria during the Arab Spring.

In recent years, political activists have taken to social media platforms to rapidly reach broad audiences. Despite the prevalence of micro-blogging in these sociopolitical movements, the degree to which virtual mobilization reflects or drives real-world movements is unclear. Here, we explore the dynamics of real-world events and Twitter social cohesion in Syria during the Arab Spring.

Identifying predictors of ventral hernia recurrence: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Ventra hernias are increasing in prevalence and many recur despite attempted repair. To date, much of the literature is underpowered and divergent. As a result there is limited high quality evidence to inform surgeons succinctly which perioperative variables influence postoperative recurrence.