Gender Demographics in Urology in Europe: Trend Analysis over a 10-year Period.

Background And Objective: We analysed gender trends for urology trainees and consultants across nine European countries (Spain, UK, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland) over a 10-yr period (2012-2022) to gain insight into gender dynamics in urology and determine if there is increasing representation of women in the profession. This information will help in the development of more effective strategies to promote gender equality.

Methods: Data from the past decade were collected, encompassing trainee and consultant records nationally.

Efficacy of Liposuction of the Posterior Arm Fat Pad in Axillobrachioplasty after Massive Weigh Loss: A Pilot Study.

Background: The topographic anatomical changes of the upper arms and axilla after massive weight loss (MWL) seem ill-described in the literature. The importance of the axilla in MWL brachioplasty and how the procedure differs from the postmenopausal "batwing" deformity of the upper arms is also unclear. Consideration of the underlying pathology seems imperative for a successful reconstruction.

Use of Laryngeal Ultrasound to Observe Laryngeal Movements During Noninvasive Ventilation in Healthy Volunteers.

Background: Transnasal fiberoptic laryngoscopy (TFL) has revealed that laryngeal obstruction can hamper assisted ventilation. TFL may be considered invasive, and laryngeal ultrasound (US) could be a noninvasive alternative. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using laryngeal US to study laryngeal movements in healthy adult volunteers undergoing noninvasive ventilation (NIV) and to compare the observations with those of simultaneous TFL.

Impact of sex-specific thresholds for low flow in assessment of prognosis in concordantly and discordantly graded aortic valve stenosis.

Objective: Sex-specific low flow was recently defined as stroke volume index (SVi) ≤40 ml/m² in men and ≤32 ml/m² in women. We tested the prognostic association of these cut-offs in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) with concordantly and discordantly graded AS (CGASEL and DGASEL) based on pressure recovery adjusted aortic valve area (energy loss, EL).

Methods: Data from 1351 patients with asymptomatic AS, peak jet velocity <4m/s and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction enrolled in the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in AS study was used.

Molecular landscape of the overlap between Alzheimer's disease and somatic insulin-related diseases.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease with both genetic and environmental factors contributing to its etiology. Previous evidence has implicated disturbed insulin signaling as a key mechanism that plays a role in both neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and comorbid somatic diseases such as diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2). In this study, we analysed available genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of AD and somatic insulin-related diseases and conditions (SID), i.

A burden of rare copy number variants in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Current genetic research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) supports contributions to risk specifically from common single nucleotide variants (SNVs), along with rare coding SNVs and small insertion-deletions (indels). The contribution to OCD risk from rare copy number variants (CNVs), however, has not been formally assessed at a similar scale. Here we describe an analysis of rare CNVs called from genotype array data in 2248 deeply phenotyped OCD cases and 3608 unaffected controls from Sweden and Norway.

Sublingual microcirculatory assessment on admission independently predicts the outcome of old intensive care patients suffering from shock.

Shock is a life-threatening condition. This study evaluated if sublingual microcirculatory perfusion on admission is associated with 30-day mortality in older intensive care unit (ICU) shock patients. This trial prospectively recruited ICU patients (≥ 80 years old) with arterial lactate above 2 mmol/L, requiring vasopressors despite adequate fluid resuscitation, regardless of shock cause.

Budget Impact Analysis of Implementing Antenatal Care Recommendations for Positive Pregnancy Outcomes at Public Primary Facilities in Tanzania.

Background: Tanzania recently changed its antenatal care (ANC) guidelines to reduce perinatal mortality and improve the experience of pregnancy care. The new guideline recommends increasing the number of ANC visits from four to eight and introducing one routine ultrasound scan, among other recommendations. We estimated the budget impact of implementing the new guideline compared to the previous focused ANC guideline at public dispensaries and health centers.

Proteomic Analysis of Human Serum Proteins Adsorbed onto Collagen Barrier Membranes.

Collagen barrier membranes are frequently used in guided tissue and bone regeneration. The aim of this study was to analyze the signature of human serum proteins adsorbed onto collagen membranes using a novel protein extraction method combined with mass spectrometry. Native porcine-derived collagen membranes (Geistlich Bio-Gide, Wolhusen, Switzerland) were exposed to pooled human serum in vitro and, after thorough washing, subjected to protein extraction either in conjunction with protein enrichment or via a conventional surfactant-based method.

Leveraging Machine Learning to Identify Subgroups of Misclassified Patients in the Emergency Department: Multicenter Proof-of-Concept Study.

Background: Hospitals use triage systems to prioritize the needs of patients within available resources. Misclassification of a patient can lead to either adverse outcomes in a patient who did not receive appropriate care in the case of undertriage or a waste of hospital resources in the case of overtriage. Recent advances in machine learning algorithms allow for the quantification of variables important to under- and overtriage.

Effectiveness of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Versus Placebo in Subjects at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis: The PURPOSE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background And Hypotheses: In the past 2 decades, substantial effort has been put into research on therapeutic options for people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for developing a first episode of psychosis (FEP), focusing on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in preventing transition to psychosis. Despite an initial positive finding, subsequent studies failed to find a beneficial effect. The current study aimed to further investigate the effect of omega-3 PUFAs in UHR, to determine whether this line of research is worth pursuing.

Metabolic acidosis in patients with diabetes 2 undergoing cardiac surgery: The impact of SGLT2 inhibitor use: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-i) lower blood sugar and reduce cardiovascular events and kidney failure. However, there have been increasing reports of euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis (eDKA) linked to SGLT2-i medicines.

Objective: Investigating the association between SGLT2-i use and the incidence of metabolic acidosis in patients with type 2 diabetes undergoing cardiac surgery.

Navigating Rehabilitation Transitions at Street Level: A Qualitative Analysis of Municipal Service Allocation to Individuals With Complex Needs.

The transition of patients with complex needs from hospital to municipal rehabilitation following moderate and severe brain injury is challenging. This qualitative study explored the municipal service allocation processes within such transitions. The caseworkers' comprehensive task of combining patients' preferences and needs, healthcare providers' recommendations and municipal guidelines and service allocation were analysed.

BCL11A intellectual developmental disorder: defining the clinical spectrum and genotype-phenotype correlations.

An increasing number of individuals with intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) and heterozygous variants in BCL11A are identified, yet our knowledge of manifestations and mutational spectrum is lacking. To address this, we performed detailed analysis of 42 individuals with BCL11A-related IDD (BCL11A-IDD, a.k.

A randomized trial on three different minimally invasive decompression techniques for lumbar spinal stenosis. Five years follow-up from the NORDSTEN-SST.

Purpose: The short-term clinical outcome for midline-preserving posterior decompression techniques was comparable. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term clinical results after three different midline-preserving posterior decompression techniques.

Material: In the NORDSTEN spinal stenosis trial (NORDSTEN-SST) 437 patients were randomized to three different midline-retaining posterior decompression techniques: Unilateral laminotomy with crossover (UL), bilateral laminotomy (BL) and spinous process osteotomy (SPO).

Health literacy among people at risk or with type 2 diabetes in Norwegian primary care-A cross sectional study.

Aims: This study aims to describe health literacy for people at risk of type 2 diabetes and people with type 2 diabetes using the HLS-EU-Q12, and further examine the association between sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, well-being, overall health and quality of life, and health literacy.

Material And Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study among 142 people at risk of type 2 diabetes and 75 people with type 2 diabetes from four primary care clinics in Norway. These data are baseline data from a randomized controlled trial which seeks to evaluate an interprofessional follow-up intervention.

Associations between term cesarean delivery in the first pregnancy and second-pregnancy preterm delivery.

Introduction: Cesarean delivery has been shown to increase the risk of preterm delivery in future pregnancies. The association could be a direct result of the procedure, or because the indications that led to the cesarean delivery also increase the risk of preterm delivery in later pregnancies.

Material And Methods: 298 901 mothers with first and second singleton deliveries from 1999 to 2020 were investigated using data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway linked with Statistics Norway.

Quality indicators in cranial neurosurgery: current insights and critical evaluation - a systematic review.

In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in measuring the quality of care across all medical fields, including neurosurgery. This interest aims not only to optimize care but also to reduce healthcare costs. For this purpose, different quality indicators (QIs) have been developed.