Heterogeneity in definitions of surgical site infection after cranial surgery limits the validity of research findings in neurosurgery: a systematic review.

Surgical site infections after cranial surgery (SSI-CRAN) are serious adverse events considering the vicinity of the wound to the central nervous system. Variability in outcome definitions can hinder the ability to produce reliable evidence. This systematic review aimed to investigate whether there is variation in SSI-CRAN definitions across studies and its impact on the identification of effective treatments for patients after cranial surgery.

Multi-site, multi-vendor development and validation of a deep learning model for liver stiffness prediction using abdominal biparametric MRI.

Background: Chronic liver disease (CLD) is a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Liver stiffness, as measured by MR elastography (MRE), is well-accepted as a surrogate marker of liver fibrosis.

Purpose: To develop and validate deep learning (DL) models for predicting MRE-derived liver stiffness using routine clinical non-contrast abdominal T1-weighted (T1w) and T2-weighted (T2w) data from multiple institutions/system manufacturers in pediatric and adult patients.

Characteristics and survival outcomes in pediatric patients with spinal chordomas: insights from the National Cancer Database and review of the literature.

Purpose: Spinal chordomas are aggressive tumors that rarely occur in the pediatric population. Demographics and post-treatment outcomes in this select group of patients is poorly studied. We hence aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, demographics, and survival outcomes of pediatric patients with spinal chordomas, in contrast to the adult population.

Profiling protease cleavage patterns in plasma for pancreatic cancer detection.

Proteases are promising biomarkers for cancer early detection. Their enzymatic activity against peptide substrates allows for their straightforward detection using low-cost tests. However, the complexity of the human proteome makes it challenging to develop sensitive and selective tests against a specific protease biomarker.

The Role of Fetuin-A in Tumor Cell Growth, Prognosis, and Dissemination.

Fetuin-A, also known as alpha-2-Heremans-Schmid-glycoprotein (Ahsg), is a multifunctional molecule with diverse roles in biological processes such as mineralization, tumor growth, and inflammation. This review explores the involvement of Ahsg in various cancers, including liver, breast, prostate, colorectal, brain, osteosarcoma, and lung cancers. In many cancer types, Ahsg promotes tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis through various mechanisms, including cellular adhesion, spreading, chemotaxis, and modulation of cell-growth signaling pathways.