Citations

Abstract INTRODUCTION Sex differences in dementia‐related neuropathology are understudied in diverse populations. METHODS We analyzed sex differences in neuropathological and cognitive data from the Brazilian Biobank for Aging Studies. Cognitive performance was evaluated with the Clinical Dementia Rating–Sum of Boxes (CDR‐SOB). Linear and logistic regression models were conducted, including interaction terms for age, race, and education. RESULTS In 2229 participants (50.7% female, mean age ± SD 75.4 ± 12.3 years, 62.1% White), female sex was associated with a higher odds of AD pathology (Braak: odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17–1.72; Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD): OR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.27–1.98), and trans‐activation response (TAR) DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) (OR = 1.77, IC 95% = 1.22–2.59), and lower odds of Lewy body disease (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.51–0.95). Female participant had worse cognitive performance ( β = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.03–2.10). Sex modified associations of Braak, CERAD, TDP‐43, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy with cognition. Age also interacted with sex and pathology on CDR‐SOB. DISCUSSION Sex differences in the associations between sex and neuropathology suggest the need for sex‐informed dementia research.

ABSTRACT Background Implementation of remote robotic‐assisted surgery (rRAS) has the potential to significantly improve access to high‐quality surgical care for patients worldwide. Advances in robotic systems and telecommunications now enable highly reliable, low latency, and cybersecure connectivity. These technological developments, together with the broader adoption of telemedicine, have driven an increasing interest in the implementation of rRAS. Methods The Clinical Robotic Surgery Association (CRSA) convened a conference to develop international clinical recommendations for rRAS using the Danish Model of Consensus. The society identified five key issue categories and invited a panel of experts to address specific questions for each. Panel members and a jury of 10 unbiased, non‐expert in rRAS professionals participated in a day‐long conference on November 19, 2025 (Los Angeles, USA). During the conference, participants presented, discussed, and reached consensus on specific guidelines relevant to each category. Immediately after the conference, the jury reviewed and approved the recommended guidelines. Results Multiple recommendations were approved for each of the following categories: Operating Models, Roles and Responsibilities (2 recommendations), Clinical Pathway (2 recommendations), Emergency Management (8 recommendations), Technical Considerations (5 recommendations), and Medico‐legal and Ethical Considerations (4 recommendations). Conclusions There was consensus that with recent advances in telecommunication and robotic technologies, rRAS can be offered safely and effectively if the identified safeguards are realized. Adoption of rRAS is expected to continue advancing rapidly.

ABSTRACT Objective To provide expert recommendations for the development of a specialty bipolar clinic that promotes best clinical practices for the delivery of safe and effective care. Methods Members of the National Network of Depression Centers (NNDC) Bipolar Clinics Work Group met in a series of 1‐h monthly video calls over 18 months to discuss all aspects of their respective institution's bipolar clinics, including services provided, administrative processes, staffing models, characteristics of patients treated, patient volumes, finances, and research. The group also invited psychiatrists from outside of the NNDC who ran large bipolar clinics to contribute their thoughts and experiences on the subject. In addition, the NNDC sent a 20‐question survey to all 27 sites asking clinic directors specific questions about their bipolar clinics, if applicable. Further meetings and discussions incorporating results from the survey took place to produce a comprehensive set of recommendations. Results Twenty‐one of 27 NNDC sites (81%) responded to the survey. Twelve of 21 (57%) sites had a specific bipolar clinic, and another 4 (19%) were looking to start one. Clinics were based in university settings. The meetings, clinic survey, and discussions resulted in 10 recommendations describing services and operations for bipolar specialty clinics. Conclusions Given the complexity of bipolar disorder, specialty clinics are important to enhance care. Clinics with a wide array of services that include consultation, medication management, bipolar‐specific psychotherapies, and patient/family psychoeducation provide the most comprehensive care. Challenges to these clinics include maintaining ongoing patient access as well as ensuring long‐term financial stability.

Abstract Background The expanding use of biologic and small-molecule therapies for ulcerative colitis (UC) has raised concerns regarding perioperative safety. We conducted a network meta-analysis to compare short-term postoperative complications associated with preoperative exposure to these agents in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library through September 15, 2025, for cohort studies of adults with UC who were exposed to biologic or small-molecule therapy within 12 weeks prior to surgery. Interventions included biologic therapy, small-molecule therapy, and no biologic or small-molecule therapy (control). The primary outcome was overall postoperative complications at 30 and 90 days. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) was assessed as a key secondary outcome. Random-effects network meta-analysis was performed using risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Sixteen retrospective cohort studies involving 3235 patients were included. At 30 days, ustekinumab and tofacitinib were associated with lower overall postoperative complication rates than control (RR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.09-0.96; and RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.46-0.96, respectively). Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy was associated with higher complication rates compared with vedolizumab, ustekinumab, and tofacitinib at 30 days (RR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.00-1.63; RR: 3.67; 95% CI: 1.12-12.03; and RR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.14-2.27, respectively). At 90 days, anti-TNF therapy was associated with higher complication rates than control (RR 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.40), although the 90-day analysis was based on limited data. VTE rates were similar across treatments at both time points. Conclusion Preoperative ustekinumab and tofacitinib were associated with fewer 30-day postoperative complications than control or anti-TNF therapy, while vedolizumab was associated with fewer complications than anti-TNF therapy. At 90 days, anti-TNF therapy was associated with higher complication rates compared with control. These findings, particularly at 90 days based on limited data, should be interpreted with caution and require confirmation in well-designed prospective studies with rigorous adjustment for confounding factors.

Abstract Background and Aims Clinical models incompletely capture the molecular pathways driving heart failure (HF) progression. This study evaluated whether molecular risk stratification provides incremental prognostic information beyond established clinical predictors in patients with HF. Methods A total of 2432 patients from the Global Congestive Heart Failure (G-CHF) registry with available genotyping, DNA methylation, and proteomic profiling were analysed. Three molecular scores were assessed: a composite cardiovascular polygenic risk score (PRS) from DNA sequence polymorphisms, a methylation risk score (MRS) derived from epigenome-wide associations, and a 23-protein-based score (ProteomicDeath23). Each score was tested individually and in combination with the clinical Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) risk score and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels for mortality prediction. Validation was performed in an HF subset of the UK Biobank (UKB). Results Over a median follow-up of 3.0 years in G-CHF, 523 patients died from any cause (7.64 per 100 person-years [PY]). In multivariable analyses, ProteomicDeath23 was the strongest independent predictor of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] per 1 standard deviation, 2.23), outperforming NT-proBNP (HR 2.00), MRSMortality (HR 1.66), PRSmetaCVD (HR 1.10), and the MAGGIC score (HR 1.70). A model combining ProteomicDeath23 with MAGGIC and NT-proBNP achieved the highest discrimination for mortality (C-index, 0.77). Addition of MRSMortality to this proteomic-clinical model resulted in only small improvements in discrimination (ΔC-index, +0.004, P = .0039), while the PRSmetaCVD provided no incremental benefit. Among patients with low NT-proBNP/MAGGIC score, mortality rates increased from 1.71 to 8.12 per 100 PY across ProteomicDeath23 tertiles. Consistent results were observed in the UKB-HF validation cohort. Conclusion A proteomic score was the strongest molecular predictor of mortality in HF. Integrating proteomic signatures with clinical risk factors significantly improved risk prediction.

Abstract Background Encountering an intra-abdominal abscess during elective surgery for Crohn disease (CD) presents a clinical dilemma. While guidelines often recommend temporary fecal diversion, stomas carry substantial morbidity. Existing literature is heavily confounded by selection bias, obscuring the true safety of bowel reconstruction. This study evaluated the safety of primary anastomosis in the presence of an intraoperative abscess. Methods A retrospective review of patients undergoing ileocecal resection for CD was conducted. To isolate the impact of the abscess and eliminate selection bias, an a priori multivariable logistic regression model and a 1:2 propensity score matched (PSM) analysis were utilized on the subcohort of patients who underwent primary anastomosis. The primary endpoint was the rate of 30-day postoperative complications. Results Among the 810 included patients (210 with an intraoperative abscess, 600 without), an abscess significantly increased operative complexity, resulting in higher rates of open conversion (29.3% vs 10.3%, P < .001) and fecal diversion (24.8% vs 6.2%, P < .001). However, multivariable analysis demonstrated that an abscess was not an independent predictor of overall 30-day complications (odds ratio [OR], 1.25; P = .190). Furthermore, in the PSM cohort of 474 patients, rates of anastomotic leak (10.1% vs 11.7%, P = .718), overall complications (41.1% vs 38.0%, P = .571), and severe complications (8.2% vs 10.8%, P = .480) were statistically identical between the abscess and non-abscess groups. Conclusion While an intraoperative abscess increases operative difficulty, it does not independently compromise anastomotic integrity. Primary anastomosis in an infected field is safe, allowing surgeons to spare appropriately selected patients at experienced centers the profound morbidity of an unnecessary stoma.

Renal dysfunction is highly prevalent among patients with cirrhosis and has major implications for management, prognostication, and liver transplant decision-making. Both acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) occur frequently in this population and are driven by a complex interplay of hemodynamic derangements, systemic inflammation, and intrinsic or functional renal injury. Accurate assessment of kidney function is essential, as serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculations directly influence MELD-based transplant allocation, eligibility for simultaneous liver–kidney transplantation (SLKT), and clinical decisions such as drug dosing and peri-transplant immunosuppression strategies. However, creatinine-based assessments are fundamentally limited in cirrhosis due to reduced creatinine production, sarcopenia, expanded volume of distribution, increased tubular secretion, and assay interference from hyperbilirubinemia, resulting in frequent overestimation of true GFR. Alternative methods, including cystatin C-based equations, combined creatinine–cystatin C equations, timed urine clearances, and direct GFR measurement using exogenous filtration markers (iohexol, iothalamate), offer potential advantages but also carry important limitations, particularly in decompensated disease with ascites or inflammation. Newer cirrhosis-specific eGFR equations such as the GRAIL and Royal Free Hospital formulas attempt to address these shortcomings, yet validation studies demonstrate inconsistent accuracy across patient cohorts. This review summarizes the pathophysiologic contributors to renal dysfunction in cirrhosis, evaluates the performance and pitfalls of existing kidney function assessment tools, and highlights the ongoing need for reliable, validated methods tailored to this unique population. Until improved approaches are widely accessible, serum creatinine remains the most practical—albeit imperfect—marker guiding clinical decision-making in cirrhotic patients.

Abstract Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is a highly effective technique for treating obesity. However, it may result in nutritional deficiencies. Here we report the case of a 55‐year‐old woman presenting with chronic diarrhea lasting 2 years, accompanied by lower limb paresthesia, macrocytic anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Her medical history included hypothyroidism treated with levothyroxine, and RYGB surgery performed in 2014, with intermittent micronutrient supplementation. The patient developed copper and zinc deficiencies. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a patient presenting with both deficiencies simultaneously with pancytopenia 10 years after RYGB. This case underscores the need to verify adherence to existing preoperative screening recommendations involving preoperative micronutrient measurements to assess micronutrient deficiency risks and multidisciplinary postoperative follow‐up, the importance of monitoring micronutrient levels, close follow‐up of both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients and evaluating adherence to supplementation regimens.