ls, especially in low-income countries (LICs), to help inform and direct policy.
  There is a need for efficient, convenient, and inexpensive methods to accurately diagnose the clinical stage of lung cancer and evaluate the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with lung cancer. Although growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF)-15 has great potential as a tumor marker, supporting clinical evidence is still lacking. In this study, we aimed to analyze the relationship between serum GDF15 concentration and the clinical characteristics of patients with lung cancer, and to assess the value of GDF15 in the diagnosis and curative effect of chemotherapy.
 
  The study comprised 160 participants in total, of whom 88 had lung cancer, 31 had pneumonia, and 41 were control subjects. Among the 88 patients with lung cancer, 64 were willing to participate in follow-up chemotherapy-related studies and meet the inclusion criteria. The serum GDF15 concentration in 288 samples (31 cases, pneumonia group samples; 41 cases, control samples; 88 cases, lung cancer group samples; 64 cases, after 1 chemotherapy cycle;, serum GDF15 concentration is valuable in lung cancer diagnosis and in the evaluation of the efficacy of chemotherapy.
  To investigate whether women with diastasis recti abdominis (DRA) have weaker abdominal muscles and higher prevalence of pelvic floor disorders (PFD), low back, pelvic girdle and abdominal pain than women without DRA.
 
  Cross sectional study of women with and without DRA.
 
  University study.
 
  Seventy-two parity and age matched women with and without DRA.
 
  Maximal abdominal muscle strength and endurance were assessed with a dynamometer and with a curl-up test. Women reported whether they experienced PFD, low back pain, pelvic girdle pain or abdominal pain. Those experiencing PFD or pain completed the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-short form 20 (PFDI-20), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Pelvic Girdle Questionnaire (PGQ) or questions about abdominal pain, respectively.
 
  Maximal abdominal strength standing with 30° hip flexion was significantly lower in women with DRA (mean difference -12.9Nm, 95%CI -24.4 to -1.5; P=0.028), but adjusted analyses showed no significant difference (mean difference -11.9Nm, 95%CI -26.5 to 2.6; P=0.106). Adjusted analyses showed significant higher prevalence of abdominal pain in women with DRA (OR 0.02, 95%CI 0.00 to 0.61, P=0.026). There was no difference between the groups in PFD, low back and pelvic girdle pain.
 
  Women with DRA tend to have weaker abdominal muscles and higher prevalence of abdominal pain, but no higher prevalence of PFD, low back or pelvic girdle pain than women without DRA.
 Women with DRA tend to have weaker abdominal muscles and higher prevalence of abdominal pain, but no higher prevalence of PFD, low back or pelvic girdle pain than women without DRA.
  Combined heart and lungs (CHL) procurement differs from isolated heart (IH) procurement in several aspects, including lung recruitment, cannulation, and preservation requirements. We aimed to investigate whether CHL versus IH procurement contributes to the development of primary graft dysfunction (PGD) after heart transplantation (HT).
 
  Between 1999 and 2019, we assessed 175 patients undergoing HT at a single center. Patients were divided into IH (n=61) or CHL (n=114) procurement groups. End points included PGD (defined according to the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation consensus statement) and long-term survival.
 
  The incidence of PGD was significantly greater in CHL recipients compared with IH recipients (53.5% vs 16.4%, P<.001). Multivariable analysis showed that CHL procurement was independently associated with a significant 4.6-fold increased risk for PGD (95% confidence interval, 2.1-11, P<.001). Univariable and multivariable analyses showed that the overall survival was not significantly affected by the procurement group (log-rank P=.150, hazard ratio, 1.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-1.88, P=.646). The simultaneous procurement of abdominal organs was not associated with an increased risk of PGD in HT recipients. These results remained consistent in a propensity-matched analysis.
 
  Combined procurement of heart and lungs is independently associated with an increased risk of PGD. Further prospective studies are needed to validate this hypothesis-generating study.
 Combined procurement of heart and lungs is independently associated with an increased risk of PGD.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/cetuximab.html  Further prospective studies are needed to validate this hypothesis-generating study.
  It has been suggested that follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays a role in preventing germ cell apoptosis. We aimed to compare apoptotic rate of boys with cryptorchidism having different levels of FSH in order to investigate its role in apoptosis.
 
  Hormonal profiles and testicular biopsies from 30 boys with unilateral cryptorchidism (age range 4-14 months) were included. Based on FSH level, the boys were grouped into three (3×10) having high (>97.5percentile), low (<2.5percentile), or within normal range. Sections underwent immunohistochemical staining to analyze the number of germ cells and type A dark spermatogonia per cross-sectional tubule. One section was co-stained with immunofluorescent antibodies against an apoptotic marker (cleaved caspase-3), proliferation marker (Ki67), Sertoli cell marker (anti-Müllerian hormone) and processed by confocal imaging for analysis. Germ cell apoptosis was calculated as the apoptosis index (percentage caspase-3+ germ cells/total germ cell number).
 
  Fifty percent (5/10) of the boys with low FSH had an apoptosis index above 90% compared with 15% (3/20) of the boys with normal or high FSH (p=0.04). Caspase-3+ germ cells were most likely to be located on the basement membrane (p<0.05).
 
  Our findings lead to trends proposing that FSH may play a role in preventing apoptosis.
 
  Prognosis Study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.
 Prognosis Study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.Nostril stenosis is typically caused by retraction and contraction after trauma or infection, although loss of nasal tissue is not common during rhinoplasty. This clinical report describes the fabrication of a nasal stent to replace the lost columella and a columella prosthesis for a patient who had had reconstructive surgery for nasal valve collapse and a missing columella. The stent established a comfortable means of nasal air exchange that was also esthetically acceptable. The stent also provided the necessary support for the nasal tissue before further nasal reconstructive surgeries.