Clinical and Procedural Outcomes with or without Balloon Guide Catheters during Endovascular Thrombectomy in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis with First-line Technique Subgroup Analysis.

Background: Balloon guide catheters are increasingly used to improve clot retrieval by temporarily stopping proximal blood flow during endovascular thrombectomy.

Purpose: Our aim was to provide a summary of the literature comparing the procedural and clinical outcomes of endovascular thrombectomy with or without balloon guide catheters, depending on the first-line technique used.

Data Sources: We used PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Mast-Cell Tryptase Release Contributes to Disease Progression in Lymphangioleiomyomatosis.

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a multisystem disease that causes lung cysts and respiratory failure. Loss of TSC (tuberous sclerosis complex) gene function results in a clone of "LAM cells" with dysregulated mTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin) activity. LAM cells and fibroblasts form lung nodules that also contain mast cells, although their significance is unknown.

Accumulation of Brain Hypointense Foci on Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging in Childhood Ataxia Telangiectasia.

Background And Purpose: SWI hypointense cerebral lesions have been reported in adults with the inherited cerebellar neurodegenerative disorder ataxia telangiectasia. This study aims to establish the prevalence, age-dependency, and spatial distribution of these lesions in children and young people with ataxia telangiectasia.

Materials And Methods: Participants with classic ataxia telangiectasia and matched controls underwent SWI acquisition at 3T at 1 or 2 time points.

Real-World Outcomes of Direct-Acting Antiviral Treatment and Retreatment in United Kingdom-Based Patients Infected With Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes/Subtypes Endemic in Africa.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 71 million individuals, mostly residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) give high rates of sustained virological response (SVR) in high-income countries where a restricted range of HCV genotypes/subtypes circulate.

Methods: We studied United Kingdom-resident patients born in Africa to examine DAA effectiveness in LMICs where there is far greater breadth of HCV genotypes/subtypes.

Effects of Environmental Factors on Severity and Mortality of COVID-19.

Most respiratory viruses show pronounced seasonality, but for SARS-CoV-2, this still needs to be documented. We examined the disease progression of COVID-19 in 6,914 patients admitted to hospitals in Europe and China. In addition, we evaluated progress of disease symptoms in 37,187 individuals reporting symptoms into the COVID Symptom Study application.

Corrigendum: Intracranial Bleeding After Reperfusion Therapy in Acute Ischaemic Stroke Patients Randomized to Glyceryl Trinitrate vs. Control: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.

Intracranial Bleeding After Reperfusion Therapy in Acute Ischaemic Stroke Patients Randomized to Glyceryl Trinitrate vs. Control: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis.

Thrombolysis, with or without thrombectomy, for acute ischaemic stroke is associated with an increased risk of intracranial bleeding. We assessed whether treatment with glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), a nitric oxide donor, may influence the associated bleeding risk. We searched for completed randomized controlled trials of GTN vs.

Comparison of the reverse bevel versus Franseen type endoscopic ultrasound needle.

Background: Reverse bevel (RB) needle is widely used for endoscopic ultrasound fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB). A 3-plane symmetrical needle with Franseen geometry (FG) has recently become available.

Aim: To compare the clinical efficacy of FG to that of RB needle.

Regional Mechanical Thrombectomy Imaging Protocol in Patients Presenting with Acute Ischemic Stroke during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Purpose: Chest CT is a rapid, useful additional screening tool for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in emergent procedures. We describe the feasibility and interim outcome of implementing a modified imaging algorithm for COVID-19 risk stratification across a regional network of primary stroke centers in the work-up of acute ischemic stroke referrals for time-critical mechanical thrombectomy.

Materials And Methods: We undertook a retrospective review of 49 patients referred to the regional neuroscience unit for consideration of mechanical thrombectomy between April 14, 2020, and May 21, 2020.

Processing Apples to Puree or Juice Speeds Gastric Emptying and Reduces Postprandial Intestinal Volumes and Satiety in Healthy Adults.

Background: Whole apples produce greater satiety than processed apples, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Objective: Our aim was to assess the intragastric processing of apple preparations and the associated small and large bowel contents using MRI.

Methods: An open label, 3-way crossover, randomized, controlled trial.

Evaluating a Theoretically Informed and Cocreated Mobile Health Educational Intervention for First-Time Hearing Aid Users: Qualitative Interview Study.

Background: Adults living with hearing loss have highly variable knowledge of hearing aids, resulting in suboptimal use or nonuse. This issue can be addressed by the provision of high-quality educational resources.

Objective: This study aims to assess the everyday experiences of first-time hearing aid users when using a newly developed, theoretically informed cocreated mobile health (mHealth) educational intervention called m2Hear.

Recommended Personal Protective Equipment for Cochlear Implant and Other Mastoid Surgery During the COVID-19 Era.

Objectives/hypothesis: The overall aim of this study was to evaluate personal protective equipment (PPE) that may facilitate the safe recommencement of cochlear implantation in the COVID-19 era, with the broader goal of minimizing the period of auditory deprivation in prelingually deaf children and reducing the risk of cochlear ossification in individuals following meningitis.

Methods: The study design comprised 1) an objective assessment of mastoid drilling-induced droplet spread conducted during simulated cochlear implant (CI) surgery and its mitigation via the use of a protective drape tent and 2) an evaluation of three PPE configurations by otologists while performing mastoid drilling on ex vivo temporal bones. The various PPE solutions were assessed in terms of their impact on communication, vital physiological parameters, visual acuity and fields, and acceptability to surgeons using a systematic risk-based approach.

Genome-Wide Association Study for Alcohol-Related Cirrhosis Identifies Risk Loci in MARC1 and HNRNPUL1.

Background And Aims: Little is known about genetic factors that affect development of alcohol-related cirrhosis. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of samples from the United Kingdom Biobank (UKB) to identify polymorphisms associated with risk of alcohol-related liver disease.

Methods: We performed a GWAS of 35,839 participants in the UKB with high intake of alcohol against markers of hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4, APRI, and Forns index scores) and hepatocellular injury (levels of aminotransferases).

Hookworm Treatment for Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Double-Blinded Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Importance: Studies suggest gut worms induce immune responses that can protect against multiple sclerosis (MS). To our knowledge, there are no controlled treatment trials with helminth in MS.

Objective: To determine whether hookworm treatment has effects on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) activity and T regulatory cells in relapsing MS.

Opposite Modulation of RAC1 by Mutations in TRIO Is Associated with Distinct, Domain-Specific Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

The Rho-guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RhoGEF) TRIO acts as a key regulator of neuronal migration, axonal outgrowth, axon guidance, and synaptogenesis by activating the GTPase RAC1 and modulating actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Pathogenic variants in TRIO are associated with neurodevelopmental diseases, including intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here, we report the largest international cohort of 24 individuals with confirmed pathogenic missense or nonsense variants in TRIO.

Short Physical Performance Battery: What Does Each Sub-Test Measure in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease?

Objective: To identify phenotypic factors associated with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and its individual sub-tests: standing balance, 4‑meter gait speed (4mGS) and 5-repetition sit-to-stand (5STS).

Methods: The Evaluation of the Role of Inflammation in non-pulmonary disease manifestations in Chronic Airways disease (ERICA) study recruited adult participants with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Proportional odds models identified factors associated with the SPPB, and a principal component analysis (PCA) evaluated how much SPPB variance was explainable by each of its 3 sub-tests.

Application of Rasch Analysis to the Evaluation of the Measurement Properties of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly.

Objectives: The aim of this research was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE). The HHIE is one of the most widely used patient-reported outcome measures in audiology. It was originally developed in the United States in the 1980s as a measure of the social and emotional impact of hearing loss in older adults.

Profile of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis: An Evidence-Based Review of Recent Data.

Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of ulcerative colitis (UC) have led to the expansion of our therapeutic arsenal. Conventional treatment options, including aminosalicylates, corticosteroids, thiopurines, and calcineurin inhibitors, fail to control the disease in a significant proportion of patients. Approximately 25-50% of the patients treated with tumor necrosis factor antibodies (anti-TNFα) are primary and secondary non-responders to therapy.

Prediction of Survival Among Patients Receiving Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Response-Based Approach.

Background And Aims: The heterogeneity of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the widespread use of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) outside recommended guidelines have encouraged the development of scoring systems that predict patient survival. The aim of this study was to build and validate statistical models that offer individualized patient survival prediction using response to TACE as a variable.

Approach And Results: Clinically relevant baseline parameters were collected for 4,621 patients with HCC treated with TACE at 19 centers in 11 countries.

Minimal and Mild Hearing Loss in Children: Association with Auditory Perception, Cognition, and Communication Problems.

Objectives: "Minimal" and "mild" hearing loss are the most common but least understood forms of hearing loss in children. Children with better ear hearing level as low as 30 dB HL have a global language impairment and, according to the World Health Organization, a "disabling level of hearing loss." We examined in a population of 6- to 11-year-olds how hearing level ≤40.

Association of Giant Cell Arteritis With Race.

Importance: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis in adults and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Its incidence has been carefully studied in white populations, yet its relevance among other racial and ethnic groups is less well known.

Objective: To examine the incidence of biopsy-proven GCA (BP-GCA) in a tertiary care center-based population with a sizeable proportion of black patients.

Genetic Polymorphisms Implicated in Nonalcoholic Liver Disease or Selected Other Disorders Have No Influence on Drug-Induced Liver Injury.

With the application of genetic testing to contemporary medical diagnostics and practice, it has become apparent that the phenotypes of many disorders are modulated by host genetic factors. The aim of the current study was to determine whether selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) unrelated to the human leukocyte antigen region or other immune pathways, including those associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), may influence development, severity, or outcomes of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Thirteen variants previously associated with NAFLD and/or selected other liver diseases were tested in 832 Caucasian DILI cases and 10,397 Caucasian population controls.

Effects of indoor particulate matter exposure on daily asthma control.

Background: Household dust often contains aeroallergens, such as the house dust mite antigen Der p 1. It has been proposed that overnight exposure to particulate matter from bedding and other sources may be an important driver of atopic asthma. Whether variability in overnight particulate matter exposure is a significant determinant of asthma control is unknown.

Amino Acid Substitutions in Genotype 3a Hepatitis C Virus Polymerase Protein Affect Responses to Sofosbuvir.

Background & Aims: Sofosbuvir is a frequently used pan-genotype inhibitor of hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase. This drug eliminates most chronic HCV infections, and resistance-associated substitutions in the polymerase are rare. However, HCV genotype 3 responds slightly less well to sofosbuvir-based therapies than other genotypes.

Patients with tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) are hypersensitive to Toll-like receptor 9 stimulation.

Tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) is a hereditary autoinflammatory disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and inflammation. It is associated with autosomal dominant mutations in TNFRSF1A, which encodes tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNF-R1). Our aim was to understand the influence of TRAPS mutations on the response to stimulation of the pattern recognition Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9.