Association between lactate dehydrogenase levels and all-cause mortality in ICU patients with heart failure: a retrospective analysis of the MIMIC-IV database.

Background: Heart failure (HF) patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) often face high short-term mortality rates. This study aims to investigate the relationship between lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and all-cause mortality in critically ill patients with HF.

Methods: Data from the MIMIC-IV database were extracted for subjects eligible for HF diagnosis.

The disparities and development trajectories of nations in achieving the sustainable development goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive framework for societal progress and planetary health. However, it remains unclear whether universal patterns exist in how nations pursue these goals and whether key development areas are being overlooked. Here, we apply the product space methodology, widely used in development economics, to construct an 'SDG space of nations'.

Structured surgical training in minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) increases textbook outcome-a risk-adjusted learning curve.

Background: Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy (MIE) is a complex surgical procedure that has become a cornerstone in the management of esophageal cancer. This study aims to delineate the learning curve associated with MIE and its impact on patient outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 191 patients who underwent MIE between 2015 and 2022.

Coeliac disease: complications and comorbidities.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by small intestinal villus atrophy and inflammation upon exposure to gluten. It has a global prevalence of approximately 1%. Although the gluten-free diet can be an effective treatment, this diet is burdensome with practical difficulties and frequent inadvertent gluten exposure.

Warning people that they are being microtargeted fails to eliminate persuasive advantage.

The practice of microtargeting in politics, involving tailoring persuasive messages to individuals based on personal vulnerabilities, has raised manipulation concerns. As microtargeting's persuasive benefits are well-established and its use facilitated by AI tools and personality-inference models, ethical and regulatory concerns are magnified. Here, we explore countering microtargeting effects by creating a warning signal deployed when users encounter personality-tailored political ads.

Association between changes in genital immune markers and vaginal microbiome transitions in bacterial vaginosis.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), characterized by an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota, is a prevalent condition among women of reproductive age and a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted infections, and preterm birth. BV is generally considered to induce mucosal inflammation, but the specific pathways and cell types involved are not well characterized. This prospective study aimed to assess associations between microbial changes and mucosal immune responses in BV patients.

Radiological safety atlas of minimally invasive midfoot fusion: A cadaver study.

Purpose: The popularity of minimally invasive (MIS) foot surgery continues to grow. However, it comes with certain limitations that present notable challenges. One significant hurdle is the absence of direct visualization of neurovascular structures and tendons.

Can spatial self-organization inhibit evolutionary adaptation?

Plants often respond to drier climates by slow evolutionary adaptations from fast-growing to stress-tolerant species. These evolutionary adaptations increase the plants' resilience to droughts but involve productivity losses that bear on agriculture and food security. Plants also respond by spatial self-organization, through fast vegetation patterning involving differential plant mortality and increased water availability to the surviving plants.

The effect of conflicting versus consistent messaging on older women's support for breast cancer screening cessation.

Objective: Breast cancer over-screening is common in older women. Messaging about breast cancer screening cessation may reduce over-screening but the broader informational environment often emphasizes screening continuation. We aimed to examine the effect of receiving consistent messages about breast cancer screening cessation versus conflicting messages (i.

Rational design of 3D-printed scaffolds for breast tissue engineering using structural analysis.

Best cosmetic outcomes of breast reconstruction using tissue engineering techniques rely on the scaffold architecture and material, which are currently both to be determined. This study suggests an approach for a rational design of breast-shaped scaffold architecture, in which structural analysis is implemented to predict its stiffness and adjust it to that of the native tissue. This approach can help achieve the goal of optimal scaffold architecture for breast tissue engineering.

Changes to social and healthcare providers support in the perinatal period: Impact on coping strategies, depression and anxiety.

Background: During the perinatal period, risk of depression and anxiety (D&A) increases. As in other crisis events, the COVID-19 pandemic, imposed social distancing measures, diminished social support and changes in perinatal healthcare provision which heightened this risk. This study aimed to examine how changes in social and healthcare provider support during the pandemic affected coping strategies and depression and anxiety symptoms (D&As) among perinatal women.

Deciphering the complex clonal heterogeneity of polycythemia vera and the response to interferon alpha.

Interferon alpha (IFNa) is approved for the therapy of patients (pts) with polycythemia vera (PV), a subtype of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Some pts achieve molecular responses (MR), but clonal factors sensitizing for MR remain elusive. We integrated colony formation and differentiation assays with single-cell RNA seq and genotyping in PV-derived cells vs.

European Society of Cardiology quality indicators for the management of acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Closing the evidence-practice gap for the treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is central to improving quality of care. Under the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) framework, we aimed to develop updated quality indicators (QIs) for the evaluation of quality of care and outcomes for patients with ACS.

Methods: A Working Group of experts including members of the ESC Clinical Practice Guidelines Task Force for ACS, Acute CardioVascular Care Association and European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions followed the ESC methodology for QI development.

EULAR recommendations for the treatment of systemic sclerosis: 2023 update.

Objectives: To update the 2017 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommendations for treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc), incorporating new evidence and therapies.

Methods: An international task force was convened in line with EULAR standard operating procedures. A nominal group technique exercise was performed in two rounds to define questions underpinning a subsequent systematic literature review.

Exploring Lysine Incorporation as a Strategy to Mitigate Postsynthetic Halide Exchange in Lead-Halide Hybrid Perovskites.

Lead-halide hybrid perovskites (RNHPbX, X = halide, e.g., Cl, Br, I; R = organic moiety) show promise for next-generation optoelectronic devices due to their simple synthesis routes, strong light absorption, and high photoluminescence quantum yield.

Association of Frailty Index at 66 Years of Age with Health Care Costs and Utilization Over 10 Years in Korea: Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The long-term economic impact of frailty measured at the beginning of elderhood is unknown.

Objective: The objective of our study was to examine the association between an individual's frailty index at 66 years of age and their health care costs and utilization over 10 years.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 215,887 Koreans who participated in the National Screening Program for Transitional Ages at 66 years of age between 2007-2009.

Net Benefit of Early Anticoagulation for Stroke With Atrial Fibrillation: Post Hoc Analysis of the ELAN Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The net clinical effect of early vs later direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) initiation after atrial fibrillation-associated ischemic stroke is unclear.

Objective: To investigate whether early DOAC treatment is associated with a net clinical benefit (NCB).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a post hoc analysis of the Early Versus Late Initiation of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Post-Ischaemic Stroke Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (ELAN) open-label randomized clinical trial conducted across 103 sites in 15 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia between November 6, 2017, and September 12, 2022, with a 90-day follow-up.

Leukocytosis in Cushing's syndrome persists post-surgical remission and could predict a lower remission prognosis in patients with Cushing's disease.

Context: Leukocytosis frequently noted in Cushing's syndrome (CS), along with other blood cell changes caused by direct and indirect cortisol effects.

Objective: Assess baseline white blood cell (WBC) profile in CS patients compared to controls and WBC changes pre- and post-remission after surgical treatment for CS.

Design: A comparative nationwide retrospective cohort study.

Evaluating and Comparing the Content Coverage of Quality Measure Sets from Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Background: Quality of care can be measured in several dimensions: different clinical disciplines, structures/processes/outcomes of care (SPO), and also different domains of quality (effectiveness, safety, care coordination, patient-centeredness, efficiency, timeliness, and community/population health). To our knowledge, no previous study has compared different sets of performance measures in terms of how well they cover these different aspects of quality.

Objective: Compare the content coverage of major quality measure sets from Israel, the US, and the UK.

Combining clinical and radiological features improves prediction of bowel ischemia in patients with CT findings of pneumatosis intestinalis.

Background: Pneumatosis intestinalis on CT presents a diagnostic dilemma, because it could reflect bowel ischemia or benign finding.

Purpose: To determine radiological and clinical features that can predict bowel ischemia in patients with pneumatosis intestinalis on CT.

Materials And Methods: Patients with "pneumatosis" in abdominal CT reports performed between 1/1/2002 and 12/31/2018 were retrospectively included.

Temporal Genomic Analysis of Homogeneous Tumor Models Reveals Key Regulators of Immune Evasion in Melanoma.

In this study, we find that Mif expression is associated with tumor growth and aggressiveness, specifically in tumors with low heterogeneity. These findings could facilitate the development of new strategies to treat patients with homogeneous, high MIF-expressing tumors that are unresponsive to immune checkpoint therapy.

Elective fertility preservation before and after the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.

Objective: To compare the number and outcomes of elective fertility preservation (FP) before and after the Covid-19 outbreak.

Methods: This retrospective study of 574 women who underwent elective FP between 01/2017-12/2021 included 123 women who underwent the procedure before and 451 who underwent it after the Covid-19 outbreak. The change in the number of women who underwent the procedure each month before and after the pandemic was calculated.

Feasibility and acceptability of engaging care partners of persons living with dementia with electronic outreach for deprescribing.

Background And Objectives: Care partners are critical for making treatment decisions in persons living with dementia. However, identifying them is challenging, hindering the broader use of interventions, such as those using digital technologies. We aimed to (i) assess the feasibility of identifying and contacting care partners using electronic health record (EHR) systems, and (ii) elicit their perspectives on electronic interventions for deprescribing.

Comparative Outcomes of Babesiosis in Immunocompromised and Non-Immunocompromised Hosts: A Multicenter Cohort Study.

Background: Babesiosis poses significant risks of adverse outcomes in individuals with immunocompromising conditions (IC) and asplenia/hyposplenia (AH). This study compares clinical outcomes between these vulnerable groups and immunocompetent patients.

Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study included adult patients with laboratory-confirmed babesiosis from 2009 to 2023.

Tumour size is associated with growth rates of >0.5 cm/year and delayed intervention in small renal masses in patients on active surveillance.

Objective: To evaluate the association between tumour size and the growth rate (GR) of small renal masses (SRMs) in patients managed by active surveillance (AS).

Materials And Methods: We queried the prospective, multi-institutional Delayed Intervention and Surveillance for Small Renal Masses (DISSRM) registry for patients on AS with an imaging interval of ≥6 months, identifying 456 patients. We tracked tumour size over time; a GR >0.