Late-gadolinium enhancement predicts appropriate device therapies in non-ischemic recipients of primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Background: Better risk stratification is needed to evaluate patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) for prophylactic implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICD). Growing evidence suggests cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) may be useful in this regard.

Objective: We aimed to determine if late-gadolinium enhancement (LGE) seen on CMR (dichotomized as none/minimal <2% vs significant ≥2%) predicts appropriate ICD therapies (primary endpoint) and/or all-cause mortality/transplant/left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation (secondary endpoint) in NICM patients.

Hippocampal reelin and GAD67 gene expression and methylation in the GFAP.HMOX1 mouse model of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder featuring enhanced brain oxidative stress and deficient reelin protein. GFAP.HMOX1 mice that overexpress heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in astrocytes manifest a schizophrenia-like neurochemical, neuropathological and behavioral phenotype including brain oxidative stress and reelin downregulation.

Towards measurements of absolute membrane potential in Bacillus subtilis using fluorescence lifetime.

Membrane potential (MP) changes can provide a simple readout of bacterial functional and metabolic state or stress levels. While several optical methods exist for measuring fast changes in MP in excitable cells, there is a dearth of such methods for absolute and precise measurements of steady-state membrane potentials (MPs) in bacterial cells. Conventional electrode-based methods for the measurement of MP are not suitable for calibrating optical methods in small bacterial cells.

Cell-mediated immunotherapy: A new frontier in preventing disease progression and treating drug-resistant cancer.

Although immunotherapy holds significant promise for treating drug-resistant cancers, currently available procedures are rarely curative. A new type of cell-mediated immunotherapy based on anticancer targeting activated mismatched cancer killer cells (ATACK) has demonstrated better efficacy and curative potential in preclinical animal models and in a pilot compassionate clinical study.

Cemiplimab in recurrent cervical cancer: Final analysis of overall survival in the phase III EMPOWER-Cervical 1/GOG-3016/ENGOT-cx9 trial.

Aim: Cemiplimab has demonstrated significantly longer survival than physician's choice of chemotherapy in patients with recurrent cervical cancer after first-line platinum-containing chemotherapy. We report the final survival analysis from the phase III randomized study (EMPOWER-Cervical 1/GOG-3016/ENGOT-cx9).

Methods: Cemiplimab (n = 304) or chemotherapy (n = 304) were administered every 3 weeks.

The unfolding of psychological distress following the October 7 attack on Israel: The impact of exposure, gender, and event centrality.

Background: Mass disasters, whether natural or human-made, pose significant public health challenges, with some individuals demonstrating resilience, whereas others experience persistent emotional distress that may meet diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders. We explored key risk factors for distress following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, focusing on trauma exposure, gender, and event centrality.

Method: A longitudinal study design was used, assessing posttraumatic distress (PTSD), depression, generalized anxiety, event centrality, and functioning at approximately three (T1; n=858) and seven (T2, n=509) months post-attack.

Nivolumab combination therapies in patients with advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer: the phase II FRACTION gastric cancer study.

Background: Nivolumab-based therapies are efficacious with acceptable safety in patients with gastric cancer (GC) and gastroesophageal junction cancer (GEJC). Novel nivolumab-based combination immunotherapies may offer enhanced efficacy in these indications. FRACTION-GC was a signal-seeking, randomized, open-label, phase II adaptive-design trial assessing efficacy and safety of nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab [cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) antibody], relatlimab (lymphocyte-activation gene 3 antibody), or IDO1i (BMS986205, an indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase-1 inhibitor) in patients with unresectable, advanced/metastatic GC/GEJC.

Assessing the impact of perioperative anticoagulant continuation on DVT/PE rates in trauma patients.

Introduction: In the United States, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) ranked high in terms of possibly preventable hospital deaths. Victims of trauma were at a higher risk of developing thromboembolic complications, and thus various agents were used for prophylaxis. Multiple studies recommended holding these agents in the perioperative period to decrease the potential complications of additional bleeding, wound issues, hematoma etc.

First evidence of molecular response of the shrimp Hippolyte inermis to biodegradable microplastics.

The increasing demand for sustainable alternatives to conventional plastics has propelled the interest in bioplastics. A few papers reported on the effects of plastics on crustaceans, but no indication about biodegradable polymers is available. Hippolyte inermis Leach, 1816 is a protandric shrimp commonly living on leaves of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica, in the Mediterranean Sea.

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and adverse outcomes among vaccinated patients with tuberculosis.

Objectives: Limited data are available to assess breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections, medical utilization, and mortality in patients with tuberculosis (TB). The aim of this study was to examine the risk of COVID-19 and severe outcomes in patients with TB between January 2020 and March 2022.

Study Design: US electronic medical records were used to identify TB and non-TB patients who completed the primary series of vaccination and had no prior COVID-19.

Sewing the SEAMs: Surgical Education in the Art Museum.

Objective: The field of surgery is highly visual and technical. Yet, there is a paucity of data evaluating how a mandatory visual arts-based workshop may benefit surgical trainees. We report upon the feasibility of and short-term outcomes of a novel, visual art-based curriculum for surgery residents.

Stored elastic bending tension as a mediator of embryonic body folding.

During development, amniote vertebrate embryos transform from a flat sheet into a three-dimensional cylindrical form through ventral folding of the lateral sides of the sheet (the lateral plate [LP]) and their fusion in the ventral midline. Using a chick embryo slice system, we find that the flat stage is actually a poised balance of opposing dorsal and ventral elastic bending tensions. An intact extracellular matrix (ECM) is required for generating tension, as localized digestion of ECM dissipates tension, while removal of endoderm or ectoderm layers has no significant effect.

Defining the Optimal Dose for 3-Dimensional Conformal Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation: 15-Year Follow-Up of a Dose-Escalation Trial.

Purpose: Randomized trials have demonstrated similar local tumor control in patients treated with accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) compared with whole-breast irradiation. However, the optimal APBI dose for maximizing tumor control and minimizing toxicity is uncertain.

Methods And Materials: We enrolled patients ≥18 years of age with grade 1 or 2 ductal carcinoma in situ or stage I invasive breast cancer and resection margins ≥2 mm between 2003 and 2011 to a sequential dose-escalation trial using 3-dimensional conformal external beam APBI giving twice daily 4 Gy fractions with total doses of 32 Gy, 36 Gy, and 40 Gy.

The PERFORMANCE II Trial: A Prospective Multicenter Investigation of a Novel Carotid Stent System.

Background: Several randomized clinical trials have shown that the composite endpoint of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) is equivalent between carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy. However, the risk of minor stroke has been consistently higher with carotid artery stenting.

Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel carotid stent system comprised of a stent, an adjustable integrated embolic filter and a postdilation balloon, in patients at elevated risk for adverse events from carotid endarterectomy.

Variations in Revascularization Strategies for Chronic Limb-Threatening Ischemia: A Nationwide Analysis of Medicare Beneficiaries.

Background: Recent data support both surgical-first and endovascular-first revascularization approaches for chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), but hospital-based practices are poorly described.

Objectives: This aim of this study was to characterize contemporary variations and outcomes associated with each strategy among U.S.

Synthetic rational design of live-attenuated Zika viruses based on a computational model.

Many viruses of the Flaviviridae family, including the Zika virus (ZIKV), are human pathogens of significant public health concerns. Despite extensive research, there are currently no approved vaccines available for ZIKV and specifically no live-attenuated Zika vaccine. In this current study, we suggest a novel computational algorithm for generating live-attenuated vaccines via the introduction of silent mutation into regions that undergo selection for strong or weak local RNA folding or into regions that exhibit medium levels of sequence conservation.

Lynch Syndrome: Similarities and Differences of Recommendations in Published Guidelines.

Background: In this review, we aimed to compare the recommendations for Lynch syndrome (LS).

Methods: We compared the LS's guidelines of different medical societies, including recommendations for cancer surveillance, aspirin treatment, and universal screening.

Results: Most guidelines for LS patients recommend intervals of 1-2 years for performing colonoscopy, though there is disagreement regarding the age to begin CRC screening (dependent on status as a MLH1/MSH2 or MSH6/PMS2 carrier).

Cold Surface Waters of the Sub-Antarctic Pacific Ocean Support High Cyanophage Abundances and Infection Levels.

Cyanobacterial distributions are shaped by abiotic factors including temperature, light and nutrient availability as well as biotic factors such as grazing and viral infection. In this study, we investigated the abundances of T4-like and T7-like cyanophages and the extent of picocyanobacterial infection in the cold, high-nutrient-low-chlorophyll, sub-Antarctic waters of the southwest Pacific Ocean during austral spring. Synechococcus was the dominant picocyanobacterium, ranging from 4.

Morbid obesity among Crohn's disease patients is on the rise and is associated with a higher rate of surgical complications after ileocolic resection.

Aim: Crohn's disease (CD) is regarded as a wasting disease, yet there is a growing population of CD patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 35 and above. The rate of postoperative complications is relatively high in CD patients but might be even higher in CD with morbid obesity (MO).

Methods: This was a retrospective study using a prospectively maintained database of all patients undergoing Ileocolic resection for CD between 2014 and 2021 in two referral centres, comparing postoperative complication rates according to BMI.

Non-Male Factor Only-ICSI Can Overcome Oocyte Factor in PCOS Patients.

In this research, we retrospectively studied the influence of the IVF vs. the ICSI technique on embryo morphokinetics by means of a time-lapse incubator in fresh cycles. A total of 2645 treatment cycles resulting in ovum pick-up of 11,471 fertilized oocytes were included in the research from 2018 to 2022.

5-Year Mortality After Complex Displaced Proximal Humerus Fractures in Elderly Patients: Conservative Versus Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty.

The mortality rate following proximal humerus fractures (PHFs) in elderly patients is increased, but currently, there are no medium-term studies comparing mortality following treatment with Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (RTSA) to non-surgical treatment. This retrospective study compares two groups of elderly patients (aged 75 to 95 at the time of injury) who were diagnosed with PHFs. A total of 79 patients (mean age: 83.

Parental Compliance with Preschool Vision Screening Test.

To assess the barriers to parental compliance with preschool vision screening tests and the recommended follow-up eye care. This prospective study included children aged 3-6 years attending 46 preschools. Parents were asked for consent for their children to participate in a vision screening test.

Local Recurrence of Premalignant and Early Malignant Rectal Polyps Treated by TEM-A Single-Center Experience.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) is a minimally invasive approach for excising rectal polyps, particularly those with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or early-stage rectal cancer (T1). This study aimed to evaluate the recurrence risk and its associated factors in patients treated with TEM for HGD and T1 rectal tumors. A retrospective review was conducted on 79 patients who underwent TEM for rectal lesions at Rabin Medical Center-Hasharon Hospital from 2005 to 2019.

Efficacy of Segmentation for Hyperspectral Target Detection.

Algorithms for detecting point targets in hyperspectral imaging commonly employ the spectral inverse covariance matrix to whiten inherent image noise. Since data cubes often lack stationarity, segmentation appears to be an attractive preprocessing operation. Surprisingly, the literature reports both successful and unsuccessful segmentation cases, with no clear explanations for these divergent outcomes.

What Is Grazing Time? Insights from the Acoustic Signature of Goat Jaw Activity in Wooded Landscapes.

Acoustic monitoring facilitates the detailed study of herbivore grazing by generating a timeline of sound bursts associated with jaw movements (JMs) that perform bite or chew actions. The unclassified stream of JM events was used here in an observational study to explore the notion of "grazing time". Working with shepherded goat herds in a wooded landscape, a horn-based acoustic sensor with a vibration-type microphone was deployed on a volunteer animal along each of 12 foraging routes.