The use of submaximal parameters in the assessment of exercise capacity in children with obesity.

Background: Peak oxygen uptake (VO) is considered the most important indicator of aerobic exercise capacity during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). However, its accuracy is compromised when maximal effort is not achieved. In such cases, submaximal parameters can serve as surrogates for assessing exercise performance.

Efficient evacuation - enhanced survival: Insights from Gaza conflict trauma care.

Background: Combat-related injuries have evolved in urban warfare because of close-contact engagements and high-energy blast injuries, with rapid medical evacuation improving survival rates. This study analyzes injury patterns and outcomes in the Gaza conflict, emphasizing the need to optimize trauma care protocols in modern combat environments, particularly because of the unique proximity of conflict zones to tertiary trauma centers.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at a single center involving 189 patients evacuated by helicopter to a Level I tertiary trauma center.

Achievements, priorities and strategies in pediatric nephrology in Europe: need for unifying approaches or acceptance of differences?

Background: There is a lack of information on the current healthcare systems for children with kidney diseases across Europe. The aim of this study was to explore the different national approaches to the organization and delivery of pediatric nephrology services within Europe.

Methods: In 2020, the European society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify the existing pediatric nephrology healthcare systems in 48 European countries covering a population of more than 200 million children.

Retinoblastoma with and without Extraocular Tumor Extension: A Global Comparative Study of 3435 Patients.

Purpose: To study the treatment and outcomes of children with retinoblastoma (RB) with extraocular tumor extension (RB-EOE) and compare them with RB without extraocular tumor extension (RB-w/o-EOE).

Design: Multicenter intercontinental collaborative prospective study from 2017 to 2020. RB-EOE cases included those with overt orbital tumor extension in treatment-naive patients.

Patient-reported outcomes following ciltacabtagene autoleucel or standard of care in patients with lenalidomide-refractory multiple myeloma (CARTITUDE-4): results from a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial.

Background: In CARTITUDE-4, ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) significantly improved progression-free survival (primary endpoint; previously reported) versus standard of care in patients with relapsed, lenalidomide-refractory multiple myeloma. We report here patient-reported outcomes.

Methods: In the ongoing, phase 3, open-label CARTITUDE-4 study, patients were recruited from 81 sites in the USA, Europe, Asia, and Australia, and were randomly assigned 1:1 to cilta-cel (target, 0·75 × 10 CAR-T cells/kg) or standard of care (daratumumab, pomalidomide, and dexamethasone; pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone).

The potential of autologous patient-derived circulating extracellular vesicles to improve drug delivery in rheumatoid arthritis.

Recognizing the need for innovative therapeutic approaches in the management of autoimmune diseases, our current investigation explores the potential of autologous extracellular vesicles (EVs), derived from the blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients, to serve as therapeutic vectors to improve drug delivery. We found that circulating EVs derived from arthritic mice (collagen-induced arthritis model) express the joint/synovia homing receptor, αVβ3 integrin. Importantly, both autologous labeled EVs, derived from the blood of arthritic mice (collagen antibody-induced arthritis model) and healthy mice-derived EVs, exhibit targeted migration toward inflamed synovia without infiltrating healthy joints, as demonstrated by an in vivo imaging system.

The impact of body mass index on surgical complications in minimally invasive hysterectomy for uterine fibroids.

Research Question: We aimed to assess the impact of Body Mass Index (BMI) on 30-day postoperative complications in patients undergoing minimally invasive hysterectomy (MIH) for fibroids.

Design: Using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database (2012-2020), we analyzed major and minor 30-day postoperative complications, stratified by BMI, in patients with uterine fibroids who underwent MIH. Complications were stratified according to the Clavien-Dindo classification.

Length of hospital stay not affected by empirical treatment with ceftriaxone versus cefuroxime for bacteraemia.

Aim: The preferred antibiotic treatment for bacteraemia in infants continues to be debated. We examined the duration of hospital stays as a surrogate for the effectiveness of initial treatment with ceftriaxone versus cefuroxime.

Methods: This was a retrospective review of the medical records of all infants aged 3-36 months, admitted with suspected occult bacteraemia to the paediatric department at Laniado Hospital, Israel, between 2016 and 2022.

The Influence of Negative Affect on Working Memory Updating of Food Stimuli Among Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa.

Objective: Difficulty updating information in working memory has been proposed to underlie ruminative thinking in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, evidence regarding updating difficulties in AN remains inconclusive, particularly among adolescents. It has been proposed that exposure to negative emotion and disorder-salient stimuli may uniquely influence updating in AN.

Mitochondrial DNA lineages determine tumor progression through T cell reactive oxygen signaling.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is highly polymorphic, and host mtDNA variation has been associated with altered cancer severity. To determine the basis of this mtDNA-cancer association, we analyzed conplastic mice with the C57BL/6J (B6) nucleus but two naturally occurring mtDNA lineages, and , where mitochondria generate more oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-derived reactive oxygen species (mROS). In a cardiac transplant model, Foxp3+ T regulatory (Treg) cells supported long-term allograft survival, whereas Treg cells failed to suppress host T effector (Teff) cells, leading to acute rejection.

The Role of Radiotherapy in the Management of Melanoma Brain Metastases: An Overview.

Clinical management of melanoma brain metastases is complex and requires multidisciplinary approach. With close collaboration between neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists, melanoma patients with brain are offered different treatment modalities: surgery, radiation therapy, systemic therapy or combined treatments. Radiation therapy (whole brain radiotherapy- WBRT and stereotactic radiosurgery- SRS) is an integral part of treating melanoma brain metastases.

Development of a reference standard to assign bacterial versus viral infection etiology using an all-inclusive methodology for comparison of novel diagnostic tool performance.

Background: Diagnostic test evaluation requires a reference standard. We describe an approach for creating a reference standard for acute infection using unrestricted adjudication and apply it to compare biomarker tools.

Methods: Adults and children with suspected acute infection enrolled in three prospective studies at emergency departments and urgent cares were included.

Prognostic Factors Predicting Remission Following Rituximab Therapy for Pemphigus Vulgaris.

Pemphigus vulgaris is a chronic autoimmune blistering disease with significant morbidity. Rituximab, approved as its first-line treatment, effectively induces remission. However, few studies have analysed the prognostic factors for improved rituximab outcomes.

Radiation therapy volumes after primary systemic therapy in breast cancer patients: an international EUBREAST survey.

Purpose: After primary systemic therapy (PST), agreement on the extent of locoregional therapy is lacking in breast cancer patients who convert from a node-positive to a node-negative status. The aim of this survey was to investigate radiation therapy approaches after PST according to different axillary surgical strategies and disease responses.

Materials And Methods: The European Breast Cancer Research Association of Surgical Trialists developed a web-based survey containing 39 questions on locoregional management based on clinical scenarios in initially node positive breast cancer patients undergoing PST.

What is the most effective antibiotic monotherapy for severe Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: To compile the evidence of sub-groups of patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) infection from randomized control trials (RCTs) evaluating different definite antipseudomonal monotherapies for severe P.aeruginosa infection.

Comprehensive Analysis of Thrombotic Microangiopathy Following Renal Transplantation.

Thrombotic microangiopathy is a severe complication of renal transplantation. Little is known about risk factors, incidence of autoantibodies against complement components, and prognosis. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively collected for 13 patients diagnosed with post-transplant thrombotic microangiopathy (PT-TMA) in 2011-2018.

The Role of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in the Diagnosis, Risk Stratification, and Management of Patients with Diabetes and Chest Pain.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) affects over 200 million individuals globally, accounting for approximately 9 million deaths annually. Patients living with diabetes mellitus exhibit an up to fourfold increased risk of developing CAD compared to individuals without diabetes. Furthermore, CAD is responsible for 40 to 80 percent of the observed mortality rates among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Reepithelialization of partial thickness porcine burns treated with silver sulfadiazine, triple antibiotic or petrolatum.

Topical antibiotic application and occlusive dressings stand as the current standard of care for partial thickness burn (PTB) treatment. Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is the most widely used topical antimicrobial agent for acute burn management worldwide. Despite its antimicrobial benefits, there is emerging evidence that SSD might delay wound reepithelialization.

The importance of proper naming - A review of Neuroscience-based Nomenclature (NbN).

Neuroscience-based Nomenclature (NbN) is a pharmacologically-driven classification of psychotropics, aiming to revise the current indication-based classification (antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics etc.). Whereas the number of psychotropics has risen dramatically over the years, the current nomenclature preserves a rather narrow categorization that overlooks the rich neurobiological knowledge accumulated to date.

Assessing clinical and morphological features of megalotrichosis induced by Tyrosine kinase inhibitors versus Prostaglandins analogues.

Purpose: Describing the features of Megalotrichosis (MT) induced by Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and differentiate it from Prostaglandins (PGs)-induced MT.

Methods: Medical data of patients with MT referred to our center between 2012-2021 were retrieved for: demographic parameters, medical, surgical and oncologic background, and ophthalmologic background along with diagnoses and treatment. Time from PGs/TKI introduction to MT presentation, MT clinical characteristics, associated complaints, and prescribed therapies in relevant cases were also documented.

Fear of hypoglycemia and sleep in children with type 1 diabetes and their parents.

Aims: To compare impact of pump treatment and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) with predictive low glucose suspend (SmartGuard) or user initiated CGM (iscCGM) on sleep and hypoglycemia fear in children with type 1 Diabetes and parents.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from 5 weeks pump treatment with iscCGM (A) or SmartGuard (B) open label, single center, randomized cross-over study was performed. At baseline and end of treatment arms, sleep and fear of hypoglycemia were evaluated using ActiGraph and questionnaires.