Papillary thyroid carcinoma presenting with severe Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Background: The Guillan-Barré syndrome (GBS) is the most common acute disease of the peripheral nervous system, often necessitating ICU care. Although no clear paraneoplastic syndrome has been defined, it has been known to occur together with several types of cancer.

Methods: We present the case of a 35-year-old man with acute flaccid paralysis and cervical lymphadenopathy.

The role of endothelial miRNAs in myocardial biology and disease.

The myocardium is a highly structured pluricellular tissue which is governed by an intricate network of intercellular communication. Endothelial cells are the most abundant cell type in the myocardium and exert crucial roles in both healthy myocardium and during myocardial disease. In the last decade, microRNAs have emerged as new actors in the regulation of cellular function in almost every cell type.

Comparison of clinical outcomes between Magmaris and Orsiro drug eluting stent at 12 months: Pooled patient level analysis from BIOSOLVE II-III and BIOFLOW II trials.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the 12-month clinical outcomes of patients treated with Magmaris or Orsiro. Second generation drug-eluting absorbable metal scaffold Magmaris (Dreams 2G) has proved to be safe and effective in the BIOSOLVE-II study. Similarly, biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stent, Orsiro has shown notable clinical results even in all-comer populations.

Safety and Performance Outcomes of a Self-Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve: The BIOVALVE Trials.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the safety and performance of a newly introduced transfemoral self-expanding supra-annular transcatheter heart valve.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement has become an established procedure, and newer transcatheter heart valves aim to supplement the current armamentarium.

Methods: BIOVALVE-I is a prospective, single-center feasibility study enrolling 13 high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, and BIOVALVE-II is a multicenter pilot study enrolling a further 55 patients under the same protocol.

Conjunctival Leiomyosarcoma, a Rare Neoplasm Always Originating at the Limbus? Report of a New Case and Review of 11 Published Cases.

Purpose Of The Study: To describe the differential diagnosis and management of a rare conjunctival malignancy.

Procedures: A 79-year-old man presented with a conjunctival mass at the limbus. Excisional biopsy revealed a malignant mesenchymal tumor with myogenic differentiation.

The effects of Botulinum toxin on the detection of gradual changes in facial emotion.

When we feel sad or depressed, our face invariably "drops". Conversely, when we try to cheer someone up, we might tell them "keep your smile up", so presupposing that modifying the configuration of their facial muscles will enhance their mood. A crucial assumption that underpins this hypothesis is that mental states are shaped by information originating from the peripheral neuromotor system - a view operationalised as the Facial Feedback Hypothesis.

Prognostic Implications of Right Ventricular Remodeling and Function in Patients With Significant Secondary Tricuspid Regurgitation.

Background: In patients with significant (moderate and severe) tricuspid regurgitation (TR), the decision to intervene is influenced by right ventricular (RV) size and function. RV remodeling in significant secondary TR has been underexplored. The aim of this study was to characterize RV remodeling in patients with significant secondary TR and to investigate its prognostic implications.

Impulsive-Compulsive Behaviours in Belgian-Flemish Parkinson's Disease Patients: A Questionnaire-Based Study.

Background: Impulsive-compulsive behaviours (ICB) are a potentially harmful group of behavioural symptoms among the nonmotor aspects of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: To develop and perform partial validation of a Belgian-Flemish version of the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease (QUIP) as a screening instrument for ICB in PD patients.

Methods: Using a translation-backtranslation method, we developed a Belgian-Flemish version of the QUIP, which was subsequently completed by 88 PD patients.

Cardiac endothelial cell transcriptome in neonatal, adult, and remodeling hearts.

Cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMVECs) are the most numerous cells in the myocardium and orchestrate cardiogenesis during development, regulate adult cardiac function, and modulate pathophysiology of heart failure. It has been shown that the transcriptome of CMVECs differs from other endothelial cell types, but transcriptomic changes in cardiac endothelial cells during cardiac maturation and cardiac remodeling have not been studied. CMVECs were isolated from rat hearts based on CD31 expression and were immediately processed for RNA sequencing.

Morphologic Types of Tricuspid Regurgitation: Characteristics and Prognostic Implications.

Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is classified according to different morphologic types based on the underlying mechanisms: primary, secondary, and isolated TR. Primary TR is caused by an anatomical abnormality of the tricuspid valve apparatus. Secondary TR is caused by dilation of the tricuspid valve annulus, related to right ventricular (RV), or right atrial remodeling and increased RV pressures (often secondary to left-sided heart disease).

High quality statistical shape modelling of the human nasal cavity and applications.

The human nose is a complex organ that shows large morphological variations and has many important functions. However, the relation between shape and function is not yet fully understood. In this work, we present a high quality statistical shape model of the human nose based on clinical CT data of 46 patients.

Neurological Aspects of Foreign Accent Syndrome in Stroke Patients.

Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is an intriguing motor speech disorder which has captured the interest of the scientific community and media for decades. At the moment, there is no comprehensive model which can account for the pathophysiology of this disorder. This paper presents a review of 112 FAS cases published between 1907 and October 2016: these were analyzed with respect to demographic characteristics, lesion location, associated neurocognitive symptoms, and comorbid speech and language disorders.

Matlab toolbox for semi-automatic segmentation of the human nasal cavity based on active shape modeling.

The nose is a complex and important organ with a multitude of functions. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been shown to be a valuable tool to obtain a better understanding of the functioning of the nose. CFD simulations require a surface geometry, which is constructed from tomographic data.

Dynamic causal modeling of the effective connectivity between the cerebrum and cerebellum in social mentalizing across five studies.

In this analysis we explored the effective connectivity of the cerebellum with the cerebrum in social mentalizing, across five studies (n = 91) involving abstract and complex forms of mentalizing, such as (a) person and group impression formation, based on behavioral descriptions, and (b) constructing personal counterfactual events. Connectivity was analyzed by applying dynamic causal model analysis, which revealed effective connectivity between the mentalizing areas of the cerebellum and cerebrum. The results revealed a significant pattern of bidirectional (closed-loop) connectivity linking the right posterior cerebellum with bilateral temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), associated with behavior understanding.

Safety and clinical performance of a drug eluting absorbable metal scaffold in the treatment of subjects with de novo lesions in native coronary arteries: Pooled 12-month outcomes of BIOSOLVE-II and BIOSOLVE-III.

Objectives: Based on outcomes of the BIOSOLVE-II study, a novel second generation drug-eluting absorbable metal scaffold gained CE-mark in 2016. The BIOSOLVE-III study aimed to confirm these outcomes and to obtain additional 12-month angiographic data.

Background: Bioresorbable scaffolds are intended to overcome possible long-term effects of permanent stents such as chronic vessel wall inflammation, stent crushing, and fractures.

Short-Term Angiotensin II Treatment Affects Large Artery Biomechanics and Function in the Absence of Small Artery Alterations in Mice.

Induction of hypertension by angiotensin II (AngII) is a widely used experimental stimulus to study vascular aging in mice. It is associated with large artery stiffness, a hallmark of arterial aging and a root cause of increased cardiovascular risk. We reported earlier that long term (4 week) AngII treatment in mice altered the active, contractile properties of the arteries in a vascular bed-specific manner and that, in healthy mice aorta, active contractile properties of the aortic wall determine isobaric aortic stiffness.

Long-term impact of a six-month telemedical care programme on mortality, heart failure readmissions and healthcare costs in patients with chronic heart failure.

Aims: The TElemonitoring in the MAnagement of Heart Failure (TEMA-HF) 1 long-term follow-up study assessed whether an initial six-month telemonitoring (TM) programme compared with usual care (UC) would result in reduced all-cause mortality, heart failure admissions and healthcare costs in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients at long-term follow-up.

Methods: Of the 160 patients included in the multi-centre, randomised controlled telemonitoring trial (TEMA-HF 1, time point t); 142 CHF patients (65% male; age: 76 ± 10 years; EF: 36 ± 15%) were alive and entered the follow-up study (time point: t) with a final evaluation at 79 months (time point: t). Both TM and UC group patients received standard heart failure care during the follow-up study (time points: t - t).

The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and associated cardiovascular complications in adult-onset GHD during GH replacement: a KIMS analysis.

Background: Adult-onset growth hormone deficiency (AO-GHD) is associated with an increased prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Aim: To determine the effect of GH replacement on the prevalence of MetS in AO-GHD and to study the impact of MetS on the incidence of cardiovascular events during GH replacement.

Patients And Methods: 1449 AO-GHD patients (males 48.

Progressive subcutaneous emphysema of unknown origin: a surgical dilemma.

Subcutaneous emphysema can be an alarming sign of a necrotizing soft tissue infection. However, non-infectious etiologies exist that can be treated conservatively. This case report describes a subcutaneous emphysema of unknown origin and highlights the importance of distinguishing these clinical entities.

Neonatal subcortical bruising.

A specific type of acute brain injury can occur during birth, presenting on ultrasound examination with focal, unilateral, or asymmetrical change in the core of the superior frontal gyri. Ultrasound inspection of the superior gyri near the convexity of the frontal lobe is warranted following mechanically difficult delivery.

Cognate effects and cognitive control in patients with parallel and differential bilingual aphasia.

Background: Until today, there is no satisfying explanation for why one language may recover worse than another in differential bilingual aphasia. One potential explanation that has been largely unexplored is that differential aphasia is the consequence of a loss of language control rather than a loss of linguistic representations. Language control is part of a general control mechanism that also manages non-linguistic cognitive control.

Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage with predominant upper lung lobe involvement associated with congestive heart failure: a case series.

Background: Diffuse alveolar haemorrhage (DAH) may accompany or complicate various diseases with different pathophysiology. The diagnosis of DAH, especially when presenting as diffuse non-resolving and predominantly upper lobe lung consolidations, is particularly difficult in patients with cardiac disease.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed seven cases of DAH with predominant upper lobe involvement in the setting of acute or acute-on-chronic congestive heart failure (CHF).