The impact of lower thoracic versus upper lumbar upper instrumented vertebra in minimally invasive correction of adult spinal deformity.

Objective: The goal of this study was to compare the impact of using a lower thoracic (LT) versus upper lumbar (UL) level as the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) on clinical and radiographic outcomes following minimally invasive surgery for adult spinal deformity.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective study design was used. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years, and one of the following: coronal Cobb angle > 20°, sagittal vertical axis > 50 mm, pelvic tilt > 20°, pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch > 10°.

Use of and Steering to Pharmacies Owned by Insurers and Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Medicare.

Importance: The prevalence of pharmacies owned by integrated insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), or insurer-PBMs, is of growing regulatory concern. However, little is known about the role of these pharmacies in Medicare, in which pharmacy network protections may influence market dynamics.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of insurer-PBM-owned pharmacies and the extent to which insurer-PBMs steer patients to pharmacies they own in Medicare.

The pseudorabies virus UL13 protein kinase triggers phosphorylation of the RNA demethylase FTO, which is associated with FTO-dependent suppression of interferon-stimulated gene expression.

Alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase, also known as fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), is an RNA demethylase that mediates the demethylation of N,2-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) and N-methyladenosine (m6A). Both m6Am and m6A are prevalent modifications in mRNA and affect different aspects of transcript biology, including splicing, nuclear export, translation efficiency, and degradation. The role of FTO during (herpes) virus infection remains largely unexplored.

ModeHunter: A Package for the Reductionist Analysis, Animation, and Application of Elastic Biomolecular Motion.

ModeHunter is a modular Python software package for the simulation of 3D biophysical motion across spatial resolution scales using modal analysis of elastic networks. It has been curated from our in-house Python scripts over the last 15 years, with a focus on detecting similarities of elastic motion between atomic structures, coarse-grained graphs, and volumetric data obtained from biophysical or biomedical imaging origins, such as electron microscopy or tomography. With ModeHunter, normal modes of biophysical motion can be analyzed with various static visualization techniques or brought to life by dynamics animation in terms of single or multimode trajectories or decoy ensembles.

Biphasic Cuirass Ventilation for Airway Surgeries: A Comprehensive Review.

Airway surgeries pose great challenges for the anesthesiologists as the airway is shared by them and the surgeon. It is of paramount importance to have control of the airway during such surgeries. Many techniques have been employed to provide uninterrupted oxygenation to the patient with or without the presence of a definitive airway.

Long-Term Weight Loss Outcomes in a Virtual Weight Care Clinic Prescribing a Broad Range of Medications Alongside Behavior Change.

Background: Virtually-delivered obesity care has the potential to increase access to weight loss interventions at scale. While there is ample literature assessing various weight loss interventions, studies specifically demonstrating outcomes of commercial programs offering antiobesity medications in virtual care settings are lacking.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study assessed the weight loss outcomes of 66,094 participants in a virtual weight care program that prescribes antiobesity medications alongside a digital behavior change program.

High Rate of Return to Sport for Athletes Undergoing Articular Cartilage Restoration Procedures for the Knee: A Systematic Review of Contemporary Studies.

Background: Continued advancements in cartilage surgery and an accumulating body of evidence warrants a contemporary synthesis of return to sport (RTS) outcomes to provide updated prognostic data and to better understand treatment response.

Purpose: To perform an updated systematic review of RTS in athletes after knee cartilage restoration surgery.

Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Brain iron deposition and cognitive decline in patients with cerebral small vessel disease : a quantitative susceptibility mapping study.

Background: Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) can study the susceptibility values of brain tissue which allows for noninvasive examination of local brain iron levels in both normal and pathological conditions.

Purpose: Our study compares brain iron deposition in gray matter (GM) nuclei between cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) patients and healthy controls (HCs), exploring factors that affect iron deposition and cognitive function.

Materials And Methods: A total of 321 subjects were enrolled in this study.

IRE1α-XBP1 safeguards hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells by restricting pro-leukemogenic gene programs.

Hematopoietic stem cells must mitigate myriad stressors throughout their lifetime to ensure normal blood cell generation. Here, we uncover unfolded protein response stress sensor inositol-requiring enzyme-1α (IRE1α) signaling in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) as a safeguard against myeloid leukemogenesis. Activated in part by an NADPH oxidase-2 mechanism, IRE1α-induced X-box binding protein-1 (XBP1) mediated repression of pro-leukemogenic programs exemplified by the Wnt-β-catenin pathway.

Non-Caucasian Race/Ethnicity Predisposes to Unfavorable Stage and Grade at Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Diagnosis.

Objective: To test whether race/ethnicity affects stage or grade distribution at upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) diagnosis.

Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database 2004-2020, UTUC patients were identified. Multivariable logistic regression models tested for the association between race/ethnicity and stage as well as grade at diagnosis according to renal pelvis vs.

Benign Soft Tissue Lesions Responsible for Pain: When and How Should the IR Intervene.

In most of the cases Interventional Radiology techniques and therapies are proposed for the management of symptomatic soft tissue benign tumors responsible for pain and/or compression symptoms aiming to offer a curative intent by means of tumor necrosis with subsequent symptoms' management and improvement of life quality. The ablative therapies include chemical, thermal and non-thermal approaches while, trans-arterial (chemo)embolization also has a distinct role. Adjunct ancillary techniques should be performed whenever necessary to increase efficacy and safety and avoid or reduce complications.

Correlation of Histologic Features with Gene Alterations in Pleural Mesothelioma.

Histologic features, including architectural patterns, cytologic features, and 2021 World Health Organization nuclear grade have been shown to have prognostic significance in epithelioid diffuse pleural mesothelioma (DPM). Biphasic and sarcomatoid DPM, regardless of morphology, have worse outcomes. These prognostic findings are well-established but correlation of architectural patterns, cytologic features, and nuclear grade with genetic alterations has not been well studied.

Odronextamab monotherapy in R/R DLBCL after progression with CAR T-cell therapy: Primary analysis of the ELM-1 study.

Patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) progressing after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T) have dismal outcomes. The prespecified post-CAR T expansion cohort of the ELM-1 study investigated the efficacy and safety of odronextamab, a CD20×CD3 bispecific antibody, in patients with disease progression after CAR T. Sixty patients received IV odronextamab weekly for 4 cycles followed by maintenance until progression.

Genomic characterization of Escherichia coli with a polyketide synthase (pks) island isolated from ulcerative colitis patients.

The E. coli strains harboring the polyketide synthase (pks) island encode the genotoxin colibactin, a secondary metabolite reported to have severe implications for human health and for the progression of colorectal cancer. The present study involves whole-genome-wide comparison and phylogenetic analysis of pks harboring E.

Bidirectional histone monoaminylation dynamics regulate neural rhythmicity.

Histone H3 monoaminylations at Gln5 represent an important family of epigenetic marks in brain that have critical roles in permissive gene expression. We previously demonstrated that serotonylation and dopaminylation of Gln5 of histone H3 (H3Q5ser and H3Q5dop, respectively) are catalysed by transglutaminase 2 (TG2), and alter both local and global chromatin states. Here we found that TG2 additionally functions as an eraser and exchanger of H3 monoaminylations, including H3Q5 histaminylation (H3Q5his), which displays diurnally rhythmic expression in brain and contributes to circadian gene expression and behaviour.

Structural basis for the transport and regulation mechanism of the multidrug resistance-associated protein 2.

Multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2) is an ATP-powered exporter important for maintaining liver homeostasis and a potential contributor to chemotherapeutic resistance. Using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we determine the structures of human MRP2 in three conformational states: an autoinhibited state, a substrate-bound pre-translocation state, and an ATP-bound post-translocation state. In the autoinhibited state, the cytosolic regulatory (R) domain plugs into the transmembrane substrate-binding site and extends into the cytosol to form a composite ATP-binding site at the surface of nucleotide-binding domain 2.

Hijacking the hyaluronan assisted iron endocytosis to promote the ferroptosis in anticancer photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) eradicates tumor cells by the light-stimulated reactive oxygen species, which also induces lipid peroxidation (LPO) and subsequently ferroptosis, an iron-depended cell death. Ferroptosis has a tremendous therapeutic potential in cancer treatment, however, the ferroptosis efficiency is largely limited by the available iron in cells. Through hijacking the CD44-mediated iron endocytosis of hyaluronan (HA), here PDT with enhanced ferroptosis was realized by a HA@Ce6 nanogel self-assembled from HA, a photosensitizer Chlorin e6 (Ce6) and Fe as cross-linkers.

Long-term health benefit and economic return of time in range (TIR) improvement in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Time in range (TIR) is an important metric to measure variability of blood glucose levels. The aim is to quantify the long-term health benefits and economic return associated with improved TIR for individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Method: A Markov model with three states (T2D, T2D with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death) estimated 20-year medical costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) gained and CVD risk under four TIR scenarios: >85%, 71%-85%, 51%-70% and ≤50%.

Cardiopulmonary Substructure Doses are Not Correlated With Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among Breast Cancer Survivors Treated With Contemporary Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Breast cancer radiation therapy (RT) techniques have historically delivered mean heart doses (MHDs) in the range of 5 Gy, which have been found to predispose patients to cardiopulmonary toxicities. The purpose of this study was to apply artificial intelligence (AI) cardiac substructure auto-segmentation to evaluate the corresponding substructure doses, whether there are laterality- and technique-specific differences in these doses, and if the doses are significantly associated with cardiorespiratory fitness after state-of-the-art RT planning and delivery for breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: Cardiopulmonary substructures were AI auto-segmented.

Vascularized tumor on a microfluidic chip to study mechanisms promoting tumor neovascularization and vascular targeted therapies.

The cascade of events leading to tumor formation includes induction of a tumor supporting neovasculature, as a primary hallmark of cancer. Developing vasculature is difficult to evaluate but can be captured using microfluidic chip technology and patient derived cells. Herein, we established an approach to investigate the mechanisms promoting tumor vascularization and vascular targeted therapies via co-culture of cancer spheroids and endothelial cells in a three dimensional environment.

Varicocele repair for severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia: Scoping review of published guidelines, and systematic review of the literature.

Background: The outcomes of varicocele repair (VR) for severe oligozooasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) have not been widely examined.

Methods: Assessment of outcomes of VR after severe OAT, employing scoping review of published guidelines, and systematic review of literature. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale appraised the quality of included studies.

Breaking the silence - systematic review of the socio-cultural underpinnings of men's sexual and reproductive health in Middle East and North Africa (MENA): A handful of taboos?

Background: Sociocultural aspects can impact sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Despite this, no study appraised the socio-cultural underpinnings impacting men's SRH in MENA (Middle East and North Africa). The current systematic review undertook this task.

Does age matter? Impact of age on testicular function and pregnancy outcomes following microsurgical varicocelectomy in patients with grade 3 varicocele.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of age on semen and hormonal parameters following microsurgical varicocelectomy among patients with grade 3 varicocele, and to compare fertility outcomes between younger (<40 years) and older (≥40 years) men.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study of infertile patients with clinical left grade 3 varicocele who underwent microsurgical subinguinal varicocelectomy (MV). Patients meeting the inclusion criteria ( = 550) were divided into two groups based on their age at the time of MV: <40 ( = 441) and ≥40 years ( = 109).