Biomarkers troponin and procalcitonin in addition to CRB-65 enhance risk stratification in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a leading cause of infectious disease mortality globally, necessitating intensive care unit (ICU) admission for ∼10% of hospitalised patients. Accurate prediction of disease severity facilitates timely therapeutic interventions.

Methods: Our study aimed to enhance the predictive capacity of the clinical CRB-65 score by evaluating eight candidate biomarkers: troponin T high-sensitive (TnT-hs), procalcitonin (PCT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, angiopoietin-2, copeptin, endothelin-1, lipocalin-2 and mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin.

Do hybrid closed loop insulin pump systems improve glycemic control and reduce hospitalizations in poorly controlled type 1 diabetes?

Objectives: Hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems improve glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), but their effectiveness in young, poorly controlled populations is not established and requires study.

Methods: A pre-post study was performed using electronic health records of patients 3-24 years with baseline HbA≥9 % prescribed HCL within the New York City Health+Hospitals System assessing HbA levels and hospitalizations before and after HCL initiation and factors associated with achieving HbA<9 % after HCL initiation.

Results: Of 47 children and adolescents who met inclusion criteria, 4.

One-Port Coaxial Line Sample Holder Characterisation Method of Dielectric Spectra.

A technique for solving the one-port closed coaxial transmission line sample holder scattering equation for complex permittivity inversion for lossy materials is presented. A non-linear least-squares procedure is used for the determination of parameters for the specification of the spectral functional form of the complex permittivity. The method allows for accurate retrieval of many low- and high-permittivity dielectric materials in the frequency range of 1 GHz to 3 GHz inserted into the coaxial cell.

The Potential Role of the Leucocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors in Kidney Transplant Rejection: A Mini Review.

Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) remains one of the main causes of long-term graft failure after kidney transplantation, despite the development of powerful immunosuppressive therapy. A detailed understanding of the complex interaction between recipient-derived immune cells and the allograft is therefore essential. Until recently, ABMR mechanisms were thought to be solely caused by adaptive immunity, namely, by anti-human leucocyte antigen (HLA) donor-specific antibody.

[Retrospective study of 60 cases of uterine rupture at the Maternity Center of Monastir, Tunisia].

Uterine rupture is a life-threatening obstetric complication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological features, maternal and foetal prognosis and different treatment options for uterine rupture in healthy and scarred uteri. We conducted a retrospective monocentric descriptive and analytical study of 60 cases of uterine rupture collected in the Department of Gynaecology-Obstetrics of the Center of Maternity and Neonatology, Monastir, from 2017 to 2021.

Recognition of intraglomerular histological features with deep learning in protocol transplant biopsies and their association with kidney function and prognosis.

Background: The Banff Classification may not adequately address protocol transplant biopsies categorized as normal in patients experiencing unexplained graft function deterioration. This study seeks to employ convolutional neural networks to automate the segmentation of glomerular cells and capillaries and assess their correlation with transplant function.

Methods: A total of 215 patients were categorized into three groups.

Comparison of Microwave Hyperthermia Applicator Designs with Fora Dipole and Connected Array.

In microwave hyperthermia tumor therapy, electromagnetic waves focus energy on the tumor to elevate the temperature above its normal levels with minimal injury to the surrounding healthy tissue. Microwave hyperthermia applicator design is important for the effectiveness of the therapy and the feasibility of real-time application. In this study, the potential of using fractal octagonal ring antenna elements as a dipole antenna array and as a connected array at 2.

Broadband Measurements of Soil Complex Permittivity.

Agriculture is a major consumer of freshwater and is often associated with low water productivity. To prevent drought, farmers tend to over-irrigate, putting a strain on the ever-depleting groundwater resources. To improve modern agricultural techniques and conserve water, quick and accurate estimates of soil water content (SWC) should be made, and irrigation timed correctly in order to optimize crop yield and water use.

A holistic and proactive approach to forecasting cyber threats.

Traditionally, cyber-attack detection relies on reactive, assistive techniques, where pattern-matching algorithms help human experts to scan system logs and network traffic for known virus or malware signatures. Recent research has introduced effective Machine Learning (ML) models for cyber-attack detection, promising to automate the task of detecting, tracking and blocking malware and intruders. Much less effort has been devoted to cyber-attack prediction, especially beyond the short-term time scale of hours and days.

A Method for Extracting Debye Parameters as a Tool for Monitoring Watered and Contaminated Soils.

Soil monitoring is a key topic from several perspectives, such as moisture level control for irrigation management and anti-contamination purposes. Monitoring the latter is becoming even more important due to increasing environmental pollution. As a direct consequence, there is a strong demand for innovative monitoring systems that are low cost, provide for quasi-real time and in situ monitoring, high sensitivity, and adequate accuracy.

The synthesis of a liver tissue mimicking solution for microwave medical applications.

This paper presents the synthesis of a mixture solution that is equivalent to ex-vivo liver tissue dielectric characteristics between 500 MHz and 5 GHz. The mimicking solution was synthesized using concentrations of two chemicals, the solute which is referred to as the inclusion phase and the solvent, referred to as the host phase. The inclusion phase consisted of bovine serum albumin (BSA) powder and the host phase consisted of a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution with a concentration of Triton X-100 (TX-100).

Exposure of men living in the greater Montreal area to organophosphate esters: Association with hormonal balance and semen quality.

Exposure to organophosphate esters (OPEs) is extensive, yet few studies have investigated their association with hormone levels or semen quality. Here, we studied the association between urinary concentrations of OPEs and their metabolites with hormone levels and semen parameters in men (n = 117) predominantly in the 20-29 years age range who were recruited from the greater Montreal area between 2009 and 2012. Urine, serum, and semen samples were analyzed for OPEs, hormones, and semen quality, respectively.

Prediction models of diabetes complications: a scoping review.

Background: Diabetes often places a large burden on people with diabetes (hereafter 'patients') and the society, that is, in part attributable to its complications. However, evidence from models predicting diabetes complications in patients remains unclear. With the collaboration of patient partners, we aimed to describe existing prediction models of physical and mental health complications of diabetes.

International comparison of injury care structures, processes, and outcomes between integrated trauma systems in Québec, Canada, and Victoria, Australia.

Background: Quality improvement activities in trauma systems are widely based on comparisons between trauma centers within the same system. Comparisons across different trauma systems may reveal further opportunities for quality improvement.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the integrated trauma systems in Québec, Canada and in Victoria, Australia, regarding their structures, care processes and patient outcomes.

Review of Thermal and Physiological Properties of Human Breast Tissue.

Electromagnetic thermal therapies for cancer treatment, such as microwave hyperthermia, aim to heat up a targeted tumour site to temperatures within 40 and 44 °C. Computational simulations used to investigate such heating systems employ the Pennes' bioheat equation to model the heat exchange within the tissue, which accounts for several tissue properties: density, specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity, metabolic heat generation rate, and blood perfusion rate. We present a review of these thermal and physiological properties relevant for hyperthermia treatments of breast including fibroglandular breast, fatty breast, and breast tumours.

Relative effectiveness of medications for opioid-related disorders: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: Several pharmacotherapeutic interventions are available for maintenance treatment for opioid-related disorders. However, previous meta-analyses have been limited to pairwise comparisons of these interventions, and their efficacy relative to all others remains unclear. Our objective was to unify findings from different healthcare practices and generate evidence to strengthen clinical treatment protocols for the most widely prescribed medications for opioid-use disorders.

Intensity of hospital resource use following traumatic brain injury: a multicentre cohort study, 2013-2016.

Background: The knowledge gap regarding acute care resource use for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) impedes efforts to improve the efficiency and quality of the care of these patients. Our objective was to evaluate interhospital variation in resource use for patients with TBI, identify determinants of high resource use and assess the association between hospital resource use and clinical outcomes.

Methods: We conducted a multicentre retrospective cohort study including patients aged 16 years and older admitted to the inclusive trauma system of Quebec following TBI, between 2013 and 2016.

Intelligent Computing with Levenberg-Marquardt Backpropagation Neural Networks for Third-Grade Nanofluid Over a Stretched Sheet with Convective Conditions.

This article discussed the influence of activation energy on MHD flow of third-grade nanofluid model (MHD-TGNFM) along with the convective conditions and used the technique of backpropagation in artificial neural network using Levenberg-Marquardt technique (BANN-LMT). The PDEs representing (MHD-TGNFM) transformed into the system of ODEs. The dataset for BANN-LMT is computed for the six scenarios by using the Adam numerical method by varying the local Hartman number (Ha), Prandtl number (Pr), local chemical reaction parameter (), Schmidt number (Sc), concentration Biot number ( ) and thermal Biot number ( ).

Mucinous Cystic Neoplasm of the Cystic Duct: A Rare Location of a Rare Entity.

Mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCNs) are uncommon cystic lesions that arise in the liver and biliary system (MCN-LBS) and the pancreas (MCN-P) and rarely arise from the extrahepatic biliary system. Histologically, these lesions are defined by the presence of variably mucin-producing epithelium with ovarian-like, hypercellular mesenchymal stroma. Herein, we present a case of extrahepatic MCN-LBS in a 51-year-old woman.

Case of a Large Pedunculated Biliary Cholesterol Polyp With Osseous Metaplasia.

Cholesterol polyps are the most common benign gallbladder polyps and are usually seen in a background of cholesterolosis. Rarely, they can harbor foci of osseous metaplasia, which is an event of uncertain clinical significance that might be confused with cholelithiasis clinically or radiologically. Herein we report the case of a 78-year-old female with a 1.

Observer Ratings of Shared Decision Making Do Not Match Patient Reports: An Observational Study in 5 Family Medicine Practices.

Background: Measuring shared decision making (SDM) in clinical practice is important to improve the quality of health care. Measurement can be done by trained observers and by people participating in the clinical encounter, namely, patients. This study aimed to describe the correlations between patients' and observers' ratings of SDM using 2 validated and 2 nonvalidated SDM measures in clinical consultations.

Challenges associated with quantification of selected urinary biomarkers of exposure to tobacco products.

Tobacco use, of which cigarette smoking is the most common, is a global health concern and is directly linked to over 7 million premature deaths annually. Measurement of the levels of tobacco-related biomarkers in biological matrices reflects human exposure to the chemicals in tobacco products. Nicotine, nicotine metabolites, anatabine, and anabasine are specific to tobacco and nicotine containing products.