Parapharyngeal Space: Diagnostic Imaging and Intervention.

Diagnosis of lesions of the parapharyngeal space (PPS) often poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to its deep location. As a result of the topographical relationship to nearby neck spaces, a very precise differential diagnosis is possible based on imaging criteria. When in doubt, imaging-guided - usually CT-guided - biopsy and even drainage remain options.

Perioperative Complications and In-Hospital Mortality in Radical Nephroureterectomy Patients with Heart Valve Replacement.

Background: Perioperative complication rates and in-hospital mortality after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in patients with a history of heart valve replacement are unknown.

Methods: Within the National Inpatient Sample (2000-2019), we identified non-metastatic upper urinary tract carcinoma patients treated with RNU according to the presence or absence of a history of heart valve replacement. Propensity score matching (1:10 ratio) and multivariable logistic regression as well as Poisson regression models were used.

Biomarkers troponin and procalcitonin in addition to CRB-65 enhance risk stratification in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a leading cause of infectious disease mortality globally, necessitating intensive care unit (ICU) admission for ∼10% of hospitalised patients. Accurate prediction of disease severity facilitates timely therapeutic interventions.

Methods: Our study aimed to enhance the predictive capacity of the clinical CRB-65 score by evaluating eight candidate biomarkers: troponin T high-sensitive (TnT-hs), procalcitonin (PCT), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, angiopoietin-2, copeptin, endothelin-1, lipocalin-2 and mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin.

GVHD after CAR T-cell therapy post allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation - successfully treated by extracorporeal photopheresis.

Introduction: CAR T-cell therapy is highly effective, but also associated with unique toxicities. Because of the origin of T cells in patients who previously underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in the post-CAR T-cell setting poses a relevant concern but is only scarcely studied. Potential risk factors and mitigation strategies (from CAR T-cell modifications to clinical management) are yet to be determined.

Intensive care unit-acquired dysphagia - change in feeding route after a standardized dysphagia assessment in neurocritical care patients.

Background: Dysphagia is a frequent finding on intensive care units (ICUs) and is associated with increased reintubation rates, pneumonia, and prolonged ICU-stay. Only a limited numbers of ICUs have access to a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP). Hence, it falls upon the critical care team to estimate dysphagia risk and define the safest feeding route.

Syncopes, paresis and loss of vision after COVID-19 mRNA-based vaccination and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

mRNA-based vaccines played a key role in fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic by saving millions of lives. In rare cases, however, the BNT162b2 vaccine has been associated with severe adverse reactions e.g.

Toward target 2035: EUbOPEN - a public-private partnership to enable & unlock biology in the open.

Target 2035 is a global initiative that seeks to identify a pharmacological modulator of most human proteins by the year 2035. As part of an ongoing series of annual updates of this initiative, we summarise here the efforts of the EUbOPEN project whose objectives and results are making a strong contribution to the goals of Target 2035. EUbOPEN is a public-private partnership with four pillars of activity: (1) chemogenomic library collections, (2) chemical probe discovery and technology development for hit-to-lead chemistry, (3) profiling of bioactive compounds in patient-derived disease assays, and (4) collection, storage and dissemination of project-wide data and reagents.

Efficacy of esketamine nasal spray over quetiapine extended release over the short and long term: sensitivity analyses of ESCAPE-TRD, a randomised phase IIIb clinical trial.

Background: In patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD), the ESCAPE-TRD study showed esketamine nasal spray was superior to quetiapine extended release.

Aims: To determine the robustness of the ESCAPE-TRD results and confirm the superiority of esketamine nasal spray over quetiapine extended release.

Method: ESCAPE-TRD was a randomised, open-label, rater-blinded, active-controlled phase IIIb trial.

The ataxia-telangiectasia disease protein ATM controls vesicular protein secretion via CHGA and microtubule dynamics via CRMP5.

The autosomal recessive disease ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) presents with cerebellar degeneration, immunodeficiency, radiosensitivity, capillary dilatations, and pulmonary infections. Most symptoms outside the nervous system can be explained by failures of the disease protein ATM as a Ser/Thr-kinase to coordinate DNA damage repair. However, ATM in adult neurons has cytoplasmic localization and vesicle association, where its roles remain unclear.

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation improves emotional processing.

Background: Invasive vagus nerve stimulation (iVNS) is approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). The limited understanding of its underlying mechanisms, however, hinders stratification and the prediction of treatment response. Given the strong projections of the afferent vagal nucleus to brain regions involved in emotional processing, we tested whether acute transauricular VNS (taVNS) can improve emotional processing that is a core deficit in MDD.

Costing curative outpatient care for the poorest in Burkina Faso: informing universal health coverage and leaving no one behind.

Introduction: The poorest in Burkina Faso face numerous barriers to healthcare access, including financial and geographic obstacles, as well as a high burden of chronic conditions and multimorbidity. This study estimates the average cost of providing curative outpatient consultations at first-level healthcare facilities to the poorest in Burkina Faso. It also estimates the budgetary impact of scaling up free access to these services nationwide.

Conceptual framework for data harmonisation in mental health using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: an example with the R2D2-MH consortium.

Introduction: Advancing research and support for neurologically diverse populations requires novel data harmonisation methods that are capable of aligning with contemporary approaches to understanding health and disability.

Objectives: We present the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework to support harmonisation of mental health data and present a proof of principle within the Risk and Resilience in Developmental Diversity and Mental Health (R2D2-MH) consortium.

Method: 138 measures from various mental health datasets were linked to the ICF following the WHO's established linking rules.

Association of early general anesthesia with outcome in adults with status epilepticus: A propensity-matched observational study.

General anesthesia (GA) earlier than recommended (as first- or second-line treatment) was recently described to improve status epilepticus (SE) outcome. We aimed to assess the impact of early GA on outcome in matched groups. Data from a multicenter, prospective cohort of 1179 SE episodes in 1049 adults were retrospectively analyzed.