Hospital Admission Trends in Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency: A Sex-Based Analysis from the Spanish National Discharge Database, 2016-2022.

: To analyze the number and clinical characteristics of hospital admissions in Spain between 2016 and 2022 in which alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) was coded; to describe and analyze differences in these parameters between men and women; and to identify variables associated with a worse prognosis. : We used a nationwide discharge database to select all admissions featuring an AATD diagnostic code (ICD-10 code E88.01) in any position.

Bioimpedance Analysis in CKD and HF Patients: A Critical Review of Benefits, Limitations, and Future Directions.

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a validated non-invasive technique already proven to be useful for the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of body fluids in subjects with heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although BIA has been widely employed for research purposes, its clinical application is still not fully widespread. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of BIA utilization by analyzing the clinical benefits, limitations, and potential future developments in this clinically unexplored field.

Early Diagnosis of Huntington Disease: Insights from Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy-A Systematic Review.

: Huntington's disease (HD) is a fully penetrant neurodegenerative disease with a profound effect on quality of life. In recent years, there has been rapid growth in the description of its pathogenesis and diagnosis. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measurements can aid in the discrimination between premanifest Huntington's disease (Pre-HD) and healthy control (HC) subjects to establish early supportive and symptomatic management.

Improving Automatic Coronary Stenosis Classification Using a Hybrid Metaheuristic with Diversity Control.

This study proposes a novel Hybrid Metaheuristic with explicit diversity control, aimed at finding an optimal feature subset by thoroughly exploring the search space to prevent premature convergence. : Unlike traditional evolutionary computing techniques, which only consider the best individuals in a population, the proposed strategy also considers the worst individuals under certain conditions. In consequence, feature selection frequencies tend to be more uniform, decreasing the probability of premature convergent results and local-optima solutions.

Dual Loading of Trans-Cinnamaldehyde and Either Paclitaxel or Curcumin in Chitosan Nanoparticles: Physicochemical Characterization and Biological Evaluation Against MDCK and HeLa Cells.

Biopolymer chitosan sub-micron particles (CSMPs) were prepared by the ionic gelation technique crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate co-loaded with trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCIN), and either curcumin (CUR) or paclitaxel (PTX). The size of the spherical CSMPs increased from 118 nm to 136 nm and 170 nm after the loading of TCIN and CUR, whereas the loading of PTX led to a slight decrease (114 nm). Polydispersity indexes of all the samples were smaller than 0.

A Review of Non-Invasive Skin Imaging in Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Diagnostic Utility and Clinical Implications.

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive cutaneous neuroendocrine malignancy characterized by its propensity for rapid growth and early regional and distant metastasis. Given its potentially lethal nature, accurate and timely diagnosis of MCC is of utmost importance. This review aims to describe non-invasive imaging methods that can serve as additional tools in the examination of MCC.

Lineshape of Amplitude-Modulated Stimulated Raman Spectra.

The amplitude modulation of a pump field and the phase-sensitive detection of a pump-induced intensity change of a probe field encompass a common practice in nonlinear spectroscopies to enhance the detection sensitivity. A drawback of this approach arises when the modulation frequency is comparable to the width of the spectral feature of interest, since the presence of sidebands in the amplitude-modulated pump field provides distortion to the observed spectral lineshape. This represents a problem when accurate measurements of spectral lineshapes and line positions are pursued, as recently happened in our group with the metrology of the Q(1) line in the 1-0 band of molecular hydrogen.

[Metastatic breast melanoma in a man: Case report].

Background: Malignant melanoma is a skin neoplasm that typically does not invade the breast, making its spread to the breast tissue in a male patient uncommon. When it metastasizes to the breast, it can present as a palpable mass or even be asymptomatic. Ultrasound allows for the detection of round hypoechoic lesions, while mammography detects well-defined nodules with increased density.

Triponderal Mass Index rather than Body Mass Index in discriminating high adiposity in Brazilian children and adolescents.

Introduction: body mass index (BMI) is used worldwide to track excess weight; however, it has limitations in predicting body fat percentage (BF%). Triponderal mass index (TMI) has been studied as an alternative indicator to predict BF%.

Objective: to compare BMI and TMI as predictors of BF% and develop TMI cutoff points for screening high adiposity in Brazilian children and adolescentes.

[Surgical management of pelvic tumors through hemipelvectomy].

Background: Primary malignant bone tumors are rare however, have a high global mortality rate. Osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma are the most common bone sarcomas in the pelvis. The surgical management of primary bone tumors in the pelvis is challenging and depends on several factors.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs in a Mexican private healthcare system: a self-assessment of core elements.

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) refer to a set of coordinated actions that improve the quality of care and combat antimicrobial resistance. Currently, information regarding the status of ASPs in Mexico is scarce. We aimed to describe the status of ASPs in 12 hospitals from Christus Muguerza Healthcare System.

Re-excision rates after breast-conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer: an Albertan perspective.

Background: Re-operation after breast-conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer is variable among centres and individual surgeons. In this study, we aimed to characterize the current landscape of practice regarding re-operation for invasive breast cancer in the province of Alberta.

Methods: This study was a retrospective review of the Synoptec database for patients undergoing primary breast-conserving surgery for invasive breast cancer or reoperation in the province of Alberta in the year 2020.

Portal Hypertensive Gastropathy and MELD-Na Score Predict Recurrent Gastrointestinal Bleeding After TIPSS: An ALTA Group Study.

Background: Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) is highly effective for treatment of variceal bleeding; however, factors contributing to rebleeding complications remain unclear.

Aims: In this study, we aim to determine risk factors for recurrent portal hypertensive gastrointestinal bleeding following TIPSS.

Methods: Utilising the Advancing Liver Therapeutic Approaches multicentre database, we retrospectively identified adult patients who underwent TIPSS for secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding and had a gastrointestinal rebleeding event within 1 year.

Epidemiology of reinfections by SARS-CoV-2 variants during the third and fourth waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health concern and has persisted through the emergence of variants that have caused subsequent waves of COVID-19 due to the high dispersion and contagiousness of the virus. The aim of this work was to analyze the epidemiology of the cases of reinfection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants during the third and fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic at the Hospital Juárez de México (HJM).

Methodology: A prospective study of the cases of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, variants detected, symptoms, and associated comorbidities was carried out on 1,347 patients who attended the HJM from September 2021 to July 2022.

Does primary treatment of proximal humerus fractures show favourable functional outcomes over secondary treatment with reverse shoulder arthroplasty?

Background: This multicentre retrospective cohort study assessed whether functional outcomes after primary reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) are favourable compared to secondary placement in elderly patients with displaced proximal humerus fractures (PHFs).

Methods: Fifty-three patients with primary and 32 with secondary RSA were included. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed: Constant-Murley Score (CMS), Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).

Comparison of three elements (In, Sn, and Sb) in the same period as catalysts in the ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide: from amorphous to semicrystalline polyesters.

The ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of l-lactide (l-LA) is the main method for synthesizing poly(l-lactide) (PLLA), in which choosing the catalyst is one of the most important parameters. In this work, we focused on the systematic study of catalysts based on p-block elements from period 5, such as indium(iii), tin(ii), tin(iv) and antimony(iii) acetates, which displayed contrasting performances influenced by the oxidation state of the metal center. Analysis of the obtained oligomers by different techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF), revealed the selectivity of each catalyst toward the ROP of l-LA.

Documenting adaptations to an evidence-based intervention in 58 resource-variable pediatric oncology hospitals across implementation phases.

Background: Adaptation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) often occurs when implemented in new local contexts and settings. It is unclear, however, during which phase of implementation adaptations are most frequently made and how these changes may impact the fidelity, effectiveness, and sustainability of the EBI. Pediatric Early Warning Systems (PEWS) are EBIs for early identification of deterioration in hospitalized children with cancer.

Vision rehabilitation workforce in Italy: a country-level analysis.

Background: Research and monitoring of human resources available for vision rehabilitation services has been a neglected area of work in the past. This study aims to offer an overview of the vision rehabilitation workforce available in Italy, in order to profile the distribution and number of human resources for vision rehabilitation.

Methods: Data on the available vision rehabilitation professionals were collected from the yearly report on the state of implementation of policies relating to the prevention of blindness, education and vision rehabilitation, according to a law which was passed by the Italian Ministry of Health, Department of Health Prevention.

Frequency, risk factors and time to resolution of exposure keratopathy in patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Background And Objective: Exposure keratopathy (EPK) is characterized by punctate erosions of the corneal epithelium, mainly located in the lower third of the cornea. In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), an incidence of 19-25 % has been reported. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency, risk factors, and time to resolution of exposure keratitis in PICU patients.

Cyclomodulins-harboring Escherichia coli isolated from obese and normal-weight subjects induces intestinal dysplasia in a mouse model.

Recently, cyclomodulins have been identified in Escherichia coli (E. coli), which can induce dysplastic damage. This work aimed to determine the dysplastic activity of cyclomodulin-harboring E.