Impedance planimetry values for predicting clinical response following peroral endoscopic myotomy.

Background: There is growing interest in developing impedance planimetry as a tool to enhance the clinical outcomes for endoscopic and surgical management of achalasia. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether impedance planimetry measurements can predict clinical response and reflux following peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM).

Methods: A multicenter cohort study of patients with achalasia undergoing POEM was established from prospective databases and retrospective chart reviews.

Exploring Intimate Partner Relationships before and after HIV Diagnosis among Minority Older Women.

Objectives: Literature shows that sexual activity remains important at older age and is a valued part of life. However, little is known about the intimate partner relationships (IPR) among minority older women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The purpose of this study is to explore the effect HIV diagnosis had on the intimate partner relationships (IPR) among minority older women living with HIV (MOWH).

Changes in volatile organic compounds provoked by lipopolysaccharide- or alpha toxin-induced inflammation in ventilated rats.

Inflammation may alter volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath. We therefore used ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) to evaluate exhaled breath components in two non-infectious inflammatory models. Fifty male Sprague Dawley rats were anesthetized and ventilated for 24 h.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the State of Texas of the United States: Past Reflections, Present Shortcomings, and Future Needs of the Public Health Response.

A strategy titled "Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America" aims to reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence in the United States by at least 90% by 2030, using diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. Texas is a Southern state that has one of the highest numbers of new HIV diagnoses and people with HIV in the country, and where HIV disproportionately impacts minorities. We retrace the historical epidemic in its largest city, Houston, to illustrate the lessons learned and milestones accomplished, which could serve as guideposts for the future.

Detecting Selection from Linked Sites Using an -Model.

Allele frequencies vary across populations and loci, even in the presence of migration. While most differences may be due to genetic drift, divergent selection will further increase differentiation at some loci. Identifying those is key in studying local adaptation, but remains statistically challenging.

Changes in intraocular pressure control in the first year after secondary intraocular lens implantation in children.

Purpose: To compare intraocular pressure (IOP) control before and during the first year after secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children.

Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of children who received secondary IOL implantation. We analyzed IOP and antiglaucoma medications before and after implantation.

Rate of infection following revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and associated patient- and surgeon-dependent risk factors: Retrospective results from MOON and MARS data collected from 2002 to 2011.

Infection is a rare occurrence after revision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (rACLR). Because of the low rates of infection, it has been difficult to identify risk factors for infection in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to report the rate of infection following rACLR and assess whether infection is associated with patient- and surgeon-dependent risk factors.

Extreme and variable torpor among high-elevation Andean hummingbird species.

Torpor is thought to be particularly important for small endotherms occupying cold environments and with limited fat reserves to fuel metabolism, yet among birds deep torpor is both rare and variable in extent. We investigated torpor in hummingbirds at approximately 3800 m.a.

Guillain-Barré syndrome after adoptive cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Background: Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is a promising experimental immunotherapy that has shown high objective responses in patients with melanoma. Current protocols use a lymphodepletive chemotherapy before infusion of ex vivo expanded TILs, followed by high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2). Treatment-related toxicities are mainly attributable to the chemotherapy regimen and to the high-dose IL-2 and are generally reversible.

Development of Anti-CD32b Antibodies with Enhanced Fc Function for the Treatment of B and Plasma Cell Malignancies.

The sole inhibitory Fcγ receptor CD32b (FcγRIIb) is expressed throughout B and plasma cell development and on their malignant counterparts. CD32b expression on malignant B cells is known to provide a mechanism of resistance to rituximab that can be ameliorated with a CD32b-blocking antibody. CD32b, therefore, represents an attractive tumor antigen for targeting with a monoclonal antibody (mAb).

Meniscal Repair in the Setting of Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Results From the MARS Cohort.

Background: Meniscal preservation has been demonstrated to contribute to long-term knee health. This has been a successful intervention in patients with isolated tears and tears associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. However, the results of meniscal repair in the setting of revision ACL reconstruction have not been documented.

Short-course radiotherapy promotes pro-inflammatory macrophages via extracellular vesicles in human rectal cancer.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) constitute the most abundant immune cells in the tumor stroma initiating pro-inflammatory (M1) or immunosuppressive (M2) responses depending on their polarization status. Advances in tumor immunotherapy call for a detailed understanding of potential immunogenic mechanisms of irradiation routinely applied in rectal cancer patients.

Methods: To test the effects of radiotherapy on TAM, we ex vivo irradiated tissue samples of human rectal cancer and assessed the phenotype by flow cytometry.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound to Assess Gastric Content in Pediatric Emergency Department Procedural Sedation Patients.

Objectives: There is debate regarding the timing of procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in relation to fasting status. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) provides the ability to measure gastric content and is being used as a surrogate for aspiration risk in anesthesia. We sought to evaluate the gastric content of pediatric emergency department (PED) patients undergoing PSA using POCUS.

Reoperation Rates of Percutaneous and Paddle Leads in Spinal Cord Stimulator Systems: A Single-Center Retrospective Analysis.

Objective: We hypothesize that reoperation rates of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) systems utilizing percutaneous leads are comparable to those utilizing paddle leads. We attempt here to characterize causes for those reoperations and identify any related patient characteristics.

Design And Subjects: This study is a single-center retrospective chart review of 291 subjects (410 operations) who underwent at least one permanent SCS implantation utilizing percutaneous or paddle leads over a 10-year period at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The functional significance of panting as a mechanism of thermoregulation and its relationship to the critical thermal maxima in lizards.

Because most desert-dwelling lizards rely primarily on behavioral thermoregulation for the maintenance of active body temperature, the effectiveness of panting as a thermoregulatory mechanism for evaporative cooling has not been widely explored. We measured changes in body temperature () with increasing air temperature () for 17 species of lizards that range across New Mexico and Arizona and quantified the temperatures associated with the onset of panting, and the capacity of individuals to depress below while panting, and estimated the critical thermal maxima (CT) for each individual. We examined these variables as a function of phylogeny, body mass and local acclimatization temperature.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Comparative Clinical Study Between Adjustable and Fixed Length Suspension Devices.

Background: Adjustable-length cortical suspension devices provide technical advantages over fixed-length devices for femoral graft fixation during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction but have shown increased lengthening during cyclic loading in biomechanical studies. The purpose of this study was to prospectively measure graft elongation in vivo along with patient reported outcomes.

Methods: Thirty-seven skeletally mature patients diagnosed with anterior cruciate insufficiency who underwent ACL reconstruction using autogenous hamstring graft were included in this study.

Modified Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement Assessment Log (mOPTIMAL): A Responsive and Reliable Tool for Patients with Non-Operative Shoulder Pain.

Background: Medicare regulations require that physical therapists report functional limitations and severity modifiers utilizing a claims-based data collection tool. The Modified Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement Assessment Log (mOPTIMAL) captures key constructs about patient confidence and difficulty but has not been evaluated for responsiveness/ reliability during a routine clinical encounter with patients who have shoulder pathology. The purposes of this retrospective study are to 1) explore if mOPTIMAL changes after a single session with a physical therapist, and 2) determine if the tool is reliable among people with non-operative shoulder pain.

Incidence and Predictors of Subsequent Surgery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A 6-Year Follow-up Study.

Background: The cause of subsequent surgery after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction varies, but if risk factors for specific subsequent surgical procedures can be identified, we can better understand which patients are at greatest risk.

Purpose: To report the incidence and types of subsequent surgery that occurred in a cohort of patients 6 years after their index ACL reconstruction and to identify which variables were associated with the incidence of patients undergoing subsequent surgery after their index ACL reconstruction.

Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2.

Multichannel optogenetic stimulation of the auditory pathway using microfabricated LED cochlear implants in rodents.

When hearing fails, electrical cochlear implants (eCIs) provide the brain with auditory information. One important bottleneck of CIs is the poor spectral selectivity that results from the wide current spread from each of the electrode contacts. Optical CIs (oCIs) promise to make better use of the tonotopic order of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) inside the cochlea by spatially confined stimulation.

Material Suitability Testing for Nonmedical Grade Community Face Masks to Decrease Viral Transmission During a Pandemic.

Objectives: Cloth face covering has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to decrease community viral transmission. This study aims to determine the filtration efficiency and airflow resistance of common household materials available for homemade mask production by comparing numbers of fabrics, various layers, and manipulation.

Methods: Common household woven, knitted, and nonwoven fabrics were tested for filtration efficiency using a fit testing setup and airflow resistance with pressure gauge setup.

Gender and racial/ethnic differences in physiologic responses in the Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise Study.

Unlabelled: Exercise may be beneficial for individuals in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment given the higher rates of both medical and psychiatric comorbidity, namely mood and anxiety disorders, compared to the general population. Gender and/or racial/ethnic differences in health benefits and response to prescribed exercise have been reported and may have implications for designing exercise interventions in SUD programs.

Method: Data are from the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (NIDA/CTN) Stimulant Reduction Intervention using Dosed Exercise (STRIDE) trial.

Avapritinib in advanced PDGFRA D842V-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumour (NAVIGATOR): a multicentre, open-label, phase 1 trial.

Background: Targeting of KIT and PDGFRA with imatinib revolutionised treatment in gastrointestinal stromal tumour; however, PDGFRA Asp842Val (D842V)-mutated gastrointestinal stromal tumour is highly resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and antitumour activity of avapritinib, a novel KIT and PDGFRA inhibitor that potently inhibits PDGFRA D842V, in patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumours, including patients with KIT and PDGFRA D842V-mutant gastrointestinal stromal tumours (NAVIGATOR).

Methods: NAVIGATOR is a two-part, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion, phase 1 study done at 17 sites across nine countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Poland, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and the USA).