Meta-Analysis: Prevalence of Youth Mental Disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Youth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face limited access to professional mental health resources. A comprehensive assessment of the prevalence of mental disorders would build an understanding of the scope of the need. We conducted systematic searches in PsycInfo, Pubmed, AfriBib and Africa Journals Online to identify prevalence rates for five disorders (anxiety, depression, conduct disorder, attention problems and post-traumatic stress) among SSA youth with a mean age of less than 19 years.

Varicella zoster virus central nervous system infection - a retrospective study from a tertiary center in Greece.

Introduction: Central nervous system (CNS) infection due to the varicella zoster virus (VZV) can complicate the primary infection or the reactivation, leading to significant mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to describe the clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of patients with confirmed VZV CNS infection in a tertiary hospital in Greece.

Methods: Data about patients hospitalized from January 2018 to September 2023 with CNS infection by VZV, confirmed by a syndromic polymerase chain reaction in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), were retrospectively collected and evaluated.

Synthesizing and assessing influenza vaccine evidence: Strengths and limitations of the recent ECDC report on the effectiveness of new and enhanced influenza vaccines. Communication on: the "European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Systematic review update on the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of newer and enhanced seasonal influenza vaccines for the prevention of laboratory confirmed influenza in individuals aged 18 years and over. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024".

High quality research is critical for evidence-based decision making in public health and fundamental to maintain progress and trust in immunization programs in Europe. In 2024 the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) conducted an update of the 2020 systematic review to capture more recent evidence on of the efficacy, effectiveness of influenza vaccines in individuals aged 18 years and older in the prevention of laboratory-confirmed influenza. While this report was highly anticipated due to the strength of the protocol and processes put in place, during our assessment, we expressed two chief concerns.

The first case of alveolar echinococcosis from southern Croatia: progressive course of the disease in an immunocompromised patient.

Introduction: Alveolar echinococcosis is one of the most pathogenic zoonoses caused by the larval forms of . It is endemic in central Europe, but from 2001 to 2018, eight European countries reported their first cases of alveolar echinococcosis. These numbers testify to unprecedented spread of the infection.

2025 Expert Consensus Recommendations for the Diagnostic Requirements in Routine Practices of Transthoracic Echocardiography.

Transthoracic echocardiography plays a crucial role in clinical diagnosis and is increasingly being used around the world. Comprehensive echocardiographic examinations require accurate measurements and the operators to have excellent technical skills. Despite the availability of several published echocardiographic guidelines, the absence of recommended operational manuals in daily practice has resulted in significant variation in the content of echocardiography reports across different medical institutions.

Real-World Analyses of the De-Escalation of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in Treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Taiwan.

Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is the standard treatment for acute myocardial infarction (MI). This study aimed to investigate the use of DAPT and de-escalation after discharge in real-world practice among patients with acute MI undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Taiwan.

Methods: Using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, we included patients who received PCI for acute MI and survived to discharge with DAPT from 2011 to 2021.

2025 Update Consensus of Tc-Pyrophosphate Scintigraphy in the Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis from the Taiwan Society of Cardiology and the Society of Nuclear Medicine of the Republic of China.

This 2025 updated consensus outlines the diagnostic strategy for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Given that ATTR-CM is a significant contributor to heart failure, this article emphasizes the importance of making an early and precise diagnosis, particularly as new therapeutic options become available. Highlighting the critical importance of an early and accurate diagnosis, particularly in light of emerging therapeutic modalities, this consensus underscores the central role of Tc-pyrophosphate (PYP) scintigraphy as a non-invasive diagnostic tool.

EBV-specific T-cell immunity: relevance for multiple sclerosis.

Genetic and environmental factors jointly determine the susceptibility to develop multiple sclerosis (MS). Improvements in the design of epidemiological studies have helped to identify consistent environmental risk associations such as the increased susceptibility for MS following Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, while biological mechanisms that drive the association between EBV and MS remain incompletely understood. An increased and broadened repertoire of antibody and T-cell immune responses to EBV-encoded antigens, especially to the dominant CD4 T-cell EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1), is consistently observed in patients with MS, indicating that protective EBV-specific immune responses are deregulated in MS and potentially contribute to disease development.

Optimized BCMA/CS1 bispecific TRuC-T cells secreting IL-7 and CCL21 robustly control multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Challenges remain in reducing antigen escape and tumor recurrence while CAR-T cell therapy has substantially improved outcomes in the treatment of multiple myeloma. T cell receptor fusion construct (TRuC)-T cells, which utilize intact T cell receptor (TCR)-CD3 complex to eliminate tumor cells in a non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted manner, represent a promising strategy. Moreover, interleukin-7 (IL-7) is known to enhance the proliferation and survival of T cells.

Enhancing quality of care for older adults: The age-friendly health system (4Ms framework) and the role of general medicine physicians as system-based complexologists.

The aging population presents critical challenges to global healthcare systems, with Japan expected to have 35% of its population aged 65 or older by 2040. Older adults often experience multimorbidity, cognitive impairments, and physical frailties, increasing healthcare utilization and costs. Traditional medical approaches that focus on organ-specific diagnoses are insufficient for addressing these multifaceted needs.

Role-play-based coaching program for empowering clinical educators.

Coaching in medical education is a valuable method for enhancing the well-being and job satisfaction of medical professionals, particularly through interactive conversations that foster self-awareness and independent action. A 90-min coaching training program, incorporating lectures and role-plays, was conducted to equip medical professionals with essential coaching skills. The program was well received, and there are plans to expand and tailor future programs to further develop these skills among various healthcare educators.

Validating the DIVERT scales, CARS, and EARLI for predicting emergency department visits in home health care in Japan: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: The Detection of Indicators and Vulnerabilities for Emergency Room Trips (DIVERT) scale, the Community Assessment Risk Screen (CARS), and the Emergency Admission Risk Likelihood Index (EARLI) are scales that assess the risk of emergency department (ED) visits among home health care patients. This study validated these scales and explored factors that could improve their predictive accuracy among Japanese home health care patients.

Methods: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study.

Characteristics of patients with somatoform pain disorder.

Background: Patients with somatoform pain experience physical pain that cannot be attributed to any underlying medical or physiological cause, and it is often thought to be related to psychological factors. Health professionals encounter difficulties identifying this specific type of chronic pain, leading to suboptimal treatment strategies. Therefore, we aimed to describe the characteristics of patients with somatoform pain, to support the identification of affected patients.

Effectiveness of the educational training program for Japanese chief residents: A one-year pilot study.

Background: Multi-institutional faculty development programs for chief residents were lacking in Japan. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program for enhancing the knowledge and behaviors of chief residents at the national level.

Methods: Six participants completed self-assessment questionnaires at three points: before, immediately after, and 6 months post-program.

Cardiopulmonary exercise response at high altitude in patients with congenital heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: An increasing number of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) engage in physical activities and may exercise at high altitudes (HA). The physiological adaptations required at HA and their implications on individuals with CHD, especially during exercise, remain underexplored. This systematic review aims to investigate cardiopulmonary exercise responses to short-term HA exposure in individuals with CHD.

Mapping the reporting practices in recent randomised controlled trials published in : A scoping review of methodological quality.

Unlabelled: The official medical journals of scientific societies advocate for high-quality standards. It's important to assess whether randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in influential journals, such as the hybrid journal of the European Society of , and (), adhere to reporting guidelines and best practices. Therefore, the present scoping review aimed to explore and map the reporting practices and methodological quality in recent RCTs published in the () journal, focusing on identifying gaps in adherence to reporting guidelines and transparency.

Metastatic multicentric epithelioid angiosarcoma of bone. A case report with pitfalls. Tumor seeding after percutaneous biopsy and hypercalcemia.

Angiosarcomas are a type of malignant tumor of vascular origin. They represent <1% of all primary bone tumors. The multicentric or metastatic does not differ in its high aggressiveness and poor prognosis.

Curative resection of multiple primary neuroendocrine tumors enabled by preoperative imaging: a case report.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NENs) originate from neuroendocrine cells and predominantly occur in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and pancreas. Although the liver is commonly involved in NEN metastasis, primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors (PHNETs) are rare. Herein, we report a case of a 52-year-old female who presented with slowly enlarging, cystic, multiple PHNETs.

Gestational gigantomastia with pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia - a case report of rare entities.

Gestational gigantomastia (GG) is a rare and severe clinical complication of pregnancy. It is characterized by dramatic and uncontrolled growth of the breasts, often leading to physical discomfort, psychological distress and significant surgical complications. Its pathophysiology is poorly understood; management options include conservative pharmacological and surgical interventions.

Advancements and applications of artificial intelligence in cardiovascular imaging: a comprehensive review.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming cardiovascular imaging by offering advancements across multiple modalities, including echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography (CCT), cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), interventional cardiology, nuclear medicine, and electrophysiology. This review explores the clinical applications of AI within each of these areas, highlighting its ability to improve patient selection, reduce image acquisition time, enhance image optimization, facilitate the integration of data from different imaging modality and clinical sources, improve diagnosis and risk stratification. Moreover, we illustrate both the advantages and the limitations of AI across these modalities, acknowledging that while AI can significantly aid in diagnosis, risk stratification, and workflow efficiency, it cannot replace the expertise of cardiologists.

Image reconstruction impacts haemodynamic parameters derived from 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging with compressed sensing.

Aims: 4D blood flow measurements by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) can be used to simplify blood flow assessment. Compressed sensing (CS) can provide better flow measurements than conventional parallel imaging (PI), but clinical validation is needed. This study aimed to validate stroke volume (SV) measurements by 4D-CS in healthy volunteers and patients while also investigating the influence of the CS image reconstruction parameter on haemodynamic parameters.

C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4-directed PET signal in the arterial tree is not consistently linked to calcified plaque burden and cardiovascular risk.

To establish the extent, distribution and frequency of in-vivo vessel wall [Ga]Ga-PentixaFor uptake and to determine its relationship with calcified atherosclerotic plaque burden (CAP) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF). 65 oncological patients undergoing [Ga]Ga-PentixaFor PET/CT were assessed. Radiotracer uptake (target-to-background ratio [TBR]) and CAP burden (including number of CAP sites, calcification circumference and thickness) in seven major vessel segments per patient were determined.

Risk Factors Associated With the Development of Calciphylaxis in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review.

Calciphylaxis is a rare but potentially life-threatening disease that is not yet completely understood. It occurs mainly in patients with chronic kidney disease termed calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA) but also affects patients with normal renal function. Although this disease's pathogenesis is unclear, it is associated with the dysregulation of calcium and phosphate and subsequent calcification of peripheral arterioles.

Periodontitis in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with coronary artery disease (CAD) being the primary contributor. Periodontitis, a common non-communicable disease, has been associated with an increased risk of CVD. Previous studies have suggested a link between the severity of periodontitis and the degree of coronary artery obstruction.