Spondyloarthritides.

The spondyloarthritides are a diverse group of distinct yet interrelated disease processes with overlapping clinical features. They are ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease-associated arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. Genetically, these disease processes have been linked by the presence of HLA-B27.

Current Guidelines and Opinions in the Management of Orbital Floor Fractures.

Orbital floor fractures are a common manifestation of facial trauma that is encountered by ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and oral maxillofacial specialists. Surgical intervention is required emergently in cases of tissue entrapment and less urgently in cases of presenting with persistent diplopia, enophthalmos greater than 2 mm, and/or fractures involving greater than 50% of the orbital floor. Surgical management is a debated topic with differing opinions among surgeons regarding timing of repair, type of implant, and surgical approach.

Efficacy of patch technique for dural tear repair using hydrogel sealant: a pilot study.

Background Context: Dural tear is one of the common complications of lumbar spine surgery. Suture repair is often difficult due to the requirement of meticulous suture technique in limited space. Dural tear repair is particularly challenging in minimally invasive spine surgery.

Quadricuspid Aortic Valve: An Incidental Finding in an Elderly Man.

Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is a very rare congenital abnormality. Here, we present a rare case of QAV incidentally noted in a patient at an advanced age during transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). A 73-year-old man with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and treated prostate cancer was admitted to the hospital with palpitations.

Clinical Features Associated with Acute Elevated Intraocular Pressure After Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Injections.

Purpose: To study the effects of intravitreal injection (IVI) of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) agents on intraocular pressure (IOP) and find associations with acute pressure spikes.

Methods: This was a three-month, prospective study of patients receiving outpatient IVI of anti-VEGF agents for diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) at the Acuity Eye Group Medical Centers. IOP was measured pre- and post-injection at 10-minute intervals up to 50 minutes after injection with a handheld tonometer.

Effect of gender on atrial fibrillation ablation outcomes using a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Previous studies have shown that women with atrial fibrillation (AF) have a higher incidence of recurrence and non-pulmonary vein (non-PV) triggers. However, there remains an incomplete understanding of the impact of gender on AF ablation strategies and outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of gender on AF ablation outcomes.

Folate and Other B Vitamins in Brain Health and Disease.

B vitamins as a group play essential roles in a multitude of metabolic reactions involved in cellular replication, energy production, the synthesis of intermediary compounds, and neurotransmitters [...

Engineered Protein-Iron Oxide Hybrid Biomaterial for MRI-traceable Drug Encapsulation.

Labeled protein-based biomaterials have become a popular for various biomedical applications such as tissue-engineered, therapeutic, or diagnostic scaffolds. Labeling of protein biomaterials, including with ultrasmall super-paramagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles, has enabled a wide variety of imaging techniques. These USPIO-based biomaterials are widely studied in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), thermotherapy, and magnetically-driven drug delivery which provide a method for direct and non-invasive monitoring of implants or drug delivery agents.

Development of a Skin-Directed Scoring System for Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Epidermal Necrolysis: A Delphi Consensus Exercise.

Importance: Scoring systems for Stevens-Johnson syndrome and epidermal necrolysis (EN) only estimate patient prognosis and are weighted toward comorbidities and systemic features; morphologic terminology for EN lesions is inconsistent.

Objectives: To establish consensus among expert dermatologists on EN terminology, morphologic progression, and most-affected sites, and to build a framework for developing a skin-directed scoring system for EN.

Evidence Review: A Delphi consensus using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness criteria was initiated with a core group from the Society of Dermatology Hospitalists to establish agreement on the optimal design for an EN cutaneous scoring instrument, terminology, morphologic traits, and sites of involvement.

The Impact of Lumbopelvic Realignment Versus Prevention Strategies at the Upper-instrumented Vertebra on the Rates of Junctional Failure Following Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery.

Study Design/setting: Retrospective.

Objective: Evaluate the surgical technique that has the greatest influence on the rate of junctional failure following ASD surgery.

Summary Of Background Data: Differing presentations of adult spinal deformity(ASD) may influence the extent of surgical intervention and the use of prophylaxis at the base or the summit of a fusion construct to influence junctional failure rates.

Contribution of Iron-Transport Systems and β-Lactamases to Cefiderocol Resistance in Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii Endemic to New York City.

The development of resistance to cefiderocol among multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has been attributed to downregulation in iron transport systems and a variety of β-lactamases. However, the precise contribution of each in clinical isolates remains to be determined. Sixteen clinical isolates with varying degrees of cefiderocol resistance were investigated.

Mice lacking Ptprd exhibit deficits in goal-directed behavior and female-specific impairments in sensorimotor gating.

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase receptor type D (PTPRD) is a member of the protein tyrosine phosphatase family that mediates cell adhesion and synaptic specification. Genetic studies have linked Ptprd to several neuropsychiatric phenotypes, including Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), opioid abuse disorder, and antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of either pediatric obsessive-compulsive traits, or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), have identified loci near PTPRD as genome-wide significant, or strongly suggestive for this trait.

Transcobalamin receptor gene polymorphisms and mutation in an elderly population.

Background & Aims: Cellular uptake of the essential nutrient vitamin B12 (cobalamin) occurs via the transcobalamin receptor (TCblR/CD320), a ubiquitous membrane receptor. Polymorphisms in the receptor exist, though the effect of such variants across patient populations is unknown.

Methods: We determined CD320 genotype in 377 randomly selected elderly individuals.

Impact of Frailty on the Development of Proximal Junctional Failure: Does Frailty Supersede Achieving Optimal Realignment?

Background: Patients undergoing surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) are often elderly, frail, and at elevated risk of adverse events perioperatively, with proximal junctional failure (PJF) occurring relatively frequently. Currently, the specific role of frailty in potentiating this outcome is poorly defined.

Purpose: To determine if the benefits of optimal realignment in ASD, with respect to the development of PJF, can be offset by increasing frailty.

Genetic Contributors to Obesity.

Genetic forms of obesity contribute to ∼7% of severe obesity in children and adolescents. The exact global prevalence of monogenic and syndromic forms of obesity is not well established, most likely due to missed or delayed diagnosis. The challenge in determining the prevalence can be attributed to the lack of consensus on identifying and evaluating symptoms of genetic defects in a timely manner and hence a vastly undertested patient population.

Association of Perceived Social Support with Viral Suppression Among Young Adults with Perinatally-Acquired HIV in the US-based Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS).

Purpose: To determine the relationship between perceived social support and viral suppression among young adults with perinatally-acquired HIV (YAPHIV).

Participants And Methods: We included YAPHIV ≥18 years enrolled in AMP Up, a study of PHACS (Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study), with social support evaluations and ≥1 HIV viral load (VL) measured over the next year. We evaluated emotional, instrumental, and friendship social support via the NIH Toolbox.

Relaxed Alert Electroencephalography Screening for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Athletes.

Due to the mildness of initial injury, many athletes with recurrent mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) are misdiagnosed with other neuropsychiatric illnesses. This study was designed as a proof-of-principle feasibility trial for athletic trainers at a sports facility to generate electroencephalograms (EEGs) from student athletes for discriminating (mTBI) associated EEGs from uninjured ones. A total of 47 EEGs were generated, with 30 athletes recruited at baseline (BL) pre-season, after a concussive injury (IN), and post-season (PS).

Costs of Surgery in Adult Spinal Deformity: Do Higher Cost Surgeries Lead to Better Outcomes?

Study Design: This was a retrospective study.

Objective: To assess the impact of surgical costs on patient-reported outcomes in adult spinal deformity (ASD).

Summary Of Background Data: With increased focus on delivering cost-effective health care, interventions with high-resource utilization, such as ASD surgery, have received greater scrutiny.

In Vivo Fiber-Coupled Pre-Clinical Confocal Laser-scanning Endomicroscopy (pCLE) of Hippocampal Capillaries in Awake Mice.

The goal of this protocol is to describe fiber-optic-bundle-coupled pre-clinical confocal laser-scanning endomicroscopy (pCLE) in its specific application to elucidate capillary blood flow effects during seizures, driven by mural cells. In vitro and in vivo cortical imaging have shown that capillary constrictions driven by pericytes can result from functional local neural activity, as well as from drug application, in healthy animals. Here, a protocol is presented on how to use pCLE to determine the role of microvascular dynamics in neural degeneration in epilepsy, at any tissue depth (specifically in the hippocampus).