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We report a case of a 58-year-old male suffering from primary pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH), Eisenmenger's syndrome (ES) and ischemic heart disease who has already undergone multiple revascularizations and is a candidate for en bloc heart-lung transplantation. The patient acceded to our center with pneumonia and consequent worsening of respiratory symptoms and asthenia. The echocardiogram demonstrated a severely dilated and hypokinetic right ventricle with a systolic-diastolic D-shape and massive tricuspid regurgitation besides a dilated and fixed inferior vena cava. Considering the clinical worsening with advanced cardiorespiratory failure and the lability of hemodynamic compensation, hospitalization in cardiac intensive care was proposed. Upon admission, the patient presented a picture of predominantly right-sided SCAI D cardiogenic shock in type I PH and severe hypoxia. Initially, the hemodynamic instability was successfully medically managed with epinephrine intravenous (IV) infusion, a combination of multiple pulmonary vasodilators (Milrinone EV, Epoprostenol EV, Treprostinil continuous SC infusion and iNO) and Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV). The patient was then included in the emergency transplantation list. Unfortunately, pneumonia severely worsened the pulmonary oxygenation with subsequent right ventricle de-compensation, increasing the right-to-left shunt and precipitating the cardiorespiratory equilibrium. We discussed the possibility of supporting the patient with veno-venous (VV) ECMO, but the RV failure was too severe (TAPSE 11 mm, FAC 20%, PAPs 92 mmHg, CVP 18 mmHg) and unresponsive to maximal medical therapy to allow the venous-venous support adequate effectiveness. Therefore, we decided to assist the patient with an awake femoral-femoral veno-arterial (VA) ECMO bridge-to-transplantation. As expected, it was not a simple mechanical circulatory support (MCS) management: the good LV function and the severe RV dilation made it impossible to obtain full drainage of the heart, which continued to eject de-oxygenated blood in ascending aorta. Veno-arterial-venous (VAV) ECMO was considered, but the incomplete RV drainage made it impossible to avoid liver stasis and a VAV configuration was considered inapplicable to manage the Harlequin Syndrome which occurred. Therefore, to improve the oxygenation in the "upper circulation" and, at the same time, to maintain the patient awake and able to prosecute physiotherapy, we assisted the patient with High-Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC 50 L/min FiO2 100%) connected to an inhaled Nitric Oxide circuit (iNO 20ppm). In this way, we managed to assist the patient for 10 days, up to organs arrival, and the the patient was successfully transplanted. This case highlights the complexity and still the feasibility of VA ECMO support, complicated by Harlequin Syndrome, as a bridge to heart-lung transplantation in acutely decompensated patients with ES, in which the conditions of the right heart could not tolerate the VV ECMO solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With Artificial intelligence (AI) to aid or automate decision-making advancing rapidly, a particular concern is its fairness. In order to create reliable, safe and trustworthy systems through human-centred artificial intelligence (HCAI) design, recent efforts have produced user interfaces (UIs) for AI experts to investigate the fairness of AI models. In this work, we provide a design space exploration that supports not only data scientists but also domain experts to investigate AI fairness. Using loan applications as an example, we held a series of workshops with loan officers and data scientists to elicit their requirements. We instantiated these requirements into FairHIL, a UI to support human-in-the-loop fairness investigations, and describe how this UI could be generalized to other use cases. We evaluated FairHIL through a think-aloud user study. Our work contributes better designs to investigate an AI model's fairness—and move closer towards responsible AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A functional polymorphism in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene (Val158Met) appears to influence cognition in people with alcohol/substance use disorders (AUD/SUD) and in those with psychosis. Methods: To explore the potential moderating effect of these factors, a cross-sectional study was conducted, randomly recruiting subjects with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. AUD/SUD was rigorously assessed, as well as COMT Val158Met polymorphism. Executive control functioning was measured using the Intra-Extra Dimensional Set Shift (IED). The effect of a possible interaction between comorbid AUD/SUD and COMT Val158Met polymorphism on IED scores was explored. Results: Subjects with schizophrenia, comorbid AUD/SUD, and MetMet carriers for SNP rs4680 of the COMT gene showed worse performance on IED completed stages scores, as compared with individuals with ValVal genotype. However, among subjects without AUD/SUD, those with the MetMet variant performed better than people carrying ValVal genotype. Conclusions: This study is the first to date examining the impact of COMT on cognition in a highly representative sample of people with schizophrenia and comorbid AUD/SUD. Differential moderating effects of COMT Val/Met genotype variations may similarly influence executive functions in people with schizophrenia and comorbid AUD/SUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coping with dementia requires an integrated approach encompassing personal, health, research, and community domains. Here we describe "Walking the Talk for Dementia," an immersive initiative aimed at empowering people with dementia, enhancing dementia understanding, and inspiring collaborations. This initiative involved 300 participants from 25 nationalities, including people with dementia, care partners, clinicians, policymakers, researchers, and advocates for a 4-day, 40 km walk through the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. A 2-day symposium after the journey provided novel transdisciplinary and horizontal structures, deconstructing traditional hierarchies. The innovation of this initiative lies in its ability to merge a physical experience with knowledge exchange for diversifying individuals' understanding of dementia. It showcases the transformative potential of an immersive, embodied, and multi-experiential approach to address the complexities of dementia collaboratively. The initiative offers a scalable model to enhance understanding, decrease stigma, and promote more comprehensive and empathetic dementia care and research., (© 2024 The Authors. Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)