Skin graft monitoring using forward-looking infrared thermal imaging.

This study examined the feasibility of non-invasive infrared thermography to monitor skin graft viability. Sixty-three patients with skin defects attending a single institution from May 2022 to August 2023 were included. Patients underwent full-thickness or split-thickness skin grafts based on clinical indication.

Snapping Biceps Femoris Syndrome: A Case Presentation and Review of Current Literature.

Snapping of the biceps femoris tendon over the fibular head is a cause of symptomatic lateral knee pain. We presented the case of an active patient in his mid-20s who had bilateral snapping of his biceps femoris tendon, with no history of trauma. The pathophysiology in our case was thought to be secondary to prominent fibular heads.

Objective and Subjective Outcomes Following Radiofrequency of Inferior Turbinates in Patients with Sleep-Disordered Breathing.

Background: Nasal obstruction is a frequent problem amongst patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Radiofrequency of the inferior turbinates (RFIT) is commonly utilized for inferior turbinate (IT) reduction but its effectiveness in SDB patients remains unproven. We aim to evaluate long-term objective and subjective nasal, olfactory and sleep outcomes following RFIT in SDB patients.

Roxadustat Versus Erythropoietin: The Comparison of Efficacy in Reversing Ventricular Remodeling in Dialysis Patients with Anaemia.

Renal anaemia and left ventricular hypertrophy are the main complications of chronic kidney disease and are shared among dialysis patients. This retrospective study aimed to compare the efficacies of the hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor roxadustat and recombinant human erythropoietin in reversing ventricular remodeling in dialysis patients with renal anaemia. A total of 204 participants underwent baseline examinations, including echocardiograms and laboratory tests, before being administered either treatment for at least 24 weeks from January 2018 to October 2021, after which follow-up examinations were conducted at 6 months.

Outer membrane vesicles derived from gut microbiota mediate tubulointerstitial inflammation: a potential new mechanism for diabetic kidney disease.

Chronic tubulointerstitial inflammation is a common pathological process in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, its underlying mechanism is largely unknown. This study aims at investigating the role of gut microbiota-derived outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) in tubulointerstitial inflammation in DKD.

Polypropylene Pelvic Mesh: What Went Wrong and What Will Be of the Future?

Background: Polypropylene (PP) pelvic mesh is a synthetic mesh made of PP polymer used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Its use has become highly controversial due to reports of serious complications. This research critically reviews the current management options for POP and PP mesh as a viable clinical application for the treatment of POP.

Dorsal root entry zone lesioning for brachial plexus avulsion pain: a case series.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Objectives: Dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning can be performed in patients with intractable pain following brachial plexus avulsion (BPA). However, post-operative outcomes are variable and it is uncommonly used.

Prognostic Factors for Surgically Managed Spontaneous Spinal Epidural Hematoma: A Single-Center Case Series of 18 Patients.

Background: Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is a rare pathology, which carries a significant morbidity.

Objective: To review our institutional experience of surgically managed patients with SSEH, seeking to better understand clinical prognostic factors related to postoperative outcomes and thereby improve counseling of patients before treatment.

Methods: All patients who underwent surgical management of SSEH between September 2011 and 2021.

Deposition of platelet-derived microparticles in podocytes contributes to diabetic nephropathy.

Background: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the developed world. Podocyte injury is a critical cellular event involved in the progression of DN. Our previous studies demonstrated that platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) mediated endothelial injury in diabetic rats.

Intestinal microbiota-derived membrane vesicles and their role in chronic kidney disease.

Intestinal microbiota-derived membrane vesicles (MVs) play essential roles in immunomodulation and maintenance of the intestinal micro-ecosystem. The relationship between MVs and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has remained undefined. This review provides a survey of the structure and biological function of different vesicle types and summarizes the possible pathogenic mechanisms mediated by MVs, which may be of great clinical significance in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease.

Appraising The Evidence for Conservative versus Surgical Management of Motor Deficits in Degenerative Cervical Radiculopathy.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Objectives: Understanding the prevalence and outcome of motor deficits in degenerative cervical radiculopathy is important to guide management. We compared motor radiculopathy outcomes after conservative and surgical management, a particular focus being painful vs painless radiculopathy.

Abortion education in UK medical schools: a survey of medical educators.

Aim: The 2019 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on abortion care emphasised the importance of teaching the topic at undergraduate and postgraduate level. This study aimed to investigate the current provision of undergraduate abortion education in UK medical schools.

Methods: Relevant medical ethics and clinical leads from the 33 established UK medical schools were invited to complete surveys on the ethico-legal or clinical aspects, respectively, of their institution's abortion teaching.

Iatrogenic dorsal spinal cord herniation and repair with clip-based expansile duraplasty: a case report.

Introduction: Myelopathy arising due to dorsal herniation of the spinal cord is a rare phenomenon, particularly so in the thoracic region. Where cases of thoracic dorsal cord herniation have been reported, the aetiology has typically been non-iatrogenic.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a paediatric oncology patient who presented with neurological deterioration secondary to thoracic dorsal spinal cord herniation, manifesting three months after laminectomy for biopsy of a spinal medulloblastoma lesion.

Using Machine Learning to Evaluate the Role of Microinflammation in Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Lipid metabolism disorder, as one major complication in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), is tied to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Traditional lipid-lowering statins have been found to have limited benefit for the final CVD outcome of CKD patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of microinflammation on CVD in statin-treated CKD patients.

GPR43 activation-mediated lipotoxicity contributes to podocyte injury in diabetic nephropathy by modulating the ERK/EGR1 pathway.

G-protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) is a posttranscriptional regulator involved in cholesterol metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the possible roles of GPR43 activation in podocyte lipotoxicity in diabetic nephropathy (DN) and explore the potential mechanisms. The experiments were conducted by using diabetic GPR43-knockout mice and a podocyte cell culture model.

GPR43 deficiency protects against podocyte insulin resistance in diabetic nephropathy through the restoration of AMPKα activity.

Albuminuria is an early clinical feature in the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Podocyte insulin resistance is a main cause of podocyte injury, playing crucial roles by contributing to albuminuria in early DN. G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) is a metabolite sensor modulating the cell signalling pathways to maintain metabolic homeostasis.

Hyperphosphatemia and Cardiovascular Disease.

Hyperphosphatemia or even serum phosphate levels within the "normal laboratory range" are highly associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk and mortality in the general population and patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). As the kidney function declines, serum phosphate levels rise and subsequently induce the development of hypertension, vascular calcification, cardiac valvular calcification, atherosclerosis, left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis by distinct mechanisms. Therefore, phosphate is considered as a promising therapeutic target to improve the cardiovascular outcome in CKD patients.

The value of repeated lumbar puncture to test for xanthochromia, in patients with clinical suspicion of subarachnoid haemorrhage, with CT-negative and initial traumatic tap.

Objectives: For the diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), the presence of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) xanthochromia is still considered the gold standard for patients with a thunderclap headache, in the absence of blood on brain CT scan. However, a traumatic lumbar puncture (LP) typically results in high concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin in CSF, impairing the detection of xanthochromia and preventing the reliable exclusion of SAH. In this context, the value of a repeat lumbar puncture has not yet been described.

Dorsal Root Entry Zone Lesioning for Brachial Plexus Avulsion: A Comprehensive Literature Review.

Dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning is a neurosurgical procedure that aims to relieve severe neuropathic pain in patients with brachial plexus avulsion by selectively destroying nociceptive neural structures in the posterior cervical spinal cord. Since the introduction of the procedure over 4 decades ago, the DREZ lesioning technique has undergone numerous modifications, with a variety of center- and surgeon-dependent technical differences and patient outcomes. We have reviewed the literature to discuss reported methods of DREZ lesioning and outcomes.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis-induced activation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system is involved in kidney injuries in rat diabetic nephropathy.

Some studies have shown that gut microbiota along with its metabolites is closely associated with diabetic mellitus (DM). In this study we explored the relationship between gut microbiota and kidney injuries of early diabetic nephropathy (DN) and its underlying mechanisms. Male SD rats were intraperitoneally injected with streptozotocin to induce DM.

Dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota mediates tubulointerstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy via the disruption of cholesterol homeostasis.

: Our previous study demonstrated that the disruption of cholesterol homeostasis promotes tubulointerstitial injury in diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study aimed to further investigate the effects of gut microbiota dysbiosis on this process and explored its potential mechanism. : Diabetic rats treated with broad-spectrum oral antibiotics or faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from the healthy donor group and human kidney 2 (HK-2) cells stimulated with sodium acetate were used to observe the effects of gut microbiota on cholesterol homeostasis.