Diagnostic accuracy in coronary CT angiography analysis: artificial intelligence versus human assessment.

Background: Visual assessment of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) is time-consuming, influenced by reader experience and prone to interobserver variability. This study evaluated a novel algorithm for coronary stenosis quantification (atherosclerosis imaging quantitative CT, AI-QCT).

Methods: The study included 208 patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) undergoing CCTA in Perfusion Imaging and CT Coronary Angiography With Invasive Coronary Angiography-1.

Association between left ventricular reverse remodelling and the B-type natriuretic peptide-cGMP cascade after anterior acute myocardial infarction.

Background: The role of cyclic guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not well understood despite its significance as a second messenger of natriuretic peptides (NPs) in cardiovascular disease. We investigated the association between the NP-cGMP cascade and left ventricular reverse remodelling (LVRR) in anterior AMI.

Methods: 67 patients with their first anterior AMI (median age, 64 years; male, 76%) underwent prospective evaluation of plasma concentrations of the molecular forms of A-type and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and cGMP from immediately after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) to 10 months post-AMI.

End-to-end deep-learning model for the detection of coronary artery stenosis on coronary CT images.

Purpose: We examined whether end-to-end deep-learning models could detect moderate (≥50%) or severe (≥70%) stenosis in the left anterior descending artery (LAD), right coronary artery (RCA) or left circumflex artery (LCX) in iodine contrast-enhanced ECG-gated coronary CT angiography (CCTA) scans.

Methods: From a database of 6293 CCTA scans, we used pre-existing curved multiplanar reformations (CMR) images of the LAD, RCA and LCX arteries to create end-to-end deep-learning models for the detection of moderate or severe stenoses. We preprocessed the images by exploiting domain knowledge and employed a transfer learning approach using EfficientNet, ResNet, DenseNet and Inception-ResNet, with a class-weighted strategy optimised through cross-validation.

Evaluation of three diagnostic algorithms to reduce normal scan rates, radiation exposure and costs in patients with suspected chronic coronary syndrome referred for 82Rb-Positron Emission Tomography (Rb-PET).

Background: The majority of functional ischemia tests in patients with suspected chronic coronary syndromes (CCS) yield normal results. Implementing gatekeepers for patient preselection, such as pretest probability (PTP) and/or coronary artery calcium score (CACS), could reduce the number of normal scan results, radiation exposure and costs. However, the efficacy and safety of these approaches remain unclear.

Diabetes is associated with a higher incidence of short-term mortality risk and readmission in patients who undergo surgical but not transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly used for aortic valve replacement instead of surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR). We aimed to examine the impact of diabetes on 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission and compare outcomes between TAVR and sAVR.

Methods: Data were extracted from the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2012 to 2017.

Automated electronic health record-based screening for Fabry disease in unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy (FAPREV-HCM).

Background And Aims: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has various aetiologies, including genetic conditions like Fabry disease (FD), a lysosomal storage disorder. FD prevalence in high-risk HCM populations ranges from 0.3% to 11.

C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio and systemic immune-inflammatory index as potential markers in distinguishing acute cerebellar infarction from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

Objectives: To investigate the potential utility of the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) and the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) as a biomarker in distinguishing between BPPV and acute cerebellar infarction (ACI) due to posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) involvement.

Methods: The data of 2545 patients registered in our hospital database between 2017 and 2024 with a diagnosis of vertigo were retrospectively analyzed and 102 patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and 100 patients with ACI were included in the study. Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test were used to compare variables between the two groups.

Marchiafava-Bignami disease post-bariatric surgery: A case report and review of similar cases.

Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare neurological disorder typically occurring in alcoholic patients. The main disease mechanism is hypothesized to be vitamin B-complex deficiency due to malnutrition. In the literature, there have been few reported cases of the disease occurring in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery.

Global regional and national burden of cataract attributable to high body mass index from 1990 to 2019.

Objectives: In order to estimate long-term trends of the years lived with disability (YLDs) for cataract due to high body mass index (BMI).

Design And Participants: Data were retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019. The global cases, age-standardised rates (ASR) of YLDs for cataract attributable to high BMI were described by age, sex, geographical location and sociodemographic index (SDI).

Comparison of carbon dioxide control during pressure controlled versus pressure-regulated volume controlled ventilation in children (CoCO2): protocol for a pilot digital randomised controlled trial in a quaternary paediatric intensive care unit.

Introduction: Digital trials are a promising strategy to increase the evidence base for common interventions and may convey considerable efficiency benefits in trial conduct. Although paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) are rich in routine electronic data, highly pragmatic digital trials in this field remain scarce. There are unmet evidence needs for optimal mechanical ventilation modes in paediatric intensive care.

Cost-utility analysis of MR imaging-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation for the treatment of low- to intermediate-risk localised prostate cancer.

Background: Magnetic resonance-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (MR-TULSA) is a new focal therapy for treating localised prostate cancer that is associated with fewer adverse effects (AEs) compared with established treatments. To support large-scale clinical implementation, information about cost-effectiveness is required.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-utility of MR-TULSA compared with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and active surveillance (AS) for patients with low- to favourable intermediate-risk localised prostate cancer.

Digital screening tool for the assessment of cognitive impairment in unsupervised setting-digiDEM-SCREEN: study protocol for a validation study.

Introduction: Dementia is one of the most relevant widespread diseases, with a prevalence of currently 55 million people with dementia worldwide. However, about 60-75% of people with dementia have not yet received a formal diagnosis. Asymptomatic screening of cognitive impairments using neuropsychiatric tests has been proven to efficiently enhance diagnosis rates.

Association between endostatin and mortality in patients with acute dyspnoea, with or without congestive heart failure: a single-centre, prospective, observational study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess associations between endostatin levels and short-term mortality in unsorted acute hospitalised dyspnoea patients with or without congestive heart failure (CHF), adjusted for common cardiovascular risk factors.

Design, Setting And Participants: In this prospective observational study, 723 hospitalised patients who visited the emergency department at Skåne University Hospital, Sweden, between 2013 and 2018 were included. Of these, 276 had a history of CHF.

Brain health in Norwegian female former top-level football players: a protocol for a longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: Repetitive head impacts (RHI) in sports may represent a risk factor for long-term cognitive and neurological sequelae. Recent studies have identified an association between playing football at the top level and an elevated risk of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disease. However, these were conducted on men, and there is a knowledge gap regarding these risks in female athletes.

Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke: a study on intravenous thrombolysis in patients over 80 years of age with acute ischaemic stroke.

Objectives: To investigate the safety and efficacy outcomes of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in patients aged >80 years with acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) after IVT was approved in this patient population in several European and non-European countries during 2018-2019.

Design: This is an observational registry study using prospectively collected data from the Safe Implementation of Treatment in Stroke (SITS) registry. Comparisons will be performed between patients treated post-approval (July 2018 to December 2021) period with those treated pre-approval (June 2015 to June 2018) period using propensity score matching (PSM).

Examining the effect of direct-from-blood bacterial testing on antibiotic administration and clinical outcomes: a protocol and statistical analysis plan for a pragmatic randomised trial.

Introduction: Patients with suspected bacterial infection frequently receive empiric, broad-spectrum antibiotics prior to pathogen identification due to the time required for bacteria to grow in culture. Direct-from-blood diagnostics identifying the presence or absence of bacteria and/or resistance genes from whole blood samples within hours of collection could enable earlier antibiotic optimisation for patients suspected to have bacterial infections. However, few randomised trials have evaluated the effect of using direct-from-blood bacterial testing on antibiotic administration and clinical outcomes.

FAP-targeted radioligand therapy with Ga/Lu-DOTA-2P(FAPI) enhance immunogenicity and synergize with PD-L1 inhibitors for improved antitumor efficacy.

Background: Fibroblast activation protein (FAP)-targeted radioligand therapy, with immunomodulatory effects, has shown efficacy in both preclinical and clinical studies. We recently reported on a novel dimeric FAP-targeting radiopharmaceutical, Ga/Lu-DOTA-2P(FAPI), which demonstrated increased tumor uptake and prolonged retention in various cancers. However, further exploration is required to understand the therapeutic efficacy and underlying mechanisms of combining Ga/Lu-DOTA-2P(FAPI) radioligand therapy with PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy.

RETHINKING LOW TESTOSTERONE IN OLDER MEN: ASSOCIATION WITH OBESITY RATHER THAN AGING.

Background: The decline in testosterone levels among older men remains a subject of debate. While some cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have reported a decrease in testosterone with advancing age, others have not observed this trend. In this study, we aimed to evaluate testosterone levels and identify predictors of low testosterone in an age-stratified cohort of men.

Burden of vascular risk factors by age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation in young adults with and without newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Do associations between age at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and vascular risk factors vary by ethnicity and deprivation?

Methods: Utilising the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, we matched 16-50-year-old individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes to ∼10 individuals without using sex, age and primary care practice. Differences in BMI, obesity, LDL-cholesterol, HbA1c, and hypertension between individuals with vs without type 2 diabetes across sex, age, ethnicity and deprivation quintiles were explored using generalised linear models.

Results: We included 108,061 individuals (45.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CLINICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PULMONARY EMBOLISM IN COVID-19 VERSUS NON COVID-19 PATIENTS: A MULTICENTRIC CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OVER A 24-MONTH PERSPECTIVE.

Background: COVID-19 is associated with intense systemic inflammation and abnormal coagulation profile leading to an increased incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE). This study investigates whether PE in COVID-19 patients has different clinical, laboratory and radiological characteristics when compared to traditional PE in COVID negative patients.

Methods: We conducted an observational, multicentric, cross-sectional study on consecutive patients diagnosed with PE at admission or during hospital stay from February 21 2019 to February 20 2021.

Multi-Gene Panel for Thrombophilia Testing in Venous Thromboembolism.

Background: Conventional tests for inherited thrombophilia focus on the five most-established inherited thrombophilias; i.e. deficiencies in antithrombin, protein C, and protein S, and the factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A variants.

Acute pulmonary embolism with and without hemodynamic instability (2003-2022): A Swiss nationwide epidemiological study.

Background: Data on the epidemiological burden of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in Switzerland is unavailable. Knowledge gaps remain on trends in PE-related comorbidities, PE severity, and length of in-hospital stay (LOS) at a nationwide level.

Methods: We used nationwide, patient-level data including all patients aged 15 years or older hospitalized for PE in Switzerland from 2003 to 2022, amounting to N=180,600.

An Ascaris lumbricoides infection diagnosed by colonoscopy: A case report and a brief literature review.

Background: Ascaris lumbricoides is a nematode that parasitizes the human gastrointestinal tract, and it is the cause of the most common helminthic infections worldwide. It predominates in areas of poor sanitation. Early diagnosis of this intestinal infection is pivotal to avoid its severe and lethal complications such as gut obstruction, volvulus, and perforation.

Is there a relationship between lumbosacral epidural spinal injections and lumbosacral epidural lipomatosis? A retrospective study.

Background: We aim to investigate the potential association between the administration of Lumbosacral epidural steroid injections (LESIs) and the subsequent onset or progression of Lumbosacral epidural lipomatosis (LEL) in patients devoid of established risk factors for LEL.

Methods: We carried out a single-center retrospective study on patients who underwent LESI. We collected demographics including age and gender as well as clinical and radiological characteristics including the type of corticosteroids utilized, the number of LESIs administered, the use of epidural guidance during LESI procedures, and LEL grading.

Oral and Fecal Microbiota as Accurate Non-invasive Tools for Detection of Pancreatic Cancer in the Chinese Population.

Pancreatic cancer (PCA), a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, has limited non-invasive diagnostic methods. We aimed to identify oral and fecal microbiome biomarkers and construct diagnostic classifiers. Oral and fecal samples from 97 PCA patients and 90 healthy controls underwent 16S rRNA sequencing.