Recovery trajectories after major abdominal surgery: A retrospective pooled cohort study.

Background: Recovery from major surgery can be difficult to predict given the many factors involved in treating disease and restoring preoperative function. Postoperative recovery metrics such as length of stay, complications, and mortality are typically described. However, large data quantities for patient-reported recovery are scarce.

Proposed resources required for a comprehensive program for CCT CHD imaging.

Background: Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) is increasingly used for evaluation of congenital heart disease (CHD) in patients of all ages. Pediatric and adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) surgical programs require high quality CCT imaging as part of the multimodality imaging support expected of comprehensive care centers. Despite these expectations, there are no benchmarks or defined programmatic elements specific to the performance of CCT in patients with CHD.

Functional Radiosurgery in the Management of Cancer Pain: A Comprehensive Review.

Functional radiosurgery is a minimally invasive and highly precise approach to managing refractory cancer pain, offering targeted interventions for both nociceptive and neuropathic pain mechanisms. By focusing on key neuroanatomical targets, such as the thalamus, cingulate cortex, pituitary gland, celiac plexus, and dorsal root ganglia, functional radiosurgery provides effective relief for complex pain syndromes that are often unresponsive to conventional therapies. Advances in imaging and treatment delivery have enhanced the safety and efficacy of these techniques, allowing clinicians to tailor interventions to individual patients.

FLASH Radiotherapy: From In Vivo Data to Clinical Translation.

Delivery of radiotherapy (RT) at ultra-high dose rates or FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) is an emerging treatment option for patients with cancer that could increase survival outcomes and quality of life. In vivo data across a multitude of normal tissues and associated tumors have been published demonstrating the FLASH effect while bringing attention to the need for additional research. Combination of FLASH-RT with other treatment options including spatially fractionated RT, immunotherapy, and usage in the setting of reirradiation could also provide additional benefit.

Development and Implementation of Digital Health Tools in Radiation Oncology: A Rapid Review.

A rapid review of 21 studies into 20 unique digital health tools found significant benefits to utilizing the following 4 categories of tools: (1) educational videos increased patient knowledge of radiotherapy (RT) and reduced treatment-related anxiety; (2) extended reality tools improved patient understanding of RT and reduced anxiety, with virtual reality coaching enhancing tumor motion reproducibility during CT simulation; (3) digital patient engagement tools helped patients manage treatment symptoms, increased health literacy, and improved quality of life; (4) an electronic feedback form decreased patient anxiety and increased RT knowledge. Most interventions were single-use and implemented before the start of RT.

Neuro-Behcet's Masquerading as Status Epilepticus and Meningoencephalitis in the Emergency Department.

Background: Behcet disease (BD) is a rare small vessel vasculitis that commonly manifests as recurrent painful oral or genital ulcerations, uveitis, and skin lesions. Some patients with BD develop neurological symptoms termed neuro-Behcet's disease. In the emergency department setting, these symptoms can be mistaken for other common acute issues including stroke, infection, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, toxin ingestion, or psychiatric conditions.

American Society of Cytopathology's cytopathology workforce survey in the United States.

Introduction: To assess the current state of the cytopathology workforce shortage in the United States.

Materials And Methods: A survey comprising 32 questions was developed by the Government Affairs and Economic Policy Committee of the American Society of Cytopathology using Survey Monkey software. It was distributed to the American Society of Cytopathology membership through email, and the anonymous responses were compiled into an Excel spreadsheet.

Management of haemolysis-induced hyperkalaemia in an extremely low birthweight infant exposed to maternal sulfasalazine.

Sulfasalazine is a non-specific immunomodulator with haemolytic anaemia as a known side effect that crosses the placenta. We present a preterm neonate with cardiac arrhythmia secondary to hyperkalaemia in the setting of maternal sulfasalazine therapy. A preterm infant was born to a mother taking hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, aspirin and enoxaparin throughout pregnancy.

Report of a Work Group on Nonverbal Learning Disability: Consensus Criteria for Developmental Visual-Spatial Disorder, a Reconceptualization of Nonverbal Learning Disability for DSM Consideration.

Objective: Although extant research points to NonVerbal Learning Disability (NVLD) as a distinct disorder, it is not included in the diagnostic nomenclatures, and there is heterogeneity in how it is defined. We formed a working group to gain consensus on a standard DSM type definition for NVLD, a necessary first step for proposing its inclusion in future DSMs and renamed the disorder to better reflect the core deficit - visual-spatial problems.

Method: An iterative process was used to reach consensus on a DSM style criteria set that reconceptualizes NVLD as Developmental Visual-Spatial Disorder (DVSD).

Prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, reduced hippocampal subfield volumes, and word reading.

Reading difficulties and exposure to air pollution are both disproportionately high among youth living in economically disadvantaged contexts. Critically, variance in reading skills in youth living in higher socioeconomic status (SES) contexts largely derives from genetic factors, whereas environmental factors explain more of the variance in reading skills among youth living in lower SES contexts. Although reading research has focused closely on the psychosocial environment, little focus has been paid to the effects of the chemical environment.

Orthopaedic Residency Compensation and Cost of Living: Are Orthopaedic Residents Financially Strained?

Introduction: Medical education imposes a financial burden on trainees. Given that cost-of-living varies across geographical regions, understanding its relationship with resident compensation can inform about the finances of residents. We investigated: (1) How does compensation for orthopaedic surgery residents vary across regions? (2) How does compensation for orthopaedic surgery residents vary with respect to cost of living? (3) What is the extent of surplus income for residents after accounting for hours worked? (4) What are the predictors of annual income for orthopaedic residents?

Material And Methods: Using the American Medical Association FREIDA database, we collected weekly work hours, location, program type, moonlight allowance, and geographic region for 190 nonmilitary orthopaedic programs.

County socioeconomic status and premature mortality from cancer in the United States.

Introduction: There are consistent data demonstrating socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with cancer survivorship among older adults, but research on the relationship between area-level SES and risk of premature mortality from cancer remains not well understood. This study investigated the association between county-level SES and premature mortality from cancer.

Methods: Demographic characteristics and causes of death were ascertained from the national death certificate data for years 2016-2020.

Review of impaired immune parameters in RSV infections in the elderly.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in elderly individuals are associated with increased rates of severe clinical disease and mortality compared to younger adults. Age-associated declines in numerous innate and adaptive immune parameters during RSV infection contribute to infection susceptibility, impaired viral clearance, and distorted cytokine profiles in the elderly. Impaired immune responses in this age group also adversely affect longevity of RSV immunity following vaccination in experimental settings.

Circulating tumor DNA determines induction chemotherapy response in HPV associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A pilot study.

Background: Induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by chemoradiation (CRT) is one treatment approach for patients with locoregionally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). This pilot study aimed to assess whether a circulating tumor (ct) DNA assay outperforms PET-CT in assessing treatment response in patients with HPV + OPSCC treated with induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by chemoradiation (CRT).

Materials And Methods: Patients treated with IC and definitive CRT for HPV + OPSCC were included.

Real world experience with cladribine tablets for multiple sclerosis at four academic multiple sclerosis centers.

Background: Cladribine tablets (CladT) are a multiple sclerosis (MS) disease-modifying therapy (DMT) with safety and efficacy established in the CLARITY trial and extension. A better understanding of the role of CladT in real-world populations is needed, including the clinical and radiographic trajectories of persons with MS (PwMS) treated with CladT and how CladT compares to other MS DMTs.

Methods: PwMS receiving CladT at 4 tertiary MS centers were identified and characterized.

Prenatally Diagnosed Absent Septum Pellucidum and Septo-Optic Dysplasia: A Narrative Review and Practical Recommendations for Pediatric Neurologists.

Evaluation of the cavum septum pellucidum is required in standard second-trimester screening fetal anatomy ultrasound scans. The absence of septum pellucidum triggers further evaluation and referral for subspecialty counseling. Absence of septum pellucidum is linked to other midline anomalies including septo-optic dysplasia.

The challenge of targeting key drivers of CLL and sequencing therapy in an era of experimental therapeutics.

Treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been revolutionized with the introduction of small molecule inhibitors targeting both the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) family of proteins. Inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and the BH3 mimetic venetoclax are bothcurrently used as the standard of care for patients in the frontline and relapsed/refractory setting of CLL. With the clinical success of both these classes of therapies, sequencing of these agents has become a major challenge in treatment of CLL.

Incidence of optic nerve kinking in a cohort of patients with Normal tension glaucoma.

Objectives: To report on the incidence of optic nerve kinking in a series of patients diagnosed with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) compared to an age- and gender matched control group without known optic nerve diseases.

Subjects And Methods: All patients with NTG who underwent imaging (computed tomography cysternography (CTC) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) of the orbits and cranium between 2012 and 2022 were included, totalling 57 patients (27 females and 30 males; 57 eyes; mean age 69 ± 10 years). 57 age- and gender matched subjects without known optic nerve diseases who underwent MRI of the orbits and cranium served as controls.

A simple and highly efficient protocol for C-labeling of plant cell wall for structural and quantitative analyses via solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance.

Background: Plant cell walls are made of a complex network of interacting polymers that play a critical role in plant development and responses to environmental changes. Thus, improving plant biomass and fitness requires the elucidation of the structural organization of plant cell walls in their native environment. The C-based multi-dimensional solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) has been instrumental in revealing the structural information of plant cell walls through 2D and 3D correlation spectral analyses.

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM) - associated cognitive impairment and morbidity in humans and animal models: a systematic review.

Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 µm (PM) is one of the criteria air pollutants that (1) serve as an essential carrier of airborne toxicants arising from combustion-related events including emissions from industries, automobiles, and wildfires and (2) play an important role in transient to long-lasting cognitive dysfunction as well as several other neurological disorders. A systematic review was conducted to address differences in study design and various biochemical and molecular markers employed to elucidate neurological disorders in PM -exposed humans and animal models.

The 2024 American Association for Thoracic Surgery expert consensus document: Current standards in donor lung procurement and preservation.

Background: Donor lung procurement and preservation is critical for lung transplantation success. Unfortunately, the large variability in techniques impacts organ utilization rates and transplantation outcomes. Compounding this variation, recent developments in cold static preservation and new technological advances with machine perfusion have increased the complexity of the procedure.

Obesity and clinical, radiographic, and surgical outcomes after minimally invasive single-level transforaminal versus lateral lumbar interbody fusion.

Objective: To determine the effect of obesity on clinical, radiographic, and surgical outcomes after lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) versus minimally invasive surgery (MIS) transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and compare the effectiveness of LLIF versus MIS TLIF in treating obese patients.

Methods: A retrospective comparative analysis of patients who underwent single-level L4-5 LLIF or MIS TLIF over a 7-year period was performed. Spinopelvic parameters were compared based on pre- and postoperative radiographs.