Dilatation of the main pulmonary artery in patients with isolated pulmonary stenosis: Arteriopathy or hemodynamic consequence?

Background: Main pulmonary artery (mPA) dilatation has been reported in patients with isolated pulmonary valve (PV) stenosis. The aim of our study was to detect the incidence of mPA dilatation and aneurysm in patients with isolated PV stenosis and the association with PV function.

Methods: In this single-centre retrospective observational study all patients with a diagnosis of isolated PV stenosis referred to our centre were enrolled.

Discrepancy between parallel anti-Xa and APTT is related to mortality in patients with Impella™ supported cardiogenic shock.

Background: Managing unfractionated heparin (UFH) during percutaneous mechanical circulatory support (PMCS) for cardiogenic shock (CS) is challenging due potential discrepancies between coagulation tests.

Objectives: To study the causes and consequences of discrepancies between anti-Xa and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) for UFH-monitoring during micro-axial flow pump support (Impella™) for CS.

Patients/methods: We assessed patients in CS supported with Impella™ in two tertiary care centres over 62 months.

Are evidence-based guidelines translating into clinical practice? A national population-based study of the use of treatment intensification in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) in England.

Background And Objective: International guidelines recommend treatment intensification combining docetaxel or androgen receptor pathway inhibitors with androgen deprivation therapy for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). However, evidence suggests underuse in many high-income countries. This study evaluates the use of treatment intensification in the English National Health Service (NHS) and explores patient and hospital-level factors associated with variation.

Evaluating the efficacy and safety of combined microneedling therapy versus topical Minoxidil in androgenetic alopecia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of the combined microneedling (CMNT) with minoxidil versus minoxidil monotherapy for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia (AGA), with a focus on the impact of microneedling parameters on treatment outcomes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO: CRD42024594487) of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CMNT versus minoxidil alone for AGA, following PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive search across six databases was performed up to September 8, 2024.

The effects of urine alkalinization on kidney function in critically ill patients with COVID-19: a proof-of-concept randomized clinical trial.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication of COVID-19. While the exact mechanisms remain unclear, direct viral infection of renal tubular epithelial cells is hypothesized. Given the pH-dependent entry of coronaviruses into host cells, urine alkalinization was proposed as a potential preventive strategy.

Prevalence of Stable and Successfully Treated Periodontitis Subjects-A Service Evaluation of a Single Hospital Centre.

Aims: To identify the 1) prevalence of meeting the endpoints of 'stable periodontitis' (probing pocket depth (PPD) ≤4mm, bleeding on probing (BoP) <10%, no BoP at 4mm sites), 'endpoints of therapy' (no PPD >4mm with BoP, no PPD ≥6mm), 'controlled periodontitis' (≤4 sites with PPD ≥5mm), 'PPD <5mm' and 'PPD <6mm' at the start of supportive periodontal care (SPC) and 2) identify any variables which may affect endpoint achievement.

Materials And Methods: This service evaluation evaluated consecutive patients entering SPC between 2020 and 2022 at Guy's Hospital, London. Data collected included periodontal parameters (PPD, FMPS, FMBS) at baseline and their final active periodontal treatment (APT) visit and were analysed using SPSS 29.

Opioidergic modulation of monetary incentive delay fMRI responses.

Rationale: It is hypothesised that modulation of striatal dopaminergic signalling plays a key role in the rewarding effects of opioids. The monetary incentive delay (MID) task is a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm used to investigate striatal responses, which may reflect striatal dopamine release, during the anticipation of a financial reward.

Objectives: We hypothesised that fentanyl would modulate striatal MID task Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) responses, reflecting opioidergic modulation of striatal dopaminergic signalling.

Ratifying the efficacy and safety of intensive induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia by the Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group consensus approach.

Background: After pharmaceutical benefits scheme approval of midostaurin for fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3)-mutated acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) in 2018, the Australasian Leukaemia & Lymphoma Group (ALLG) proposed a consensus approach to AML induction with 7+3 chemotherapy (7 days of infusional cytarabine with three doses of anthracycline) to align with future clinical trial protocols.

Aims: To determine the efficacy and safety of idarubicin-based 7+3 induction ± midostaurin (per ALLG recommendations) in a real-world, tertiary hospital setting.

Methods: Data were prospectively collected for all patients assessed for front-line AML treatment.

Value of hospital administrative data linked to national cancer registry records to identify metastatic disease at time of primary diagnosis in colorectal cancer patients: a study using national data in England.

Background: Routinely collected data are increasingly being used for cancer research and health service evaluation. For both purposes, accurately identifying metastatic disease at diagnosis is essential. We developed an approach to identify metastatic disease at time of primary diagnosis according to national hospital administrative data (HAD) in patients identified with colorectal cancer (CRC) in the English national cancer registry (CR).

The relationships between depression, inflammation and self-reported disease activity in IBD and their impact on healthcare usage.

Background: Depression is common in people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Depression rates increase with active disease and are linked to poorer clinical outcomes. Previous studies investigating the relationship between contemporaneous IBD disease activity and depression are often poorly controlled, use small samples and/or rely on self-reported measures of disease activity.

Environmental sustainability in urologic practices: a systematic review.

Purpose: The aim of this systematic review is to assess the environmental impact of urologic procedures and equipment (P), specifically comparing emissions and waste generation between single-use and reusable devices (I and C), while also exploring strategies for emission reduction and providing relevant recommendations for sustainable practices in urology.

Methods: The review registered to PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024576865) and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A systematic search was conducted to identify studies addressing sustainability, carbon footprint, and environmental impact in urology.

Multicentre, multi-arm, double-blind randomised placebo-controlled dose-finding trial investigating the safety and Efficacy of MirococePt (APT070) In Reducing delayed graft function In the Kidney ALlograft (EMPIRIKAL-2): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Up to 50% of kidney transplant patients are diagnosed with delayed graft function (DGF) following transplantation-the majority being linked to ischaemia reperfusion injury (IRI). DGF is traditionally defined as the requirement for dialysis during the first week after transplantation and is associated with inferior graft and patient outcomes. Local synthesis of complement components, largely by the renal tubule, plays a critical role in IRI.

Transforming Trans-nasal Endoscopy Services: A multicentre service evaluation pilot project.

Objectives: To assess the impact of pilot Transnasal endoscopy (TNE) services on workforce efficiency, allocated procedure times and patient tolerance of procedures. The aim was to also understand the challenges of setting up a TNE service.

Methods: Six-month data was collected from ten sites.

Medical therapy and outcomes in REVIVED-BCIS2 and STICHES: an individual patient data analysis.

Background And Aims: In the Surgical Treatment for Ischaemic Heart Failure Trial Extension Study (STICHES), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) improved outcomes of patients with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction receiving medical therapy, whereas in the Revascularization for Ischaemia Ventricular Dysfunction trial (REVIVED-BCIS2), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) did not. The aim of this study was to explore differences in outcomes of participants treated with medical therapy alone in STICHES vs. REVIVED-BCIS2 and to assess the incremental benefit of CABG or PCI.

A novel role for Friend of GATA1 (FOG-1) in regulating cholesterol transport in murine erythropoiesis.

Friend of GATA1 (FOG-1) is an essential transcriptional co-factor of the master erythroid transcription factor GATA1. The knockout of the Zfpm1 gene, coding for FOG-1, results in early embryonic lethality due to anemia in mice, similar to the embryonic lethal phenotype of the Gata1 gene knockout. However, a detailed molecular analysis of the Zfpm1 knockout phenotype in erythropoiesis is presently incomplete.

Inadequacies in uveitis: misnomers, incongruencies, persistence of obsolete terminologies & inappropriate guidelines, treatment inadequacies, and misinterpretations.

Background: Inadequacies in medicine are manifold including inadequate influence of opinion leaders and consensus groups on terminology, diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines, obsolete classifications and terms as well as misinterpretations of disease mechanisms. This is no different for uveitis and possibly even more pronounced as these are rare entities.

Purpose: To underline inadequacies in uveitis including inadequate diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines, misnomers, obsolescence of terminology, misinterpretation of disease processes and inadequate or underuse of investigative modalities in uveitis.

Non-Allergic Urticarial Skin Reactions Associated With MOv18 IgE, a First-In-Class IgE Antibody Recognising Folate Receptor Alpha.

Background: IgE antibodies directed against cancer antigens have demonstrated potent anti-tumour effects in pre-clinical studies. MOv18 IgE, the first-in-class IgE recognising the cancer antigen folate receptor alpha (FRα), showed preliminary signs of efficacy in a Phase I trial. Treatment was well tolerated, with the most common adverse event being transient urticarial skin reactions.

The Prevalence and Severity of Hand Eczema Among Adults in Tasiilaq, East Greenland.

Background: Hand eczema (HE) is described as a common disease in Greenland, but studies on its epidemiology and severity are lacking.

Objectives: To investigate the point prevalence and severity of HE among adults in East Greenland in relation to age, sex, and occupation.

Methods: In May 2022, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Tasiilaq, East Greenland.

Folate receptor alpha for cancer therapy: an antibody and antibody-drug conjugate target coming of age.

Folate receptor alpha (FRα) has long been the focus of therapeutics development in oncology across several solid tumors, notably ovarian, lung, and subsets of breast cancers. Its multiple roles in cellular metabolism and carcinogenesis and tumor-specific overexpression relative to normal tissues render FRα an attractive target for biological therapies. Here we review the biological significance, expression distribution, and characteristics of FRα as a highly promising and now established therapy target.

Early CABG with intraoperative hemoadsorption in patients on ticagrelor: Real world data from the international Safe and Timely Antithrombotic Removal (STAR) registry.

Objectives: Severe perioperative bleeding occurs in over 30 % of patients on ticagrelor undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (i-CABG) before completing the recommended 3-day washout. Intraoperative ticagrelor removal with a polymer bead hemoadsorption device is an approved therapy that may reduce perioperative bleeding.

Methods: The current analysis from the international Safe and Timely Antithrombotic Removal (STAR) registry reports outcomes with intraoperative hemoadsorption in patients on ticagrelor undergoing i-CABG before completing the recommended washout.

Qualitative evaluation of a hospital-inpatient service for children with medical complexity.

Objective: To explore the experiences and perceptions of parents and professionals of a hospital-inpatient service for children with medical complexity (CMC).

Design: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with parents of CMC and healthcare professionals from one hospital site in England. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Medication prescribing and pregnancy-related risk factors for women with type 2 diabetes of reproductive age within primary care: a cross-sectional investigation for the PREPARED study.

Introduction: Women with type 2 diabetes are at risk of commencing pregnancy while using medications that are either not recommended for pregnancy or with known teratogenicity, which may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. In this study, we aimed to characterize pregnancy-related risk factors and medication exposures among women with type 2 diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Individual health characteristics, sociodemographic information, and prescription data were extracted from the primary care records of women aged 18-45 years with type 2 diabetes in participating general practices in the UK.

What are we missing? Data from the Gonorrhoea Undetected Resistance Laboratory Study (GURLS).

Objectives: Increasing ceftriaxone-resistant is of public health concern. A cluster of ceftriaxone-resistant was identified in 2022, which was linked to heterosexuals from the Asia-Pacific region who were studying at UK universities. The possibility of further transmission within and beyond this network was of concern, particularly as not all gonococcal cases have a positive culture for antimicrobial susceptibility testing to be performed.