Long-term efficacy of superior laryngeal nerve block for the treatment of chronic neurogenic cough.

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) block for treating chronic neurogenic cough (CNC) in a large patient cohort.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on patients treated between January 2019 and October 2023. Data collected included patient demographics, number of injections, follow-up times, subjective cough severity, and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) scores.

Metaphyseal comminution in distal radius fractures: a predictor of secondary fragility fractures and the role of osteoporosis treatment.

Unlabelled: Metaphyseal comminution in distal radius fracture (DRF) cases might indicate severe osteoporosis. The patients with DRFs and metaphyseal comminution showed 5.2-fold increased secondary fractures compared with those receiving combination osteoporosis therapy.

Tofacitinib Treatment for Active Dermatomyositis and Anti-synthetase Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Pilot Study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in the treatment of active dermatomyositis (DM) and anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS).

Methods: Tofacitinib was administered at a dose of 5 mg twice daily to patients who exhibited inadequate response to conventional treatments. The primary end point was the reduction of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells at week 24.

Evaluating the efficacy of nano-cyclosporine A in mice model of ulcerative colitis: a meta-analysis.

Cyclosporine A is an immunosuppressive drug used in clinics to treat steroid-refractory ulcerative colitis (UC). However, due to its side effects, researchers are evaluating novel drug delivery-based treatment options. Nanoparticles-based cyclosporine (Nano-CSA) offers a promising option for the treatment of UC, and various in vivo studies on animals have been conducted.

Risk characterization of organic micropollutants in public wastewater treatment plant effluents in Flanders, Belgium.

This study investigates the ecological risks posed by organic micropollutants (OMPs) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents in Flanders, Belgium based on single-compound risk characterization. Utilizing a five-year monitoring dataset from the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) and employing seven ecological threshold values (ETV) types, this research characterizes the risk of 207 OMPs, including pharmaceuticals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and other pollutants. Several OMPs persist in effluents at concentrations that pose significant ecological risks after secondary and tertiary treatment processes in the region of Flanders (Belgium).

Association between response time and time from emergency medical service contact with the patient to hospital arrival as well as survival and neurological outcomes in pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Objectives: In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), prehospital time is crucial and can be divided into response time, from emergency call to emergency medical service (EMS) contact, and time from EMS contact to hospital arrival. To improve prehospital strategies for pediatric OHCA, it is essential to understand the association between these time intervals and patient outcomes; however, detailed investigations are lacking. The current study aimed to examine the association between response time and time from EMS contact to hospital arrival as well as survival and neurological outcomes in pediatric OHCA.

Multicolor emission from a 0D-doped hybrid halide (CHN)CdBr single crystal.

Achieving multicolor emission is a fascinating goal that remains challenging for zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid halides. We successfully obtained a three-millimeter-scale 0D (MXDA)CdBr (MXDA = CHN) single crystal (SC) by the solvothermal method. It serves as an outstanding host for doping with various valence activators, such as Cu, Mn and Sb, and these doped single crystals emit blue (470 nm), yellow (580 nm) and red (618 nm) fluorescence, which accurately cover a large visible region and achieve efficient multicolor emission.

Carboxy-Amidated AamAP1-Lys has Superior Conformational Flexibility and Accelerated Killing of Gram-Negative Bacteria.

C-terminal amidation of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a frequent minor modification used to improve antibacterial potency, commonly ascribed to increased positive charge, protection from proteases, and a stabilized secondary structure. Although the activity of AMPs is primarily associated with the ability to penetrate bacterial membranes, hitherto the effect of amidation on this interaction has not been understood in detail. Here, we show that amidation of the scorpion-derived membranolytic peptide AamAP1-Lys produces a potent analog with faster bactericidal activity, increased membrane permeabilization, and greater Gram-negative membrane penetration associated with greater conformational flexibility.

Association of Obesity and Skeletal Muscle with Postoperative Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background A comprehensive assessment of skeletal muscle health is crucial to understanding the association between improved clinical outcomes and obesity as defined by body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) in lung cancer, but limited studies have been conducted on this topic. Purpose To investigate the association between BMI-defined obesity and survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection, with a specific focus on the status of skeletal muscle assessed at CT. Materials and Methods This retrospective study investigated Korean patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent curative resection between January 2008 and December 2019.

Larsucosterol for the Treatment of Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis.

Background: Larsucosterol is a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor in development for alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), a disease for which there is no approved therapy.

Methods: In this phase 2b trial, patients with severe AH were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to receive 30 mg or 90 mg of larsucosterol or placebo; a second dose was administered after 72 hours if the patient remained hospitalized. All patients received supportive care as determined by investigators.

High-Performance Oxide Crystal BaTeWO X-ray Detector with High Stability, Low Detection Limit, and Ultralow Dark Current Drift.

X-ray detection materials and devices have received widespread attention due to their irreplaceable role in the medical, industrial, and military fields. In this paper, BaTeWO (BTW) crystal containing lone pairs of electrons with large atomic numbers and high density is reported as a new type of oxide crystal X-ray detection material. The anisotropic X-ray detection performance of the BTW single crystal (SC) is systematically studied.

A solution method for active suppression of reflections in anechoic chambers.

A solution method to improve an anechoic chamber at low frequencies with the use of active noise control is presented. The approach uses the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral to compute the reflected sound field resulting from the primary sources together with an algorithm to compute the filter coefficients of a controller driving secondary sources on the walls of the enclosure using reference signals as inputs, which are measured on a contour enclosing the primary sources. A causal frequency domain method with conjugate gradient iterations is derived to determine the controller.

Use of analytical strategies to understand spatial chemical variation in bacterial surface communities.

Not only do surface-growing microbes such as biofilms display specific traits compared to planktonic cells, but also they display many heterogeneous behaviors over many spatial and temporal contexts. While the application of molecular genetics tools to extract or visualize gene expression or regulatory function data is now common in studying surface growth, the use of analytical chemistry tools to visualize the spatiotemporal distribution of chemical products synthesized by these surface microbes is less common. Here, we review chemical imaging tools that have been used to inform our understanding of surface-growing microbes.

Effects of kinesiotaping on proprioception, pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with cervical spondylosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effects of kinesiotaping (KT) adjunct to physical therapy (PT) on proprioception, cervical range of motion (ROM), pain, disability, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in cervical spondylosis.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients aged 50-70 years were randomized into three groups: PT, PT plus KT(PT+KT), PT plus sham-taping(PT+ST). All participants underwent standardized 15-session PT, 5 days/week.

Mitochondria-targeting nanostructures from enzymatically degradable fluorescent amphiphilic polyesters.

Water-soluble π-conjugated luminescent bioprobes have been broadly used in biomedical research but are limited by the nonbiodegradability associated with their rigid C-C backbones. In the present work, we introduced three naphthalene monoimide (NMI)-functionalized amphiphilic fluorescent polyesters (P1, P2, and P3) prepared by transesterification of functional diols with an activated diester monomer of adipic acid. These polyesters featured a side-chain NMI fluorophore, imparting the required hydrophobicity for self-assembly in water and endowing the polymeric nanoassemblies with green fluorescence.

Comparative Outcomes of Babesiosis in Immunocompromised and Non-Immunocompromised Hosts: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: Babesiosis poses significant risks of adverse outcomes in individuals with immunocompromising conditions (IC) and asplenia/hyposplenia (AH). This study compares clinical outcomes between these vulnerable groups and immunocompetent patients.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study included adult patients with laboratory-confirmed babesiosis from 2009 to 2023.

Wildland Firefighters Suffer Increasing Risk of Job-Related Death.

Wildland firefighting is a niche specialization in the fire service - inherently dangerous with unique risks. Over the past decade, fatalities amongst all firefighters have decreased; however, wildland firefighter fatalities have increased. This subject has only been described in the grey literature, and a paucity of medical literature exists.

Implant stability quotient and osteogenic process in dental implant sites prepared using piezoelectric technique: A study in minipigs.

Purpose: Few studies have explored the bone response in dental implant sites prepared using a piezoelectric device, indicating moderate effectiveness in enhancing secondary stability and osteogenesis. This study seeks to expand our understanding of the changes in biological, clinical, and radiographic parameters, during the initial phases of osseointegration in sites prepared with piezoelectric surgery.

Materials And Methods: Two implant sites were prepared in the tibia of four minipigs.

Sabatier Principle Inspired Bifunctional Alloy Interface for Stable and High-Depth Discharging Zinc Metal Anodes.

Achieving stable Zn anodes is essential for advancing high-performance Zn metal batteries. Here, we propose a Sabatier principle inspired bifunctional transition-metal (TM) interface to enable homogeneous Zn dissolution during discharging and dendrite-free Zn deposition during charging. Among various TM-coated Zn (TM@Zn) electrodes, Cu@Zn exhibits the highest reversibility and structural stability, attributed to the optimal interaction between Cu and Zn.

Blood culture isolates and antimicrobial sensitivities from 1621 critically ill neonatal foals (2005-2022).

Introduction: Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals. Administration of appropriate antimicrobials and early aggressive supportive treatment is central to the efficacious treatment of neonatal sepsis and has proven to positively influence outcomes. The primary aim of our study was to evaluate microorganism results and antimicrobial sensitivities of neonatal foals with a positive blood culture submitted to our intensive care unit (ICU) during 2005-2022.

Tumour size is associated with growth rates of >0.5 cm/year and delayed intervention in small renal masses in patients on active surveillance.

Objective: To evaluate the association between tumour size and the growth rate (GR) of small renal masses (SRMs) in patients managed by active surveillance (AS).

Materials And Methods: We queried the prospective, multi-institutional Delayed Intervention and Surveillance for Small Renal Masses (DISSRM) registry for patients on AS with an imaging interval of ≥6 months, identifying 456 patients. We tracked tumour size over time; a GR >0.

Interrupted versus uninterrupted anticoagulation for cardiac rhythm management device insertion.

Background: Guideline-recommended strategies to interrupt chronic anticoagulation with warfarin or direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) during the perioperative period of cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) surgery differ worldwide. There is uncertainty concerning the benefits and harms of interrupted and uninterrupted anticoagulation in patients undergoing CIED surgery.

Objectives: To assess the benefits and harms of interrupted anticoagulation (IAC) with either warfarin or DOAC in the perioperative period of CIED surgery versus uninterrupted anticoagulation (UAC), with or without heparin bridging, during an equivalent time frame, for CIED surgery.

Improving the generalization of protein expression models with mechanistic sequence information.

The growing demand for biological products drives many efforts to maximize expression of heterologous proteins. Advances in high-throughput sequencing can produce data suitable for building sequence-to-expression models with machine learning. The most accurate models have been trained on one-hot encodings, a mechanism-agnostic representation of nucleotide sequences.

Efficacy and Safety of Mechanical Thrombectomy in Distal Medium Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Ischemic Stroke Patients on Low-Dose Aspirin.

Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) from distal medium vessel occlusion (DMVO) presents unique treatment challenges. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is emerging as a viable option for these patients, yet the role of pre-stroke aspirin treatment is unclear. This study evaluates the impact of pre-stroke low-dose aspirin on outcomes in DMVO patients undergoing MT.

Characteristics and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty treatment outcomes of superior vena cava obstruction in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in patients undergoing hemodialysis with different types of superior vena cava obstruction (SVCO) lesions.

Methods: This retrospective observational study recruited patients undergoing hemodialysis with SVCO and analyzed the clinical characteristics of SVCO. Patency rates were collected for patients treated with PTA and were assessed using the t-test, U-test, log-rank test and survival analyses such as the Kaplan-Meier method.