Do national cancer control plans address care and research for children, adolescents, and young adults? A review of status, priorities, and recommendations across 41 European countries.

Paediatric cancers, although rare, are the leading cause of disease-related mortality in European children above one year. A key pillar of the European Health Union, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) puts a spotlight on childhood cancer. National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) have a key role but did not address childhood cancers sufficiently previously.

Multidisciplinary team meetings and their impact on survival in rectal cancer. Population-based analysis in Catalonia (Spain).

Background: Multidisciplinary team meetings (MTMs) are considered a pillar of cancer care; however, evidence of the independent benefit of MTMs on survival in rectal cancer is controversial.

Methods: This population-based cohort analysis included patients undergoing surgery for primary rectal cancer with curative intent. We drew data derived from three clinical audits conducted in Catalonia from 2011 to 2020.

Fluorescence Multi-Detection Device Using a Lensless Matrix Addressable microLED Array.

A Point-of-Care system for molecular diagnosis (PoC-MD) is described, combining GaN and CMOS chips. The device is a micro-system for fluorescence measurements, capable of analyzing both intensity and lifetime. It consists of a hybrid micro-structure based on a 32 × 32 matrix addressable GaN microLED array, with square LEDs of 50 µm edge length and 100 µm pitch, with an underneath wire bonded custom chip integrating their drivers and placed face-to-face to an array of 16 × 16 single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) CMOS.

Microring structure for flexible polymer waveguide-based optical pressure sensing.

Flexible pressure sensors provide a promising platform for artificial smart skins, and photonic devices provide a new technique to fabricate pressure sensors. Here, we present a flexible waveguide-based optical pressure sensor based on a microring structure. The waveguide-based optical pressure sensor is based on a five-cascade microring array structure with a size of 1500 µm × 500 µm and uses the change in output power to linearly characterize the change in pressure acting on the device.

Fabrication and characterization of polymer optical waveguide Bragg grating for pulse signal sensing.

Polymer materials have the advantages of a low Young's modulus and low-cost preparation process. In this paper, a polymer-based optical waveguide pressure sensor based on a Bragg structure is proposed. The change in the Bragg wavelength in the output spectrum of the waveguide Bragg grating (WBG) is used to linearly characterize the change in pressure acting on the device.

Design study of a micro illumination platform based on GaN microLED arrays.

The design study of a micro illumination tool based on GaN microLED arrays is presented. The high spatio-temporal resolution and the capability of generating fully customized optical patterns that characterize the proposed platform would enable the manipulation of biological systems, e.g.

Contextual factors influencing the implementation of advanced practice nursing in Catalonia, Spain.

Background: Advanced practice nurse (APN) roles bring great added value to health systems. However, their integration into the health workforce and the sustainability of the role depend on contextual factors surrounding their implementation.

Aim: To explore the contextual factors that influence the organization, implementation, and performance of clinical practice among oncology APNs in Catalonia (Spain).

Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization level and intracellular reservoir: a prospective cohort study.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen in humans. The nasal vestibule is considered as the main reservoir of S. aureus.

Technique of flat-mount immunostaining for mapping the olfactory epithelium and counting the olfactory sensory neurons.

The pathophysiology underlying olfactory dysfunction is still poorly understood, and more efficient biomolecular tools are necessary to explore this aspect. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) on cross sections is one of the major tools to study the olfactory epithelium (OE), but does not allow reliable counting of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) or cartography of the OE. In this study, we want to present an easy immunostaining technique to compensate for these defects of IHC.

A dataset of color QR codes generated using back-compatible and random colorization algorithms exposed to different illumination-capture channel conditions.

Color QR Codes are often generated to encode digital information, but one also could use colors or to allocate colors in a QR Code to act as a color calibration chart. In this dataset, we present several thousand QR Codes images generated with two different colorization algorithms (random and back-compatible) and several tuning variables in these color encoding. The QR Codes were also exposed to three different channel conditions (empty, augmentation and real-life).

Silicon-photonics-based waveguide Bragg grating sensor for blood glucose monitoring.

We demonstrated the design of two different structures, a two-sided structure and a top-surface structure, of glucose waveguide Bragg grating (WBG) sensors in a single-mode silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip. A two-sided WBG structure was fabricated, and chip preparation was realized by lithography and other processes. A photonic platform for testing the two-sided WBG using glucose was built and completed.

Use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in cancer multidisciplinary team meetings: an explorative study based on EU healthcare professionals.

Objectives: Multidisciplinary teams in cancer care are increasingly using information and communication technology (ICT), hospital health information system (HIS) functionalities and ICT-driven care components. We aimed to explore the use of these tools in multidisciplinary team meetings (MTMs) and to identify the critical challenges posed by their adoption based on the perspective of professionals representatives from European scientific societies.

Design: This qualitative study used discussion of cases and focus group technique to generate data.

Performance of quantitative measurements in [F]fluorocholine positron emission tomography/computed tomography for parathyroid imaging (P2TH study).

Objective: [F]Fluorocholine positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is used frequently in addition to [Tc]Tc-Sestamibi scintigraphy and ultrasonography for the location of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of quantitative criteria in [F]fluorocholine PET/CT for localization of hyperfunctioning parathyroid glands. The secondary objective is to highlight a correlation between the detection rate of [F]fluorocholine PET/CT and serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) level.

Positive predictive values of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration with parathyroid hormone assay and Tc-99m sestamibi scintigraphy in sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism.

Objectives: Ultrasonography (US) and Tc-99m sestamibi scintigraphy (SS) are usually performed as preoperative imaging modalities for patients with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (SPHP). Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) under US guidance for parathyroid hormone (PH) assay can enhance the diagnostic accuracy of US. The main aim of the present study was to compare positive predictive values between US-FNA and SS.

Pre- and intra-operative prognostic factors of facial nerve function in cerebellopontine angle surgery.

Purpose: The study assesses whether pre- and intraoperative factors linked to electromyography and direct electrical stimulation (DES) of facial nerve can predict facial nerve function in the short- (12 days) and long-term (1 year) after cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor resection.

Methods: 157 patients who underwent surgical resection of CPA tumors with facial nerve monitoring. Pre-operative factors (age, tumor size, pure tone average), surgical time and intra-operative parameters regarding facial function, minimum stimulation threshold (MST), compound muscle action potential (CMAP) and the difference between proximal and distal CMAP (DPDC) were evaluated.

Socioeconomic Status and Distance to Reference Centers for Complex Cancer Diseases: A Source of Health Inequalities? A Population Cohort Study Based on Catalonia (Spain).

The centralization of complex surgical procedures for cancer in Catalonia may have led to geographical and socioeconomic inequities. In this population-based cohort study, we assessed the impacts of these two factors on 5-year survival and quality of care in patients undergoing surgery for rectal cancer (2011-12) and pancreatic cancer (2012-15) in public centers, adjusting for age, comorbidity, and tumor stage. We used data on the geographical distance between the patients' homes and their reference centers, clinical patient and treatment data, income category, and data from the patients' district hospitals.

Centralisation of surgery for complex cancer diseases: A scoping review of the evidence base on pancreatic cancer.

Background: Centralisation of cancer surgery is a commonly applied healthcare strategy worldwide. This study aimed to detail the design of centralisation policies, to shed light on the implications of such policies in real practice and to describe the different perspectives taken to deal with difficulties that emerged, taking pancreatic cancer as an example of a complex cancer disease requiring surgery.

Methodology: A scoping review was conducted using the MEDLINE database.

A Web-Based Self-assessment Model for Evaluating Multidisciplinary Cancer Teams in Spain: Development and Validation Pilot Study.

Background: Tumor boards constitute the main consensus and clinical decision-making body of multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) in cancer care. With the increasing clinical complexity of treatment options (eg, targeted therapies, multimodal treatments) and the progressive incorporation of new areas of intervention (eg, survivorship care), tumor boards are now required to play a central role in all cancer processes. However, although frameworks are in place to evaluate MDT quality, only few web-based tools are available for this purpose; indeed, no web-based MDT evaluation tools have been developed for or adapted to the Spanish National Health System.

Exercise laryngoscopy in athletes and sportsmen: an easy way to assess exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction.

Background: Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is an exercise-dependent dyspnoea, linked to a laryngeal closure during physical effort. It may concern from 5% to 7% of adolescents and young athletic adults. EILO is a quite recently described condition: standardized diagnostic criteria and consensual management are still to come.

Expression Analysis of α5 Integrin Subunit Reveals Its Upregulation as a Negative Prognostic Biomarker for Glioblastoma.

Integrin α5β1 was suggested to be involved in glioblastoma (GBM) aggressiveness and treatment resistance through preclinical studies and genomic analysis in patients. However, further protein expression data are still required to confirm this hypothesis. In the present study, we investigated by immunofluorescence the expression of integrin α5 and its prognostic impact in a glioblastoma series of patients scheduled to undergo the Stupp protocol as first-line treatment for GBM.

Directly addressable GaN-based nano-LED arrays: fabrication and electro-optical characterization.

The rapid development of display technologies has raised interest in arrays of self-emitting, individually controlled light sources atthe microscale. Gallium nitride (GaN) micro-light-emitting diode (LED) technology meets this demand. However, the current technology is not suitable for the fabrication of arrays of submicron light sources that can be controlled individually.

Innovation, value and reimbursement in radiation and complex surgical oncology: Time to rethink.

Background And Purpose: Complex surgery and radiotherapy are the central pillars of loco-regional oncology treatment. This paper describes the reimbursement schemes used in radiation and complex surgical oncology, reports on literature and policy reviews.

Material And Methods: A systematic review of the literature of the reimbursement models has been carried out separately for radiotherapy and complex cancer surgery based on PRISMA guidelines.