Three-dimensional pelvic ultrasound is a practical tool for the assessment of anal fistula.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of three-dimensional pelvic ultrasound in the preoperative assessment of anal fistula compared with findings of MRI and surgery.

Methods: A total of 67 patients (62 males) with suspected anal fistula were analyzed retrospectively. Preoperative three-dimensional pelvic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging were performed in all patients.

Factors to Consider in Augmentation Urethroplasty with Oral Mucosa Graft or Penile Skin Flap for Anterior Urethral Stricture: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context: Oral mucosa graft (OMG) and penile skin flap (PSF) are common substitutions in urethroplasty; however, the recommended substitution for anterior urethral strictures remains uncertain.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of OMG and PSF in anterior urethral strictures in terms of success rate and prevalence of postvoid dribbling based on current studies.

Evidence Acquisition: A systematic review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) and registered at PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022313879).

Could exercise hormone irisin be a therapeutic agent against Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases?

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease (AD). The pathologic hallmarks of the disease are the loss of dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta and the presence of intraneuronal alpha synuclein (a-syn) aggregates. Clinical features of PD include motor symptoms such as bradykinesia, rigidity, tremors, postural instability, and gait impairment, and non-motor symptoms such as constipation, orthostatic hypotension, REM sleep disorder, depression and dementia.

The : Tirzepatide, a dual incretin analog for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity.

The ever-increasing burden of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and related comorbidities is demanding a better pathophysiological understanding as well as new treatment options. Incretin based therapies are already available while the recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist tirzepatide appears to revolutionize the treatment of T2DM and obesity. GLP-1 and GIP exert pleiotropic physiological actions, including enhancement of insulin secretion, glycemic and appetite control, cardioprotection, and adipose tissue improved function among others.

Targeting MRG15 for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease represents the most common liver disease worldwide and the prevailing cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality. It encompasses a broad clinical spectrum ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), advanced fibrosis, cirrhosis, and finally hepatocellular carcinoma. There have been many studies about the underlying mechanisms of NASH progression, fueling a solid therapeutic pipeline across a variety of potential targets to resolve steatohepatitis or fibrosis.

Of mice and men: Considerations on adipose tissue physiology in animal models of obesity and human studies.

The ever-increasing burden of obesity demands a better pathophysiological understanding, especially regarding adipose tissue pathophysiology. Animal models of obesity are of great importance in investigating potential mechanisms and implications of obesity. Many issues should be considered while interpreting the preclinical results as anatomical and pathophysiological differences exist among species.

A chromatin remodeling checkpoint of diet-induced macrophage activation in adipose tissue.

The interplay between the environment and the immune cells is linked to metabolic homeostasis under physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions. Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2D) is considered an immune-related inflammatory disorder, in which the adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) are key players orchestrating metabolic chronic meta-inflammation and contributing to the pathogenesis of metabolic disease. However, the molecular regulators that integrate the environmental signals to control ATM activation and adipose inflammation during obesity and T2D remain unclear.

Relationship Between Length and Curvature of Ascending Aorta and Type a Dissection.

Background: Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) has a rapid onset and high mortality. Currently, aortic diameter is the major criterion for evaluating the risk of TAAD. We attempted to find other aortic morphological indicators to further analyze their relationships with the risk of type A dissection.

Evaluation of Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis and Arterial Stiffness in Cardiovascular Disease Risk: An Ongoing Prospective Study From the Kailuan Cohort.

Objective: To assess whether carotid artery ultrasonography and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) measurement can accurately predict cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and all-cause mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Methods: Patients from the Kailuan Study Stroke Cohort (Tangshan, China) who underwent carotid artery ultrasonography and baPWV measurement between June 2010 and June 2011 were included in this study. The effects of carotid plaque, baPWV, and their combination on cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction (MI), cerebral ischemic stroke, cerebrovascular events, and all-cause mortality, were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression.

A Prediction Equation to Estimate Vascular Endothelial Function in Different Body Mass Index Populations.

Objective: Vascular endothelial dysfunction is considered an early predictor of endothelial injury and the initiating factor of atherosclerosis (AS). Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) can detect endothelial injury early and provide important prognostic information beyond traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors. This study aimed to find the influencing factors of FMD and develop a simple prediction model in populations with different body mass indices (BMIs).

Could gut mycobiome play a role in NAFLD pathogenesis? Insights and therapeutic perspectives.

The entire spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) ranging from fatty liver to cirrhosis has been considered as the result of specific metabolic pathways and mediators, gut barrier function alterations and inflammatory responses. Previous studies have associated intestinal microbiota with NAFLD pathogenesis, focusing mostly on bacteria. In a recent study by Demir et al.

Herpes zoster following COVID-19 vaccination in an immunocompetent and vaccinated for herpes zoster adult: A two-vaccine related event?

Reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) has been reported after the administration of different vaccine platforms against SARS-CoV-2, also among individuals without known immunosuppressive states. Herein, we describe for the first time a case of herpes zoster after mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in a 53-year-old immunocompetent adult without any known comorbidities, who was previously vaccinated with a live attenuated zoster vaccine. The fact that the patient had no history of varicella and had been tested seronegative for VZV prior to immunization with the live attenuated zoster vaccine further contribute to the challenge of this unusual case.

SARS-CoV-2 adipose tissue infection and hyperglycemia: A further step towards the understanding of severe COVID-19.

Numerous studies have highlighted the prognostic significance of hyperglycemia in the outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A number of mechanisms have been proposed as potential drivers of this association, which were, however, up until recently based rather on speculation than on investigational evidence. It has been recently come to light that the development of insulin resistance in the frame of COVID-19 is likely the driving force behind the development of overt hyperglycemia.

Potential implications of lipid nanoparticles in the pathogenesis of myocarditis associated with the use of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.

Although mRNA-based vaccines BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 exhibit a remarkable efficacy and effectiveness in preventing particularly severe Covid-19 with an overall favorable adverse event profile, their use has been associated with rare cases of acute myocarditis. These occur most commonly after the second dose, with the highest incidence among young male recipients. This complication has not been frequently observed among adenoviral vector vaccine receivers, and its clinical, laboratory and imaging features resemble those of other common causes of acute myocarditis.

Emerging roles for stress kinase p38 and stress hormone fibroblast growth factor 21 in NAFLD development.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most frequent cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, is associated with a plethora of metabolic comorbidities such as obesity, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidemia but may be present in a significant percentage of non-obese subjects. Recent evidence has highlighted that NAFLD is characterized by the dysregulation of hepatokines, including fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21). "FGF21 resistance" observed in obesity and NAFLD is actually not fully understood.

The Design and Rationale of a Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Transperineal Percutaneous Laser Ablation With Transurethral Resection of the Prostate for Treating Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is regarded as the "gold standard" for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in elderly men. However, ~15% of patients who had undergone TURP had intraoperative and postoperative complications, such as bleeding, urinary incontinence and urethral stricture. Transperineal percutaneous laser ablation (TPLA) is a method that places the optical fibre directly into the prostate with the guidance of ultrasound imaging, and the percutaneous transperineal approach is performed distal to the urethra and rectum to protect these structures and reduce urethral or postoperative infection.

Beneficial Effects of Quercetin on Microcystin-LR Induced Tight Junction Defects.

Quercetin has numerous functions including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The beneficial effect of quercetin against microcystin-LR (MC-LR)-induced testicular tight junctions (TJs) defects and were investigated. Significant reductions in transepithelial electrical resistance, occludin, and zonula occludens-1(ZO-1) levels were detected in the MC-LR-treated TM4 cells, and quercetin attenuated these effects.