Outcomes in stage IIA versus stage IIB/III in the PALLAS trial [ABCSG-42/AFT-05/PrE0109/BIG-14-13]).

Background: The PALLAS trial investigated the addition of palbociclib to standard adjuvant endocrine therapy to reduce breast cancer recurrence. This pre-specified analysis was conducted to determine whether adjuvant palbociclib benefited patients diagnosed with lower risk stage IIA disease compared to those with higher stage disease.

Methods: PALLAS was an international, multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase III trial, representing a public-private partnership between Pfizer, the Austrian Breast Cancer Study Group, and the U.

Real-world effectiveness of mepolizumab in Japanese asthma patients with diverse backgrounds: Improvements in rhinosinusitis imaging (J-Real-Mepo).

Background: Although randomized controlled trials (RCT) have demonstrated the efficacy of mepolizumab for asthma, they have excluded certain patient subgroups. To bridge the gap between RCT and real-world practice, the effectiveness of mepolizumab in a diverse population, including those potentially excluded from RCT, was assessed. Its effects on imaging findings and symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with asthma were also assessed.

Duration of infectious virus shedding of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant among immunocompromised patients.

Objective: The duration of viral shedding and criteria for de-isolation in the hospital among immunocompromised patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain unclear. This study aimed to evaluate viral shedding duration in immunocompromised patients infected with the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed at 2 tertiary medical centers in Japan during the Omicron epidemic waves from July 2022 to January 2023.

A new Mediterranean Lifestyle Pyramid for children and youth: a critical lifestyle tool for preventing obesity and associated cardiometabolic diseases in a sustainable context.

Cardiovascular risk factors begin in childhood and track into adulthood, increasing the possibility of impaired cardiometabolic health. Adopting healthy dietary patterns can help curb childhood obesity, a worrisome epidemic problem at present. In the era of personalized nutrition, dietary recommendations should be adapted to different stages of life, including children (older than 3 years) and adolescents.

Therapeutic novelties in acute heart failure and practical perspectives.

Acute Heart Failure (AHF) is a leading cause of death and represents the most frequent cause of unplanned hospital admission in patients older than 65 years. Since the past decade, several randomized clinical trials have highlighted the importance and pivotal role of certain therapeutics, including decongestion by the combination of loop diuretics, the need for rapid goal-directed medical therapies implementation before discharge, risk stratification, and early follow-up after discharge therapies. Cardiogenic shock, defined as sustained hypotension with tissue hypoperfusion due to low cardiac output and congestion, is the most severe form of AHF and mainly occurs after acute myocardial infarction, which can progress to multiple organ failure.

Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and its Risk Factors, 1990-2021: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent a major global health challenge, necessitating up-to-date data on its burden for effective care planning and resource allocation. This study comprehensively analyzes the global, regional, and national CVD burden and associated risks from 1990 to 2021.

Methods And Results: We performed a secondary analysis of CVD burden and risk factors using the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study.

Imaging Findings, Complications, and Mimics after Common and Advanced Dental Procedures.

Various new dental treatment methods have been introduced in dental clinics, and many new materials have been used in recent years for dental treatments. Dentistry is divided into several specialties, each offering unique treatments, such as endodontics, implantology, oral surgery, and orthodontics. CT and MR images after dental treatment reveal a variety of hard- and soft-tissue changes and dental materials, which often cause image artifacts.

Exploring novel immunotherapy in advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Is targeting TIGIT an answer?

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a prevalent and highly lethal malignancy in Asia. Recent advancements in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have markedly transformed the systemic therapy landscape for ESCC. Anti-PD-1-based combination with chemotherapy or with ipilimumab, an anti-CTLA-4 antibody, have been established as the new standard first-line treatments for patients with advanced ESCC.

Reversed anatomy in transanal lateral lymph node dissection: landmarks and pitfalls.

Lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) is getting global attention as an a surgical option to reduce local recurrence in locally advanced rectal cancer. As the transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) is gaining popularity worldwide, a novel LLND approach was established adopting a two-team approach that combines the transabdominal and transanal approaches using the TaTME technique. This narrative review describes the advantages, anatomical landmarks, surgical techniques, and pitfalls of transanal LLND (TaLLND).

Indications for chemoradiotherapy in older patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer in Japan: a questionnaire survey in the JCOG head and neck cancer study group.

Introduction: Chemoradiation therapy (CRT) with concurrent high-dose cisplatin (CDDP) is one of the standard treatment options for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Since the indications specific to the older population have not been reported, we conducted a multicenter survey on the indications.

Methods: In April and May 2023, a questionnaire survey was emailed to all institutions belonging to the JCOG-HNCSG, consisting of 37 institutions.

Risk factors for rectal wall infiltration in hydrogel spacer placement: Influence of biopsy approach.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between the type of prostate biopsy and the occurrence of rectal wall infiltration (RWI) with hydrogel spacer placement in patients undergoing radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted involving 175 patients who received hydrogel spacer placement before radiotherapy at the National Cancer Center East Hospital, between October 2021 and December 2023. The patients were categorized based on the type of prostate biopsy: transperineal and transrectal.

Infection Screening and Vaccination of Adult and Pediatric Patients with Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: An Emirati Delphi Consensus.

Introduction: Patients with autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) have an increased susceptibility to infections due to their compromised immune systems and the use of immunosuppressive therapies. Infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients, emphasizing the need for strategies such as infection control and vaccination to prevent avoidable harm to both patients and healthcare workers. This study aims to provide expert consensus on infection screening and vaccination guidelines for AIIRD patients.

Palmitoylation-related gene ZDHHC22 as a potential diagnostic and immunomodulatory target in Alzheimer's disease: insights from machine learning analyses and WGCNA.

Background: The mechanism of palmitoylation in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear.

Methods: This study retrieved AD data sets from the GEO database to identify palmitoylation-associated genes (PRGs). This study applied WGCNA along with three machine learning algorithms-random forest, LASSO regression, and SVM-RFE-to further select key PRGs (KPRGs).

Clinical and genetic spectrum of patients with IRF2BPL syndrome.

Interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein-like (IRF2BPL) is a single-exon gene that is ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, including the brain. IRF2BPL encodes a transcription factor with two zinc-finger domains that potentially downregulate WNT signaling in the nervous system. Pathogenic IRF2BPL variants have been reported to cause developmental delay, seizures, myoclonus epilepsies, autistic spectrum disorder, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

Fast micrographia and frontal lobe dysfunction post-traumatic brain injury: insights into pacing impairment and rehabilitation strategy.

Micrographia, characterised by small handwriting, is often linked to Parkinson's disease, but also resulted to injured brain lesions. The left-handed women in her 20s developed 'fast micrographia' after a traumatic brain injury from a traffic accident, showing bilateral subdural haematomas and frontal lobe contusions, but she had no paralysis and extrapyramidal symptoms. Neuropsychological tests showed reduced processing speed and memory deficits, aligning with frontal lobe damage.

The role of neuroinflammation in PV interneuron impairments in brain networks; implications for cognitive disorders.

Fast spiking parvalbumin (PV) interneuron is an inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneuron diffused in different brain networks, including the cortex and hippocampus. As a key component of brain networks, PV interneurons collaborate in fundamental brain functions such as learning and memory by regulating excitation and inhibition (E/I) balance and generating gamma oscillations. The unique characteristics of PV interneurons, like their high metabolic demands and long branching axons, make them too vulnerable to stressors.

Cell-Based Therapies in GI Cancers: Current Landscape and Future Directions.

Cell-based therapies have become integral to the routine clinical management of hematologic malignancies. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy has demonstrated efficacy in immunogenic solid tumors, such as melanoma. However, in the GI field, evidence supporting the clinical success of cell-based therapies is still awaited.

Relationship Between Short-Term Outcomes and PD-L1 Expression Based on Combined Positive Score and Tumor Proportion Score in Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancers Treated With Anti-PD-1 Antibody Monotherapy.

Background: PD-L1 expression in tumors and immune cells is a biomarker for the efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody (APA) therapy across diverse cancers. Based on the results from the KEYNOTE-048 trial, pembrolizumab monotherapy is indicated for platinum-sensitive recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M-HNSCC) with a positive combined positive score (CPS). Conversely, nivolumab is utilized for platinum-pretreated R/M-HNSCC regardless of the positive tumor proportion score (TPS) following the results of the CheckMate-141; however, its subgroup analysis indicated that TPS-positive population tended to have a relatively high overall response rate and progression-free survival (PFS).

One-year incidence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in oxaliplatin- or taxane-based chemotherapy: a multicenter, prospective registry study (MiroCIP study).

Background: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and its associated pain negatively affect patient outcomes and quality of life (QoL). The two-part MiroCIP study included interventional and prospective observational studies. Here, we report the latter, describing CIPN incidence, risk factors, and outcomes.

Thrombolytic therapy for patients with acute ischemic stroke: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Objective: To systematically compare the benefits and risks of all thrombolytic agents (tenecteplase, reteplase, and alteplase) at different doses for thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Background: Alteplase is the cornerstone treatment for AIS, but alternative thrombolytic agents are needed. The efficacy and safety of tenecteplase and reteplase, compared to alteplase, remain unclear, as does the optimal dosing for these treatments.

LINC00941 affects the proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of osteoblasts by regulating the miR-335-5p/KAT7 axis.

Background: Fractures are the prevalent traumatic conditions encountered in orthopedic practices. The rising incidence of fractures has emerged as a pressing global health concern. Although the majority of individuals with fractures experience complete recovery of bone structure and function, approximately 10% of those with fractures exhibit delayed fracture healing (DFH).

Association between stress hyperglycemia ratio and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis: results from the MIMIC-IV database.

Background: This study aimed to explore the association between the stress hyperglycemia ratio (SHR) and short- and long-term outcomes in critically ill patients with sepsis.

Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted using the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV v2.2) database.

Robust circulating microRNA signature for the diagnosis and early detection of pancreatobiliary cancer.

Background: A new circulating biomarker superior to carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is needed for diagnosing pancreatobiliary cancer (PBca). The aim of this study was to identify serum microRNA (miRNA) signatures comprising reproducible and disease-related miRNAs.

Methods: This multicenter study involved patients with treatment-naïve PBca and healthy participants.

Prognostic value of CT-based skeletal muscle and adipose tissue mass and quality parameters in patients with liver metastases and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma undergoing Yttrium-90 radioembolization.

Objectives: To investigate baseline patient characteristics associated with the risk of computed tomography (CT)-based sarcopenia and assess whether sarcopenia and other morphometric parameters influence survival outcomes in patients with liver metastases and cholangiocarcinoma after Yttrium-90 radioembolization.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 120 cancer patients (mean age, 62 ± 13.3 years, 61 men) who underwent preprocedural CT.