Ultrasound education, competencies and expected future use among medical interns in Denmark: a national cross-sectional study.

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound is increasingly used across medical specialties, calling for timely and relevant ultrasound education in specialty training. To enable customizing such education, we aimed to explore medical interns' received ultrasound education during medical school and internship, perceived scanning competencies, evaluation of received education, future expectations for using ultrasound, and tendencies for perceiving ultrasound competence.

Methods: This was a national cross-sectional study.

Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Stage I-III Deficient Mismatch Repair Colon Cancer: A Clinical Trial.

Objective: This clinical trial investigated the safety and efficacy of single-cycle pembrolizumab in patients with localized deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) colon cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy has induced remarkable rates of pathological complete response in patients with dMMR colon cancer. However, the optimal length and type of treatment are yet to be determined.

The proton RBE and the distal edge effect for acute and late normal tissue damage in vivo.

Background And Purpose: In proton therapy, a relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 1.1 is used toreach an isoeffective biological response between photon and proton doses. However, the RBE varies with biological endpoints and linear energy transfer (LET), two key parameters in radiotherapy.

Liberal or Restrictive Transfusion Strategy in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Background: The effect of a liberal red-cell transfusion strategy as compared with a restrictive strategy in patients during the critical care period after an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is unclear.

Methods: We randomly assigned critically ill adults with acute aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and anemia to a liberal strategy (mandatory transfusion at a hemoglobin level of ≤10 g per deciliter) or a restrictive strategy (optional transfusion at a hemoglobin level of ≤8 g per deciliter). The primary outcome was an unfavorable neurologic outcome, defined as a score of 4 or higher on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating greater disability) at 12 months.

[Prolonged epistaxis symptom of nasopharynx carcinoma in a child].

This case report presents a ten-year-old boy with recurrent nosebleeds (epistaxis) over an extended period. In addition, he showed signs of slowed weight gain and developed symptoms such as snoring and sweating during sleep. Rhinoscopy revealed a mass in the nasopharynx, and further tests confirmed the presence of an Epstein-Barr Virus-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Exogenous estrogen partially rescues progesterone deficiency and autophagosome enlargement in mouse model with lysosomal storage disorder.

Objective: Female mice exhibit progressive progesterone (P4) deficiency, luteal cell degeneration, and premature embryo implantation failure at 5 months old. We attempted to rescue embryo implantation in non-virgin mice (5-6 months old) with exogenous P4 treatment on days 1.5 post-coitum (D1.

Ovarian tissue cryopreservation in breast cancer patients: glass half empty or glass half full?

This is a commentary to a paper recently published in RBMOnline by Macklon and De Vos, in which they argue for a discontinuation of ovarian tissue freezing for fertility preservation in women with breast cancer. Instead, they suggest the use of oocyte vitrification following ovarian stimulation as the preferred method of fertility preservation. This commentary presents nine separate arguments that should be considered in the context of ovarian tissue freezing and fertility preservation in girls and women.

Anti-leukemia efficacy of the dual BCL2/BCL-XL inhibitor AZD0466 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia preclinical models.

The upregulation of BCL2 and BCL-XL, two proteins in the BCL2 family of proteins, leads to a disproportional expression of pro-death and pro-survival proteins in favor of leukemia survival, tumorigenesis, and chemoresistance. In different subsets of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the proportion of these two proteins varies, and their potential as therapeutic targets needs detailed characterization. Here, we investigated BCL2 and BCL-XL, the genes that encode BCL2 and BCL-XL, and their expression differences between B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and T-cell ALL (T-ALL).

Accelerated hit identification with target evaluation, deep learning and automated labs: prospective validation in IRAK1.

Background: Target identification and hit identification can be transformed through the application of biomedical knowledge analysis, AI-driven virtual screening and robotic cloud lab systems. However there are few prospective studies that evaluate the efficacy of such integrated approaches.

Results: We synergistically integrate our in-house-developed target evaluation (SpectraView) and deep-learning-driven virtual screening (HydraScreen) tools with an automated robotic cloud lab designed explicitly for ultra-high-throughput screening, enabling us to validate these platforms experimentally.

Evaluating Bioinformatics Processing of Somatic Variant Detection in cfDNA Using Targeted Sequencing with UMIs.

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising cancer biomarker, but accurately detecting tumor mutations in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is challenging due to their low frequency and sequencing errors. Our study benchmarked Mutect2, VarScan2, shearwater, and DREAMS-vc using deep targeted sequencing of cfDNA with Unique Molecular Identifiers (UMIs) from 111 colorectal cancer patients. Performance was assessed at both the mutation level (distinguish tumor variants from errors) and the sample level (detect if an individual has cancer).

Measurement of acute postoperative pain intensity in orthopedic trials: a qualitative concept elicitation study.

Background And Purpose: Pain intensity is an important outcome in clinical trials of surgery because pain relief is important to patients. Currently, recommended scales are the numeric rating scale 0-10 and visual analogue scale. However, these scales allow for considerable influence of individual imagination, previous experience, and coping skills, limiting proficiency in comparative clinical trials.

Artificial intelligence for automatic and objective assessment of competencies in flexible bronchoscopy.

Background: Bronchoscopy is a challenging technical procedure, and assessment of competence currently relies on expert raters. Human rating is time consuming and prone to rater bias. The aim of this study was to evaluate if a bronchial segment identification system based on artificial intelligence (AI) could automatically, instantly, and objectively assess competencies in flexible bronchoscopy in a valid way.

Design and evaluation of a visual genomic explainer: a mixed-methods study.

Objective: To design and assess a visual genomic explainer focusing on plain language and engaging imagery. The explainer aimed to support doctors' comprehension of complex genomic concepts and results and act as a resource promoting the integration of genomic testing into mainstream care.

Design: Prospective genomic resource development and questionnaire.

Risk of recurrence in early-onset versus late-onset non-metastatic colorectal cancer, 2004-2019: a nationwide cohort study.

Background: The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in individuals younger than 50 years of age (early-onset CRC) is increasing. Early-onset CRC often present at advanced stage, suggesting a more aggressive cancer course compared to late-onset CRC (age 50-79). This nationwide cohort study estimates the incidence of recurrence following early-onset CRC and late-onset CRC.

Effects of a Gender-Balancing Strategy on Resident Panels in a Primary Care Setting.

Background: Patients often prefer gender concordance when choosing a primary care practitioner. In a trainee setting, this may lead to unequal training opportunities for male and female resident physicians. Residency leadership may be interested in ways to promote balance in patient empanelment.

Molecular diagnostics in cerebrospinal fluid for the diagnosis of central nervous system infections.

SUMMARYCentral nervous system (CNS) infections can be caused by various pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Molecular diagnostic methods are pivotal for identifying the different causative pathogens of these infections in clinical settings. The efficacy and specificity of these methods can vary per pathogen involved, and in a substantial part of patients, no pathogen is identified in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Circulating tumour DNA and risk of recurrence in patients with asymptomatic versus symptomatic colorectal cancer.

Background: Multiple initiatives aim to develop circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) tests for early cancer detection in asymptomatic individuals. The few studies describing ctDNA-testing in both asymptomatic and symptomatic patients report lower ctDNA detection in the asymptomatic patients. Here, we explore if asymptomatic patients differ from symptomatic patients e.

Improved survival and decreased cancer deaths in young adults with cancer after passage of the Affordable Care Act Dependent Coverage Expansion.

Background: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed Americans aged 19-25 years to remain on their parents' health insurance plans until age 26 years (the Dependent Care Expansion [DCE]). Have those with cancer diagnoses benefited?

Methods: The ACE DCE 7-year age range of 19-25 years was compared for changes in cancer survival and mortality before and after enactment of the ACA with groups that were younger and older (in 7-year age spans: ages 12-18 and 26-32 years, respectively). Cancer death data for the entire United States were obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and relative survival data of patients who were diagnosed with cancer were obtained from the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results regions representing 42%-44% of the country.

Circulating tumor DNA predicts recurrence and survival in patients with resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer.

Background: Gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer represents a significant global health challenge, with high recurrence rates and poor survival outcomes. This study investigates circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as a biomarker for assessing recurrence risk in patients with resectable gastric and GEJ adenocarcinomas (AC).

Methods: Patients with resectable gastric and GEJ AC, undergoing perioperative chemotherapy and surgery, were prospectively enrolled.

Early detection of ovarian cancer using cell-free DNA fragmentomes and protein biomarkers.

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of death for women worldwide in part due to ineffective screening methods. In this study, we used whole-genome cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentome and protein biomarker (CA-125 and HE4) analyses to evaluate 591 women with ovarian cancer, benign adnexal masses, or without ovarian lesions. Using a machine learning model with the combined features, we detected ovarian cancer with specificity >99% and sensitivity of 72%, 69%, 87%, and 100% for stages I-IV, respectively.

Immunological effects of post-operative epidural analgesia versus oral opioids in VATS.

Introduction: Anaesthetic choices in cancer surgery, including the use of epidural analgesia, may affect immune function during the perioperative period and might play an important role in subsequent cancer spread and recurrence.

Methods: This was a prospective, randomised, controlled, double-blinded, single-centre study allocating patients scheduled for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy to post-operative pain management using either thoracic epidural analgesia or oral morphine. We compared pre-, per-, and post-operative plasma levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-12, and interferon (IFN)-γ using regression analysis, and conducted a two-year survival follow-up.