Objective: This study aims to assess global trends in the use of open surgery versus minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the treatment of single-level L4–5 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS). Methods: A cross-sectional online survey issued by the AO Spine Knowledge Forum Degenerative was conducted among AO Spine members between July and September 2023. Participants were presented with 3 clinical cases of L4–5 grade 1 DLS, each with varying degrees of stenosis and instability. The survey captured surgeon demographics and preferences for open versus MIS approaches. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests and logistic regression, was performed to explore associations between surgical choices and surgeon demographics. Results: A total of 943 surgeons responded, with 479 completing the survey. Open surgery was the preferred approach in all 3 cases (58.8%, 57.3%, and 42.4%, respectively), particularly in cases involving central and bilateral foraminal stenosis. MIS was the second most common choice, particularly for unilateral foraminal stenosis with mild instability (38.8%). Surgeons’ preferences varied significantly by region, age, and fellowship training, with younger and fellowship-trained surgeons more likely to prefer MIS. Conclusion The study highlights the continued predominance of open surgery for DLS, especially in complex cases, despite the growing acceptance of MIS. Significant regional and demographic variations in surgical preferences suggest the need for tailored guidelines and standardized training protocols to optimize patient outcomes. Future research should focus on the long-term efficacy of these approaches and the impact of evolving technologies on surgical decision-making.

Objective: Considering the success of infrazygomatic mini-implants in conjunction with traditional braces, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of infrazygomatic mini-implants in en masse maxillary distalization utilizing clear aligner therapy. Methods: In a three-dimensional finite element study, we evaluated the en masse maxillary dental distalization through the use of infrazygomatic mini-implants equipped with varying force-application arm lengths (0 mm, 4 mm, and 8 mm). Vertical, sagittal, and horizontal displacements were quantified. Results: Intrusion was observed in the incisors at all force application arm lengths (0 mm, 4 mm, and 8 mm), with similar sagittal displacement tendencies and labial crown tipping. Among all maxillary teeth, only the canine exhibited distalization of both the crown and root. Distalization of the posterior teeth was achieved, with the greatest magnitude of distalization occurring at the 0-mm force application arm length, which was characterized by minimal tipping and reduced vertical movements compared to the other force application arm lengths. Conclusions The findings indicate that infrazygomatic mini-implants represent a viable approach for facilitating targeted tooth movement in clear aligners across various force-application arm lengths. These results may inform orthodontic treatment strategies in non-extraction cases.

The International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) was established in 2017 to advance the understanding of severe asthma and its management, thereby improving patient care worldwide. As the first global registry for adults with severe asthma, ISAR enabled individual registries to standardize and pool their data, creating a comprehensive, harmonized dataset with sufficient statistical power to address key research questions and knowledge gaps. Today, ISAR is the largest repository of real-world data on severe asthma, curating data on nearly 35,000 patients from 28 countries worldwide, and has become a leading contributor to severe asthma research. Research using ISAR data has provided valuable insights on the characteristics of severe asthma, its burdens and risk factors, real-world treatment effectiveness, and barriers to specialist care, which are collectively informing improved asthma management. Besides changing clinical thinking via research, ISAR aims to advance real-world practice through initiatives that improve registry data quality and severe asthma care. In 2024, ISAR refined essential research variables to enhance data quality and launched a web-based data acquisition and reporting system (QISAR), which integrates data collection with clinical consultations and enables longitudinal data tracking at patient, center, and population levels. Quality improvement priorities include collecting standardized data during consultations and tracking and optimizing patient journeys via QISAR and integrating primary/secondary care pathways to expedite specialist severe asthma management and facilitate clinical trial recruitment. ISAR envisions a future in which timely specialist referral and initiation of biologic therapy can obviate long-term systemic corticosteroid use and enable more patients to achieve remission.

Background/Aims: Alcohol represents a leading burden of disease worldwide, including alcohol use disorder (AUD) and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD). We aim to assess the global burden of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-attributable primary liver cancer between 2000–2021. Methods: We registered the global and regional trends of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-related liver cancer using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 Study, the largest and most up-to-date global epidemiology database. We estimated the annual percent change (APC) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess changes in age-standardized rates over time. Results: In 2021, there were 111.12 million cases of AUD, 3.02 million cases of ALD, and 132,030 cases of alcohol-attributable primary liver cancer. Between 2000 and 2021, there was a 14.66% increase in AUD, a 38.68% increase in ALD, and a 94.12% increase in alcohol-attributable primary liver cancer prevalence. While the age-standardized prevalence rate for liver cancer from alcohol increased (APC 0.59%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52 to 0.67%) over these years, it decreased for ALD (APC –0.71%; 95% CI –0.75 to –0.67%) and AUD (APC –0.90%; 95% CI –0.94 to –0.86%). There was significant variation by region, socioeconomic development level, and sex. During the last years (2019–2021), the prevalence, incidence, and death of ALD increased to a greater extent in females. Conclusions Given the high burden of AUD, ALD, and alcohol-attributable primary liver cancer, urgent measures are needed to prevent them at both global and national levels.

As new evidence emerges, treatment strategies toward the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B are evolving. In 2019, a panel of national hepatologists published a Consensus Statement on the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Currently, an international group of hepatologists has been assembled to evaluate research since the publication of the original consensus, and to collaboratively develop the updated statements. The 2.0 Consensus was aimed to update the original consensus with the latest available studies, and provide a comprehensive overview of the current relevant scientific literatures regarding functional cure of hepatitis B, with a particular focus on issues that are not yet fully clarified. These cover the definition of functional cure of hepatitis B, its mechanisms and barriers, the effective strategies and treatment roadmap to achieve this endpoint, in particular new surrogate biomarkers used to measure efficacy or to predict response, and the appropriate approach to pursuing a functional cure in special populations, the development of emerging antivirals and immunomodulators with potential for curing hepatitis B. The statements are primarily intended to offer international guidance for clinicians in their practice to enhance the functional cure rate of chronic hepatitis B.

Background/Aims: The real-world efficacy of computer-aided detection (CADe) systems, such as GI Genius (Medtronic), is unclear. We examined the colonoscopy metrics using CADe alone and with a mucosal exposure device (EndoCuff; Olympus) in a real-world setting. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed screening and surveillance colonoscopies before, during, and after CADe use in a large tertiary care center. Outcomes included the adenomas per colonoscopy (APC), sessile serrated lesions per colonoscopy, adenoma detection rate (ADR), sessile serrated lesion detection rate (SSLDR), advanced ADR, total polyp detection rate, and true histology rate. The ADR and SSLDR were further examined according to size, colon location, and EndoCuff use. Results: A total of 798 colonoscopies were performed, including 386 pre-CADe, 178 CADe, and 234 post-CADe. In cases where CADe was used with the EndoCuff, the 1 to 5 mm ADR increased from 36.3% (pre-CADe) to 52.1% (CADe) (p=0.01). The 1 to 5 mm SSLDR increased from 9.6% (pre-CADe) to 17.1% (CADe) (p=0.02). The right-sided ADR increased from 30.8% (pre-CADe) to 42.7% (CADe) (p=0.03). The right-sided SSLDR increased from 12.3% (pre-CADe) to 24.8% (CADe) (p<0.001). No significant changes were observed when only CADe was used. No differences were found in other outcome measures. Post-CADe metrics returned to pre-CADe levels. Conclusions GI Genius is useful for identifying small and right-sided polyps only when used with the EndoCuff.

Soft tissue reconstruction is a common requirement in managing hand trauma, and an eclectic mixture of flaps has been described for when vascularized tissue is required. The authors report the novel use of NovoSorb Biodegradable Temporising Matrix (NovoSorb BTM; PolyNovo Biomaterials) for a finger defect that would have ordinarily necessitated coverage by vascularized tissue. The patient made a positive and timely recovery, with return to his premorbid level of functioning. The authors have continued to utilize NovoSorb BTM in a number of cases and found it to represent a robust and versatile addition to our reconstructive quiver for managing soft tissue defects in the hand.

Objective: This study aims to assess global trends in the use of open surgery versus minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the treatment of single-level L4–5 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS). Methods: A cross-sectional online survey issued by the AO Spine Knowledge Forum Degenerative was conducted among AO Spine members between July and September 2023. Participants were presented with 3 clinical cases of L4–5 grade 1 DLS, each with varying degrees of stenosis and instability. The survey captured surgeon demographics and preferences for open versus MIS approaches. Statistical analysis, including chi-square tests and logistic regression, was performed to explore associations between surgical choices and surgeon demographics. Results: A total of 943 surgeons responded, with 479 completing the survey. Open surgery was the preferred approach in all 3 cases (58.8%, 57.3%, and 42.4%, respectively), particularly in cases involving central and bilateral foraminal stenosis. MIS was the second most common choice, particularly for unilateral foraminal stenosis with mild instability (38.8%). Surgeons’ preferences varied significantly by region, age, and fellowship training, with younger and fellowship-trained surgeons more likely to prefer MIS. Conclusion The study highlights the continued predominance of open surgery for DLS, especially in complex cases, despite the growing acceptance of MIS. Significant regional and demographic variations in surgical preferences suggest the need for tailored guidelines and standardized training protocols to optimize patient outcomes. Future research should focus on the long-term efficacy of these approaches and the impact of evolving technologies on surgical decision-making.