A comparative analysis of risk stratification tools in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension: a EUSTAR analysis.

Objectives: The 2022 European Society of Cardiology and European Respiratory Society (ESC/ERS) Guidelines for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) recommend risk stratification to optimize management. However, the performance of generic PAH risk stratification tools in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated PAH remains unclear. Our objective was to identify the most accurate approach for risk stratification at SSc-PAH diagnosis.

EULAR recommendations for the treatment of systemic sclerosis: 2023 update.

Objectives: To update the 2017 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommendations for treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc), incorporating new evidence and therapies.

Methods: An international task force was convened in line with EULAR standard operating procedures. A nominal group technique exercise was performed in two rounds to define questions underpinning a subsequent systematic literature review.

Modeling Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Organoids.

Background: The therapeutic armamentarium for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains notably constrained. A factor contributing to this problem could be the scarcity of in vitro models for HFpEF, which hinders progress in developing new therapeutic strategies. Here, we aimed at developing a novel, comorbidity-inspired, human, in vitro model for HFpEF.

Ceftaroline versus vancomycin for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, a matched cohort study.

Background: Vancomycin remains the treatment-of-choice in MRSA bacteraemia (MRSAB) despite significant limitations.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of ceftaroline and vancomycin monotherapy as the initial targeted therapy for MRSAB.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective matched cohort study.

Mending a World of Problems: 12-Year Review of Medical Tourism Inbound Complications in a Tertiary Centre.

Background: Medical tourism is a rapidly expanding multi-billion-dollar industry. Reduced costs, all-inclusive vacation packages that include cosmetic surgery, globalization, and affordable flight expenses have encouraged patients to seek aesthetic procedures in different countries. Cosmetic medical tourism is associated with high complication rates, such as severe infections, wound dehiscence, pain or discomfort, aesthetic dissatisfaction, and even death.

Safety and Outcomes of Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

: Patients with hematologic malignancy (HM) often experience high rates of thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopathy, anemia, leukopenia, and coagulopathy, which can significantly increase the risk of procedural and postoperative complications. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and outcomes of percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in critically ill patients with HM. : This retrospective cohort study included patients with HM who underwent PDT between 2012 and 2023 at a tertiary academic center.

Endothelial Dysfunction and Hemostatic System Activation in Relation to Shift Workers, Social Jetlag, and Chronotype in Female Nurses.

Circadian misalignment, due to shiftwork and/or individual chronotype and/or social jetlag (SJL), quantified as the difference between internal and social timing, may contribute to cardiovascular disease. Markers of endothelial dysfunction and activation of the coagulation system may predict cardiovascular pathology. The present study aim was to investigate the effects of shift work, SJL, and chronotype on endothelial function and coagulation parameters.

Impact of obstructive jaundice on outcomes in acute biliary pancreatitis: a retrospective study.

Objective: To examine the effects of obstructive jaundice on the outcomes of patients with acute biliary pancreatitis.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 332 cases of acute biliary pancreatitis admitted to Rambam Health Care Campus, Israel, from January 1st, 2018, to December 31st, 2021. Patients were categorized based on the presence or absence of obstructive jaundice.

Next-Generation Dental Materials: Exploring Bacterial Biofilm Formation on 3D-Printable Resin-Based Composites.

This study evaluated the microbial growth profile of subgingival multispecies biofilm on 3D-printable resin-based composites (PRBCs). A 96-well cell plate cultivated a 39-species biofilm associated with periodontitis over 7 days. Cylindrical specimens with 12 mm high and 3 mm diameters were prepared by the PRBC group (Cosmos Temp-Yller; Prizma 3D Bio Crown; Prizma 3D Bio Prov) and an acrylic resin as control.

The impact of adverse childhood experiences on pain and subjective cognitive decline in patients treated for localized breast cancer: The mediating role of sense of coherence, sense of danger and psychosocial distress and danger.

Background: Pain and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are common sequala of breast cancer (BC) treatment. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with pain and adverse health outcomes in noncancer population. Sense of coherence (SOC) reflects the disposition that life is manageable and predictable.

Non-parametric Bayesian deep learning approach for whole-body low-dose PET reconstruction and uncertainty assessment.

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging plays a pivotal role in oncology for the early detection of metastatic tumors and response to therapy assessment due to its high sensitivity compared to anatomical imaging modalities. The balance between image quality and radiation exposure is critical, as reducing the administered dose results in a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and information loss, which may significantly affect clinical diagnosis. Deep learning (DL) algorithms have recently made significant progress in low-dose (LD) PET reconstruction.

Dissociative and Deep Sedations Administered by Trained Unsupervised Pediatric Residents in Israeli Emergency Departments.

Study Objective: To cover pediatric emergency physicians' off-hours, third-year pediatric residents in Israel are trained for unsupervised administration of emergency department (ED) dissociative and deep sedation. We assessed the frequency of critical sedation events associated with resident-performed sedations.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review on all patients receiving intravenous sedation across 10 pediatric EDs between January 2018 and September 2022.

Effects of the Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation System on Heartburn, Regurgitation and Esophageal Acid Exposure in GERD Patients-An Uncontrolled Feasibility Study.

Background: Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are associated with a high failure rate. Our uncontrolled feasibility study aimed determining the effect of a transcutaneous electrical stimulation system (TESS) on GERD symptoms and acid exposure time (AET).

Methods: Recruited patients with heartburn and regurgitation.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes mitigate amyloid β-induced retinal toxicity: Insights from rat model and cellular studies.

Amyloid β (Aβ) has emerged as a pathophysiological driver in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), emphasizing its significance in the aetiology of this prevalent sight-threatening condition. The multifaceted nature of AMD pathophysiology, presumably involving diverse retinal cascades, corresponds with the complexity of Aβ-induced retinopathy. Therefore, targeting a broad array of pathogenic processes holds promise for therapeutic intervention in AMD-associated retinal pathology.

The Future of Microbiome Therapeutics.

The human microbiome exerts profound influence over various biological processes within the body. Unlike many host determinants, it represents a readily accessible target for manipulation to promote health benefits. However, existing commercial microbiome-directed products often exhibit low efficacy.

Novel Objective Tool to Assess Tremor Reveals Unilateral Focused Ultrasound Improves Tremor Bilaterally.

Background: Tremor in essential tremor and in tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease is assessed by subjective observations in patients undergoing focused ultrasound thalamotomy, a minimally invasive procedure intended to alleviate tremor in these patients.

Objective: To develop an objective tool for tremor analysis to be used before and after focused ultrasound thalamotomy treatment in the treated hand (contralateral to ablation) and non-treated (ipsilateral to ablation).

Methods: Using image processing and signal processing that utilized images of a Archimedes spiral drawing, we created a tool to analyze tremor.

Left atrial functional impairment as a predictor of atrial fibrillation: insights from cardiac CT.

Objectives: A strong association exists between left atrial (LA) structural remodeling and the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). The role of LA function in AF prediction remains unclear. We studied the relationship between LA function and incident AF using cardiac CT.

Nurse vs physician decision-making in the ED for short acting β2-agonist administration in pediatric asthma.

Objective: To evaluate triage nurses' clinical judgment in determining short acting β2-agonist bronchodilator therapy need for children with shortness of breath in the pediatric emergency department, without prior physician assessment.

Methods: This prospective study compared decision-making between triage nurses and physicians regarding bronchodilator inhalation therapy necessity. Trained nurses assessed children aged 2-18 with shortness of breath, including history-taking, vital signs, and lung auscultation.

A first-in-human study of JNJ-70218902, a bispecific T-cell-redirecting antibody against TMEFF2 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Background: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) has a poor prognosis, necessitating the investigation of novel treatments and targets. This study evaluated JNJ-70218902 (JNJ-902), a T-cell redirector targeting transmembrane protein with epidermal growth factor-like and 2 follistatin-like domains 2 (TMEFF2) and cluster of differentiation 3, in mCRPC.

Patients And Methods: Patients who had measurable/evaluable mCRPC after at least one novel androgen receptor-targeted therapy or chemotherapy were eligible.

AI-based automatic patient positioning in a digital-BGO PET/CT scanner: efficacy and impact.

Background: A recently released digital solid-state positron emission tomography/x-ray CT (PET/CT) scanner with bismuth germanate (BGO) scintillators provides an artificial intelligence (AI) based system for automatic patient positioning. The efficacy of this digital-BGO system in patient placement at the isocenter and its impact on image quality and radiation exposure was evaluated.

Method: The digital-BGO PET/CT with AI-based auto-positioning was compared (χ, Mann-Whitney tests) to a solid-state lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (digital-LYSO) PET/CT with manual patient positioning (n = 432 and 343 studies each, respectively), with results split into groups before and after the date of a recalibration of the digital-BGO auto-positioning camera.

Global Dynamic Impression for Differentiating Between Epileptic and Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures: A Feasibility Study.

Objective: Medical personnel show difficulty in differentiating psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) from epileptic seizures (ES). The purpose of this study was to conduct an initial feasibility assessment of the global dynamic impression (GDI) principle and to evaluate its effectiveness in enabling the diagnosis of epileptic versus psychogenic seizures using video footage of events, even by untrained personnel METHODS: We based this study on video footage showing five videos of PNES and five ES videos. We asked physicians and nurses from the emergency department, internal medicine department, neurology department, and medical students to classify the videos before and after learning the GDI principle.

De novo and inherited dominant variants in U4 and U6 snRNAs cause retinitis pigmentosa.

The U4 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) forms a duplex with the U6 snRNA and, together with U5 and ~30 proteins, is part of the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP complex, located at the core of the major spliceosome. Recently, recurrent variants in the U4 RNA, transcribed from the gene, and in at least two other genes were discovered to cause neurodevelopmental disorder.

Daily participation in preterm-born children: An exploratory and comparative study.

Background: Preterm birth, particularly with lower gestational age and respiratory complications, can impact neurodevelopmental outcomes and participation in daily activities. Understanding how these children engage in everyday tasks, particularly from the perspective of their parents, is critical for assessing long-term health outcomes and quality of life.

Objectives: This study aims to assess parental perceptions of participation and daily performance in children born preterm, comparing early preterm infants with and without chronic lung disease, late preterms, and term-born children.

Discovery of a DNA methylation profile in individuals with Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome.

Pathogenic heterozygous variants in CHD4 cause Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with brain anomalies, heart defects, macrocephaly, hypogonadism, and additional features with variable expressivity. Most individuals have non-recurrent missense variants, complicating variant interpretation. A few were reported with truncating variants, and their role in disease is unclear.

Acoustic speech features are associated with late-life depression and apathy symptoms: Preliminary findings.

Background: Late-life depression (LLD) is a heterogenous disorder related to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative processes, raising a need for the development of novel biomarkers. We sought to provide preliminary evidence for acoustic speech signatures sensitive to LLD and their relationship to depressive dimensions.

Methods: Forty patients (24 female, aged 65-82 years) were assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).