Variability in disease severity among cystic fibrosis patients carrying residual-function variants: data from the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (CF) variants that exhibit residual function (RF) of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator are considered to have a milder disease; however, the spectrum of CF phenotype within the different RF variants has not been extensively investigated. The aim of the present study was to characterise the spectrum of CF disease severity in people with CF (pwCF) carrying different RF variants, using the European Cystic Fibrosis Society Patient Registry (ECFSPR) data.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort study included data from the ECFSPR during 2008-2016.

Patency Capsule and Cross-Sectional Imaging for Predicting Capsule Endoscopy Retention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Aims: Small bowel capsule endoscopy, which has been widely used to evaluate small bowel disease, has a risk of capsule retention (CR). The present systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the accuracy of patency capsule (PC) and cross-sectional imaging (CSI) for predicting CR.

Methods: Databases, including MEDLINE/PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane library, were searched for articles through August 15, 2023, that investigated the diagnostic accuracy of PC or CSI for predicting CR.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Families Addressing Cancer Together for Parents With Cancer: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effects.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Families Addressing Cancer Together (FACT), a web-based, individually tailored, psychoeducational intervention for parents with cancer to improve illness-related communication with their minor children.

Methods: Parents with stage I-IV solid tumors who had children ages 3-17 were randomized to 6 weeks of FACT versus waitlist control. Feasibility was assessed by rates of recruitment and retention.

Impact of plasma discharge pressure on implant surface properties and osteoblast activities in vacuum-assisted plasma treatment.

Nonthermal plasma has been extensively utilized in various biomedical fields, including surface engineering of medical implants to enhance their biocompatibility and osseointegration. To ensure robustness and cost effectiveness for commercial viability, stable and effective plasma is required, which can be achieved by reducing gas pressure in a controlled volume. Here, we explored the impact of reduced gas pressure on plasma properties, surface characteristics of plasma-treated implants, and subsequent biological outcomes.

Critical assessment of commercially available microtitre panels for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of veterinary pathogens.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) in the veterinary sector by broth microdilution is mainly based on commercially available microtitre plates with specific panels. A critical review of commercially available microtitre panels identified AST panels that fulfil the requirements for obtaining reliable AST results by covering the necessary antimicrobial concentrations for both clinical breakpoints as well as quality control (QC) ranges for approved QC strains. However, there are AST panels in which these prerequisites are only in part fulfilled, and some AST panels that do not fulfil the aforementioned criteria at all.