The influence of familiarity between the surgeon and their assistant on patient outcomes: a prospective observational cohort study.

Background: The inverse relationship between increased surgical team familiarity and reduced operative time is established, but its effect on patient outcomes remains uncertain.

Materials And Methods: A prospective cohort study including operations by attending surgeons between 1 November 2020 and 31 December 2021 across fourteen surgical departments from four French university hospitals. Surgical team familiarity was measured as the cumulative number of previous operations performed by the same dyad of attending and assisting surgeons.

Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation.

Background: Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are handheld electronic vaping devices that produce an aerosol by heating an e-liquid. People who smoke, healthcare providers, and regulators want to know if ECs can help people quit smoking, and if they are safe to use for this purpose. This is a review update conducted as part of a living systematic review.

Loneliness among Adults Aging with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: The Importance of Living Situation.

Background And Objectives: Loneliness is a serious public health concern among the aging population. Not only is loneliness an unpleasant emotional experience, it is also associated with worse health, well-being, and even mortality. This is a particularly important issue among the population aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are more likely to experience loneliness across the life course, and who - particularly if living in an intermediate care facility (ICF) or nursing facility - may lack social connections.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for Management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

Objectives: Complex regional pain syndrome remains a challenging condition characterized by severe, persistent pain and a variety of inflammatory and trophic symptoms. This study aimed to analyze the current literature to evaluate hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)'s efficacy in treating complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), focusing on both sympathetically-maintained pain (SMP) and sympathetically-independent pain (SIP) subtypes.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed Clinical Queries using the MeSH term "Complex Regional Pain Syndromes" OR the keyword "CRPS" AND "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy" OR the keyword "HBOT".

Refractory and Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mucocutaneous Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: Literature Review and Proposed Definitions for Use in Clinical Trials.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. In general, host immunity is sufficient to clear viral shedding and recurrences, although it is insufficient to prevent subsequent virologic reactivations. In immunocompromised patients, prolonged and difficult-to-treat HSV infections may develop.

Accuracy of nursing diagnoses identified at admission and discharge of patients with decompensated heart failure.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy of nursing diagnoses at hospital admission and discharge for patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: This comparative study examined the documentation in 155 medical records of patients with an admitting diagnosis of HF during August 2018 and July 2019. An audit tool was used to record the diagnoses made by nurses during routine care at the time of admission and discharge.

Human TSC2 mutant cells exhibit aberrations in early neurodevelopment accompanied by changes in the DNA Methylome.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a debilitating developmental disorder characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations. While benign tumors in the heart, lungs, kidney, and brain are all hallmarks of the disease, the most severe symptoms of TSC are often neurological, including seizures, autism, psychiatric disorders, and intellectual disabilities. TSC is caused by loss of function mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes and consequent dysregulation of signaling via mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1).

Noncoding variants and sulcal patterns in congenital heart disease: Machine learning to predict functional impact.

Neurodevelopmental impairments associated with congenital heart disease (CHD) may arise from perturbations in brain developmental pathways, including the formation of sulcal patterns. While genetic factors contribute to sulcal features, the association of noncoding variants (ncDNVs) with sulcal patterns in people with CHD remains poorly understood. Leveraging deep learning models, we examined the predicted impact of ncDNVs on gene regulatory signals.

International medical graduates representation in pathology academic workforce, departmental leadership and society leadership.

Compared with the overall physician workforce, pathologist workforce in the United States has significant representation of international medical graduates (IMGs). IMG representation in the academic pathology workforce, as well as in departmental and pathology societal leadership, has not been documented. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed a sample of 20 North American academic pathology departmental publicly available websites.

A Case Report of Mycophenolate Mofetil-Induced Fulminant Colitis in a 76-Year-Old Renal Transplant Recipient.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is a widely utilized immunosuppressive medication to prevent organ rejection in transplant recipients and manage autoimmune diseases. While gastrointestinal side effects, such as diarrhea and abdominal discomfort, are common, fulminant colitis is a rare complication. This case report describes the occurrence of fulminant colitis in a 76-year-old renal transplant recipient.

ALS Motor Observational Telemedicine Objective Rasch-Built Assessment: A Quantitative Scale for the Era of Teleneurology.

Background And Objectives: Telemedicine has become a mainstay of ALS clinical care, but there is currently no standardized approach for assessing and tracking changes to the neurologic examination in this format. The goal of this study was to create a standardized telemedicine-based motor examination scale to objectively and reliably track ALS progression and use Rasch methodology to validate the scale and improve its psychometric properties.

Methods: A draft telemedicine examination scale with 25 items assessing movement in the bulbar muscles, neck, trunk, and extremities was created by an ALS expert panel, incorporating input from patient advisors.

Gel immersion in endoscopy: Exploring potential applications.

The challenge of effectively eliminating air during gastrointestinal endoscopy using ultrasound techniques is apparent. This difficulty arises from the intricacies of removing concealed air within the folds of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in artifacts and compromised visualization. In addition, the overlap of folds with lesions can obscure their depth and size, presenting challenges for an accurate assessment.

Effective and Engaging Active Learning in the Medical School Classroom: Lessons from Case-Based Collaborative Learning.

Large group collaborative teaching approaches are rapidly gaining popularity in undergraduate medical education. The case-based collaborative Learning (CBCL) pedagogy was instituted for pre-clerkship teaching at Harvard Medical School in 2015 with subsequent implementation at other medical schools. CBCL emphasizes inductive reasoning, integrates basic and clinical sciences, stimulates curiosity, and fosters teamwork.

Naxos Disease and Related Cardio-Cutaneous Syndromes.

Naxos disease is a rare autosomal recessive condition combining arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, woolly hair, and palmoplantar keratoderma. The first identified causative variant was in the gene encoding the desmosomal protein plakoglobin. Naxos disease exhibits fibro-fatty myocardial replacement with immunohistological abnormalities in cardiac protein and signaling pathways, highlighting the role of inflammation and potential anti-inflammatory treatments.

COVID-19 Stress is Associated with Increased Smoking among People with HIV in Western Washington: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: People living with HIV (PWH) frequently have co-morbid substance use disorders that may have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined associations between COVID-related stress and increased substance use among PWH in Washington State.

Methods: Between August 2020 and March 2021, we conducted an online survey of 397 PWH in Western Washington.

Mating system of a vector of .

snails are intermediate hosts for schistosome parasites, which cause morbidity and mortality in humans worldwide. We aimed to determine the mating system of , a hermaphroditic vector of schistosomiasis in the African Great Lakes, with the goal of informing the design of genetic studies such as linkage mapping to improve genome assembly and genetic association studies to identify snail resistance genes. To determine the relative rates of outcrossing selfing, we assayed the progeny of experimental crosses of snails in the laboratory using a PCR and restriction enzyme digest to determine snail genotype and parentage.

Clustering Sequence Data with Mixture Markov Chains with Covariates Using Multiple Simplex Constrained Optimization Routine (MSiCOR).

Mixture Markov Model (MMM) is a widely used tool to cluster sequences of events coming from a finite state-space. However, the MMM likelihood being multi-modal, the challenge remains in its maximization. Although Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm remains one of the most popular ways to estimate the MMM parameters, however, convergence of EM algorithm is not always guaranteed.

Quality of care delivery in patients with acute heart failure: insights from the international REPORT-HF registry.

Background: Heart Failure (HF) quality of care (QoC) is associated with clinical outcomes. Therefore, we investigated differences in HF QoC across worldwide regions (with differing national income) and the association of quality indicators with outcomes.

Methods: We examined the quality of care (QoC) in acute heart failure (HF) patients across different regions using quality indicators (QIs) from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) to evaluate QoC.

Expanded Uses of the Dorsal Nasal Flap: Redefining the Nasal Reconstruction Algorithm.

Background: Defects of the nose present complex reconstructive challenges to the plastic surgeon. We present our experience with using the dorsal nasal flap (DNF) to provide a durable reconstruction even in sizable defects that would otherwise be considered necessitating a paramedian forehead flap.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent reconstruction by DNF following resection of skin cancers on the nose.

The health-related experiences of detained immigrants with and without mental illness.

Background: Incarcerated individuals with mental illness face unique health challenges, yet we know little about individuals with mental illness who are detained by US immigration authorities. We aimed to describe the health-related experiences of detained immigrants with and without mental illness.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey in 2021 with a sample of recently detained immigrants who were detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and released in the United States in 2020-2021 ( = 203).

The clinical impact of conventional therapies for adults and adolescents suffering from eosinophilic esophagitis, a type 2 inflammatory chronic disease, and their economic consequences in Italy: Systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder marked by eosinophilic infiltration of the esophageal mucosa. Despite advances in understanding and management, optimal therapeutic strategies remain unclear, with conflicting guidelines.

Objective: We sought to evaluate effectiveness and safety of topical corticosteroids (TCSs) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in managing EoE and their economic implications in Italy.

Second-line treatment patterns and outcomes in advanced HCC after progression on atezolizumab/bevacizumab.

Background & Aims: Atezolizumab/bevacizumab (A/B) is now a standard first-line treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the optimal second-line regimen is not known. We evaluated real-world treatment patterns and outcomes to investigate factors associated with post-progression survival (PPS).

Methods: In this multicenter, international, retrospective study, we examined clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with advanced HCC who progressed on first-line A/B.

Predictive value of CT-based and AI-reconstructed 3D-TAPSE in patients undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve repair.

Background: The tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) assessed by echocardiography has failed in predicting outcomes in patients with severe tricuspid regurgitation (TR) undergoing transcatheter tricuspid valve intervention (TTVI). Considering the complex shape of the tricuspid annulus and right ventricle, as well as the difficult echocardiographic image acquisition of the right heart, cardiac computed tomography (CT) might be superior for the analysis of the annular excursion. Thus, this study aimed to analyze whether CT-captured TAPSE provides additional value in predicting outcomes after TTVI.