Multicenter Retrospective Analysis of Pediatric Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Treatment Practices and Outcomes Prior to Pediatric American Thyroid Association Guidelines Implementation.

Background: Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is the most common pediatric thyroid malignancy, with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) representing 90% of the cases. In 2015, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) developed management guidelines for pediatric DTC.

Procedure: Patients less than 21 years of age diagnosed with DTC between 2000 and 2015 at Texas Children's Hospital, Seattle Children's Hospital, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Children's Hospital Colorado, and Nationwide Children's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate treatment practices before the implementation of the ATA guidelines.

HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Treatment and Resistance.

HER2-positive (+) breast cancer is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis, a narrative that changed drastically with the advent and approval of trastuzumab, the first humanized monoclonal antibody targeting HER2. In addition to another monoclonal antibody, more classes of HER2-targeted agents, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and antibody-drug conjugates were developed in the years that followed. While these potent therapies have substantially improved the outcome of patients with HER2+ breast cancer, resistance has prevailed as a clinical challenge ever since the arrival of targeted agents.

The Roles of Myeloid Cells in Breast Cancer Progression.

This chapter reviews tumor-associated myeloid cells, including macrophages, neutrophils, and other innate immune cells, and their multifaceted roles in supporting breast cancer progression and metastasis. In primary tumors, myeloid cells play key roles in promoting tumor epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion. They can facilitate intravasation (entry into the bloodstream) and colonization, disrupting the endothelial cell layer and reshaping the extracellular matrix.

Rat Models of Breast Cancer.

As the first mammal to be domesticated for research purposes, rats served as the primary animal model for various branches of biomedical research, including breast cancer studies, up until the late 1990s and early 2000s. During this time, genetic engineering of mice, but not rats, became routine, and mice gradually supplanted rats as the preferred rodent model. But recent advances in creating genetically engineered rat models, especially with the assistance of CRISPR/Cas9 technology, have rekindled the significance of rats as a critical model in exploring various facets of breast cancer research.

Longitudinal host transcriptional responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults with extremely high viral load.

Current understanding of viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 and host responses driving the pathogenic mechanisms in COVID-19 is rapidly evolving. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study to investigate gene expression patterns during acute SARS-CoV-2 illness. Cases included SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals with extremely high viral loads early in their illness, individuals having low SARS-CoV-2 viral loads early in their infection, and individuals testing negative for SARS-CoV-2.

Endometrial scratching before euploid embryo transfer: a case-control study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of endometrial scratching on in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rates in women undergoing frozen embryo transfer with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

Methods: Biopsy was performed at oocyte retrieval in cases and compared to those who did not undergo scratching (controls). Endpoints included pregnancy loss, total pregnancy, clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), ongoing pregnancy rate/live birth rate (OPR), and the incidence of chronic endometritis (CE).

PRDM1 is a key regulator of the natural killer T-cell central memory program and effector function.

Natural killer T cells (NKTs) are a promising platform for cancer immunotherapy, but few genes involved in regulation of NKT therapeutic activity have been identified. To find regulators of NKT functional fitness, we developed a CRISPR/Cas9-based mutagenesis screen that employs a guide RNA (gRNA) library targeting 1,118 immune-related genes. Unmodified NKTs and NKTs expressing a GD2-specific chimeric antigen receptor (GD2.

Amino acids and CART distinguish A-β+ Ketosis-Prone Diabetes from type 1 and type 2 diabetes during hyperglycemic crises.

Context: When clinically stable, patients with A-β+ Ketosis-Prone Diabetes (KPD) manifest unique markers of amino acid metabolism. Biomarkers differentiating KPD from type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) during hyperglycemic crises would accelerate diagnosis and management.

Objective: Compare serum metabolomics of KPD, T1D and T2D patients during hyperglycemic crises, and utilize Classification and Regression Tree (CART) modeling to distinguish these forms of diabetes.

Electroencephalography in Clinical Practice: Neurology Professionals' Views on Optimal Standards of Care.

Purpose: Delivering optimal care to patients with seizures and epilepsy requires all EEGs to be interpreted accurately and reliably. This study investigated neurology professionals' opinions on the ideal standards for EEG in clinical care.

Methods: We developed an anonymous e-survey targeting practicing and trainee neurologists focused on participants' demographics, clinical practice characteristics, and views on optimal EEG standards of care-including whether an EEG certification test is needed and whether postresidency/fellowship training in EEG/epilepsy is necessary for neurologists who interpret outpatient/routine EEGs in practice.

Investigative genetic genealogy practices warranting policy attention: Results of a modified policy Delphi.

A technique known as investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) was first introduced to criminal investigations in 2018, and it has since been used by U.S. law enforcement to help identify hundreds of criminal perpetrators and unidentified human remains.

Utilization of Telemedicine for Patients Receiving In-center Hemodialysis in the United States.

Background: In March 2020, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, federal emergency waivers in the United States enabled kidney care providers (nephrologists and advanced practice providers) to substitute face-to-face in-center hemodialysis visits with telemedicine encounters. We examined whether the frequency of kidney care provider visits and hospitalizations were associated with telemedicine use in hemodialysis care.

Methods: We used Medicare claims to identify US patients receiving in-center hemodialysis during the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phase I trial comparing bile acid and short-chain fatty acid alterations in stool collected from human subjects treated with omadacycline or vancomycin.

Unlabelled: Omadacycline, an aminomethylcycline tetracycline, has a low propensity to cause infection (CDI) in clinical trials. Omadacycline exhibited a reduced bactericidal effect compared with vancomycin on key microorganisms implicated in bile acid homeostasis and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), key components of CDI pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to assess bile acid and SCFA changes in stool samples from healthy volunteers given omadacycline or vancomycin.

Myostatin's flex on the reproductive hormone axis.

A muscle hormone controls the mammalian reproductive system.

colonization is not mediated by bile salts and utilizes Stickland fermentation of proline in an model.

Treatment with antibiotics is a major risk factor for infection, likely due to depletion of the gastrointestinal microbiota. Two microbiota-mediated mechanisms thought to limit colonization include the conversion of conjugated primary bile salts into secondary bile salts toxic to growth and competition between the microbiota and for limiting nutrients. Using a continuous flow model that simulates the nutrient conditions of the distal colon, we investigated how treatment with 6 clinically used antibiotics influenced susceptibility to infection in 12 different microbial communities cultivated from healthy individuals.

Dual test gas pulmonary diffusing capacity in patients with idiopathic scoliosis 40 years after diagnosis.

There is limited knowledge on diffusing capacity in scoliosis patients. It remains to be determined if impaired pulmonary diffusing capacity is mostly influenced by reduced alveolar-capillary membrane diffusing capacity (D), reduced pulmonary capillary blood volume (V) or both. This study aims to report findings from dual test gas pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide and nitric oxide (D) with quantification of pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide corrected for haemoglobin with a five s breath-hold (D) and nitric oxide with a five s breath-hold (D), D and V.

Reevaluating Anti-Inflammatory Therapy: Targeting Senescence to Balance Anti-Cancer Efficacy and Vascular Disease.

Modulating immune function is a critical strategy in cancer and atherosclerosis treatments. For cancer, boosting or maintaining the immune system is crucial to prevent tumor growth. However, in vascular disease, mitigating immune responses can decrease inflammation and slow atherosclerosis progression.

Lessons Learned From the Liver About the Undergraduate to Graduate Medical Education Transition.

The burden of cirrhosis and chronic liver disease is growing, yet there is a projected worsening deficit in hepatology providers. As such, cirrhosis and liver disease have been important inclusions within the core curricula of Internal Medicine. Formal assessments of provider preparedness resulting from the curriculum are lacking though.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk in South Asians in the Baylor Scott and White Health DILWALE Registry.

Background: Despite implementation of preventive interventions targeting cardiovascular disease (CVD), atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) remains a major public health concern in the South Asian (SA) population.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factor prevalence and ASCVD outcomes in SA population in the United States.

Methods: The DIL Wellness and Arterial health Longitudinal Evaluation registry collected data retrospectively on SA adult patients receiving care in the Baylor Scott & White Healthcare system.

Systemic Sirolimus Therapy Is Associated With Reduced Intervention Frequency in Pulmonary Vein Stenosis.

Background: Early clinical outcomes data for adjunctive systemic sirolimus therapy (SST) for moderate to severe pediatric pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS) are promising but limited.

Objectives: The authors aimed to characterize a cohort of patients treated with SST to determine if SST was associated with a reduction in frequency of PVS interventions.

Methods: Medical records of 45 patients with PVS treated with SST for ≥1 month from 2015 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed.

Rhinoplasty Septal Cartilage Harvest and Reconstruction: The 4 Clicks.

Successful rhinoplasty relies on a deep understanding of nasal anatomy and precise nasal tip control for lasting functional and aesthetic outcomes. Structural grafts, like septal extension grafts, are instrumental in maintaining tip position and projection with minimal long-term changes. This article details a systematic technique to harvest septal cartilage that maximizes graft material and allows for effective septal deviation correction.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) Following Immune Checkpoint Therapy (ICT).

In the past decade, the use of immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) has increased across many malignancies, including metastatic renal cell carcinoma as an option for frontline and subsequent lines of therapy. Despite the many therapeutic benefits of ICT, its use is complicated by the potential risk of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). One rare but potentially life-threatening irAE is hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).

Anomalous Aortic Origin of a Coronary Artery in Pediatric Patients.

Purpose Of Review: We present a contemporary approach to risk assessment and management of patients with anomalous aortic origin of a coronary artery (AAOCA).

Recent Findings: Anomalous left coronary artery from the right aortic sinus (L-AAOCA) with interarterial course carries a high risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD); therefore, current guidelines recommend exercise restriction and surgical intervention. Recent data in intraseptal and juxtacommissural L-AAOCA showed inducible perfusion abnormalities, leading to consideration of surgical intervention.