• Lacroix Thiesen posted an update 1 week, 3 days ago

    Introduction Single-anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) is a recent bariatric surgery technique, highly effective in terms of weight loss. selleck Nevertheless, data regarding the impact of SADI-S at mid-long term (after >5 years of follow-up) are scarce. Objectives To evaluate the effect of lengths of common intestinal loop on the evolution of patients with morbid obesity (MO), who undergo SADI-S. Materials and Methods Descriptive study (case series), including patients with MO who underwent SADI-S procedure between January 2012 and December 2015 with at least 5 years of follow-up. Patients were classified as “Old-SADI-S” (OS) when length of the common alimentary loop was 2.5 m. Clinical parameters and nutritional parameters were included. Results Twenty-nine cases were included (17 OS; 12 NS), 86.2% women and mean age 46.7 ± 1 years. After 12 months, OS had significantly lower body mass index (29.7 ± 4.8 kg/m2 versus 32.0 ± 5.1 kg/m2, P = .01), without significant differences in the resolution of comorbidities. Nevertheless, OS group had severe malabsorptive complications requiring surgical conversion of OS to NS in 7 patients after 8 months. At 5 years of follow-up, no significant difference was seen between the two groups and resolution of comorbidities was maintained during this period of time. Conclusions SADI-S is effective in terms of weight loss and resolution of comorbidities at 5 years of follow-up, regardless of the length of the common intestinal loop. However, a common intestinal loop less then 2.5 m was associated with severe malabsorptive complications that determined the surgical re-conversion in all cases.Bacterial and fungal coinfections have posed great clinical challenges in recent years, and combination therapy may be a useful way to treat these mixed infections. The objective of this study was to find an effective drug combination to treat dual-species cultures of fungi and bacteria. In this study, we focused on poorly investigated mixed cultures of Candida albicans and Staphylococcus epidermidis. In this research, we investigated the effects of fluconazole (FLC) and doxycycline (DOX) against dual-species cultures of C. albicans and S. epidermidis. Both the fractional inhibitory concentration index model and ΔE model revealed a synergistic antimicrobial effect between FLC and DOX against the four groups of dual-species cultures. Mechanistic studies revealed that the synergism of FLC and DOX against dual-species cultures may be associated with the inhibition of biofilms and calcium dysregulation. Fluconazole+doxycycline appears to be a potential drug combination for the treatment of bacterial and fungal coinfections. These findings are of great significance for overcoming clinical bacterial and fungal coinfections and might provide novel insights into drug discovery for combination therapy.Variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenge currently available COVID-19 vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies due to structural and dynamic changes of the viral spike glycoprotein (S). The heptad repeat 1 (HR1) and heptad repeat 2 (HR2) domains of S drive virus–host membrane fusion by assembly into a six-helix bundle, resulting in delivery of viral RNA into the host cell. We surveyed mutations of currently reported SARS-CoV-2 variants and selected eight mutations, including Q954H, N969K, and L981F from the Omicron variant, in the postfusion HR1HR2 bundle for functional and structural studies. We designed a molecular scaffold to determine cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of HR1HR2 at 2.2–3.8 Å resolution by linking the trimeric N termini of four HR1 fragments to four trimeric C termini of the Dps4 dodecamer from Nostoc punctiforme. This molecular scaffold enables efficient sample preparation and structure determination of the HR1HR2 bundle and its mutants by single-particle cryo-EM. Our structure of the wild-type HR1HR2 bundle resolves uncertainties in previously determined structures. The mutant structures reveal side-chain positions of the mutations and their primarily local effects on the interactions between HR1 and HR2. These mutations do not alter the global architecture of the postfusion HR1HR2 bundle, suggesting that the interfaces between HR1 and HR2 are good targets for developing antiviral inhibitors that should be efficacious against all known variants of SARS-CoV-2 to date. We also note that this work paves the way for similar studies in more distantly related viruses.Liver surgery may be a curative treatment option not only for primary liver neoplasms but also for liver metastases in selected patients. The number of liver surgeries performed worldwide has increased, but surgical morbidity associated with these surgeries remains significant. Therefore, radiologists need to understand the terminology, surgical techniques, resectability and unresectability criteria, and possible postoperative complications as these are part of the decision-making process. Because vascular and biliary variations are common, an adequate preoperative anatomic evaluation determines the best surgical technique, helps identify patients in whom additional surgical steps will be required, and reduces the risk of inadvertent injury. The surgeon must ensure that the future liver remnant is sufficient to maintain adequate function, aided by the radiologist who can provide valuable information such as the presence of steatosis, biliary dilatation, signs of cirrhosis, and portal hypertension, in addition to the volume of the future liver remnant. Postoperative complications must also be understood and evaluated. The most common postoperative complications are vascular (bleeding, thrombosis, and ischemia), biliary (fistulas, bilomas, and strictures), infectious (incisional or deep), those related to liver failure, and even tumor recurrence. An invited commentary by Winslow is available online. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2022.Approximately 1.4 million virus-induced cancers occur annually, representing roughly 10% of the cancer burden worldwide. Seven oncogenic DNA and RNA viruses (ie, oncoviruses) are implicated in approximately 12%-25% of all human cancers owing to a variety of mechanisms as uncommon consequences of the normal viral life cycle. These seven well-recognized human oncoviruses are Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human T-lymphotropic virus 1, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, HIV, human papilloma virus (HPV), and human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8). Several viruses-namely, EBV, HPV, and Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus or HHV-8-are increasingly being recognized as being related to HIV and/or AIDS, the growing number of transplant cases, and the use of immunosuppressive therapies. Infectious and inflammatory processes, and the accompanying lymphadenopathy, are great mimickers of human oncovirus-related tumors. Although it is often difficult to differentiate these entities, the associated clinical setting and radiologic findings may provide clues for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management. Malignant lymphoid lesions are best evaluated with multidetector chest CT. The radiologic findings of these lesions are often nonspecific and are best interpreted in correlation with clinical data and histopathologic findings. ©RSNA, 2022.Introduction The price of cannabis has major implications for public health, public safety, social equity, and government revenues. This article examines prices and sources of purchased dried cannabis flower among consumers facing different state laws in the United States. Methods Repeat cross-sectional survey data were collected from the International Cannabis Policy Study in 2019 and 2020. U.S. respondents were recruited through online commercial panels, ages 16-65, and purchased dried flower in the past year (n=9766). Weighted binary logistic regression models examined legal purchasing in states that had legalized recreational cannabis. Results Compared with respondents in states with recreational stores, respondents living in “illegal,” “medical,” and “recreational” states without stores were associated with paying a higher unit price of dried flower (+20.5%, +23.6%, +27.4%, respectively; all p less then 0.05). The majority of respondents in states with recreational stores last purchased from stores/dispensaries (2019 66.6%; 2020 62.0%) and the odds of purchasing legally was greater with each additional year after stores opened (adjusted odds ratio=1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.37, 1.60). Conclusions Cannabis prices and purchase behaviors are strongly influenced by its legal status and presence of stores. After states legalize for recreational purposes, it takes multiple years for the legal market to become established as the number of retail stores increase and prices decrease. The findings demonstrate that consumers use sources that they are legally allowed to access, suggesting an increased number of physical retail stores and online delivery services could expand uptake of legal sources in states with recreational cannabis laws.

    The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of medical masks on the voice quality of patients with voice disorders.

    We included 106 patients diagnosed with voice disorders. Among them, 59 were diagnosed with vocal-fold benign lesions, 27 with insufficient glottis closure, and 20 with precancerous lesions/early-stage glottic carcinoma. Perceptual parameters (GRBAS [grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, strain] scale), acoustic parameters (

    , sound pressure level [SPL], jitter, shimmer, noise-to-harmonic ratio [NHR], and cepstral peak prominence [CPP]), and maximum phonation time (MPT) without and with medical masks were analyzed. Changes in the GRBAS scale after wearing medical masks were also evaluated.

    With medical mask wearing, the G, R, and B scales in the vocal-fold benign lesion and insufficient glottic closure groups decreased, with a statistical significance seen in the G and R scales of the vocal-fold benign lesion group (G 1.07 ± 0.59, 0.95 ± 0.68,

    < .01; R 1.07 ± 0.59, 0.h voice disorders were associated with the type of the disease, degree of hoarseness, and subjective scale influencing specific voice disorder. When wearing medical masks, the pitch and loudness of patients increased as compensation. Medical masks had the least impact on the precancerous lesions/early-stage glottic carcinoma group.Since the completion of the Human Genome Project, considerable progress has been made in translating knowledge about the genetic basis of disease risk and treatment response into clinical services and public health interventions that have greater precision. It is anticipated that more precision approaches to early detection, prevention, and treatment will be developed and will enhance equity in healthcare and outcomes among disparity populations. Reduced access to genomic medicine research, clinical services, and public health interventions has the potential to exacerbate disparities in genomic medicine. The purpose of this article is to describe these challenges to equity in genomic medicine and identify opportunities and future directions for addressing these issues. Efforts are needed to enhance access to genomic medicine research, clinical services, and public health interventions, and additional research that examines the clinical utility of precision medicine among disparity populations should be prioritized to ensure equity in genomic medicine.