COLOFIT: Development and Internal-External Validation of Models Using Age, Sex, Faecal Immunochemical and Blood Tests to Optimise Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer in Symptomatic Patients.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the United Kingdom and the second largest cause of cancer death.

Aim: To develop and validate a model using available information at the time of faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) in primary care to improve selection of symptomatic patients for CRC investigations.

Methods: We included all adults (≥ 18 years) referred to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust between 2018 and 2022 with symptoms of suspected CRC who had a FIT.

Necrotising fasciitis in the elderly: comparison between patients aged 60 years and older and those younger than 60 years.

Introduction: Increasing age is associated with an increased incidence of necrotising fasciitis. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinical presentation, investigations, microbiology and clinical outcome in elderly (age ≥60 years) and nonelderly (age <60 years) patients with extremity necrotising fasciitis.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with extremity necrotising fasciitis who were surgically treated between January 2005 and December 2021 was conducted.

Using the hospital frailty risk score to assess oesophago-gastric cancer patient outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The inclusion of clinical frailty in the assessment of patients planned for major surgery has proven to be an independent predictor of outcome. Since approximately half of all patients in the UK diagnosed with oesophagogastric (OG) cancer are over 75 years of age, assessment of frailty may be important in selection for surgery.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study applied the Hospital Frailty Risk Score to data obtained from the NHS Secondary Uses Service electronic database for patients aged 75 years or older undergoing oesophagectomy and gastrectomy between April 2017 and March 2020.

Association between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists use and change in alcohol consumption: a systematic review.

Background: Despite the availability of various pharmacological and behavioural interventions, alcohol-related mortality is rising. This systematic review aimed to critically evaluate the existing literature on the association between glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists use (GLP-1 RAs) and alcohol consumption.

Methods: Electronic searches were conducted on Ovid Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, clintrials.

Practice patterns among ophthalmic surgeons in treating concomitant oculoplastic conditions in preoperative period: A questionnaire-based study.

Background: Addressing oculoplastic conditions in the preoperative period ensures both the safety and functional success of any ophthalmic procedure. Some oculoplastic conditions, like nasolacrimal duct obstruction, have been extensively studied, whereas others, like eyelid malposition and thyroid eye disease, have received minimal or no research.

Aim: To investigate the current practice patterns among ophthalmologists while treating concomitant oculoplastic conditions before any subspecialty ophthalmic intervention.

Digital health interventions in adult intensive care and recovery after critical illness to promote survivorship care.

Digital health refers to the field of using and developing technology to improve health outcomes. Digital health and digital health interventions (DHIs) within the area of intensive care and critical illness survivorship are rapidly evolving. Digital health interventions refer to technologies in clinical interventional format.

Guide Extension-Facilitated Ostial Stenting (GEST) During Primary Coronary Angioplasty in a Patient With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Case Report.

The guide extension-facilitated ostial stenting (GEST) technique uses a guide extension catheter (GEC) to improve stent delivery during primary coronary angioplasty (PCI). GECs are used for stent delivery into the coronary arteries of patients with difficult anatomy due to tortuosity, calcification, or chronic total occlusion (CTO) vessels. Stent and balloon placement has become challenging in patients with increasing lesion complexity due to tortuosity, vessel morphology, length of the lesion, and respiratory movements.

An overview of proactive monitoring and management of respiratory issues in ataxia-telangiectasia in a specialist and shared care pediatric clinic.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is an ultrarare autosomal recessive disorder and occurs in all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Clinically, children and young people with A-T are affected by sinopulmonary infections, neurological deterioration with concomitant bulbar dysfunction, increased sensitivity to ionizing radiation, immunodeficiency, a decline in lung function, chronic liver disease, endocrine abnormalities, cutaneous and deep-organ granulomatosis, and early death. Pulmonary complications become more frequent in the second decade of life and are a leading cause of death in individuals with A-T.

Donor-derived cell-free DNA in chronic lung allograft dysfunction phenotypes: a pilot study.

Long-term survival after lung transplantation is limited due to chronic lung allograft dysfunction (CLAD), which encompasses two main phenotypes: bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) and restrictive allograft syndrome (RAS). Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) is a biomarker for (sub)clinical allograft injury and could be a tool for monitoring of lung allograft health across the (pre)clinical spectrum of CLAD. In this proof-of-concept study, we therefore assessed post-transplant plasma dd-cfDNA levels in 20 CLAD patients (11 BOS and 9 RAS) at three consecutive time points free from concurrent infection or acute rejection, during stable condition, preclinical CLAD, and established CLAD ( = 3 × 20 samples).

Once daily Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement of venous leg ulcers versus gel vehicle (placebo) and non-surgical standard of care: a three-arm multicenter, double blinded, randomized controlled study.

Background: Debridement is considered the first step in treatment of chronic wounds, however, current enzymatic and autolytic debridement agents are slow or ineffective. Previous studies have shown positive initial results with EscharEx® (EX-02 formulation), a Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement agent in development for chronic wounds. The main objective of this study was to assess its efficacy in debriding venous leg ulcers (VLU), compared to gel vehicle (GV) as a placebo control and to non-surgical standard of care (NSSOC).

Corrigendum to "Image-guided superficial radiation therapy has superior 2-year recurrence probability to Mohs micrographic surgery" [Clin. Transl. Radiat. Oncol. 43 (2023) 100678].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ctro.

Can unilateral-transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion replace the traditional transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion procedure for lumbar degenerative disc diseases?: a single center matched case-control mid-term outcome study.

Study Design: Matched case-control study.

Purpose: To evaluate the midterm outcomes of unilateral pedicle screw fixation (UPSF) versus bilateral pedicle screw fixation (BPSF) in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure, ascertain efficacy of UPSF in adequately decompressing contralateral foramen+spinal canal and reducing rate of adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) at 4-8-year follow-up (FU).

Overview Of Literature: Previous meta-analyses found no significant differences between UPSF and BPSF regarding fusion rates, clinical and radiological outcomes; however, few studies have reported higher rates of cage migration/subsidence and pseudoarthrosis in the UPSF.

Current trends in intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring among Asia-Pacific countries: an Asia-Pacific Spine Society survey.

Study Design: A prospective web-based survey.

Purpose: Although intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) is critical in spine surgery, its usage is largely based on the surgeon's discretion, and studies on its usage trends in Asia-Pacific countries are lacking. This study aimed to examine current trends in IONM usage in Asia-Pacific countries.

Influence of Weather on Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-Occlusive Episodes and Acute Chest Syndrome: A Nationwide Sample Analysis.

Background: The clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease (SCD) result in significant morbidity and healthcare costs. The effect of weather as a risk factor for the development of vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) has been previously studied, although with variable results. The aim of our retrospective, nationwide study was to determine the association between weather patterns and pediatric VOE and acute chest syndrome (ACS).

The 2023 fatal dengue outbreak in Bangladesh highlights a paradigm shift of geographical distribution of cases.

In 2023, Bangladesh experienced its largest and deadliest outbreak of the Dengue virus (DENV), reporting the highest-ever recorded annual cases and deaths. Historically, most of the cases were recorded in the capital city, Dhaka. We aimed to characterize the geographical transmission of DENV in Bangladesh.

Clinical pharmacology and pharmaceutical medicine - creation of a new specialist title for physicians in Belgium.

Belgium has a vibrant health eco-system, with world-class universities and hospitals, and a strong presence of pharmaceutical companies, resulting in a substantial contribution to drug development and a high number of clinical trials. Talent development is pivotal for further growth of this eco-system and to attract future professionals. Although physicians play an important role in this complex eco-system, with an estimated 400-450 Belgian physicians presently active in the field of the drug life cycle, Pharmaceutical Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology were not recognized as a speciality in Belgium until recently.

Porous Materials for Early Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, present formidable challenges in modern medicine due to their complex pathologies and the absence of curative treatments. Despite advances in symptomatic management, early diagnosis remains essential for mitigating disease progression and improving patient outcomes. Traditional diagnostic methods, such as MRI, PET, and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker analysis, are often inadequate for the early detection of these diseases.

Alström syndrome: the journey to diagnosis.

Background: Alström syndrome (AS) is a recessively inherited genetic condition which is ultra-rare and extremely complex. Symptoms include retinal dystrophy, nystagmus, photophobia, hearing loss, obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiomyopathy. The condition is progressive, but it is important to note that not all the complications associated with AS occur in everyone affected.

Extrication following a motor vehicle collision: a consensus statement on behalf of The Faculty of Pre-hospital Care, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

Background: Road traffic injury is the leading cause of death among young people globally, with motor vehicle collisions often resulting in severe injuries and entrapment. Traditional extrication techniques focus on limiting movement to prevent spinal cord injuries, but recent findings from the EXIT project challenge this approach. This paper presents updated recommendations from the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care (FPHC) that reflect the latest evidence on extrication practices.

Outcomes of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in 5 Patients with Autosomal Recessive RIPK1-Deficiency.

Receptor Interacting Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 (RIPK1) is widely expressed and integral to inflammatory and cell death responses. Autosomal recessive RIPK1-deficiency, due to biallelic loss of function mutations in RIPK1, is a rare inborn error of immunity (IEI) resulting in uncontrolled necroptosis, apoptosis and inflammation. Although hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been suggested as a potential curative therapy, the extent to which disease may be driven by extra-hematopoietic effects of RIPK1-deficiency, which are non-amenable to HSCT, is not clear.

Optimization of energy management in Malaysian microgrids using fuzzy logic-based EMS scheduling controller.

The microgrid (MG) faces significant security issues due to the two-way power and information flow. Integrating an Energy Management System (EMS) to balance energy supply and demand in Malaysian microgrids, this study designs a Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) that considers intermittent renewable sources and fluctuating demand patterns. FLC offers a flexible solution to energy scheduling effectively assessed by MATLAB/Simulink simulations.

FAecal micRobiota transplantation in primary sclerosinG chOlangitis (FARGO): study protocol for a randomised, multicentre, phase IIa, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is the classical hepatobiliary manifestation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The strong association between gut and liver inflammation has driven several pathogenic hypotheses to which the intestinal microbiome is proposed to contribute. Pilot studies of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in PSC and IBD are demonstrated to be safe and associated with increased gut bacterial diversity.

Prevalence of and factors associated with long COVID among diverse healthcare workers in the UK: a cross-sectional analysis of a nationwide study (UK-REACH).

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of UK healthcare workers (HCWs) who reported symptoms of COVID-19 lasting for longer than 5 weeks and examine associated factors with experiencing long COVID in an ethnically diverse cohort.

Design: A cross-sectional study using data from the UK Research study into Ethnicity And COVID-19 Outcomes in HCWs cohort study.

Setting: Data were collected electronically between December 2020 and March 2021.