RET-AREAL: a multi-center, real-world data analysis on the efficacy of pralsetinib in acquired RET fusion after resistance to EGFR/ALK-TKIs.

Pralsetinib demonstrated impressive improvement of survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harbored de novo RET fusion. However, the efficacy in patients with acquired RET fusion after resistance to EGFR/ALK-TKIs has only been reported on a case-by-case basis, and the strategy for overcoming the acquired RET fusion has not been fully investigated. This multicenter, real-world analysis enrolled 32 patients with unresectable NSCLC harbored acquired RET fusion after resistance to EGFR/ALK-TKIs in 23 centers across China from July 1, 2018 to Nov 23, 2022.

Novel oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Carcinogenesis, progression, and therapeutic targets.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the primary malignancy affecting the liver and the leading cause of mortality among individuals with cirrhosis. This complex disease is associated with various risk factors, including environmental, pathological, and genetic influences, which dysregulate gene expression crucial for the cell cycle and cellular/molecular pathways. The disruption of the balance between tumor suppressors and proto-oncogenes amplifies the pathogenic cascade.

Noncoding RNAs in sepsis-associated acute liver injury: Roles, mechanisms, and therapeutic applications.

Sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome characterized by organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Sepsis-associated acute liver injury (SA-ALI) is a frequent and serious complication of sepsis that considerably impacts both short-term and long-term survival outcomes. In intensive care units (ICUs), the mortality rate of patients with SA-ALI remains high, mostly due to the absence of effective early diagnostic markers and suitable therapeutic strategies.

High Prevalence of Burnout in Veterinary Medicine: Exploring Interventions to Improve Well-being.

The veterinary profession faces a critical challenge: burnout. Long hours, emotional strain, financial pressures, and difficult client interactions contribute to stress and drive veterinary professionals from the field. This harms not only their well-being but also patient care and workplace morale.

Korean Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Interstitial Lung Diseases: Connective Tissue Disease Associated Interstitial Lung Disease.

Connective tissue disease (CTD) comprising a various range of autoimmune disorders is often accompanied by lung involvement, which can lead to life-threatening complications. The main types of CTDs that can present as interstitial lung disease (ILD) include rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, Sjögren's syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and systemic lupus erythematosus. CTD-ILD poses a significant challenge in clinical diagnosis and management due to its heterogeneous nature and variable prognosis.

Triiodothyronine activates THRβ to promote PGC1α expression alleviating PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Thyroid hormone (TH) and it most active form triiodothyronine (T3) are crucial in promoting mitochondrial biogenesis and maintaining cellular homeostasis during the stress response, but their role in paraquat (PQ)-induced pulmonary fibrosis isunclear. The aim of this study was to examine whether there was a deficiency of TH in mouse lung tissue after PQ administration, and to explore the effect of T3, and potential mechanisms of action, in alleviation of PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis. We found that the activity and expression of iodothyronine deiodinase 2 (DIO2), an enzyme that activates TH, were higher in the lungs of patients with pulmonary fibrosis than in controls.

Management of post-injury anticoagulation in the traumatic brain injury patient: A scoping review.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among trauma patients. The care of these patients continues to be a complex endeavor with prevention of associated complications, often requiring as much attention as that of the treatment of the primary injury. Paramount among these are venous thromboembolic events (VTE) due to their high incidence, additive effect on the risk of morbidity and mortality, and the careful balance that must be utilized in their diagnosis and treatment to prevent progression of the brain injury itself.

Conversational agents in physical and psychological symptom management: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Effective management of physical and psychological symptoms is a critical component of comprehensive care for both chronic disease patients and apparently healthy individuals experiencing episodic symptoms. Conversational agents, which are dialog systems capable of understanding and generating human language, have emerged as a potential tool to enhance symptom management through interactive support.

Objective: To examine the characteristics and effectiveness of conversational agent-delivered interventions reported in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the management of both physical and psychological symptoms.

Return of negative interpretation bias after positive interpretation training as a dynamic predictor of treatment outcome in fear of public speaking.

Despite various efforts in the field, no consistent predictors of treatment outcome in anxiety disorders have been identified. Based on the Dynamic System Theory, this study proposes a novel, dynamic predictor of treatment outcome in those with public speaking anxiety. It was assessed whether speed of return to one's interpretation bias equilibrium after an experimentally-induced perturbation (i.

Enhanced detection of actionable mutations in NSCLC through pleural effusion cell-free DNA sequencing: A prospective study.

Background: Inadequate tumour samples often hinder molecular testing in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Plasma-based cell-free DNA (cfDNA) sequencing has shown promise in bypassing these tissue limitations. Nevertheless, pleural effusion (PE) samples may offer a richer cfDNA source for mutation detection in patients with malignant PE.

Peripheral blood PD-1 T lymphocytes as biomarkers in liquid biopsies for solid tumors: Clinical significance and prognostic applications.

A shift toward a T cell exhaustion phenotype is associated with the upregulation of expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) on T lymphocytes in patients with malignant solid tumors. The interaction between PD-1 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibits PD-1 T lymphocyte function, impacting their anti-tumor immune activity. Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 have revolutionized the treatment of various solid malignancies, improving therapeutic efficacy and survival outcomes.

Multi-disciplinary treatment of broncho-esophageal fistula in a high-risk single-lung patient.

Background: A broncho-esophageal fistula (BEF) is a medical and surgical disaster. Treatment of BEF is often limited to palliative stent treatment that may migrate or cause erosions and tissue necrosis. Surgical repair of BEF is the only established definite treatment.

Effects of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on arterial stiffness and inflammatory factors in patients with coronary heart disease complicated with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment brings more benefits than risks to most coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the pathophysiological mechanism by which CPAP treatment improves the prognosis of patients with CHD and OSA remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether CPAP can improve arterial stiffness and inflammatory factor levels in CHD patients with OSA, and to further improve prognosis.

Molecule interacting with CasL-2 enhances tumor progression and alters radiosensitivity in cervical cancer.

Objective: Cervical cancer is a common malignancy among women, and radiotherapy remains a primary treatment modality across all disease stages. However, resistance to radiotherapy frequently results in treatment failure, highlighting the need to identify novel therapeutic targets to improve clinical outcomes.

Methods: The expression of molecule interacting with CasL-2 (MICAL2) was confirmed in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines through western blotting (WB) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Challenges faced by the Iranian health system in containing COVID-19: insights from a conventional content analysis.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis, and health systems worldwide have faced numerous challenges in containing it. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced by the Iranian health system in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A conventional content analysis approach was employed in this qualitative study.

Early urea-to-creatinine ratio to predict rapid muscle loss in critically ill patients with sepsis: a single-center retrospective observational study.

Background: Patients with sepsis in the intensive care unit (ICU) often experience rapid muscle loss. The urea-to-creatinine ratio (UCR) is thought to reflect muscle breakdown (creatinine) and catabolism (urea) and is commonly used to assess nutritional and metabolic status. This study aimed to investigate whether changes in UCR (ΔUCR) can predict the development of rapid muscle loss in patients with sepsis.

Associations of daily step count with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive US adults: a cohort study from NHANES 2005-2006.

Background: The health benefits of physical activity, including walking, are well-established, but the relationship between daily step count and mortality in hypertensive populations remains underexplored. This study investigates the association between daily step count and both all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive American adults.

Methods: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006, including 1,629 hypertensive participants with accelerometer-measured step counts.

Nutrition Care in Cancer: An Overlooked Part of Patient-Centered Care.

Objectives: Robust evidence highlights the crucial role of nutrition for people with cancer, and international organizations recognize it as a basic human right linked to health and food. Within this context, we aim to emphasize the critical role of nutrition care for cancer patients and to highlight the essential contributions of nurses in providing patient-centered nutrition care.

Methods: This opinion paper synthesizes evidence and perspectives from peer-reviewed articles and position papers.

Advances of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles in Dental Implant Applications.

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HANPs) are becoming increasingly crucial in dental implant applications as they are highly compatible with biological systems, actively support biological processes, and closely resemble bone minerals. This review covers the latest progress in how HANPs are made, studied, and used in dentistry. It looks at critical methods for creating HANPs, such as sol-gel, microwave hydrothermal synthesis, and biomimetic approaches, and how they affect the particles' size, structure, and activity.

Short and Long-Term Outcomes of Lung Transplantation from Brain Death vs. Circulatory Death Donors: A Meta-analysis of Comparative Studies.

Objectives: To investigate through a meta-analysis of comparative studies the impact of donor type (brain death DBD vs circulatory death DCD) on the short- and long-term outcomes of lung transplantation(LTx).

Methods: Literature search (terms "lung transplantation" AND "donation after circulatory death") was performed up to July 2022 and studies comparing outcomes of LTx from DCD versus DBD were selected. Primary endpoints were early and long-term mortality.

Association of Palliative Care Timing with End-of-Life Quality in Children with Heart Disease.

Context: Children with heart disease are at risk for early mortality and parents often perceive suffering at end-of-life (EOL). Involvement of pediatric palliative care (PPC) is a proposed quality measure at the EOL in children with cancer, and early PPC involvement is associated with other quality measures. The impact of early PPC involvement on EOL quality is unknown in children with heart disease.

Sequential Versus Continuous Feeding and Its Effect on the Gut Microbiota in Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Gut microbiota disturbance may worsen critical illnesses and is responsible for the progression of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. In our previous study, there was a trend towards a higher α-diversity of the gut microbiota in sequential feeding (SF) than in continuous feeding (CF) for critically ill patients. We designed this non-blinded, randomized controlled study to confirm these results.

Individual patient and donor seroprofiles in convalescent plasma treatment of COVID-19 in REMAP-CAP clinical trial.

Objectives: Convalescent plasma (CP) treatment of COVID-19 has shown significant therapeutic effect only when administered early. We investigated the importance of patient and CP seroprofiles on treatment outcome in REMAP-CAP CP trial.

Methods: We evaluated neutralising antibodies (nAb), anti-spike (S) IgM, IgG, IgG avidity, IgG fucosylation and respiratory viral loads in a sub-set of patients (n=80) and controls (n=51) before and after transfusion, comparing them to those in the CP units (n=157) they received.