Long-term outcome of surgical techniques for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism in a tertiary referral center in Belgium.

Purpose: Surgery remains the only permanent treatment option for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT). To date, the number of long-term outcome studies of parathyroidectomy is limited. This study aims to compare different surgical approaches and evaluate the importance of preoperative localization imaging in the treatment of pHPT.

Usefulness of the Parental Electronic Diary During Medical Rounds in a NICU.

Parental involvement in the care of their baby in family rooms in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) can be improved. This could be done with an electronic medical report completed by the parents, which is then linked to the patient record system. The parents selected for this study completed an electronic diary during their stay in the NICU, while the staff answered a questionnaire about their opinion on the usefulness of the parents' diary.

Inter- and intraobserver agreement in whole-slide digital ThinPrep samples of low-grade squamous lesions of the cervix uteri with known high-risk HPV status: A multicentric international study.

Background: High-risk human papilloma virus (HR HPV) testing and liquid-based cytology are used for primary cervical screening. Digital cytology, based on whole-slide scanned samples, is a promising technique for teaching and diagnostic purposes. The aim of our study was to evaluate the interobserver and intraobserver variation in low-grade squamous lesions, HR HPV status bias, and the use of whole-slide scanned digital cervical cytology slides.

Morbidity and long-term outcome of surgery for renal hyperparathyroidism: results from a prospective cohort.

Purposes: Surgery remains an important treatment option for renal hyperparathyroidism (rHPT). The number of long-term outcome studies of parathyroidectomy is limited.

Methods: All consecutive patients with a parathyroidectomy for rHPT between 09/2009 and 04/2021 in a Belgian tertiary referral hospital were prospectively enrolled.

Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of [C]AZ11895530 for PET Imaging of the Serotonin 1A Receptor.

The serotonin 1A (5-HT) receptor is a G-protein-coupled receptor implicated in the pathophysiology of several neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. We here report the preparation of two candidate 5-HT radioligands, [C]AZ11132132 ([C]) and [C]AZ11895530 ([C]), and their subsequent evaluation using autoradiography and using positron emission tomography (PET). Compounds and were radiolabeled at high radiochemical purity (>99%) and high molar activity (>38 GBq/μmol) by heteroatom methylation with [C]methyl iodide.

The Role of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Beta (hCGβ) in HPV-Positive and HPV-Negative Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: This study was carried out to observe the upregulation of the free β-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCGβ) and its prognostic significance in human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Materials and methods: A total of 90 patients with OPSCC treated with curative intent at the Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), Helsinki, Finland, during 2012−2016 were included. Serum samples were collected prospectively, and their hCGβ concentrations (S-hCGβ) were determined by an immunofluorometric assay.

Higher levels of Bifidobacteria and tumor necrosis factor in children with drug-resistant epilepsy are associated with anti-seizure response to the ketogenic diet.

Background: Recently, studies have suggested a role for the gut microbiota in epilepsy. Gut microbial changes during ketogenic diet (KD) treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy have been described. Inflammation is associated with certain types of epilepsy and specific inflammation markers decrease during KD.

Method of Hormonal Contraception and Protective Effects Against Ectopic Pregnancy.

Objective: To estimate the incidence rates for ectopic pregnancy by contraceptive method in a cohort of women using hormonal contraception in Sweden between 2005 and 2016.

Method: Women aged 15-49 years with a filled prescription for a hormonal contraceptive in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register between 2005 and 2016 were included. For each woman, all exposed woman-years were allocated to treatment episodes depending on the method of contraception.

Semi-automated preparation of fine-needle aspiration samples for rapid on-site evaluation.

Rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) significantly improves the diagnostic yield of fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples but critically depends on the skills and availability of cytopathologists. Here, we introduce a portable device for semi-automated sample preparation for ROSE. In a single platform, the device combines a smearing tool and a capillary-driven chamber for staining FNA samples.

Evaluation of Intima-Media Thickness and Arterial Stiffness as Early Ultrasound Biomarkers of Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis.

Carotid atherosclerosis is a major and potentially preventable cause of ischemic stroke. It begins early in life and progresses silently over the years. Identification of individuals with subclinical atherosclerosis is needed to initiate early aggressive vascular prevention.

miR-22 and miR-205 Drive Tumor Aggressiveness of Mucoepidermoid Carcinomas of Salivary Glands.

Objectives: To integrate mRNA and miRNA expression profiles of mucoepidermoid carcinomas (MECs) and normal salivary gland (NSGs) tissue samples and identify potential drivers.

Material And Methods: Gene and miRNA expression arrays were performed in 35 MECs and six NSGs.

Results: We found 46 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs and 3,162 DE mRNAs.

Ear canal and middle-ear tumors: a single-institution series of 87 patients.

Background: Ear canal and middle ear tumors are rare and exhibit variability in histology and clinical manifestation. Surgical resection remains the treatment of choice, but individualized approach is needed to preserve function when possible.

Aims/objectives: To review the management and outcome of ear canal and middle ear tumors at an academic referral center.

Assessing women's preferences towards tests that may reveal uncertain results from prenatal genomic testing: Development of attributes for a discrete choice experiment, using a mixed-methods design.

Prenatal DNA tests, such as chromosomal microarray analysis or exome sequencing, increase the likelihood of receiving a diagnosis when fetal structural anomalies are identified. However, some parents will receive uncertain results such as variants of uncertain significance and secondary findings. We aimed to develop a set of attributes and associated levels for a discrete-choice experiment (DCE) that will examine parents' preferences for tests that may reveal uncertain test results.

Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease involving symmetric joints and is generally characterized by persistent pain, tenderness, and destruction of joints. The vast majority of RA patients produce autoantibodies, and immune cell involvement in disease development is well recognized, as is the contribution of other types of cells in synovial tissue, like fibroblasts. It is known that there are major genetic associations with the HLA locus, while multiple non-HLA genetic variants display relatively low risk of RA.

Aspirin, Statins, Non-aspirin NSAIDs, Metformin, and the Risk of Biliary Cancer: A Swedish Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Chemoprevention for biliary tract cancers (BTC), which comprise intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (eCCA), and gallbladder cancer, is controversial. We examined associations between low-dose aspirin, statins, NSAIDs, and metformin with BTC risk.

Methods: We used a population-based cohort of 5.

Challenging Management of Plexiform Schwannoma and Plexiform Neurofibroma.

Plexiform variants of neurofibromas and schwannomas are rare and typically arise in superficial soft tissues in the head and neck region. The treatment of these tumors is challenging and no generally accepted guidelines exist for their optimal management. The purpose of this study was to review the management and longterm prognosis of head and neck plexiform neurofibromas and schwannomas at 2 tertiary care academic hospitals in Finland over a 31-year period.

International Consensus Statement on the diagnosis, multidisciplinary management and lifelong care of individuals with achondroplasia.

Achondroplasia, the most common skeletal dysplasia, is characterized by a variety of medical, functional and psychosocial challenges across the lifespan. The condition is caused by a common, recurring, gain-of-function mutation in FGFR3, the gene that encodes fibroblast growth factor receptor 3. This mutation leads to impaired endochondral ossification of the human skeleton.

Clonal phylogeny and evolution of critical cytogenetic aberrations in multiple myeloma at single-cell level by QM-FISH.

Single-cell analysis is of significant importance in delineating the exact phylogeny of the subclonal population and in discovering subtle diversification. So far, studies of intratumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution in multiple myeloma (MM) were largely focused on the bulk tumor population level. We performed quantitative multigene fluorescence in situ hybridization (QM-FISH) in 129 longitudinal samples of 57 MM patients.

Added value of semiquantitative analysis of brain FDG-PET for the differentiation between MCI-Lewy bodies and MCI due to Alzheimer's disease.

Purpose: FDG-PET is an established supportive biomarker in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), but its diagnostic accuracy is unknown at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI-LB) stage when the typical metabolic pattern may be difficultly recognized at the individual level. Semiquantitative analysis of scans could enhance accuracy especially in less skilled readers, but its added role with respect to visual assessment in MCI-LB is still unknown.

Methods: We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of visual assessment of FDG-PET by six expert readers, blind to diagnosis, in discriminating two matched groups of patients (40 with prodromal AD (MCI-AD) and 39 with MCI-LB), both confirmed by in vivo biomarkers.

Genetic variants in the p53 pathway influence implantation and pregnancy maintenance in IVF treatments using donor oocytes.

Purpose: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the p53 pathways have shown to play a role in endometrial receptivity and implantation in infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). The present study aimed to assess the influence of these gene variants over pregnancy success through a receptivity model in recipients of egg donation treatments, when factors such as age and quality of the oocytes are standardized.

Methods: A nested case-control study was performed on 234 female patients undergoing their first fresh IVF treatment as recipients of donor oocytes.

Copy number alteration of the interferon gene cluster in cancer: Individual patient data meta-analysis prospects to personalized immunotherapy.

Interferon (IFN) therapy has been the standard of care for a variety of cancers for decades due to the pleiotropic actions of IFNs against malignancies. However, little is known about the role of copy number alteration (CNA) of the IFN gene cluster, located at the 9p21.3, in cancer.