Postoperative bleeding complications in breast conserving surgery and the role of antithrombotic medications: retrospective analysis of 4712 operations.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the risk and timing of postoperative bleeding complications following breast-conserving surgery (BCS), with or without axillary surgery, especially in relation to perioperative management of antithrombotic medications.

Methods: Data from all patients who underwent BCS for breast cancer between 2010 and 2022 at a single university hospital were collected. Medical records were reviewed for reoperations, unplanned admissions, and patient characteristics.

A Multidisciplinary approach to metastatic giant basal cell carcinoma-A case report.

We present a case of a 49-year-old man with a giant basal cell carcinoma of the back, with metastases in the lungs, liver, mediastinum and both adrenal glands. Neoadjuvant vismodegib was administered, after which wide local resection of the tumour was performed. There have been no signs of local recurrence.

Iatrogenic pneumothorax after breast reduction surgery caused by local anesthesia infiltration - a case report.

We present a case of a 44-year-old woman, who underwent bilateral breast reduction mammoplasty and suffered a unilateral pneumothorax that was detected postoperatively. Infiltration of a local anesthetic was considered the cause of the pneumothorax. We recommend a more tangential direction of needle placement when infiltrating a local anesthetic.

A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands.

We discovered a highly virulent variant of subtype-B HIV-1 in the Netherlands. One hundred nine individuals with this variant had a 0.54 to 0.

Co-stimulation with IL-1β and TNF-α induces an inflammatory reactive astrocyte phenotype with neurosupportive characteristics in a human pluripotent stem cell model system.

Astrocyte reactivation has been discovered to be an important contributor to several neurological diseases. In vitro models involving human astrocytes have the potential to reveal disease-specific mechanisms of these cells and to advance research on neuropathological conditions. Here, we induced a reactive phenotype in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived astrocytes and studied the inflammatory natures and effects of these cells on human neurons.

The EuroSIDA study: 25 years of scientific achievements.

The EuroSIDA study was initiated in 1994 and follows adult people living with HIV (PLHIV) in 100 collaborating clinics across 35 countries covering all European regions, Israel and Argentina. The study aims to study the long-term virological, immunological and clinical outcomes of PLHIV and to monitor temporal changes and regional differences in outcomes across Europe. Annually collected data include basic demographic characteristics, information on AIDS- and non-AIDS-related clinical events, and details about antiretroviral therapy (ART), hepatitis C treatment and other medications, in addition to a range of laboratory values.

Risk of HIV transmission through condomless sex in serodifferent gay couples with the HIV-positive partner taking suppressive antiretroviral therapy (PARTNER): final results of a multicentre, prospective, observational study.

Background: The level of evidence for HIV transmission risk through condomless sex in serodifferent gay couples with the HIV-positive partner taking virally suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) is limited compared with the evidence available for transmission risk in heterosexual couples. The aim of the second phase of the PARTNER study (PARTNER2) was to provide precise estimates of transmission risk in gay serodifferent partnerships.

Methods: The PARTNER study was a prospective observational study done at 75 sites in 14 European countries.

Epidemiology and outcome of HIV patients in Finland co-infected with tuberculosis 1998-2015.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of death in HIV patients worldwide. Here we describe the epidemiology and outcome of HIV-TB co-infections in a high-income country with low TB incidence and integrated HIV and TB therapy according to European guidelines.

Methods: This study was based on the HIV cohort of the Helsinki University Hospital which includes all HIV patients in the Helsinki region with a population of 1.

The Incidence and Predisposing Factors of John Cunningham Virus-Induced Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy in Southern Finland: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, incidence rate (IR), predisposing factors, survival rate, and diagnostic delay of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) across medical specialties. Another objective was to survey how PML diagnosis was made in the studied cases.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional retrospective observational study of PML cases across different medical specialties during 2004-2016 in the Finnish Capital Region and Southern Finland.

Establishing a hepatitis C continuum of care among HIV/hepatitis C virus-coinfected individuals in EuroSIDA.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to establish a methodology for evaluating the hepatitis C continuum of care in HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV)-coinfected individuals and to characterize the continuum in Europe on 1 January 2015, prior to widespread access to direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy.

Methods: Stages included in the continuum were as follows: anti-HCV antibody positive, HCV RNA tested, currently HCV RNA positive, ever HCV RNA positive, ever received HCV treatment, completed HCV treatment, follow-up HCV RNA test, and cure. Sustained virological response (SVR) could only be assessed for those with a follow-up HCV RNA test and was defined as a negative HCV RNA result measured > 12 or 24 weeks after stopping treatment.

Variation in antiretroviral treatment coverage and virological suppression among three HIV key populations.

Objectives: We assessed differences in antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage and virological suppression across three HIV key populations, as defined by self-reported HIV transmission category: sex between men, injection drug use (IDU) and heterosexual transmission.

Design: A multinational cohort study.

Methods: Within the EuroSIDA study, we assessed region-specific percentages of ART-coverage among those in care and virological suppression (<500 copies/ml) among those on ART, and analysed differences between transmission categories using logistic regression.

Smoking and Accelerated Lung Function Decline in HIV-Positive Individuals: A Secondary Analysis of the START Pulmonary Substudy.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Both cigarette smoking and HIV have been identified as independent risk factors for COPD. We used data from the strategic timing of antiretroviral treatment (START) Pulmonary Substudy to quantify the impact of smoking on rate of lung function decline in HIV.

Easy and accurate reconstruction of whole HIV genomes from short-read sequence data with shiver.

Studying the evolution of viruses and their molecular epidemiology relies on accurate viral sequence data, so that small differences between similar viruses can be meaningfully interpreted. Despite its higher throughput and more detailed minority variant data, next-generation sequencing has yet to be widely adopted for HIV. The difficulty of accurately reconstructing the consensus sequence of a quasispecies from reads (short fragments of DNA) in the presence of large between- and within-host diversity, including frequent indels, may have presented a barrier.

Comprehensive nationwide analysis of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Finland from 1983 to 2013.

HIV-positive children are still born in Europe despite low mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) rates. We aimed to clarify the remaining barriers to the prevention of MTCT. By combining the national registers, we identified all women living with HIV delivering at least one child during 1983-2013.

Missed hepatitis b/c or syphilis diagnosis among Kurdish, Russian, and Somali origin migrants in Finland: linking a population-based survey to the national infectious disease register.

Background: Migrants are considered a key population at risk for sexually transmitted and blood-borne diseases in Europe. Prevalence data to support the design of infectious diseases screening protocols are scarce. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C, human immunodefiency virus (HIV) infection and syphilis in specific migrant groups in Finland and to assess risk factors for missed diagnosis.

Important Gaps in HIV Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Among Young Asylum Seekers in Comparison to the General Population.

Migrants are disproportionately affected by HIV in many European countries, including Finland. We aimed to compare the HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of young asylum seekers to those of the general young adult population. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted among 20- to 25-year-old young adults: The TIE study among asylum seekers (n = 47) and the World AIDS Day 2014 study among the general population (n = 485).

Optimised PDMS Tunnel Devices on MEAs Increase the Probability of Detecting Electrical Activity from Human Stem Cell-Derived Neuronal Networks.

Measurement of the activity of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neuronal networks with microelectrode arrays (MEAs) plays an important role in functional brain modelling and in neurotoxicological screening. The previously reported hPSC-derived neuronal networks do not, however, exhibit repeatable, stable functional network characteristics similar to rodent cortical cultures, making the interpretation of results difficult. In earlier studies, microtunnels have been used both to control and guide cell growth and amplify the axonal signals of rodent neurons.

Incidence of cancer and overall risk of mortality in individuals treated with raltegravir-based and non-raltegravir-based combination antiretroviral therapy regimens.

Objectives: There are currently few data on the long-term risk of cancer and death in individuals taking raltegravir (RAL). The aim of this analysis was to evaluate whether there is evidence for an association.

Methods: The EuroSIDA cohort was divided into three groups: those starting RAL-based combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on or after 21 December 2007 (RAL); a historical cohort (HIST) of individuals adding a new antiretroviral (ARV) drug (not RAL) to their cART between 1 January 2005 and 20 December 2007, and a concurrent cohort (CONC) of individuals adding a new ARV drug (not RAL) to their cART on or after 21 December 2007.

Laminin α5 substrates promote survival, network formation and functional development of human pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons in vitro.

Laminins are one of the major protein groups in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and specific laminin isoforms are crucial for neuronal functions in the central nervous system in vivo. In the present study, we compared recombinant human laminin isoforms (LN211, LN332, LN411, LN511, and LN521) and laminin isoform fragment (LN511-E8) in in vitro cultures of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neurons. We showed that laminin substrates containing the α5-chain are important for neuronal attachment, viability and network formation, as detected by phase contrast imaging, viability staining, and immunocytochemistry.

The extent of B-cell activation and dysfunction preceding lymphoma development in HIV-positive people.

Objectives: B-cell dysfunction and activation are thought to contribute to lymphoma development in HIV-positive people; however, the mechanisms are not well understood. We investigated levels of several markers of B-cell dysfunction [free light chain (FLC)-κ, FLC-λ, immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, IgM and IgD] prior to lymphoma diagnosis in HIV-positive people.

Methods: A nested matched case-control study was carried out within the EuroSIDA cohort, including 73 HIV-positive people with lymphoma and 143 HIV-positive lymphoma-free controls.

Correction: Viral genetic variation accounts for a third of variability in HIV-1 set-point viral load in Europe.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.

Impact of early versus deferred antiretroviral therapy on estimated glomerular filtration rate in HIV-positive individuals in the START trial.

The impact of early ART initiation (versus deferring) on kidney function has not been studied. START was a randomised comparison of immediate versus deferred ART initiation among HIV-positive persons with CD4 (cells/mm) counts >500. Serum creatinine and urine dipstick protein were measured at Months 0, 1, 4, 8 and 12, and annually thereafter.

Viral genetic variation accounts for a third of variability in HIV-1 set-point viral load in Europe.

HIV-1 set-point viral load-the approximately stable value of viraemia in the first years of chronic infection-is a strong predictor of clinical outcome and is highly variable across infected individuals. To better understand HIV-1 pathogenesis and the evolution of the viral population, we must quantify the heritability of set-point viral load, which is the fraction of variation in this phenotype attributable to viral genetic variation. However, current estimates of heritability vary widely, from 6% to 59%.

Aligned Poly(ε-caprolactone) Nanofibers Guide the Orientation and Migration of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Neurons, Astrocytes, and Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells In Vitro.

Stem cell transplantations for spinal cord injury (SCI) have been studied extensively for the past decade in order to replace the damaged tissue with human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived neural cells. Transplanted cells may, however, benefit from supporting and guiding structures or scaffolds in order to remain viable and integrate into the host tissue. Biomaterials can be used as supporting scaffolds, as they mimic the characteristics of the natural cellular environment.

Cell culture chamber with gas supply for prolonged recording of human neuronal cells on microelectrode array.

Background: Typically, live cell analyses are performed outside an incubator in an ambient air, where the lack of sufficient CO supply results in a fast change of pH and the high evaporation causes concentration drifts in the culture medium. That limits the experiment time for tens of minutes. In many applications, e.