The Brain Tumor Segmentation - Metastases (BraTS-METS) Challenge 2023: Brain Metastasis Segmentation on Pre-treatment MRI.

The translation of AI-generated brain metastases (BM) segmentation into clinical practice relies heavily on diverse, high-quality annotated medical imaging datasets. The BraTS-METS 2023 challenge has gained momentum for testing and benchmarking algorithms using rigorously annotated internationally compiled real-world datasets. This study presents the results of the segmentation challenge and characterizes the challenging cases that impacted the performance of the winning algorithms.

Sex differences in LDL-C control in a primary care population: The PORTRAIT-DYS study.

Background And Aims: Cardiovascular (CV) diseases show clear differences in clinical manifestation and treatment outcomes between men and women. To reduce sex disparities in achieving lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) goals, a sex-focused assessment is essential and more studies are needed to bring new evidence to clinicians. This study aims to assess the role of sex in attaining low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals, after correction for age, CV risk category, LLT intensity, and presence of mental health disorder and social deprivation.

Twenty years of real-world data to estimate chronic kidney disease prevalence and staging in an unselected population.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a global public health burden, but its true prevalence is not fully characterized in the majority of countries. We studied the CKD prevalence in adult users of the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare units of an integrated health region in northern Portugal ( = 136 993; representing ∼90% of the region's adult population). Of these, 45 983 (33.

Underprescription of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RA: CAREPRO-T2D (Cardiorenal Protection in Type 2 Diabetes) Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: New glucose-lowering drugs have shown benefits regarding cardiovascular events, heart failure, and kidney-related outcomes in type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to estimate the adequacy of SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) prescription to people living with T2D with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or heart failure (HF).

Material And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on adults with T2D in a Portuguese local health unit between January 2019 and January 2020.

Distinction between Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus lactis by a PCR-Based Assay for Accurate Identification and Diagnostics.

It was recently proposed that Enterococcus faecium colonizing the human gut (previous clade B) actually corresponds to Enterococcus lactis. Our goals were to develop a PCR assay to rapidly differentiate these species and to discuss the main phenotypic and genotypic differences from a clinical perspective. The pan-genome of 512 genomes of E.

Cardiovascular Risk Profile and Lipid Management in the Population-Based Cohort Study LATINO: 20 Years of Real-World Data.

The rising prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors in Portugal has translated into more than 35,000 annual deaths due to CV diseases. We performed a multicenter observational cohort study encompassing clinical activities performed between 2000 and 2019 to characterize the CV risk profile and LDL-C management of patients in every CV risk category using electronic health records of a regional population in Portugal. We analyzed data from 14 health centers and 1 central hospital in the north of Portugal of patients between 40 and 80 years that had at least 1 family medicine appointment at these institutions.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: does variant histology matter?

Purpose: The most frequent histology of bladder tumors is urothelial carcinoma. Most are pure urothelial carcinomas (PUC) but up to one-third of the cases present variant histological (VH) features. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of variant histology in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response in patients with urothelial muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

A 6-month trial of memantine for nystagmus and associated phenomena in oculopalatal tremor.

Introduction: Oculopalatal tremor (OPT) is a late manifestation of a Guillain-Mollaret triangle lesion. Memantine has been shown to improve nystagmus in OPT, but its long-term efficacy and putative distinct effects on each plane of nystagmus and on associated phenomena (e.g.

Short-Term Oxygen Therapy Outcomes in COPD.

Rationale: Short-term oxygen therapy (STOT) is often prescribed to allow patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to be discharged safely from hospital following an acute illness. This practice is widely accepted without being based on evidence.

Purpose: Our objective was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with COPD who received STOT.

20 Years of Real-World Data to Estimate the Prevalence of Heart Failure and Its Subtypes in an Unselected Population of Integrated Care Units.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome caused by structural and functional cardiac abnormalities resulting in the impairment of cardiac function, entailing significant mortality. The prevalence of HF has reached epidemic proportions in the last few decades, mainly in the elderly, but recent evidence suggests that its epidemiology may be changing. Objective: Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of HF and its subtypes, and to characterize HF in a population of integrated care users.

Outcomes of laparoscopic salvage radical prostatectomy after primary treatment of prostate cancer.

Introduction: Treatment of radio-recurrent prostate cancer (PC) is managed mainly by androgen deprivation therapy. Nonetheless, selected patients could benefit from local salvage treatment options.In this study we present our series of recurrent PC cases submitted to laparoscopic salvage radical prostatectomy (sRP) at our institution.

Development of an Ultraviolet-C Irradiation Room in a Public Portuguese Hospital for Safe Re-Utilization of Personal Protective Respirators.

Almost two years have passed since COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. However, it still holds a tight grasp on the entire human population. Several variants of concern, one after another, have spread throughout the world.

Premature Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Associated with Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease: 20 Years of Real-World Data.

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) increases the risk of heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nonetheless, evidence of cardiovascular (CV) prognosis is relatively scarce in young T2D patients.

Purpose: To estimate the risk of all-cause death, CV death, and non-fatal major CV events (MACEs) in T2D patients younger than 65 years old.

Immunotherapy in stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in a patient with Grave's disease: safety and biomarkers of response.

Patients with cancer and pre-existing autoimmune diseases have been excluded from immunotherapy clinical trials. So, studying these patients who received immunotherapy is critical to increasing evidence of the treatment's safety and efficacy in this population. Furthermore, a complete and durable response to immunotherapy in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is rare.

Type I tympanoplasty in pediatric age - The results of a tertiary hospital.

Introduction: The performance of pediatric tympanoplasty is a matter of controversy in the literature, varying from 35 to 94%. Several authors argue that the performance of tympanoplasty should be delayed until 6-8 years old or even after 10 years old.

Objectives: To analyze the results of type I tympanoplasty in pediatric age and to identify possible prognostic factors.

Cannabinoids: A Cause of Severe Bradycardia.

The use of recreational cannabis affects almost all countries in the world, being illegal in most of them. Cannabis formulations include several compounds, with cannabidiol (CBD) being one of the best studied. One of its effects is its action in adenosine (anti-arrhythmic) receptors.

The role of minor salivary glands' biopsy in the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome and other systemic diseases.

Background: The minor salivary glands' biopsy is a minimally invasive procedure used for the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome. Its significance has also been reported in other inflammatory/infiltrative diseases. The objectives are to investigate its use in the diagnosis of Sjögren's syndrome, as well as to evaluate its role in the diagnosis of amyloidosis and sarcoidosis.