State-of-the-Art Review: Diagnosis and Management of Spinal Implant Infections.

Spinal implant infections are a serious complications of instrumented spinal fusion surgeries, carrying high morbidity and complex management challenges. Early postoperative infections may manifest with wound-healing issues, back pain, and fevers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred imaging modality, but can be limited by metal artifacts.

Impact of Antibiotics and Chronic Medications on Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background And Aims: The interaction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and concomitant medications such as antibiotics, metformin, statins, beta-blockers, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and low-dose aspirin has been studied in other malignancies. Our study aims to investigate the relationship between these medications and ICI efficacy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC).

Methods: A retrospective review of patients who received at least one dose of ICIs between May 2015 and November 2019 was performed.

Brentuximab-Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis: A Case Report.

Brentuximab vedotin is a combination monoclonal antibody to anti-CD30 conjugated to the anti-tubulin agent monomethyl auristatin E. It is approved for the treatment of mycosis fungoides, Hodgkin's lymphoma, and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Brentuximab has been associated with a number of potential adverse reactions; however, reports of renal complications are rare.

Ultrasonic Assessment of Liver Fibrosis Using One-Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks Based on Frequency Spectra of Radiofrequency Signals with Deep Learning Segmentation of Liver Regions in B-Mode Images: A Feasibility Study.

The early detection of liver fibrosis is of significant importance. Deep learning analysis of ultrasound backscattered radiofrequency (RF) signals is emerging for tissue characterization as the RF signals carry abundant information related to tissue microstructures. However, the existing methods only used the time-domain information of the RF signals for liver fibrosis assessment, and the liver region of interest (ROI) is outlined manually.

Pan-Asian adapted ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with biliary tract cancer.

The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC), published in late 2022 were adapted in December 2023, according to established standard methodology, to produce the Pan-Asian adapted (PAGA) ESMO consensus guidelines for the management of Asian patients with BTC. The adapted guidelines presented in this manuscript represent the consensus opinions reached by a panel of Asian experts in the treatment of patients with BTC representing the oncological societies of China (CSCO), Indonesia (ISHMO), India (ISMPO), Japan (JSMO), Korea (KSMO), Malaysia (MOS), the Philippines (PSMO), Singapore (SSO), Taiwan (TOS) and Thailand (TSCO), co-ordinated by ESMO and the Taiwan Oncology Society (TOS). The voting was based on scientific evidence and was independent of the current treatment practices, drug access restrictions and reimbursement decisions in the different regions of Asia.

Sabatolimab in combination with spartalizumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer or melanoma who received prior treatment with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy: a phase 2 multicentre study.

Objective: This study evaluates the safety/efficacy of sabatolimab plus spartalizumab in patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Design, Setting And Participants: This is a phase 1-1b/2, open-label, multinational, multicentre study of patients with advanced/metastatic melanoma or NSCLC with ≥1 measurable lesion.

Interventions: Patients were given sabatolimab 800 mg every 4 weeks plus spartalizumab 400 mg every 4 weeks until unacceptable toxicity, disease progression and/or treatment discontinuation.

AI Digital Pathology Using qFibrosis Shows Heterogeneity of Fibrosis Regression in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B and C with Viral Response.

This study aimed to understand the dynamic changes in fibrosis and its relationship with the evaluation of post-treatment viral hepatitis using qFibrosis. A total of 158 paired pre- and post-treatment liver samples from patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB; = 100) and C (CHC; = 58) were examined. qFibrosis was employed with artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the fibrosis dynamics in the portal tract (PT), periportal (PP), midzonal, pericentral, and central vein (CV) regions.

Ultrasound normalized cumulative residual entropy imaging: Theory, methodology, and application.

Background And Objective: Ultrasound information entropy imaging is an emerging quantitative ultrasound technique for characterizing local tissue scatterer concentrations and arrangements. However, the commonly used ultrasound Shannon entropy imaging based on histogram-derived discrete probability estimation suffers from the drawbacks of histogram settings dependence and unknown estimator performance. In this paper, we introduced the information-theoretic cumulative residual entropy (CRE) defined in a continuous distribution of cumulative distribution functions as a new entropy measure of ultrasound backscatter envelope uncertainty or complexity, and proposed ultrasound CRE imaging for tissue characterization.

Outcome prediction in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease using stain-free digital pathological assessment.

Computational quantification reduces observer-related variability in histological assessment of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). We undertook stain-free imaging using the SteatoSITE resource to generate tools directly predictive of clinical outcomes. Unstained liver biopsy sections (n = 452) were imaged using second-harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) microscopy, and all-cause mortality and hepatic decompensation indices constructed.

AI-based digital pathology provides newer insights into lifestyle intervention-induced fibrosis regression in MASLD: An exploratory study.

Background And Aims: Lifestyle intervention is the mainstay of therapy for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and liver fibrosis is a key consequence of MASH that predicts adverse clinical outcomes. The placebo response plays a pivotal role in the outcome of MASH clinical trials. Second harmonic generation/two-photon excitation fluorescence (SHG/TPEF) microscopy with artificial intelligence analyses can provide an automated quantitative assessment of fibrosis features on a continuous scale called qFibrosis.

Orthopedic infectious diseases: a survey on the composition and perceived value of an emerging subspecialty clinical service.

We surveyed US orthopedic infectious disease (Ortho ID) specialists and surgeons ( clinicians from at least 17 institutions). Three-quarters had a dedicated clinic or inpatient service; orthopedic device-related infections were most commonly seen. All respondents highly valued Ortho ID teams for improving multidisciplinary communication, trust, access to care, and outcomes.

Viral Threats to Fruit and Vegetable Crops in the Caribbean.

Viruses pose major global challenges to crop production as infections reduce the yield and quality of harvested products, hinder germplasm exchange, increase financial inputs, and threaten food security. Small island or archipelago habitat conditions such as those in the Caribbean are particularly susceptible as the region is characterized by high rainfall and uniform, warm temperatures throughout the year. Moreover, Caribbean islands are continuously exposed to disease risks because of their location at the intersection of transcontinental trade between North and South America and their role as central hubs for regional and global agricultural commodity trade.

A user-friendly deep learning application for accurate lung cancer diagnosis.

Background: Accurate diagnosis and subsequent delineated treatment planning require the experience of clinicians in the handling of their case numbers. However, applying deep learning in image processing is useful in creating tools that promise faster high-quality diagnoses, but the accuracy and precision of 3-D image processing from 2-D data may be limited by factors such as superposition of organs, distortion and magnification, and detection of new pathologies. The purpose of this research is to use radiomics and deep learning to develop a tool for lung cancer diagnosis.

Characteristics and management of periprosthetic joint infections caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria: a retrospective study and a review of the literature.

: Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total joint arthroplasty is a serious complication associated with significant morbidity. While Gram-positive cocci are the predominant causative organisms, PJIs caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) have been reported, albeit at a lower frequency. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and management of PJI caused by RGM.

Treatment and Long-Term Safety Outcomes of Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy for Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumours: An Asian Experience.

Purpose: Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) is a targeted molecular therapy used to treat neuroendocrine tumours (NETs). It has been shown to be effective and well tolerated in patients with metastatic NETs in several centres in the USA, Europe, and Australia. Tolerability and efficacy data emerging from Asian centres remain few.