Modelling the epidemiological and economic impact of digital adherence technologies with differentiated care for tuberculosis treatment in Ethiopia.

Background: Digital adherence technologies (DATs) with associated differentiated care are potential tools to improve tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes and reduce associated costs for both patients and healthcare providers. However, the balance between epidemiological and economic benefits remains unclear. Here, we used data from the ASCENT trial to estimate the potential long-term epidemiological and economic impact of DAT interventions in Ethiopia.

Impact of HA-PCI on self-reported cognitive functioning and brain metastases in small-cell lung cancer: Pooled findings of NCT01780675 and PREMER trials.

Background: Cognitive decline is an arising concern in patients who need cranial irradiation. We used the pooled longitudinal individual patient data of two phase III trials: NCT01780675 and PREMER to investigate whether hippocampal avoidance (HA)-PCI is associated with improved self-reported cognitive functioning (SRCF) compared with PCI without increasing brain metastases (BM) development within the HA area.

Methods: Patients with stage I-IV small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were randomized to PCI or HA-PCI.

Impact of active case finding for tuberculosis with mass chest X-ray screening in Glasgow, Scotland, 1950-1963: An epidemiological analysis of historical data.

Background: Community active case finding (ACF) for tuberculosis was widely implemented in Europe and North America between 1940 and 1970, when incidence was comparable to many present-day high-burden countries. Using an interrupted time series analysis, we analysed the effect of the 1957 Glasgow mass chest X-ray campaign to inform contemporary approaches to screening.

Methods And Findings: Case notifications for 1950 to 1963 were extracted from public health records and linked to demographic data.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of risk factors influencing patient-reported arm symptoms post-breast cancer treatment: Accounting for radiotherapy impact.

Objectives: To systematically review risk factors for patient-reported arm symptoms (AS) in breast cancer (BC), considering radiotherapy (RT) impact, using the EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaire (BR23).

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were searched using the keywords "breast neoplasms", "radiotherapy", and "BR23" up to March 5th, 2024.

Inclusion Criteria: both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Subnational tuberculosis burden estimation for Pakistan.

Global tuberculosis (TB) burden estimates are aggregated at the national level, despite the likelihood of uneven distribution across and within regions in the same country. Subnational estimates are crucial to producing informed policies and informing budget allocation at more granular levels. In collaboration with the National TB Programme (NTP), we applied a simple and transparent tool to estimate the subnational TB burden in Pakistan.

Association of Serum Biomarkers With Neurocognitive Decline After PCI in Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Exploratory Study of the Phase III NCT01780675 Trial.

Introduction: Blood samples were collected to explore potential serum biomarkers associated with neurocognitive function in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients who received prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI).

Methods: This pre-specified study included patients with blood samples available, who participated in a phase III trial (NCT01780675). Blood samples were collected before PCI and 3-days post-initiating PCI.

Improving the contribution of mathematical modelling evidence to guidelines and policy: Experiences from tuberculosis.

We read with great interest the recent paper by Lo et al., who argue that there is an urgent need to ensure the quality of modelling evidence used to support international and national guideline development. Here we outline efforts by the Tuberculosis Modelling and Analysis Consortium, together with the World Health Organization Global Task Force on Tuberculosis Impact Measurement, to develop material to improve the quality and transparency of country-level tuberculosis modelling to inform decision-making.

Estimating the Impact of Tuberculosis Pathways on Transmission-What Is the Gap Left by Passive Case Finding?

Current passive case-finding policies have not resulted in the expected decline in tuberculosis incidence. Recognition of the variety of disease pathways experienced by individuals with tuberculosis highlights how many are not served by the current prevention and care system and how much transmission is missed.

The International Consensus for Early TB framework (ICE-TB): Implications from a low-incidence setting.

In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the public health significance of the spectrum of TB disease presentation, and the existing classification systems of asymptomatic infection and symptomatic TB have been limited in terms of explanatory power. Accordingly, in 2022-2023, a new International Consensus framework for Early TB (ICE-TB) was developed, categorising the spectrum of TB infection and disease into five states based on the presence or absence of macroscopic pathology, host infectiousness, and symptoms and signs.We used the ICE-TB framework to re-analyse existing notification data for 2022 within a low-incidence setting to explore the potential utility and future challenges for its public health application.

Merkel cell polyomavirus pan-T antigen knockdown reduces cancer cell stemness and promotes neural differentiation independent of RB1.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive skin cancer associated with integration of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). MCPyV-encoded T-antigens (TAs) are pivotal for sustaining MCC's oncogenic phenotype, i.e.

Implications of subclinical tuberculosis for vaccine trial design and global effect.

Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death from an infectious agent globally. Infectious subclinical tuberculosis accounts for almost half of all tuberculosis cases in national tuberculosis prevalence surveys, and possibly contributes to transmission and might be associated with morbidity. Modelling studies suggest that new tuberculosis vaccines could have substantial health and economic effects, partly based on the assumptions made regarding subclinical tuberculosis.

Optimizing the cascade of prevention to protect people from tuberculosis: A potential game changer for reducing global tuberculosis incidence.

The provision of tuberculosis preventive treatment is one of the critical interventions to reduce tuberculosis incidence and ultimately eliminate the disease, yet we still miss appropriate tools for an impactful intervention and treatment coverage remains low. We used recent data, epidemiological estimates, and research findings to analyze the challenges of each step of the cascade of tuberculosis prevention that currently delay the strategy implementation. We addressed research gaps and implementation bottlenecks that withhold key actions in tuberculosis case finding, testing for tuberculosis infection, provision of preventive treatment with safer, shorter regimens and supporting people to complete their treatment.

Robustness of intensity modulated proton treatment of esophageal cancer for anatomical changes and breathing motion.

Background And Purpose: In this study, we assessed the robustness of intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) in esophageal cancer for anatomical variations during treatment.

Methods: The first sixty esophageal cancer patients, treated clinically with chemoradiotherapy were included. The treatment planning strategy was based on an internal target volume (ITV) approach, where the ITV was created from the clinical target volumes (CTVs) delineated on all phases of a 4DCT.

DNA Damage Stress Control Is a Truncated Large T Antigen and Euchromatic Histone Lysine Methyltransferase 2-Dependent Central Feature of Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive skin cancer with a high mortality rate. Merkel cell polyomavirus causes 80% of MCCs, encoding the viral oncogenes small T and truncated large T (tLT) antigens. These proteins impair the RB1-dependent G1/S checkpoint blockade and subvert the host cell epigenome to promote cancer.

Higher loss of livelihood and impoverishment in households affected by tuberculosis compared to non-tuberculosis affected households in Zimbabwe: A cross-sectional study.

Tuberculosis (TB) disproportionally affects poor people, leading to income and non-income losses. Measures of socioeconomic impact of TB, e.g.

Loss of p14 diminishes immunogenicity in melanoma via non-canonical Wnt signaling by reducing the peptide surface density.

Immunotherapy has achieved tremendous success in melanoma. However, only around 50% of advanced melanoma patients benefit from immunotherapy. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A), encoding the two tumor-suppressor proteins p14 and p16, belongs to the most frequently inactivated gene loci in melanoma and leads to decreased T cell infiltration.

High-precision stereotactic irradiation for focal drug-resistant epilepsy versus standard treatment: a randomized waitlist-controlled trial (the PRECISION trial).

Introduction: The standard treatment for patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) who are not eligible for open brain surgery is the continuation of anti-seizure medication (ASM) and neuromodulation. This treatment does not cure epilepsy but only decreases severity. The PRECISION trial offers a non-invasive, possibly curative intervention for these patients, which consist of a single stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) treatment.

Untangling the stranglehold through mathematical modelling of Streptococcus equi subspecies equi transmission.

Strangles, a disease caused by infection with Streptococccus equi subspecies equi (S. equi), is endemic worldwide and one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses. Recent work has improved our knowledge of key parameters of transmission dynamics, but important knowledge gaps remain.

The existence of cranial bone flap displacement during brain radiotherapy.

This retrospective study examined bone flap displacement during radiotherapy in 25 post-operative brain tumour patients. Though never exceeding 2.5 mm, the sheer frequency of displacement highlights the need for future research on larger populations to validate its presence and assess the potential clinical impact on planning tumour volume margins.

Classification of early tuberculosis states to guide research for improved care and prevention: an international Delphi consensus exercise.

The current active-latent paradigm of tuberculosis largely neglects the documented spectrum of disease. Inconsistency with regard to definitions, terminology, and diagnostic criteria for different tuberculosis states has limited the progress in research and product development that are needed to achieve tuberculosis elimination. We aimed to develop a new framework of classification for tuberculosis that accommodates key disease states but is sufficiently simple to support pragmatic research and implementation.