Studies on the Effects of Hypercholesterolemia on Mouse Ophthalmic Artery Reactivity.

Atherogenic lipoproteins may impair vascular reactivity, leading to tissue damage in various organs, including the eye. This study aimed to investigate whether ophthalmic artery reactivity is affected in mice lacking the apolipoprotein E gene (ApoE-/-), a model for hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis. Twelve-month-old male ApoE-/- mice and age-matched wild-type controls were used to assess vascular reactivity using videomicroscopy.

Effects of Resveratrol on Vascular Function in Retinal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) events are involved in the development of various ocular pathologies, e.g., retinal artery or vein occlusion.

Sulodexide Prevents Hyperglycemia-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction and Oxidative Stress in Porcine Retinal Arterioles.

Diabetes mellitus may cause severe damage to retinal blood vessels. The central aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that sulodexide, a mixture of glycosaminoglycans, has a protective effect against hyperglycemia-induced endothelial dysfunction in the retina. Functional studies were performed in isolated porcine retinal arterioles.

Sleeve gastrectomy morphology and long-term weight-loss and gastroesophageal reflux disease outcomes.

Background: The relationship between sleeve gastrectomy (SG) morphology and long-term weight-loss and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) outcomes is unknown.

Methods: All patients (n = 268) undergoing SG performed by 3 surgeons at a single academic institution from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012 were included. Long-term weight-loss and GERD outcomes were available for 90 patients which were incorporated in analyses.

Independent association of preoperative Hill grade with gastroesophageal reflux disease 2 years after sleeve gastrectomy.

Background: The sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is associated with postoperative gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Higher endoscopic Hill grade has been linked to GERD in patients without metabolic surgery. How preoperative Hill grade relates to GERD after SG is unknown.

Conversion of gastric sleeve to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: overall outcomes and predictors of below-average weight loss.

Background: Conversion of sleeve gastrectomy (SG) to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has been utilized to promote further weight loss, but results are variable in available literature.

Objectives: To evaluate outcomes of SG to RYGB conversion for weight loss and to identify predictors of below-average weight loss.

Setting: University-affiliated hospital, United States.

Subcutaneous octreotide therapy for malignant pleural effusion after pleurodesis with talc powder: a placebo-controlled, triple-blind, randomized trial.

Purpose: In many cases, pleurodesis is the only treatment available for the treatment of malignant pleural effusion (MPE), and in the case of excessive daily pleural effusion, its therapeutic effect may be reduced. In this study, we intended to investigate the therapeutic effects and safety of octreotide in patients with MPE undergoing pleurodesis with talc powder.

Methods: This study was a single-center, placebo-controlled, and triple-blind, randomized trial designed to investigate the therapeutic effects and safety of octreotide in patients with MPE in Tehran, Iran, from March 2020 to March 2021.

Angiotensin II Induces Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Dysfunction in Mouse Ophthalmic Arteries via Involvement of AT1 Receptors and NOX2.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various age-dependent ocular diseases. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that Ang II induces endothelial dysfunction in mouse ophthalmic arteries and to identify the underlying mechanisms. Ophthalmic arteries were exposed to Ang II in vivo and in vitro to determine vascular function by video microscopy.

Total extraperitoneal laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair with adductor tenotomy: a 10-year experience in the treatment of athletic pubalgia.

Background: Athletic pubalgia, commonly referred to as a "sports hernia," is a disease process characterized by groin pain produced by physical exertion often occurring in patients whose athletic activities require them to make rapid changes in direction. The groin pain is due to the traction-countertraction relationship between the adductor muscles and the weaker abdominal muscles. Hence, a few studies have shown inguinal hernia repair with adductor tenotomy to be an effective treatment for this pathology (Brody in Hernia 21:139-147, 2016, https://doi.

Wound patterns in survivors of modern firearm related civilian Mass Casualty Incidents.

Background: Civilian mass shooting events (CMSE) are occurring with increased frequency. Unfortunately, our knowledge of how to respond to these events is largely based on military experience and medical examiner data. While this translational knowledge has improved our basic response to such events, it is critical that we have a better under-standing of the wound patterns observed and the resources utilized in civilian mass shootings.

Paraduodenal Pancreatitis: A Deceptive Abdominal Mass with Unique Histologic Findings.

Paraduodenal pancreatitis (PP) is an uncommon abdominal pathology characterized by scarring of the pancreaticoduodenal space. Diagnosis of this inflammatory process is challenging as its clinical presentation is similar to that of pancreatic cancer. Currently, no definitive radiologic or pathologic features have been established to permit diagnosis of PP without surgical resection.

Elevated Intraocular Pressure Causes Abnormal Reactivity of Mouse Retinal Arterioles.

Objective: Glaucoma is a leading cause of severe visual impairment and blindness. Although high intraocular pressure (IOP) is an established risk factor for the disease, the role of abnormal ocular vessel function in the pathophysiology of glaucoma gains more and more attention. We tested the hypothesis that elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) causes vascular dysfunction in the retina.

Safety of adjustable gastric band conversion surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the leak rate in 1- and 2-stage procedures.

Background: Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding has been a popular bariatric surgery in the United States since the early 2000s. Over the years, various long-term complications have prompted removal of these devices. To avoid subsequent weight gain, explanation of the gastric band is often followed by concomitant or staged conversion to another bariatric procedure.

Short-Time Ocular Ischemia Induces Vascular Endothelial Dysfunction and Ganglion Cell Loss in the Pig Retina.

Visual impairment and blindness are often caused by retinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. We aimed to characterize a new model of I/R in pigs, in which the intraocular pathways were not manipulated by invasive methods on the ocular system. After 12 min of ischemia followed by 20 h of reperfusion, reactivity of retinal arterioles was measured in vitro by video microscopy.

Responses of retinal arterioles and ciliary arteries in pigs with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a clinical syndrome of acute lung failure in critically sick patients, which severely compromises the function of multiple organs, including the brain. Although, the optic nerve and the retina are a part of the central nervous system, the effects of ARDS on these ocular structures are completely unknown. Thus, the major goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that ARDS affects vascular function in the eye.

The M muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype is important for retinal neuron survival in aging mice.

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors have been implicated as potential neuroprotective targets for glaucoma. We tested the hypothesis that the lack of a single muscarinic receptor subtype leads to age-dependent neuron reduction in the retinal ganglion cell layer. Mice with targeted disruption of single muscarinic acetylcholine receptor subtype genes (M to M) and wild-type controls were examined at two age categories, 5 and 15 months, respectively.

Retinal arteriole reactivity in mice lacking the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene.

Dysfunctional vascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has been proposed to play a main pathophysiological role in various ocular diseases. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the chronic lack of eNOS impairs endothelium-dependent vasodilation in retinal arterioles. The relevance of eNOS for mediating vascular responses was studied in retinal vascular preparations from eNOS-deficient mice (eNOS-/-) and wild-type controls in vitro.

Spotlight on the Linx™ Reflux Management System for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease: evidence and research.

Background: The initial approach to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) management typically involves lifestyle modification and medical therapy utilizing acid reducing agents such as histamine blockers and proton pump inhibitors. In severe cases refractory to such treatments, surgical therapy may be indicated. The gold standard for surgical treatment of GERD is the laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.

Compensatory Vasodilator Mechanisms in the Ophthalmic Artery of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Gene Knockout Mice.

Nitric oxide (NO) generated by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays an important role in the maintenance of ocular vascular homeostasis. Therefore, perturbations in vascular NO synthesis have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several ocular diseases. We recently reported that eNOS contributes significantly to vasodilation of the mouse ophthalmic artery.

Constrained Multistate Sequence Design for Nucleic Acid Reaction Pathway Engineering.

We describe a framework for designing the sequences of multiple nucleic acid strands intended to hybridize in solution via a prescribed reaction pathway. Sequence design is formulated as a multistate optimization problem using a set of target test tubes to represent reactant, intermediate, and product states of the system, as well as to model crosstalk between components. Each target test tube contains a set of desired "on-target" complexes, each with a target secondary structure and target concentration, and a set of undesired "off-target" complexes, each with vanishing target concentration.

WORK ETHICS, ORGANIZATIONAL ALIENATION AND JUSTICE AMONG HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGERS.

Introduction: Failure to comply with work ethics by employees working in Health Information Technology (HIT) Departments and their negative attitudes about organizational justice may have an adverse impact on patient satisfaction, quality of care, collecting health statistics, reimbursement, and management and planning at all levels of health care; it can also lead to unbearable damages to the health information system in the country. As so far there has been no research on HIT managers to assess the moral and ethical aspects of works and their relationship with organizational alienation and justice, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between work ethics and organizational justice and alienation among the HIT managers.

Methods: This study was performed in affiliated hospitals of Semnan University of medical sciences in Semnan, Iran, in 2015.

Prioritizing the Preferences of Iranian Cancer Patients Regarding Acquisition of Health Information: Strategy for Patient Education.

Recognizing cancer patients' preferences to obtain health information can help improve and reform the methods of communicating and providing proper services and consequently lead to effective patient education. The present cross-sectional study to prioritize the preferences of cancer patients regarding the acquisition of health informationwas conducted on cancer patients referred to hospitals affiliated to Semnan University of Medical Sciences in 2015. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was developed.