The thymus is where T cells, among the most important immune cells involved in biological defense and homeostasis, are produced and developed. The thymus plays an important role in the defense against infection and cancer as well as the prevention of autoimmune diseases. However, the thymus gland atrophies with age, which might have pathological functions, and in some circumstances, there is a congenital defect in the thymus. These can be the cause of many diseases related to the dysregulation of T cell functions. Thus, the enhancement and/or normalization of thymic function may lead to protection against and treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Therefore, thymus transplantation is considered a strong candidate for permanent treatment. The status and issues related to thymus transplantation for possible immunotherapy are discussed although it is still at an early stage of development.

Immunosuppression constitutes a significant risk for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Nevertheless, specific causes of immunosuppression and their relevance for incidence, etiology and prognosis of CAP are insufficiently investigated.We conducted a population-based cohort study within a statutory health insurance in Germany from 2015 to 2018. CAP was retrieved by ICD-10-GM codes. Episodes of immunosuppression were identified by coded conditions (hematologic neoplasms, stem cell or organ transplantation, neutropenia, HIV, primary immunosuppressive syndromes) or treatments (immunosuppressants, antineoplastic drugs, systemic steroids). Endpoints were defined as occurrence of CAP (primary), hospitalization, 30-day mortality and CAP associated with rare pathogens. Our analysis utilized the Andersen-Gill model adjusted for sex, age, level of long-term care, vaccination status, community type and comorbidities.942,008 individuals with 54,781 CAPs were included (hospitalization 55%, 30-day mortality 14.5%). 6% of individuals showed at least one episode of immunosuppression during the study period with systemic steroids (39.8%) and hematologic neoplasms (26.7%) being most common. Immunosuppression was recorded in 7.7% of CAPs. Besides classical risk factors such as age and level of long-term care, immunosuppressed patients were most prone to CAP (HR 2.4[2.3-2.5]) and consecutive death (HR 1.9[1.8-2.1]). Organ and stem cell transplantation (HR 3.2[2.6-4.0] and 2.8[2.1-3.7], respectively), HIV (HR 3.2[1.9-5.4]) and systemic steroids (> 20 mg prednisone daily dose equivalent (HR 2.7[2.4-3.1])) showed the highest risk for contracting CAP. CAP by rare pathogens was strongly associated with immunosuppression (HR 17.1[12.0-24.5]), especially HIV (HR 34.1[7.6-153]) and systemic steroids (HR 8.2[4.6-14.8]).Our study elucidates the relevance of particular immunosuppressive conditions including systemic steroids for occurrence and prognosis of CAP.

BACKGROUND: The success of a combined periodontal and endodontic lesion depends on the elimination of both these disease processes. In the case of a combined endo-perio lesion, endodontic therapy results in healing of the endodontic component of involvement, while the prognosis of teeth would finally depend on the healing of the periodontal structure.
METHODS: This case report evaluates the efficacy of autologous fibrin glue and bone graft, that is, sticky bone in the management of bone defects associated with endo-perio lesion. The endo-perio lesion is first treated endodontically, followed by periodontal therapy. Conclusion: The patient was kept on follow-up for 9 months, and satisfactory results in terms of bone fill and reduction in pocket depth were obtained.
UNASSIGNED: The sticky bone enhances regeneration in treatment of endo-perio lesions.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is highly prevalent in people with obesity. We aimed to study the association of body mass index (BMI) with clinical outcomes in patients with MASLD.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort of 32,900 patients with MASLD, identified through the International Classification of Diseases-9 and 10 codes within the electronic health records of a large US-based health system, with a mean follow-up of 5.5 years (range: 1-15 y), was stratified into 6 BMI categories, <25, 25-<30, 30-<40, 40-<50, and ≥50 kg/m2.
RESULTS: The risk of liver decompensation and extrahepatic obesity-associated cancers had a J-shaped profile (both ps for linear and quadratic terms <0.05). Compared to patients with BMI 25-<30 kg/m2, the adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for liver decompensation of patients with BMI <25 and BMI ≥50 kg/m2 were 1.44 (1.17-1.77) and 2.27 (1.66-3.00), respectively. The corresponding figures for obesity-associated extrahepatic cancer were 1.15 (0.97-1.36) and 1.29 (1.00-1.76). There was an inverse association for BMI with liver transplantation and non-obesity-associated cancer (both ps for linear terms <0.05), but no association with HCC or all types of cancers combined. A similar J-shaped association between BMI and all-cause mortality was observed; adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for BMI <25 and ≥50 kg/m2 were 1.51 (1.32-1.72) and 3.24 (2.67-3.83), respectively, compared with BMI 25-<30 kg/m2 (both ps for linear and quadratic terms <0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MASLD and very severe obesity (BMI ≥50 kg/m2) had the highest risk, exceeding that of patients with lean MASLD, for developing liver decompensation, obesity-associated extrahepatic cancers, or dying from any cause.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is a complex process requiring extensive preparation and ongoing monitoring. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots hold potential for providing accessible health information, but our understanding of their role in offering health advice for kidney transplantation and how individuals assess such advice remains limited. This study investigates how individuals evaluate ChatGPT\'s responses to kidney transplantation questions in terms of information quality and empathy, focusing on potential differences across race/ethnicity and educational backgrounds.
METHODS: We collected Reddit posts (N = 4624) regarding kidney transplantation and selected 86 questions to represent typical clinician inquiries. These questions were used as input prompts for ChatGPT. A total of 565 participants assessed ChatGPT\'s responses through online surveys, rating information quality and empathy using Likert scales.
RESULTS: Multilevel analyses (N = 2825) show that there is a significant interaction between race/ethnicity and education levels in various measures related to perceived information quality, but not perceived empathy of ChatGPT\'s responses: accuracy (p < 0.05); authenticity (p < 0.01); believability (p < 0.05); informativeness (p = 0.053); usefulness (p < 0.05); recognizing users\' feelings (p = 0.70) and understanding feelings and situations (p = 0.65). Among non-White individuals, higher education levels predicted higher perceived quality of ChatGPT\'s responses across all information quality measures. Notably, this trend was reversed for White individuals, where higher education levels led to lower perceived information quality.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the importance of developing AI tools sensitive to diverse communication styles and information needs.

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UNASSIGNED: Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are more susceptible to viral epidemics and are known to have higher incidence and death rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared to the general population. We determined COVID-19 incidence and mortality among chronic hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD), and kidney transplantation (KT) patients in Korea.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a retrospective cohort study and data regarding Korean ESKD adults (aged ≥18 years) were obtained from the National Health Insurance Service of Korea from October 2020 to December 2021. We examined and compared the incidence of COVID-19-related infections and deaths among the patients receiving HD, PD, and KT.
UNASSIGNED: Of all ESKD patients, 85,018 (68.1%) were on HD, 8,399 (6.7%) on PD, and 31,343 (25.1%) on KT. The COVID-19 incidence was 1.3% for HD, 1.2% for PD, and 1.5% for KT. COVID-19 mortality was 16.3% for HD, 12.2% for PD, and 4.7% for KT. PD patients had a lower incidence of infection compared to HD patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.607-0.93), but KT patients had a significantly higher risk of infection (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.13-1.44). Compared with HD, the risk of COVID-19-related death was not different for PD patients but was significantly lower for KT patients (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35-0.88).
UNASSIGNED: COVID-19 incidence was lower in PD patients than in HD patients, but mortality was not different between them. KT was associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 infection but lower mortality compared to HD.

UNASSIGNED: The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) at heightened risk owing to their vulnerability to infections. Our study focused on patients with ESKD, examining COVID-19 incidence, hospitalization, and mortality in relation to their renal replacement therapy (RRT) type and identifying factors influencing COVID-19 hospitalization.
UNASSIGNED: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using health insurance claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service for patients with ESKD between July 2017 and June 2022. COVID-19 data for the general population were sourced from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
UNASSIGNED: Patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) constituted 90.7% of the cohort, followed by kidney transplantation (KT) recipients and peritoneal dialysis (PD). After adjusting for every 10,000 individuals, KT recipients exhibited the highest COVID-19 incidence, followed by those undergoing HD and PD, whereas the general population showed a higher infection rate of 43.64. Patients undergoing HD had the highest hospitalization rates, followed by KT recipients and those undergoing PD. The mortality rate per 10,000 individuals was highest in HD, followed by PD, the general population, and KT. Multivariate analysis indicated that age, RRT duration, residence in a nursing hospital, and comorbidities were associated with COVID-19 hospitalization.
UNASSIGNED: Among RRT modalities, KT recipients displayed the highest COVID-19 incidence, whereas those undergoing HD exhibited the highest hospitalization and mortality rates. This study contributes to our understanding of infectious diseases in patients on RRT and aids in preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks.