Differences in Postoperative Disposition by Kidney Disease Severity: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: People with advanced kidney disease undergo more non-cardiac operations compared to the general population, with a higher risk of perioperative cardiac events and death. However, little is known about the associations between severity of preoperative kidney dysfunction with postoperative length of hospitalization and discharge disposition; these were the focus of this study.

Study Design: Population-based retrospective cohort.

An optogenetic mouse model of hindlimb spasticity after spinal cord injury.

Spasticity is a common comorbidity of spinal cord injury (SCI), disrupting motor function and resulting in significant discomfort. While elements of post-SCI spasticity can be assessed using pre-clinical SCI models, the robust measurement of spasticity severity can be difficult due to its periodic and spontaneous appearance. Electrical stimulation of sensory afferents can elicit spasticity-associated motor responses, such as spasms; however, placing surface electrodes on the hindlimbs of awake animals can induce stress or encumbrance that could influence the expression of behaviour.

Electrophysiological signatures of the effect of context on exploration: Greater attentional and learning signals when exploration is costly.

Humans are excellent at modifying our behaviour depending on context. For example, humans will change how they explore when losses are possible compared to when they are not possible. However, it remains unclear what specific cognitive and neural processes are modulated when exploring in different contexts.

Advances in IgY antibody dosage form design and delivery strategies: Current status and future perspective.

Immunoglobulin Y (IgY), a unique type of antibody found in birds, is attracting increasing attention for a broad range of biomedical applications. Rational IgY protection, dosage form design, and delivery are highly essential to transform functional IgY antibodies into desired IgY products for therapeutic and prophylactic administration. Although progress has been made in this field, it remains in the early stages, highlighting the fundamental research and development needed in this aspect of IgY technology.

Glenoid Preparation in Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty: Robotic-Arm Assisted Preparation Compared to Manual Preparation and Patient-specific Guides.

Background: Precise and accurate glenoid preparation is important for the success of shoulder arthroplasty. Despite advancements in preoperative planning software and enabling technologies, most surgeons execute the procedure manually. Patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) facilitates accurate glenoid guide pin placement for cannulated reaming; however, few commercially available systems offer depth of reaming control.

Eccentric Reaming is Superior to Augmented Components in B2 Glenoids: a Biomechanical study.

Introduction: Primary glenohumeral arthritis is typically associated with glenoid retroversion and posterior bone loss. Glenoid component fixation remains a weak link in the survivorship of anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty, particularly in the B2 glenoid. The aim of this study was to compare biomechanical properties of two glenoid preparation techniques in a B2 glenoid bone loss model.

The risk of donor-acquired allergy in solid organ transplant recipients: a systematic review.

Background: Donor acquired allergy (DAA) occurs when donors transfer their allergies to recipients through solid organ transplant (SOT). However, the risk of DAA in recipients of organs from allergic donors has not been systematically characterized.

Objective: We sought to synthesize the available evidence on the risk of DAA in SOT recipients.

Digital Profiling of Immune Biomarkers in Breast Cancer: Relation to Anthracycline Benefit.

Assessment of the tumor immune microenvironment can be used as a prognostic tool for improved survival and as a predictive biomarker for treatment benefit, particularly from immune modulating treatments including cytotoxic chemotherapy. Using Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP), we studied the tumor immune microenvironment of 522 breast cancer cases by quantifying 35 immune biomarkers on tissue microarrays from the MA.5 phase III clinical trial.

NUMB alternative splicing and isoform specific functions in development and disease.

The NUMB gene encodes a conserved adaptor protein with roles in asymmetric cell division and cell fate determination. First described as an inhibitor of Notch signaling, multi-functional NUMB proteins regulate multiple cellular pathways through protein complexes with ubiquitin ligases, polarity proteins and the endocytic machinery. The vertebrate NUMB protein isoforms were identified over two decades ago, yet the majority of functional studies exploring NUMB function in endocytosis, cell migration and adhesion, development and disease have largely neglected the potential for distinct isoform activity in design and interpretation.

P3 site-directed mutagenesis: An efficient method based on primer pairs with 3'-overhangs.

Site-directed mutagenesis is a fundamental tool indispensable for protein and plasmid engineering. An important technological question is how to achieve the efficiency at the ideal level of 100%. Based on complementary primer pairs, the QuickChange method has been widely used, but it requires significant improvements due to its low efficiency and frequent unwanted mutations.

Mixed reality for preoperative planning and intraoperative assistance of surgical correction of complex congenital heart defects.

Objectives: Mixed reality (MixR) is an innovative visualization tool that presents virtual elements in a real-world environment, enabling real-time interaction between the user and the combined digital/physical reality. We aimed to explore the feasibility of MixR in enhancing preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance for the correction of various complex congenital heart defects (CHDs).

Methods: Patients underwent cardiac computed tomography or cardiac magnetic resonance and segmentation of digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) images was performed.

Analysis of clinical features and prognosis in cardiac amyloidosis patients from Spanish hospitals (2016-2021).

Introduction And Objectives: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a prevalent yet underdiagnosed heart condition characterized by the abnormal accumulation of amyloid fibres, frequently resulting in heart failure (HF), particularly in older people. Despite advancements in non-invasive diagnostic techniques and treatments, the epidemiology of CA patients remains inadequately understood. This nationwide retrospective observational study sought to comprehensively investigate CA patients' characteristics, mortality, and readmission patterns.

Longitudinal integrated proteomic and metabolomic skin changes in atopic dermatitis patients treated with dupilumab.

Background: Inhibition of IL-4/IL-13 driven inflammation by dupilumab has shown significant clinical benefits in treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objective: To assess longitudinal protein and metabolite composition in AD skin during dupilumab treatment.

Methods: Skin tape strip (STS) were collected from lesional/non-lesional skin of 20 AD patients during 16-week dupilumab treatment and from 20 healthy volunteers (HV) followed for 16-weeks.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's disease.

Introduction: Autoimmune diseases often present in a systemic manner, affecting various organs and tissues. Involvement of the central and peripheral nervous system is not uncommon in these conditions and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, early recognition of the neuropsychiatric manifestations associated with rheumatologic diseases is essential for the introduction of appropriate therapies with the objective of providing a better quality of life for individuals.

Clinical Utility of Systolic Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Atrial Fibrillation: Role of Prospective ECG-Triggered Cardiac CT.

Background: The assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and quantification of LV ejection fraction (EF) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) can be difficult. We previously demonstrated that LV volume changes over the 100 ms of systole (LVEF) can be used as a measure of LV systolic function.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the applicability of LVEF in AF patients.

Racial and ethnic enrollment disparities in clinical trials leading to FDA approvals for gynecologic malignancies.

Background: Black women and other minorities have higher age adjusted incidence risk for cervical and endometrial cancer than White women. However, the extent of racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trial enrollment among studies performed mainly in North America and Europe for gynecologic malignancy is unknown.

Objective: This study analyzed enrollment rates by race/ethnicity in trials that led to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals for gynecological cancers from 2010 to 2024.

Volumetric alterations in auditory and visual subcortical nuclei following perinatal deafness in felines.

In response to sensory deprivation, the brain adapts to efficiently navigate a modified perceptual environment through a process referred to as compensatory crossmodal plasticity, allowing the remaining senses to repurpose deprived regions and networks. A mechanism that has been proposed to contribute to this plasticity involves adaptations within subcortical nuclei that trigger cascading effects throughout the brain. The current study uses 7T MRI to investigate the effect of perinatal deafness on the volumes of subcortical structures in felines, focusing on key sensory nuclei within the brainstem and thalamus.

Dynamic cycles between brain states during creative storytelling.

Many theories suggest that creative thinking involves a dynamic transition between different mental states, yet empirical evidence supporting this notion remains scarce. The dual process model proposes that spontaneous thinking and deliberate thinking drive the dwell in and the transitions between different mental states during creative thinking, but there is a debate over whether the two types of thinking operate in parallel or in sequence. To address these gaps, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study in 41 college students during a creative storytelling task.

Bladder rupture in late-pregnancy mares: Four cases.

This case series reports four late pregnancy broodmares that were diagnosed with bladder rupture. The initial presentations were abdominal discomfort (n = 3) and dystocia (n = 1). All mares (n = 4) were overdue or at their expected time of delivery.

An umbrella review and meta-analysis of 87 meta-analyses examining healthcare workers' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers (HCWs) experienced several changes in their work (e.g., longer hours, new policies) that affected their mental health.

Virtual reality for reduction of intraprocedural pharmacological sedation and analgesia in adult patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pharmacological sedation and analgesia are used to alleviate discomfort during awake medical procedures but can cause adverse effects like apnea and hypoxemia, increasing the need for airway management and prolonging recovery. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce the need for procedural sedatives and analgesics.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted, assessing the impact of VR immersion on intraprocedural sedation and analgesia usage in adults (≥ 18 years).

Scoping review of registration of observational studies finds inadequate registration policies, increased registration, and a debate converging towards pro-registration.

Objective: We aimed to examine a) the policies of national and international clinical trial registries regarding observational studies; b) the time-trends of observational study registration; c) the published arguments for and against observational study registration.

Study Design And Setting: Scoping review of registry practices and published arguments. We searched the websites and databases of all 19 members of the World Health Organization's Registry Network to identify policies relating to observational studies and the number of observational studies registered annually from the beginning of the registries to 2022.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for non-spine bone metastases: A meta-analysis and international stereotactic radiosurgery society (ISRS) clinical practice guidelines.

Background: While SBRT to NSBM has become common, particularly in the oligometastatic population, the approach to treating non-spine bone metastases (NSBM) with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) varies widely across institutions and clinical trial protocols. We present a comprehensive systematic review of the literatures to inform practice recommendations on behalf of the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS).

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Dosimetric comparison of CyberKnife and conventional linac prostate SBRT plans: analysis of the PACE-B Study.

Purpose: In the PACE-B study, a non-randomised comparison of toxicity outcomes between stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) platforms revealed fewer urinary side-effects with CyberKnife (CK) compared to conventional linac (CL) SBRT. This analysis compares baseline characteristics and planning dosimetry between the CK-SBRT and CL-SBRT cohorts in PACE-B, aiming to provide insight into possible reasons for differing toxicity outcomes between the platforms.

Methods: Dosimetric parameters for the surrogate urethra (SU), contoured urethra, bladder, bladder trigone (BT), and rectum were extracted from available CT planning scans of PACE-B SBRT patients.