Sex differences in survival from melanoma of the skin: The role of age, anatomic location and stage at diagnosis: A CONCORD-3 study in 59 countries.

Background: CONCORD-3 highlighted wide disparities in population-based 5-year net survival for cutaneous melanoma during 2000-2014. Studies showed a survival advantage in women, but the reasons are not completely understood. We aim to estimate trends in age-standardised 5-year net survival by sex and to examine the role of age, anatomic location and stage on the survival advantage for women worldwide.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on alcohol consumption in young adults: A systematic review.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented restrictions, leading to differences in the frequency and patterns of alcohol consumption, especially among young adults. This systematic review aims to investigate the overall evidence concerning changes in alcohol consumption in this period.

Study Design: Systematic review.

Modelling the long-term dynamics and inhibitory effects of crude glycerol impurities in a methanogenic and sulfidogenic UASB bioreactor.

The performance of Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) bioreactors treating sulfate (SO) -rich effluents depends on multiple factors, including microbial interactions and operational conditions. The high complexity of these systems necessitates the use of mathematical modelling tools to better understand the process and predict the long-term impacts of various operational variables. In this work, a mathematical model describing the long-term operation of a sulfate-fed 2.

Replacing Theories with Evidence Around the Axes of the Eye in Intraocular Lens Selection: A Review for the Clinician.

The prevailing narrative in scientific literature has long overemphasized the role of ocular axes in intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, perpetuating misconceptions that have led to unnecessary exclusions of patients. Historical assumptions, coupled with inconsistent terminology and statistical inaccuracies, have muddled clinical decision-making. This review delves into these misconceptions, offering a critical reassessment of their relevance.

[Translated article] Protocol for the adaptation and consensus of the Community Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture to hospital pharmacy in Spain.

Introduction: The Community Pharmacy Survey on Patient Safety Culture (CPSOPSC) is a tool created by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and used in the United States to assess the patient safety culture among community pharmacy workers. This survey has been adapted for use in hospital pharmacies in other countries. However, it has not yet been implemented in Spanish hospital pharmacies due to the lack of an applicable version in Spain.

Unlocking the signaling potential of GPI-anchored proteins through lipolytic cleavage.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins (APs) regulate numerous biological processes through interaction with signaling effectors at the cell surface. As a unique feature, GPI-APs can be released from their anchors by multi-pass GPI-specific phospholipases (types A2, C, and D) to impact signaling networks, phenotype, and cell fate; however, many questions remain outstanding. Here, we discuss and expand our current understanding of the distinct GPI-specific phospholipases, their substrates, effector pathways, and emerging physiological roles, with a focus on the six-transmembrane ecto-phospholipases GDE2 (GDPD5) and GDE3 (GDPD2).

Fluid fluctuations assessed with artificial intelligence during the maintenance phase impact anti-vascular endothelial growth factor visual outcomes in a multicentre, routine clinical care national age-related macular degeneration database.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of fluid volume fluctuations quantified with artificial intelligence in optical coherence tomography scans during the maintenance phase and visual outcomes at 12 and 24 months in a real-world, multicentre, national cohort of treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) eyes.

Methods: Demographics, visual acuity (VA) and number of injections were collected using the Fight Retinal Blindness tool. Intraretinal fluid (IRF), subretinal fluid (SRF), pigment epithelial detachment (PED), total fluid (TF) and central subfield thickness (CST) were quantified using the RetinAI Discovery tool.

PD-1 cis-targeted IL-2v in combination with radiotherapy inhibits lung cancer growth and remodels the immune microenvironment.

Background: More efficient therapeutic options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are needed as the survival at 5 years of metastatic disease is near zero. In this regard, we used a preclinical model of metastatic lung adenocarcinoma (SV2-OVA) to assess the safety and efficacy of novel radio-immunotherapy combining hypofractionated radiotherapy (HRT) with muPD1-IL2v immunocytokine and muFAP-CD40 bispecific antibody.

Methods: We evaluated the changes in the lung immune microenvironment at multiple timepoints following combination therapies and investigated their underlying antitumor mechanisms.

National survey on data governance and digital surgery: Challenges and opportunities for surgeons in the era of artificial intelligence.

Introduction: This study evaluates the knowledge of Spanish surgeons regarding data governance and Digital Surgery, their usage, errors, and training deficiencies, as well as differences in knowledge between those who perform robotic surgery and those who do not.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using a closed survey promoted by the Minimally Invasive Surgery and Technological Innovation Section of the Spanish Association of Surgeons, directed at its members between February and March 2024.

Results: Out of 1,086 surgeons contacted, 396 responded (36.

Ex vivo intravascular methylene blue instillation in oesophagectomy and gastrectomy specimens and its implication in tumour histopathological assessment.

Surgical resection and lymphadenectomy are the mainstay of curative treatment for oesophagogastric cancer. In this study we evaluate the results of intravascular methylene blue injection into oesophagectomy and gastrectomy specimens as a tool to increase lymph node detection. A prospective and descriptive study was run on 24 patients (11 oesophagus, 13 stomach cases).

Spatiotemporal network dynamics and structural correlates in the human cerebral cortex in vitro.

Elucidating human cerebral cortex function is essential for understanding the physiological basis of both healthy and pathological brain states. We obtained extracellular local field potential recordings from cortical slices of neocortical tissue from refractory epilepsy patients. Multi-electrode recordings were combined with histological information, providing a two-dimensional spatiotemporal characterization of human cortical dynamics in control conditions and following modulation of the excitation/inhibition balance.

A new population pharmacokinetic model for dosing optimization of zonisamide in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Zonisamide exhibits significant pharmacokinetic variability, demanding for the development of population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) models to identify key factors influencing drug disposition. This study aimed to develop and validate a PopPK to optimize zonisamide posology in patients with refractory epilepsy. A total of 114 plasma concentrations of zonisamide, obtained from 64 patients, were used for PopPK model development, employing the nonlinear mixed-effects modelling approach.

Depth of focus as a function of spherical aberration using adaptive optics in pseudophakic subjects.

Purpose: To measure visual acuity at three different defocus planes in pseudophakic subjects with varying levels of spherical aberration induced by an adaptive optics visual simulator. The study aimed to simulate Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) intraocular lenses (IOLs).

Setting: Private hospital (IMO, Barcelona, Spain).

Microbiota translocation following intestinal barrier disruption promotes Mincle-mediated training of myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow.

Impairment of the intestinal barrier allows the systemic translocation of commensal bacteria, inducing a proinflammatory state in the host. Here, we investigated innate immune responses following increased gut permeability upon administration of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in mice. We found that Enterococcus faecalis translocated to the bone marrow following DSS treatment and induced trained immunity (TI) hallmarks in bone-marrow-derived mouse macrophages and human monocytes.

Assessing the photochemical mineralisation of dissolved organic carbon in lakes.

Photochemical mineralisation is an abiotic process by which the organic matter in natural waters, which is mostly dissolved, is eventually transformed into CO by the action of sunlight. The process has important implications for global C cycling, the penetration of sunlight into the water column, photochemical reactions, and microbial processes. Here we applied an approximated photochemical model to assess the extent of CO photogeneration by mineralisation of dissolved organic matter in lakes located between 60°S and 60°N latitude.

Unveiling the EEG signatures of extrasensory perception during spiritual experiences: A single-case study with a well-renowned channeler.

Just as the brain of Albert Einstein is studied in an attempt to understand human intelligence or the bodies of elite athletes are examined to improve muscle strength, the study of people who claim to have spiritual experiences could enrich the investigation of the brain-mind relationship. Although mediumship with deceased people is widely extensively studied in spiritual experiences, we explored a mediumistic experience called "channeling" where the individual connects with a non-corporeal intelligence (NCI) source. To approach this kind of spiritual experience, we considered three hypotheses: the fraud hypothesis (i), the mental pathology hypothesis (ii), and the extrasensory perception hypothesis (iii).

Exposure to residential air pollution and the development of functional connectivity of brain networks throughout adolescence.

Background: A few studies linked air pollution to differences in functional connectivity of resting-state brain networks in children, but how air pollution exposure affects the development of brain networks remains poorly understood. Therefore, we studied the association of air pollution exposure from birth to 3 years and one year before the first imaging assessment with the development of functional connectivity across adolescence.

Methods: We utilized data from 3,626 children of the Generation R Study (The Netherlands).

[Family and Community Medicine in the degree of Medicine in Spanish universities: analysis of the current situation].

Objective: To analyse the specific training in Family and Community Medicine (FCM) that is taught in the medical degrees in Spain.

Method: Descriptive and cross-sectional study based on the content analysis of the study programs and teaching guides based on the official information that universities offer on their study programs and teaching guides for the 2023-2024 academic year. The specific FCM subjects, the number of credits, their theoretical-practical nature and the clinical rotations were identified.

Usability and Usefulness of a Symptom Management Coaching System for Patients With Cancer Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Comparative Mixed Methods Study.

Background: The prognosis for patients with several types of cancer has substantially improved following the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors, a novel type of immunotherapy. However, patients may experience symptoms both from the cancer itself and from the medication. A prototype of the eHealth tool Cancer Patients Better Life Experience (CAPABLE) was developed to facilitate symptom management, aimed at patients with melanoma and renal cell carcinoma treated with immunotherapy.

Precision Oncology: A Global Perspective on Implementation and Policy Development.

Despite the acknowledged merits of precision oncology (PO) and its increasing global implementation, its full potential for advancing care and prevention remains unrealized. The benefits are currently accessible to only limited patient segments because of multifaceted barriers. Successful implementation hinges on various factors-scientific complexities not limited to technical, clinical, regulatory, economic, administrative, and health care policy-related challenges.