Illness intrusiveness, health locus of control, and anxiety symptoms among veterans with congestive heart failure.

Disease severity, illness intrusiveness, and health locus of control (HLC) each contribute to psychosocial wellbeing in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). To better understand the relationships between these variables regarding anxiety symptoms, we analyzed data from 116 adult male veterans with comorbid CHF and anxiety. Results suggested that illness intrusiveness significantly mediated the relation of CHF severity to anxiety symptom severity, and that the illness intrusiveness domains of physical well-being/diet, work/finances, and other aspects of life (religious/spirituality, community/civic, self-improvement/expression) were also significant mediators of that relationship.

Novel IL-4/HB-EGF-dependent crosstalk between eosinophils and macrophages controls liver regeneration after ischaemia and reperfusion injury.

Objective: Previous studies indicate that eosinophils are recruited into the allograft following orthotopic liver transplantation and protect from ischaemia reperfusion (IR) injury. In the current studies, we aim to explore whether their protective function could outlast during liver repair.

Design: Eosinophil-deficient mice and adoptive transfer of bone marrow-derived eosinophils (bmEos) were employed to investigate the effects of eosinophils on tissue repair and regeneration after hepatic IR injury.

Images in Immunotherapy and Precision Oncology: A Case Report of Neurofibromatosis-1.

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that primarily causes the growth of tumors along nerves. Additionally, the germline mutations involved in NF1 predispose patients to develop further malignancies. The mainstay initial treatment for these malignancies is surgical removal at diagnosis, although targeted therapies are under evaluation in the relapsed setting.

Differentiating Prodromal Dementia with Lewy Bodies from Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease: A Pragmatic Review for Clinicians.

This pragmatic review synthesises the current understanding of prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies (pDLB) and prodromal Alzheimer's disease (pAD), including clinical presentations, neuropsychological profiles, neuropsychiatric symptoms, biomarkers, and indications for disease management. The core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)-parkinsonism, complex visual hallucinations, cognitive fluctuations, and REM sleep behaviour disorder are common prodromal symptoms. Supportive clinical features of pDLB include severe neuroleptic sensitivity, as well as autonomic and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Analysis of National Resident Matching Program for Radiology Fellowships: Factors Affecting Program Fill Rates.

Purpose: The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is used by an increasing number of diagnostic radiology (DR) residents applying to subspecialty fellowships. Data characterizing match outcomes on the basis of program characteristics are limited. The aim of this study was to determine if fellowship or residency size, location, or perceived reputation was related with a program filling its quota.

Generation of a Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line Expressing a Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reporter Gene.

The objective of the current study is to develop a new method for tracking transplanted human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The CRISPR/dCas9 activation system is employed to overexpress ferritin heavy chain (FHC) in hiPSC-CMs. The mRNA and protein expression of FHC in hiPSC and hiPSC-CMs significantly increased after transfection.

140-year history of pharyngoesophageal reconstruction.

Objective: For over a century, circumferential pharyngoesophageal junction reconstruction posed significant surgical challenges. This review aims to provide a narrative history of pharyngoesophageal junction reconstruction from early surgical innovations to the advent of modern free-flap procedures.

Methods: The review encompasses three segments: (1) local and/or locoregional flaps, (2) visceral transposition flaps, and (3) free-tissue transfer, focusing on the interplay between pharyngoesophageal junction reconstruction and prevalent surgical trends.

Weight gain during midlife: Does race/ethnicity influence risk?

Fears regarding weight gain and body changes commonly plague midlife women. The aim of this paper is to discuss the impact of weight gain and body changes on midlife women across various cultural backgrounds. Midlife weight gain in women is associated with age as opposed to menopausal status.

Salivary toxicity from PSMA-targeted radiopharmaceuticals: What we have learned and where we are going.

Clinical trials of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted radiopharmaceuticals have shown encouraging results. Some agents, like lutetium-177 [177Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 ([Lu]Lu-PSMA-617), are already approved for late line treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Projections are for continued growth of this treatment modality; [Lu]Lu-PSMA-617 is being studied both in earlier stages of disease and in combination with other anti-cancer therapies.

Evaluating osteoporosis and bone quality in the aging spine: modern considerations for surgical management in the geriatric population.

Surgical management paradigms of spinal pathologies in the aging population carry inherent substantial risks, with surgical complications being more prevalent among patients with osteoporosis compared to those with normal bone mineral density. In this narrative review, we aim to highlight important clinical understanding and considerations in perioperative evaluation and management of patients elected to undergo spinal surgery. Osteoporosis is a well-defined risk factor for mechanical complications following spinal surgery, and as such, perioperative optimization of bone health in the setting of surgery for geriatric patients remains a critical research area alongside intraoperative surgical augmentation techniques.

Pendular Nystagmus Presenting in Usher Syndrome Type I: A Case Report.

Background:  We describe a 42-year-old patient with reported "shaking" vision referred due to concerns of possible vestibular system dysfunction. The patient has known history of Usher syndrome type I, bilateral cochlear implants, and severe vision impairment.

Purpose:  This case describes an unusual nystagmus previously only reported in individuals with central demyelinating disorders, significant light deprivation, or in congenital/early-onset visual pathway impairment.

Does MRI alter management in patients 60 years and older with chronic knee pain: correlation with radiographs and clinical parameters.

Objective: To determine if MRI altered management in patients ≥ 60 years old with chronic knee pain.

Materials And Methods: Consecutive patients ≥ 60 years old with knee MRI and radiographs within 90 days were included. Exclusion criteria included mass/malignancy, recent trauma, and infection.

Contemporary Approaches to the Surgical Management of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

The incidence of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) is on the rise primarily due to the increasing use of cross-sectional imaging. Most of these incidentally detected lesions are non-functional PNETs with a small proportion of lesions being hormone-secreting, functional neoplasms. With recent advances in surgical approaches and systemic therapies, the management of PNETs have undergone a paradigm shift towards a more individualized approach.

Fine-mapping analysis including over 254,000 East Asian and European descendants identifies 136 putative colorectal cancer susceptibility genes.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 200 common genetic variants independently associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, but the causal variants and target genes are mostly unknown. We sought to fine-map all known CRC risk loci using GWAS data from 100,204 cases and 154,587 controls of East Asian and European ancestry. Our stepwise conditional analyses revealed 238 independent association signals of CRC risk, each with a set of credible causal variants (CCVs), of which 28 signals had a single CCV.

The Decline of Small Practice in Colorectal Surgery: Practice Consolidation From 2015-2022.

Introduction: Physicians have gravitated toward larger group practice arrangements in recent years. However, consolidation trends in colorectal surgery have yet to be well described. Our objective was to assess current trends in practice consolidation within colorectal surgery and evaluate underlying demographic trends including age, gender, and geography.

Disproportionately high aortic valve calcium scores in atrial fibrillation: implications for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Aims: Doppler mean gradient (MG) can underestimate aortic stenosis (AS) severity in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with patients with sinus rhythm (SR), potentially delaying intervention in AF. This study compared outcomes in patients with AF and SR following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and investigated delay in TAVR based on computed tomography aortic valve calcium score (AVCS).

Methods And Results: Patients who underwent TAVR from 2013 to 2017 for native valve severe AS were identified from an institutional database.

RNA sequencing of olfactory bulb in Parkinson's disease reveals gene alterations associated with olfactory dysfunction.

The olfactory bulb is involved early in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD), which is consistent with the early onset of olfactory dysfunction. Identifying the molecular mechanisms through which PD affects the olfactory bulb could lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology and etiology of olfactory dysfunction in PD. We specifically aimed to assess gene expression changes, affected pathways and co-expression network by whole transcriptomic profiling of the olfactory bulb in subjects with clinicopathologically defined PD.

Evolution of distal limb perfusion management in adult peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with femoral artery cannulation.

Limb ischaemia is a clinically relevant complication of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA ECMO) with femoral artery cannulation. No selective distal perfusion or other advanced techniques were used in the past to maintain adequate distal limb perfusion. A more recent trend is the shift from the reactive or emergency management to the pro-active or prophylactic placement of a distal perfusion cannula to avoid or reduce limb ischaemia-related complications.