Life-Threatening Esophageal Variceal Hemorrhage in a 7-Year-Old Boy with Massive Portal Vein Enlargement Due to Congenital Arterioportal Fistula.

BACKGROUND Arterioportal fistulas (APFs) are abnormal connections between the arterial and portal venous systems, leading to portal hypertension (PH) and symptoms such as gastrointestinal bleeding, splenomegaly, and hepatic pain. Symptoms typically appear by the age of 2 years in about 75% of cases. CASE REPORT A 7-year-old boy with an asymptomatic APF developed life-threatening complications following a Clostridium difficile infection.

Specialized palliative outpatient clinic care involvement associated with decreased end-of-life hospital costs in cancer patients, a single center study.

Background: Studies show that hospital deaths bring significant health care costs, and the involvement of specialized palliative care can help to reduce these costs. The aim of this retrospective registry-based study was to evaluate end-of-life hospital costs in patients dying in a university hospital oncology ward, with or without specialized palliative outpatient clinic contact at any timepoint.

Methods: The study population consists of all patients who died in the Kuopio University Hospital oncology ward in the years 2012-2018 (n = 457).

LCRAnnotationsDB: a database of low complexity regions functional and structural annotations.

Low Complexity Regions (LCRs) are segments of proteins with a low diversity of amino acid composition. These regions play important roles in proteins. However, annotations describing these functions are dispersed across databases and scientific literature.

Neural processing of sad and happy autobiographical memories in women with depression and borderline personality disorder.

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are reported to have disrupted autobiographical memory (AM). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging we investigated behavioral and neural processing of the recall of emotional (sad and happy) memories in 30 MDD, 18 BPD, and 34 healthy control (HC) unmedicated women. The behavioral results showed that the MDD group experienced more sadness than the HC after the sad recall, while BPD participants experienced less happiness than HC after the happy recall.

Emergence of multiple spontaneous coherent subnetworks from a single configuration of human connectome coupled oscillators model.

Multi-state metastability in neuroimaging signals reflects the brain's flexibility to transition between network configurations in response to changing environments or tasks. We modeled these dynamics with a Kuramoto network of 90 nodes oscillating at an intrinsic frequency of 40 Hz, interconnected using human brain structural connectivity strengths and delays. We simulated this model for 30 min to generate multi-state metastability.

Magnetoacoustic wave propagation in the solar corona and filament dynamics.

The formation of a S-shaped filament was investigated to determine if and how magnetoacoustic waves in the solar corona can trigger filament excitation. The study investigated how magnetoacoustic waves interact with two magnetic null points in the solar corona. Since the solar corona has a complex magnetic field structure, it is expected that magnetic structures are predominantly responsible for the occurrence of coronal events.

Valorization of corn stover in a single experimental unit: The synergistic effects of steam explosion and semi-continuous subcritical water processing.

Lignocellulosic waste, like corn stover (CS), is widely produced and serves as a key feedstock for biofuels and biochemicals. Semi-continuous subcritical water hydrolysis (SWH) is an eco-friendly method that breaks down cellulose and hemicellulose bonds. To boost fermentable sugar (FS) yields, steam explosion (SE) pretreatment was tested on CS, achieving a cellulose content of 74.

To get through to survive: Exploring the symptom cluster management process during oncological treatment from the perspective of patients with lung cancer - A grounded theory study.

Purpose: To explore the symptom cluster management process from the perspective of patients with lung cancer within the oncological care context.

Methods: We used a constructivist grounded theory methodology to collect and analyze rich data from 15 patients with lung cancer via individual interviews and a two-dimensional symptom assessment scale.

Results: A situational theoretical model describes the symptom cluster management process through the main category 'To get through to survive', with the category 'Handling symptom clusters' together with six sub-categories concerning the patients' management strategies and the category 'Living with symptom clusters,' together with two sub-categories describing the outcome in their daily life.

Electro-bioremediation of wastewater: Transitioning the focus on pure cultures to elucidate the missing mechanistic insights upon electro-assisted biodegradation of exemplary pollutants.

Electro-bioremediation of exemplary water pollutants such as nitrogenous, phosphorous, and sulphurous compounds, hydrocarbons, metals and azo dyes has already been studied at a macro-scale level using mixed cultures. The technology has been generally established as a proof of concept at the technology readiness level (TRL) of 3, and there are already specific cases where the technology reached TRL 5. However, this technology is less utilized compared to traditional approaches.

Value of ultrasound-assessed dactylitis in the early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis.

Purpose: The primary objective of this prospective, longitudinal, observational, single-centre study was to evaluate the association between ultrasound-assessed lesions of dactylitis and the diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients with psoriasis (PsO) and hand arthralgia.

Methods: We included adult patients diagnosed with PsO with hand arthralgia, with or without other musculoskeletal complaints. They were clinically assessed at baseline, 6 and 12 months by a rheumatologist blinded to the ultrasound findings.

Point-of-care additive manufacturing: state of the art and adoption in Spanish hospitals during pre to post COVID-19 era.

Background: 3D technologies [Virtual and Augmented 3D planning, 3D printing (3DP), Additive Manufacturing (AM)] are rapidly being adopted in the healthcare sector, demonstrating their relevance in personalized medicine and the rapid development of medical devices. The study's purpose was to understand the state and evolution of 3DP/AM technologies at the Point-of-Care (PoC), its adoption, organization and process in Spanish hospitals and to understand and compare the evolution of the models, clinical applications, and challenges in utilizing the technology during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Methods: This was a questionnaire-based qualitative and longitudinal study.

Can we predict the risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with Cushing's syndrome: a nationwide cohort analysis.

Purpose: Patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS) have an increased venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk with most studies focusing on the perioperative period. The purpose of this study was to assess the 5-year VTE risk and identify predictors of VTE at CS diagnosis.

Methods: A comparative nationwide retrospective cohort study of 609 patients (mean age 48.

Diagnostic Nerve Block to Guide Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Injection for Clonus in Spastic Equinovarus Foot: A Retrospective Study.

Clonus is characterized by involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory muscle contractions, typically triggered by rapid muscle stretching and is frequently associated with spastic equinovarus foot (SEVF), where it may increase risk of falls and cause discomfort, pain, and sleep disorders. We hypothesize that selective diagnostic nerve block (DNB) of the tibial nerve motor branches can help identify which muscle is primarily responsible for clonus in patients with SEVF and provide useful information for botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) treatment. This retrospective study explored which calf muscles contributed to clonus in 91 patients with SEFV after stroke (n = 31), multiple sclerosis (n = 21), and cerebral palsy (n = 39), using selective DNB.

Maximizing Collagen Yield from Underutilized Lumpfish () Skins by Optimizing Pre-Cleaning and Extraction Methods.

Female lumpfish () are a primary target of commercial fishery for their roe, a substitute for caviar. The remaining carcasses are underutilized rest raw material. The pre-treatment and acid extraction conditions of collagen from lumpfish skins were optimized.

Long-Term Safety and Efficacy of Lacosamide Combined with NOACs in Post-Stroke Epilepsy and Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.

Stroke is the leading cause of seizures and epilepsy in adults; however, current guidelines lack robust recommendations for treating post-stroke seizures (PSSs) and epilepsy (PSE). This study aims to demonstrate the long-term safety and efficacy of lacosamide combined with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with PSE and atrial fibrillation (AF). In this prospective longitudinal single-center study, 53 patients with concomitant PSE and AF, admitted between 2022 and 2023, received NOACs for AF management and lacosamide for seizure control.

Role of Multimodal Imaging in Clinical Practice for the Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis: A Case Series.

Background: The 2023 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis (IE) highlighted the essential role of multimodal imaging in the diagnostic algorithm of IE and its complications.

Methods: We hereby report a case series of IE in which the diagnosis was confirmed or excluded by the use of multimodal imaging during the period between January 2024 and July 2024 at the Infectious Diseases Clinic, Perugia Hospital, Italy.

Results: Six patients were retrospectively included.

Survival Outcomes with Regorafenib and/or Trifluridine/Tipiracil Sequencing to Rechallenge with Third-Line Regimens in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Multicenter Retrospective Real-World Subgroup Comparison from the ReTrITA Study.

Background: There is ongoing discussion around the optimal course of treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) following the second line. Trifluridine/tipiracil (T) and regorafenib (R) have been the mainstay of therapy in this situation, as they both increased overall survival (OS) in comparison to a placebo. Despite the paucity of evidence, therapy rechallenge is also recognized as an option for practical use.

The Use of Gel Electrophoresis to Separate Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplicons Allows for the Easy Identification and Assessment of the Spread of Toxigenic Strains.

is a common etiological factor of hospital infections, which, in extreme cases, can lead to the death of patients. Most strains belonging to this bacterium species synthesize very dangerous toxins: toxin A (TcdA) and B (TcdB) and binary toxin (CDT). The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of agarose gel electrophoresis separation of multiplex PCR amplicons to investigate the toxinogenic potential of strains.

Two-fold increased risk of cardiovascular events in people with MDR HIV: a matched cohort analysis with data from the PRESTIGIO registry.

Background: Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) may contribute to the high morbidity in people with four-class drug-resistant HIV (4DR-PWH).

Objectives: To explore the probability of MACEs in 4DR-PWH compared with non-4DR controls.

Methods: This was a retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study on 4DR-PWH (cases) and non-4DR-PWH (controls), on ART, without previous MACEs.

Building a Foundation for High-Quality Health Data: Multihospital Case Study in Belgium.

Background: Data quality is fundamental to maintaining the trust and reliability of health data for both primary and secondary purposes. However, before the secondary use of health data, it is essential to assess the quality at the source and to develop systematic methods for the assessment of important data quality dimensions.

Objective: This case study aims to offer a dual aim-to assess the data quality of height and weight measurements across 7 Belgian hospitals, focusing on the dimensions of completeness and consistency, and to outline the obstacles these hospitals face in sharing and improving data quality standards.

Cognitive functioning in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: protocol for the Danish CPCog-Youth study.

Background: Many children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) experience cognitive difficulties, impacting their academic, social, and emotional well-being. A Danish study from 2023 revealed that merely 40% of individuals with CP complete their elementary school education, and previous neuropsychological studies have found that most children and adolescents with CP experience cognitive difficulties. Yet, cognitive functioning is often assumed rather than assessed, and CP follow-up programs focus predominantly on physical functioning.

The mitochondrial and cytoplasmic superoxide anion imbalance trigger the expression of certain cellular aging markers in HaCaT keratinocytes.

In cells, the term "cellular aging" represents a collection of biological changes that can precede the proliferative senescence states. Cells more resistant to proliferative senescence, such as the ones found in the basal layer of the epidermis, may also exhibit these aging patterns. Therefore, cellular aging events could be induced by endogenous signals named here as cellular aging triggers (CATs) components.