Primary Aspiration Research Articles

Safety and effectiveness of SOFIA/SOFIA PLUS for direct aspiration as first line treatment in patients with acute anterior ischemic stroke: results from the prospective, multicentric SESAME study.

Mechanical thrombectomy is a cornerstone treatment for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large vessel occlusion (LVO), yet the optimal technique remains debated. The SOFIA/SOFIA PLUS catheter has emerged as a promising tool for direct aspiration thrombectomy. This prospective multi-center study, adhering Good-Clinical-Practice guidelines, aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the SOFIA/SOFIA PLUS catheter for direct aspiration as a first-line treatment technique in patients with acute anterior circulation LVO. Between 10/2017 and 12/2021, 246 consecutive patients presenting with AIS due to anterior circulation LVO were enrolled from 14 European centers. Primary treatment with SOFIA catheters was performed within 6 h of symptom onset. Clinical and radiological data were collected, and statistical analyses were conducted. The mean age of the included patients was 71.6 ± 13.9 years, with 44.7% being male. Primary aspiration achieved complete recanalization in 72.8% of patients, with functional independence observed in 63.8% after 90 days. Secondary outcomes included a median NIHSS of 4 at 24 h post-procedure, median ASPECTS of 7 on follow-up imaging, and a mortality rate of 24.4% at 90 days. No device malfunctions were observed, and the rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was 4.4%. Primary aspiration with the SOFIA/SOFIA PLUS catheter demonstrates favorable safety and efficacy profiles in the treatment of anterior circulation LVO. These findings support the utilization of this technique as a first-line approach in mechanical thrombectomy for AIS, contributing to the growing body of evidence endorsing the effectiveness of direct aspiration thrombectomy in stroke management.

Fabrication and physicochemical investigation of pH-responsive alginate/pectin hybrid network hydrogel for improved stability and controlled release of diallyl thiosulfinate

The present investigation explores the formulation and fabrication of alginate-pectin (with varying degree of methoxylation) hybrid network hydrogel beads through ionotropic gelation process as a biocompatible carrier material for encapsulating diallyl thiosulfinate (allicin). The primary aspiration of this research is to overcome allicin's inherent instability which restricts its use in functional food fortification and medicinal products as a bioactive compound with several intriguing health-promoting characteristics. Fabrication of the beads were done through structured parameter optimization. Chemical interaction between allicin and biopolymer matrix was assessed by FTIR-ATR. The ARGE entrapped hydrogel beads had a near spherical shape with sphericity factor ∼1.0 with an average diameter of ∼3.5 mm in the hydrated state (density ∼1.06 g/cm3). The beads showed encapsulation efficiency of ∼70.8 %. The beads efficaciously reduced degradation (<5 %) and stabilized ampule amount of allicin for a prolonged time. Various physicochemical characterizations of the produced beads were done. Further, in vitro release kinetics of allicin from beads were observed in simulated gastrointestinal environment and it showed a sustained release pattern. The release behavior of allicin exhibited a higher release at intestinal pH (∼88 %) than stomach pH (∼35 %). The formulation expressed commendable antimicrobial activity against gram positive and negative bacteria in both solid and liquid media. Moreover, the encapsulation process retained significant antioxidant potential (>60 %). Anti-inflammatory and hemolysis assay expressed admirable biocompatibility. Hence, the results suggest that the fabricated formulation is suitable for being a drug carrier material for allicin while accentuating its aptitude for upholding hemocompatibility, allicin’s concentration, sustained release and bioactivity.

Evaluating testicular tissue for future autotransplantation: focus on cancer cell contamination and presence of spermatogonia in tissue cryobanked for boys diagnosed with a hematological malignancy.

What is the contamination rate by cancer cells and spermatogonia numbers in immature testicular tissue (ITT) harvested before the start of gonadotoxic therapy in boys with a hematological malignancy? Among our cohort of boys diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphomas, 39% (n = 11/28) had cancer cells identified in their tissues at the time of diagnosis and all patients appeared to have reduced spermatogonia numbers compared to healthy reference cohorts. Young boys affected by a hematological cancer are at risk of contamination of their testes by cancer cells but histological examination is unable to detect the presence of only a few cancer cells, which would preclude autotransplantation of cryobanked ITT for fertility restoration, and more sensitive detection techniques are thus required. Reduced numbers of spermatogonia in ITT in hematological cancer patients have been suggested based on results in a limited number of patients. This retrospective cohort study included 54 pre- and peri-pubertal boys who were diagnosed with a hematological malignancy and who underwent a testicular biopsy for fertility preservation at the time of diagnosis before any gonadotoxic therapy between 2005 and 2021. Among the 54 patients eligible in our database, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) testicular tissue was available for 28 boys diagnosed either with ALL (n = 14) or lymphoma (n = 14) and was used to evaluate malignant cell contamination. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed for each patient to search for cancer cells in the tissue. Markers specific to each patient's disease were identified at the time of diagnosis on the biopsy of the primary tumor or bone marrow aspiration and an immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on the FFPE ITT for each patient to evidence his disease markers. PCR analyses on the FFPE tissue were also conducted when a specific gene rearrangement was available. The mean age at diagnosis and ITT biopsy of the 28 boys was 7.5 years (age range: 19 months-16 years old). Examination of ITT of the 28 boys on H&E stained sections did not detect malignant cells. Using IHC, we found contamination by cancerous cells using markers specific to the patient's disease in 10 of 28 boys, with a higher rate in patients diagnosed with ALL (57%, n = 8/14) compared with lymphoma (14%, n = 2/14) (P-value < 0.05). PCR showed contamination in three of 15 patients who had specific rearrangements identified on their bone marrow at the time of diagnosis; one of these patients had negative results from the IHC. Compared to age-related reference values of the number of spermatogonia per ST (seminiferous tubule) (Spg/ST) throughout prepuberty of healthy patients from a simulated control cohort, mean spermatogonial numbers appeared to be decreased in all age groups (0-4 years: 1.49 ± 0.54, 4-7 years: 1.08 ± 0.43, 7-11 years: 1.56 ± 0.65, 11-14 years: 3.37, 14-16 years: 5.44 ± 3.14). However, using a cohort independent method based on the Z-score, a decrease in spermatogonia numbers was not confirmed. The results obtained from the biopsy fragments that were evaluated for contamination by cancer cells may not be representative of the entire cryostored ITT and tumor foci may still be present outside of the biopsy range. ITT from boys diagnosed with a hematological malignancy could bear the risk for cancer cell reseeding in case of autotransplantation of the tissue. Such a high level of cancer cell contamination opens the debate of harvesting the tissue after one or two rounds of chemotherapy. However, as the safety of germ cells can be compromised by gonadotoxic treatments, this strategy warrants for the development of adapted fertility restoration protocols. Finally, the impact of the hematological cancer on spermatogonia numbers should be further explored. The project was funded by a grant from the FNRS-Télévie (grant n°. 7.4533.20) and Fondation Contre le Cancer/Foundation Against Cancer (2020-121) for the research project on fertility restoration with testicular tissue from hemato-oncological boys. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. N/A.

النية الشرائية والعلامات التجارية الفاخرة: دراسة حول سلوك المستهلك في المملكة العربية السعودية

In today's rapidly evolving global landscape, understanding the role of aspirations in shaping consumer behaviour is critical, given the significant role that aspirations play in social psychology. Luxury marketing agencies recognise the importance of intrinsic and external aspirations and consider them when designing marketing campaigns. This research explores the concept of the moral, material, and functional value of luxury brands to consumers and the intrinsic and external aspirations that drive consumers' preferences for luxury brands. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, a questionnaire was administered to 51 respondents. The study found that income is a significant determinant of consumers' intention to purchase luxury brands, with consumers considering their monthly income when making purchasing decisions. Additionally, the study identified the search for quality as the most important intrinsic aspiration for purchasing luxury brands, while pride, exclusivity, and distinction were the primary external aspirations. These findings provide valuable insights into the motivations and attitudes of luxury brand consumers, which can inform effective marketing strategies. The research recommends consumers who have different motivations for buying luxury brands, such as merging with the group, excellence, or purchasing power, to be careful not to over-consume or overspend on luxury brands. They should also be mindful of the environmental and social impacts of their consumption choices, and try to balance their personal preferences with ethical and sustainable practices. Luxury brand marketers should be aware of the changing consumer values and attitudes towards luxury brand consumption, especially among younger generations who may not be as influenced by social status or popularity as older generations. This may require them to innovate and adapt their products and services to meet the changing needs and preferences of consumers.

Purulent Skin and Soft Tissue Infections, Challenging the Practice of Incision and Drainage: A Scoping Review.

To generate a landscape of the current knowledge in the interventional management and outcomes of purulent skin and soft tissue infections. This study is a scoping review. Electronic searches were undertaken using CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane Library, British Nursing Index, Science Direct, the National Health Service knowledge and library hub, ClinicalTrials.gov, and MedNar. The population, concept, context framework, and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews were utilised, supporting a rigorous appraisal and synthesis of literature. Data Sources. The initial search and synthesis of literature were completed in January 2022 with repeat searches completed in March 2022 and July 2023. There were no imposed chronological parameters placed on the returned literature. Nineteen papers were reviewed. Incision and drainage with primary closure, needle aspiration, loop drainage, catheter drainage, and suction drainage are viable adjuncts or alternatives to the traditional surgical management of skin and soft tissue abscesses. Despite the empirically favourable alternatives to the incision and drainage technique demonstrated, this does not appear to be driving a change in clinical practice. Future research must now look to mixed and qualitative evidence to understand the causative mechanisms of incision and drainage and its ritualistic practice. Implications. Ritual surgical practices must be challenged if nurses are to improve the treatment and management of this patient group. This will lead to further practice innovation. Impact: This study explored the challenges posed to patients, clinicians, nurses, and stakeholders, resulting from the ritualistic practice of the incision and drainage technique in purulent skin or soft tissue abscesses. Empirically and holistically viable alternatives were identified, impacting all identified entities and recommending a wider holistic study. Reporting Method. Adherence to EQUATOR guidance was achieved through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

First experience with Walrus balloon guide catheter in a whole-body flow model

PurposeFlow arrest using a balloon guide catheter (BGC) in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) due to large vessel occlusion has been associated with better outcomes. Known limitations of currently commercially available BGCs are incompatibility with large bore aspiration catheters (AC) and lack of distal flexibility. Walrus presents variable stiffness and compatibility with large bore AC. The goal of this study is to describe the first experience with Walrus in a realistic stroke simulation model.MethodsA full-length modular vascular model under physiological conditions was used. 8F+-Walrus inner-diameter (ID) 0.087in 95 cm combined with 6F-Sofia AC ID 0.070in 131 cm and an 8F-Flowgate2 BGC ID 0.084in 95 cm with a 5F-Sofia AC ID 0.055in 125 cm were used to perform aspiration MT. User surveys, access to target and occlusion site, technique, time of delivery, anatomical change, and catheter kick-back were assessed.ResultsSeven neuroradiologists with average of 10 years-experience in MT performed primary aspiration using the above-mentioned combinations in three different anatomies (N = 41). All operators would likely (29%) or very likely (71%) use again Walrus in combination with large bore AC and the majority (86%) found its navigability easier than with other BGCs. Time to reach final BGC position and catheter kick-back did not differ significantly among anatomies or catheter combinations (p > 0.05). However, Walrus was more likely to reach ICA petrous segment (p < 0.05) and intracranial occlusion with AC (p < 0.01).ConclusionThe Walrus combined with large bore AC presented significantly better distal access and navigability for primary aspiration in an in vitro stroke model.

Childhood pilomatrixoma mimicking malignant small round blue cell tumor with positivity for CD99: Potential pitfall in cytology.

Pilomatrixoma is a relatively rare benign skin appendageal tumor, often presenting in the pediatric age group as a nodular lesion and most commonly involving the head and neck, making it amenable to primary fine needle aspiration (FNA) diagnosis. We report the clinical and histopathological findings of two cases of pilomatrixoma in children, both of which were initially misdiagnosed as small round blue cell tumors due to high cellularity and misinterpretation of the proliferating basaloid cells. Histopathology revealed basal cell proliferation and mitoses indicating that they were progressive, early lesions. The first case showed membranous positivity for CD99 which prompted a diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma. Awareness of the morphological spectrum including positivity for CD99 and careful evaluation of cell block histology could have averted the misdiagnosis. Pilomatrixoma should be included as an important differential diagnosis when faced with primitive-appearing cells on FNA, especially in children with mass lesions in the head and neck region.

The Nexus between Agriculture, Water, Energy and Environmental Degradation in Central Asia—Empirical Evidence Using Panel Data Models

The primary aspiration of this paper is to learn about the effects of economic growth, energy consumption, agriculture and irrigation water consumption and agriculture productivity on environmental pollution in five countries of Central Asia. The data cover the period from 1992 to 2020 by applying panel data models, namely the Panel FMOLS, Panel DOLS and Panel ARDL-PMG approaches. The results indicate that there is a positive long-term impact of economic growth, water productivity, energy consumption and electricity production on CO2 emissions while agriculture value added and trade openness have a negative and statistically significant influence on CO2 emissions in Central Asia. Country specific short-run coefficients from Panel ARDL reveal that energy consumption is the main driver for rise in the level of CO2 emissions in the countries under the study. Indeed, country level analysis generates unique nexus correlation among agriculture, energy and environmental degradation in each country of Central Asia.

Economic Growth and Pollution Nexus in Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela (G-3 Countries): The Role of Renewable Energy in Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The primary aspiration of this paper is to learn about the effects of economic growth (GDPG) and energy consumption (ENRC) on environmental pollution (EP) in G-3 countries and to show the significance of renewable energy consumption (RENEW) on environmental pollution (EP). The data covers the period from 1970 to 2020 by applying the “Pooled Mean Group-Autoregressive Distributed Lag” (PMG-ARDL) model. The results indicate that GDPG is negatively co-integrated with CO2 emissions (pollution) in the short run (SR) but positively co-integrated in the long run (LR). Energy consumption has a positive impact in the long run, but there is no positive impact in the short run to accelerate pollution. In both the short and long run, renewable energy has a significant role in reducing environmental degradation. However, according to the Dumitrescu Hurlin panel, there was bidirectional causality (BC) involving energy consumption and pollution. Because of the large volume of energy emphasized in economic growth and development activities, energy use increases pollution. In addition, there was a BC involving energy consumption and economic growth. At the country level, a significant contribution implies sustainable development and the implication of environmental quality assurance policies.

Aspectos clínicos e tomográficos de crianças com bronquiectasias não fibrocísticas em um serviço de pneumologia pediátrica

Bronchiectasis is bronchial dilatation, usually diagnosed by chest tomography. Among the main causes are cystic fibrosis, infectious diseases and immunodeficiencies. In the pediatric age group there is a shortage of studies on non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. We seek to describe epidemiological, clinical and etiological characteristics of children and adolescents with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis accompanied in a pediatric Pneumology service. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study of a sample of 72 patients under 18 years of age, followed up in the pediatric Pneumology service of a tertiary hospital linked to the Unified Health Sys-tem, reference in pediatrics for patients in the capital and in the interior of the state of Ceará The diagnosis was based on tomographic findings. There was a predominance of males (57%). Although the vast majority (90%) started symptoms before the age of 5, less than half (45%) were diagnosed with bronchiectasis before this age group. Almost all patients (97%) reported cough, 90% had expectoration and 80% reported dyspnea. All patients presented crepitations in the auscultation. The most frequently affected lobes were the lowest (23%) and the predominant classification was cylindrical (65%). Among the etiologies, 39% were of unidentified cause followed by post-infectious (28%) immunodeficiency (21%), probable primary ciliary dyskinesia (8%) and aspiration syndrome (4%). We concluded that despite the early onset of symptoms, there was a delay in the diagnosis of bronchiectasis. The proportion of unidentified and post-infectious causes was high. Greater investment is needed to expand diagnostic resources in reference centres.

ОСНОВНЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ РАЗВИТИЯ ЗЕРНООЧИСТИТЕЛЬНОЙ ТЕХНИКИ

The main directions of research concerning post-harvest grain processing have been established: the first category includes cleaning methods, the second separator design, and the third grain cleaning technology. The most frequently used cleaning methods are highlighted. It is established that modern machines for primary grain processing use two-channel aspiration systems and three sieves in one tier of the sieve mill. The differences and advantages of air-sieve machines are shown. The low efficiency of pneumatic separators as independent devices for grain cleaning is shown: when feeding grain material of 7.9 t/h, the purity of the material when using the PS-15 separator increased from 98.16% to 98.70%; when feeding 9.6 t/h from 98.02% to 99.03%; when feeding 13.4 t/h from 97.73% to 98.04%; when feeding 14.9 t/h from 98.12% to 98.77%; when feeding 16.0 t/h from 97.55% to 98.29%. The efficiency of energy-saving gravity separators ZG-5 is shown: the content of the weed impurity when using it decreased to 0.67...0.98%, grain impurity up to 0.87...1.25%. The main objectives of various grain cleaning equipment are outlined: basic cleaning, isolation of difficult-to-separate impurities, obtaining high-quality seeds, energy saving. Two main new technologies of grain purification are given: fractionation and differentiation of grain heaps. Recommendations for developers of grain cleaning equipment are given.

A method for identifying metal-poor stars with Gaia BP/RP spectra

Context. The study of the oldest and most metal-poor stars in our Galaxy promotes our understanding of the Galactic chemical evolution and the beginning of Galaxy and star formation. However, they are notoriously difficult to find, with only seven stars at [Fe/H] &lt; −5.0 having been detected to date. Thus, the spectrophotometric data of 219 million sources which became available in the third Gaia Data Release comprise a very promising dataset for the identification of metal-poor stars. Aims. We want to use the low-resolution Gaia Blue Photometer/Red Photometer (BP/RP) spectra to identify metal-poor stars. Our primary aspiration is to help populate the poorly constrained tail of the metallicity distribution function of the stellar halo of the Galaxy. Methods. We developed a metal-poor candidate selection method based on flux ratios from the BP/RP Gaia spectra, using simulated synthetic spectra. Results. We found a relation between the relative iron abundance and the flux ratio of the Ca H &amp; K region to that of the Hβ line. This relation is temperature and surface gravity dependent, and it holds for stars with 4800 K ≤ Teff ≤ 6300 K. We applied it to noisy simulated synthetic spectra and inferred [Fe/H] with an uncertainty of σ[Fe/H] ≲ 0.65 dex for −3 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ 0.5 and G = 15–17 mag, which is sufficient to identify stars at [Fe/H] &lt; −2.0 reliably. We predict that by selecting stars with inferred [Fe/H] ≤ −2.5 dex, we can retrieve 80% of the stars with [Fe/H] ≤ −3 and have a success rate of about 50%, that is one in two stars we select would have [Fe/H] ≤ −3. We do not take into account the effect of reddening, so our method should only be applied to stars which are located in regions of low extinction.

Impact of aspiration catheter size on clinical outcomes in aspiration thrombectomy

BackgroundDirect aspiration thrombectomy is a well-established method for mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke. Yet, the influence of aspiration catheter internal diameter (ID) on aspiration thrombectomy efficacy is incompletely understood.MethodsA...

Acute embolic stroke with large-vessel occlusion: does contact aspiration thrombectomy show superiority?

To compare the efficacy between contact aspiration thrombectomy and stent retriever thrombectomy in the treatment of acute embolic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion. Between January 2019 and June 2020, data from consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients who underwent either endovascular contact aspiration or stent retriever thrombectomy were analysed at one institution. The primary outcome was the full 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between thrombectomy approach and functional outcomes. A total of 156 patients were analysed. Among them, 57 (36.5%) patients underwent primary aspiration thrombectomy, while 99 (63.5%) patients underwent primary stent retriever thrombectomy. The median procedure time was significantly shorter in patients treated with aspiration (37 versus 56 minutes; p<0.001). Compared with those of patients who underwent stent retriever thrombectomy, successful recanalisation rates and favourable functional outcome rates were higher in patients who underwent the aspiration approach (94.7% versus 77.8%, p=0.006; 49.1% versus 27.3%, p=0.006, respectively). Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that aspiration thrombectomy was independently associated with a good functional outcome (adjusted common odds ratio, 0.30, 95% confidence interval: 0.16-0.60, p<0.001). Among the specific patients with large vessel occlusion in acute embolic stroke, the use of aspiration thrombectomy compared with stent retriever thrombectomy resulted in a greater likelihood of favourable neurological outcomes; however, because of study limitations, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary and require further study to confirm these results.

NFTs and Digital Art

NFTs and Digital Art

The Etiologies of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (PARDS) in Patients Treated at The PICU of Haji Adam Malik Hospital Medan in 2017 – 2020

Background. Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (PARDS) is considered to occur due to direct lung injury and indirect lung injury. The research aims to describe the causes of PARDS in patients treated at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Haji Adam Malik Hospital Medan in 2017-2020. Method. This type of research is a retrospective descriptive study with a cross-sectional study design uses secondary data in the form of medical records. The population of this study were all PICU patients aged 1 month – 18 years at Haji Adam Malik Hospital Medan in 2017-2020 using consecutive sampling technique. Results. Of the 100 PICU patients, there were 55 male patients with the most age group was &lt;12 months. The most common mode of ventilation used is 80 invasive mechanical ventilation and duration of ventilation used has a mean value of 17.72 days. A mean value of Length of stay (LOS) patient was 25.47 days. Based on the Oxygenation Index (OI), of the 80 patients with invasive mechanical ventilation, most patients were 57 at risk PARDS, meanwhile, based on Oxygen Saturation Index (OSI) categories, of the 20 patients with non-invasive mechanical ventilation, most patients were 15 at risk PARDS. Most caused by indirect lung injury, namely 51 (51%), direct lung injury 47 (47%), and due to complications of using a ventilator as much as 2 (2%). Conclusion. The most common direct lung injury factor is the primary pulmonary infection, aspiration, trauma, and other factors. The most common indirect lung injury factor is sepsis, then central nervous system (CNS) disorders, postoperatively, and other factors.

Hyperparameters optimisation of ensemble classifiers and its application for landslide hazards classification

Along with assessing the hazards of landslides taking into consideration the faced difficulties and the consumed time when determining the algorithms configurations and parameters manually, the primary aspiration of this study is to optimise the parameters of two ensemble-based machine learning algorithms using particle swarm optimisation, genetic algorithm, and Bayesian optimisation so that the optimised algorithms can identify and classify landslides more efficiently and accurately. Random forest classifier and XGBoost models were used and the ADASYN was implemented to overcome the shortage of imbalanced data. In the experiments, it was clearly shown that the hypered ensemble-based models along with the PSO and GA successfully surpassed the single models on classifying the landslides' triggers, sizes, and types. The experimental results demonstrated that the hyperparameters optimisation can greatly improve the accuracy of the ensemble classifiers, thus it can provide accurate classification results and decision support for the disaster prevention and mitigation management departments.

Mechanical Thrombectomy for Anterior versus Posterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke with Emphasis on Posterior Circulation Outcomes

Although there is class I evidence for mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke, no high-class evidence exists for the posterior circulation. Here, we sought to compare clinical features of anterior versus posterior LVO as well as predictors of a posterior LVO MT outcome. Patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent MT for anterior and posterior LVO stroke between February 2016 and August 2020 from 2 comprehensive stroke centers were reviewed. Anterior and posterior LVO strokes were compared. In addition, predictors for a favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale [mRS] 0-3), death (mRS 6), and futile revascularization (mRS 4-6 despite TICI 2b/3 revascularization) for posterior LVO were analyzed. Collectively, 813 LVO thrombectomy cases were analyzed, and 77 of 813 cases (9.5%) were located in the posterior circulation. Although favorable 90-day functional outcome rates did not differ between anterior and posterior LVO (P= 0.093), death was significantly more frequent among posterior LVO cases (P= 0.013). In the posterior LVO subgroup, a primary aspiration technique and successful revascularization TICI 2b/3 irrespective of time to the intervention were independently associated with achieving a favorable outcome. Primary aspiration was identified to inversely associate with futile revascularization. Anterior and posterior circulation MT patients have distinct clinical profiles. The use of primary aspiration appears fundamental for beneficial outcomes in posterior circulation MT.

Detection of Clonal Plasma Cells in POEMS Syndrome Using Multiparameter Flow Cytometry

Detection of Clonal Plasma Cells in POEMS Syndrome Using Multiparameter Flow Cytometry

Year 3 student career choices: Exploring societal changes in constructions of masculinity and femininity in career choice justifications

This article reports on a survey of 332 Year 3 students from 14 Australian schools. We are interested in exploring Year 3 primary school student aspirations and what this data shows us about any societal changes, or not. This study is timely as it reports on contemporary data within an Australian educational context marked by significant investment in improving equitable gendered participation, particularly for girls entering STEM. Drawing on conceptions of masculinities and femininities as social constructions, we report on the participants’ desired occupations and explore their justifications for such choices. The top three occupations for boys included careers in professional sports, STEM‐related jobs and policing/defence. Girls reported wanting to be teachers, veterinarians or to work in the arts as their top choices. As part of our exploration, we found issues of money and power—traditionally coded masculine—and conceptions of love and care—traditionally coded feminine—ingrained in boys’ and girls’ justifications for their desired trajectories. Findings are significant for illustrating how traditional constructions of gender are ingrained in career choices in the early years of primary school and how policy agendas to widen participation need to start early in life.