Citations

Background: Secondary shoulder deformities are the most frequent sequelae of upper trunk-type brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI). Coracoid process dysplasia was recently described as being associated with glenoid retroversion and was recognized to block successful humeral head relocation. There are little to no reports on coracoid process deformity causing anterior shoulder pain. Our hypothesis is that coracoid process impingement causes anterior shoulder pain in BPBI, which is relieved by coracoid excision. This study presents the short-term results of this new technique in BPBI patients. Methods: A retrospective review identified BPBI patients who underwent coracoid excision from 2000 to 2022. Indications for this procedure include BPBI patients with anterior shoulder pain limiting the range of motion, localized tenderness over a prominent coracoid process, a dysplastic coracoid process seen on imaging, and persistent pain despite activity modification, medication, and therapy. Patient characteristics, preoperative shoulder pain score, range of motion, degree of glenohumeral subluxation, patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) scores for pain interference, and physical and upper extremity function were collected from chart review. Postoperative pain scores, range of motion, and PROMIS scores were collected at an average of 1 year after excision. Results: Five upper trunk BPBI patients, ages 10 to 25 years old, with anterior shoulder pain underwent coracoid excision. All had statistically significant pain relief from 6.5–8.5/10 before to 0–3/10 after the procedure. Forward flexion and external rotation improved by an average of 18 degrees. The pain interference score decreased by 25%. There was a 33% improvement in physical function scores and a 31% increase in upper extremity function scores. No complications or recurrence were observed at 7.5 months to 1 year and 7 months after surgery. Conclusions: Coracoid excision is a simple procedure that can relieve localized shoulder pain caused by coracoid impingement in adolescent/adult BPBI. Continued follow-up of all patients will be undertaken to determine long-term recurrence rates and complications. Level of Evidence: Level IV.

THE American Thoracic Society (ATS) International Conference took place in San Francisco, California, USA, from May 17th–21st, 2025, with over 14,000 attendees from more than 100 countries represented. The conference opened with an address from Kimberly Manning, Grady Hospital, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, who is renowned for her contributions to the burgeoning field of narrative medicine. “I think the greatest teachers of all are the patients we have a privilege to care for.” She shared the story of a patient hospitalized for severe pneumonia, who gave a very busy Manning this advice: “One person doing one thing for a person other than themselves goes further than you think.” It was against this backdrop of the impact that pulmonologists and intensivists have on the lives of their patients that ATS commenced. During the conference, several thought-provoking and sometimes practice-changing trials were introduced or reviewed, spanning content ranging from septic shock to lung cancer. Herein, we explore some of the highlights of these discussions.

Abstract Introduction: Pulmonary nodules are not uncommonly found in patients with Sjogren's disease. Although they frequently can be benign, nodules in the context of systemic autoimmune disease such as Sjogren's disease require broadened differentials including lymphoid intersitial pneumonia, follicular bronchiolitis, nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH), amyloidosis and lung malignancy. Although lung carcinoma can occur, the most frequent malignant etiology is non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including pulmonary extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma). On the other hand, many of these differentials are benign; however, some such as NLH can progress to lymphoma while others such as nodular amyloidosis can be associated with MALT lymphoma. As pulmonary MALT lymphoma often presents with asymptomatic nodules or consolidations, the index of suspicion by pulmonologists is crucial for diagnosis. Description: A 66 year old female nonsmoker presented with incidentally found bilateral solid and subsolid pulmonary nodules, the largest being 1.3 centimeters in the left lower lobe, in the context of calcified lymph nodes and splenic and liver calcified granulomas. As she was asymptomatic, possible differentials included chronic granulomatous disease, inflammatory/autoimmune lesions and less likely multifocal pulmonary malignancy. Fungal serologies were negative. Antinuclear antibodies, SS-A, and SS-B serologies were strongly positive. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and rheumatoid factor were also positive. Further diagnostic workup led to a diagnosis of Sjogren's disease. Repeat 3 month CT chest showed stability of the lymphadenopathy and pulmonary nodules. However, despite stability, our pre-test probability for neoplastic pulmonary nodules had increased due to her autoimmune diagnosis. PET-CT scan was completed, showing metabolically active nodules bilaterally with a SUV range of 2-3.5, with the largest nodule having the highest uptake. Transbronchial biopsy of the largest nodule was consistent with MALT lymphoma. Discussion: The diagnosis of Sjogren's disease led to more aggressive efforts towards diagnostic certainty including a PET-CT scan and ultimately transbronchial biopsy. It is postulated that autoimmune activity in the pulmonary lymphoid tissue is what gives rise to MALT lymphoma. In one retrospective study on pulmonary nodules in patients with Sjogren's disease, greater than 70% of biopsied nodules were malignant, of which half represented MALT lymphoma. MALT lymphoma is diagnosed at the stage of disseminated disease in one third of cases, frequently recurs and has potential for aggressive transformation. Therefore, in the case of multiple pulmonary nodules in patients with Sjogren's disease, the evidence of underlying autoimmunity should increase the index of suspicion for pulmonary malignancy, including MALT lymphoma.

The development of automated insulin delivery systems has seen tremendous improvements from individual components to interoperable system combinations of devices and new drugs besides insulin. The components have become progressively smaller, more accurate, and more user friendly. This article summarizes the history of the artificial pancreas from the earliest concepts to fully functional systems to research into further improvements in the future. The authors include many of the developers of this technology who received research support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at various stages to develop these systems.

Summary Dupilumab, the first biologic approved for eosinophilic esophagitis treatment (EoE-tx) in 2022, demonstrated favorable safety in phase-III clinical trials. However, real-world dupilumab-associated adverse reactions (DARs) for EoE-tx are unknown. This study aims to evaluate DAR for EoE-tx using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. FDA Adverse Event Reporting System was queried for DAR between 2022Q1 and 2023Q4. Individual DARs (iDARs) were categorized and compared between treatment groups: EoE, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps. Logistic regression was used to predict serious DAR and outcomes, and zero-truncated negative binomial regression was used to predict the number of iDAR. There were 51,000 DAR observations; 1459 for EoE-tx with 103 (7.1%) serious reactions and 44 (3.0%) serious outcomes including 3 deaths. For EoE-tx, the mean iDAR was 3.68 [3.51, 3.85], and the iDAR incidence rate ratio among men receiving EoE-tx was 0.73 [0.65, 0.83]. EoE-tx average iDAR primarily included general (0.75 [0.70, 0.80]), injection-site (0.69 [0.63, 0.74]), dermatologic (0.51 [0.46, 0.55]), and gastrointestinal (0.24 [0.21, 0.27]) reactions. Adults ≥50 years had 1.97 [1.28, 2.99] higher odds for serious DAR compared to younger adults in EoE-tx. Overall, dupilumab demonstrated a favorable safety profile across all indications, with low rates of serious adverse events. For EoE-tx specifically, higher total iDAR rates were observed, driven largely by increased injection-site and gastrointestinal reactions compared to other indications. Additionally, women exhibited higher iDAR rates than men across all indications.

Background/Objectives: Spinoplastic surgery is an emerging multidisciplinary field developed to address and reduce the complication of pseudoarthrosis following complex spinal reconstructions. While the number of spinal fusion procedures continues to rise every year, fusion failure rates remain as high as 40%. Although pseudoarthrosis may not always manifest clinically, it remains a leading cause of persistent pain and need for subsequent revision surgeries. The multidisciplinary collaboration between spine and plastic surgeons in spinoplastic surgery has therefore emerged as a proactive strategy aimed at preventing complications, particularly in patients identified as high-risk for pseudoarthrosis. As the patient population expands and spinoplastic surgery continues to evolve, refining patient selection criteria becomes essential for achieving optimal surgical outcomes. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in spinoplastic surgery, highlighting current indications, surgical techniques, recent case reports, and strategies for identifying suitable candidates. Methods: We performed a narrative review of English language literature through April 2025. Spinoplastic case reports and case series published within the last 20 years were included in the review. Results: Indications for use of a spinoplastic approach clustered into prior fusion failure, extensive oncologic resection, severe spinal deformity, procedures requiring extensive spinal involvement, and/or patients at risk for impaired bone healing. Succesful radiographic union and improvement of symptoms were widely reported across all 9 case reports/series. Conclusions: Although evidence is presently limited, spinoplastic surgery appears to achieve high bone graft fusion rates with acceptable morbidity and functional improvement in a carefully selected group of high-risk spinal reconstruction patients. Still, larger prospective studies are warranted to refine patient selection and validate functional benefit.

Background/Objectives: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), which were originally developed for managing type 2 diabetes by enhancing insulin secretion and reducing appetite, have emerged as promising candidates in alcohol use disorder (AUD). These medications offer a dual mechanism of action that aligns with the multifaceted nature of addiction by targeting both peripheral metabolic and central reward pathways. This review focused on the current clinical trials and real-world evidence regarding the effects of GLP-1RAs as novel therapeutics for AUD. We also discussed early but encouraging results from clinical trials in AUD, observational and real-world evidence, safety profiles, psychiatric considerations, and future directions leading beyond GLP-1RAs. Methods: A comprehensive English-language literature search was conducted per PRISMA guidelines across PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and trial registries. Using targeted keywords, we identified relevant clinical and observational studies on GLP-1RAs for alcohol use disorder, excluding off-topic or non-English works and assessing all studies for eligibility. Results: Out of 1080 records identified, seven studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings from recent clinical trials, large-scale observational studies, and real-world evidence suggest that GLP-1RAs may significantly reduce alcohol consumption, cravings, and alcohol-related hospitalizations. Their central effect on reward processing, coupled with a generally favorable safety profile, supports their potential therapeutic role beyond metabolic disorders. Conclusions: Emerging evidence positions GLP-1RAs as a promising new pharmacologic approach for managing AUD. Ongoing and future research should prioritize larger, longer-duration randomized controlled trials that include diverse populations, with specific attention to treatment motivation, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, and long-term outcomes.

A systematic review was conducted of studies published up to 30 August 2024. Studies comparing conventional visual field (VF) indices, ability to detect central visual field defects (CVFDs), structure–function (S-F) concordance, and test characteristics across the HVF 24-2C SITA-Faster, 24-2 SITA-Standard/Faster, and 10-2 SITA-Standard/Fast tests were included. Eight studies with 1239 subjects (49.1% male; mean age, 54.8–66.9 years) were analyzed. The 24-2C produced similar global VF indices compared to the 10-2 and 24-2 (Standard/Faster) (ICC = 0.95 and 0.80, p < 0.001), detected more VF defects and CVFD clusters, and demonstrated greater S-F concordance than the 24-2 (Standard/Faster). Although the 10-2 (Standard/Fast) detected significantly more CVFDs and had a greater S-F concordance, the agreement between the 24-2C and 10-2 grids was substantial (ĸ = 0.488 to 0.708). The 24-2C was also faster compared to the 24-2 Standard and 10-2 (Standard/Fast), with comparable false positives, higher false negatives, and fewer fixation losses than the 24-2 Standard. In conclusion, the HVF 24-2C is quicker and identifies more CVFDs than the 24-2 grid, demonstrates high agreement with the 10-2 grid, and aids in CVFD screening.

The increasing integration of large language models (LLMs) into healthcare presents significant opportunities, but also critical risks related to patient safety, accuracy, and ethical alignment. Despite these concerns, no standardized framework exists for systematically evaluating and stress testing LLM behavior in clinical decision-making. The PIEE cycle—Planning and Preparation, Information Gathering and Prompt Generation, Execution, and Evaluation—is a structured red-teaming framework developed specifically to address artificial intelligence (AI) safety risks in healthcare decision-making. PIEE enables clinicians and informatics teams to simulate adversarial prompts, including jailbreaking, social engineering, and distractor attacks, to stress-test language models in real-world clinical scenarios. Model performance is evaluated using specific metrics such as true positive and false positive rates for detecting harmful content, hallucination rates measured through adapted TruthfulQA scoring, safety and reliability assessments, bias detection via adapted BBQ benchmarks, and ethical evaluation using structured Likert-based scoring rubrics. The framework is illustrated using examples from plastic surgery, but is adaptable across specialties, and is intended for use by all medical providers, regardless of their backgrounds or familiarity with artificial intelligence. While the framework is currently conceptual and validation is ongoing, PIEE provides a practical foundation for assessing the clinical reliability and ethical robustness of LLMs in medicine.

Abstract Background People with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk of stroke likely due to many factors including antiretroviral therapy (ART). We sought to evaluate the association between ARTand risk of stroke in PWH. Methods We conducted a prospective case-control study at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia between March 2022 and October 2024 in PWH comparing those with stroke (cases) and without (controls) matched (1:2) for age, sex and race. Standardized data collection instruments were used to collect demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging information. Comparisons were made between the cases and controls, and subgroup analysis by ART duration was done for the cases. Results We analyzed results for 205 cases and 410 controls. Compared to controls, cases were more likely to have hypertension (71% vs. 18%, p=0.001), lower CD4 counts [293(163-592) cells/µl vs. 533 (376-688) cells/µl, p=0.0001] and to be on second line ART (23% vs. 4%, p=0.001). Hypertension (aOR 19.7, 95% CI 3.1-126.4, p=0.002) and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) use (aOR 85.3, 95% CI 5.3-1380.7, p=0.002) were associated with increased odds of stroke, whereas Dolutegravir (aOR 0.03, 95% CI 0.001-0.58, p=0.02) and alcohol use (aOR 0.24, 95% CI 0.06-0.95) were associated with reduced odds of stroke. The majority of stroke patients on long-term ART were using Dolutegravir (80% vs. 35%, p=0.001) and TDF (72% vs. 42%, p=0.01). Conclusion In PWH, TDF associates with higher odds of stroke. Although Dolutegravir associates with reduced odds of stroke, stroke patients on long-term ART are more likely to be on it.