Comprehensive Image Quality Evaluation and Motion Phantom Studies of an Ultra-Fast (6-Second) Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Imaging System on a Ring Gantry Linear Accelerator.

Purpose: To evaluate the image quality of an ultrafast cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) system-Varian HyperSight.

Methods And Materials: In this evaluation, 5 studies were performed to assess the image quality of HyperSight CBCT. First, a HyperSight CBCT image quality evaluation was performed and compared with Siemens simulation-CT and Varian TrueBeam CBCT.

Betibeglogene autotemcel gene therapy in patients with transfusion-dependent, severe genotype β-thalassaemia (HGB-212): a non-randomised, multicentre, single-arm, open-label, single-dose, phase 3 trial.

Background: Transfusion-dependent β-thalassaemia (TDT) is a severe disease, resulting in lifelong blood transfusions, iron overload, and associated complications. Betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel) gene therapy uses autologous haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) transduced with BB305 lentiviral vector to enable transfusion independence.

Methods: HGB-212 was a non-randomised, multicentre, single-arm, open-label, phase 3 study of beti-cel in patients with TDT conducted at eight centres in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the UK, and the USA.

Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is among the most frequent hereditary disorders globally and its prevalence in Europe is increasing due to migration movements.

Summary: The basic pathophysiological event of SCD is polymerization of deoxygenated sickle hemoglobin, resulting in hemolysis, vasoocclusion, and multiorgan damage. While the pathophysiological cascade offers numerous targets for treatment, currently only two disease-modifying drugs have been approved in Europe and transfusion remains a mainstay of both preventing and treating severe complications of SCD.

Inflammatory Manifestations Associated With Gut Dysbiosis in Alzheimer's Disease.

Recent studies strongly suggest that gut microbiome can influence brain functions and contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, reported changes in the gut microbiomes in AD patients from different countries are not similar, and more research is needed to reveal the relationships between human microbiomes and AD in diverse ethnic populations. There is also an assumption that microbiome-associated peripheral inflammation might drive the development of sporadic AD.

Play Behavior Varies with Age, Sex, and Socioecological Context in Wild, Immature Orangutans ( spp.).

Unlabelled: Play is thought to serve different purposes at different times during ontogeny. The nature and frequency of play are expected to change accordingly over the developmental trajectory and with socio-ecological context. Orangutans offer the opportunity to disentangle the ontogenetic trajectories of solitary and social play with their extended immature phase, and socio-ecological variation among populations and species.

Factors Associated with Detection in the Water Systems of National Lodging Organization Facilities with Water Management Programs in the United States.

A better understanding of risk factors and the predictive capability of water management program (WMP) data in detecting are needed to inform the efforts aimed at reducing growth and preventing outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease. Using WMPs and testing data from a national lodging organization in the United States, we aimed to (1) identify factors associated with detection and (2) assess the ability of WMP disinfectant and temperature metrics to predict detection. We conducted a logistic regression analysis to identify WMP metrics associated with serogroup 1 (SG1) detection.

Pathogenesis of Endometriosis and Endometriosis-Associated Cancers.

Endometriosis is a hormone-dependent, chronic inflammatory condition that affects 5-10% of reproductive-aged women. It is a complex disorder characterized by the growth of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus, which can cause chronic pelvic pain and infertility. Despite its prevalence, the underlying molecular mechanisms of this disease remain poorly understood.

A foundation model for clinical-grade computational pathology and rare cancers detection.

The analysis of histopathology images with artificial intelligence aims to enable clinical decision support systems and precision medicine. The success of such applications depends on the ability to model the diverse patterns observed in pathology images. To this end, we present Virchow, the largest foundation model for computational pathology to date.

Association of hyperfibrinolysis with poor prognosis in refractory circulatory arrest: implications for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background: Identifying candidates for extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (eCPR) is challenging, and novel predictive markers are urgently needed. Hyperfibrinolysis is linked to tissue hypoxia and is associated with poor outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) can detect or rule out hyperfibrinolysis, and could, therefore, provide decision support for initiation of eCPR.

Validation of Acuros for total body irradiation at extended distance.

Purpose: Standardized and accurately reported doses are essential in conventional total body irradiation (TBI), especially lung doses. This study evaluates the accuracy of the Acuros algorithm in predicting doses for extended-distance TBI.

Methods: Measurements and calculations were done with both 6 and 18 MV.

Evaluating Stigmatization Toward Mental Illnesses Among Resident Physicians.

Background  Individuals with mental illness are stigmatized by peers in societal, workplace, and healthcare settings. The stigmatization individuals experience from healthcare providers is well documented and pervasive, often being a detriment to the quality of healthcare these individuals receive. Objective Recognizing and addressing stigmatization toward individuals with mental illnesses is imperative during residency training in Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs and throughout professional practice.

Impact of AKI on metabolic compensation for respiratory acidosis in ICU patients with AECOPD.

Purpose: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) can result in severe respiratory acidosis. Metabolic compensation is primarily achieved by renal retention of bicarbonate. The extent to which acute kidney injury (AKI) impairs the kidney's capacity to compensate for respiratory acidosis remains unclear.

Enteric Infection-Associated Reactive Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to estimate the proportions of individuals infected with , , , , or who develop reactive arthritis. A systematic review was conducted, encompassing English-language articles published before January 2024, sourced from the Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. This review included observational studies that reported the occurrence of reactive arthritis (ReA) among patients with , , , , or infections.

Automated cooling tower detection through deep learning for Legionnaires' disease outbreak investigations: a model development and validation study.

Background: Cooling towers containing Legionella spp are a high-risk source of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks. Manually locating cooling towers from aerial imagery during outbreak investigations requires expertise, is labour intensive, and can be prone to errors. We aimed to train a deep learning computer vision model to automatically detect cooling towers that are aerially visible.

CTHRC1: An Emerging Hallmark of Pathogenic Fibroblasts in Lung Fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung disease characterized by fibrotic scarring in the lung parenchyma. This condition involves the excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) due to the aberrant activation of myofibroblasts in the alveolar environment. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling is a crucial driver of fibrogenesis because it promotes excessive ECM deposition, thereby leading to scar formation and lung damage.

Evaluation of Short-Term Mussel Test for Estimating Toxicity.

Effect concentrations of ammonia, nickel, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride from short-term 7-day tests were compared to those from standard chronic 28-day toxicity tests with juvenile mussels (fatmucket, Lampsilis siliquoidea) to evaluate the sensitivities of the 7-day tests. The effect concentrations for nickel (59 µg Ni/L), chloride (316-519 mg Cl/L, a range from multiple tests), and potassium (15 mg K/L) obtained from the 7-day tests were within a range of effect concentrations for each corresponding chemical in the 28-day tests (41-91 µg Ni/L, 251->676 mg Cl/L, 15-23 mg K/L), whereas the 7-day ammonia effect concentration (0.40 mg/L total ammonia nitrogen; TAN) was up to 3.

Assessing the quality of public services: For-profits, chains, and concentration in the hospital market.

We examine variation in US hospital quality across ownership, chain membership, and market concentration. We propose a new measure of quality derived from penalties imposed on hospitals under the flagship Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, and use regression models to risk-adjust for hospital characteristics and county demographics. While the overall association between for-profit ownership and quality is negative, there is evidence of substantial heterogeneity.

Standard vs. carbone dioxide adapted kidney replacement therapy in hypercapnic ARDS patients: a randomized controlled pilot trial (BigBIC).

Background: Current continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) protocols ignore physiological renal compensation for hypercapnia. This study aimed to explore feasibility, safety, and clinical benefits of pCO2-adapted CKRT for hypercapnic acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients with indication for CKRT.

Methods: We enrolled mechanically ventilated hypercapnic ARDS patients (pCO2 > 7.

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Illness Outbreak Associated with Untreated, Pressurized, Municipal Irrigation Water - Utah, 2023.

During July-September 2023, an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 illness among children in city A, Utah, caused 13 confirmed illnesses; seven patients were hospitalized, including two with hemolytic uremic syndrome. Local, state, and federal public health partners investigating the outbreak linked the illnesses to untreated, pressurized, municipal irrigation water (UPMIW) exposure in city A; 12 of 13 ill children reported playing in or drinking UPMIW. Clinical isolates were genetically highly related to one another and to environmental isolates from multiple locations within city A's UPMIW system.

Sickle Cell Health Awareness, Perspectives, and Experiences (SHAPE) survey: Perspectives of adolescent and adult patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals on the burden of sickle cell disease.

Objectives: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder that causes lifelong complications, substantially impacting the physical and emotional well-being of patients and their caregivers. Studies investigating the effects of SCD on quality of life (QOL) are often limited to individual countries, lack SCD-specific QOL questionnaires, and exclude the caregiver experience. The SHAPE survey aimed to broaden the understanding of the global burden of SCD on patients and their caregivers and to capture the viewpoint of healthcare providers (HCPs).