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Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool in healthcare significantly impacting practices from diagnostics to treatment delivery and patient management. This article examines the progress of AI in healthcare, starting from the field’s inception in the 1960s to present-day innovative applications in areas such as precision medicine, robotic surgery, and drug development. In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the acceleration of the use of AI in technologies such as telemedicine and chatbots to enhance accessibility and improve medical education is also explored. Looking forward, the paper speculates on the promising future of AI in healthcare while critically addressing the ethical and societal considerations that accompany the integration of AI technologies. Furthermore, the potential to mitigate health disparities and the ethical implications surrounding data usage and patient privacy are discussed, emphasizing the need for evolving guidelines to govern AI’s application in healthcare.

Post-traumatic osteoporosis (PTO) presents a significant challenge in clinical practice, characterized by demineralization and decreased skeletal integrity following severe traumatic injuries. This literature review manuscript addresses the knowledge gaps surrounding PTO, encompassing its epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and future directions. This review emphasizes the complexity of the etiology of PTO, highlighting the dysregulation of biomineralization processes, inflammatory cytokine involvement, hormonal imbalances, glucocorticoid effects, vitamin D deficiency, and disuse osteoporosis. Moreover, it underscores the importance of multidisciplinary approaches for risk mitigation and advocates for improved diagnostic strategies to differentiate PTO from other musculoskeletal pathologies. This manuscript discusses various treatment modalities, including pharmacotherapy, dietary management, and physical rehabilitation, while also acknowledging the limited evidence on their long-term effectiveness and outcomes in PTO patients. Future directions in research are outlined, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying PTO and the evaluation of treatment strategies’ efficacy. Overall, this review provides a comprehensive overview of PTO and highlights avenues for future investigation to enhance clinical management and patient outcomes.

Purpose: The presence of women and people underrepresented in medicine (URiM) continues to be lower in radiation oncology (RO) than within the United States population, medical school graduates, and oncology fellowship applicants. The objective of this study was to identify demographics of matriculating medical students who are inclined to consider pursuing a residency in RO and identify barriers to entry that students may perceive before medical school training. Methods and Materials: A survey of incoming medical students at New York Medical College was distributed via e-mail and assessed demographic background information, interest in and awareness of oncologic subspecialties, and perceived barriers to RO. Results: Students of the incoming class of 2026 had a complete response rate of 72% (155 complete responses and 8 incomplete responses of 214 class members). Two-thirds of participants had prior awareness of RO, and half have considered pursuing an oncologic subspecialty, but less than one-fourth have ever previously considered a career in RO. Students responded that they need more education, clinical exposure, and mentorship to increase their chance of choosing RO. Male participants had 3.4 times the odds of having an acquaintance in the community tell them about the specialty and also had significantly greater interest in using advanced technologies. There were no URiM participants who had personal relationships with an RO physician compared with 6 (4.5%) non-URiM participants. The average response to “What is the likelihood that you will pursue a career in RO?” showed no significant difference between genders. Conclusions: All races and ethnicities scored a similar likelihood of pursuing a career in RO, which differs greatly from the current RO workforce. Responses emphasized the importance of education, mentorship, and exposure to RO. This study demonstrates the need for support of female and URiM students during medical school.

Monkeypox, a rare but significant zoonotic and orthopoxviral disease, has garnered increasing attention due to its potential for human-to-human transmission and its recent resurgence in multiple countries throughout Europe, North America, and Oceania. The disease has emerged as a novel threat to the global health systems that are still striving to recover from the major shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unusual manifestation of the illness highlights a substantial knowledge deficit and necessitates the immediate development of a public health action strategy, considering the epidemiological differences observed in the ongoing outbreak and the appearance of cases in non-endemic nations. This literature review aims to synthesize existing knowledge on monkeypox, encompassing its historical context, etiology, epidemiology, surveillance, prevention, transmission, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatments, and recent outbreak. Particular attention is given to both advances and gaps in our understanding of monkeypox, and we point toward future directions for research and intervention efforts as pertains to vaccine development and distribution. Lastly, we will also review the recent outbreak through a sociopolitical lens as relates to decision-making strategies, especially given the lessons learned from COVID-19.

While brain stem involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) is relatively common, isolated cranial nerve palsies are rare, especially when they represent the initial presenting sign of a new diagnosis of MS. This report describes a patient with no prior history of MS whose sole presenting sign was an isolated abducens palsy. An enhancing pontine lesion was found on MRI which correlated with his abducens palsy, and additional nonactive lesions on MRI led to a diagnosis of MS. This case demonstrates the importance of considering MS as part of the differential diagnosis of patients with isolated cranial nerve palsies.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a rapidly growing grappling sport with a wide spectrum of participants. This cross-sectional study examined the lifetime prevalence of concussion in adult BJJ practitioners in the United States using a 17-item survey. A total of 778 (11.4% female) BJJ practitioners with a median age of 31 years completed the survey. Overall, the lifetime prevalence of the self-reported BJJ-related concussion was 25.2%. However, the prevalence was higher among females than males (43.0% versus 22.9%; X2(1,740) = 15.129; p < 0.001). Factors independently associated with significantly increased odds of having sustained a BJJ-related concussion included a prior history of concussion (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.14⁻2.74; p = 0.011) and female gender (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.04⁻3.65; p = 0.037). The median return to sports time was three days, with 30.3% of participants returning on the same day as being concussed. The present study represents the first epidemiological research examining the concussions in BJJ. The results underscore the need for increased education on concussions and return to sports guidelines among BJJ coaches and practitioners.