Projections of Public Spending on Pharmaceuticals: A Review of Methods.

Background: Forecasting future public pharmaceutical expenditure is a challenge for healthcare payers, particularly owing to the unpredictability of new market introductions and their economic impact. No best-practice forecasting methods have been established so far. The literature distinguishes between the top-down approach, based on historical trends, and the bottom-up approach, using a combination of historical and horizon scanning data.

Comparative effectiveness of laparoscopic versus open colectomy in colon cancer patients: a study protocol for emulating a target trial using cancer registry data.

Introduction: The objective of this study is to compare the 5 year overall survival of patients with stage I-III colon cancer treated by laparoscopic colectomy versus open colectomy.

Methods: Using Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Cancer Registry data from 2008 to 2018, we will emulate a phase III, multicenter, open-label, two-parallel-arm hypothetical target trial in adult patients with stage I-III colon cancer who received laparoscopic or open colectomy as an elective treatment. An inverse-probability weighted Royston‒Parmar parametric survival model (RPpsm) will be used to estimate the hazard ratio of laparoscopic versus open surgery after confounding factors are balanced between the two treatment arms.

Ruthenium-106 brachytherapy and central uveal melanoma.

Purpose: Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary ocular malignancy. The size and location of the tumor are decisive for brachytherapy with the β-emitting ruthenium-106 (Ru-106) plaque. The treatment of juxtapapillary and juxtafoveolar UM may be challenging because of the proximity or involvement of the macula and optic nerve and high recurrence rates.

The roles of vision and proprioception in spatial tuning of sensory attenuation.

When we touch ourselves, the pressure appears weaker compared to when someone else touches us, an effect known as sensory attenuation. Sensory attenuation is spatially tuned and does only occur if the positions of the touching and the touched body-party spatially coincide. Here, we ask about the contribution of visual or proprioceptive signals to determine self-touch.

Sexual dysfunctions associated with antipsychotic drug intake: a retrospective analysis of the FDA adverse events reporting system (FAERS).

Sexual dysfunctions (SD) are common and debilitating side effects of antipsychotics. The current study analyzes the occurrence of antipsychotic-related SD using data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). FAERS was queried for sexual dysfunction adverse events (encoded by 35 different MedDRA preferred terms) secondary to amisulpride, aripiprazole, chlorprothixene, clozapine, haloperidol, loxapine, olanzapine, pipamperone, quetiapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone from 2000 to 2023.

Human Brucellosis in the Rural and Urban Population of Pakistan: Seroprevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Manifestations.

Brucella spp. is the bacterium responsible for brucellosis, a zoonotic infection that affects humans. This disease poses significant health challenges and contributes to poverty, particularly in developing countries.

Pelvic packing - status 2024.

Patients with unstable hemodynamics and unstable pelvic ring injuries are still demanding patients regarding initial treatment and survival. Several concepts were reported during the last 30 years. Mechanical stabilization of the pelvis together with hemorrhage control offer the best treatment option in these patients.

Postgraduate medical education in obstetrics and gynecology in Switzerland in comparison to Germany and Austria: the results of an international survey.

Background: There is frequent academic exchange between Switzerland, Germany and Austria, facilitated by the common language. Additionally, the postgraduate training curricula in obstetrics and gynecology show some similarities. We aimed to compare self-perceived level of ability, availability of simulation training and teaching and feedback culture among residents in obstetrics and gynecology in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.

Iliosacral screw osteosynthesis - state of the art.

Iliosacral screw osteosynthesis is a widely recognized technique for stabilizing unstable posterior pelvic ring injuries, offering notable advantages, including enhanced mechanical stability, minimal invasiveness, reduced blood loss, and lower infection rates. However, the procedure presents technical challenges due to the complex anatomy of the sacrum and the proximity of critical neurovascular structures. While conventional fluoroscopy remains the primary method for intraoperative guidance, precise preoperative planning using multiplanar reconstructions and three-dimensional volume rendering is crucial for ensuring accurate placement of iliosacral or transsacral screws.

Prevalence of Chronic Hand Eczema in adults: A cross-sectional survey of over 60,000 respondents in the general population in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Background: The lack of attention to Chronic Hand Eczema (CHE) and the lack of a specific International Classification of Diseases code for CHE may have limited the assessment of CHE prevalence. To date, prevalence estimates have primarily been derived from (partly small) single-country studies.

Objectives: To estimate the annual prevalence of self-reported physician-diagnosed CHE across socio-demographic characteristics among adults in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK).

The PERFORMANCE II Trial: A Prospective Multicenter Investigation of a Novel Carotid Stent System.

Background: Several randomized clinical trials have shown that the composite endpoint of death, stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) is equivalent between carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy. However, the risk of minor stroke has been consistently higher with carotid artery stenting.

Objectives: The authors sought to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a novel carotid stent system comprised of a stent, an adjustable integrated embolic filter and a postdilation balloon, in patients at elevated risk for adverse events from carotid endarterectomy.

Photocatalytic Direct Borylation of Benzothiazole Heterocycles via a Triplet Activation Strategy.

Boron compounds are widely employed in organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and materials science. Among them, borylated heterocycles serve as versatile synthons for the construction of new C-C or C-heteroatom bonds via coupling or radical processes. Such methods for direct C-H borylation reactions are of high synthetic value to reduce the number of synthetic steps and the amount of waste and to improve efficiency.

Proteomic Profiling of Potential E6AP Substrates via Ubiquitin-based Photo-Crosslinking Assisted Affinity Enrichment.

The ubiquitin (Ub) ligase E6AP, which is encoded by the UBE3A gene, has been associated with several human diseases including cervical cancer and Angelman syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder. Yet, our knowledge about disease-relevant substrates of E6AP is still limited. The formation of a thioester complex between Ub and the catalytic Cys residue of E6AP represents an essential intermediate step in E6AP-mediated ubiquitination.

An innovative multicomponent compression system in a single bandage for venous leg ulcer and/or oedema treatment: a real-life study in 343 patients.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of an innovative multicomponent compression system in a single bandage (UrgoK1, Laboratoires Urgo, France) in the treatment of patients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs) and/or lower limb oedema in everyday practice.

Method: A prospective, observational, clinical study with the evaluated compression system was conducted in 39 centres in Germany between March 2022 and July 2023. Main outcomes included a description of the treated patients, changes in wound healing and oedema progression, local tolerance and acceptability of the compression system.

Superabsorbent wound dressings for the management of highly exuding wounds: a literature review.

Exudate management is essential for creating a moist wound environment that promotes optimal healing, especially in highly exuding wounds, where choosing an appropriate wound dressing to handle high volumes of exudate is a key part of the wound management strategy. Superabsorbent wound dressings (SWDs) have been designed to absorb and retain large amounts of exudate. Thus, they are advocated for management of wounds with moderate-to-high levels of exudate to reduce the risk of leakage and damage to the periwound skin.

Aryl-Acetylene Layered Hybrid Perovskites in Photovoltaics.

Metal halide perovskites have shown exceptional potential in converting solar energy to electric power in photovoltaics, yet their application is hampered by limited operational stability. This stimulated the development of hybrid layered (two-dimensional, 2D) halide perovskites based on hydrophobic organic spacers, templating perovskite slabs, as a more stable alternative. However, conventional organic spacer cations are electronically insulating, resulting in charge confinement within the inorganic slabs, thus limiting their functionality.

goChem: A Composable Library for Multi-Scale Computational Chemistry Data Analysis.

Data analysis is a major task for Computational Chemists. The diversity of modeling tools currently available in Computational Chemistry requires the development of flexible analysis tools that can adapt to different systems and output formats. As a contribution to this need, we report the implementation of goChem, a versatile open-source library for multiscale analysis of computational chemistry data.

Weather-Related Factors and Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) in Cancer Patients: Results from the ExPRO Study.

Objective: The ExPRO (External factors influencing patient reported outcomes of patients with malignant diseases) study explored associations between QoL data and environmental factors on the day of questionnaire completion: mean temperature, sunshine hours, season, and lunar phase.

Methods: We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data in the prospective cohort study at two cancer centers in eastern Germany. From December 2020 to December 2021, cancer patients completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire upon admission.

Long-Term Effects of Ozone Treatment in Patients with Persistent Numbness and Tingling Secondary to Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy. A Retrospective Study.

Background: Numbness and tingling secondary to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) are frequent side effects that limit chemotherapy treatment and quality of life. Successful treatments for CIPN are limited. This preliminary report shows the potential long-term effects of ozone treatment in the management of persistent numbness and tingling secondary to CIPN.

Integrative molecular and physiological insights into the phytotoxic impact of liquid crystal monomer exposure and the protective strategy in plants.

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), the integral components in the manufacture of digital displays, have engendered environmental concerns due to extensive utilization and intensive emission. Despite their prevalence and ecotoxicity, the LCM impacts on plant growth and agricultural yield remain inadequately understood. In this study, we investigated the specific response mechanisms of tobacco, a pivotal agricultural crop and model plant, to four representative LCMs (2OdF3B, 5CB, 4PiMeOP, 2BzoCP) through integrative molecular and physiological approaches.