Current Trends in Endodontic Clinical Practice in Croatia: A Report From a Croatian National Survey.

Objective: To assess the state of endodontic practices and identify factors influencing the use of modern endodontic techniques among dental practitioners in Croatia.

Materials And Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to all dental offices in Croatia, yielding 819 responses (27% response rate). Data were descriptively analyzed and statistically modeled.

Advancing Principled Pharmacoepidemiologic Research to Support Regulatory and Healthcare Decision Making: The Era of Real-World Evidence.

A compilation of factors over the past decade-including the availability of increasingly large and rich healthcare datasets, advanced technologies to extract unstructured information from health records and digital sources, advancement of principled study design and analytic methods to emulate clinical trials, and frameworks to support transparent study conduct-has ushered in a new era of real-world evidence (RWE). This review article describes the evolution of the RWE era, including pharmacoepidemiologic methods designed to support causal inferences regarding treatment effects, the role of regulators and other health authorities in establishing distributed real-world data networks enabling analytics at scale, and the many global guidance documents on principled methods of producing RWE. This article also highlights the growing opportunity for RWE to support decision making by regulators, health technology assessment groups, clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders and provides examples of influential RWE studies.

Low Bone Mineral Density and Associated Factors Among People Living With HIV in Kerman, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study in 2021-2022.

Chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and low bone mineral density (BMD) are significant public health concerns for people living with HIV (PLWH), especially with the increased life expectancy because of antiretroviral therapy (ART). This study evaluated the prevalence and associated factors of low BMD among 94 PLWH in Kerman, Iran, from September 2021 to February 2022. Using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, BMD was measured, with low BMD defined by specific T-scores and Z-scores.

Impact of endocrine disorders associated with cleft lip and palate.

Background: Any impediment to the development of midline structures i.e. hypothalamus, pituitary and oral cavity may cause anatomical and functional issues.

Exploring the Relationship Between Humoral and Cellular T Cell Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 in Exposed Individuals From Emilia Romagna Region and COVID-19 Severity.

COVID-19 remains a significant global health problem with uncertain long-term consequences for convalescents. We investigated the relationships between anti-N protein antibody levels, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2-associated TCR repertoire parameters, HLA type and epidemiological information from three cohorts of 524 SARS-CoV-2-infected subjects subgrouped in acute phase, seronegative and seropositive convalescents from the Emilia Romagna region. Epidemiological information and anti-N antibody index were associated with TCR repertoire data.

Lyme neuroborreliosis in Japan: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato as a cause of meningitis of previously undetermined etiology in hospitalized patients outside of the island of Hokkaido, 2010-2021.

Background And Purpose: Clinical manifestations of Lyme borreliosis (LB), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl), include erythema migrans, Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB), carditis, and arthritis. LB is a notifiable disease in Japan with <30 surveillance-reported LB cases annually, predominately from Hokkaido Prefecture. However, LB, including LNB, may be under-diagnosed in Japan since diagnostic tests are not readily available.

Validation Status of Electronic Sphygmomanometers in China: A National Survey.

Background: Although the information on the validation status of electronic sphygmomanometer (ES) devices in use in health care institutions and households is much more clinically relevant than that of ES models available on the market, it remains insufficient.

Methods: A national survey was conducted across all administrative regions of mainland China to assess the validation status of ESs. Fifty-eight cities were selected with stratification by municipality, provincial capital, and other cities, and health care institutions and households in each city were chosen by convenience to identify ES devices in use according to the study protocol.

Exposure Contrasts of Women Aged 40-79 Years during the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Randomized Controlled Trial.

Exposure to household air pollution has been linked to adverse health outcomes among women aged 40-79. Little is known about how shifting from biomass cooking to a cleaner fuel like liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) could impact exposures for this population. We report 24-h exposures to particulate matter (PM), black carbon (BC), and carbon monoxide (CO) among women aged 40 to <80 years participating in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial.

Early Versus Delayed Antihypertensive Treatment After Acute Ischemic Stroke by Hypertension History.

Background: We performed a prespecified subgroup analysis of the CATIS-2 trial (China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke II) to compare the effect of early versus delayed antihypertensive treatment on death and disability in patients with and without medical history of hypertension.

Methods: CATIS-2 is a multicenter randomized clinical trial conducted in 106 hospitals in China. The trial randomized 4810 patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 to 48 hours of symptom onset and elevated systolic blood pressure between 140 and <220 mm Hg to receive antihypertensive treatment immediately after randomization or to discontinue antihypertensive medications for 7 days and then receive treatment on day 8.

Intratumor Heterogeneity Predicts Prognosis in Lepidic Predominant Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Objective: Among the different subtypes of invasive lung adenocarcinoma, lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma (LPA) has been recognized as the lowest-risk subtype with good prognosis. The aim of this study is to provide insight into the heterogeneity within LPA tumors and to better understand the influence of other sub-histologies on survival outcome.

Methods: Overall, 75 consecutive patients with LPA in pathologic stage I (TNM 8th edition) who underwent resection between 2010 and 2022 were included into this retrospective, single center analysis.

Severity of metabolic derangement predicts survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and the likelihood of benefiting from extracorporeal life support.

Objective: To develop a Metabolic Derangement Score (MDS) based on parameters available after initial testing and assess the score's ability to predict survival after out-of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and the likely usefulness of extracorporeal life support (ECLS).

Methods: A total of 5100 cases in the Korean Cardiac Arrest Research Consortium registry were included. Patients' mean age was 67 years, and 69% were men.

Real-world psoriasis treatment patterns and disease burden in Germany, with a focus on biologics and apremilast: data from a German statutory health insurance database.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic, inflammatory skin disease, with increasing prevalence; however, few studies have reported real-world prescription patterns and healthcare burden.

Objectives: This retrospective, observational cohort study used statutory health insurance claims data (January 2014-December 2019) to estimate prevalence/incidence of moderate-to-severe psoriasis in Germany. Patient characteristics, treatment patterns/compliance, and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU)/costs were evaluated, focusing on apremilast and anti-interleukin (IL) and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biologics.

Epidemiology, microbiology and clinical impacts of non-tuberculous mycobacteria in adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Due to its increasing prevalence and suboptimal treatment, non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infection is an emerging problem in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Detailed description of regional NTM prevalence and distribution, and identification of predictors of NTM acquisition in CF are essential to optimise treatment and surveillance guidelines.

Methods: A retrospective, multi-center analysis was conducted between the years 2020 and 2022 on data from 232 adult patients registered in the Hungarian CF Registry in 2022.

Evaluating the Association Between Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (Rs1801131 and Rs1801133) Gene Polymorphisms and Severity of Coronary Lesions in Patients With STEMI and NSTEMI: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Background And Aims: Mounting evidence have implicated that rs1801131 and rs1801133, located in the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, may emerge as novel biomarkers for coronary artery disease (CAD). The Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score is also an appropriate predictor for revascularization strategy in patients with complex CAD. The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between rs1801131 and rs1801133 with the severity of coronary lesions in patients with ST‑Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) and Non‑ST‑Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) based on the SYNTAX score.

Vascular ageing manifestations and hypertension in the community.

Objective: To investigate the association between joint manifestations of vascular ageing (VA) and hypertension.

Methods: We used baseline (2008-2012) and follow-up data (up to 2024) from the Paris Prospective Study III, a French cohort of 10,157 participants. Prevalent and incident hypertension were determined at baseline (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or on medication) and at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 years of follow-up (self-reported antihypertensive treatment).

Correlation between Autoimmune Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Infection: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Among environmental factors, infectious agents, including , can act as triggers for autoimmune thyroid diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the correlation between autoimmune Hashimoto's thyroiditis with infection.

Methods: The participants in this case-control study were 74 individuals 17-62 years who were divided into two groups, including 38 diagnosed Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients from an outpatient clinic of endocrinology and 36 apparently healthy individuals that were selected from family members of cases group age-matched and sex-matched.

Multidimensional perspectives of geo-epidemiology: from interdisciplinary learning and research to cost-benefit oriented decision-making.

Research typically promotes two types of outcomes (inventions and discoveries), which induce a virtuous cycle: something suspected or desired (not previously demonstrated) may become known or feasible once a new tool or procedure is invented and, later, the use of this invention may discover new knowledge. Research also promotes the opposite sequence-from new knowledge to new inventions. This bidirectional process is observed in geo-referenced epidemiology-a field that relates to but may also differ from spatial epidemiology.

Baseline fibroblast growth factor 23 predicts incident heart failure and cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease: A 3-year follow-up study.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a significant cause of death among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Emerging data suggest a crucial role of fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) in the pathogenesis of HF in CKD patients. The present study aimed to investigate whether the serum intact FGF23 (iFGF23) level is elevated when ejection fraction (EF) is preserved and to evaluate its predictive value for incident HF and cardiac mortality in CKD patients with preserved EF.

Evaluation of the Soda Tax on Obesity and Diabetes in California: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

Unlabelled: Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) contributes to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. Soda tax has been proposed to reduce consumption of SSBs. What remains unclear is whether the soda tax has an effect on health and health care costs.

Percutaneous Mechanical Aspiration for Infective Endocarditis: Proceedings From an Inaugural Multidisciplinary Summit and Comprehensive Review.

The clinical presentation and epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) have evolved over time. While the cornerstones of IE treatment remain antimicrobial therapy and surgery, percutaneous mechanical aspiration (PMA) has emerged as an option for carefully selected patients as a complementary modality, based on retrospective data, case series, and expert experience. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the proceedings from an inaugural summit dedicated to the discussion of PMA in the global management of IE, consisting of experts across multiple disciplines from diverse geographic regions and care environments.

Caste, wealth and geographic equity in program reach and expected outcomes: an exploratory analyses of in Nepal.

Introduction: Monitoring and evaluation of maternal and child nutrition programs typically concentrates on overall population-level results. There is limited understanding, however, of how intervention reach and expected outcomes differ among sub-populations, necessary insight for addressing inequalities. These analyses aim to determine if maternal exposure to social and behavior change (SBC) interventions is associated with scales of maternal practices (antenatal care, iron and folic acid in pregnancy, diet in pregnancy, postnatal care, iron and folic acid postpartum, and maternal dietary diversity) and child practices (institutional birth, health mothers' group participation, growth monitoring and promotion, early initiation of breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding) in Nepal, overall and by wealth, caste, and geography.

Disparities in response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines according to sex and age: A systematic review.

Background: The rapid development and distribution of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been essential in containing the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic around the globe. For ongoing and future immunization campaigns globally, there is a need to evaluate the impact of population demographics such as age and sex, on vaccine efficacy and safety.

Methods: This systematic review (PROSPERO ID CRD42023328245) conducted according to PRISMA guidelines evaluates the impact of age and sex on the safety and efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations administrated in 15 studies that were chosen according to strict criteria.

The PANDEM-2 Simulation Exercise: Training the Coordinated Response to a Large-Scale Pandemic in 2 European Public Health Emergency Operations Centers.

Objective: In the course of the EU funded Pandemic Preparedness and Response (PANDEM-2) project, a functional exercise (FX) was conducted to train the coordinated response to a large-scale pandemic event in Europe by using new IT solutions developed by the project. This report provides an overview of the steps involved in planning, conducting, and evaluating the FX.

Methods: The FX design was based on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) simulation exercise cycle for public health settings and was carried out over 2 days in the German and Dutch national public health institutes (PHI), with support from other consortium PHIs.

The effect of addressing the top 10 global causes of death on life expectancy in 2019: a global and regional analysis.

Background: The life expectancy (LE) index reflects health changes in society, highlighting trends in health quality and quantity. This study focused on analysing the impact of the top 10 causes of death on the global increase in LE in 2019.

Methods: Data on the top 10 causes of death in 2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease website and a period life table was used to assess how eliminating these causes would impact LE.