Continuous assessment in medical education: Exploring students' views on the progress test.

The Progress Test (PT) is a valuable tool for the continuous assessment of medical students' learning. This quantitative, cross-sectional study aimed to understand the perceptions of 908 medical students (702 from a private and 206 from a public institution) in São Paulo, Brazil, regarding the design and implementation of PT. Analysis included descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation, Pearson's Chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test.

Revolutionizing cancer treatment: the rise of personalized immunotherapies.

Interest in biological therapy for cancer has surged due to its precise targeting of cancer cells and minimized impact on surrounding healthy tissues. This review discusses various biological cancer therapies, highlighting advanced alternatives over conventional chemotherapy alone. It explores DNA and RNA-based vaccines, T-cell modifications, adoptive cell transfer, CAR T cell therapy, angiogenesis inhibitors, and the combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy, offering a holistic view of the potential in cancer treatment.

Kidney stone analysis: an EAU section of urolithiasis (EULIS) survey on current practices and perspectives worldwide.

Purpose: To investigate the current thoughts and perspectives on kidney stone analysis amongst urologists and urology residents worldwide.

Methods: In October 2022 an online survey supported by the EULIS was circulated amongst urologists and urology residents worldwide. The survey was based on the current EAU guidelines regarding stone analysis and its role in urolithiasis management.

The impact of COVID-19 infection on multiple sclerosis disease course across 12 countries: a propensity-score-matched cohort study.

Background: The relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse and disease progression remains unclear. Previous studies are limited by small sample sizes and most lack a propensity-matched control cohort.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of COVID-19 infection on MS disease course with a large propensity-matched cohort.

Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for Oral Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate if there are differences in mitigation acute pain following oral surgery procedures within a hospital setting and regarding various medication regimens.

Materials And Methods: A systematic literature search was performed between the years 2013 and 2023, including the databases PUBMED, Cochrane and Scopus, to identify the clinical trials investigating the prescription of non-steroidal (NSAID's) anti-inflammatory drugs before or after an oral surgery. A meta-analysis with meta-regression model was employed on the primary and secondary outcomes, such as pain, swelling and trismus.

Identifying risk factors for blood culture negative infective endocarditis: An international ID-IRI study.

Background: Blood culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE) is a diagnostic challenge, therefore our objective was to pinpoint high-risk cohorts for BCNE.

Methods: The study included adult patients with definite endocarditis. Data were collected via the Infectious Diseases International Research Initiative (ID-IRI).

Long term cognitive dysfunction among critical care survivors: associated factors and quality of life-a multicenter cohort study.

Objectives: To identify the prevalence and associated factors of cognitive dysfunction, 1 year after ICU discharge, among adult patients, and it´s relation with quality of life.

Methods: Multicenter, prospective cohort study including ICUs of 10 tertiary hospitals in Brazil, between May 2014 and December 2018. The patients included were 452 adult ICU survivors (median age 60; 47.

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance of Bacteroides fragilis isolated from blood cultures, Europe, 2022 (ReSuBacfrag).

Objectives: Bacteroides fragilis is the most frequent cause of anaerobic bacteraemia. Although recent data suggest a rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of this and other anaerobic bacteria, surveillance remains limited due to a lack of both data availability and comparability. However, a newly introduced standardised method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of anaerobic bacteria has made larger scale surveillance possible for the first time.

Renal screening sonography-A comparative study in a Portuguese basic emergency service.

Introduction: Renal Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is a screening modality that aids in clinical decision-making for patients with suspected renal colic. This study intends to compare the accuracy and pertinence of sonographic findings obtained by a sonographer in a Basic Emergency Service (BES) with the imaging findings at the Referral Hospital (RH).

Methods: Thirty-one patients suspected of having renal pathology underwent initial sonography screening with POCUS at the BES and were subsequently referred to the RH for additional imaging examinations.

Treatment of Obesity with Thyroid hormones in Europe. Data from the THESIS* Collaboration.

Purpose: The use of thyroid hormones (TH) to treat obesity is unsupported by evidence as reflected in international guidelines. We explored views about this practice, and associations with respondent characteristics among European thyroid specialists.

Methods: Specialists from 28 countries were invited to a survey via professional organisations.

Epidemiological and clinical trends of visceral leishmaniasis in Portugal: retrospective analysis of cases diagnosed in public hospitals between 2010 and 2020.

Background: Leishmania infantum is endemic in the Mediterranean region, presenting mostly as visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In Portugal, reporting of VL cases to public health authorities is mandatory, but significant underreporting is likely. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of the VL cases diagnosed in hospitals of the Portuguese National Health Service (NHS), between 2010 and 2020.

Disentangling the relationship between sensory processing, alexithymia and broad autism spectrum: A study in parents' of children with autism spectrum disorders and sensory processing disorders.

Background: Autistic features and sensory processing difficulties and their phenotypic co-expression with alexithymia share a transdiagnostic vulnerability. In this work, we explored whether the current concept of broad autism phenotype rather translates altered sensory processing (non-specific to autism), meaning that the characteristics of altered sensory processing should be overexpressed among individuals with heightened vulnerability to sensory processing atypicalities (parents of children with sensorial processing disorder, or SPD parents) and individuals with heightened vulnerability to autistic traits (parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, or ASD parents). In addition, the association between altered sensory processing and alexithymia was inspected.

Challenges for palliative care in times of COVID-19: a scoping review.

Introduction: Many of the essential practices in palliative care (PC) had to be adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. This global spread of the infectious respiratory disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2, created unprecedented obstacles. The aim of this research was to comprehensively assess the experiences and perceptions of healthcare professionals, individuals, and families in palliative and end-of-life situations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gamification and Oral Health in Children and Adolescents: Scoping Review.

Background: Oral health is a determinant of overall well-being and quality of life. Individual behaviors, such as oral hygiene and dietary habits, play a central role in oral health. Motivation is a crucial factor in promoting behavior change, and gamification offers a means to boost health-related knowledge and encourage positive health behaviors.