A literature-based cost-effectiveness analysis of device-assisted suturing versus needle-driven suturing during laparotomy closure.

Purpose: Small-bites suturing technique for laparotomy closure is now recommended as the standard of care. However, uptake of the practice remains slow. A medical technology called the SutureTOOL has been developed which can facilitate implementation of small-bites.

Pain prevalence and pain relief in end-of-life care - a national registry study.

Background: Despite pain control being a top priority in end-of-life care, pain continues to be a troublesome symptom and comprehensive data on pain prevalence and pain relief in patients with different diagnoses are scarce.

Methods: The Swedish Register of Palliative Care (SRPC) was used to retrieve data from 2011 to 2022 about pain during the last week of life. Data were collected regarding occurrence of pain, whether pain was relieved and occurrence of severe pain, to examine if pain differed between patients with cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dementia.

Registered nurses' experiences of caring for patients with hypoactive delirium after cardiac surgery - A qualitative study.

Objectives: Delirium is a common post-cardiac surgery complication that presents as acute changes in mental abilities with confused thinking and a lack of awareness of the surroundings. Delirium symptoms present in hyperactive- and hypoactive forms. Hypoactive delirium is often overlooked.

Suffering in silence - Cardiac surgery patients recalling hypoactive delirium a qualitative descriptive study.

Objectives: Postoperative delirium affects up to 50% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Delirium phenotypes are commonly divided into hyperactive and hypoactive, with hypoactive symptoms (reduced motor activity and withdrawal) often being overlooked due to their discreet character. Although the consequences of hypoactive delirium are severe, studies focusing on patients' experiences of hypoactive delirium are scarce.

Can transthoracic echocardiography be used to a greater extent in the diagnostics of infective endocarditis to avoid unnecessary transoesophageal examinations without jeopardising accuracy?

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious condition that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is usually the initial imaging modality, however transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) is sometimes necessary because of its higher sensitivity for IE. Yet, TOE may imply an increased risk of complications.

Risk of depression after coronary artery bypass grafting: a SWEDEHEART population-based cohort study.

Aims: A diagnosis of depression in patients with coronary heart disease is associated with worse outcomes. This study examined the long-term risk for new onset of depression after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) compared to an age- and sex-matched control group from the general population.

Methods And Results: In total, 125 418 primary isolated CABG patients and 495 371 matched controls were included from 1992 to 2017.

PD-L1 Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Specimens: Association with Clinicopathological Factors and Molecular Alterations.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) targeting programmed cell death-1 or its ligand (PD-L1) have improved outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). High tumor PD-L1 expression, detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) typically on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) histological specimens, is linked to better response. Following our previous investigation on PD-L1 in cytological samples, the aim of this study was to further explore the potential impacts of various clinicopathological and molecular factors on PD-L1 expression.

Comparison of quantitative ultrasound of calcaneus and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in measuring bone density and predicting fractures in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy: A prospective cohort study.

Aims: Compare quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of calcaneus and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as measurements of bone density, calculate 20-year fracture incidence in patients with T1DM and T2DM and multiple complications, and compare the methods' predictive ability.

Methods: Sixty-two hospital foot clinic patients with T1DM or T2DM and complications were followed (1995-2015; 610 person-years). Clinical assessments and QUS of calcaneus were performed on all at inclusion and DXA of the spine and femoral neck on a subgroup (n = 34).

A case report about successful treatment of refractory ventricular tachycardia with ablation under prolonged haemodynamic support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: In patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT) non-responsive to antiarrhythmic therapies may cause further deterioration of cardiac function and haemodynamic instability. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in the setting of haemodynamically unstable VT may allow rhythm stabilization and can be effective in providing haemodynamic stability during VT ablation procedures.

Case Summary: We describe the clinical course of a patient with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and recurrent VTs in the early post-myocardial infarction (MI) period.

Barriers and potential solutions for improved surgical care for children with hernia in Eastern Uganda.

Five billion people lack timely, affordable access to surgery. A large proportion of these are children. Qualitative research investigating the barriers to surgical care for children and ways of overcoming them is lacking.

Human GTPBP5 is involved in the late stage of mitoribosome large subunit assembly.

Human mitoribosomes are macromolecular complexes essential for translation of 11 mitochondrial mRNAs. The large and the small mitoribosomal subunits undergo a multistep maturation process that requires the involvement of several factors. Among these factors, GTP-binding proteins (GTPBPs) play an important role as GTP hydrolysis can provide energy throughout the assembly stages.

Sarek: A portable workflow for whole-genome sequencing analysis of germline and somatic variants.

Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is a fundamental technology for research to advance precision medicine, but the limited availability of portable and user-friendly workflows for WGS analyses poses a major challenge for many research groups and hampers scientific progress. Here we present Sarek, an open-source workflow to detect germline variants and somatic mutations based on sequencing data from WGS, whole-exome sequencing (WES), or gene panels. Sarek features (i) easy installation, (ii) robust portability across different computer environments, (iii) comprehensive documentation, (iv) transparent and easy-to-read code, and (v) extensive quality metrics reporting.

Molecular Markers Guiding Thyroid Cancer Management.

The incidence of thyroid cancer is rapidly increasing, mostly due to the overdiagnosis and overtreatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (TC). The increasing use of potent preclinical models, high throughput molecular technologies, and gene expression microarrays have provided a deeper understanding of molecular characteristics in cancer. Hence, molecular markers have become a potent tool also in TC management to distinguish benign from malignant lesions, predict aggressive biology, prognosis, recurrence, as well as for identification of novel therapeutic targets.

Long-term follow-up after surgical repair of abdominal rectus diastasis: A Prospective Randomized Study.

Background: Abdominal rectus diastasis can lead to functional disability. There is no consensus regarding treatment. This was a prospective study on patients randomized to surgery using either Quill self-retaining sutures or retromuscular mesh for abdominal rectus diastasis repair.

Trauma patients eligible for resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA), a retrospective cohort study.

Purpose: Non-compressible torso hemorrhage is a major but potentially preventable cause of trauma-related mortality. REBOA has rapidly emerged as an adjunct for hemorrhage control. However, little is known about the proportion of trauma patients in which REBOA may be indicated.

Associations between echocardiographic manifestations and bacterial species in patients with infective endocarditis: a cohort study.

Background: The diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) is based on microbiological analyses and diagnostic imaging of cardiac manifestations. Echocardiography (ECHO) is preferred for visualization of IE-induced cardiac manifestations. We investigated associations between bacterial infections and IE manifestations diagnosed by ECHO.

Socioeconomic status differs between breast cancer patients treated with mastectomy and breast conservation, and affects patient-reported preoperative information.

Purpose: Breast cancer treatment is reported to be influenced by socioeconomic status (SES). Few reports, however, stem from national, equality-based health care systems. The aim of this study was to analyse associations between SES, rates of breast-conserving surgery (BCS), patient-reported preoperative information and perceived involvement in Sweden.

Primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism with unenhanced MRI for patients not eligible for CTPA: Clinical outcome.

Purpose: To follow up the clinical outcome of patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE), in those only imaged using unenhanced, free-breathing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods And Materials: Fifty-seven patients aged 29-99 years (mean 70, SD 18) that could not undergo Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) were offered alternative imaging diagnostics in parallel with ongoing methodological studies validating MRI vs CTPA. Contraindications included renal failure (n = 44), severe iodine contrast allergy (n = 10), pregnancy (n = 2) and radioactive iodine therapy (n = 1).

Body image problems in women with and without breast cancer 6-20 years after bilateral risk-reducing surgery - A prospective follow-up study.

Purpose: To prospectively follow-up and investigate women's perceptions of the cosmetic outcome of their implant-based breast reconstruction, body image, sexuality, anxiety/depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) 6-20 years after bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM), or complementary RRM after breast cancer diagnosis, due to increased risk of hereditary breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: Women with and without previous breast cancer diagnosis that underwent RRM between March 1997 and September 2010 were invited (n = 200). We compared 146 (73%) sets of long-term questionnaire responses (e.

Clinical prediction model for tumor progression in Barrett's esophagus.

Background: Individuals with Barrett's esophagus (BE) are at increased risk of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but the cost-effectiveness of general surveillance of BE is low. This study aimed to identify a risk prediction model for tumor progression in individuals with BE based on age, sex, and risk factors found at upper endoscopy, enabling tailored surveillance.

Methods: This nested case-control study originated from a cohort of 8171 adults diagnosed with BE in 2006-2013 in the Swedish Patient Registry.

Extract Exerts an Anti-Diabetic Effect by Improving Insulin Release in Type 2 Diabetic Goto-Kakizaki Rats.

() is a legume part of Bolivian traditional diet that has a nutraceutical property reducing blood glucose levels. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing worldwide thus; the search for novel anti-diabetic drugs is needed. Based on its traditional use, we evaluated the anti-diabetic effect of in the spontaneously diabetic Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat, a model of type 2 diabetes and in Wistar (W) rats as healthy control.

Development and initial validation of the Swedish Family Satisfaction Intensive Care Questionnaire (SFS-ICQ).

Objectives: Measuring patients satisfaction is an important part of continuous quality improvement in health care. In intensive care, family satisfaction is often used as a proxy for patient experience. At present, no suitable instrument to measure this has been fully validated in Sweden.

Innate immune responses to toll-like receptor stimulation are altered during the course of pregnancy.

During pregnancy the maternal immune system has to develop tolerance towards the developing fetus. These changes in maternal immunity can result in increased severity of certain infections, but also in amelioration of autoimmune diseases. Pregnancy-related hormones have been suggested to play a central role in the adaptation of the maternal immune system, but their specific effects on innate immune function is not well understood.