Barriers and facilitators to tuberculosis diagnosis in Lima, Peru: a mixed methods study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) infectiousness decreases significantly with only a few days of treatment, but delayed diagnosis often leads to late treatment initiation. We conducted a sequential explanatory mixed methods study to understand the barriers and facilitators to prompt diagnosis among people with TB.

Methods: We enrolled 100 adults who started TB treatment in the Carabayllo district of Lima, Peru, between November 2020 and February 2022 and administered a survey about their symptoms and healthcare encounters.

Unveiling the Rarity: A Case of a Mixed Neuroendocrine-Non-Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Gastroesophageal Junction.

Mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNENs) are a rare group of heterogeneous tumors, consisting of an endocrine and a nonendocrine component, which can develop throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This case presents a 70-year-old man with a complex medical history who initially presented with an upper GI bleed. After being stabilized, he underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) that revealed a suspicious gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) mass.

Medium-Term Disability and Long-Term Functional Impairment Persistence in Survivors of Severe COVID-19 ARDS: Clinical and Physiological Insights.

Background: Although the medium- and long-term sequelae of survivor of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) of any cause have been documented, little is known about the way in which COVID-19-induced ARDS affects functional disability and exercise components. Our aims were to examine the medium-term disability in severe COVID-19-associated ARDS survivors, delineate pathophysiological changes contributing to their exercise intolerance, and explore its utility in predicting long-term functional impairment persistence.

Methods: We studied 108 consecutive subjects with severe COVID-19 ARDS who remained alive 6 months after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.

Air pollution exposure and its effects on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: clinical worsening, lung function decline, and radiological deterioration.

Introduction: Major urban pollutants have a considerable influence on the natural history of lung disease. However, this effect is not well known in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effects of air pollution on clinical worsening, lung function, and radiological deterioration in patients with IPF.

Exploring the role of the private sector in tuberculosis detection and management in Lima, Peru: a mixed-methods patient pathway analysis.

In Latin America, little is known about the involvement of private healthcare providers in TB detection and management. We sought to gain a better understanding of current and potential roles of the private sector in delivering TB services in Peru. We conducted a mixed-methods study in Lima, Peru.

Relationship between air pollution exposure and the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Madrid: Chronic respiratory failure, hospitalizations, and mortality. A retrospective study.

Introduction: Air pollution has a significant impact on the morbidity and mortality of various respiratory diseases. However, this has not been widely studied in diffuse interstitial lung diseases, specifically in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective: In this study we aimed to assess the relationship between four major air pollutants individually [carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O), and nitrogen oxides (NO)] and the development of chronic respiratory failure, hospitalization due to respiratory causes and mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Neurobiochemical, Peptidomic, and Bioinformatic Approaches to Characterize Tauopathy Peptidome Biomarker Candidates in Experimental Mouse Model of Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a multidimensional damage, and currently, no FDA-approved medicine is available. Multiple pathways in the cell are triggered through a head injury (e.g.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients' experiences obtaining a tuberculosis diagnosis in Peru: a mixed-methods study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted TB services worldwide, leading to diagnostic delays. There have been few published reports describing how the pandemic affected people's pathway to diagnosis from their own perspectives. We sought to evaluate the impact on the pandemic on people's experiences obtaining a TB diagnosis.

X-ray microtomography applied to mortars: Review of microstructural visualization and parameterization.

The objective of the present work is to review the main applications of X-ray microtomography in the microstructural study of mortars, based on a literature search related to the subject, and to enable the development of more innovative and sustainable mortar formulations. This three-dimensional non-destructive microscopy allows qualitative visualization down to micrometric scales, visualization of the spatial distribution of the interior of samples of objects relatively opaque to visible light and the measurement of quantitative microstructural parameters. Furthermore, the combination of X-ray microtomography with other microstructural and compositional techniques can result in data at different scales of observation.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: survival trend analysis of a comprehensive center.

Objectives: Therapeutic options for pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia (Pan-NEN) have increased over the last decade. We aim to understand the evolution of the prognosis of patients with diagnosis of Pan-NEN within a 12-year period, considering the implementation of new treatments.

Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with Pan-NENs between 2006 and 2017.

Male gender as a poor prognostic factor in medullary thyroid carcinoma: behavior or biological difference?

Background: Due to the low incidence and heterogeneous behavior of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), its prognostic factors are still not well stablished. While several large studies have investigated the impact of gender in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), its role in MTC outcomes remains controversial. We aim to identify MTC prognostic features, specially focusing on the role of gender.

Blood-Based Brain and Global Biomarker Changes after Combined Hypoxemia and Hemorrhagic Shock in a Rat Model of Penetrating Ballistic-Like Brain Injury.

Penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) often occurs with systemic insults such as hemorrhagic shock (HS) and hypoxemic (HX). This study examines rat models of penetrating ballistic-like brain injury (PBBI) and HX+HS to assess whether the blood levels of brain and systemic response biomarkers phosphorylated neurofilament-heavy protein (pNF-H), neurofilament-light protein (NF-L), αII-spectrin, heat shock protein (HSP70), and high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) can distinguish pTBI from systemic insults and guide in pTBI diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring. Thirty rats were randomly assigned to sham, PBBI, HS+HX, and PBBI+HS+HX groups.

Effect of Dynamic Hyperinflation on Cardiac Response to Exercise of Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Introduction: Although the major limitation to exercise performance in patients with COPD is dynamic hyperinflation (DH), little is known about its relation with cardiac response to exercise. Our objectives were to compare the exercise response of stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO) between COPD patients with or without DH and control subjects, and to assess the main determinants.

Methods: Fifty-seven stable COPD patients without cardiac comorbidity and 25 healthy subjects were recruited.

Mixed medullary-papillary thyroid carcinoma with mixed lymph node metastases: A case report.

Mixed medullary-follicular-derived carcinoma is a very rare event. It is extremely important to make the correct diagnosis, due to prognostic and treatment implications. A genetic study of these patients is advisable to exclude the presence of MEN 2.

Influence of fermentation temperature on in situ heteropolysaccharide formation ( TMW 1.1478) and texture properties of raw sausages.

This study puts a focus on the influence of microbial in situ heteropolysaccharide (HePS) formation on the quality of raw fermented sausages (salami). Since exopolysaccharide-production is often triggered by sub-optimal growth conditions, the influence of different fermentation temperatures was also investigated. For this reason, the sausage batter was inoculated with ( TMW 1.

Improved survival in patients with thyroid function test abnormalities secondary to immune-checkpoint inhibitors.

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are monoclonal antibodies which target molecules to enhance antitumor response. Several adverse events have been described and the major ICI-related endocrinopathies are thyroid dysfunction and hypophysitis. Its occurrence has been associated with improved outcomes, but it is still to be proven.

Screening of tau protein kinase inhibitors in a tauopathy-relevant cell-based model of tau hyperphosphorylation and oligomerization.

Tauopathies are a class of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by abnormal deposition of post-translationally modified tau protein in the human brain. Tauopathies are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and other diseases. Hyperphosphorylation increases tau tendency to aggregate and form neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), a pathological hallmark of AD.

Pheochromocytoma Due to Mutation - The Importance of Genetic Testing for Clinical Decision.

Apreviously healthy 53-year-old woman presented with new onset arterial hypertension diagnosed during workup for daily pulsatile bilateral frontal headaches and paroxysmal episodes of fatigue, palpitations and sweating. High urinary metanephrines were detected and an abdominal magnetic resonance image evidenced two nodular bilateral adrenal lesions and a left iliac focal lesion. F-FDG-PET/CT (fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography) scanning revealed mild-to-moderate uptake in both adrenal lesions and mild uptake in the iliac bone, whereas I-metaiodobenzylguanide scintigraphy revealed uptake only in the right adrenal.

Surveillance of succinate dehydrogenase gene mutation carriers: Insights from a nationwide cohort.

Objective: Mutations in the genes coding for succinate dehydrogenase (SDHx) are the most frequent germline alterations in pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas. Evidence for the advantages associated with presymptomatic screening for SDHx mutation carriers is scarce. This study describes a nationwide cohort of these mutation carriers and aims to compare patients with clinical manifestations of the disease and those diagnosed through genetic screening.