Treatment with Oral or Inhaled Treprostinil in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Cardiovascular Comorbidities.

Background: An increasing number of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) have cardiovascular comorbidities. However, the effects of comorbidities on responses to PAH treatment are not well understood.

Research Question: Do cardiovascular comorbidities in patients with PAH influence the efficacy and tolerability of inhaled or oral treprostinil?

Study Design And Methods: All patients from phase 3 studies TRIUMPH (N = 235) and FREEDOM-EV (N = 690) were included in this post hoc analysis and were classified as having 0, ≥1, or ≥2 cardiovascular comorbidities of interest based on patients' medical histories.

Developing remote patient monitoring infrastructure using commercially available cloud platforms.

Wearable sensor devices for continuous patient monitoring produce a large volume of data, necessitating scalable infrastructures for efficient data processing, management and security, especially concerning Patient Health Information (PHI). Adherence to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a legislation that mandates developers and healthcare providers to uphold a set of standards for safeguarding patients' health information and privacy, further complicates the development of remote patient monitoring within healthcare ecosystems. This paper presents an Internet of Things (IoT) architecture designed for the healthcare sector, utilizing commercial cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop HIPAA-compliant health monitoring systems.

PET/CT/MRI in Clinical Trials of Alzheimer's Disease.

With the advent of PET imaging in 1976, 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG)-PET became the preferred method for in vivo investigation of cerebral processes, including regional hypometabolism in Alzheimer's disease. With the emergence of amyloid-PET tracers, [11C]Pittsburgh Compound-B in 2004 and later [18F]florbetapir, [18F]florbetaben, and [18F]flumetamol, amyloid-PET has replaced FDG-PET in Alzheimer's disease anti-amyloid clinical trial treatments to ensure "amyloid positivity" as an entry criterion, and to measure treatment-related decline in cerebral amyloid deposits. MRI has been used to rule out other brain diseases and screen for 'amyloid-related imaging abnormalities' (ARIAs) of two kinds, ARIA-E and ARIA-H, characterized by edema and micro-hemorrhage, respectively, and, to a lesser extent, to measure changes in cerebral volumes.

The Association Between Grit and Weight Loss After Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Objective: Grit is a person's ability to establish long-term goals and work to achieve those goals irrespective of any barriers. We examined the relationship between the personality trait grit, obesity, and metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS)-induced weight loss.

Methods: In an ongoing prospective cohort, 104 adult patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) had preoperative grit questionnaires administered.

Seronegative patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and non-pSS sicca test positive for anti-SSA/Ro52 and -Ro60 in saliva.

Objectives: Testing for anti-SSA/Ro antibodies in serum is essential in the diagnostic work-up for primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). In this study, we aimed to validate our previous assay for detection of salivary anti-SSA/Ro52, and to develop assays for detection of salivary anti-SSA/Ro60 and for detection of anti-Ro52 and -Ro60 in plasma using the electric field-induced release and measurement (EFIRM) platform.

Methods: Whole saliva samples from two independent Danish cohorts (DN1 and DN2) including 49 patients with pSS, 73 patients with sicca symptoms, but not fulfilling the classification criteria for pSS (non-pSS sicca), and 51 healthy controls (HC), as well as plasma samples from the DN1 cohort were analyzed using EFIRM to detect anti-SSA/Ro52 and -Ro60.

Increased cardiovascular risk in epilepsy.

Epilepsy is associated with increased mortality. Cardiovascular disease confers a significant portion of this increased risk. Recently there is increased interest in the burden of cardiovascular mortality in people with epilepsy.

Proteome-wide association study and functional validation identify novel protein markers for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Unlabelled: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a lethal malignancy, largely due to the paucity of reliable biomarkers for early detection and therapeutic targeting. Existing blood protein biomarkers for PDAC often suffer from replicability issues, arising from inherent limitations such as unmeasured confounding factors in conventional epidemiologic study designs. To circumvent these limitations, we use genetic instruments to identify proteins with genetically predicted levels to be associated with PDAC risk.

2-Bromopalmitate depletes lipid droplets to inhibit viral replication.

Unlabelled: The global impact of emerging viral infections emphasizes the urgent need for effective broad-spectrum antivirals. The cellular organelle, lipid droplet (LD), is utilized by many types of viruses for replication, but its reduction does not affect cell survival. Therefore, LD is a potential target for developing broad-spectrum antivirals.

Omaveloxolone for the treatment of Friedreich ataxia: clinical trial results and practical considerations.

Introduction: Omavaloxolone, an NRF2 activator, recently became the first drug approved specifically for the treatment of Friedreich ataxia (FRDA). This landmark achievement provides a background for a review of the detailed data leading to the approval.

Areas Covered: The authors review the data from the 4 major articles on FRDA in the context of the authors' considerable (>1000 patients) experience in treating individuals with FRDA.

Pretreatment CTP Collateral Parameters Predict Good Outcomes in Successfully Recanalized Middle Cerebral Artery Distal Medium Vessel Occlusions.

Background/purpose: Distal medium vessel occlusions (DMVOs) account for a large percentage of vessel occlusions resulting in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with disabling symptoms. We aim to assess whether pretreatment quantitative CTP collateral status (CS) parameters can serve as imaging biomarkers for good clinical outcomes prediction in successfully recanalized middle cerebral artery (MCA) DMVOs.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients with AIS secondary to primary MCA-DMVOs who were successfully recanalized by mechanical thrombectomy (MT) defined as modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) 2b, 2c, or 3.

Revision of Alzheimer's diagnostic criteria or relocation of the Potemkin village.

The recently announced revision of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnostic ATN classification adds to an already existing disregard for clinical assessment the rejection of image-based in vivo assessment of the brain's condition. The revision suggests that the diagnosis of AD should be based solely on the presence of cerebral amyloid-beta and tau, indicated by the "A" and "T". The "N", which stands for neurodegeneration - detected by imaging - should no longer be given importance, except that A+ ± T + = AD with amyloid PET being the main method for demonstrating A+ .

Tyvaso DPI: Drug-device characteristics and patient clinical considerations.

Tyvaso DPI is a drug-device combination therapy comprised of a small, portable, reusable, breath-powered, dry powder inhaler (DPI) for the delivery of treprostinil. It is approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease. Tyvaso DPI utilizes single-use prefilled cartridges to ensure proper dosing.

Research design and baseline participant characteristics of the Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes - Telehealth (REAL-T) Study: A randomized controlled trial for young adults with type 1 diabetes.

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic condition affecting nearly 1.9 million people in the United States. Young adults (YAs) with T1D face unique challenges in managing their condition, experiencing poorer health and well-being than other age groups.

Art and Safety of Gluteal Augmentation: Future Directions.

Gluteal augmentation is a quickly evolving field that continues to grow in the realms of patient safety, surgical education, and technological advancement. This article discusses innovation in gluteal augmentation and suggests potential new pathways for developing the practice of gluteal augmentation.

Correlation of Computed Tomography, Pathological Findings, and Clinical Outcomes for Appendicoliths in Appendicitis.

Objectives: To correlate preoperative imaging of fecaliths with what is seen in surgical specimens.

Background: Early studies considered radiological findings of appendicoliths as a contraindication for nonoperative treatment of appendicitis. There is no standard definition for what is labeled as an appendicolith radiologically and little is known about the pathological correlates of these lesions.

Infant movement classification through pressure distribution analysis.

Background: Aiming at objective early detection of neuromotor disorders such as cerebral palsy, we propose an innovative non-intrusive approach using a pressure sensing device to classify infant general movements. Here we differentiate typical general movement patterns of the "fidgety period" (fidgety movements) vs. the "pre-fidgety period" (writhing movements).

Roadmap for Development of a Strong, Diverse Research Workforce in Neurosurgery.

A benchmark of success for the neurosurgeon-scientist includes obtaining individual research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Successful roadmaps to this goal highlight diversity, individual commitment and resiliency, innovative research goals, intentional mentoring, protected research time, and financial support. We must equip neurosurgery residents to surmount obstacles such as long periods of training, gaps in research productivity, and limited protected time for research to ensure successful transition to independent research careers.

Roadmap for Successful Research Training in Neurosurgery.

A benchmark of success for the neurosurgeon-scientist includes obtaining individual research funding from the National Institutes of Health. Successful roadmaps to this goal highlight individual commitment and resiliency, innovative research goals, intentional mentoring, protected research time, and financial support. Neurosurgery residents must carefully plan their training career to surmount obstacles such as long clinical training period, gaps in research productivity during clinical training, and limited protected time for research to ensure successful transition to independent research careers.