Applications of mixed reality with medical imaging for training and clinical practice.

Purpose: This review summarizes the current use of extended reality (XR) including virtual reality (VR), mixed reality, and augmented reality (AR) in the medical field, ranging from medical imaging to training to preoperative planning. It covers the integration of these technologies into clinical practice and within medical training while discussing the challenges and future opportunities in this sphere. This will hopefully encourage more physicians to collaborate on integrating medicine and technology.

Characterisation of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in healthcare workers within the United Kingdom: risk factors for infection during four successive waves.

Background: Healthcare workers were at a high risk of infection early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It is uncertain to what extent occupational, household and community factors contributed, and how this changed over time. We aimed to characterise the risk factors for infection over four successive waves of the pandemic in a large, UK healthcare worker cohort (SIREN).

Coupling of response biomarkers between tumor and peripheral blood in patients undergoing chemoimmunotherapy.

Platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with anti-PD-L1 antibodies has shown promising results in mesothelioma. However, the immunological mechanisms underlying its efficacy are not well understood and there are no predictive biomarkers to guide treatment decisions. Here, we combine time course RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with pre-treatment tumor transcriptome data from the single-arm, phase 2 DREAM trial (N = 54).

An integrated approach to coupled nutrient and microbial source tracking in an agricultural watershed.

Estuaries often experience multiple water quality impairments including nitrogen enrichment and elevated fecal pollution. These pollutant sources are often linked and difficult to characterize, especially in multiple use watersheds, hindering the identification of effective mitigation steps. Tillamook Bay (Oregon, USA) has a mixed-use watershed including many potential nutrient and fecal bacteria sources due to agricultural activities, human development, and local wildlife populations.

National outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing O145:H28 associated with pre-packed sandwiches, United Kingdom, May-June 2024.

Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) is a group of bacteria that causes gastrointestinal illness and occasionally causes large foodborne outbreaks. It represents a major public health concern due to its ability to cause severe illness which can sometimes be fatal. This study was undertaken as part of a rapid investigation into a national foodborne outbreak of STEC O145.