Effectiveness of a Fast- vs. Slow-Velocity Training on Load-Velocity Characteristics in Older Adults: A Pilot Study.

Resistance training at fast velocities is suggested to be more effective for improving muscular strength and movement speed compared to slow, heavy training. This study aimed to examine the effects of a fast-velocity (FVRT) compared to a slow-velocity (SVRT) resistance training program on maximal strength, maximal movement speed, and load-velocity characteristics in older adults. Nineteen community-dwelling older adults were randomly assigned to either the FVRT or SVRT group and completed a twice weekly, progressive resistance training protocol for 8-weeks.

Examining Changes in Pain Sensitivity Following 8 Minutes of Cycling at Varying Exercise Intensities.

This study assessed the effect of an eight-minute cycling intervention using varying intensities on exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). The main objective of this study was to examine the effect of varying intensities on pressure pain threshold (PPT) and heat pain threshold (HPT) at the thigh and forearm, tested pre- and post-cycling intervention. Healthy male participants ( = 16) performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer to establish their peak power output (PPO).

Strategic Management of Valve Infolding in Evolut TAVR Procedures: Enhancing Outcomes and Ensuring Patient Safety.

Transcatheter aortic valve repair (TAVR) presents a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgical valve replacement, albeit not without its own set of complications. A rare complication is the infolding of the self-expanding valve, which can precipitate cardiac arrest. The estimated incidence rate of this complication stands at 1.

Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration for Infective Endocarditis: Proceedings From an Inaugural Multidisciplinary Summit and Comprehensive Review.

The clinical presentation and epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) have evolved over time. While the cornerstones of IE treatment remain antimicrobial therapy and surgery, percutaneous mechanical aspiration (PMA) has emerged as an option for carefully selected patients as a complementary modality, based on retrospective data, case series, and expert experience. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the proceedings from an inaugural summit dedicated to the discussion of PMA in the global management of IE, consisting of experts across multiple disciplines from diverse geographic regions and care environments.

Navigated instrumentation and ligament tensioning device enhances initial gap acquisition during total knee arthroplasty procedure: A cadaveric study.

Purpose: Gap-balanced total knee arthroplasty (TKA) technique relies on initial ligament evaluation, particularly in patient-specific implantation using computer-assisted technologies. This cadaveric study aimed to compare the reproducibility and reliability of medial and lateral gap measurements between manual stress testing and dynamic ligament balancer.

Methods: Initial gap acquisitions were assessed from eight cadaveric knees (four specimens) during the same navigated TKA procedure by five differently skilled surgeons (three seniors and two juniors).

Trends and disparities in age, sex, ethnoracial background, and urbanization status in adult mortality due to thoracic aortic aneurysm: a retrospective nationwide study in the United States.

Introduction: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) are a significant health concern, with the true prevalence likely underestimated due to undiagnosed cases. Outcomes in TAA are influenced by factors like age, sex, and comorbidities such as hypertension. This study examines mortality trends and disparities associated with TAA in US adults.

Study protocol for Adaptive ChemoTherapy for Ovarian cancer (ACTOv): a multicentre phase II randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of adaptive therapy (AT) with carboplatin, based on changes in CA125, in patients with relapsed platinum-sensitive high-grade serous or high-grade endometrioid ovarian cancer.

Introduction: Adaptive ChemoTherapy for Ovarian cancer (ACTOv) is a phase II, multicentre, randomised controlled trial, evaluating an adaptive therapy (AT) regimen with carboplatin in women with relapsed, platinum-sensitive high-grade serous or high-grade endometrioid cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube and peritoneum whose disease has progressed at least 6 months after day 1 of the last cycle of platinum-based chemotherapy. AT is a novel, evolutionarily informed approach to cancer treatment, which aims to exploit intratumoral competition between drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tumour subpopulations by modulating drug dose according to a patient's own response to the last round of treatment. ACTOv is the first clinical trial of AT in this disease setting.

Multicentre study conducted across centres in the USA, Europe and Australia to assess the safety and effectiveness of a bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulation system for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in adults: a protocol for a pivotal, multicentre, open-label, single-arm study.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by blood oxygen desaturations and sleep disruptions manifesting undesirable consequences. Existing treatments including oral appliances, positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy and surgically altering the anatomy of the pharynx have drawbacks including poor long-term adherence or often involving irreversible, invasive procedures. Bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HNS) is a new treatment for managing OSA, and this study is intended to determine whether an HNS system is a safe and effective treatment option for adults with OSA.

Measurement Properties of the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia.

Introduction: The Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale-Activities of Daily Living (FARS-ADL) is a valid, highly utilized measure for assessing ADL impacts in patients with Friedreich ataxia. We provide evidence of the psychometric validity of the FARS-ADL in two cohorts of patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA).

Methods: Using data from a cohort of real-world subjects with SCA (recruited at Massachusetts General Hospital [MGH]; n = 33) and a phase 3 trial of troriluzole in adults with SCA (NCT03701399 [Study 206]; n = 217), comprising a subset of patients with the SCA3 genotype (n = 89), the psychometric measurement properties and minimal change thresholds of the FARS-ADL were examined.

Dysregulated autoantibodies targeting AGTR1 are associated with the accumulation of COVID-19 symptoms.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents a wide spectrum of symptoms, the causes of which remain poorly understood. This study explored the associations between autoantibodies (AABs), particularly those targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and renin‒angiotensin system (RAS) molecules, and the clinical manifestations of COVID-19. Using a cross-sectional analysis of 244 individuals, we applied multivariate analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and multinomial regression to examine the relationships between AAB levels and key symptoms.

Robust collection and processing for label-free single voxel proteomics.

With advanced mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics, genome-scale proteome coverage can be achieved from bulk tissues. However, such bulk measurement lacks spatial resolution and obscures tissue heterogeneity, precluding proteome mapping of tissue microenvironment. Here we report an integrated wet collection of single microscale tissue voxels and Surfactant-assisted One-Pot voxel processing method termed wcSOP for robust label-free single voxel proteomics.

Dietary-Lifestyle Patterns and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) Systematic Literature Review.

Background: While healthy dietary and lifestyle factors have been individually linked to lower colorectal cancer (CRC) risks, recommendations for whole diet-lifestyle patterns remained unestablished due to limited studies and inconsistent pattern definitions.

Objective: This updated review synthesized literature on dietary-lifestyle patterns and CRC risk/mortality.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched through 31 March 2023 for randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies examining adulthood dietary patterns combined with modifiable lifestyle factors such as adiposity, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and/or others.

Vaccination Strategies for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo: The WHO-Ebola Modeling Collaboration.

Objectives: Assess the effectiveness of ring vaccination in controlling an Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Methods: This analysis focuses on two areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Beni and Butembo/Katwa, which were affected during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak. To simulate Ebola virus transmission, we used a spatially explicit agent-based model with households, health care facilities, and Ebola treatment units.

Peripheral blood immune cells from individuals with Parkinson's disease or inflammatory bowel disease share deficits in iron storage and transport that are modulated by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a multisystem disorder in which dysregulated neuroimmune crosstalk and inflammatory relay via the gut-blood-brain axis have been implicated in PD pathogenesis. Although alterations in circulating inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been associated with PD, no biomarkers have been identified that predict clinical progression or disease outcome. Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction, which involves perturbation of the underlying immune system, is an early and often-overlooked symptom that affects up to 80 % of individuals living with PD.

The Dermatologic Oral Examination and Biopsy: A Guide for Incorporation into Everyday Practice.

Many dermatologic and systemic disorders present with oral manifestations. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve patient outcomes. Medical, dermatology, and dentistry training in disorders of the oral mucosa is significantly lacking and has created a practice gap in diagnosing and treating oral mucosal disorders.

Venous Thromboembolism Occurrence and Association with Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children with Cystic Fibrosis: An Analysis from the TriNetX Research Network Global Multicenter Real-World Dataset.

The purpose of this study is to (1) estimate and compare the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children (age 0 to ≤21) with versus without cystic fibrosis (CF); (2) investigate putative associations between specific gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations and the development of VTE among children with CF. This was a multicenter case-control analysis among patients aged 0 to ≤ 21 years between 2010 and 2020, using the TriNetX Research Network. Data queries included ICD-9/10 (International Classification of Diseases-9th/10th Revision) diagnosis codes.

Outdoor Overground Gait Biomechanics and Energetics in Individuals With Transtibial Amputation Walking With a Prescribed Passive Prosthesis and a Bionic Myoelectric Prosthesis.

The metabolic cost of walking for individuals with transtibial amputation is generally greater compared with able-bodied individuals. One aim of powered prostheses is to reduce metabolic deficits by replicating biological ankle function. Individuals with transtibial amputation can activate their residual limb muscles to volitionally control bionic ankle prostheses for walking; however, it is unknown how myoelectric control performs outside the laboratory.

Numerical simulation of fluid-structure interaction analysis for the performance of leaflet reimplantation with different types of artificial graft.

Background And Objective: In clinical practice, valve-sparing aortic root replacement surgery primarily addresses left ventricular dysfunction in patients due to severe aortic regurgitation, but there is controversy regarding the choice of surgical technique. In order to investigate which type of valve-sparing aortic root replacement surgeries can achieve better blood flow conditions, this study examines the impact of changes in the geometric morphology of the aortic root on the hemodynamic environment through numerical simulation.

Methods: An idealized model of the aortic root was established based on data obtained from clinical measurements, including using the model of the aortic root without significant lesions as the control group (Model C), while using surgical models of leaflet reimplantation with tubular graft (Model T), leaflet reimplantation with Valsalva graft (Model V), and the Florida sleeve procedure (Model F) as the experimental groups.

Quantitative Assessment of Delivered Dose in Carbon Ion Spatially Fractionated Radiotherapy (C-SFRT) and Biological Response to C-SFRT.

Objective Applying carbon ion beams, which have high linear energy transfer and low scatter within the human body, to Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy (SFRT) could benefit the treatment of deep-seated or radioresistant tumors. This study aims to simulate the dose distributions of spatially fractionated beams (SFB) to accurately determine the delivered dose and model the cell survival rate following SFB irradiation. Approach Dose distributions of carbon ion beams are calculated using the Triple Gaussian Model.

Effectiveness of Synchronous Postdischarge Contacts on Health Care Use and Patient Satisfaction : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Postdischarge contacts (PDCs) after hospitalization are common practice, but their effectiveness in reducing use of acute care after discharge remains unclear.

Purpose: To assess the effects of PDC on 30-day emergency department (ED) visits, 30-day hospital readmissions, and patient satisfaction.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL searched from 2012 to 25 May 2023.