Ocular and Systemic Abnormalities in Punctal Agenesis.

Background: Punctal agenesis (PA) is a rare congenital anomaly that can occur in isolation or as part of an underlying syndrome. The benefit of genetic assessment in individuals with PA and clinical features that should prompt molecular workup has not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to identify ocular and extraocular features associated with PA and determine its association with an underlying syndrome.

High-Output Mechanical Circulatory Support in Left Main Interventions: The Magenta Elevate High-Risk PCI First-in-Human Study.

Background: The Magenta Elevate is a 9-F, self-expanding, catheter-mounted pump delivered sheathed through a commercially available 10-F femoral introducer over the wire to the left ventricle (LV), providing temporary hemodynamic support up to an equivalent of normal cardiac output.

Objectives: The authors sought to assess the feasibility and outcomes of Elevate-supported high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (HR-PCI) in a first-in-human study and study the hemodynamic impact of high-output support during prolonged interventional left main coronary artery (LM) occlusions.

Methods: In this study, 14 patients underwent Elevate-supported HR-PCI, with 8 patients undergoing 20 prolonged (39 ± 16 seconds) balloon occlusions of an unprotected LM.

Preadmission systemic antibiotic treatment in necrotizing otitis externa (NOE).

Purpose: Necrotizing otitis externa (NOE) is a serious life-threatening infection, with Pseudomonas (PA) aeruginosa being the primary causative agent. Over the last two decades the use of systemic anti-PA antibiotics expanded substantially and are now prescribed regularly by physicians. Meanwhile, studies indicate shifting trends in the incidence of the offending pathogen in NOE.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Small and Very Small Aortic Valve Annuli: A Propensity-Matched Analysis Between Self-Expanding Versus Balloon-Expandable Valves.

Background: The management of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) patients with a small aortic annulus (SAA) postures a substantial challenge, increasing the risk of patient- prosthesis mismatch (PPM) and overall mortality.

Aims: This study aimed to compare the hemodynamic and clinical outcomes of transcatheter balloon-expandable valve (BEV) versus transcatheter self-expandable valve (SEV) in SAA.

Methods: We conducted propensity score matching (PSM) of severe AS patients with SAA who underwent trans-femoral TAVR and enrolled to the Israeli TAVR registry between the years 2008 and 2023.

Thyroid Eye Disease and Artificial Intelligence: A Comparative Study of ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4o, and Gemini in Patient Information Delivery.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of 3 artificial intelligence language models-GPT-3.5, GPT-4o, and Gemini, in delivering patient-centered information about thyroid eye disease (TED). We evaluated their performance based on the accuracy and comprehensiveness of their responses to common patient inquiries regarding TED.

Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump: Overall and Temporal Trends of Comparative Effectiveness in a National Registry.

Background: Although the latest studies failed to prove the benefit of routine intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) use in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) presenting with cardiogenic shock, the benefit of IABP utilization in selected cases in "real world" practice is unknown.

Aims: We sought to follow temporal trends in IABP use in a real-world cohort of acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Methods: We evaluated IABP utilization and patient outcomes from the Acute Coronary Syndrome in Israel Survey (ACSIS) between the years 2000 and 2021.

Early Methotrexate Treatment For Psoriatic Arthritis Prevention in Psoriasis Patients - a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: Early initiation of biologic therapies for psoriasis has been explored to prevent or delay the onset of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This has renewed interest in the potential role of methotrexate (MTX) in mitigating PsA risk in newly diagnosed psoriasis patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of early MTX initiation on PsA incidence in individuals with psoriasis.

Outcomes and management of invasive procedures in participants with hemophilia A post gene therapy: a post hoc analysis of the GENEr8-1 phase III trial.

Background: Hemophilia A is caused by coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency and increases bleeding risk during invasive procedures.

Objectives: To investigate FVIII concentrate use and bleeding outcomes for invasive procedures after valoctocogene roxaparvovec gene transfer.

Design: This manuscript presents post hoc analysis of the phase III GENEr8-1 trial.

Cost effectiveness analysis of BRAF testing for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinomas.

Objective: Given the good prognosis of low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (lrPTMCs), accurate risk stratification is valuable to optimize management: active surveillance (AS) vs. hemithyroidectomy (HT). BRAF positive lrPTMC is associated with increased recurrence risk; hence, AS was suggested for mutation-negative lrPTMC.

Evaluation of the Effect of Risankizumab on the Pharmacokinetics of Cytochrome P450 Substrates in Patients with Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's Disease.

Background And Objective: The objective of this study was to characterize the effects of risankizumab on the pharmacokinetics of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, and CYP3A substrates in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) using a cocktail approach.

Methods: Patients with CD or UC (n = 20) received single doses of probe substrates for CYP1A2 (caffeine 100 mg), CYP2C9 (warfarin 10 mg), CYP2C19 (omeprazole 20 mg), CYP2D6 (metoprolol 50 mg), and CYP3A (midazolam 2 mg) before and after intravenous infusions of risankizumab 1800 mg once every 4 weeks for four doses. Serial blood samples were collected for determination of concentrations of the CYP probe drugs and metabolites with and without risankizumab.

Avelumab + axitinib vs sunitinib as first-line treatment for patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma: final analysis of the phase 3 JAVELIN Renal 101 trial.

Background: In the phase 3 JAVELIN Renal 101 trial (NCT02684006), first-line treatment with avelumab + axitinib resulted in significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) and a higher objective response rate (ORR) vs sunitinib in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma (aRCC). We report the final analysis, including the primary analysis of overall survival (OS).

Patients And Methods: Patients with untreated aRCC (any prognostic risk score) were enrolled.

Comparison of fludarabine/melphalan (FM140) with fludarabine/melphalan/BCNU (FBM110) in patients with relapsed/refractory AML undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation - a registry study on behalf of the EBMT Acute Leukemia Working Party.

The treatment of relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with a dismal prognosis. The allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is frequently performed as salvage therapy. Reduced intensity conditioning protocols have been developed with the aim of reducing the leukemia burden without increasing their toxicity.

Cerebral air embolism in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objective: Cerebral air embolism during Cardio-Pulmonary Bypass is a severe complication with significant neurological risks. We present six pediatric cases, detailing their presentation, management, and outcomes. The discussion reviews existing literature and proposes management guidelines for suspected air emboli.

Radiographic and visual response to the type II RAF inhibitor tovorafenib in children with relapsed/refractory optic pathway glioma in the FIREFLY-1 trial.

Background: Due to their anatomical locations, optic pathway gliomas (OPGs) can rarely be cured by resection. Given the importance of preserving visual function, we analyzed radiological and visual acuity (VA) outcomes for the type II RAF inhibitor tovorafenib in the OPG subgroup of the phase 2 FIREFLY-1 trial.

Methods: FIREFLY-1 investigated the efficacy (arm 1, n=77), safety, and tolerability (arms 1/2) of tovorafenib (420 mg/m2 once weekly; 600 mg maximum) in patients with BRAF-altered relapsed/refractory pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG).

Intestinal Ultrasound Measures are Strongly Correlated With Small Bowel Endoscopic Lewis Score in Active Crohn's Disease.

Background: Small bowel video capsule endoscopy (SB-VCE) assesses mucosal inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD), while intestinal ultrasound (IUS) examines transmural involvement. We aimed to correlate SB-VCE with IUS in evaluating active CD and monitoring treatment response over time.

Methods: Patients with active SB-CD who initiated biologics were prospectively followed with fecal calprotectin (FC), SB-VCE, and IUS at baseline and after 14 and 52 weeks.

A Variable Clinical Presentation of Hemoglobin City of Hope.

Hemoglobin City of Hope (Hb-COH), NC_000011.9(NM_000518.5):c.

A comparison between lipid-based vs. glycemic-based insulin sensitivity indices for the association with abnormal ECG findings and 20-year mortality among older adults.

Background: A direct comparison between glycemic-based and lipid-based insulin sensitivity indices (ISIs) for ECG findings and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality is lacking.

Methods: 963 community-dwelling older adults, examined as part of the third phase of the Glucose intolerance, Obesity, and Hypertension study between 1999 and 2008, were followed until December 2016 and December 2019 for cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, respectively. Eleven different ISIs were calculated and evaluated against ECG findings, all-cause, and cardiovascular mortality with multivariable regression models.

Characteristics and survival of hospitalized combat casualties during two major conflicts between Israel and Hamas: 2023 versus 2014.

Background: In the complex landscape of modern warfare, understanding combat-related injuries leading to hospitalization is crucial for optimizing injury treatment. This study aims to compare combat casualty characteristics and outcomes during the major conflicts between Israel and Hamas in 2023 and 2014 as a basis for understanding the effectiveness of trauma care practices for wounded soldiers.

Methods: A cohort study of soldiers hospitalized due to combat injuries during two major wars between Israel and Hamas in 2023 and 2014, using data from the Israeli National Trauma Registry.

An additive opinion to the committee opinion of ASRM and SART on the use of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A).

After over 20 years of progressively increasing clinical utilization of PGT-A (and its precursors), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and its daughter society, the Society for Assisted Reproduction (SART), for the first time published a committee opinion clearly acknowledging that "the value of PGT-A as a routine screening test for patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) has not been demonstrated." This statement is timely and welcome but requires some additions and raises some new questions, among those why, if PGT-A in a general population does not improve IVF cycle outcomes, the routine clinical utilization of PGT-A should continue.