Systemic reviews

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Studies have shown biomechanical superiority of cervical pedicle screw placement over other techniques. However, accurate placement is challenging due to the inherent risk of neurovascular complications. Navigation technology based on intraoperative 3D imaging allows highly accurate screw placement, yet studies specifically investigating screw placement in patients with traumatic atlantoaxial injuries are scarce. The aim of this study was to compare atlantoaxial screw placement as treatment of traumatic instabilities using iCT-based navigation or fluoroscopic-guidance with intraoperative 3D control scans...

BACKGROUND: Craniopharyngioma is a common intracranial tumour in children. Clinical manifestations are related to hypothalamic/pituitary deficiencies, visual impairment, and increased intracranial pressure. Defects in pituitary function cause shortages of growth hormone, gonadotropin, corticotropin, thyrotropin, and vasopressin, resulting in short stature, delayed puberty, feebleness, lethargy, polyuria, etc. However, manifestations involving precocious puberty (PP) are rare. CASE REPORT: In both patients, surgical resection was performed after the diagnosis of craniopharyngioma, and breast development occurred postoperatively at one month in one patient and at one year and three months in the other patient...

PURPOSE: Desmoplastic fibroma (DF) is an uncommon intermediate bone tumor rarely involving the skull with unidentified pathogenesis. We report the first case of pediatric temporoparietal cranial desmoplastic fibroma (DF) with a CTNNB1 gene mutation and review the previous literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 3-year-old boy had a firm, painless mass on the right temporoparietal region for 22 months. The cranial CT scan showed isolated osteolytic destruction in the outer plate and diploe of the right temporoparietal bone...

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are rare and have distinct clinical profiles compared to adult IAs. They differ in location, size, morphology, presentation, and treatment strategies. We present our experience with pediatric IAs over an 18-year period using surgical and endovascular treatments and review the literature to identify commonalities in epidemiology, treatment, and outcomes. METHODS: We identified all patients < 20 years old who underwent treatment for IAs at our institution between 2005 and 2020...

Neuroactive steroids are a type of steroid hormones produced within the nervous system or in peripheral glands and then transported to the brain to exert their neuromodulatory effects. Neuroactive steroids have pleiotropic effects, that include promoting myelination, neuroplasticity, and brain development. They also regulate important physiological functions, such as metabolism, feeding, reproduction, and stress response. The homoeostatic processes of metabolism and reproduction are closely linked and mutually dependent...

PURPOSES: Robot-assisted thoracoscopic (RATS) segmentectomy is becoming increasingly common because of the expanded indications for segmentectomy and the widespread adoption of robotic surgery. The precise division of the intersegmental plane is necessary to ensure oncologic margins from the tumor and to preserve the lung function. In this study, we present a strategy for accurately dividing the intersegmental plane using a robotic stapler and review the surgical outcomes. METHODS: RATS portal segmentectomy was performed using the Da Vinci Xi system and the intersegmental plane was dissected using a robotic stapler...

INTRODUCTION: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a valuable non-invasive imaging modality for mapping white matter tracts and assessing microstructural integrity, and can be used as a "biomarker" in diagnosis, differentiation, and therapeutic monitoring. Although it has gained clinical importance as a marker of neuropathology, limitations in its interpretation underscore the need for caution. METHODS: This review provides an overview of the principles and clinical applicability of DTI...

Because of their high specificity, high affinity, and targeting, antibody drugs have been widely used in the treatment of many diseases and have become the most favored new drugs for research in the world. However, some antibody drugs (such as small-molecule antibody fragments) have a short half-life and need to be administered frequently, and are often associated with injection-site reactions and local toxicities during use. Increasing attention has been paid to the development of antibody drugs that are long-acting and have fewer side effects...

Nanomedicine has been extensively explored for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in recent years, owing to its numerous advantages such as controlled release, targeted delivery, and efficient protection of encapsulated agents. Integration of microneedle technologies with nanomedicine has the potential to address current limitations in nanomedicine for drug delivery including relatively low therapeutic efficacy and poor patient compliance and enable theragnostic uses. In this Review, we first summarize representative types of nanomedicine and describe their broad applications...

PURPOSE: To assess the real-world prevalence of microsatellite instability (MSI)/mismatch repair (MMR) testing and related tumor status in recurrent/advanced endometrial cancer patients in Europe. METHODS: Data were from two multi-center, retrospective patient chart review studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France and Spain: The Endometrial Cancer Health Outcomes-Europe-First-Line (ECHO-EU-1L) study and the ECHO-EU-Second-Line (ECHO-EU-2L) study...

<u> <i/> </u>Although psychedelic and hallucinogenic substances have gained popularity for therapeutic use, their dermatologic adverse effects are poorly characterized. This review characterizes the cutaneous reactions associated with psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs. A review of PubMed and Scopus was conducted from the inception of databases to August 31, 2023. Search terms included drug names and classes (cannabis, MDMA, ecstasy, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, psychedelics, hallucinogens, peyote, marijuana, lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, ketamine, dimethyltryptamine, DMT, phencyclidine, PCP, dextromethorphan, psilocybin, and ayahuasca), and dermatosis terms (dermatitis, contact dermatitis, drug eruption, skin reaction, and urticaria)...

BACKGROUND: Microorganisms colonizing the apical root canal system are conceivably the ones directly involved with the causation and maintenance of apical periodontitis. OBJECTIVES: This article systematically reviews the reports on the microbiome occurring exclusively at the apical root canal of teeth with primary and posttreatment apical periodontitis. METHODS: The electronic databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Proquest were searched up to August 2023...

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), a dsDNA herpesvirus, is believed to play a significant role in exacerbating and potentially triggering autoimmune and autoinflammatory maladies. Around 90% of the world is infected with the virus, which establishes latency within lymphocytes. EBV is also known to cause infectious mononucleosis, a self-limited flu-like illness, in adolescents. EBV is often reactivated and it employs several mechanisms of evading the host immune system. It has also been implicated in inducing host immune dysfunction potentially resulting in exacerbation or triggering of inflammatory processes...

Alkali metal-air batteries (AMABs) promise ultrahigh gravimetric energy densities, while the inherent poor cycle stability hinders their practical application. To address this challenge, most previous efforts were devoted to advancing the air cathodes with high electrocatalytic activity. Recent studies have underlined the solid-liquid-gas triple-phase interface around the anode can play far more significant roles than previously acknowledged by the scientific community. Besides the bottlenecks of uncontrollable dendrite growth and gas evolution in conventional alkali metal batteries, the corrosive atmospheric gases, intermediate oxygen species, and redox mediators in AMABs cause more severe anode corrosion and structural collapse, posing greater challenges to the stabilization of the anode triple-phase interface...

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors are metabotropic G-protein coupled receptors. Muscarinic receptors in the cardiovascular system play a central role in its regulation. Particularly M2 receptors slow down the heart rate by reducing the impulse conductivity through the atrioventricular node. In general, activation of muscarinic receptors has sedative effects on the cardiovascular system, including vasodilation, negative chronotropic and inotropic effects on the heart, and cardioprotective effects, including antifibrillatory effects...

We present modern data on the role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in antioxidant protection and gene regulation in acute pancreatitis. Antioxidant enzymes are essential in pathogenesis of numerous diseases. SOD is one of the key enzymes of antioxidant system. In this review, we analyzed activity of this enzyme depending on various factors, mechanisms and role in physiological and pathological processes, in particular, acute pancreatitis. SOD is significantly less active in patients with severe acute pancreatitis accompanied by renal failure, severe circulatory disorders and high mortality...

UNLABELLED: Identifying long-term care facility (LTCF)-exposed inpatients is important for infection control research and practice, but ascertaining LTCF exposure is challenging. Across a large validation study, electronic health record data fields identified 76% of LTCF-exposed patients compared to manual chart review. OBJECTIVE: Residence or recent stay in a long-term care facility (LTCF) is an important risk factor for antibiotic-resistant bacterial colonization...

Cancer immunotherapy, a burgeoning modality for cancer treatment, operates by activating the autoimmune system to impede the growth of malignant cells. Although numerous immunotherapy strategies have been employed in clinical cancer therapy, the resistance of cancer cells to immunotherapeutic medications and other apprehensions impede the attainment of sustained advantages for most patients. Recent advancements in nanotechnology for drug delivery hold promise in augmenting the efficacy of immunotherapy. However, the efficacy is currently constrained by the inadequate specificity of delivery, low rate of response, and the intricate immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment...

INTRODUCTION: Poison centers provide free expert recommendations on the treatment of a wide variety of toxicological emergencies. Prior studies have called attention to the increasing complexity of cases reported to poison centers. We aimed first, to evaluate the trends in medical outcome severity, over a 15-year period in both the adult and pediatric populations. Second, we described the most frequently reported substances associated with major effect or death. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of exposures reported to the National Poison Data System from 1 January 2007 through 31 December 2021...

As fossil fuels continue to deplete, the development of sustainable and green energy sources has become crucial for human societal advancement. Among the various renewable energies, solar energy stands out as a promising substitute for conventional fossil fuels, offering widespread availability and a pollution-free solution. Solar cells, as devices that convert solar energy, are garnering significant focus. However, the intermittent nature of solar energy results in a high dependence on weather conditions of solar cells...