Diffusion tensor imaging features of white matter pathways in the brain after COVID-19 infection.

Purpose: To determine whether there is a difference in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) values in white matter pathways in the subacute period after COVID-19 infection and to evaluate the correlation between diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics and laboratory findings.

Material And Methods: The study included 64 healthy controls and 91 patients. Patients were classified as group 1 (all patients, n = 91), group 2 (outpatients, n = 58), or group 3 (inpatients, n = 33).

Tricuspid regurgitation and outcomes in mitral valve transcatheter edge-to-edge repair.

Background And Aims: The association between periprocedural change in tricuspid regurgitation (TR) and outcomes in patients undergoing mitral transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (M-TEER) is unclear. This study aimed to examine the prognostic value of TR before and after M-TEER.

Methods: Patients in the OCEAN-Mitral registry were divided into four groups according to baseline and post-procedure echocardiographic assessments: no TR/no TR (no TR), no TR/significant TR (new-onset TR), significant TR/no TR (normalized TR), and significant TR/significant TR (residual TR) (all represents before/after M-TEER).

Effects of kinesiotaping on proprioception, pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with cervical spondylosis: a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effects of kinesiotaping (KT) adjunct to physical therapy (PT) on proprioception, cervical range of motion (ROM), pain, disability, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) in cervical spondylosis.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients aged 50-70 years were randomized into three groups: PT, PT plus KT(PT+KT), PT plus sham-taping(PT+ST). All participants underwent standardized 15-session PT, 5 days/week.

Co-Producing Peritoneal Dialysis Nursing Sensitive Indicators for Quality Care: A Multinational Consensus Building Design.

Background: Nursing sensitive indicators are a way of measuring aspects of patient care that are most affected by the actions of the nurse. Despite the existence of nursing sensitive indicators, these are largely not suitable to measure peritoneal dialysis nursing practice.

Objective: This project aimed to co-develop a set of peritoneal dialysis nursing-sensitive indicators.

Efficacy and Safety of Mechanical Thrombectomy in Distal Medium Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Ischemic Stroke Patients on Low-Dose Aspirin.

Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) from distal medium vessel occlusion (DMVO) presents unique treatment challenges. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is emerging as a viable option for these patients, yet the role of pre-stroke aspirin treatment is unclear. This study evaluates the impact of pre-stroke low-dose aspirin on outcomes in DMVO patients undergoing MT.

Advance care planning intervention in chronic kidney care: A qualitative evaluation.

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease and their families request early and continuous advance care planning. Based on user involvement, an advance care planning intervention was developed to support patients, family members and healthcare professionals (HCPs) in advance care planning conversations in a nephrology outpatient setting.

Objective: To explore the experiences and perceptions of an advance care planning intervention among patients with chronic kidney disease, family members and healthcare professionals.

Integrating digital technologies in dental technician education: A comparative study of national examination in Asian countries.

Background/purpose: The integration of digital technologies in dental technician education revolutionized the profession in Asian countries. Despite the growing adoption of digital methods, national examinations predominantly relied on traditional techniques. This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of national examination standards and digital course integration in dental technician education among 5 countries including Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and China.

Nebulized aminoglycosides for ventilator-associated pneumonia: Methodological considerations and lessons from experimental studies.

Aminoglycosides are concentration-dependent antibiotics exerting a bactericidal effect when concentrations at the site of infection are equal to or greater than 5 times the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC). When administered intravenously, they exhibit poor lung penetration and high systemic renal and ototoxicity, imposing to restrict their administration to 5 days. Experimental studies conducted in anesthetized and mechanically ventilated sheep and pigs provide evidence that high doses of nebulized aminoglycosides induce a rapid and potent bacterial killing in the infected lung parenchyma.

Long-term outcomes in five patients with autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis treated with molgramostim inhalation solution.

Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP), which accounts for >90% of all cases of PAP, is a rare lung disease mediated by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) autoantibodies that block GM-CSF signalling, leading to reduced surfactant clearance causing abnormal accumulation of alveolar surfactant and impaired gas exchange [1-3]. The current standard of care for aPAP is whole-lung lavage (WLL), which is invasive, resource intensive, carries procedural risk, does not address the underlying cause of disease and often must be repeated regularly [4]. Hence, there is a therapeutical need to address the underlying pathophysiology of the disease.

Environment scan of generative AI infrastructure for clinical and translational science.

This study reports a comprehensive environmental scan of the generative AI (GenAI) infrastructure in the national network for clinical and translational science across 36 institutions supported by the CTSA Program led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the United States. Key findings indicate a diverse range of institutional strategies, with most organizations in the experimental phase of GenAI deployment. The results underscore the need for a more coordinated approach to GenAI governance, emphasizing collaboration among senior leaders, clinicians, information technology staff, and researchers.

A multi-country cohort database study to assess pregnancy and infant outcomes after potential maternal or paternal exposure to cladribine tablets in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: the CLEAR study methods and status update.

Background: Cladribine tablets are contraindicated during pregnancy; therefore, safety data on pregnancies exposed to this treatment are limited. CLEAR collects and describes pregnancy outcomes in this understudied population.

Objectives: To describe the main features of the CLEAR study design, including the data sources and the methodological approach, and provide a status update.

Gender-specific outcomes in pilonidal sinus disease: Female outcomes after cleft lift surgery in a large prospective Danish cohort.

Aim: Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) is a common condition particularly affecting young men. Females affected by the condition account for about 20% of patients and are rarely mentioned, much less studied specifically. In this study we evaluate the surgical outcomes in a female population following Bascom's cleft lift (BCL) surgery in primary extensive disease, non-healing wounds after previous surgery and recurrent disease in a large Danish cohort from a high-volume centre.

FGF21 and APOA1 mRNA-based therapies for the treatment of experimental acute pancreatitis.

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) presents a significant clinical challenge with limited therapeutic options. The complex etiology and pathophysiology of AP emphasize the need for innovative treatments. This study explores mRNA-based therapies delivering fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) and apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), alone and in combination, for treating experimental AP.

Echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation: a practical guideline from the British Society of Echocardiography.

Aortic regurgitation is the third most common valve lesion with increasing prevalence secondary to an ageing population. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a vital role in the identification and assessment of aortic regurgitation and proves essential in monitoring severity and determining the timing of intervention. Building on the foundations of previous British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) recommendations, this BSE guideline presents an update on how to approach an echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation.

Psychometric properties of an arabic translation of the short boredom proneness scale (SBPS) in adults.

Background: The Short Boredom Proneness Scale (SBPS) is a common tool for assessing individuals' inclination toward Boredom. The Arabic version of the SBPS has not been validated despite the language being spoken by over 420 million people worldwide. Therefore, this study aims to translate the SBPS into Arabic and prove its psychometric properties on a sample of Arabic-speaking adults from Lebanon.

Trend of the lipid profile in a cohort with severe hypercholesterolemia in Osona county (Barcelona, Spain), between 2009 and 2021.

Background: Various studies confirm that the prevalence of dyslipidemia and other cardiovascular factors is high.

Objective: To evaluate the trend of the lipid profile (LP) in a cohort with severe hypercholesterolemia and its relationship with lipid-lowering treatment during the period 2009-2021.

Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in the Osona county (Barcelona).

SQUARE-IT: a proposed approach to square the identified research problem in the literature with the objectives, the appropriate clinical research question, and the research hypothesis.

The purpose of this article is to design and introduce the SQUARE-IT approach to help scientists and clinicians in research to align important research problems with the objectives, the appropriate clinical research questions to be answered, and the research hypotheses to be investigated in medical and therapeutic specialties. Research ideas can be generated primarily through simple methods such as brainstorming and mind mapping. However, transforming ideas into a valid research question is not as easy as it may seem, as the mere presence of an idea does not guarantee that the researcher has already uncovered existing knowledge on a particular topic or identified the actual research problem.

Where does the tether break in vertebral body tethering cases? Clinical insights from revision cases after tether breakage.

Purpose: To evaluate the sites where the tether breaks in vertebral body tethering (VBT) cases.

Methods: Intraoperative evaluation of broken tethers in patients who had anterior revision.

Inclusion Criteria: anterior revision of VBT cases with explantation of the full implant and photo documentation.

Fear of cancer recurrence in long-term colorectal cancer survivors: a nationwide cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Knowledge about fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) among recurrence-free long-term colorectal cancer survivors (CRCS) is limited. This national cross-sectional study aimed to (1) assess the prevalence and correlates of FCR among CRCS; (2) investigate associations between colorectal cancer-specific symptoms and FCR; and (3) identify predictors of interest in engaging in FCR treatment.

Methods: We identified 9638 living Danish CRCS, age above 18 years, diagnosed between 2014 and 2018 through the Danish Clinical Registries.

Assessing online chat-based artificial intelligence models for weight loss recommendation appropriateness and bias in the presence of guideline incongruence.

Background And Aim: Managing obesity requires a comprehensive approach that involves therapeutic lifestyle changes, medications, or metabolic surgery. Many patients seek health information from online sources and artificial intelligence models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot before consulting health professionals. This study aims to evaluate the appropriateness of the responses of Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot to questions on pharmacologic and surgical management of obesity and assess for bias in their responses to either the ADA or AACE guidelines.

Physiology and Pathophysiology of Marathon Running: A narrative Review.

Background: Marathon training and running have many beneficial effects on human health and physical fitness; however, they also pose risks. To date, no comprehensive review regarding both the benefits and risks of marathon running on different organ systems has been published.

Main Body: The aim of this review was to provide a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of marathon training and racing on different organ systems.

Nutrition and Hypertension Researches in 2023: focus on salt intake and blood pressure.

Hypertension is a major global health issue that contributes significantly to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The management and prevention of hypertension often involve nutritional and dietary modifications, which are considered effective non-pharmacological strategies. In 2023, the Hypertension Research published several papers highlighting nutrition and hypertension.

Rome Foundation Working Team Report on overlap in disorders of gut-brain interaction.

In patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), overlapping non-gastrointestinal conditions such as fibromyalgia, headaches, gynaecological and urological conditions, sleep disturbances and fatigue are common, as is overlap among DGBI in different regions of the gastrointestinal tract. These overlaps strongly influence patient management and outcome. Shared pathophysiology could explain this scenario, but details are not fully understood.

Alcohol drinking leads to sex-dependent differentiation of T cells.

Objective: Global per capita alcohol consumption is increasing, posing significant socioeconomic and medical challenges also due to alcohol-related traumatic injuries but also its biological effects. Trauma as a leading cause of death in young adults, is often associated with an increased risk of complications, such as sepsis and multiple organ failure, due to immunological imbalances. Regulatory T cells play a crucial role in maintaining immune homeostasis by regulating the inflammatory response.

Platelet-rich plasma does not influence magnetic resonance imaging findings of the gluteus muscles after total hip arthroplasty through the Hardinge approach.

Objective: Total hip arthroplasty through the Hardinge approach damages the hip abductor muscles. MRI can be used to assess adverse postoperative events. In this prospective randomized controlled trial, we evaluated MRI findings and whether platelet-rich plasma affected postoperative healing of the gluteal muscles (gluteus medius and minimus).