A Comparison of Different Machine Learning Classifiers in Predicting Xerostomia and Sticky Saliva due to Head and Neck Radiotherapy using a Multi-objective, Multimodal Radiomics Model.

Although radiotherapy techniques are the primary treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC), they are still associated with substantial toxicity, and side effect. Machine learning (ML) based radiomics models for predicting toxicity mostly rely on features extracted from pre-treatment imaging data. This study aims to compare different models in predicting radiation-induced xerostomia and sticky saliva in both early and late stage of HNC patients using CT and MRI image features along with demographics and dosimetric information.

Scaling Up Kangaroo Mother Care Through a Facility Delivery Model in Rural Districts of Pakistan: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.

Background: The neonatal mortality rate in Pakistan is the third highest in Asia, with 8.6 million preterm babies. These newborns require warmth, nutrition, and infection protection, typically provided by incubators.

Concepts of Suffering at the End of Life Amongst Emergency, Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine Physicians in Malaysia.

Background: Palliative Care, Geriatrics and Emergency physicians are exposed to death, terminally ill patients and distress of patients and their families. As physicians bear witness to patients' suffering, they are vulnerable to the costs of caring-the emotional distress associated with providing compassionate and empathetic care to patients. If left unattended, this may culminate in burnout and compromise professional identity.

Short-term starvation boosts anti-PD-L1 therapy by reshaping tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aims: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized systemic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. Nevertheless, numerous patients are refractory to ICIs therapy. It is currently unknown whether diet therapies such as short-term starvation (STS) combined with ICIs can be used to treat HCC.

First-Line Mobocertinib Versus Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Patients With Exon 20 Insertion-Positive Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in the Phase III EXCLAIM-2 Trial.

Purpose: Mobocertinib is an oral epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets exon 20 insertion (ex20ins) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This open-label, phase III trial (EXCLAIM-2: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04129502) compared mobocertinib versus platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment of ex20ins+ advanced/metastatic NSCLC.

Ten-Year Trends in Clinician Well-Being and Burnout Among Oncology Fellows in Training: An ASCO State of Cancer Care in America Study.

Purpose: To better understand burnout in oncology and clinician well-being along the career continuum starting with training, we sought to characterize the professional well-being of physicians training in medical oncology in 2023 and to identify trends over time comparing to fellows from a decade prior.

Methods: All US medical oncology fellows taking the 2023 ASCO Medical Oncology In-Training Exam (ITE) were invited to complete an optional post-exam survey evaluating fatigue, satisfaction with work-life integration (WLI), emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. 2023 ITE survey responses were compared to the 2013 ASCO post-ITE survey (n=1345).

MELANOMAS, SARCOMAS, AND RENAL METASTASES IN THE LIVER: HOW TO TREAT?

Liver metastases from melanomas, sarcomas, and renal tumors are less frequent. Treatment and prognosis will depend on whether they are isolated or multiple, size and location, the presence or absence of extrahepatic neoplastic disease, age, stage of the initial disease, initial treatments instituted, time of evolution, and clinical condition of the patient. Recently, a high number of oncological therapies including monotherapy or in combination, neoadjuvants or adjuvants, and immuno-oncological treatments have been developed and tested, increasing disease-free time and survival.

Developing a Profile of Canadian Children With Cerebral Palsy Who Require Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Purpose: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most prevalent motor disability affecting children. Many children with CP have significant speech difficulties and require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to participate in communication. Despite demonstrable benefits, the use of AAC systems among children with CP remains constrained, although research in Canada is lacking.

Honduran nurses' perceptions among the quality of care for stroke patients: a qualitative study.

Objective: to explore the nurses' perceptions among the quality of care to stroke patients in a public hospital in Northern Honduras.

Method: a descriptive phenomenological study was carried out. The data collection was conducted by means of depth- interviews to 20 general nurses from the emergency and clinical medicine departments from the Atlántida General Hospital.

Patient-derived Organoids and Xenografts Uncover Therapeutic Vulnerabilities in Colorectal Signet Ring Cell Carcinomas.

Purpose: Identifying therapeutic targets for Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma (SRCC) of the colon and rectum is a clinical challenge due to the lack of Patient-Derived Organoids (PDO) or Xenografts (PDX). We present a robust method to establish PDO and PDX models to answer address this unmet need. We demonstrate that these models identify novel therapeutic strategies targeting therapy resistance and peritoneal metastasis.

Assessment of the content and quality of YouTube videos on retinopathy of prematurity: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of YouTube videos as an educational resource about retinopathy of prematurity.

Methods: Videos were sourced from YouTube using the search terms "retinopathy of prematurity" and "premature retinopathy" with the default settings. Each video was assessed on the following metrics: views, likes, dislikes, comments, upload source, country of origin, view ratio, like ratio, and video power index.

Acellular Dermal Matrices in Reconstructive Pediatric Complex Lower Limb Trauma: An Observational Study.

Background: Contemporary research has shown that acellular dermal matrices can benefit adult lower extremity traumatic injuries; however, its use in children has not been explored.

Objective: This study aims to explore the use of acellular dermal matrices in pediatric complex lower extremity trauma.

Methods: This single-center retrospective observational cohort study of children with complex lower extremity trauma treated with Pelnac™, commercial acellular dermal matrices, was conducted at a tertiary hospital in South Africa from 2010 to 2017.

The multifaceted role of the inferior colliculus in sensory prediction, reward processing, and decision-making.

The inferior colliculus (IC) has traditionally been regarded as an important relay in the auditory pathway, primarily involved in relaying auditory information from the brainstem to the thalamus. However, this study uncovers the multifaceted role of the IC in bridging auditory processing, sensory prediction, and reward prediction. Through extracellular recordings in monkeys engaged in a sound duration-based deviation detection task, we observed a 'climbing effect' in neuronal firing rates, indicative of an enhanced response over sound sequences linked to sensory prediction rather than reward anticipation.

The landscape of family medicine in India - A cross-sectional survey study.

Family medicine was recognized as a distinct specialty in India in the early 1980s, but it is at an early stage of implementation. There are few training programs, and little is known about family physicians' training, perceptions, and current practices. This paper describes the findings from the first national survey of family medicine in India.

Characterization of language abilities and semantic networks in very preterm children at school-age.

It has been widely assessed that very preterm children (<32 weeks gestational age) present language and memory impairments compared with full-term children. However, differences in their underlying semantic memory structure have not been studied yet. Nevertheless, the way concepts are learned and organized across development relates to children's capacities in retrieving and using information later.

The impact of specialised gastroenterology services for pelvic radiation disease (PRD): Results from the prospective multi-centre EAGLE study.

To undertake a mixed-methodology implementation study to improve the well-being of men with gastrointestinal late effects following radical radiotherapy for prostate cancer. All men completed a validated screening tool for late bowel effects (ALERT-B) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Score (GSRS); men with a positive score on ALERT-B were offered management following a peer reviewed algorithm for pelvic radiation disease (PRD). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at baseline, 6 and 12 months; and healthcare resource usage (HRU) and patient, support-giver, staff experience and acceptability of staff training (qualitative analysis) were assessed.

Low cluster of differentiation 4+ T-cell count associated with thrombocytopenia among people living with human immunodeficiency virus-1 receiving antiretroviral in West Papua.

Anaemia and thrombocytopenia are blood-related irregularities linked to an increased likelihood of disease progression, leading to death in people living with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (PLHIV). Severe clinical conditions associated with human immunodeficiency 1 (HIV-1) infection may be related to blood irregularities among PLHIV. The study aimed to examine the factors correlated with blood irregularities among PLHIV receiving antiretroviral treatment in West Papua.

Persisting Toward a Career in Biomedical Research: A Black, Male Scientists' Becoming-Scientist-With Multiple Spatial Configurations.

This study explores the process of becoming-scientist-with, a dynamic and relational concept that redefines science identity development as a nonlinear, evolving journey. Focused on a Black male student, Travis, the study examines how his science identity was shaped through entanglements with various material and discursive forces across multiple science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) learning spaces. Becoming-scientist-with is conceptualized as a continual negotiation of identity within these environments, emphasizing the roles of power, systemic racism, and institutional practices in shaping students' experiences.

Standardised lung function metrics in healthy athletes.

The objective of the current review was to identify whether clinically established lung function metrics of ventilatory and diffusion capacity obtained by standardised methodology are consistent with superior lung function in athletes, and whether this is related to maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O). Three independent reviewers performed a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and reference screening. Data was extracted and analysed according to a predefined strategy.

Palliative Care Program for Community-Dwelling Individuals With Dementia and Caregivers: The IN-PEACE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Care management benefits community-dwelling patients with dementia, but studies include few patients with moderate to severe dementia or from racial and ethnic minority populations, lack palliative care, and seldom reduce health care utilization.

Objective: To determine whether integrated dementia palliative care reduces dementia symptoms, caregiver depression and distress, and emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations compared with usual care in moderate to severe dementia.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A randomized clinical trial of community-dwelling patients with moderate to severe dementia and their caregivers enrolled from March 2019 to December 2020 from 2 sites in central Indiana (2-year follow-up completed on January 7, 2023).

Treatment Strategies to Control Blood Pressure in People With Hypertension in Tanzania and Lesotho: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hypertension is the primary cardiovascular risk factor in Africa. Recently revised World Health Organization guidelines recommend starting antihypertensive dual therapy; clinical efficacy and tolerability of low-dose triple combination remain unclear.

Objectives: To compare the effect of 3 treatment strategies on blood pressure control among persons with untreated hypertension in Africa.