Linear Mixed Modeling of Federated Data When Only the Mean, Covariance, and Sample Size Are Available.

In medical research, individual-level patient data provide invaluable information, but the patients' right to confidentiality remains of utmost priority. This poses a huge challenge when estimating statistical models such as a linear mixed model, which is an extension of linear regression models that can account for potential heterogeneity whenever data come from different data providers. Federated learning tackles this hurdle by estimating parameters without retrieving individual-level data.

European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology: Oral Part of the Exam.

The European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology (EDiMSK) is a recognized European qualification of excellence for musculoskeletal (MSK) radiologists. The EDiMSK confirms proof of knowledge of MSK radiology in addition to any national qualifications certifying competency. The examination is conducted in English and consists of both a written and an oral part.

The Correlation Between Fear Avoidance Beliefs and Physical Activity in Unilateral Vestibulopathies.

Background And Purpose: In individuals with unilateral vestibulopathy (UVP), physical activity (PA) is recommended to stimulate central vestibular compensation. However, the presence of fear avoidance beliefs might negatively influence PA. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between fear avoidance beliefs and PA and to compare PA levels between individuals with UVP in an acute/subacute vs chronic phase.

Data-driven cluster analysis identifies distinct types of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) exhibits considerable variability in clinical outcomes. Identifying specific phenotypic profiles within MASLD is essential for developing targeted therapeutic strategies. Here we investigated the heterogeneity of MASLD using partitioning around medoids clustering based on six simple clinical variables in a cohort of 1,389 individuals living with obesity.

Association of Blood-Based Biomarkers and 6-Month Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients With Mild TBI: A CENTER-TBI Analysis.

Background And Objectives: There is seemingly contradictory evidence concerning relationships between day-of-injury biomarkers and outcomes after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). To address this issue, we examined the association between a panel of biomarkers and multidimensional TBI outcomes.

Methods: Participants with mTBI (Glasgow coma scores [GCSs] 13-15) were selected from Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury, a European observational study recruiting patients with TBI with indication for brain CT and presentation within 24 hours.

Cellular respiration in dendritic cells: Exploring oxygen-dependent pathways for potential therapeutic interventions.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells crucial for initiating and regulating adaptive immune responses, making them promising candidates for therapeutic interventions in various immune-mediated diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that the microenvironment in which cells are cultured, as well as the milieu in which they perform their functions, significantly impact their immunomodulatory properties. Among these environmental factors, the role of oxygen in DC biology and its significance for both their in vitro generation and in vivo therapeutic application require investigation.

Wound Healing in External Rhinoplasty-The Effect of Fibrin Glue on Dead Space Closure: A Retrospective Propensity Score-Matched Study.

Introduction: The presence of "dead space" in external rhinoplasty creates a welcoming environment for erratic soft tissue contraction. Poor redraping of the skin over the underlying osseocartilaginous framework at the end of the surgery may result in its creation. If surgeons can control and reliably predict skin contraction and wound healing, septorhinoplasty results would undoubtedly improve.

Seizure quantification in sunflower syndrome by a wrist-worn device.

Objective: Sunflower syndrome is a rare photosensitive childhood-onset epilepsy, featuring repetitive handwaving events (HWE) triggered by light. Objective documentation of these HWE can be difficult due to the numerous events occurring daily and/or caregivers who document the seizures but are not always present. Hence, seizure diaries can be underreporting.

Exercise into Pain in Chronic Rotator Cuff-Related Shoulder Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 6-Month Follow-Up.

Purpose: Exercise therapy is the first-line treatment in rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP), and diverse types of exercise seem effective. However, it is not still clear if painful exercise should be allowed or avoided during exercises. The objective of this study was to investigate if exercise into pain is more effective than no pain in RCRSP.

Unique Needs and Challenges Experienced by Young People With Stroke: An International Qualitative Analysis.

Background And Objectives: Stroke in young adults has a lifelong impact on activities of daily life, including driving, leisure, and community-based activities; social participation; and reduced productivity. The needs of young people with stroke (YPwS) are likely to vary across different countries, and the development of age-adapted information and interventions is therefore critical in addressing those needs. This study aims to (1) identify the unmet needs of people with stroke aged 18 to 55 years across countries with varied income levels and cultural backgrounds and (2) determine their preferred means to access knowledge and information about stroke in the young.

Association between white matter integrity and lower limb motor impairment after stroke: A systematic review: White matter integrity and lower limb motor impairment after stroke.

Background: There is no clear consensus on the anatomical substrates required for recovery from lower limb (LL) impairment after stroke. Knowledge of biomarkers, such as white matter integrity (WMI), could fill this knowledge gap.

Objectives: To analyze the associations between WMI of the corticospinal tract (CST) and corticoreticulospinal pathway (CRP) and LL motor impairment after stroke, in terms of synergistic control and muscle strength.

Development and validation of the Normalized Organoid Growth Rate (NOGR) metric in brightfield imaging-based assays.

This study focuses on refining growth-rate-based drug response metrics for patient-derived tumor organoid screening using brightfield live-cell imaging. Traditional metrics like Normalized Growth Rate Inhibition (GR) and Normalized Drug Response (NDR) have been used to assess organoid responses to anticancer treatments but face limitations in accurately quantifying cytostatic and cytotoxic effects across varying growth rates. Here, we introduce the Normalized Organoid Growth Rate (NOGR) metric, specifically developed for brightfield imaging-based assays.

A commissioning protocol for portal imaging-based radiotherapy in vivo dosimetry systems.

Background And Purpose: With the availability of commercial electronic portal imaging detector-based in vivo dosimetry (EPID-based IVD) solutions, many radiotherapy departments are adopting this technology. However, comprehensive commissioning guidance is lacking. This study aims to provide a protocol for testing the accuracy and sensitivity of EPID-based IVD systems.

Active parents, active youth? Exploring the association between physical activity of youth with Cystic Fibrosis and their parents.

Background: Parents play a major role in shaping their children's physical activity (PA) behaviour. This study aimed to investigate the association between PA of youth with Cystic Fibrosis (YwCF) and their parents.

Methods: PA was measured by an ActiGraph GT3x-BT for seven consecutive days.

Predicting complete concentric collapse at the palatal level during drug-induced sleep endoscopy: an analysis of 1761 cases.

Purpose: Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) helps select patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) for surgery by identifying upper airway collapse patterns. This study aimed to predict the probability of complete concentric collapse at the palatal level (CCCp) during DISE based on patient characteristics, specifically body mass index (BMI).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of OSA patients who underwent DISE from January 2018 to July 2023.

Modified Total Laryngectomy With Strap-Flap Technique in a Patient With Bovine Aortic Arch Anomaly: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Total laryngectomy is an essential surgical intervention in the management of advanced laryngeal carcinoma. However, anatomical variations such as the bovine arch can complicate this procedure. The atypical branching pattern of the bovine arch may position major vessels closer to the tracheostomy site, increasing the risk of tracheo-arterial fistulization.

Metabolic dysfunction and alcohol-related liver disease (MetALD): Position statement by an expert panel on alcohol-related liver disease.

In this position statement, we explore the intricate relationship between alcohol intake and metabolic dysfunction in the context of the 2023 nomenclature update for steatotic liver disease (SLD). Recent and lifetime alcohol use should be accurately assessed in all patients with SLD to facilitate classification of alcohol use in grams of alcohol per week. Alcohol biomarkers (i.

Neuroendocrine tumors in the stomach: An epidemiological analysis of Belgian Cancer Registry data 2010-2019.

The prevalence of gastric NEN is estimated worldwide at 8.9% of all gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasm (GEP-NEN) and only 0.3%-1% of all gastric neoplasms, but is rising in the last decades.

Constitutive opening of the Kv7.2 pore activation gate causes -developmental encephalopathy.

Pathogenic variants in encoding Kv7.2 voltage-gated potassium channel subunits cause developmental encephalopathies (-encephalopathies), both with and without epilepsy. We herein describe the clinical, in vitro, and in silico features of two encephalopathy-causing variants (A317T, L318V) in Kv7.