Mature effectiveness and toxicity outcomes associated with three treatment schedules of high-dose-rate brachytherapy monotherapy for favorable-risk prostate cancer.

Purpose: To present long-term toxicity and effectiveness outcomes of three prostate high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy schedules: 38 Gy in 4 fractions, 24 Gy in 2 fractions, and 27 Gy in 2 fractions for men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Patients treated with HDR brachytherapy monotherapy for prostate cancer were identified in a prospectively maintained, single institution database. Patients with AJCC T-stage ≤ T2b, Gleason score ≤ 7, prostate-specific antigen level ≤ 20 ng/mL, and ≥2 years of follow-up were included.

Incidence of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms across healthcare settings in seven countries: an international retrospective cohort study using routinely-collected data.

Background: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified a range of symptomatic manifestations to aid in the clinical diagnosis of post-COVID conditions, herein referred to as post-acute COVID-19 symptoms. We conducted an international network cohort study to estimate the burden of these symptoms in North American, European, and Asian populations.

Methods: A federated analysis was conducted including 10 databases from the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, Estonia, Spain, France, South Korea, and the United States, between September 1st 2020 and latest data availability (which varied from December 31st 2021 to February 28th 2023), covering primary and secondary care, nationwide registries, and claims data, all mapped to the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Common Data Model (OMOP CDM).

Use of social media in radiation oncology: multicenter data from the GOCO Group.

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the usage patterns and profiles of social media (SM) platforms among Radiation Oncologists (RO) and Physicists in the scope of the Catalan-Occitan Oncology Group (GOCO).

Materials And Methods: From November 2022 to March 2023, a comprehensive survey was sent to Radiation Oncology professionals within the GOCO group, comprising 31 questions that covered demographics (4) and general inquiries (9), user behavior on social media (7), profile of SM activity (7), and participants' opinions (4) regarding professional use of SM. The survey reached professionals from 12 centers, encompassing 10 in Catalonia and 2 in French Occitania.

Venous malformation differential diagnosis with an odontogenic abscess on a pediatric patient. Case report and review of the literature.

Venous malformations (VMs) are aberrant venous vessel angiogenesis present at birth. However, they can become apparent later in life, debuting in early childhood. This poses a clinical quest for surgeons, dentists, and pediatricians, as they might appear as a compressible mass in the head and neck region, not uncommonly mistaking them for odontogenic abscesses or other soft tissue tumors.

Navigating the waves in Colombia: a cohort study of inpatient care during four COVID-19 waves.

Introduction: Understanding the intricate dynamics between different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding variations in clinical outcomes is essential for informed public health decision-making. Comprehensive insights into these fluctuations can guide resource allocation, healthcare policies, and the development of effective interventions. This study aimed to compare the characteristics and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 at peak transmission points by including all patients attended during the first four pandemic waves in a referral center in Colombia.

Dose-Escalated Radiotherapy Alone or in Combination With Short-Term Androgen Deprivation for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: Results of a Phase III Multi-Institutional Trial.

Purpose: It remains unknown whether or not short-term androgen deprivation (STAD) improves survival among men with intermediate-risk prostate cancer (IRPC) treated with dose-escalated radiotherapy (RT).

Methods: The NRG Oncology/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0815 study randomly assigned 1,492 patients with stage T2b-T2c, Gleason score 7, or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value >10 and ≤20 ng/mL to dose-escalated RT alone (arm 1) or with STAD (arm 2). STAD was 6 months of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist/antagonist therapy plus antiandrogen.

Dose-Escalated Radiation Alone or in Combination With Short-Term Total Androgen Suppression for Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: Patient-Reported Outcomes From NRG/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 0815 Randomized Trial.

Purpose: To report patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of a phase III trial evaluating total androgen suppression (TAS) combined with dose-escalated radiation therapy (RT) for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer.

Methods: Patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer were randomly assigned to dose-escalated RT alone (arm 1) or RT plus TAS (arm 2) consisting of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonist/antagonist with oral antiandrogen for 6 months. The primary PRO was the validated Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC-50).

Positive Impact of Implementing a Comprehensive Genetic Testing Protocol for Prostate Cancer Patients in a Multi-disciplinary Uro-oncology Practice.

Introduction: Prior to the 2017 Philadelphia Consensus Conference guidelines, genetic testing for prostate cancer was conducted based on personal and family history of malignancy pursuant to National Comprehensive Cancer Network recommendations. The updated 2019 guidelines addressed the subject of genetic testing by endorsing point-of-care genetic testing and referral to genetic counseling. However, limited literature is available regarding successful implementation of a streamlined method for genetic testing.

Estimación de la eficiencia del uso de pabellones electivos en el sistema de salud público chileno entre 2018 y 2021.

Objective: The efficient use of wards intended for elective surgeries is essential to resolve cases on the surgical waiting list. This study aims to estimate the efficiency of ward use in the Chilean public health system between 2018 and 2021.

Methods: The design was an ecological study.

Flavin-Conjugated Pt(IV) Anticancer Agents.

In situ activation of Pt(IV) to Pt(II) species is a promising strategy to control the anticancer activity and overcome the off-target toxicity linked to classic platinum chemotherapeutic agents. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of two new asymmetric Pt(IV) derivatives of cisplatin and oxaliplatin ( and , respectively) bearing a covalently bonded 2',3',4',5'-tetraacetylriboflavin moiety (). H and Pt NMR spectroscopy shows that and can be effectively activated into toxic Pt(II) species, when incubated with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, sodium ascorbate, and glutathione in the dark and under light irradiation.

Engineered flavoproteins as bioorthogonal photo-triggers for the activation of metal-based anticancer prodrugs.

A multifunctional hybrid constructed for controlling the delivery and activation of Pt anticancer agents is described herein. We employed consensus tetratricopeptide repeat protein (CTPR) for the covalent co-anchoring of riboflavin (photocatalyst) and a Pt(IV) prodrug complex. The Pt-loaded flavoprotein induced a 40% reduction in PANC-1 cell viability as a result of the photocatalytic formation of cisplatin.

The Rationale for Radiation Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) represents a major health problem without effective treatments. As the incidence of the disease will continue to rise, it is imperative to find new treatment options to halt or slow disease progression. In recent years, several groups have begun to study the utility of low total dose radiation therapy (LTDRT) to inhibit some of the pathological features of AD and improve cognition in a variety of animal models.

Clinical Validation of Siemens' Syngo.via Automatic Contouring System.

Purpose: The manual delineation of organs at risk is a process that requires a great deal of time both for the technician and for the physician. Availability of validated software tools assisted by artificial intelligence would be of great benefit, as it would significantly improve the radiation therapy workflow, reducing the time required for segmentation. The purpose of this article is to validate the deep learning-based autocontouring solution integrated in syngo.

Convergent Validity between Electromyographic Muscle Activity, Ultrasound Muscle Thickness and Dynamometric Force Measurement for Assessing Muscle.

Muscle fatigue is defined as a reversible decline in performance after intensive use, which largely recovers after a resting period. Surface electromyography (EMG), ultrasound imaging (US) and dynamometry are used to assess muscle activity, muscle morphology and isometric force capacity. This study aimed to assess the convergent validity between these three methods for assessing muscle fatigue during a manual prehension maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC).

Hyaluronic Acid Spacer for Hypofractionated Prostate Radiation Therapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hypofractionated radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer has been associated with greater acute grade 2 gastrointestinal (GI) toxic effects compared with conventionally fractionated RT.

Objective: To evaluate whether a hyaluronic acid rectal spacer could (1) improve rectal dosimetry and (2) affect acute grade 2 or higher GI toxic effects for hypofractionated RT.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from March 2020 to June 2021 among 12 centers within the US, Australia, and Spain, with a 6-month follow-up.

Access to knee arthroplasty among National Health Fund beneficiaries in Chile between 2004 and 2021.

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis affects the quality of life, with knee arthroplasty being a cost-effective treatment for the severe stage of this disease. Access to knee arthroplasty is a health indicator of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The objectives of this study are to determine the incidence of knee arthroplasty between 2004 and 2021 in beneficiaries of the National Health Fund in Chile, the proportion of patients who underwent surgery in the private system, and to estimate the patient's out-of-pocket expenditure for surgery.

Remote analysis of sputum smears for mycobacterium tuberculosis quantification using digital crowdsourcing.

Worldwide, TB is one of the top 10 causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent. Although the development and roll out of Xpert MTB/RIF has recently become a major breakthrough in the field of TB diagnosis, smear microscopy remains the most widely used method for TB diagnosis, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This research tests the feasibility of a crowdsourced approach to tuberculosis image analysis.

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak in knee arthroplasty in Chile: a cross-sectional, national registry-based analysis.

Introduction: The need for beds and health personnel to treat coronavirus (COVID- 19) patients has led to the suspension of many elective sur-geries in Chile, including knee arthroplasties. This study aims to determine the incidence of knee arthroplasty in 2020, reflecting the effect of the COVID- 19 pandemic, and estimate the cost and time it would take to recover the waiting list prior to March 2020.

Methods: A cross- sectional study was designed.

Inferring causal relations from observational long-term carbon and water fluxes records.

Land, atmosphere and climate interact constantly and at different spatial and temporal scales. In this paper we rely on causal discovery methods to infer spatial patterns of causal relations between several key variables of the carbon and water cycles: gross primary productivity, latent heat energy flux for evaporation, surface air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture and radiation. We introduce a methodology based on the convergent cross-mapping (CCM) technique.

Landomycins as glutathione-depleting agents and natural fluorescent probes for cellular Michael adduct-dependent quinone metabolism.

Landomycins are angucyclines with promising antineoplastic activity produced by Streptomyces bacteria. The aglycone landomycinone is the distinctive core, while the oligosaccharide chain differs within derivatives. Herein, we report that landomycins spontaneously form Michael adducts with biothiols, including reduced cysteine and glutathione, both cell-free or intracellularly involving the benz[a]anthraquinone moiety of landomycinone.

Mobile microscopy and telemedicine platform assisted by deep learning for the quantification of Trichuris trichiura infection.

Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are the most prevalent pathogens among the group of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The Kato-Katz technique is the diagnosis method recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) although it often presents a decreased sensitivity in low transmission settings and it is labour intensive. Visual reading of Kato-Katz preparations requires the samples to be analyzed in a short period of time since its preparation.

Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Orthopedic Surgery: A Nationwide Analysis of the First Pandemic Year.

Purpose To analyze the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak during the first pandemic year in a single country. Methods A cross-sectional study was designed. The free access database of the Chilean Department of Statistics and Health Information (DEIS) was used to compare the number of orthopedic procedures between 2019 and 2020.

The Biotin-Avidin Interaction in Biotinylated Gold Nanoparticles and the Modulation of Their Aggregation.

The biotin-avidin interaction is used as a binding tool for the conjugation of biomolecules for more diverse applications; these include nanoparticle conjugation. Despite this, a thorough investigation on the different aggregates that may result from the interaction of biotinylated nanoparticles (gold nanoparticles, AuNPs, in this work) with avidin has not been carried out so far. In this paper, we address this problem and show the type of aggregates formed under thermodynamic and kinetic control by varying the biotinylated AuNP/avidin ratio and the order of addition of the two partners.