Eliciting an immune-mediated antitumor response through oncolytic herpes simplex virus-based shared antigen expression in tumors resistant to viroimmunotherapy.

Background: Oncolytic virotherapy (OV) is an immunotherapy that incorporates viral cancer cell lysis with engagement of the recruited immune response against cancer cells. Pediatric solid tumors are challenging targets because they contain both an inert immune environment and a quiet antigenic landscape, making them more resistant to conventional OV approaches. Further complicating this, herpes simplex virus suppresses host gene expression during virotherapy infection.

SRI-42127, a novel small molecule inhibitor of the RNA regulator HuR, potently attenuates glial activation in a model of lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation.

Glial activation with the production of pro-inflammatory mediators is a major driver of disease progression in neurological processes ranging from acute traumatic injury to chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. Posttranscriptional regulation is a major gateway for glial activation as many mRNAs encoding pro-inflammatory mediators contain adenine- and uridine-rich elements (ARE) in the 3' untranslated region which govern their expression. We have previously shown that HuR, an RNA regulator that binds to AREs, plays a major positive role in regulating inflammatory cytokine production in glia.

Damage control laparotomy in trauma: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The DCL trial.

Background: Although widely used in treating severe abdominal trauma, damage control laparotomy (DCL) has not been assessed in any randomized controlled trial. We conducted a pilot trial among patients for whom our surgeons had equipoise and hypothesized that definitive laparotomy (DEF) would reduce major abdominal complications (MAC) or death within 30 days compared with DCL.

Methods: Eligible patients undergoing emergency laparotomy were randomized during surgery to DCL or DEF from July 2016 to May 2019.

Out With the Old and in With the New? Factors Involved in Migration of Older and Newer Generation Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Markers.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate four commonly used stereotactic biopsy markers, two older and two newer generation, assessing percentage migration and factors influencing migration distance.

Methods: This was an IRB-approved retrospective review of upright stereotactic breast biopsies from May 2018 to May 2020 involving either older (Cork, Hourglass) or newer (Vision, X-shaped) generation markers. Markers were assessed for migration rate by two-sample Z-test and migration distance by analysis of variance.

Perioperative Implications of the 2020 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Focused Review.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a complex disease with significant implications for patients and the physicians called upon to care for them during the perioperative period. In this article, the 2020 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology clinical practice guidelines for the evaluation and management of pediatric and adult patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are reviewed, with a particular focus on perioperative considerations for the anesthesiologist.

How Much Education and Training Do Residents Across Specialties Receive in Neuropsychology?

Introduction: Neuropsychologists play an important role on multidisciplinary teams with physicians from multiple specialties. The extent of residency training on the use of neuropsychological services is unclear. Medical residents across multiple specialties throughout the United States were surveyed to assess resident education, training, and understanding of neuropsychological services, along with their intent to consult neuropsychologists in the future.

From the Reading Room to Operating Room: Retrospective Data and Pictorial Review After 806 SCOUT Placements.

Objective: Non-wire localization techniques are becoming more common. SCOUT surgical guidance system has been shown to increase flexibility in scheduling patients for surgery. The objective of this article is to provide institutional experiences with pictorial review after placement of 806 SCOUT devices.

Clinical characteristics, time course, treatment and outcomes of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have emerged as a front-line therapy for a variety of solid tumors. With the widespread use of these agents, immune-associated toxicities are increasingly being recognized, including fatal myocarditis. There are limited data on the outcomes and prognostic utility of biomarkers associated with ICI-associated myocarditis.

Medical Student Mentorship in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Mentorship is a key aspect of medical education, but the availability and quality of mentorship varies considerably between institutions. The lack of standardization results in information asymmetry and creates notable inequities. This disparity is particularly important for students interested in pursuing competitive specialties, such as orthopaedic surgery.

Association of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator with epithelial sodium channel subunits carrying Liddle's syndrome mutations.

The association of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) in the pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) is controversial. Previously, we demonstrated a close physical association between wild-type (WT) CFTR and WT ENaC. We have also shown that the F508del CFTR fails to associate with ENaC unless the mutant protein is rescued pharmacologically or by low temperature.

Utilization of epidural volume extension technique for external cephalic version.

External cephalic version (ECV) has been successfully utilized to reduce breech presentations at term and offers an alternative to elective cesarean delivery. Unfortunately, there is not a consensus on which type of regional anesthesia conveys the highest chances for a successful ECV. This case report describes the use of the epidural volume extension technique to provide surgical anesthesia for ECV with a reduced dose of local anesthetic, with the goals of minimizing motor block and hypotension in the setting of an outpatient procedure.

The Therapeutic Odyssey: Positioning Genomic Sequencing in the Search for a Child's Best Possible Life.

The desire of parents to obtain a genetic diagnosis for their child with intellectual disability and associated symptoms has long been framed as a diagnostic odyssey, an arduous and sometimes perilous journey focused on the goal of identifying a cause for the child's condition. Semi-structured interviews (N = 60) were conducted with parents of children (N = 59, aged 2-24 years) with intellectual disability and/or developmental delay (IDD) who underwent genome sequencing at a single pediatric multispecialty clinic. Interviews were conducted after parents received their child's sequencing result (positive findings, negative findings, or variants of unknown significance).

Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis as a Primary Intervention in Infants With Pierre Robin Sequence.

Background: Pierre Robin sequence (PRS) is a triad of congenital facial abnormalities that can present as a syndrome (syndromic PRS [sPRS]) or an isolated entity (isolated PRS [iPRS]). Patients with PRS can develop airway and feeding problems that may result in failure to thrive. Mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) is a method for improving the functional issues associated with breathing and feeding.

Identifying sex-specific differences in the carotid revascularisation literature: findings from a scoping review.

Objective: No systematic review of the literature has dedicated itself to looking at the management of symptomatic carotid stenosis in female patients. In this scoping review, we aimed to identify all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that reported sex-specific outcomes for patients who underwent carotid revascularisation, and determine whether sufficient information is reported within these studies to assess short-term and long-term outcomes in female patients.

Design, Setting And Participants: We systematically searched Medline, Embase, Pubmed and Cochrane libraries for RCTs published between 1991 and 2020 that included female patients and compared either endarterectomy with stenting, or any revascularisation (endarterectomy or stenting) with medical therapy in patients with symptomatic high-grade (>50%) carotid stenosis.

Exploring adults as support persons for improved pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV use among select adolescents and young adults in the Deep South.

Purpose: Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP) is an effective yet underutilized biomedical tool for adolescents and young adults' (AYA) HIV prevention due to barriers such as PrEP adherence. We assessed HIV prevention knowledge, attitudes and beliefs from adults who self-identified as a primary support person to an AYA.

Methods: We surveyed AYA primary support persons at an academic hospital.

Catatonia in a 10-year-old boy with early childhood neglect and disruptive behaviours in psychiatric residential treatment.

Catatonia is a rare medical condition that can be fatal in paediatric patients if left untreated. It is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed. There are no published cases of catatonia in traumatised children living in long-term psychiatric care.

Lower vitamin D is associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in systemic lupus: data from an international inception cohort.

Objectives: Vitamin D (25(OH)D) deficiency and metabolic syndrome (MetS) may both contribute to increased cardiovascular risk in SLE. We aimed to examine the association of demographic factors, SLE phenotype, therapy and vitamin D levels with MetS and insulin resistance.

Methods: The Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) enrolled patients recently diagnosed with SLE (<15 months) from 33 centres across 11 countries from 2000.