Health-related quality of life in a large cohort of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices A registry-based study.

Aim: The association of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED), namely pacemaker (PM), implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy with (CRT-D) or without defibrillator (CRT-P) with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is lacking.

Methods And Results: Data from the Swedish Pacemaker and ICD Registry collected from January 2019 to February 2022 was used to analyze the responses to the European Quality of Life-5 Dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) before and after one year of the CIED implant. Descriptive analysis was performed using Pearson's chi-square test, the analysis of variance ANOVA, the Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test when appropriate.

Understanding the link between type 2 diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease: role of brain insulin resistance.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease are chronic diseases linked to a growing pandemic that affects older adults and causes significant socio-economic burden. Epidemiological data supporting a close relationship between these two aging-related diseases have resulted in the investigation of shared pathophysiological molecular mechanisms. Impaired insulin signaling in the brain has gained increasing attention during the last decade and has been suggested to contribute to the development of Parkinson's disease through the dysregulation of several pathological processes.

Fertility and Sexual Function in Males with Hirschsprung's Disease: A Nordic Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: The aim was to assess fertility, sexual function and sexual quality of life in males with Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) in the Nordic countries with a cross-sectional study using self-reported validated questionnaires.

Summary Background Data: Data on fertility and sexual function in males with HSCR are limited.

Methods: This multi-center study targeted all males born between 1970-2003 who underwent pull-through surgery at a pediatric surgery center in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, or Finland.

Pain in idiopathic scoliosis not associated with known genetic variants for pain.

Introduction: Back pain is common in idiopathic scoliosis. The aim of this study was to study known genetic variants associated with pain in individuals with idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods: We included 1442 individuals with juvenile or adolescent idiopathic scoliosis from Sweden and Denmark.

Long-term survival in patients with univentricular heart: A nationwide, register-based cohort study.

Background: Children with univentricular heart (UVH) have a limited life expectancy without early treatment. Long-term survival in UVH, in an unselected nationwide cohort, is unclear.

Objectives: To determine long-term survival in patients with UVH including non-operated patients compared with a control population in Sweden.

Unlocking the potential of neuromuscular electrical stimulation: achieving physical activity benefits for all abilities.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) uses electrical impulses to induce muscle contractions, providing benefits in rehabilitation, muscle activation, and as an adjunct to exercise, particularly for individuals experiencing immobilization or physical disability. NMES technology has significantly progressed, with advancements in device development and a deeper understanding of treatment parameters, such as frequency, intensity, and pulse duration. These improvements have expanded NMES applications beyond rehabilitation to include enhanced post-exercise recovery, improved blood glucose uptake, and increased lower limb venous return, potentially reducing thrombotic risks.

Experimental Assessment of Traction Force and Associated Fetal Brain Deformation in Vacuum-Assisted Delivery.

Vacuum-assisted delivery (VAD) uses a vacuum cup on the fetal scalp to apply traction during uterine contractions, assisting complicated vaginal deliveries. Despite its widespread use, VAD presents a higher risk of neonatal morbidity compared to natural vaginal delivery and biomechanical evidence for safe VAD traction forces is still limited. The aim of this study is to develop and assess the feasibility of an experimental VAD testing setup, and investigate the impact of traction forces on fetal brain deformation.

The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

The di-leucine motif in the host defense peptide LL-37 is essential for initiation of autophagy in human macrophages.

The human cathelicidin peptide LL-37 induces autophagy in human macrophages. Different post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as citrullination, acetylation, and formylation impact LL-37, yet their effect on autophagy remains unknown. Thus, we set out to study how the cellular source could impact PTM of LL-37 and subsequent effects on autophagy initiation.

Brain MRI volumetry and atrophy rating scales as predictors of amyloid status and eligibility for anti-amyloid treatment in a real-world memory clinic setting.

Predicting amyloid status is crucial in light of upcoming disease-modifying therapies and the need to identify treatment-eligible patients with Alzheimer's disease. In our study, we aimed to predict CSF-amyloid status and eligibility for anti-amyloid treatment in a memory clinic by (I) comparing the performance of visual/automated rating scales and MRI volumetric analysis and (II) combining MRI volumetric data with neuropsychological tests and APOE4 status. Two hundred ninety patients underwent a comprehensive assessment.

Endpoint Selection in Randomized Clinical Trials for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have long been challenging caused by the condition's rarity, low event rates, and diverse clinical presentations. However, recent advances in targeted therapies have sparked increased interest in HCM research. Despite this, designing effective RCTs remains complex, particularly in identifying clinically meaningful endpoints.

Update on Autoimmune Pancreatitis and IgG4-Related Disease.

Autoimmune pancreatitis is an increasingly recognized inflammatory type of subacute pancreatitis; two subtypes of autoimmune pancreatitis have been identified so far: the "lymphoplasmacytic" type 1 variant and the "neutrophilic" type 2 variant. Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis represents the most common manifestation of IgG4-related disease, a fibro-inflammatory disorder characterized by elevated IgG4 levels in the serum and affected tissues. Type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis is a pancreas-specific disorder that frequently occurs in the context of inflammatory bowel diseases.

De-escalating and discontinuing disease-modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis.

The development of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been highly successful in recent decades. It is now widely accepted that early initiation of DMTs after disease onset is associated with a better long-term prognosis. However, the question of when and how to de-escalate or discontinue DMTs remains open and critical.

Time to Staphylococcus aureus Blood Culture Positivity as a risk marker of Infective Endocarditis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Endocarditis occurs in approximately 10-15% of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Short time to positivity (TTP) in blood culture flasks has been linked to endocarditis in smaller studies. This study evaluated the association between TTP and endocarditis in S.

Clinical Applications of Bone Marrow CD34 Immunohistochemistry (BM CD34 IHC) Assay: International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) Guidelines.

Introduction: Investigation of bone marrow (BM) trephine biopsies and/or clot sections by CD34 immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing has been used by pathologists for several decades, and its clinical value has been well established with QBEND10 being the most frequently used primary antibody (Ab) clone. However, most other parameters related to the IHC protocol as well as the readout vary widely between clinical laboratories and in the published literature. The ICSH Working Group having reviewed the published evidence has established guidelines that will help to harmonize performance and reporting of CD34 IHC on BM biopsies.

Non-daily contraception: Reinforcing the choice of users and addressing unmet needs of reproductive health.

Despite great societal efforts promoting female autonomy, Sweden still faces unmet contraceptive needs, with abortion rates being the highest in the Nordic countries. In this commentary, we discuss using non-daily contraception options to combat these unmet needs. Non-daily methods include transdermal (i.

Evidence of Left Ventricular Cardiac Remodeling After 6 Weeks of Sprint Interval Training.

Sprint interval training (SIT) leads to similar improvements in maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O) and maximal cardiac output as previously reported for traditional endurance training, but the exercise-induced effects on cardiac remodeling are still largely unknown. The aim of the current study was therefore to explore the effects of SIT on cardiac structure and function assessed by echocardiography in relation to, and controlling for, changes in both blood volume (BV) and heart rate (HR). Healthy men and women (n = 28) performed 6 weeks of SIT.

Clinical importance of patient-reported outcome measures in severe asthma: results from U-BIOPRED.

Rationale: Knowledge about the clinical importance of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in severe asthma is limited.

Objectives: To assess whether and to what extent asthma exacerbations affect changes in PROMS over time and asthma-specific PROMs can predict exacerbations in adult patients with severe asthma in usual care.

Methods: Data of 421 patients with severe asthma (62% female; mean age 51.

High prevalence of pancreatic steatosis in pancreatic cancer patients: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Objective: In the last decade there has been increasing interest in defining pancreatic steatosis (PS) and establishing its association with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). However, no consensus guidelines have yet been published on the management of PS. In this systematic review and meta-analysis performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we investigated the association between PS and PDAC.