The Impact of Multiplex PCR in Diagnosing and Managing Bacterial Infections in COVID-19 Patients Self-Medicated with Antibiotics.

The multiplex PCR is a powerful and efficient tool that was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infections and that has applications for bacterial identification, as well as determining bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the usability of multiplex PCR, especially in patients self-medicated with antibiotics, where bacterial cultures often give false-negative results. A cross-sectional study was developed in two COVID-19 units, where 489 eligible patients were included as antibiotic takers and non-antibiotic takers.

The role of computer-assisted systems for upper-endoscopy quality monitoring and assessment of gastric lesions.

This article analyses the literature regarding the value of computer-assisted systems in esogastroduodenoscopy-quality monitoring and the assessment of gastric lesions. Current data show promising results in upper-endoscopy quality control and a satisfactory detection accuracy of gastric premalignant and malignant lesions, similar or even exceeding that of experienced endoscopists. Moreover, artificial systems enable the decision for the best treatment strategies in gastric-cancer patient care, namely endoscopic vs surgical resection according to tumor depth.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in the Endoscopic Assessment of Premalignant and Malignant Esophageal Lesions: Present and Future.

In the gastroenterology field, the impact of artificial intelligence was investigated for the purposes of diagnostics, risk stratification of patients, improvement in quality of endoscopic procedures and early detection of neoplastic diseases, implementation of the best treatment strategy, and optimization of patient prognosis. Computer-assisted diagnostic systems to evaluate upper endoscopy images have recently emerged as a supporting tool in endoscopy due to the risks of misdiagnosis related to standard endoscopy and different expertise levels of endoscopists, time-consuming procedures, lack of availability of advanced procedures, increasing workloads, and development of endoscopic mass screening programs. Recent research has tended toward computerized, automatic, and real-time detection of lesions, which are approaches that offer utility in daily practice.

Malignant hepatic vascular tumors in adults: Characteristics, diagnostic difficulties and current management.

Malignant vascular tumors of the liver include rare primary hepatic mesenchymal tumors developed in the background of a normal liver parenchyma. Most of them are detected incidentally by the increased use of performing imaging techniques. Their diagnosis is challenging, involving clinical and imaging criteria, with final confirmation by histology and immunohistochemistry.

Prognostic significance of tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapy: Novel insights and future perspectives in gastric cancer.

Despite a decrease in gastric cancer incidence, the development of novel biologic agents and combined therapeutic strategies, the prognosis of gastric cancer remains poor. Recently, the introduction of modern immunotherapy, especially using immune checkpoint inhibitors, led to an improved prognosis in many cancers. The use of immunotherapy was also associated with manageable adverse event profiles and promising results in the treatment of patients with gastric cancer, especially in heavily pretreated patients.