Reduction of contrast medium for transcatheter aortic valve replacement planning using a spectral detector CT: a prospective clinical trial.

Introduction: This study investigated the use of dual-energy spectral detector computed tomography (CT) and virtual monoenergetic imaging (VMI) reconstructions in pre-interventional transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) planning. We aimed to determine the minimum required contrast medium (CM) amount to maintain diagnostic CT imaging quality for TAVR planning.

Methods: In this prospective clinical trial, TAVR candidates received a standardized dual-layer spectral detector CT protocol.

Pre-Implantation Kidney Biopsies in Extended Criteria Donors: From On Call to Expert Pathologist, from Conventional Microscope to Digital Pathology.

The number of patients awaiting a kidney transplant is constantly rising but lack of organs leads kidneys from extended criteria donors (ECD) to be used to increase the donor pool. Pre-transplant biopsies are routinely evaluated through the Karpinski-Remuzzi score but consensus on its correlation with graft survival is controversial. This study aims to test a new diagnostic model relying on digital pathology to evaluate pre-transplant biopsies and to correlate it with graft outcomes.

COVID-19 in Patients with Active Cancer: Higher Inflammatory Activity Predicts Poor Outcome.

Introduction: Active malignancies have been identified as an independent risk factor for severity and mortality in COVID-19. However, direct comparisons between SARS-CoV-2-infected patients with active (acP) and non-active cancers (n-acP) remain scarce.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of cancer patients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, enrolled from March 16, 2020, to July 31, 2021.

Transcultural adaptation and validation of the Serbian version of Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Treatment Satisfaction-Patient Satisfaction (FACIT-TS-PS) questionnaire.

Objective: Transcultural adaptation and validation of FACIT-TS-PS questionnaire to Serbian language.

Methods: Standard forward and backward translation from English to Serbian language was performed. Pilot testing of FACIT-TS-PS was conducted on 12 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of malignant tumor.

Evolution of advanced practice nursing in acute care in Germany: A cross-sectional study of nurses' scope of practice.

Aim: To describe activities and professional characteristics of nurses in expanded roles in acute care in Germany and achieve a greater understanding of the current situation of advanced practice nursing.

Background: Advanced practice nursing plays an important role in meeting increased demands in healthcare and promoting high-quality care.

Introduction: In Germany, advanced practice nursing is still at an early stage with a lack of studies describing the scope of practice of nurses in expanded roles.

Interventions for improving health literacy in migrants.

Background: Health literacy (HL) is a determinant of health and important for autonomous decision-making. Migrants are at high risk for limited HL. Improving HL is important for equitable promotion of migrants' health.

Effective Local and Secondary Protein Structure Prediction by Combining a Neural Network-Based Approach with Extensive Feature Design and Selection without Reliance on Evolutionary Information.

Protein structure prediction continues to pose multiple challenges despite outstanding progress that is largely attributable to the use of novel machine learning techniques. One of the widely used representations of local 3D structure-protein blocks (PBs)-can be treated in a similar way to secondary structure classes. Here, we present a new approach for predicting local conformation in terms of PB classes solely from amino acid sequences.

Low incidence of acute kidney injury in VLBW infants with restrictive use of mechanical ventilation.

Background: We assessed the incidence of and risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) in very low birthweight infants (VLBW) in a center with a specific neonatal management protocol focusing on avoidance of early mechanical ventilation (MV).

Methods: This retrospective single center analysis includes 128 infants born in 2020 with a gestational age ≥ 22 weeks who were screened for AKI using the nKDIGO criteria.

Results: AKI was identified in 25/128 patients (19.

Postoperative facial appearance of patients with extensive oral squamous cell carcinoma can be adequately preserved with in‑house virtually planned mandibular reconstruction.

The present study aimed to assess the concordance of preoperative and postoperative hard and soft tissues in patients with advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) following virtual surgical planning (VSP) mandibular reconstruction. In the present study, a cohort of 32 patients with OSCC underwent in-house VSP, followed by guided mandibular reconstruction utilizing vascularized free tissue grafts sourced from the fibula or scapula. A morphometric analysis was conducted comparing preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional virtual models to evaluate discrepancies and identify potential risk factors associated with poor reconstruction outcomes.

Spatial and single-cell profiling of the metabolome, transcriptome and epigenome of the aging mouse liver.

Tissues within an organism and even cell types within a tissue can age with different velocities. However, it is unclear whether cells of one type experience different aging trajectories within a tissue depending on their spatial location. Here, we used spatial transcriptomics in combination with single-cell ATAC-seq and RNA-seq, lipidomics and functional assays to address how cells in the male murine liver are affected by age-related changes in the microenvironment.

Psychosocial school factors and mental health of first grade secondary school students-Results of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Survey in Serbia.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the association between psychosocial school factors and life satisfaction, symptoms of depression and psychosomatic health complaints among first grade secondary school students in Serbia. We analysed data from the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in the Republic of Serbia. Analyzed psychosocial school factors included satisfaction with school, schoolwork pressure, teacher support, classmate support and being bullied at school.

Feasibility and impact of ketogenic dietary interventions in polycystic kidney disease: KETO-ADPKD-a randomized controlled trial.

Ketogenic dietary interventions (KDIs) are beneficial in animal models of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). KETO-ADPKD, an exploratory, randomized, controlled trial, is intended to provide clinical translation of these findings (NCT04680780). Sixty-six patients were randomized to a KDI arm (ketogenic diet [KD] or water fasting [WF]) or the control group.

Prevalence and long-term implications of preoperative anemia in patients undergoing elective general surgery: a retrospective cohort study at a university hospital.

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the prevalence of anaemia in a cohort of patients undergoing elective general surgery at a university hospital. Furthermore, the authors investigated the influence of anaemia on short-term and long-term postoperative outcome.

Background: Awareness of the negative impact of preoperative anaemia on perioperative morbidity and mortality is rising.

Extrauterine Placental Perfusion and Oxygenation in Infants With Very Low Birth Weight: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: An extrauterine placental perfusion (EPP) approach for physiological-based cord clamping (PBCC) may support infants with very low birth weight (VLBW) during transition without delaying measures of support.

Objective: To test whether EPP in resuscitation of infants with VLBW results in higher hematocrit levels, better oxygenation, or improved infant outcomes compared with delayed cord clamping (DCC).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This nonblinded, single-center randomized clinical trial was conducted at a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit.

Factors Correlated With Mid-Term Morphology of Functional Blebs Following Implantation of Preserflo MicroShunt Using AS-OCT.

Purpose: Evaluating bleb morphology is crucial after glaucoma filtering surgery. Advances in anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) allow for objective assessment. While various parameters differentiate functional from failed blebs, limited information exists regarding variations within functional blebs.

Validation of the maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test in adolescents with major depressive disorder and comparison of cardiorespiratory fitness with sex- and age-related control values.

Endurance training has been shown to be effective in treating adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). To integrate endurance training into the therapeutic setting and the adolescents' daily lives, the current performance status of the adolescents should be accurately assessed. This study aims to examine adolescents with MDD concerning exhaustion criteria during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), as well as to compare the values obtained thereon with sex- and age-related control values.

A Multi-Disciplinary MRI Assessment May Optimize the Evaluation of Chondral Lesions in Acute Ankle Fractures: A Prospective Study.

Chondral lesions (CL) in the ankle following acute fractures are frequently overlooked immediately after the injury or diagnosed at a later stage, leading to persistent symptoms despite successful surgery. The literature presents a wide range of discrepancies in the reported incidence of CLs in acute ankle fractures. The objective of this prospective study is to provide a precise assessment of the occurrence of chondral lesions (CLs) in acute ankle fractures through MRI scans conducted immediately after the trauma and prior to scheduled surgery.

Histological and clinical evaluation of discarded kidneys in a European cohort of deceased brain death donor kidneys of marginal quality.

Background: Despite organ shortages, the discard rate of deceased donor kidneys is high. Risk factors for this trend warrant further study.

Methods: We investigated reasons for discard in a cohort of brain death donors with marginal kidneys and procurement biopsies.

Factors associated with stigma and manifestations experienced by Indian health care workers involved in COVID-19 management in India: A qualitative study.

Healthcare personnel who deal with COVID-19 experience stigma. There is a lack of national-level representative qualitative data to study COVID-19-related stigma among healthcare workers in India. The present study explores factors associated with stigma and manifestations experienced by Indian healthcare workers involved in COVID-19 management.

Electrocardiographic changes during sustained normobaric hypoxia in patients after myocardial infarction.

The safety of prolonged high-altitude stays and exercise for physically fit post-myocardial infarction (MI) patients is unclear. Myocardial tissue hypoxia and pulmonary hypertension can affect cardiac function and electrophysiology, possibly contributing to arrhythmias. We included four non-professional male athletes, clinically stable after left ventricular MI (three with ST-segment elevation MI and one with non-ST-segment elevation MI) treated with drug-eluting stents for single-vessel coronary artery disease.

Combination of computed tomography angiography with coronary artery calcium score for improved diagnosis of coronary artery disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of stable chest pain patients referred for invasive coronary angiography.

Objectives: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has higher diagnostic accuracy than coronary artery calcium (CAC) score for detecting obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with stable chest pain, while the added diagnostic value of combining CCTA with CAC is unknown. We investigated whether combining coronary CCTA with CAC score can improve the diagnosis of obstructive CAD compared with CCTA alone.

Methods: A total of 2315 patients (858 women, 37%) aged 61.

Tailored interventions to improve adherence to medication in elderly patients with Parkinson's disease: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (AdhCare).

Background: Nonadherence to medication is a major issue in patients with chronic disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Many interventions for increasing adherence have been tested, and these have shown weak-to-moderate efficiency. Although the best methods to improve adherence remain unclear, it is reasonable to use tailored interventions instead of the "one-size-fits-all" approach.

Impact of face masks on the 6-minute walk distance in pulmonary hypertension patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective, randomised cross-over study.

In patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) or with other pulmonary or cardiac diseases, the 6-minute walking test – accompanied by the Borg dyspnea score – is frequently utilised as a semi-quantitative measure of exercise capacity [1]. The 6-minute walking distance (6 MWD) also serves as primary or key secondary endpoint in numerous clinical trials assessing the efficacy of pharmacotherapies in various forms of PH [2, 3]. Furthermore, the 6MWD is among the key non-invasive measures of multi-modal risk assessment in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) [4–6].