Successful open surgical treatment for persistent type II endoleak following thoracic endovascular aortic repair: a case report.

BACKGROUND: The occurrence of type II endoleaks after endovascular repair of aortic aneurysm has gradually gained increasing attention. We present a case of a patient with an expanding aneurysm after thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for a type II endoleak, in which successful direct ligations of the intercostal artery were performed using a sac incision without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) or graft replacement. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old male patient, previously treated with TEVAR for a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm, presented with ongoing chest discomfort. Based on the diagnosis of a growing aneurysm and type II endoleak, the patient was prepared for CPB and aortic cross-clamping, as a precautions against the possibility of a type I endoleak. A longitudinal opening of the thoracic aortic aneurysm sac was performed following left thoracotomy. Visual confirmation identified the T5 level intercostal artery as the source of the endoleak, and after confirming the absence of a type I endoleak, multiple ligations were applied to the intercostal artery. Follow-up computed tomography confirmed the absence of endoleaks or sac growth. CONCLUSION: In a case involving TEVAR for a thoracic aortic aneurysm, open suture ligations were used to treat type II endoleaks without having to resort to CPB, resulting in successful outcomes.

Effects of Surface-Etching Systems on the Shear Bond Strength of Dual-Polymerized Resin Cement and Zirconia.

Adhesion of zirconia is difficult; thus, etching agents using several different methods are being developed. We investigated the effects of surface treatment with commercially available etching agents on the bond strength between zirconia and resin cement and compared them with those achieved using air abrasion alone. We used 100 zirconia blocks, of which 20 blocks remained untreated, 20 blocks were sandblasted, and 60 blocks were acid-etched using three different zirconia-etching systems: Zircos-E etching (strong-acid etching), smart etching (acid etching after air abrasion), and cloud etching (acid etching under a hot stream). Each group was subjected to a bonding procedure with dual-polymerized resin cement, and then 50 specimens were thermocycled. The shear bond strengths between the resin cement and zirconia before and after the thermocycling were evaluated. We observed that in the groups that did not undergo thermocycling, specimens surface-treated with solution did not show a significant increase in shear bond strength compared to the sandblasted specimens (p > 0.05). Among the thermocycled groups, the smart-etched specimens showed the highest shear bond strength. In the short term, various etching agents did not show a significant increase in bond strength compared to sandblasting alone, but in the long term, smart etching showed stability in bond strength (p < 0.05).

Long-term outcomes of CNS WHO grade 2 oligodendroglioma in adult patients: a single-institution experience.

PURPOSE: Oligodendrogliomas (ODGs) are a subtype of diffuse lower-grade gliomas with overall survival of > 10 years. This study aims to analyze long-term outcomes and identify prognostic factors in patients with WHO grade 2 ODG. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 138 adult patients diagnosed with 1p/19q co-deleted ODG who underwent surgical resection or biopsy between 1994 and 2021, analyzing clinical data, treatment details, and outcomes. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were utilized to identify significant prognostic factors. RESULTS: In the gross total resection (GTR) group, 63 (45.7%) underwent observation and 5 (3.6%) received postoperative treatment; in the non-GTR group, 37 (26.8%) were observed and 33 (23.9%) received postoperative treatment. The median PFS and OS were 6.8 and 18.4 years, respectively. Between adjuvant treatment and observation, there was no significant difference in PFS or OS. However, GTR or STR with less than 10% residual tumor exhibited significantly better PFS and OS compared to PR or biopsy (p = 0.022 and 0.032, respectively). Multivariate analysis revealed that contrast enhancement on MRI was associated with worse PFS (HR = 2.36, p < 0.001) and OS (HR = 5.89, p = 0.001). And the presence of seizures at presentation was associated with improved OS (HR = 0.28, p = 0.006). CONCLUSION: This study underscores favorable long-term outcomes for patients with 1p/19q co-deleted ODG WHO grade 2. Our findings indicate that the EOR plays a crucial role as a significant prognostic factor in enhancing PFS and OS outcomes in WHO grade 2 ODG.

Clinical Applicability and Safety of Conventional Frame-Based Stereotactic Techniques for Stereoelectroencephalography.

Objective: Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is increasingly being recognized as an important invasive modality for presurgical evaluation of epilepsy. This study focuses on the clinical and technical considerations of SEEG investigations when using conventional frame-based stereotaxy, drawing on institutional experience and a comprehensive review of relevant literature. Methods: This retrospective observational study encompassed the surgical implantation of 201 SEEG electrodes in 16 epilepsy patients using a frame-based stereotactic instrument at a single tertiary-level center. We provide detailed descriptions of the operative procedures and technical nuances for bilateral and multiple SEEG insertions, along with several illustrative cases. Additionally, we present a literature review on the technical aspects of the SEEG procedure, discussing its clinical implications and potential risks. Results: Frame-based SEEG electrode placements were successfully performed through sagittal arc application, with the majority (81.2%) of cases being bilateral and involving up to 18 electrodes in a single operation. The median skin-to-skin operation time was 162 minutes (interquartile range [IQR], 145-200), with a median of 13 minutes (IQR, 12-15) per electrode placement for time efficiency. There were two occurrences (1.0%) of electrode misplacement and one instance (0.5%) of a postoperative complication, which manifested as a delayed intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Following SEEG investigation, 11 patients proceeded with surgical intervention, resulting in favorable seizure outcomes for nine (81.8%) and complete remission for eight cases (72.7%). Conclusion: Conventional frame-based stereotactic techniques remain a reliable and effective option for bilateral and multiple SEEG electrode placements. While SEEG is a suitable approach for selected patients who are strong candidates for epilepsy surgery, it is important to remain vigilant concerning the potential risks of electrode misplacement and hemorrhagic complications.

MRI-Derived Modeling of Disease Progression Patterns in Patients With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is assumed to follow a steady course that is similar across patients. To date, phenotypic and temporal diversities of TLE evolution remain unknown. In this study, we aimed at simultaneously characterizing these sources of variability based on cross-sectional data. METHODS: We studied consecutive patients with TLE referred for evaluation by neurologists to the Montreal Neurological Institute epilepsy clinic, who underwent in-patient video EEG monitoring and multimodal imaging at 3 Tesla, comprising 3D T1 and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and 2D diffusion-weighted MRI. The cohort included patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and patients with drug-responsive epilepsy. The neuropsychological evaluation included Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III and Leonard tapping task. The control group consisted of participants without TLE recruited through advertisement and who underwent the same MRI acquisition as patients. Based on surface-based analysis of key MRI markers of pathology (gray matter morphology and white matter microstructure), the Subtype and Stage Inference algorithm estimated subtypes and stages of brain pathology to which individual patients were assigned. The number of subtypes was determined by running the algorithm 100 times and estimating mean and SD of disease trajectories and the consistency of patients' assignments based on 1,000 bootstrap samples. Effect of normal aging was subtracted from patients. We examined associations with clinical and cognitive parameters and utility for individualized predictions. RESULTS: We studied 82 patients with TLE (52 female, mean age 35 ± 10 years; 11 drug-responsive) and 41 control participants (23 male, mean age 32 ± 8 years). Among 57 operated, 43/37/20 had Engel-I outcome/hippocampal sclerosis/hippocampal isolated gliosis, respectively. We identified 3 trajectory subtypes: S1 (n = 35), led by ipsilateral hippocampal atrophy and gliosis, followed by white-matter damage; S2 (n = 27), characterized by bilateral neocortical atrophy, followed by ipsilateral hippocampal atrophy and gliosis; and S3 (n = 20), typified by bilateral limbic white-matter damage, followed by bilateral hippocampal gliosis. Patients showed high assignability to their subtypes and stages (>90% bootstrap agreement). S1 had the highest proportions of patients with early disease onset (effect size d = 0.27 vs S2, d = 0.73 vs S3), febrile convulsions (χ2 = 3.70), drug resistance (χ2 = 2.94), a positive MRI (χ2 = 8.42), hippocampal sclerosis (χ2 = 7.57), and Engel-I outcome (χ2 = 1.51), pFDR < 0.05 across all comparisons. S2 and S3 exhibited the intermediate and lowest proportions, respectively. Verbal IQ and digit span were lower in S1 (d = 0.65 and d = 0.50, pFDR < 0.05) and S2 (d = 0.76 and d = 1.09, pFDR < 0.05), compared with S3. We observed progressive decline in sequential motor tapping in S1 and S3 (T = -3.38 and T = -4.94, pFDR = 0.027), compared with S2 (T = 2.14, pFDR = 0.035). S3 showed progressive decline in digit span (T = -5.83, p = 0.021). Supervised classifiers trained on subtype and stage outperformed subtype-only and stage-only models predicting drug response in 73% ± 1.0% (vs 70% ± 1.4% and 63% ± 1.3%) and 76% ± 1.6% for Engel-I outcome (vs 71% ± 0.8% and 72% ± 1.1%), pFDR < 0.05 across all comparisons. DISCUSSION: Cross-sectional MRI-derived models provide reliable prognostic markers of TLE disease evolution, which follows distinct trajectories, each associated with divergent patterns of hippocampal and whole-brain structural alterations, as well as cognitive and clinical profiles.

CD5 deletion enhances the antitumor activity of adoptive T cell therapies.

Most patients treated with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells eventually experience disease progression. Furthermore, CAR T cells have not been curative against solid cancers and several hematological malignancies such as T cell lymphomas, which have very poor prognoses. One of the main barriers to the clinical success of adoptive T cell immunotherapies is CAR T cell dysfunction and lack of expansion and/or persistence after infusion. In this study, we found that CD5 inhibits CAR T cell activation and that knockout (KO) of CD5 using CRISPR-Cas9 enhances the antitumor effect of CAR T cells in multiple hematological and solid cancer models. Mechanistically, CD5 KO drives increased T cell effector function with enhanced cytotoxicity, in vivo expansion, and persistence, without apparent toxicity in preclinical models. These findings indicate that CD5 is a critical inhibitor of T cell function and a potential clinical target for enhancing T cell therapies.

Comparison of biportal endoscopic and microscopic tubular paraspinal approach for foraminal and extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation.

OBJECTIVE: Foraminal and extraforaminal lumbar disc herniation (FELDH) is an important pathological condition that can lead to lumbar radiculopathy. The paraspinal muscle-splitting approach introduced by Reulen and Wiltse is a reasonable surgical technique. Minimally invasive procedures using a tubular retractor system have also been introduced. However, surgical treatment is considered more challenging for FELDH than for central or subarticular lumbar disc herniations (LDHs). Some researchers have proposed uniportal extraforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy through a posterolateral approach as an alternative for FELDH, but heterogeneous clinical results have been reported. Recently, the biportal endoscopic (BE) paraspinal approach has been suggested as an alternative. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of BE and microscopic tubular (MT) paraspinal approaches for decompressive foraminotomy and lumbar discectomy (paraLD) in patients with FELDH. METHODS: Ninety-one consecutive patients with unilateral lumbar radiculopathy and FELDH underwent paraLD. Demographic and perioperative data were collected. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) for spinal disability, and the modified Macnab criteria for patient satisfaction. Postoperative complications and reoperation rates were also evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 76 patients were included in the final analysis. Among them, 43 underwent BE paraLD (group A) and the remaining 33 underwent MT paraLD (group B). The demographic and preoperative data were not statistically different between the groups. All patients showed significant improvements in VAS back, VAS leg, and ODI scores compared with baseline values (p < 0.05). The improvement in VAS back scores was significantly better in group A than in group B on postoperative day 2 (p < 0.001). However, all clinical parameters were comparable between the two groups after postoperative year 1 (p > 0.05). According to the modified Macnab criteria, 86.1% and 72.7% of the patients had excellent or good outcomes in groups A and B, respectively. No intergroup differences were observed (p = 0.367). In addition, there were no differences in the total operation time or amount of surgical drainage. Postoperative complications were not significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.301); however, reoperation rates were significantly higher in group B (p = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: BE paraLD is an effective treatment for FELDH and is an alternative to MT paraLD. In particular, BE paraLD has advantages of early improvement in postoperative back pain and low reoperation rates.

Trends in Hospital Stay, Complication Rate, and Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients: A Two-Decade Comparison at a National Tertiary Referral Center.

Background: Since the turn of the century, the age-adjusted incidence of proximal femoral fractures has caused a plateau or fall. However, it was anticipated that the number of patients with proximal femoral fractures would rise as life expectancy rose and the population over 80 years old expanded. The aim of this study was to compare the length of hospital stay, complication rate, and mortality in patients with proximal femoral fractures between two different time periods: 20 years ago and the present. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of medical records of patients aged 65 years and above who underwent surgery for proximal femoral fractures between January 2000 and December 2001 and between January 2020 and December 2021. We collected information on age, gender, fracture type, length of hospital stay, and complication rate. Dates of death were obtained from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Results: We included 136 patients who were operated on between 2000 and 2001 and 134 patients between 2020 and 2021. The average age increased significantly from 71.6 years to 79.0 years (p < 0.001). The length of hospital stay decreased dramatically from 15.1 days to 6.0 days (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in delirium, urinary tract infection, or pneumonia. No difference was found in 30-day or 1-year mortality between the two groups. Conclusions: The complication rate and mortality between the two time periods appeared comparable, although the length of hospital stay decreased substantially. Therefore, we recommend considering expedited discharge from the acute care hospital for elderly hip fracture patients while implementing an individualized approach for better outcomes.

The BTLA-HVEM axis restricts CAR T cell efficacy in cancer.

The efficacy of T cell-based immunotherapies is limited by immunosuppressive pressures in the tumor microenvironment. Here we show a predominant role for the interaction between BTLA on effector T cells and HVEM (TNFRSF14) on immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment cells, namely regulatory T cells. High BTLA expression in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells correlated with poor clinical response to treatment. Therefore, we deleted BTLA in CAR T cells and show improved tumor control and persistence in models of lymphoma and solid malignancies. Mechanistically, BTLA inhibits CAR T cells via recruitment of tyrosine phosphatases SHP-1 and SHP-2, upon trans engagement with HVEM. BTLA knockout thus promotes CAR signaling and subsequently enhances effector function. Overall, these data indicate that the BTLA-HVEM axis is a crucial immune checkpoint in CAR T cell immunotherapy and warrants the use of strategies to overcome this barrier.

Development of examination objectives for the Korean paramedic and emergency medical technician examination: a survey study.

PURPOSE: The duties of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (P&EMTs) are continuously changing due to developments in medical systems. This study presents evaluation goals for P&EMTs by analyzing their work, especially the tasks that new P&EMTs (with less than 3 years' experience) find difficult, to foster the training of P&EMTs who could adapt to emergency situations after graduation. METHODS: A questionnaire was created based on prior job analyses of P&EMTs. The survey questions were reviewed through focus group interviews, from which 253 task elements were derived. A survey was conducted from July 10, 2023 to October 13, 2023 on the frequency, importance, and difficulty of the 6 occupations in which P&EMTs were employed. RESULTS: The P&EMTs' most common tasks involved obtaining patients' medical histories and measuring vital signs, whereas the most important task was cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The task elements that the P&EMTs found most difficult were newborn delivery and infant CPR. New paramedics reported that treating patients with fractures, poisoning, and childhood fever was difficult, while new EMTs reported that they had difficulty keeping diaries, managing ambulances, and controlling infection. CONCLUSION: Communication was the most important item for P&EMTs, whereas CPR was the most important skill. It is important for P&EMTs to have knowledge of all tasks; however, they also need to master frequently performed tasks and those that pose difficulties in the field. By deriving goals for evaluating P&EMTs, changes could be made to their education, thereby making it possible to train more capable P&EMTs.

Computed Tomography Evaluation of Alumina Ceramic-on-Ceramic Total Hip Arthroplasty With More Than 20 years of Follow-Up: Is a Follow-Up Computed Tomography Scan Necessary?

BACKGROUND: Ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) bearings have been increasingly used in total hip arthroplasty (THA) because of their superior wear resistance and biocompatibility. However, there is a scarcity of reports on the computed tomography (CT) evaluation of CoC bearings with more than 10 years. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term CT results of THA using CoC bearings for more than 20 years of follow-up. We hypothesized that there would be no wear, osteolysis, or ceramic fracture. METHODS: Between November 1997 and June 2003, 956 hips underwent THA using alumina-on-alumina bearings at a tertiary referral hospital. Among them, 107 hips were assessed, all of which underwent a CT examination more than 20 years after the index surgery. The mean age at the time of surgery was 41 years, and a CT scan was performed at an average of 22.0 years postoperatively (range, 20.0 to 25.1). The CT scans were thoroughly assessed for osteolysis, stem notching, and ceramic component fracture. RESULTS: No loosening was observed in the acetabular cup or femoral stem. Stem notching was observed in 3 hips (2.8%). In the CT scan taken after a minimum of 20 years of follow-up, 1 case (0.9%) of osteolysis around the cup and 2 cases (1.9%) of osteolysis around the femoral stem were noted. Suspected chip fractures of the ceramic insert were discovered in 4 cases (3.7%). Despite these findings, the patients remained asymptomatic, and no subsequent surgical intervention was needed after close follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Routine CT examinations for patients who underwent THA using CoC bearings over 20 years ago revealed unexpected findings, such as osteolysis and suspected chip fractures of the ceramic liner. However, routine CT scans may not be universally necessary. The CT evaluation in this cohort should be selectively performed for patients who have relevant clinical symptoms. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, Therapeutic study.

An in vitro evaluation of bond strength and failure behavior between 3D-printed cobalt-chromium alloy and different types of denture base resins.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the shear bond strength and failure behavior between cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloy and different types of denture base resins (DBRs) over time. METHODS: Seventy-two disk-shaped specimens (8 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness) were manufactured using a selective laser melting technology-based metal 3D printer. Three types of DBRs were used: heat-cure (HEA group), cold-cure (COL group), and 3D-printable (TDP group) DBRs (n = 12 per group). Each DBR specimen was fabricated as a 5 mm × 5 mm × 5 mm cube model. The specimens of the TDP group were manufactured using a digital light processing technology-based 3D printer. Half of the DBRs were stored in distilled water at 37 °C for 24 h, whereas the remaining half underwent thermocycling for 10,000 cycles. Shear bond strength was measured using a universal testing machine; failure modes were observed, and metal surfaces were evaluated using energy dispersive spectrometry. RESULTS: The shear bond strength did not differ between the DBR types within the non-thermocycled groups. Contrarily, the TDP group exhibited inferior strength compared to the HEA group (P = 0.008) after thermocycling. All three types of DBRs exhibited a significant decrease in the shear bond strength and an increased tendency toward adhesive failure after thermocycling. CONCLUSIONS: The bond strength between 3D-printable DBRs and Co-Cr alloy was comparable to that of heat-and cold-cure DBRs before thermocycling. However, it exhibited a considerable weakening in comparison to heat-cure DBRs after simulated short-term use. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The application of 3D-printable DBR in metal framework-incorporated removable partial dentures may be feasible during the early phase of the treatment. However, its application is currently limited because the bond strength between the 3D-printable DBR and metal may weaken after short-term use. Further studies on methods to increase the bond strength between these heterogeneous materials are required.

Using machine learning models to estimate Escherichia coli concentration in an irrigation pond from water quality and drone-based RGB imagery data.

The rapid and efficient quantification of Escherichia coli concentrations is crucial for monitoring water quality. Remote sensing techniques and machine learning algorithms have been used to detect E. coli in water and estimate its concentrations. The application of these approaches, however, is challenged by limited sample availability and unbalanced water quality datasets. In this study, we estimated the E. coli concentration in an irrigation pond in Maryland, USA, during the summer season using demosaiced natural color (red, green, and blue: RGB) imagery in the visible and infrared spectral ranges, and a set of 14 water quality parameters. We did this by deploying four machine learning models - Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and K-nearest Neighbor (KNN) - under three data utilization scenarios: water quality parameters only, combined water quality and small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS)-based RGB data, and RGB data only. To select the training and test datasets, we applied two data-splitting methods: ordinary and quantile data splitting. These methods provided a constant splitting ratio in each decile of the E. coli concentration distribution. Quantile data splitting resulted in better model performance metrics and smaller differences between the metrics for both the training and testing datasets. When trained with quantile data splitting after hyperparameter optimization, models RF, GBM, and XGB had R2 values above 0.847 for the training dataset and above 0.689 for the test dataset. The combination of water quality and RGB imagery data resulted in a higher R2 value (>0.896) for the test dataset. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) of the relative importance of variables revealed that the visible blue spectrum intensity and water temperature were the most influential parameters in the RF model. Demosaiced RGB imagery served as a useful predictor of E. coli concentration in the studied irrigation pond.

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Bounces Following Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: Importance of PSA Test Frequency.

PURPOSE: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) bounce is a common phenomenon that can be observed in patients of prostate cancer treated by radiotherapy. However, the clinical, pathological, or dosimetric predictors and clinical significance of PSA bounce in stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) patients is still unknown. METHODS: Between August 2006 to December 2015, 74 prostate cancer patients were treated by SBRT with Cyberknife at two medical centers. The prescription dose was 35-37.5 Gy in 5 fractions. Follow-up PSA tests were more frequently performed in one hospital than the other (median 4 vs. 10 times for initial one year). PSA bounce was defined as a rise of 0.2 ng/mL followed by a decline to or below previous nadir. RESULTS: A total of 74 patients, PSA bounce was observed in 41 patients (55.4%). On univariate analysis, the treated medical center (p = 0.02), PSA follow-up frequency (p = 0.01), patient age (p < 0.01), and total prescription dose (p = 0.03) were significant clinical factors to predict the incidence of PSA bounce, while in multivariable analysis only the PSA follow-up frequency, and patient age remains significant. CONCLUSION: PSA bounce was seen in a significant proportion of patients after Cyberknife SBRT. The PSA follow-up test frequency, and patient age were significant factors that were correlated with the incidence of PSA bounces in this study.

Urethral Sparing versus Trans-Vesical Robot-Assisted Simple Prostatectomy: A Comparative Analysis of Perioperative, Postoperative Outcomes, and Ejaculation Preservation.

PURPOSE: To compare the perioperative and postoperative outcomes between traditional trans-vesical robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (TV-RASP) and the newly introduced urethral-sparing (US) RASP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 42 patients who underwent TV-RASP (n=22) or US-RASP (n=20) performed by two experienced surgeons at two tertiary centers. Perioperative outcomes including operation time, estimated blood loss, length of hospital stay, and catheterization time were assessed. Postoperative outcomes were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QoL), uroflowmetry parameters, Male Sexual Health Questionnaire-Ejaculation Dysfunction-Short Form (MSHQ-EjD-SF) scores, and maintenance of anterograde ejaculation. RESULTS: This study analyzed 22 and 20 patients who underwent TV-RASP and US-RASP, respectively. Except for the TV-RASP group being older (70.0 years) than the US-RASP group (64.5 years) (p=0.028), no differences among other baseline characteristics existed. Perioperative outcomes indicated that hospital stay and catheterization time were significantly shorter in the US-RASP group than in the TV-RASP group (p<0.001). At postoperative month 1, the median IPSS and QoL scores were significantly better in the US-RASP group than in the TV-RASP group (p=0.001 and p=0.002, respectively). However, at months 6 and 12, no significant differences were noted in IPSS, QoL, maximum flow rate, and postvoid residual urine between the two groups. Sexually active patients in the US-RASP group maintained postoperative MSHQ-EjD functional and bother scores, whereas the TV-RASP group experienced a decline. Notably, 75.0% of patients in the US-RASP group preserved antegrade ejaculation, compared to only 20.0% in the TV-RASP group (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: US-RASP is not inferior to TV-RASP in terms of functional outcomes. In addition, US-RASP yielded more rapid symptom improvements and preserved antegrade ejaculation than TV-RASP. However, larger prospective studies are required to confirm these findings and to further investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of US-RASP.

Understanding Staphylococcus aureus in hyperglycaemia: A review of virulence factor and metabolic adaptations.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most commonly detected bacteria in diabetic skin and soft tissue infections. The incidence and severity of skin and soft tissue infections are higher in patients with diabetes, indicating a potentiating mechanism of hyperglycaemia and infection. The goal of this review is to explore the metabolic and virulence factor adaptations of S. aureus under hyperglycaemic conditions. Primary data from identified studies were included and summarised in this paper. Understanding the nexus of hyperglycaemia, metabolism, and virulence factors provides insights into the complexity of diabetic skin and soft tissue infections attributed to S. aureus.

Consecutive Dual-Session Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Chronic Subjective Severe to Catastrophic Tinnitus with Normal Hearing.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is emerging as a promising non-invasive intervention for tinnitus by aiming to modulate abnormal brain activity. This study investigated the efficacy of dual-session tDCS for the relief of perception, distress, and loudness in patients with severe chronic subjective tinnitus and assessed the duration of tinnitus suppression effects compared to single-session and control groups over a 2-month follow-up. In a prospective, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 30 participants with severe chronic subjective tinnitus underwent bifrontal tDCS. The control group (n = 9), single-session group (n = 10), and dual-session group (n = 11) received 2 mA stimulation for 20 min per session, twice a week for one month. The treatment response was monitored weekly using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), with additional assessments using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at the fourth and eighth weeks. The single- and dual-session groups showed statistically significant improvements in VAS, THI, and BDI scores compared to the control group. THI and BDI scores showed a significant difference between the single- and dual-session groups. The dual-session group demonstrated a more sustained tinnitus suppression effect than the single-session group. tDCS has been validated as an effective intervention for the suppression of tinnitus, with the dual-session protocol showing longer-term benefits. These findings support the potential of tDCS as a treatment for tinnitus, particularly in dual-session applications.

TERT activation targets DNA methylation and multiple aging hallmarks.

Insufficient telomerase activity, stemming from low telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene transcription, contributes to telomere dysfunction and aging pathologies. Besides its traditional function in telomere synthesis, TERT acts as a transcriptional co-regulator of genes pivotal in aging and age-associated diseases. Here, we report the identification of a TERT activator compound (TAC) that upregulates TERT transcription via the MEK/ERK/AP-1 cascade. In primary human cells and naturally aged mice, TAC-induced elevation of TERT levels promotes telomere synthesis, blunts tissue aging hallmarks with reduced cellular senescence and inflammatory cytokines, and silences p16INK4a expression via upregulation of DNMT3B-mediated promoter hypermethylation. In the brain, TAC alleviates neuroinflammation, increases neurotrophic factors, stimulates adult neurogenesis, and preserves cognitive function without evident toxicity, including cancer risk. Together, these findings underscore TERT's critical role in aging processes and provide preclinical proof of concept for physiological TERT activation as a strategy to mitigate multiple aging hallmarks and associated pathologies.

Tau follows principal axes of functional and structural brain organization in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a brain network disorder where pathological proteins accumulate through networks and drive cognitive decline. Yet, the role of network connectivity in facilitating this accumulation remains unclear. Using in-vivo multimodal imaging, we show that the distribution of tau and reactive microglia in humans follows spatial patterns of connectivity variation, the so-called gradients of brain organization. Notably, less distinct connectivity patterns ("gradient contraction") are associated with cognitive decline in regions with greater tau, suggesting an interaction between reduced network differentiation and tau on cognition. Furthermore, by modeling tau in subject-specific gradient space, we demonstrate that tau accumulation in the frontoparietal and temporo-occipital cortices is associated with greater baseline tau within their functionally and structurally connected hubs, respectively. Our work unveils a role for both functional and structural brain organization in pathology accumulation in AD, and supports subject-specific gradient space as a promising tool to map disease progression.