Correlation between parathyroid adenoma volume and perioperative outcomes in primary hyperparathyroidism: Does the size matter?

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) due to a parathyroid adenoma stands as one of the most prevalent endocrinological disorders, with focused parathyroidectomy being the established therapeutic strategy.

Aim: This study aims to investigate whether the volume of the pathological gland influences perioperative outcomes and postoperative morbidity.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 141 patients who underwent focused parathyroidectomy for PHPT at the University Hospital of Basel between 2007 and 2022.

Incidence and resistance rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections in Switzerland: a nationwide surveillance study (2010-2022).

Purpose: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important microorganism in BSIs. The aim of this study was to analyze recent trends in the incidence and resistance rates of P.

Deep Learning-Powered CT-Less Multitracer Organ Segmentation From PET Images: A Solution for Unreliable CT Segmentation in PET/CT Imaging.

Purpose: The common approach for organ segmentation in hybrid imaging relies on coregistered CT (CTAC) images. This method, however, presents several limitations in real clinical workflows where mismatch between PET and CT images are very common. Moreover, low-dose CTAC images have poor quality, thus challenging the segmentation task.

Exploring imitation of within hand prehensile object manipulation using fMRI and graph theory analysis.

This study aims to establish an imitation task of multi-finger haptics in the context of regular grasping and regrasping processes during activities of daily living. A video guided the 26 healthy, right-handed volunteers through the three phases of the task: (1) fixation of a hand holding a cuboid, (2) observation of the sensori-motor manipulation, (3) imitation of that motor action. fMRI recorded the task; graph analysis of the acquisitions revealed the associated functional cerebral connectivity patterns.

Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Hemodialysis: An International, Multicentric Registry.

Background: The net benefit of oral anticoagulation in patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis (HD) is uncertain. In recent years, left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has emerged as an alternative to oral anticoagulation; however, there is scant evidence of LAAC in patients on HD.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of LAAC in patients on HD.

Safety and efficacy of tamoxifen in non-ambulant patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (TAMDMD Group B).

Most patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are non-ambulant. Preserving proximal motor function is crucial, rarely studied. Tamoxifen, a selective oestrogen receptor modulator, reduced signs of muscular pathology in a DMD mouse model.

Quantification of training-induced alterations in body composition via automated machine learning analysis of MRI images in the thigh region: A pilot study in young females.

The maintenance of an appropriate ratio of body fat to muscle mass is essential for the preservation of health and performance, as excessive body fat is associated with an increased risk of various diseases. Accurate body composition assessment requires precise segmentation of structures. In this study we developed a novel automatic machine learning approach for volumetric segmentation and quantitative assessment of MRI volumes and investigated the efficacy of using a machine learning algorithm to assess muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and bone volume of the thigh before and after a strength training.

Role of pre-sacral sentinel lymph nodes in endometrium and cervical cancer: experience with minimally invasive indocyanine green sentinel lymph node mapping.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the role of pre-sacral sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in patients with uterine cancer.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study includes patients with endometrial or cervical cancer who underwent minimally invasive indocyanine green SLN mapping at the Bern University Hospital from December 2012 to December 2022. A complete ultra-staging of the SLNs was performed in all cases.

Impact of atrial fibrillation on productivity in working-age patients: an analysis of Swiss-AF prospective cohort study data.

Aims: We aimed to explore atrial fibrillation (AF)-induced productivity losses in working-age atrial fibrillation patients and to estimate atrial fibrillation-related indirect costs.

Methods: Between 2014 and 2017, the Swiss Atrial Fibrillation prospective cohort study (Swiss-AF) enrolled 217 working-age patients with documented atrial fibrillation. Self-reported changes in professional activity and the reasons thereof were descriptively analysed over 8 years of follow-up or until patients reached the retirement age.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a Swiss case series of a very rare disease and a structured review of the literature.

Introduction: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a very rare disease, with unique diagnostic challenges and often dismal outcome. There are no widely accepted treatment guidelines available. Lymphoma-like regimens with or without autologous or allogenic transplantation were the cornerstone of most therapeutic concepts.

Fibrosis in PCLS: comparing TGF-β and fibrotic cocktail.

Introduction: Fibrotic cocktail (FC) is a combination of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory mediators that induces early fibrotic changes in organotypic lung models. We hypothesised that transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) alone induces a pro-fibrotic effect similar to FC. Our aim was to compare the pro-fibrotic effects of TGF-β1 with FC in human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS).

Net Benefit of Early Anticoagulation for Stroke With Atrial Fibrillation: Post Hoc Analysis of the ELAN Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The net clinical effect of early vs later direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) initiation after atrial fibrillation-associated ischemic stroke is unclear.

Objective: To investigate whether early DOAC treatment is associated with a net clinical benefit (NCB).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a post hoc analysis of the Early Versus Late Initiation of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Post-Ischaemic Stroke Patients With Atrial Fibrillation (ELAN) open-label randomized clinical trial conducted across 103 sites in 15 countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia between November 6, 2017, and September 12, 2022, with a 90-day follow-up.

Glia Modulates Immune Responses in the Retina Through Distinct MHC Pathways.

Glia antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are pivotal regulators of immune surveillance within the retina, maintaining tissue homeostasis and promptly responding to insults. However, the intricate mechanisms underlying their local coordination and activation remain unclear. Our study integrates an animal model of retinal injury, retrospective analysis of human retinas, and in vitro experiments to gain insights into the crucial role of antigen presentation in neuroimmunology during retinal degeneration (RD), uncovering the involvement of various glial cells, notably Müller glia and microglia.

Assessing and comparing compassionate communities benefits across cities in diverse cultural contexts: a step toward the identification of the most important ones.

Background: As Compassionate Communities (CCs) are developing worldwide, there is a growing need to systematically assess if they are having the expected effects on the community. Although having a single strategy would be ideal in terms of standardization and comparison, due to the inherent heterogeneity of CCs, it is not known how feasible this would be.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of creating a general strategy, based on the results of a series of focus groups conducted across three diverse CCs, to guide the evaluation of already existing programs and the development of new ones.

Effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy: Main results of a practice-research network study.

Background: Emotion-Focused Therapy is one of the evidence-based psychotherapies for a range of psychological problems. While most evidence was gained from randomized controlled studies or process research at university settings, there is a need for more outcome research conducted within practitioner-researcher networks assessing the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy in private practice.

Methods: A total of  = 70 clients with a variety of psychiatric disorders have been included in the bi-national practitioner researcher network for Emotion-focused Therapy Switzerland-Germany.

Preventing the progression of cirrhosis to decompensation and death.

Two main stages are differentiated in patients with advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD), one compensated (cACLD) with an excellent prognosis, and the other decompensated (dACLD), defined by the appearance of complications (ascites, variceal bleeding and hepatic encephalopathy) and associated with high mortality. Preventing the progression to dACLD might dramatically improve prognosis and reduce the burden of care associated with ACLD. Portal hypertension is a major driver of the transition from cACLD to dACLD, and a portal pressure of ≥10 mmHg defines clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) as the threshold from which decompensating events may occur.

Anemia and Prognosis in Patients with Acute Venous Thromboembolism.

Background:  Studies found an association between anemia and overall mortality and major bleeding (MB) in patients with acute venous thromboembolism (VTE), but whether anemia is causally related to death, bleeding, or recurrent VTE is uncertain.

Objectives:  To explore the association between anemia at baseline and short-/long-term clinical outcomes in a prospective cohort of 928 patients with acute VTE.

Methods:  We defined anemia as a hemoglobin <13 g/dL for men/< 12 g/dL for women.

Diagnosis and management of de novo non-specific spinal infections: European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Spine Section Delphi consensus recommendations.

Introduction: The management of de novo non-specific spinal infections (spondylodiscitis - SD) remains inconsistent due to varying clinical practices and a lack of high-level evidence, particularly regarding the indications for surgery.

Research Question: This study aims to develop consensus recommendations for the diagnosis and management of SD, addressing diagnostic modalities, surgical indications, and treatment strategies.

Material And Methods: A Delphi process was conducted with 26 experts from the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS).

PSMA PET/CT based multimodal deep learning model for accurate prediction of pelvic lymph-node metastases in prostate cancer patients identified as candidates for extended pelvic lymph node dissection by preoperative nomograms.

Purpose: To develop and validate a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT based multimodal deep learning model for predicting pathological lymph node invasion (LNI) in prostate cancer (PCa) patients identified as candidates for extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) by preoperative nomograms.

Methods: [Ga]Ga-PSMA-617 PET/CT scan of 116 eligible PCa patients (82 in the training cohort and 34 in the test cohort) who underwent radical prostatectomy with ePLND were analyzed in our study. The Med3D deep learning network was utilized to extract discriminative features from the entire prostate volume of interest on the PET/CT images.

Comments and Illustrations of the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine Guidelines: Benign Pleura Lesions (Benign Pleura Thickening, Lesions and Masses)-What Can Be Seen on Transthoracic Ultrasound?

Pleural thickening can be the result of inflammation or infection but can also have a neoplastic origin. Depending on the clinical context, a pleural lesion or mass is often initially suspected of malignancy. Benign pleural tumors are rare, and their appearance on ultrasound (US) is also described less frequently than pleural metastases or malignancies.

Using artificial intelligence based language interpretation in non-urgent paediatric emergency consultations: a clinical performance test and legal evaluation.

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of Google Translate (GT) in translating low-acuity paediatric emergency consultations involving respiratory symptoms and fever, and to examine legal and policy implications of using AI-based language interpretation in healthcare.

Methods: Based on the methodology used for conducting language performance testing routinely at the Interpreter Services Department of the Hospital for Sick Children, clinical performance testing was completed using a paediatric emergency scenario (child with respiratory illness and fever) on five languages: Spanish, French, Urdu, Arabic, and Mandarin. The study focused on GT's translation accuracy and a legal and policy evaluation regarding AI-based interpretation in healthcare was conducted by legal scholars.

Automated AI-based image analysis for quantification and prediction of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis patients.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare connective tissue disease associated with rapidly evolving interstitial lung disease (ILD), driving its mortality. Specific imaging-based biomarkers associated with the evolution of lung disease are needed to help predict and quantify ILD.

Methods: We evaluated the potential of an automated ILD quantification system (icolung) from chest CT scans, to help in quantification and prediction of ILD progression in SSc-ILD.