Correlation Between Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes and Biological Markers of Key Parameters in Acute Radiation Cystitis Among Patients With Prostate Cancer (RABBIO): Prospective Observational Study.

Background: Despite advances in radiation techniques, radiation cystitis (RC) remains a significant cause of morbidity from pelvic radiotherapy, which may affect patients' quality of life (QoL). The pathophysiology of RC is not well understood, which limits the development of effective treatments.

Objective: The Radiotoxicity Bladder Biomarkers study aims to investigate the correlation between blood and urinary biomarkers and the intensity of acute RC symptoms and QoL in patients undergoing localized prostate cancer radiotherapy.

Wells Syndrome with Generalized Oedema.

Unlabelled: Wells syndrome or eosinophilic cellulitis is a rare and relapsing skin disease which lacks systemic involvement. A skin biopsy is needed to establish a diagnosis. Several precipitating factors have been proposed but no proven causative link has been found.

Pulse-driven self-reconfigurable meta-antennas.

Wireless communications and sensing have notably advanced thanks to the recent developments in both software and hardware. Although various modulation schemes have been proposed to efficiently use the limited frequency resources by exploiting several degrees of freedom, antenna performance is essentially governed by frequency only. Here, we present an antenna design concept based on metasurfaces to manipulate antenna performances in response to the time width of electromagnetic pulses.

The prognostic utility of serum thyrotropin in hospitalized Covid-19 patients: statistical and machine learning approaches.

Purpose: To assess the prognostic value of serum TSH in Greek patients with COVID-19 and compare it with that of commonly used prognostic biomarkers.

Methods: Retrospective study of 128 COVID-19 in patients with no history of thyroid disease. Serum TSH, albumin, CRP, ferritin, and D-dimers were measured at admission.

Anisotropic impedance surfaces activated by incident waveform.

Anisotropic impedance surfaces have been used to control surface wave propagation, which has benefited applications across a variety of fields including radio-frequency (RF) and optical devices, sensing, electromagnetic compatibility, wireless power transfer, and communications. However, the responses of these surfaces are fixed once they are fabricated. Although tunable impedance surfaces have been introduced by utilizing power-dependent nonlinear components, such a tuning mechanism is generally limited to specific applications.

COVID-19 Vaccinations: Summary Guidance for Cancer Patients in 28 Languages: Breaking Barriers to Cancer Patient Information.

Background: Covid-19 vaccination has started in the majority of the countries at the global level. Cancer patients are at high risk for infection, serious illness, and death from COVID-19 and need vaccination guidance and support. Guidance availability in the English language only is a major limit for recommendations' delivery and their application in the world's population and generates information inequalities across the different populations.

Machine Learning for Antibiotic Resistance Prediction: A Prototype Using Off-the-Shelf Techniques and Entry-Level Data to Guide Empiric Antimicrobial Therapy.

Objective: In the era of increasing antimicrobial resistance, the need for early identification and prompt treatment of multi-drug-resistant infections is crucial for achieving favorable outcomes in critically ill patients. As traditional microbiological susceptibility testing requires at least 24 hours, automated machine learning (AutoML) techniques could be used as clinical decision support tools to predict antimicrobial resistance and select appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment.

Methods: An antimicrobial susceptibility dataset of 11,496 instances from 499 patients admitted to the internal medicine wards of a public hospital in Greece was processed by using Microsoft Azure AutoML to evaluate antibiotic susceptibility predictions using patients' simple demographic characteristics, as well as previous antibiotic susceptibility testing, without any concomitant clinical data.

Using Machine Learning to Predict Antimicrobial Resistance of Acinetobacter Baumannii, Klebsiella Pneumoniae and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Strains.

Hospital-acquired infections, particularly in ICU, are becoming more frequent in recent years, with the most serious of them being Gram-negative bacterial infections. Among them, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are considered the most resistant bacteria encountered in ICU and other wards. Given the fact that about 24 hours are usually required to perform common antibiotic resistance tests after the bacteria identification, the use of machine learning techniques could be an additional decision support tool in selecting empirical antibiotic treatment based on the sample type, bacteria, and patient's basic characteristics.

Diuretic-Resistant Ascites Following Laparoscopic Surgery in a Patient With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia on Imatinib Therapy.

Imatinib mesylate is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor with high efficacy in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Although fluid retention is a common adverse effect of imatinib, it rarely necessitates discontinuation of therapy. Isolated ascites has not been reported as a complication of imatinib therapy in patients with CML.

Synthesis of Recommendations From 25 Countries and 31 Oncology Societies: How to Navigate Through Covid-19 Labyrinth.

Introduction: Pandemic COVID-19 is an unexpected challenge for the oncological community, indicating potential detrimental effects on cancer patients. Our aim was to summarize the converging key points providing a general guidance in order to support decision making, pertaining to the oncologic care in the middle of a global outbreak.

Methods: We did an international online search in twenty five countries that have managed a surge in cancer patient numbers.

Impact of Radiation Therapy on Pain Relief of Cancer Patients Affected by on Malignant Psoas Syndrome: 26 Years of Experience.

Aim: The malignant psoas syndrome (MPS) is a rare and complex cancer-related clinical entity, with a significant impact on cancer patients' quality of life. The literature describing malignant infiltration of the psoas muscle as well as its management is limited. The primary endpoint of the study was the assessment of pain relief in symptomatic terminal-stage MPS patients.

Radiation-Induced Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients. Five Years Literature Review.

Unlabelled: Backround: Radiation-induced oral mucositis consists of a series of relatively frequent side effects after head and neck cancer radiotherapy and has an adverse impact on both regular treatment process and the quality of life of patients.

Objective: The purpose of the present review is to optimize the current management of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients.

Methods: PubMed database research was performed on articles published since 2015 that demonstrated efficacy in the management of radiation-induced oral mucositis in head and neck cancer patients.

Honey Against Radiation-induced Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients. An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses of the Literature.

Unlabelled: Backround: Oral mucositis (OM) consists of a major side effect of radiotherapy (RT) in head and neck (H-N) cancer patients and natural honey is gaining more and more scientific interest due to its beneficial effects in tissue repair.

Objective: The aim of this review is to better clarify the preventive/therapeutic role of honey in the management of OM in patients with H-N cancer undergoing RT with or without chemotherapy (CT).

Methods: We used the PubMed database to retrieve journal articles and the inclusion criteria were only reviews and meta-analyses that illustrated the effective use of honey for either the prevention or treatment of OM in H-N cancer patients receiving either RT alone or in combination with CT.

Using Machine Learning Algorithms to Predict Antimicrobial Resistance and Assist Empirical Treatment.

Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) infections and their devastating consequences constitute a global problem and a constant threat to public health with immense costs for their treatment. Early identification of the pathogen and its antibiotic resistance profile is crucial for a favorable outcome. Given the fact that more than 24 hours are usually required to perform common antibiotic resistance tests after the sample collection, the implementation of machine learning methods could be of significant help in selecting empirical antibiotic treatment based only on the sample type, Gram stain, and patient's basic characteristics.

Using Machine Learning Techniques to Aid Empirical Antibiotic Therapy Decisions in the Intensive Care Unit of a General Hospital in Greece.

Hospital-acquired infections, particularly in the critical care setting, have become increasingly common during the last decade, with Gram-negative bacterial infections presenting the highest incidence among them. Multi-drug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality with significant direct and indirect costs resulting from long hospitalization due to antibiotic failure. Time is critical to identifying bacteria and their resistance to antibiotics due to the critical health status of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

An Applied Contextual Model for Promoting Self-Regulation Enactment Across Development: Implications for Prevention, Public Health and Future Research.

This theoretical paper presents a public health approach for promoting self-regulation across development that is based in cross-disciplinary theory and research. The self-regulation promotion model includes three key approaches that are each dependent on the relationship that children and youth have with caregivers: teaching self-regulation skills, building supportive environments, and providing co-regulation. This model extends the science of self-regulation insofar as it: (1) focuses on promoting wellbeing (not only reducing risks) across domains of functioning, (2) addresses self-regulation intervention across childhood and through young adulthood, (3) integrates multiple theories and applies them to intervention in meaningful ways, and (4) identifies specific strategies that can be used in natural developmental contexts and that address the social ecological environment as well as the individual child.

Using Microbiological Data Analysis to Tackle Antibiotic Resistance of Klebsiella Pneumoniae.

Optimal antibiotic use for the treatment of nosocomial infections plays a central role in the effort to control the rapidly increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Antibiotic selection should be based on accurate knowledge of local susceptibility rates. Traditional methods of resistance reporting, which are in routine use by microbiology laboratories could be enhanced by using statistically significant results.

Case Report: Clinically amyopathic dermatomyositis presenting acutely with isolated facial edema.

A 45-year-old Asian man presented with acute-onset periorbital and facial edema associated with pyrexia. Muscle weakness was absent. Initial laboratory investigations showed an inflammatory reaction, while screening for infections was negative.

Impaired thrombolytic status predicts adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Antithrombotic medications reduce thrombosis but increase bleeding. Identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients at risk of recurrent thrombosis could allow targeted treatment with potent antithrombotic medications, with less potent agents in others, to reduce bleeding. Conventional platelet function tests assess platelet reactivity only, yet there is increasing evidence that endogenous thrombolytic potential determines outcome following thrombus initiation.

An uncommon complication of atrial fibrillation.

Coronary embolism is a well-recognized cause of myocardial infarction. It is often under diagnosed and cardiologists need to be vigilant for this diagnosis. A 77-year-old man presented with chest pain with an ECG showing a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.

Steroid-induced hypocalcaemia with tetany in a patient with hypoparathyroidism.

Although glucocorticoids have a known negative effect on calcium balance, they do not normally cause clinically significant hypocalcaemia. A young woman with post-surgical hypoparathyroidism developed symptomatic hypocalcaemia on two occasions following treatment with intravenous hydrocortisone for allergic reactions. Oral calcium and vitamin D supplementation could not prevent the development of hypocalcaemia.