Use of rhBMP-2 for adult spinal deformity surgery: patterns of usage and changes over the past decade.

Objective: Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) has been shown to increase fusion rates; however, cost, limited FDA approval, and possible complications impact its use. Decisions regarding rhBMP-2 use and changes over time have not been well defined. In this study, the authors aimed to assess changes in rhBMP-2 use for adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery over the past decade.

Infantile Rhabdomyosarcomas With VGLL2 Rearrangement Are Not Always an Indolent Disease: A Study of 4 Aggressive Cases With Clinical, Pathologic, Molecular, and Radiologic Findings.

VGLL2-rearranged rhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) are rare low-grade tumors with only favorable outcomes reported to date. We describe 4 patients with VGLL2-rearranged RMS confirmed by molecular studies, who experienced local progression and distant metastases, including 2 with fatal outcomes. Tumors were diagnosed at birth (n=3) or at 12 months of age (n=1), and were all localized at initial diagnosis, but unresectable and therefore managed with chemotherapy and surveillance.

Review of bone graft and implant survival rate : A comparison between autogenous bone block versus guided bone regeneration.

In oral surgery, there is a multitude of bone augmentation techniques and biomaterials choices. Autogenous bone is considered the gold standard in bone graft due to its biocompatibility, osteoinduction, osteoconduction and osteogenic properties. An alternative to autogenous bone grafting is the guided bone regeneration technique.

An international survey on aminoglycoside practices in critically ill patients: the AMINO III study.

Background: While aminoglycosides (AG) have been used for decades, debate remains on their optimal dosing strategy. We investigated the international practices of AG usage specifically regarding dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) in critically ill patients. We conducted a prospective, multicentre, observational, cohort study in 59 intensive-care units (ICUs) in 5 countries enrolling all ICU patients receiving AG therapy for septic shock.

Risk Factors of Early Mortality and Morbidity in Esophageal Atresia with Distal Tracheoesophageal Fistula: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: To identify the risk factors for early mortality and morbidity in a population with distal esophageal atresia (EA)-tracheoesophageal fistula.

Study Design: Cohort study from a national register. Main outcomes and measures included early mortality, hospital length of stay (LoS), need for nutritional support at 1 year of age as a proxy measure of morbidity, and complications during the first year of life.

Neurocognitive functions in persistent negative symptoms following a first episode of psychosis.

Negative symptoms are present at the onset of psychosis and their persistence is significantly associated with poor psychosocial functioning and lower quality of life. Persistent negative symptoms (PNS) may be idiopathic or secondary to other factors such as depression, positive symptoms, and medication side-effects. Several studies have examined neurocognitive functions in early psychosis patients with PNS relative to non-PNS, but have not systematically controlled for secondary PNS (sPNS).

Bronchoscopic management of asthma, COPD and emphysema.

In recent years, many bronchoscopic techniques have been developed in chronic obstructive airway inflammatory diseases, including asthma, COPD and emphysema. The main techniques with available data from randomised controlled trials are: 1) bronchial thermoplasty in asthma; 2) valves, coils and thermal vapor ablation in emphysema; and 3) targeted lung denervation in COPD. The objectives of this article are to describe the levels of evidence for efficacy and safety, long-term follow-up results beyond 1 year, and current recommendations for clinical practice from international guidelines for each technique.

Allergy and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) international survey: Real-life data from the allergy community during the pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak brought an unprecedented challenge to the world. Knowledge in the field has been increasing exponentially and the main allergy societies have produced guidance documents for better management of allergic patients during this period. However, few publications so far have provided real-life data from the allergy community concerning allergy practice during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The elastin peptide VGVAPG increases CD4 T-cell IL-4 production in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung-infiltrating inflammatory cells secrete proteases and participate in elastin breakdown and genesis of elastin-derived peptides (EP). In the present study, we hypothesized that the pattern of T lymphocytes cytokine expression may be modulated by EP in COPD patients.

Methods: CD4 and CD8 T-cells, sorted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected from COPD patients (n = 29) and controls (n = 13) were cultured with or without EP.

A big-data approach to producing descriptive anthropometric references: a feasibility and validation study of paediatric growth charts.

Background: Both national and WHO growth charts have been found to be poorly calibrated with the physical growth of children in many countries. We aimed to generate new national growth charts for French children in the context of huge datasets of physical growth measurements routinely collected by office-based health practitioners.

Methods: We recruited 32 randomly sampled primary care paediatricians and ten volunteer general practitioners from across the French metropolitan territory who used the same electronic medical records software, from which we extracted all physical growth data for the paediatric patients, with anonymisation.

Defining and Assessing the Reproducibility of Crohn's Disease Endoscopic Lesions: A Delphi-like Method from the GETAID.

Background And Aims: Defining and assessing the reproducibility of Crohn's disease [CD] endoscopic lesions is essential in assessing endoscopic healing.

Methods: Twelve endoscopic CD experts from the GETAID defined aphthoid erosions [AE], superficial ulcerations [SU], deep ulcerations [DU], stenosis, and fistulas according to a Delphi-like method. Thirty different GETAID physicians declared if they found acceptable each definition.

Belatacept associated - cytomegalovirus retinitis in a kidney transplant recipient: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: To report the first case of belatacept-associated multidrug-resistant Cytomegalovirus retinitis in a kidney transplant recipient.

Case Presentation: A 76-year-old African male renal allograft recipient was admitted for acute visual loss of the right eye. Ophthalmological examination of the right eye showed anterior uveitis and vitritis associated with large paravascular haemorrhages and yellow necrotic borders, involving the posterior pole but not the fovea.

Use of BRASS in sedated critically-ill patients as a predictable mortality factor: BRASS-ICU.

: To demonstrate that a BRASS score≥ 3 at admission of intubated, ventilated and sedated patients is predictive of mortality: we have realized an Observational prospective multicenter study.All Major patients without neurological history, admitted to ICU for a non-neurological cause, sedated and admitted under mechanical ventilation were included.: One hundred and ten patients were included, the BRASS score as well as the FOUR and RASS scores were collected.

A prognostic index predicting survival in transformed Waldenström macroglobulinemia.

Histological transformation into diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a rare complication in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) usually associated with a poor prognosis. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a prognostic index for survival in transformed WM patients. Through this multicenter, international collaborative effort, we developed a scoring system based on data from 133 patients with transformed WM who were evaluated between 1995 and 2016 (training cohort).

Skeletal Muscle Index as a Prognostic Marker for Kidney Transplantation in Older Patients.

Objective: Low skeletal muscle mass has emerged as a risk factor for mortality after liver transplantation. We evaluated the prognostic value of muscle mass on length of hospitalization and adverse outcomes after kidney transplantation in aging end-stage renal disease patients.

Methods: One hundred twenty-two patients aged 60 years or older at the time of transplantation were retrospectively analyzed.