Total Body PET/CT: Clinical Value and Future Aspects of Quantification in Static and Dynamic Imaging.

Total body (TB) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) / Computed Tomography (CT) scanners have revolutionized nuclear medicine by enabling whole-body imaging in a single bed position. This review assesses the physical and clinical value of TB-PET/CT, with a focus on the advancements in both static and dynamic imaging, as well as the evolving quantification techniques. The significantly enhanced sensitivity of TB scanners can reduce radiation exposure and scan time, offering improved patient comfort and making it particularly useful for pediatric imaging and various other scenarios.

Encapsulation of Phenolic Compounds Extracted from Beet By-Products: Analysis of Physical and Chemical Properties.

Beet is a nutritious and health-promoting food with important bioactive compounds in its industrial by-products. The encapsulation of antioxidants from beet by-products has been proposed for valorization. For this, an ethanol-water extract was mixed with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) (used as a carrier agent) and then encapsulated.

Sex Differences in Chronic Postsurgical Pain after Open Thoracotomy.

Study Objective: To determine the incidence of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in women after open thoracotomy. Secondary objectives were to compare relevant patient and procedural variables between women and men.

Design: Observational cohort study.

Recruitment of informal caregivers into community oncology research studies: results from the 2022 Landscape Assessment.

Understanding the experiences of community oncology practices in recruiting informal (unpaid/family) caregivers into research studies can inform strategies to improve caregiver enrollment. We used data from the 2022 National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Landscape Assessment to describe the experience of recruiting informal caregivers for research studies in community oncology practices. Among 258 practice groups, only one-third (30%, 78/258) reported prior experience recruiting informal caregivers for research studies.

Impact of the use of small-area models on estimation of attributable mortality at a regional level.

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of applying prevalences derived from a small-area model at a regional level on smoking-attributable mortality (SAM). A prevalence-dependent method was used to estimate SAM. Prevalences of tobacco use were derived from a small-area model.

Morphological 3D Analysis of PLGA/Chitosan Blend Polymer Scaffolds and Their Impregnation with Olive Pruning Residues via Supercritical CO.

Natural extracts, such as those from the residues of the industry, offer an opportunity for use due to their richness in antioxidant compounds. These compounds can be incorporated into porous polymeric devices with huge potential for tissue engineering such as bone, cardiovascular, osteogenesis, or neural applications using supercritical CO. For this purpose, polymeric scaffolds of biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and chitosan, generated in situ by foaming, were employed for the supercritical impregnation of ethanolic olive leaf extract (OLE).

Reference values for the 1-minute sit-to-stand and 5 times sit-to-stand tests to assess functional capacity: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To establish age-specific and sex-specific reference values and equations for the 1-minute sit-to-stand (1MSTS) and 5 times sit-to-stand (5TSTS) tests for Portuguese adults.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics were explored to compute reference values and reference equations were established with a forward stepwise multiple regression.

Integrin mechanosensing relies on a pivot-clip mechanism to reinforce cell adhesion.

Cells intricately sense mechanical forces from their surroundings, driving biophysical and biochemical activities. This mechanosensing phenomenon occurs at the cell-matrix interface, where mechanical forces resulting from cellular motion, such as migration or matrix stretching, are exchanged through surface receptors, primarily integrins, and their corresponding matrix ligands. A pivotal player in this interaction is the αβ integrin and fibronectin (FN) bond, known for its role in establishing cell adhesion sites for migration.

Early focal electroencephalogram and neuroimaging findings predict epilepsy development after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Introduction: Seizures are a common complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in both acute and late stages: 10-20 % acute symptomatic seizures, 12-25 % epilepsy rate at five years. Our aim was to identify early electroencephalogram (EEG) and computed tomography (CT) findings that could predict long-term epilepsy after SAH.

Material And Methods: This is a multicenter, retrospective, longitudinal study of adult patients with aneurysmal SAH admitted to two tertiary care hospitals between January 2011 to December 2022.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma: Description of pleural decortication and hyperthermic chemotherapy technique in multimodal therapy.

The current treatment for mesothelioma, in selected cases, consists of extended pleurodecortication and intrathoracic hyperthermic chemotherapy. This technique is laborious and detailed and must be followed step by step to achieve good results. We present the case of a patient with epithelioid mesothelioma meeting surgical criteria who underwent the mentioned technique, experiencing an adequate postoperative period and an early discharge.

Encapsulation of Olive ( L.) Pruning Waste Particles by Supercritical CO Technology.

Olive leaves ( L.) contain a multitude of bioactive compounds such as sterols, carotenes, triterpenic alcohols and phenolic compounds. These compounds have been shown to exhibit antiviral, antioxidant, candida-growth-inhibitory, anticancer, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities.

Smoking-attributable mortality by sex in the 27 Brazilian federal units: 2019.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate smoking-attributable mortality (SAM) in the population aged 35 years and over in Brazil's 27 federal units by sex, in 2019.

Study Design: This is an attributable mortality analysis.

Methods: We applied a method dependent on the prevalence of smoking, based on the population attributable fractions.

Measurement properties of the incremental step test for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The new incremental step test (IST) is a field test that was developed for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), based on the characteristics of the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT); however, its measurement properties still need to be determined. We aimed, first, to assess the construct validity (through the comparison with the ISWT), within-day reliability and measurement error of the IST in people with COPD; and, second, to identify whether the participants have a learning effect in the IST.

Design: Cross-sectional study, conducted according to COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments guidelines.

Prevalence and Quantification of the Effects of Sexual Harassment Victimization of School-Aged Adolescents.

Background/aim: Sexual harassment has become a serious social and public health problem in adolescents, causing adverse effects on mental health. Nevertheless, some behaviours arise that, due to their characteristics, might be misinterpreted as sexual harassment. A field study using a survey with non-probabilistic accidental sampling was designed in order to estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment victimization in the Spanish adolescent population as well as to quantify the harms.

Feasibility of 3D Body Tracking from Monocular 2D Video Feeds in Musculoskeletal Telerehabilitation.

Musculoskeletal conditions affect millions of people globally; however, conventional treatments pose challenges concerning price, accessibility, and convenience. Many telerehabilitation solutions offer an engaging alternative but rely on complex hardware for body tracking. This work explores the feasibility of a model for 3D Human Pose Estimation (HPE) from monocular 2D videos (MediaPipe Pose) in a physiotherapy context, by comparing its performance to ground truth measurements.

Supercritical Impregnation of Leaves Extracts into Porous Conductive PLGA-PEDOT Scaffolds.

Plant leaves, such as those from , represent a potential utilization of waste due to their richness in bioactive compounds. Supercritical CO allows these compounds to be incorporated into various matrices by impregnation. Combined with its ability to generate polymeric scaffolds, it represents an attractive strategy for the production of biomedical devices.

Dynamic nature of BRAF or KRAS p.G12C mutations in second-line therapy for advanced colorectal cancer patients: do early and late effects exist?

Introduction: The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling network aberrations in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) generate intrinsic dynamic effects and temporal variations that are crucial but often overlooked in clinical trial populations. Here, we investigate the time-varying impact of MAPK pathway mutation genotype on each treatment line's contribution to the overall clinical course.

Methods: The PROMETEO study focused on mCRC patients undergoing second-line treatment at 20 hospitals.

Evolution of smoking prevalence in Spain and its 17 autonomous regions (1987-2020).

Background And Objectives: Continuous monitoring of smoking prevalence is essential to understand the evolution of the tobacco epidemic in a population. The objective of this study was to analyze the evolution of smoking prevalence in Spain and its 17 Autonomous Regions (ARs) in population ≥15 years during the period 1987-2020.

Methods: Tobacco consumption data were derived from the National Health Survey of Spain and the European Health Survey in Spain.

Left Atrial Strain Predicts Stroke Recurrence and Death in Patients With Cryptogenic Stroke.

Left atrial strain (LAS) has been widely studied as a predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF) after cryptogenic stroke (CS). However, the evidence about its prognostic role in terms of stroke recurrence and death in this setting remains scarce. A total of 92 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack with ABCD2 scale ≥4 of unknown etiology were prospectively recruited.

Information Technology and Telemedicine Services in Community Oncology Practices.

Purpose: We described information technology support and use of telemedicine for cancer care and research purposes at community oncology practices within the National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP).

Methods: We used data from the NCORP 2017 and 2022 Landscape Assessments. Separate logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with the use of telemedicine for delivery of cancer care in 2017 and for research purposes in 2022 (cancer care delivery not assessed in 2022).