Distinct Patterns of Brain Metabolism in Patients at Risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.

To characterize regional brain metabolic differences in patients at high risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), using fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). We studied patients with refractory focal epilepsy at high ( = 56) and low ( = 69) risk of SUDEP who underwent interictal FDG-PET as part of their pre-surgical evaluation. Binary SUDEP risk was ascertained by thresholding frequency of focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS).

Cardiac Remodeling and Repair: Recent Approaches, Advancements, and Future Perspective.

The limited ability of mammalian adult cardiomyocytes to proliferate following an injury to the heart, such as myocardial infarction, is a major factor that results in adverse fibrotic and myocardial remodeling that ultimately leads to heart failure. The continued high degree of heart failure-associated morbidity and lethality requires the special attention of researchers worldwide to develop efficient therapeutics for cardiac repair. Recently, various strategies and approaches have been developed and tested to extrinsically induce regeneration and restoration of the myocardium after cardiac injury have yielded encouraging results.

TIFAB accelerates MLL-AF9-Induced acute myeloid leukemia through upregulation of HOXA9.

We previously showed stabilization of NIK-induced activation of NF-κB non-canonical signaling suppresses MLL-AF9-induced AML. In the current study, we demonstrate that deletion of NF-κB non-canonical RelB prevents the inhibitory effect of NIK stabilization in MLL-AF9 AML. Mechanistically, RelB suppresses its direct target, TIFAB, which is upregulated in human AML and correlates negatively with the survival of AML patients.

Three-dimensional organoid culture unveils resistance to clinical therapies in adult and pediatric glioblastoma.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. The inherent cellular diversity and interactions within tumor microenvironments represent significant challenges to effective treatment. Traditional culture methods such as adherent or sphere cultures may mask such complexities whereas three-dimensional (3D) organoid culture systems derived from patient cancer stem cells (CSCs) can preserve cellular complexity and microenvironments.

The Utility of Comorbidity Indices in Assessing Head and Neck Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To evaluate the utility of comorbidity index (CI) scores in predicting outcomes in head and neck surgery (HNS). The CIs evaluated were the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), Kaplan-Feinstein Index (KFI), American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA-PS), Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 (ACE-27), National Cancer Institute Comorbidity Index (NCI-CI), and the Washington University Head and Neck Comorbidity Index (WUHNCI).

Methods: We report a systematic review according to the 2009 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

An adapted European LeukemiaNet genetic risk stratification for acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. A CIBMTR analysis.

Cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities are known to influence post-transplant outcomes in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) but data assessing the prognostic value of combined genetic models in the HCT setting are limited. We developed an adapted European LeukemiaNet (aELN) risk classification based on available genetic data reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, to predict post-transplant outcomes in 2289 adult AML patients transplanted in first remission, between 2013 and 2017. Patients were stratified according to aELN into three groups: favorable (Fav, N = 181), intermediate (IM, N = 1185), and adverse (Adv, N = 923).

Risk classification at diagnosis predicts post-HCT outcomes in intermediate-, adverse-risk, and KMT2A-rearranged AML.

Little is known about whether risk classification at diagnosis predicts post-hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We evaluated 8709 patients with AML from the CIBMTR database, and after selection and manual curation of the cytogenetics data, 3779 patients in first complete remission were included in the final analysis: 2384 with intermediate-risk, 969 with adverse-risk, and 426 with KMT2A-rearranged disease. An adjusted multivariable analysis detected an increased risk of relapse for patients with KMT2A-rearranged or adverse-risk AML as compared to those with intermediate-risk disease (hazards ratio [HR], 1.

Allogeneic Transplantation to Treat Therapy-Related Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in Adults.

Patients who develop therapy-related myeloid neoplasm, either myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS) or acute myelogenous leukemia (t-AML), have a poor prognosis. An earlier Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) analysis of 868 allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantations (allo-HCTs) performed between 1990 and 2004 showed a 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of 22% and 21%, respectively. Modern supportive care, graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis, and reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have led to improved outcomes.

Association between genes regulating neural pathways for quantitative traits of speech and language disorders.

Speech sound disorders (SSD) manifest as difficulties in phonological memory and awareness, oral motor function, language, vocabulary, reading, and spelling. Families enriched for SSD are rare, and typically display a cluster of deficits. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 435 children from 148 families in the Cleveland Family Speech and Reading study (CFSRS), examining 16 variables representing 6 domains.

No association between chronic use of ranitidine, compared with omeprazole or famotidine, and gastrointestinal malignancies.

Background: In 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration detected above-regulation levels of the human carcinogen N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine, resulting in a complete removal of the medication from the market. NDMA is known to cause gastrointestinal malignancies in animal models.

Aim: To determine if patients who were receiving ranitidine have a higher risk of developing cancers of the digestive tract compared to patients taking other anti-reflux medications.

The superior cervical ganglia modulate ventilatory responses to hypoxia independently of preganglionic drive from the cervical sympathetic chain.

Superior cervical ganglia (SCG) postganglionic neurons receive preganglionic drive via the cervical sympathetic chains (CSC). The SCG projects to structures like the carotid bodies (e.g.

Reflections of COVID-19 on Dermatology Practice.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in early 2020, few healthcare workers were prepared for what lay ahead. Dermatology nurses, medical assistants, and nurse practitioners experienced rapid changes in the way they conducted their daily practice. This article discusses many of those changes and explores the challenges these healthcare workers faced and continue to face.

Pharmacokinetics of Ruxolitinib in HIV Suppressed Individuals on Antiretroviral Agent Therapy from the ACTG A5336 Study.

Ruxolitinib is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved orally administered Janus kinase (1/2) inhibitor that reduces cytokine-induced inflammation. As part of a randomized, phase 2, open-label trial, ruxolitinib (10 mg twice daily) was administered to HIV-positive, virologically suppressed individuals (33 men, 7 women) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 5 weeks. Herein, we report the population PK subsequently determined from this study.

The Promising Effect of Nerve Decompression in Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias: Report of Case Series.

Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TAC) are excruciating headaches with limited treatment options. The chronic forms of TACs, including chronic cluster, chronic paroxysmal hemicrania, and hemicrania continua, are disabling conditions. In addition to drug therapy, there are some studies regarding nerve blocking and nerve stimulation with acceptable results.

Time-Updated Changes in Estimated GFR and Proteinuria and Major Adverse Cardiac Events: Findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study.

Rationale & Objective: Evaluating repeated measures of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary protein-creatinine ratio (UPCR) over time may enhance our ability to understand the association between changes in kidney parameters and cardiovascular disease risk.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting & Participants: Annual visit data from 2,438 participants in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC).

Loss of Cervical Sympathetic Chain Input to the Superior Cervical Ganglia Affects the Ventilatory Responses to Hypoxic Challenge in Freely-Moving C57BL6 Mice.

The cervical sympathetic chain (CSC) innervates post-ganglionic sympathetic neurons within the ipsilateral superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of all mammalian species studied to date. The post-ganglionic neurons within the SCG project to a wide variety of structures, including the brain (parenchyma and cerebral arteries), upper airway (e.g.

Racial and ethnic disparities in coronary, vascular, structural, and congenital heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States. However, percutaneous interventional cardiovascular therapies are often underutilized in Blacks, Hispanics, and women and may contribute to excess morbidity and mortality in these vulnerable populations. The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) is committed to reducing racial, ethnic, and sex-based treatment disparities in interventional cardiology patients.