Ascitic fluid amylase-to-serum amylase ratio to predict pancreatic duct leaks causing ascites.

Objectives: Pancreatic duct leaks can cause ascites, and fluid amylase can be used as a marker to suggest pancreatic duct leak; however, there is no reference parameter or cutoff value for diagnosis. We assessed whether a novel ratio of ascitic fluid to serum amylase can reliably predict pancreatic leaks and need for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).

Materials And Methods: Patients who had fluid amylase from ascitic fluid and serum amylase within one week of confirmed pancreatic leaks via ERCP were included along with appropriate medical and surgical controls.

X-ray Responsive Antioxidant Drug-Free Hydrogel for Treatment of Radiation Skin Injury.

Radiotherapy (RT) is widely applied in tumor therapy, but inevitable side effects, especially for skin radiation injury, are still a fatal problem and life-threatening challenge for tumor patients. The main components of topical radiation protection preparations currently available on the market are antioxidants, such as SOD, which are limited by their unstable activity and short duration of action, making it difficult to achieve the effects of radiation protection and skin radiation damage treatment. Therefore, we designed a drug-free antioxidant hydrogel patch with encapsulated bioactive epidermal growth factor (EGF) for the treatment of radiation skin injury.

Impact of time to treatment initiation on the development of cachexia and clinical outcomes in lung cancer.

Background: Pre-cancer onset of cachexia raises uncertainties regarding the optimal timing for early intervention in lung cancer patients. We aimed to examine changes in physical function, nutritional status, and cachexia incidence in patients with lung cancer from the initial visit to treatment initiation and determine the effect of these changes on lung cancer treatment.

Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study enrolled patients suspected of having advanced lung cancer who visited Kansai Medical University Hospital between January and February 2023 and were definitely diagnosed with the disease.

Coronal Plane Alignment of the Medial Column in Isolated Hallux Valgus, Isolated Flatfoot, and Combined Hallux Valgus-Flatfoot.

Background: To provide improved treatment for hallux valgus (HV), we sought to understand more about the pathophysiologic connection between flatfoot deformity and HV by comparing coronal plane alignment of the medial column of the foot for patients with isolated HV, isolated flatfoot, and combined HV-flatfoot vs controls.

Methods: This study retrospectively assessed a consecutive series of 33 patients with combined symptomatic and radiographic HV and flatfoot, 33 isolated symptomatic HV, 33 isolated symptomatic flatfoot, and 33 controls. The medial column alignment was assessed in the coronal plane using 3-dimensional weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT); rotation was measured for the navicular, medial cuneiform, and first metatarsal (M1).

Minimum 24-Month Outcomes of Minimally Invasive Paratenon Protection Repair vs Open Giftbox Repair of Ruptured Achilles Tendon.

Background: The paratenon has been shown to promote Achilles tendon healing, but the evidence supporting the role of paratenon protection technique in Achilles tendon repair is sparse. We retrospectively assessed the results of a paratenon-sparing repair technique vs an open giftbox repair of Achilles tendon ruptures.

Methods: Patients with Achilles tendon rupture who underwent surgical treatment at our hospital between January 2015 and August 2021 were retrospectively reviewed.

Clinical and Radiologic Outcomes Following Autologous Osteochondral Transplantation for Lateral Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus.

Background: Autologous osteochondral transplantation (AOT) is an option to treat large osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLTs), accompanying subchondral cyst, and previous unsuccessful bone marrow stimulation (BMS) procedures. Although there is extensive literature on the outcomes of surgical interventions for medial osteochondral lesions, research focusing on lateral lesions remains limited. This article presents the intermediate-term clinical and radiologic outcomes following AOT for lateral OLTs.

Inter-Rater Disagreements in Applying the Montreal Classification for Crohn's Disease: The Five-Nations Survey Study.

Background: The Montreal classification has been widely used in Crohn's disease since 2005 to categorize patients by the age of onset (A), disease location (L), behavior (B), and upper gastrointestinal tract and perianal involvement. With evolving management paradigms in Crohn's disease, we aimed to assess the performance of gastroenterologists in applying the Montreal classification.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants at an international educational conference on inflammatory bowel diseases.

Structuring Palliative Care Education for Medical Students: Impact of a Novel Framework and Pocket Card.

Introduction: Palliative care (PC) education is not uniformly provided across U.S. medical schools.

Identification of association between mitochondrial dysfunction and sarcopenia using summary-data-based Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses.

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction has been demonstrated to be an important hallmark of sarcopenia, yet its specific mechanism remains obscure. In this study, mitochondrial-related genes were used as instrumental variables to proxy for mitochondrial dysfunction, and summary data for sarcopenia-related traits were used as outcomes to examine their genetic association.

Methods: A total of 1,136 mitochondrial-related genes from the human MitoCarta3.

Static Posture Instability as a Sensitive Biomarker for Motor Abnormalities in Pre-ataxic Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 Patients.

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a neurodegenerative disorder, with balance instability as a feature of the disease. Balance instability often manifests before the onset of obvious ataxic symptoms in patients. However, current clinical scales exhibit limited sensitivity in characterizing changes in pre-ataxic patients.

Magnetic Resonance-Guided Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy in a Prospective Cohort of 52 Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Possible Critical Role of Age and Lesion Volume for Predicting Tremor Relapse.

Background: Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy of ventral intermediate (Vim) nucleus is useful to treat drug-resistant tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (TdPD), but tremor relapse may occur. Predictors of relapse have been poorly investigated so far.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of clinico-demographic, procedural, and neuroradiological variables in determining clinical response, relapse, and adverse events (AEs) in TdPD after MRgFUS Vim-thalamotomy.

Dietary inclusion of high Amylose cornstarch increased Lactobacillus and Terrisporobacter and decreased Streptococcus in the cecal digesta of weanling pigs.

The study investigated the effect of dietary inclusion of high amylose cornstarch (HA-starch) on cecal microbiota composition and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in weanling pigs fed high levels of cold-pressed canola cake (CPCC). Weaned pigs (240 mixed sex; 7.1 ± 1.

Quantitative Pupillometry Predicts Neurologic Deterioration in Patients with Large Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke.

Objective: This study assesses whether longitudinal quantitative pupillometry predicts neurological deterioration after large middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke and determines how early changes are detectable.

Methods: This prospective, single-center observational cohort study included patients with large MCA stroke admitted to Boston Medical Center's intensive care unit (2019-2024). Associations between time-to-neurologic deterioration and quantitative pupillometry, including Neurological Pupil Index (NPi), were assessed using Cox proportional hazards models with time-dependent covariates adjusted for age, sex, and Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score.

Subventricular Zone Microstructure in Pediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the microstructural dynamics of the subventricular zone (SVZ) with aging and their associations with clinical disability and brain structural damage in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Methods: One-hundred and forty-one pediatric-onset MS patients (67 pediatric and 74 adults with pediatric-onset) and 233 healthy controls (HC) underwent neurological and 3.0 T MRI assessment.

Atypical Patients With Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease with a high fatality rate. The clinical diagnosis criteria mainly rely on white blood cell (WBC) and platelet (PLT), which, however, are of limited usage in identifying atypical SFTS. A multicenter study was performed in two hospitals from 2011 to 2023.

Circulating Tumor DNA Detection for Recurrence Monitoring of Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Microwave Ablation.

Purpose: As microwave ablation continues to be used in patients with inoperable stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), it is particularly important to monitor efficacy. Whether plasma ctDNA detection can predict its efficacy should be illustrated.

Methods: We recruited 43 patients with inoperative stage I NSCLC, all of whom underwent biopsy-synchronous microwave ablation (MWA).

Haplotype Phasing of Biallelic WNT10B Variants Using Long-Read Sequencing in Split-Hand/Foot Malformation Syndrome.

Split-hand/foot malformation syndrome (SHFM) is a congenital limb malformation that is both clinically and genetically heterogeneous. Variants in WNT10B are known to cause an autosomal recessive form of SHFM. Here, we report a patient born to unrelated parents who was found to be a compound heterozygote for missense variants in WNT10B: c.

Development and validation of a risk prediction model for gestational diabetes mellitus in women of advanced maternal age during the first trimester.

With the global rise in advanced maternal age (AMA) pregnancies, the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases. However, few GDM prediction models are tailored for AMA women. This study aims to develop a practical risk prediction model for GDM in AMA women.

Choroidal thickness and vascular density after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Purpose: To study choroidal thickness (CT) and luminal areas of choroidal vessels in the setting of fovea-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD).

Methods: Twenty-seven eyes with RRD were prospectively studied before and after pars plana vitrectomy and SF6 tamponade, using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). CT was measured pre- and postoperatively both subfoveally and in attached macular areas.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Repairing the Bruised Tissue via Regulating mRNA Expression of Molecular Biomarkers and the Apoptotic Rate.

Background/aims: Bruise is the extravasation of blood that may be mild or severe. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are one of the most promising cells used in regenerative medicine for treating many disorders. We aimed to evaluate the efficiency of BM-MSCs in treating cutaneous bruises.

Factors associated with patient no-show rates in an academic pain management practice.

Objectives: Chronic pain is a debilitating, multifactorial condition. The purpose of this study was to examine patient characteristics of those who did not show up for their scheduled first pain medicine appointment in order to identify factors that may improve access to care.

Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 810 patients from a single-center academic pain management clinic between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.

Differences and contributors to global cognitive performance in the underrepresented Latinx Parkinson's disease population.

Despite significant progress in understanding the factors influencing cognitive function in Parkinson's disease (PD), there is a notable gap in data representation for the Latinx population. This study aims to evaluate the contributors to and disparities in cognitive performance among Latinx patients with PD. A retrospective analysis was conducted based on cross-sectional data encompassing demographic, environmental, motor, and non-motor disease characteristics from the Latin American Research Consortium on the Genetics of PD (LARGE-PD) and the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) cohorts.

Characterizing Parkinson's Disease-Associated Pain in Native Patients with Malayalam Version of the King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale.

Background And Objectives: Pain is an important non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) and is often under-recognized. Pain is also a symptom frequently reported by non-PD elderly subjects. The King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale (KPPS) is a valid tool to characterize and quantify pain in PD and has been translated into several languages.