The Journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2022
Observational StudyImpact of concomitant complex cardiac anatomy in nonsyndromic patients with complete atrioventricular septal defect.
We studied a cohort of patients with nonsyndromic complete atrioventricular septal defect with and without concomitant complex cardiac anatomy and compared the outcomes after surgical repair. ⋯ Our data show that nonsyndromic patients without complex cardiac anatomy have a good long-term survival and an acceptable risk of reoperation similar to contemporary outcomes for patients with complete atrioventricular septal defect with trisomy 21. However, the corresponding group of nonsyndromic patients with concomitant complex cardiac lesions are still a high-risk population, especially regarding mortality.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2022
Intrapleural interleukin-2-expressing oncolytic virotherapy enhances acute antitumor effects and T-cell receptor diversity in malignant pleural disease.
The mainstay of treatment for patients with malignant pleural disease is fluid drainage and systemic therapy. A tumor-specific oncolytic virus or T-cell-activating interleukin-2 immunotherapy may provide an opportunity for local control. We previously developed a vaccinia virus-expressing interleukin-2, an oncolytic virus that mediated tumor regression in preclinical peritoneal tumor models with expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. We evaluated the antitumor efficacy and immune modulatory effects of vaccinia virus-expressing interleukin-2 in malignant pleural disease. ⋯ Intrapleural vaccinia virus-expressing interleukin-2 reduced tumor burden and enhanced survival in a murine malignant pleural disease model. Increased CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and αβ T-cell receptor diversity are associated with enhanced response. Clinical trials will enable assessment of intrapleural vaccinia virus-expressing interleukin-2 therapy in patients with malignant pleural disease.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2022
Postoperative and mid-term hemodynamic changes after replacement of the ascending aorta.
To evaluate aortic distensibility and pulse waveform patterns associated with the ascending aortic aneurysm, and to analyze the postoperative and mid-term hemodynamic changes induced by prosthetic replacement of the ascending aorta. ⋯ This study does not confirm the assumption that substitution of the viscoelastic ascending aorta with a rigid prosthesis can cause serious hemodynamic alterations downstream, because we did not observe a worsening of global aortic distensibility after insertion of a rigid prosthetic aorta. The ascending aortic aneurysm is associated with a pulsus tardus.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2022
American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship-Over a decade of experience.
The study objective was to evaluate the experience of previous American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship recipients. ⋯ The awardees of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery Summer Intern Scholarship come from a variety of medical schools and visited a diverse group of sponsoring institutions. The 8-week program provides valuable early exposure for medical students to cardiothoracic surgeons, the operating room, and research opportunities. This experience was highly recommended by prior recipients to medical students interested in cardiothoracic surgery.
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J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg. · Apr 2022
Predicting benign, preinvasive, and invasive lung nodules on computed tomography scans using machine learning.
The study objective was to investigate if machine learning algorithms can predict whether a lung nodule is benign, adenocarcinoma, or its preinvasive subtype from computed tomography images alone. ⋯ The machine learning algorithms demonstrated reasonable performance in differentiating benign versus preinvasive versus invasive adenocarcinoma from computed tomography images alone. However, the prediction accuracy varies across its subtypes. This holds the potential for improved diagnostic capabilities with less-invasive means.