Survival Outcomes by Race Following Surgical Treatment for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Objective: Discrepancies in survival outcomes of various genitourinary tract malignancies have been documented across different racial and ethnic groups. Here we sought to examine long-term survival outcomes of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) following radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) when stratified by race.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective analysis using the ROBUUST (ROBotic surgery for Upper tract Urothelial cancer Study) registry identified patients undergoing RNU for UTUC between 2015 and 2022 at 12 centers across the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Impact of superior semicircular canal dehiscence on cochlear implant audiologic outcomes.

Purpose: Determine whether adult cochlear implant users with radiographic superior semicircular canal dehiscence experience clinically significant differences in audiological outcomes when compared to cochlear implant users with normal temporal bone anatomy.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective, single institution review. Adult, post-lingual deaf patients implanted between 2010 and 2020.

A realistic mixture of ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants affects bone and cartilage development in zebrafish by interaction with nuclear receptor signaling.

"Persistent organic pollutants (POPs)" have a plethora of deleterious effects on humans and the environment due to their bioaccumulative, persistent, and mimicking properties. Individually, each of these chemicals has been tested and its effects measured, however they are rather found as parts of complex mixtures of which we do not fully grasp the extent of their potential consequences. Here we studied the effects of realistic, environmentally relevant mixtures of 29 POPs on cartilage and bone development using zebrafish as a model species.

Testing biological actions of medicinal plants from northern Vietnam on zebrafish embryos and larvae: Developmental, behavioral, and putative therapeutical effects.

Evaluating the risks and benefits of using traditional medicinal plants is of utmost importance for a huge fraction of the human population, in particular in Northern Vietnam. Zebrafish are increasingly used as a simple vertebrate model for testing toxic and physiological effects of compounds, especially on development. Here, we tested 12 ethanolic extracts from popular medicinal plants collected in northern Vietnam for their effects on zebrafish survival and development during the first 4 days after fertilization.

Osteomodulin downregulation is associated with osteoarthritis development.

Abnormal subchondral bone remodeling leading to sclerosis is a main feature of osteoarthritis (OA), and osteomodulin (OMD), a proteoglycan involved in extracellular matrix mineralization, is associated with the sclerotic phenotype. However, the functions of OMD remain poorly understood, specifically in vivo. We used Omd knockout and overexpressing male mice and mutant zebrafish to study its roles in bone and cartilage metabolism and in the development of OA.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Case-Control Study.

Objective: To investigate the role of cardiovascular risk factors (specifically hypertension [HTN], hyperlipidemia/dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus I and II, and body mass index (BMI) on the development of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL).

Study Design: Case-control retrospective chart review.

Setting: A tertiary referral center.

Outcomes of Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty Based on Degree of Obstruction on Preoperative Tc-99 MAG-3 Renal Scintigraphy.

Management of symptomatic ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction with hydronephrosis and discordant Tc-99 mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG-3) renal scintigraphy is challenging. In this study we describe long-term outcomes of patients who underwent robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty for the correction of symptomatic UPJ obstruction with discordant preoperative Tc-99m MAG-3 renal scintigraphy. Patients undergoing robot-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty for symptomatic UPJ obstruction at a single academic center from 2009 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

and Extracts Modulate Different and Complementary Pathways on Human Chondrocytes : Deciphering of a Transcriptomic Study.

(CL) and (BS) extracts are used to relieve osteoarthritis symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate their mechanisms of action at therapeutic plasmatic concentrations on primary human osteoarthritic (OA) chondrocytes. BS (10-50 μg/ml) and CL (0.

Rate of Development of Venous Thromboembolism in Lateral Skull Base Surgery.

Objectives: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for surgical patients. This article aims to determine factors that may have contributed to the development of VTE in patients undergoing lateral skull base surgery, to assess the validity of the Caprini Risk Assessment Model (RAM) score in this subset of patients, and to determine the efficacy of mechanical DVT prophylaxis alone in preventing VTE.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Identifying Preoperative Predictors of Operative Time and Their Impact on Outcomes in Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy.

To identify preoperative characteristics in patients with renal masses that influence operative time during robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) and evaluate the relationship between operative time and length of stay (LOS), complication rates, and overall outcome. We queried our institutional database to identify a cohort of patients who underwent RAPN by two experienced robotic surgeons between 2012 and 2019. A multivariable regression model was developed to analyze operative time, LOS, and any grade complication within 30 days postoperatively using the bootstrap resampling technique.

Procedure: Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy.

Minimally invasive approaches for laparoscopic donor nephrectomy are necessary to limit surgical morbidity, and technical challenges differ from those encountered during other laparoscopic renal surgeries. Presented here is a step-by-step guide for laparoscopic donor nephrectomy-focusing on pure laparoscopic and hand-assisted techniques. Both straight laparoscopic and hand-assisted nephrectomies were performed in healthy donors who met transplantation criteria in terms of global health and psychologic well-being.

Risk Factors for Complications Following Lateral Skull Base Surgery and the Utility of ICU Monitoring.

Objective: To examine the role of intensive care unit (ICU) management following lateral skull base surgery for vestibular schwannoma and identify risk factors for complications warranting admission to the ICU.

Study Design: Retrospective review.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

Audiologic Outcomes After Oval and Round Window Reinforcement Surgery.

Introduction: Oval window (OW) and round window (RW) reinforcement surgery has been used for symptomatic treatment of multiple clinical entities, most commonly perilymphatic fistula and superior semicircular canal dehiscence. Owing to the theoretical acoustically negative effect of stiffening the windows, there has been concern of an unfavorable effect on audiologic outcomes due to the procedure. The purpose of this study is to specifically evaluate audiologic outcomes after OW and RW reinforcement.

The Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) as Potential Targets to Treat Osteoarthritis: Perspectives From a Review of the Literature.

During the osteoarthritis (OA) process, activation of immune systems, whether innate or adaptive, is strongly associated with low-grade systemic inflammation. This process is initiated and driven in the synovial membrane, especially by synovium cells, themselves previously activated by damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released during cartilage degradation. These fragments exert their biological activities through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that, as a consequence, induce the activation of signaling pathways and beyond the release of inflammatory mediators, the latter contributing to the vicious cycle between cartilage and synovial membrane.

From Translation to Protein Degradation as Mechanisms for Regulating Biological Functions: A Review on the SLRP Family in Skeletal Tissues.

The extracellular matrix can trigger cellular responses through its composition and structure. Major extracellular matrix components are the proteoglycans, which are composed of a core protein associated with glycosaminoglycans, among which the small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) are the largest family. This review highlights how the codon usage pattern can be used to modulate cellular response and discusses the biological impact of post-translational events on SLRPs, including the substitution of glycosaminoglycan moieties, glycosylation, and degradation.

The secretome of skeletal muscle cells: A systematic review.

Background: Proteomic studies of the secretome of skeletal muscle cells can help us understand the processes that govern the synthesis, systemic interactions and organization of skeletal muscle and identify proteins that are involved in muscular adaptations to exercise, ageing and degeneration. In this systematic review, we aimed to summarize recent mass-spectrometry based proteomics discoveries on the secretome of skeletal muscle cells in response to disease, exercise or metabolic stress.

Methods: A literature search was performed in the Medline/Ovid and Scopus electronic bibliographic databases.

Reliability of clinical diagnosis of masses of the cerebellopontine angle: A retrospective multi-institutional study.

Objectives: To assess the accuracy of pre-operative diagnosis of masses of the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) when compared to surgical pathology.

Design: Retrospective chart review.

Participants: Patients who underwent surgery for CPA masses at two tertiary care institutions from 2007 to 2017.

Traumatic versus Idiopathic Benign Positional Vertigo: Analysis of Disease, Treatment, and Outcome Characteristics.

Objective: To compare characteristics between traumatic and idiopathic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) focusing on outcomes.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: High-volume tertiary otology center.

Causes of Persistent Positional Vertigo Following Posterior Semicircular Canal Occlusion for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo.

Objective: To report causes of persistent recalcitrant positional vertigo (PRPV) after posterior semicircular canal occlusion (PSCO) for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Single high-volume otology practice.

Patient, disease, and outcome characteristics of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo with and without Meniere's disease.

Background: Meniere's disease (MD)-associated benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is complex and difficult to diagnose, and reports of its prevalence, pathologic features and outcomes are sparse and conflicting.

Objective: Report disease characteristics and outcomes associated with the presence of MD in patients with BPPV.

Materials/methods: A retrospective study of patients with BPPV between 2007 and 2017 at a single, high-volume institution.

Treatment of Patients With Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and Severe Immobility Using the Particle Repositioning Chair: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objective: To report treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in patients unable to undergo traditional canalith repositioning maneuvers (CRMs) using a particle repositioning chair (PRC).

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted at a single high-volume otology practice of patients diagnosed with BPPV from 2007 to 2017 with immobility prohibiting use of traditional CRMs. Patients were diagnosed and treated using a PRC, and outcome measures including resolution, recurrence, and number of treatment visits were recorded.

Recurrence in Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: A Large, Single-Institution Study.

Objective: To report rates of recurrence in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and associated patient and disease factors.

Study Design: Retrospective chart review.

Setting: Single high-volume otology practice.