Patient-Reported Outcomes Following Anterior and Posterior Surgical Approaches for Multilevel Cervical Myelopathy.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort.

Objective: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes between approach techniques for the treatment of multilevel degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM).

Summary Of Background Data: Both anterior and posterior approaches for the surgical treatment of cervical myelopathy are successful techniques in the treatment of myelopathy.

Challenges and Opportunities for Immunotherapeutic Intervention against Myeloid Immunosuppression in Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common and deadly brain cancer, exemplifies the paradigm that cancers grow with help from an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). In general, TME includes a large contribution from various myeloid lineage-derived cell types, including (in the brain) altered pathogenic microglia as well as monocyte-macrophages (Macs), myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and dendritic cell (DC) populations. Each can have protective roles, but has, by definition, been coopted by the tumor in patients with progressive disease.

Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer Treatment.

Lung cancer remains second most common cancer in men and women in the United States. More than 50% of patients are diagnosed in the advanced stage. Traditionally, chemotherapy has been the backbone of management of stage IV lung cancer.

Relationship of Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA with the inflammatory biomarker hs-CRP in children with sickle cell anemia.

Background: Inflammation and vaso-occlusion play key roles in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) pathophysiology. Lipoxygenase products of the omega-3 fatty acids (O3FAs), docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) acids, are potent anti-inflammatory mediators modulating pain. O3FAs decrease episodes of vaso-occlusion in SCD.

Presurgical depression and anxiety are not associated with worse epilepsy surgery outcome five years postoperatively.

Purpose: Anxiety and depression have been associated with poor seizure control after epilepsy surgery. This study explored the effect of presurgical anxiety or depression on two- and five-year seizure control outcomes.

Methods: Adult subjects were enrolled between 1996 and 2001 in a multicenter prospective study to evaluate outcomes of resective epilepsy surgery.

CD38/cADPR Signaling Pathway in Airway Disease: Regulatory Mechanisms.

Asthma is an inflammatory disease in which proinflammatory cytokines have a role in inducing abnormalities of airway smooth muscle function and in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. Inflammatory cytokines alter calcium (Ca) signaling and contractility of airway smooth muscle, which results in nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness to agonists. In this context, Ca regulatory mechanisms in airway smooth muscle and changes in these regulatory mechanisms encompass a major component of airway hyperresponsiveness.

Repeatability of selective laser trabeculoplasty for open-angle glaucoma.

Background: To analyze the results of repeat selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT).

Inclusion Criteria: participants with primary or secondary open-angle glaucoma (excluding uveitic) who had undergone SLT 360° (SLT 1) with diminution of response over time followed by repeat SLT 360° (SLT 2). Six months of follow-up were required and at least 6 months in between SLT 1 and 2.

Mood, anxiety, and incomplete seizure control affect quality of life after epilepsy surgery.

Objective: We examined the complex relationship between depression, anxiety, and seizure control and quality of life (QOL) outcomes after epilepsy surgery.

Methods: Seven epilepsy centers enrolled 373 patients and completed a comprehensive diagnostic workup and psychiatric and follow-up QOL evaluation. Subjects were evaluated before surgery and then at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 60 months after surgery.

Total hip and knee replacement in the mature athlete.

Context: Total hip replacement and total knee replacement are among the most successful and common surgical procedures in orthopaedics. These operations were traditionally reserved for older, sedentary patients. However, these are now being increasingly performed in patients expecting to return to athletic activities.

Multimodal pain management in orthopedics: implications for joint arthroplasty surgery.

Multimodal pain management has become an important part of the perioperative care of patients undergoing total joint replacement. The principle of multimodal therapy is to use interventions that target several different steps of the pain pathway, allowing more effective pain control with fewer side effects. Many different protocols have shown clinical benefit.

Management of acetabular bone loss in revision total hip arthroplasty.

Most acetabular revisions can be managed with a hemispherical component with screw fixation. Areas of segmental bone loss that preclude acetabular component stability may be managed with structural allograft or second-generation porous metal augments. Acetabular cages have a limited application but can be a useful tool in the management of massive bone loss and pelvic discontinuity.

Comparison of myocardial ischemia during intense mental stress using flight simulation in airline pilots with coronary artery disease to that produced with conventional mental and treadmill exercise stress testing.

Mental stress increases cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although laboratory mental stress often causes less myocardial ischemia than exercise stress (ES), it is unclear whether mental stress is intrinsically different or differences are due to less hemodynamic stress with mental stress. We sought to evaluate the hemodynamic and ischemic response to intense realistic mental stress created by modern flight simulators and compare this response to that of exercise treadmill testing and conventional laboratory mental stress (CMS) testing in pilots with coronary disease.

Pathogenesis and therapies of immune-mediated myopathies.

The most common autoimmune muscle disorders include dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), necrotizing autoimmune myositis (NAM) and sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM). DM is a complement-mediated microangiopathy leading to destruction of capillaries, hypoperfusion and inflammatory cell stress on the perifascicular regions. NAM is an increasingly recognized subacute myopathy triggered by statins, viral infections, cancer or autoimmunity with macrophages as the final effector cells causing fiber injury.

A phase II trial of high dose carboplatin and paclitaxel with G-CSF and peripheral blood stem cell support followed by surgery and/or chest radiation in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer: CALGB 9531.

Purpose: We designed a phase II trial to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of high dose induction chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel with G-CSF and stem cell support followed by surgical resection and/or chest radiotherapy in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Patients And Methods: Patients had pathologically confirmed stage IIIA-IIIB NSCLC, adequate end-organ function, no prior chemotherapy or radiation, and performance status 0-1. Peripheral stem cells were mobilized with G-CSF stimulation on days 1-5 and collected prior to chemotherapy.

Effect of visual media use on school performance: a prospective study.

Purpose: To identify mechanisms for the impact of visual media use on adolescents' school performance.

Methods: We conducted a 24-month, four-wave longitudinal telephone study of a national sample of 6,486 youth aged 10 to 14 years. Exposure measures: latent construct for screen exposure time (weekday time spent viewing television/playing videogames, presence of television in bedroom) and variables for movie content (proportion of PG-13 and R movies viewed).

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is an infrequently diagnosed condition that is characterized by prominent eosinophilic infiltration of the stomach or small intestine, generally localized to one level of the intestinal wall; the variable organ locus and wall depth produce heterogeneous clinical presentations. A strong association with atopy is present in most cases, supported by circumstantial evidence and the demonstration of Th-2 proinflammatory cytokine profiles in animal studies. A high degree of suspicion is required to establish the diagnosis, which must be based on intense gastrointestinal eosinophilia.

Acute proximal hamstring rupture.

Hamstring strain is common in athletes, and both diagnosis and surgical treatment of this injury are becoming more common. Nonsurgical treatment of complete ruptures has resulted in complications such as muscle weakness and sciatic neuralgia. Surgical treatment recently has been advocated to repair the complete rupture of the hamstring tendons from the ischial tuberosity.

The Hydro ThermAblator.

The Hydro ThermAblator system is a unique approach to endometrial ablation, employing constant direct visual control via hysteroscopy combined with a 'no-touch' gravity flow of heated saline that treats the entire endometrial surface regardless of its topography. The automated controller helps to ensure reproducible results without the necessity for high operator skill. The system employs a safety feature that monitors the fluid level constantly within a closed system, so that loss of fluid through unsuspected uterine perforation occurring during dilatation can be diagnosed even though it may not be visually apparent to the operator.

Expression and roles of connective tissue growth factor in Meckel's cartilage development.

Meckel's cartilage is a prominent feature of the developing mandible, but its formation and roles remain unclear. Because connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CCN2) regulates formation of other cartilages, we asked whether it is expressed and what roles it may have in developing mouse Meckel's cartilage. Indeed, CTGF was strongly expressed in anterior, central, and posterior regions of embryonic day (E) 12 condensing Meckel's mesenchyme.

Indian hedgehog and syndecans-3 coregulate chondrocyte proliferation and function during chick limb skeletogenesis.

Hedgehog proteins exert critical roles in embryogenesis and require heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HS-PGs) for action. Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is produced by prehypertrophic chondrocytes in developing long bones and regulates chondrocyte proliferation and other events, but it is not known whether it requires HS-PGs for function. Because the HS-PG syndecan-3 is preferentially expressed by proliferating chondrocytes, we tested whether it mediates Ihh action.

Long-term effects of ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy on glomerular filtration rate in the face of mild to moderate renal insufficiency.

Background And Purpose: Ureteroscopic laser treatment of calculi in the upper urinary tract was examined in regard to its effect on renal function in the setting of mild renal insufficiency. Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and SWL have been previously shown not to adversely affect the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in renal insufficiency, but to our knowledge, the effect of ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy on GFR has not been previously reported.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective review of all cases of ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy at our institution was performed.

Dermatoscopic screening in family practice.

Background: Screening for dermatologic lesions is important in primary care medicine and may be enhanced by magnified illuminated video images. Viewing skin lesions with a dermatoscopic instrument is very helpful in judging and evaluating their characteristics. Both patients and physicians benefit from the improved diagnostic yield, possible medical-legal protection, enhanced development of the patient-physician relationship, medical practice economic boost, and more efficient dermatologic screening.