Assessing Environmental Justice in Mexico: How Polluting Industries and Healthcare Disparities Impact Congenital Heart Defects.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are the most prevalent birth defects globally and the second leading cause of death in Mexican children under five. This study examines how industrial activity and social vulnerabilities independently and jointly influence CHD incidence across 2446 Mexican municipalities from 2008 to 2019.

Methods: Using negative binomial regression models, we evaluated associations between polluting industries, healthcare access, and CHD incidence.

The relationship of body image with sexual dysfunction and dyadic adjustment in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder in Türkiye.

Introduction: The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship of body image (BI) with sexual dysfunction (SD) and dyadic adjustment (DA) in individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder (BD). Dyadic adjustment has been defined as a dynamic process determined by variables such as relationship differences, interpersonal tensions and personal concerns, relationship satisfaction, and couple consensus. In this context, it was specifically aimed to determine the link between these factors and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with BD based on the effects of BI on sexual function and marital adjustment.

Early outcomes of left bundle branch area pacing in children.

Objective: Left bundle branch area pacing is a recent technique gaining rapid acceptance due to its broader target area and excellent electrical parameters. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of left bundle branch area pacing in children and share short-term results.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study conducted at a single centre between December 2021 and April 2024 involved 19 children who underwent left bundle branch area pacing using Select Secure leads.

Outcomes of emergency cervical cerclage after amnioreduction in twin pregnancies with a fully dilated cervix and amniotic membrane prolapse.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of emergency cervical cerclage (EmC) in twin pregnancies with a fully dilated cervix and amniotic membrane prolapse.

Material And Methods: This retrospective study examined records from December 2015 to December 2022 and included 20 twin pregnancies. The patients were divided into two groups, the EmC group (EmC group) and the no EmC (control) group, and pregnancy outcomes were compared.

One-Year Mortality After Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: The Prognostic Role of Nutritional Biomarkers and Care Settings.

: This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes, complications, and one-year mortality of patients undergoing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in different care settings (hospital, nursing home, and home). Additionally, we investigated the comparative prognostic role of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and the CRP-to-albumin ratio (CAR) in predicting mortality among these patients. : A retrospective analysis of 236 adult patients who underwent PEG placement between January 2022 and December 2023 was performed.

Predictive Value of the Naples Prognostic Score for One-Year Mortality in NSTEMI Patients Undergoing Selective PCI.

Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is a common and severe condition that requires rapid and accurate risk assessment and treatment. The Naples prognostic score (NPS) is a novel risk score that integrates nutritional and inflammatory parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the NPS as a predictor of one-year mortality in NSTEMI patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Comparison of Retinal Microvascular Changes in Axial Spondyloarthritis Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography: Anti-TNF vs. NSAID Therapy.

: The aim of this study was to investigate retinal and choroidal microvascular changes in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) treated with long-term anti-TNF therapy and NSAIDs and in healthy control subjects using optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCT-A). : A total of 162 eyes from 81 participants were included: 52 eyes from 26 axSpA patients treated with anti-TNF therapy (≥5 years), 44 eyes from 22 axSpA patients treated with NSAIDs, and 66 eyes from 33 healthy control subjects. SS-OCT-A imaging was used to assess retinal thickness, ganglion cell layer thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and the vessel densities of the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and choriocapillaris (CC).

Pancreatic Volume in Thalassemia: Determinants and Association with Alterations of Glucose Metabolism.

This study aimed to compare the pancreatic volume between beta-thalassemia major (β-TM) and beta-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI) patients and between thalassemia patients and healthy subjects and to determine the predictors of pancreatic volume and its association with glucose metabolism in β-TM and β-TI patients. We considered 145 β-TM patients and 19 β-TI patients enrolled in the E-MIOT project and 20 healthy subjects. The pancreatic volume and pancreatic and hepatic iron levels were quantified by magnetic resonance imaging.

Fatty Liver Index vs. Biochemical-Anthropometric Indices: Diagnosing Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease with Non-Invasive Tools.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has emerged as a significant global burden, attributed to its increasing prevalence and strong correlation with metabolic syndrome and related conditions. Timely diagnosis and intervention are essential for minimizing the impact of MASLD. This study sought to analyze the efficacy of advanced anthropometric indices and non-invasive steatosis markers in diagnosing MASLD.

Preoperative Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Infection in Patients Undergoing Hip or Knee Revision Arthroplasties: Development and Validation of Machine Learning Algorithm.

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a significant and complex complication following total hip and knee arthroplasty. This study aims to design, validate, and assess a machine learning (ML) model for predicting the likelihood of PJI in individuals undergoing revision arthroplasty procedures. A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent hip or knee revision arthroplasty between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2021.

AI and Polyp Detection During Colonoscopy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention depends on effective colonoscopy; yet variability in adenoma detection rates (ADRs) and missed lesions remain significant hurdles. Artificial intelligence-powered computer-aided detection (CADe) systems offer promising advancements in enhancing polyp detection. This review examines the role of CADe in improving ADR and reducing adenoma miss rates (AMRs) while addressing its broader clinical implications.

Superior Survival and Lower Recurrence Outcomes with Breast-Conserving Surgery Compared to Mastectomy Following Neoadjuvant Therapy in 607 Breast Cancer Patients.

Backgrounds: Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is a cornerstone in the management of breast cancer (BC), enabling tumor downstaging and improved surgical options.

Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 607 BC patients treated with NAT and surgery at IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy, to compare long-term oncologic outcomes of breast-conserving surgery (BCS) versus mastectomy. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment details were analyzed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and Cox proportional hazards models.

Nutritional Assessment and Management of Patients with Brain Neoplasms Undergoing Neurosurgery: A Systematic Review.

Background/aim: Nutritional management in neurosurgical patients with brain neoplasms is critical, as optimal nutritional status is potentially associated with improved clinical outcomes. This systematic review aimed to analyze the impact of pre- and postoperative nutritional assessment and effect of prepost interventions on the clinical outcomes.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and CINAHL databases, complemented by a search of grey literature.

Revolutionizing MASLD: How Artificial Intelligence Is Shaping the Future of Liver Care.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is emerging as a leading cause of chronic liver disease. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has attracted significant attention in healthcare, particularly in diagnostics, patient management, and drug development, demonstrating immense potential for application and implementation. In the field of MASLD, substantial research has explored the application of AI in various areas, including patient counseling, improved patient stratification, enhanced diagnostic accuracy, drug development, and prognosis prediction.

Comparison of different methods for reducing pain during a heel lance in newborns: a randomized trial.

Background: This study aimed to compare three different methods [breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact (SSC), swaddling + holding] to reduce the pain felt by term newborns during a heel lance (HL).

Methods: This was a randomized three-group experimental study. The study sample included 90 newborns, 30 in each group.

Factors predicting local or systemic side effects related to intravesical BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) therapy: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: Intravesical BCG treatment is the most frequently preferred adjuvant treatment option with its effective results in non-muscle invasive bladder tumors. Despite effective results, systemic and local side effects can be observed and can be one of the main reasons for treatment discontinuation. In this study we aimed to identify clinical factors predicting BCG-related side effects during intravesical BCG therapy in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

AI-assisted decision-making in mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: This study evaluates the potential use of ChatGPT in aiding clinical decision-making for patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) by assessing the quality of responses it generates for clinical care.

Methods: Seventeen mild TBI case scenarios were selected from PubMed Central, and each case was analyzed by GPT-4 (March 21, 2024, version) between April 11 and April 20, 2024. Responses were evaluated by four emergency medicine specialists, who rated the ease of understanding, scientific adequacy, and satisfaction with each response using a 7-point Likert scale.

Mapping variants in thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 to disease severity by genomic, phenotypic, functional, structural and deep learning integration.

Predicting and quantifying phenotypic consequences of genetic variants in rare disorders is a major challenge, particularly pertinent for 'actionable' genes such as thyroid hormone transporter MCT8 (encoded by the X-linked SLC16A2 gene), where loss-of-function (LoF) variants cause a rare neurodevelopmental and (treatable) metabolic disorder in males. The combination of deep phenotyping data with functional and computational tests and with outcomes in population cohorts, enabled us to: (i) identify the genetic aetiology of divergent clinical phenotypes of MCT8 deficiency with genotype-phenotype relationships present across survival and 24 out of 32 disease features; (ii) demonstrate a mild phenocopy in ~400,000 individuals with common genetic variants in MCT8; (iii) assess therapeutic effectiveness, which did not differ among LoF-categories; (iv) advance structural insights in normal and mutated MCT8 by delineating seven critical functional domains; (v) create a pathogenicity-severity MCT8 variant classifier that accurately predicted pathogenicity (AUC:0.91) and severity (AUC:0.

Correlatıon between PET-CT uptake values and pathologıcaly features ın head and neck cancer.

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between SUV-Max values and pathological outcomes in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and determine the predictive power of SUV-Max for disease prognosis.

Data Sources: Retrospective analysis of medical records and PET-CT imaging results from patients diagnosed with HNSCC at our institution between 2014 and 2023.

Review Methods: Examination of SUV-Max values from F18-FDG PET-CT scans and their association with pathological findings such as perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, and neck lymph node metastasis.

Spotiphy enables single-cell spatial whole transcriptomics across an entire section.

Spatial transcriptomics (ST) has advanced our understanding of tissue regionalization by enabling the visualization of gene expression within whole-tissue sections, but current approaches remain plagued by the challenge of achieving single-cell resolution without sacrificing whole-genome coverage. Here we present Spotiphy (spot imager with pseudo-single-cell-resolution histology), a computational toolkit that transforms sequencing-based ST data into single-cell-resolved whole-transcriptome images. Spotiphy delivers the most precise cellular proportions in extensive benchmarking evaluations.

Spatial immune scoring system predicts hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence.

Given the high recurrence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) post-resection, improved early identification of patients at high risk for post-resection recurrence would help to improve patient outcomes and prioritize healthcare resources. Here we observed a spatial and HCC recurrence-associated distribution of natural killer (NK) cells in the invasive front and tumour centre from 61 patients. Using extreme gradient boosting and inverse-variance weighting, we developed the tumour immune microenvironment spatial (TIMES) score based on the spatial expression patterns of five biomarkers (SPON2, ZFP36L2, ZFP36, VIM and HLA-DRB1) to predict HCC recurrence risk.

Bridging the evidence-to-practice gap: Advancing neonatal blood transfusion. A narrative review of recent guidelines.

Neonates represent a distinct population within the context of transfusion medicine. Blood transfusions in neonates are vital interventions for multiple conditions, despite their inherent risks and potential complications. Differences in physiology and other transfusion risk factors unique to this group require careful adaptation of transfusion guidelines.

Pediatric Central Nervous System Cancers, Version 2.2025, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines In Oncology.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Pediatric Central Nervous System Cancers provide multidisciplinary diagnostic workup, staging, and treatment recommendations for diffuse high-grade gliomas and medulloblastomas in children and adolescents. This article summarizes the studies and panel discussion that serve as the rationale for comprehensive care recommendations included in the NCCN Guidelines for Pediatric Central Nervous System Cancers.