Reoperation Rate Following Single-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion With Standalone Cage Versus Anterior Plating in a Large Matched Cohort.

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Objective: To compare reoperation rates between single-level standalone anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and ACDF with anterior plating.

Summary Of Background Data: ACDF is a widely performed procedure for cervical degenerative disc disease and may utilize standalone cages or cages with anterior plating.

Similar reoperation rates in upper versus lower thoracic to pelvis instrumentation: an analysis of 7,300 patients utilizing a national administrative database.

Background: A critical aspect of adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery is selection of the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) in the lower thoracic (LT) or upper thoracic (UT) spine. This study compares reoperation rates among patients fused to the UT and LT spine.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using PearlDiver, a national insurance claims database.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Generated Synthetic Computed Tomography in Pediatric Spine Patients.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging are common imaging studies used to evaluate pediatric spine patients. Novel MRI-generated synthetic CT (sCT) images have demonstrated near equivalence in accuracy when compared with traditional CT (tCT) in cadaveric studies. This recent advancement allows potential visualization of both bony and soft tissue anatomy without harmful ionizing radiation.

Rate of Conversion to Fusion Following Cervical Laminectomy Versus Laminoplasty: A Retrospective Analysis of 4,406 Patients.

Study DesignRetrospective Administrative Database Analysis.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the rate of subsequent cervical fusion surgery between patients that received cervical laminectomy and cervical laminoplasty for degenerative cervical disease.MethodsThe PearlDiver database for years 2010 to 2021 was queried for patients who received either a posterior cervical laminectomy or a cervical laminoplasty for a diagnosis of degenerative cervical disease.

Long-Term Reoperation Rates After Single-Level Lumbar Discectomy: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate reoperation rates following single-level lumbar discectomy.

Background: Reoperation rates following single-level lumbar discectomy are debated, with reports ranging from 5% to 24%.

The Utilization of MRI-Generated Synthetic CT in the Treatment of Chronic Bilateral Spondylolysis: A Case Report.

Case: A 14-year-old male athlete presented with a 9-month history of low back pain, worse with hyperextension. Nonoperative management for bilateral L4 spondylolysis had been unsuccessful. The patient underwent a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that generated a synthetic computed tomography (sCT).

Predicting Postsurgical Complications of Peripheral Nerve Decompression: NSQIP Analysis of Frailty Measures Versus Historic Proxies.

Background: Peripheral nerve decompression (PND) is generally safe, and newer techniques allow frail patients to undergo PND at less common sites. Current literature suggests patient frailty measures may more accurately predict postsurgical complications versus other proxies, but no current literature examines frailty in PND.

Methods: The authors reviewed data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for patients who underwent PND outside the most common sites from 2013 to 2019.

Frailty Indices Outperform Historic Risk Proxies as Predictors of Postabdominoplasty Complications: An Analysis of a National Database.

Background: Although age, body mass index (BMI), and major comorbidities were historically used as predictors of surgical risk, recent literature supports patient frailty as a more accurate predictor. Database studies and chart reviews support the modified Charlson Comorbidity Index (mCCI) and the Modified Five-Item Frailty Index (mFI-5) as predictors of postsurgical complications in plastic surgery. The authors hypothesized that the mFI-5 and mCCI are more predictive of abdominoplasty complications than historic risk proxies.

Communication network within the essential AAA-ATPase Rix7 drives ribosome assembly.

Rix7 is an essential AAA+ ATPase that functions during the early stages of ribosome biogenesis. Rix7 is composed of three domains including an N-terminal domain (NTD) and two AAA+ domains (D1 and D2) that assemble into an asymmetric stacked hexamer. It was recently established that Rix7 is a presumed protein translocase that removes substrates from preribosomes by translocating them through its central pore.

β-Hydroxy-β-Methylbutyrate Supplementation Promotes Antitumor Immunity in an Obesity Responsive Mouse Model of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and effective therapies for PDAC are currently lacking. Moreover, PDAC is promoted and exacerbated by obesity, while cachexia and sarcopenia are exceptionally common comorbidities that predict both poor survival and treatment response. Managing PDAC with immunotherapies has thus far proven ineffective, partly due to the metabolically hostile tumor microenvironment.

Dietary Energy Modulation and Autophagy: Exploiting Metabolic Vulnerabilities to Starve Cancer.

Cancer cells experience unique and dynamic shifts in their metabolic function in order to survive, proliferate, and evade growth inhibition in the resource-scarce tumor microenvironment. Therefore, identification of pharmacological agents with potential to reprogram cancer cell metabolism may improve clinical outcomes in cancer therapy. Cancer cells also often exhibit an increased dependence on the process known as autophagy, both for baseline survival and as a response to stressors such as chemotherapy or a decline in nutrient availability.

Cell Intrinsic and Systemic Metabolism in Tumor Immunity and Immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has shown extraordinary promise at treating cancers otherwise resistant to treatment. However, for ICI therapy to be effective, it must overcome the metabolic limitations of the tumor microenvironment. Tumor metabolism has long been understood to be highly dysregulated, with potent immunosuppressive effects.