Lessons Learned From the Liver About the Undergraduate to Graduate Medical Education Transition.

The burden of cirrhosis and chronic liver disease is growing, yet there is a projected worsening deficit in hepatology providers. As such, cirrhosis and liver disease have been important inclusions within the core curricula of Internal Medicine. Formal assessments of provider preparedness resulting from the curriculum are lacking though.

Median Craniofacial Hypoplasia.

Median craniofacial hypoplasia is characterized by tissue deficiency of the midline facial structures and/or brain. Patients can present with a wide variety of facial differences that may or may not require operative intervention. Common reconstructive procedures include cleft lip and/or palate repair, rhinoplasty, and orthognathic surgery, among others.

Median Craniofacial Hypoplasia.

Median craniofacial hypoplasia is characterized by tissue deficiency of the midline facial structures and/or brain. Patients can present with a wide variety of facial differences that may or may not require operative intervention. Common reconstructive procedures include cleft lip and/or palate repair, rhinoplasty, and orthognathic surgery, among others.

Hepatocellular carcinoma national burden across different geographical regions in the United States between 2001 and 2020.

Background: While prior data showed an increasing incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the United States, there are limited comprehensive and comparative data on the geographical variations of HCC trends in different demographic-specific populations.

Aim: To evaluate sex and age-specific incidence rates and time trends in different geographical regions in the United States.

Methods: Age-adjusted HCC incidence rates were collected from the United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) database which covers approximately 98% of the population in the United States.

The burden of cirrhosis and other chronic liver disease in the middle east and North Africa (MENA) region over three decades.

Background: Cirrhosis comprises a significant health challenge in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region impacting healthcare systems and communities. This study sought to investigate trends in the burden of cirrhosis and other chronic liver disease, different etiologies, deaths, and the disability burden utilizing data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database.

Methods: Analyzing epidemiological trends from 1990 to 2021 across 21 MENA countries, this research utilized data on age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), age-standardized death rates, and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) to evaluate the burden of cirrhosis and other chronic liver disease.

Association Between Social Vulnerability and Gastrointestinal Cancer Mortality in the United States Counties.

Background And Aims: Social determinants of health contribute to disparities in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer mortality between individuals in the US. Their effects on count-level mortality rates remain uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between county social vulnerability and GI cancer mortality.

The impact of liver cirrhosis on in-hospital outcomes among patients hospitalized for cardiogenic shock: A propensity score matched retrospective cohort study.

Background: Cardiogenic shock poses a critical challenge characterized by diminished cardiac output and organ perfusion. Timely recognition and risk stratification are essential for effective intervention. Liver cirrhosis adds complexity due to its diverse systemic manifestations.

Theory and quantitative assessment of pH-responsive polyzwitterion-polyelectrolyte complexation.

We introduce a theoretical framework to describe the pH-sensitive phase behavior of polyzwitterion-polyelectrolyte complex coacervates that reasonably captures the phenomenon from recent experimental observations. The polyzwitterion is described by a combinatorial sequence of the four states in which each zwitterionic monomer can occupy: dipolar, quasi-cationic, quasi-anionic, and fully neutralized. We explore the effects of various modifiable chemical and physical properties of the polymers-such as, p of the pH-active charged group on the zwitterion, equilibrium constant of salt condensation on the permanently charged group on the zwitterion, degrees of polymerization, hydrophobicity ( the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter), and dipole lengths-on the window of complexation across many stoichiometric mixing ratios of polyzwitterion and polyelectrolyte.

Comparison of in-hospital outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients with cardiogenic shock receiving left ventricular mechanical circulatory support devices based on transfer status.

Background: We aimed to compare outcomes in patients who receive on-site left ventricular mechanical support versus those transferred to other facilities for mechanical support in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with cardiogenic shock.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from the 2016 to 2020 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. We identified patients with STEMI and cardiogenic shock who received Impella and LVAD placement during their hospital stay.

Jaw Thrust: A Simple Predictor of Success in Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis.

Background: The hypoplastic mandible in the congenital condition Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) displaces the base of the tongue posteriorly, which results in upper airway obstruction (UAO) that can potentially be corrected with mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO). Jaw thrust (JT) is routinely performed during evaluation of the airway; similar to MDO, it projects the mandible and tongue anteriorly to open the airway. The authors demonstrate that JT can be used as a criterion to predict successful MDO outcomes in infants with PRS.

Nationwide Analysis of Adult-Onset Still Disease With and Without Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis.

Introduction: Adult-onset Still disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory condition with a monophasic, intermittent, or chronic clinical course, and a subset may experience life-threatening complications such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This study aims to characterize concurrent AOSD and HLH and identify variables independently associated with in-hospital death.

Methods: We performed a medical records review of AOSD with and without HLH from the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample database.

Basic Principles and Role of Endoscopic Ultrasound in Diagnosis and Differentiation of Pancreatic Cancer from Other Pancreatic Lesions: A Comprehensive Review of Endoscopic Ultrasound for Pancreatic Cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Pancreatic lesions consist of both neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions and often pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to similar clinical and radiological features. In recent years, pancreatic lesions have been discovered more frequently as incidental findings due to the increased utilization and widespread availability of abdominal cross-sectional imaging.

Personalized, tumor-informed, circulating tumor DNA assay for detecting minimal residual disease in non-small cell lung cancer patients receiving curative treatments.

Background: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a prognostic and predictive biomarker for detection of minimal residual disease (MRD), monitoring treatment response, and early detection of recurrence in cancer patients. In this study, we explored the utility of ctDNA-based MRD detection to predict recurrence in a real-world cohort of primarily early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with curative intent.

Methods: Longitudinal plasma samples were collected post curative-intent treatment from 36 patients with stage I-IV NSCLC.