Gut organoids: mini-tissues in culture to study intestinal physiology and disease.

In vitro, cell cultures are essential tools in the study of intestinal function and disease. For the past few decades, monolayer cellular cultures, such as cancer cell lines or immortalized cell lines, have been widely applied in gastrointestinal research. Recently, the development of three-dimensional cultures known as organoids has permitted the growth of normal crypt-villus units that recapitulate many aspects of intestinal physiology.

Urine citrate excretion identifies changes in acid retention as eGFR declines in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Previous studies have shown that acid (H) retention in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) but without metabolic acidosis increases as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreases over time. The present study examined whether changes in urine excretion of the pH-sensitive metabolite citrate predicted changes in H retention over time in similar patients with CKD that were followed for 10 yr. We randomized 120 CKD2 nondiabetic, hypertension-associated nephropathy patients with plasma total CO of >24 mM to receive 0.

Pulmonary aspergilloma with subcutaneous fistula resulting in massive hemoptysis & subcutaneous emphysema.

Aspergillomas growing in pre-existing lung cavities can lead to presentations of hemoptysis. We present a case of a 73-year-old male with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and known 4 cm left cavitary lesion in the left upper lobe presenting with cough and hemoptysis, leading to the diagnosis of a pulmonary aspergilloma complicated by chest wall subcutaneous emphysema due to cavitary-subcutaneous fistula in the setting of excessive cough. This case sheds light on subcutaneous emphysema as a potential rare complication of aspergillomas in patients without prior trauma.

Five-year results from the Study of Thoracic Aortic Type B Dissection Using Endoluminal Repair (STABLE I) study of endovascular treatment of complicated type B aortic dissection using a composite device design.

Objective: We report the final 5-year results from the Study of Thoracic Aortic Type B Dissection Using Endoluminal Repair (STABLE I) study, a prospective, single-arm, multicenter study of the Zenith Dissection Endovascular System (William Cook Europe, Aps, Bjaeverskov, Denmark), a pathology-specific device comprising a proximal stent graft with barbs and a distal bare stainless steel stent for the treatment of patients with complicated type B aortic dissection.

Methods: The study prospectively enrolled 86 patients (mean age, 59 years; 73% male) at sites in the United States, Europe, and Australia from 2007 to 2012. Treatment occurred during the acute phase (≤14 days after symptom onset) in 55 patients and during the nonacute phase (>14 days; all treated ≤90 days) in 31 patients.

Outcomes of cochlear implantation in children with inner ear malformations.

Purpose: To evaluate the surgical experience and auditory functions and progress of speech development of cochlear implantation in malformed ears.

Materials And Methods: Between November 1995 and July 2017, thirty-seven patients (26 females and 11 males; mean age: 138.275 ± 96.

Could digital photography be an alternative to postoperative physical examination for pediatric tonsillectomy patients?

Objective: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of postoperative control with digital photographs and physical examination for children who underwent tonsillectomy?

Methods: In this prospective study, 86 children (46 boys (53.5%) and 40 girls (46.5%) were enrolled for postoperative clinical visit and for obtaining photographs of the tonsillar bed with a digital camera at clinic control.

Pulmonary edema during the Boston Marathon.

The Boston Marathon is the most popular marathon in the New England region and attracts some of the most qualified athletes participating from the United States and abroad. The race occurs in April, a month in the northeast characterized by unpredictable weather. While there are a number of well described weather-related medical complications that occur during exercise, less is known about noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (NCPE) in marathon runners, a condition that most physician are unfamiliar with.

Ultrabright fluorescent cellulose acetate nanoparticles for imaging tumors through systemic and topical applications.

Cellulose acetate (CA), viscose, or artificial silk are biocompatible human-benign derivatives of cellulose, one of the most abundant biopolymers on earth. While various optical materials have been developed from CA, optical CA nanomaterials are nonexistent. Here we report on the assembly of a new family of extremely bright fluorescent CA nanoparticles (CA-dots), which are fully suitable for in vivo imaging / targeting applications.

Race and sex differences in patient provider communication and awareness of lung cancer screening in the health information National Trends Survey, 2013-2017.

Despite demonstrated reduction in lung cancer mortality, lung cancer screening uptake has been low. We investigated differences in discussions with physicians about lung cancer screening and awareness using repeated cross-sectional data from three cycles [4.2 (2013); 4.

Scar evaluation in subperiosteal temporal pocket versus the one-layer flap technique in cochlear implantation using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale.

Purpose: To compare the local and intracranial complications, migration of the IRS, surgical duration, and quality of life with the subperiosteal pocket technique and the one-layer flap (OLF) technique using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS).

Methods: Eight patients who underwent cochlear implantation. The patients were applied subscales of the POSAS and were asked to respond to the questionnaire items via a telephone conservation conducted by a physician.

Native coronary artery thrombosis in the setting of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: a case report.

Background: Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a rare complication of heparin therapy. Its pathogenesis includes thrombotic events that can rarely affect the coronary arteries.

Case Summary: We report a 67-year-old woman who presented with extensive lower extremities deep venous thrombosis.

Serious adverse events in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the placebo arms of 6 clinical trials.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal interstitial lung disease characterized by irreversible loss of lung function and an unpredictable course of disease progression.

Methods: The safety data for patients with IPF who received placebo in 6 clinical trials were pooled to examine the categories and frequencies of serious adverse events (SAEs) in this population.

Results: In 1082 patients with IPF who received placebo, 673 SAEs were reported.

Urine citrate excretion as a marker of acid retention in patients with chronic kidney disease without overt metabolic acidosis.

Acid (H) retention appears to contribute to progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), including some patients without metabolic acidosis. Identification of patients with H retention but without metabolic acidosis could facilitate targeted alkali therapy; however, current methods to assess H retention are invasive and have little clinical utility. We tested the hypothesis that urine excretion of the pH-sensitive metabolite citrate can identify H retention in patients with reduced GFR but without overt metabolic acidosis.

Thirty-day outcomes from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative thoracic endovascular aortic repair for type B dissection project.

Objective: The purpose of the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for dissection project is to assess the effectiveness of TEVAR for type B dissection by evaluation in a prospective quality improvement registry. Here we describe the project cohort and 30-day outcomes of TEVAR for both acute dissection (AD) and chronic dissection (CD) patients and focus specifically on outcomes of uncomplicated AD patients based on timing of treatment.

Methods: Summary statistics were performed comparing patients with AD (<30 days) and patients with CD.

Treatment of Calciphylaxis in CKD: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Calciphylaxis is a life-threatening complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). To inform clinical practice, we performed a systematic review of case reports, case series, and cohort studies to synthesize the available treatment modalities and outcomes of calciphylaxis in patients with CKD.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for studies that examined the uses of sodium thiosulfate, surgical parathyroidectomy, calcimimetics, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and bisphosphonates for calciphylaxis in patients with CKD, including end-stage renal disease.

Direct Visualization of the His Bundle Pacing Lead Placement by 3-Dimensional Electroanatomic Mapping: Technique, Anatomy, and Practical Considerations.

Background: His bundle pacing (HBP) remains technically challenging and is currently guided by electrograms and 2-dimensional fluoroscopy. Our objective was to describe a new technique for HBP directly guided by electroanatomic mapping (EAM).

Methods: Twenty-eight patients were included.

Durability of open surgical repair of type I-III thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm.

Objective: Early outcomes and late mortality after open repair of extent I to III thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAAs) are described, but late graft and aortic events are seldom detailed. This study investigated long-term aortic and graft outcomes as these data are increasingly important as endovascular repair matures.

Methods: During 28 years, 516 patients underwent repair (type I, n = 177 [34%]; type II, n = 100 [20%]; type III, n = 239 [46%]).

Feasibility and Safety of the Preemie Orthotic Device to Manage Deformational Plagiocephaly in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

Background: Premature infants are predisposed to developing deformational plagiocephaly. Deformational plagiocephaly may affect the infant's social well-being and neurobehavioral development.

Purpose: This pilot study investigated the feasibility and safety of the preemie orthotic device (POD); a noncommercial, supportive orthotic device to manage deformational plagiocephaly.

Cerebellar-Prefrontal Network Connectivity and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia.

Objective: The interpretability of results in psychiatric neuroimaging is significantly limited by an overreliance on correlational relationships. Purely correlational studies cannot alone determine whether behavior-imaging relationships are causal to illness, functionally compensatory processes, or purely epiphenomena. Negative symptoms (e.

Circulating inflammation signature predicts overall survival and relapse-free survival in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a highly heterogeneous disease from a clinical, molecular, and immunological perspective. Current predictive models rely primarily in tissue based genetic analysis, which not always correlate with inflammatory response. Here we evaluated the role of a circulating inflammatory signature as a prognostic marker in mCRC.