A comparison of acellular dermal matrices (ADM) efficacy and complication profile in women undergoing implant-based breast reconstruction: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer amongst women in the United Kingdom, with implant-based reconstruction (IBR) using Acellular Dermal Matrices (ADM) gaining popularity for post-mastectomy procedures. This study compares outcomes of different ADMs that are commonly used in women undergoing IBR, this was short and long-term complications.

Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and CDSR databases was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines, focusing on women undergoing IBR with FlexHD, AlloDerm, Bovine, or Porcine ADMs.

General practitioner consultations for respiratory tract infections in children under 5 years; retrospective cohort study 2016-2023.

Background: Little is known about how GP consultation rates for children's respiratory tract infections (RTIs) have changed since the covid-19 pandemic restrictions lifted.

Aim: To describe changes in GP consultation rates for RTIs in children <5 years from 2016-2023.

Design And Setting: Population-based retrospective cohort study using electronic health records.

Prevention of Stroke in Intracerebral Haemorrhage Survivors with Atrial Fibrillation: Rationale and Design for PRESTIGE-AF Trial.

Adequate secondary prevention in survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who also have atrial fibrillation (AF) is a long-standing clinical dilemma because these patients are at increased risk of recurrent ICH as well as of ischemic stroke. The efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulation, the standard preventive medication for ischemic stroke patients with AF, in ICH patients with AF are uncertain. PRESTIGE-AF is an international, phase 3b, multi-center, randomized, open, blinded end-point assessment (PROBE) clinical trial that compared the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with no DOAC (either no antithrombotic treatment or any antiplatelet drug).

Current concepts of fourth-generation minimally invasive and open hallux valgus surgery.

Hallux valgus (HV) presents as a common forefoot deformity that causes problems with pain, mobility, footwear, and quality of life. The most common open correction used in the UK is the Scarf and Akin osteotomy, which has good clinical and radiological outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction when used to treat a varying degrees of deformity. However, there are concerns regarding recurrence rates and long-term outcomes.

Management of Patients With Refractory Reflux-Like Symptoms Despite Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy: Evidence-Based Consensus Statements.

Background: Many patients diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have persistent symptoms despite proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy.

Aims: The aim of this consensus is to provide evidence-based statements to guide clinicians caring for patients with refractory reflux-like symptoms (rRLS) or refractory GERD.

Methods: This consensus was developed by the International Working Group for the Classification of Oesophagitis.

Trojan horse peptide conjugates remodel the activity spectrum of clinical antibiotics.

Infections caused by gram-negative pathogens continue to be a major risk to human health because of the innate antibiotic resistance endowed by their unique cell membrane architecture. Nature has developed an elegant solution to target gram-negative strains, namely by conjugating toxic antibiotic warheads to a suitable carrier to facilitate the active import of the drug to a specific target organism. Microcin C7 (McC) is a Trojan horse peptide-conjugated antibiotic that specifically targets enterobacteria by exploiting active import through oligopeptide transport systems.

Exploring the impact of health literacy on pregnant women from ethnic minority groups: A scoping review.

Objective: Health Inequalities refer to disparities in healthcare access and outcomes based on social determinants of health. These inequalities disproportionately affect Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, particularly pregnant women, who face increased risks and limited access to care due to low health literacy. Maternal mortality rates for BAME women can be up to four times higher than for white women.

Ethnicity and anthropometric deficits in children: A cross-sectional analysis of national survey data from 18 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Child anthropometric deficits remain a major public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and are a key target of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs recommend disaggregation of health indicators by ethnic group. However, few studies have assessed how ethnicity is associated with anthropometric deficits across SSA.

Detection of fungal sequences in human brain: rDNA locus amplification and deep sequencing.

The aetiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are unknown and tend to manifest at a late stage in life; even though these neurodegenerative diseases are caused by different affected proteins, they are both characterized by neuroinflammation. Links between bacterial and viral infection and AD/PD has been suggested in several studies, however, few have attempted to establish a link between fungal infection and AD/PD. In this study we adopted a nanopore-based sequencing approach to characterise the presence or absence of fungal genera in both human brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Assessment of resilient modulus of soil using hybrid extreme gradient boosting models.

Accurate estimation of the soil resilient modulus (M) is essential for designing and monitoring pavements. However, experimental methods tend to be time-consuming and costly; regression equations and constitutive models usually have limited applications, while the predictive accuracy of some machine learning studies still has room for improvement. To forecast M efficiently and accurately, a new model named black-winged kite algorithm-extreme gradient boosting (BKA-XGBOOST) is proposed.

SEAD reference panel with 22,134 haplotypes boosts rare variant imputation and genome-wide association analysis in Asian populations.

Limited whole genome sequencing (WGS) studies in Asian populations result in a lack of representative reference panels, thus hindering the discovery of ancestry-specific variants. Here, we present the South and East Asian reference Database (SEAD) panel ( https://imputationserver.westlake.

Lactobacillus crispatus S-layer proteins modulate innate immune response and inflammation in the lower female reproductive tract.

Lactobacillus species dominance of the vaginal microbiome is a hallmark of vaginal health. Pathogen displacement of vaginal lactobacilli drives innate immune activation and mucosal barrier disruption, increasing the risks of STI acquisition and, in pregnancy, of preterm birth. We describe differential TLR mediated activation of the proinflammatory transcription factor NF-κB by vaginal pathogens and commensals.

Prophylactic HPV vaccination in HPV-related gynecologic cancers: European Society of Gynecological Oncology (ESGO) prevention committee opinion.

Many clinicians recommend that patients diagnosed with HPV-related gynecologic cancers receive prophylactic HPV vaccination at the time of cancer diagnosis or after cancer treatment. In view of the large use of such practice, we aimed to assess the literature evidence supporting the use of prophylactic HPV vaccines after diagnosis or treatment of HPV-related gynecologic cancers. Women who develop HPV-related cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancers represent a subgroup of patients who may be particularly sensitive to HPV infection and re-acquire infections.

Iris Avulsion During Corneal Wound Hydration After Uneventful Cataract Extraction.

We report a case of spontaneous total iris avulsion that occurred during corneal wound hydration following an uneventful phacoemulsification procedure. An 86-year-old woman underwent cataract surgery on her right eye, during which a single-piece acrylic intraocular lens (Bausch and Lomb Akreos Adapt Advanced Optics, Bausch and Lomb Incorporated, Rochester, NY, USA) was implanted in the bag, and the viscoelastic material was removed. During corneal wound hydration, total iris avulsion was observed, with the iris prolapsing out of the anterior chamber through the main wound.

The ADHD Assessment Quality Assurance Standard for Children and Teenagers (CAAQAS).

Around 5% of the children and teenagers worldwide are affected by Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD], making it a major public health concern. Recently, demand for assessments has substantially increased, putting strain on healthcare and waiting lists. There is concern that pressure to clear service bottlenecks is leading to variable quality and reliability of ADHD assessments in this population.

Attractive targeted sugar baits for malaria control in western Kenya (ATSB-Kenya): enrolment characteristics of cohort children and households.

Background: In western Kenya, a cluster-randomized trial is assessing the impact of attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) on malaria in children enrolled in three consecutive cohorts. Here, characteristics of children and households at enrolment, and factors associated with baseline malaria prevalence are described.

Methods: Children aged 1 to < 15 years were randomly selected by cluster (n = 70) from a census database.

Unraveling the protein kinase C/NDRG1 signaling network in breast cancer.

N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a member of the NDRG family of intracellular proteins and plays a central role in a wide range of biological processes including stress response, differentiation, and metabolism. The overexpression of NDRG1 is an indicator of poor prognosis in various types of cancer. Here, we found that NDRG1 is an independent prognostic marker of poor outcome in breast cancer (BC).