The diagnostic accuracy of HE4 in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusions.

Background: Pleural effusions are challenging to diagnose, with approximately 20-50% of malignant effusions not diagnosed by cytology. Human epididymal protein 4 (HE4) may be useful in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusions. In serum, this biomarker shows false-positive results in some benign diseases.

Unveiling the Interlayer Interaction in a 1H/1T TaS van der Waals Heterostructure.

This study delves into the intriguing properties of the 1H/1T-TaS van der Waals heterostructure, focusing on the transparency of the 1H layer to the charge density wave of the underlying 1T layer. Despite the sizable interlayer separation and metallic nature of the 1H layer, positive bias voltages result in a pronounced superposition of the 1T charge density wave structure on the 1H layer. The conventional explanation relying on tunneling effects proves insufficient.

Effect of lung volume preservation during spontaneous breathing trial on successful extubation in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: protocol for a multicenter clinical trial.

Background: In standard weaning from mechanical ventilation, a successful spontaneous breathing test (SBT) consisting of 30 min 8 cmHO pressure-support ventilation (PSV8) without positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is followed by extubation with continuous suctioning; however, these practices might promote derecruitment. Evidence supports the feasibility and safety of extubation without suctioning. Ultrasound can assess lung aeration and respiratory muscles.

Determinants associated with activation in patients with oral anticoagulant treatment: A cross-sectional study.

Aims: The terms "patient activation" and "patient empowerment" are used to describe the extent to which individuals are able to manage their own healthcare. Health outcomes and quality of life improve in patients who are more active in health care. The aim of this study was to identify sociodemographic, clinical, sociological and psychological determinants associated with activation in a group of chronically anticoagulated patients.

Ferromagnetism on an atom-thick & extended 2D metal-organic coordination network.

Ferromagnetism is the collective alignment of atomic spins that retain a net magnetic moment below the Curie temperature, even in the absence of external magnetic fields. Reducing this fundamental property into strictly two-dimensions was proposed in metal-organic coordination networks, but thus far has eluded experimental realization. In this work, we demonstrate that extended, cooperative ferromagnetism is feasible in an atomically thin two-dimensional metal-organic coordination network, despite only ≈ 5% of the monolayer being composed of Fe atoms.

Symptomatic gallstone disease: Recurrence patterns and risk factors for relapse after first admission, the RELAPSTONE study.

Background: Delayed cholecystectomy in patients with symptomatic gallstone disease is associated with recurrence. Limited data on the recurrence patterns and the factors that determine them are available.

Objective: We aimed to determine the pattern of relapse in each symptomatic gallstone disease (acute pancreatitis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, symptomatic choledocholithiasis, and biliary colic) and determine the associated factors.

The need for culture in tegumentary leishmaniasis diagnosis in Bolivia: A comparative evaluation of four parasitological techniques using two sampling methods.

Leishmaniases are zoonotic diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. In Bolivia, leishmaniasis occurs mainly in the cutaneous form (CL) followed by the mucosal or mucocutaneous form (ML or MCL), grouped as tegumentary leishmaniosis (TL), while cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are rare. The cases of TL are routinely diagnosed by parasitological methods: Direct Parasitological Exam (DPE) and axenic culture, the latter being performed only by specialized laboratories.

Prognostic Value of a New Tool (the 3D/3D+) for Predicting 30-Day Mortality in Emergency Department Patients Aged 75 Years and Older.

The 3D/3D+ multidimensional geriatric assessment tool provides an optimal model of emergency care for patients aged 75 and over who attend the Emergency Department (ED). The baseline, or static, component (3D) stratifies the degree of frailty prior to the acute illness, while the current, or dynamic, component (3D+) assesses the multidimensional impact caused by the acute illness and helps to guide the choice of care facility for patients upon their discharge from the ED. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of the 3D/3D+ to predict short- and long-term adverse outcomes in ED patients aged 75 years and older.

Chiral and Catalytic Effects of Site-Specific Molecular Adsorption.

The changes of properties and preferential interactions based on subtle energetic differences are important characteristics of organic molecules, particularly for their functionalities in biological systems. Only slightly energetically favored interactions are important for the molecular adsorption and bonding to surfaces, which define their properties for further technological applications. Here, prochiral tetracenothiophene molecules are adsorbed on the Cu(111) surface.

Usefulness of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry in the Characterization of Strains Causing Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in Bolivia versus Gene Sequencing.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a proteomic technique with proven efficiency in the identification of microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The present study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of MALDI-TOF MS for the characterization of species circulating in Bolivia using gene sequencing as a reference technique. 55 strains that were isolated from patients with tegumentary leishmaniasis were analyzed.

Electronic band structure of 1D π-d hybridized narrow-gap metal-organic polymers.

One-dimensional (1D) metal-organic (MO) nanowires are captivating from fundamental and technological perspectives due to their distinctive magnetic and electronic properties. The solvent-free synthesis of such nanomaterials on catalytic surfaces provides a unique approach for fabricating low-dimensional single-layer materials with atomic precision and low amount of defects. A detailed understanding of the electronic structure of MO polymers such as band gap and dispersive bands is critical for their prospective implementation into nanodevices such as spin sensors or field-effect transistors.

Role of the Magnetic Anisotropy in Atomic-Spin Sensing of 1D Molecular Chains.

One-dimensional metal-organic chains often possess a complex magnetic structure susceptible to modification by alteration of their chemical composition. The possibility to tune their magnetic properties provides an interesting playground to explore quasi-particle interactions in low-dimensional systems. Despite the great effort invested so far, a detailed understanding of the interactions governing the electronic and magnetic properties of the low-dimensional systems is still incomplete.

Spin excitations of individual magnetic dopants in an ionic thin film.

Individual magnetic transition metal dopants in a solid host usually exhibit relatively small spin excitation energies of a few meV. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) techniques, we have observed a high spin excitation energy around 36 meV for an individual Co substitutional dopant in ultrathin NaCl films. In contrast, the Cr dopant in the NaCl film shows much lower spin excitation energy around 2.

Effect of goal-directed haemodynamic therapy guided by non-invasive monitoring on perioperative complications in elderly hip fracture patients within an enhanced recovery pathway.

Background: Goal-directed haemodynamic therapy (GDHT) has been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in high-risk surgical patients. However, there is little evidence of its efficacy in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery. This study aims to evaluate the effect of GDHT guided by non-invasive haemodynamic monitoring on perioperative complications in patients undergoing hip fracture surgery.

[3D/3D+ as a tool for rapid geriatric assessment and adequacy of the care resource at discharge from the Emergency Department].

Objective: Assess the 3D/3D+ rapid geriatric assessment tool for the early detection of frailty, its usefulness to identify the effects of the acute process on the functional, physical, cognitive and socioenvironmental dimensions, as well as the medications that may have triggered the patient's reason for visit. Finally, assess the usefulness of 3D/3D+ together with the clinical diagnosis to adequate care resource at discharge from the emergency department (ED).

Method: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Model to predict risk for hospital admission and indicate the safety of reverse triage in a hospital emergency department: a prospective validation study.

Objectives: To prospectively validate a model to predict hospital admission of patients given a low-priority classification on emergency department triage and to indicate the safety of reverse triage.

Material And Methods: Single-center observational study of a prospective cohort to validate a risk model incorporating demographic and emergency care process variables as well as vital signs. The cohort included emergency visits from patients over the age of 15 years with priority level classifications of IV and V according to the Andorran-Spanish triage system (Spanish acronym, MAT-SET) between October 2018 and June 2019.

High Fundamental Frequency (HFF) Monolithic Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Array for the Simultaneous Detection of Pesticides and Antibiotics in Complex Food.

As in the case of the food industry in general, there is a global concern about safety and quality in complex food matrices, such as honey, which is driving the demand for fast, sensitive and affordable analytical techniques across the honey-packaging industry. Although excellent techniques such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) are available, these are located in centralized laboratories and are still lacking in speed, simplicity and cost-effectiveness. Here, a new approach is presented where a competitive immunoassay is combined with a novel High Fundamental Frequency Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (HFF-QCMD) array biosensor for the simultaneous detection of antibiotics and pesticides in honey.

Efficacy of a supervised exercise training program on five-year readmission rates in patients with acute coronary syndrome. A randomised controlled trial.

Introduction And Objectives: Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programmes can reduce mortality but their effects on readmission rates are unclear. The primary aim was to evaluate the efficacy of a supervised exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation programme on cardiac readmissions in patients with acute coronary syndrome at five years.

Methods: We conducted an open, controlled, randomized, hospital-based clinical trial.

Integrated multi-analytical screening approach for reliable radiocarbon dating of ancient mortars.

Radiocarbon dating of the carbonate binder of historical mortars is a strategic research topic not lacking in complexities. The critical step is the separation of anthropogenic CaCO-binder from other carbonate sources that could severely affect the resulting dates. Here we present a complete procedure for the processing and characterization of difficult mortars and of the separated binder fractions in order to assess a priori the chances of positively dating the mortar, and produce a binder fraction yielding the most reliable radiocarbon dates possible.

Acoustic Array Biochip Combined with Allele-Specific PCR for Multiple Cancer Mutation Analysis in Tissue and Liquid Biopsy.

Regular screening of point mutations is of importance to cancer management and treatment selection. Although techniques like next-generation sequencing and digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are available, these are lacking in speed, simplicity, and cost-effectiveness. The development of alternative methods that can detect the extremely low concentrations of the target mutation in a fast and cost-effective way presents an analytical and technological challenge.

Urinary CXCL10 specifically relates to HLA-DQ eplet mismatch load in kidney transplant recipients.

Background: Urinary CXCL10 (uCXCL10) is associated with graft inflammation and graft survival, but the factors related to its excretion are not well known. HLA molecular matching at epitope level allow estimating the "dissimilarity" between donor and recipient HLA more precisely, being better related to further transplant outcomes. The relationship between uCXCL10 and HLA molecular mismatch has not been previously explored.

Compound Endoscopic Morphological Features for Identifying Non-Pedunculated Lesions ≥20 mm with Intramucosal Neoplasia.

Background: The major limitation of piecemeal endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) is the inaccurate histological assessment of the resected specimen, especially in cases of submucosal invasion.

Objective: To classify non-pedunculated lesions ≥20 mm based on endoscopic morphological features, in order to identify those that present intramucosal neoplasia (includes low-grade neoplasia and high-grade neoplasia) and are suitable for piecemeal EMR.

Design: A post-hoc analysis from an observational prospective multicentre study conducted by 58 endoscopists at 17 academic and community hospitals was performed.