The Financial Burden of Localized and Metastatic Bladder Cancer.

Background And Objective: Bladder cancer (BCa) imposes a substantial economic burden on health care systems and patients. Understanding these financial implications is crucial for effective resource allocation and optimization of treatment cost effectiveness. Here, we aim to systematically review and analyze the financial burden of BCa from the health care and patient perspectives.

Improving colonoscopy quality in the national VA healthcare system.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention is a Veterans Affairs (VA) priority. Colonoscopy quality, especially adenoma detection rate (ADR), is critical for effective screening. Our research indicates considerable variation in ADR among VA providers.

Temporal Changes and Between-Competition Differences in the Activity Profile of Elite Hurling Referees.

This study examined the activity profile of elite hurling referees during games in the National Hurling League (NHL) and All-Ireland Championship (AIC) and across all divisions of the NHL and phases of the AIC. Temporal changes between the first and second half and across the four quarters were also examined. Data were collected from 36 referees using 10-Hz global positioning system technology during 106 NHL and 85 AIC games and analyzed for duration, total distance, very low-speed movement (<0.

Training and temporally validating an NTCP model of acute toxicity after whole breast radiotherapy, including the impact of advanced delivery techniques.

Purpose: The aim is to train and validate a multivariable Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) model predicting acute skin reactions in patients with breast cancer receiving adjuvant Radiotherapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively reviewed 1570 single-institute patients with breast cancer treated with whole breast irradiation (40 Gy/15fr). The patients were divided into training (n = 878, treated with 3d-CRT, from 2009 to 2017) and validation cohorts (n = 692, treated from 2017 to 2021, including advanced RT techniques).

Haematological toxicity of PARP inhibitors in advanced ovarian cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) are effective treatment options for patients with advanced ovarian cancer (OC). A typical adverse event (AE) of these agents is haematological toxicity, which represents the leading cause of treatment modification and discontinuation. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to analyse the risk of haematological AEs, including anaemia, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia due to the use of PARPis in patients with OC.

Evaluating the impact of 2011 tort reform limiting noneconomic damages in North Carolina and Tennessee on testing, imaging, and procedure utilization.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of tort reform laws passed in 2011 capping noneconomic damages in North Carolina and Tennessee on rates and adjusted per user costs of tests, imaging, and procedures in the Medicare fee-for-service population.

Study Setting And Design: State-level synthetic difference-in-differences, adjusting for the percent of FFS Medicare beneficiaries in the state who were female, had ever been on Medicare Advantage, were eligible for Medicaid for at least 1 month of the year, and total state risk-adjusted, standardized per-capita costs. Analyses of North Carolina and Tennessee were performed separately.

Barriers and facilitators to caregiver comfort with health-related social needs data collection in the pediatric clinical setting.

Objective: To identify barriers and facilitators to family-level comfort with health-related social needs (HRSN) data collection and documentation in the pediatric clinical setting.

Study Setting And Design: This qualitative study was nested within a pragmatic randomized controlled trial on social care integration in the pediatric clinical setting. We used a hybrid random-purposive strategy to sample 60 caregivers of pediatric patients ages 0-25 presenting at two primary care clinics and one emergency department affiliated with a large pediatric healthcare system between September 2022 and 2023.

Early detection and progression of insulin resistance revealed by impaired organismal anti-inflammatory heat shock response during ex vivo whole-blood heat-challenge.

Chronic inflammatory diseases, e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, progressively suppress the anti-inflammatory heat shock response (HSR) by impairing the synthesis of key components, perpetuating inflammation.

Assessment of Racial Bias within the Risk Analysis Index of Frailty.

Objective: Our objective was to assess potential racial bias within the Risk Analysis Index (RAI).

Background: Patient risk measures are rarely tested for racial bias. Measures of frailty, like the RAI, need to be evaluated for poor predictive performance among Black patients.

Seventeen cases of Mycobacterium marinum infection in Italy: A multicenter retrospective study.

Mycobacterium marinum infection is rare, misrecognized and underdiagnosed but can cause severe clinical pictures, especially if the diagnosis is late and the patient is immunocompromised. Treatment includes long-term antibiotic therapy combined with surgical therapy when necessary. We performed a multicenter retrospective study with data from five Italian hospitals describing the epidemiological, clinical, bacteriological characteristics, and treatment outcome of subjects diagnosed with M.

Histopathological analysis of gamma sarcoglycanopathy in Moroccan patients: A case series.

Introduction And Importance: In Morocco, diagnosing Gamma Sarcoglycanopathies mainly relies on histopathological analysis of muscle biopsies due to limited genetic and molecular research access. This study highlights the significance of muscle biopsies and explores potential predictive factors and possible correlation between histopathological abnormalities and clinical phenotypes.

Case Presentation: Muscle biopsies of six patients diagnosed with γ-sarcoglycanopathy were collected over two years.

Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: a Comparison on Dual-phase Cone-beam CT, Contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) and Tc-macroaggregated albumin-SPECT/CT in predicting final distribution volumes and dosimetry of the post-embolization Y PET/CT.

Purpose: Personalized treatment schemes are being systematically applied to ensure best treatment outcome in oncologic patients. This is true also for personalized dosimetry in transarterial radioembolization (TARE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Precise and detailed volumetric and functional data derived from radiological and nuclear imaging methods are essential for personalized dosimetry.

HSP mRNA sequences and its expression under different thermal oscillation patterns and heat-stress in two populations of Nodipecten subnodosus.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying thermal acclimation and heat shock responses (HSR) in marine ectotherms is critical for assessing their adaptive capacity in the context of climate change and climate extremes. This study examines the expression dynamics of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the scallop Nodipecten subnodosus, shedding light on their role in thermal adaptation. Our analysis revealed the presence of several conserved functional signatures in N.

Inflammatory choroidal neovascularization: An evidence-based update.

Inflammatory choroidal neovascularization (iCNV) significantly contributes to vision impairment and ranks as the third primary cause of CNV. Arising from both infectious and noninfectious uveitis, iCNV's pathogenesis involves Bruch membrane rupture, local inflammation, and choriocapillaris ischemia. The diagnosis of iCNV is challenging due to its symptomatic overlap with other uveitis-related conditions.

Rethinking chromatin accessibility: from compaction to dynamic interactions.

The genome is traditionally divided into condensed heterochromatin and open euchromatin. However, recent findings challenge this binary classification and the notion that chromatin condensation solely governs the accessibility of transcription factors (TFs) and, consequently, gene expression. Instead, chromatin accessibility is emerging as a factor-specific property that is influenced by multiple determinants.

External load transition practices from pre-season to in-season. A case study in elite female professional soccer players.

The study aim was to compare the external load during varying microcycles (M1-M4 during pre-season and M5 during the in-season) in elite female Portuguese soccer players and to describe external load variations between differing Ms. Fourteen first-team players participated in the study (age 23.29 ± 3.

Transporting difference-in-differences estimates to assess health equity impacts of payment and delivery models.

Objective: To demonstrate the use of transportability methods to extend findings from payment model evaluations to groups of historically underserved beneficiaries.

Study Setting And Design: We used a simulation study to transport the effects of the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) model to a target population of Black fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries living outside the original 18 CPC+ regions. Our main outcome variable was total Medicare spending per beneficiary per year (pbpy).

Hb Monza: A novel extensive HBB duplication with preserved α-β subunit interaction and unstable hemoglobin phenotype.

Background: Unstable hemoglobins are caused by single amino acid substitutions in the HBB gene, often affecting key histidine residues, leading to protein destabilization and hemolytic crises. In contrast, long HBB variants, exceeding 20 bp, are rare and associated with a β-thalassemia phenotype due to disrupted α-β chain interactions. We describe a family wherein four of six members carry a novel 23-amino-acid in-frame duplication of HBB (c.

Circulating inflammatory markers predict depressive symptomatology in COVID-19 survivors.

Growing evidence suggests the neurobiological mechanism upholding post-COVID-19 depression mainly relates to immune response and subsequent unresolved low-grade inflammation. Herein we exploit a broad panel of cytokines serum levels measured in COVID-19 survivors at one- and three-month since infection to predict post-COVID-19 depression. 87 COVID survivors were screened for depressive symptomatology at one- and three-month after discharge through the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) at San Raffaele Hospital.

Reflections on the AMBASSADOR trial: The role of adjuvant pembrolizumab in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma.

Recent advances in immunotherapy have transformed treatment for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma, providing hope for cisplatin-ineligible patients. The AMBASSADOR trial evaluated adjuvant pembrolizumab in high-risk patients post-surgery, demonstrating improved disease-free survival. As overall survival data evolve, pembrolizumab is emerging as a promising adjuvant treatment option, complementing existing therapies in the treatment landscape for this disease.

Non-surgical management of BPH: An updated review of current literature and state of the art on natural compounds and medical therapy.

Introduction: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disease that is strongly associated with the aging process and can lead to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). LUTS due to BPH can significantly affect the quality of life of many patients. Among the treatments available for BPH to improve symptoms and functional outcomes, drug therapy and surgical therapy are the options of choice.