Neonatal outcomes in twin pregnancies in Finland from 2008 to 2023.

Unlabelled: Twin pregnancies are associated with higher risks of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes compared to singleton pregnancies. This retrospective nationwide cohort study analyzed trends in twin pregnancy outcomes in Finland from 2008 to 2023 using data from the Finnish Medical Birth Register. Outcomes assessed included perinatal mortality, stillbirths, neonatal mortality, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions, and hospitalization rates at one week of age.

Targeting MYC for the treatment of breast cancer: use of the novel MYC-GSPT1 degrader, GT19630.

Background: Since MYC is one of the most frequently altered driver genes involved in cancer formation, it is a potential target for new anti-cancer therapies. Historically, however, MYC has proved difficult to target due to the absence of a suitable crevice for binding potential low molecular weight drugs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel molecular glue, dubbed GT19630, which degrades both MYC and GSPT1, for the treatment of breast cancer.

Interleukin-23 versus Interleukin-17 Inhibitors in Preventing Incidental Psoriatic Arthritis in Patients with Psoriasis: A Real-World Comparison From the TriNetX US Collaborative Network.

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a common comorbidity in patients with psoriasis (PsO) that leads to significant disease burden. Biologic therapies targeting the interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17 axis have been widely used for PsO, but their comparative effectiveness in preventing PsA remains unclear.

Objective: The study objective was to compare the occurrence of developing incidental PsA among PsO patients treated with interleukin-23 inhibitors (IL23is) or interleukin-17 inhibitors (IL17is).

Biochemical markers in hand osteoarthritis: a path to precision medicine.

Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is a heterogeneous joint disease with high radiographic and symptomatic prevalence. The diagnosis of HOA is based on clinical and radiographic features. The identification of potential biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, disease severity assessment, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation of НОА remains an active area of research.

Screening of Oxidative Stress-related Biomarkers and Antioxidant Drugs for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Based on Bioinformatics and Molecular Docking.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine and metabolic disorder affecting women of reproductive age. Oxidative stress (OS) is suggested to play a significant role in the development of PCOS. Using antioxidants to reduce OS and maintain a healthy balance in the body could be a novel treatment approach for PCOS.

Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient.

We conducted a genome-wide association study on income among individuals of European descent (N = 668,288) to investigate the relationship between socio-economic status and health disparities. We identified 162 genomic loci associated with a common genetic factor underlying various income measures, all with small effect sizes (the Income Factor). Our polygenic index captures 1-5% of income variance, with only one fourth due to direct genetic effects.

Network dynamics in post-stroke cognitive impairment: insights from effective connectivity analysis.

This study investigates post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) by utilizing spectral dynamic causal modeling (spDCM) to examine changes in effective connectivity (EC) within the default mode, executive control, dorsal attention, and salience networks. Forty-one PSCI patients and 41 demographically matched healthy controls underwent 3D-T1WI and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging on a 3.0T MRI.

Working capacity level defines the specific impairment profile of the comprehensive ICF core set for multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) unfavorably affects working capacity. The Comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set for MS (cICF-MS), issued by the World Health Organization, has not yet been extended to evaluate working capacity level (WCL). To evaluate the relative importance of cICF-MS categories in relation to WCL.

Association between changes in genital immune markers and vaginal microbiome transitions in bacterial vaginosis.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), characterized by an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota, is a prevalent condition among women of reproductive age and a risk factor for human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted infections, and preterm birth. BV is generally considered to induce mucosal inflammation, but the specific pathways and cell types involved are not well characterized. This prospective study aimed to assess associations between microbial changes and mucosal immune responses in BV patients.

A pediatric emergency prediction model using natural language process in the pediatric emergency department.

This study developed a predictive model using deep learning (DL) and natural language processing (NLP) to identify emergency cases in pediatric emergency departments. It analyzed 87,759 pediatric cases from a South Korean tertiary hospital (2012-2021) using electronic medical records. Various NLP models, including four machine learning (ML) models with Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) and two DL models based on the KM-BERT framework, were trained to differentiate emergency cases using clinician transcripts.

Comparative analysis of salivary cytokine profiles in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with cancer and healthy children.

Salivary cytokines have the potential to serve as biomarkers for evaluating cancer progression and treatment response in specific cancer types. This study explored salivary cytokine profiles in pediatric cancer patients and healthy controls, examining changes during chemotherapy. We conducted a prospective study involving newly diagnosed cancer patients and healthy controls under 19 years old.

Scottish Open Fractures of Tibia (SOFT) audit; a multi-centre retrospective review of ortho-plastic management of tibial shaft fractures at major trauma centres (MTCs) in Scotland.

Aims: Open fractures of the tibia are associated with significant complications, for which attempts have been made to standardise and optimise their management. In the UK, this standard is the British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma (BOAST) guidelines. The Scottish Open Fracture of Tibia (SOFT) Audit is a national review of open tibial shaft fractures across all four Scottish Trauma Networks, which aims to provide a definite review of ortho-plastic care for open tibial shaft fractures in Scotland.

Community and Hospital Healthcare Use by Adults With and Without Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Ontario, Canada, During the First 2 Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: This study describes the proportion of Ontario adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who used community- and hospital-based healthcare in the first 2 years of the pandemic compared with the year pre-COVID-19.

Methods: Linked health administrative databases identified 87 341 adults with IDD and also adults without IDD living in Ontario, Canada. For each cohort, counts and proportions of adults who used different types of healthcare services were reported for the pre-COVID-19 year (16 March 2019 to 14 March 2020) and the first two COVID-19 years (15 March 2020 to 14 March 2021 and 15 March 2021 to 14 March 2022).

The role of nutritional vitamin D in CKD-MBD in children and adults with CKD, on dialysis and after kidney transplantation - a European consensus statement.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and associates with poor outcomes. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend supplementation with nutritional vitamin D as for the general population. However, recent large-scale, clinical trials in the general population failed to demonstrate a benefit of vitamin D supplementation on skeletal or non-skeletal outcomes, fueling a debate on the rationale for screening for and correcting vitamin D deficiency, both in non-CKD and CKD populations.

Ischaemia-reperfusion time differences in ST-elevation myocardial infarction in very young patients: a cohort study.

Introduction: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is one of the most prevalent presentations in young patients. It is essential to emphasise that each minute of delay in providing medical care is negatively correlated to the patient's prognosis. The present study was carried out to evaluate the ischaemia-reperfusion times in patients ≤40 years of age versus individuals >40 years of age and their association with mortality and major adverse cardiac event (MACE) over the long term.

Improving quality of life in palliative care: palatal lift prosthesis in a patient with periodontal disease.

A man in his late 50s was referred by a speech and language therapist for consideration of a palatal lift prosthesis (PLP) to improve his speech intelligibility. He presented with hypokinetic dysarthria characterised by reduced loudness, breathy voice and hypernasality. The patient had a diagnosis of progressive muscular dystrophy and mobilised in a motorised wheelchair.

A United Kingdom-wide audit of the laboratory investigation of primary aldosteronism.

Objectives: Primary Aldosteronism (PA) is a common but under-recognised cause of secondary hypertension. Early diagnosis with targeted medical and/or surgical intervention is important to prevent irreversible end-organ damage. An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline was used to define audit standards against which to assess current United Kingdom (UK) laboratory practice.

Inequity of access to contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance in patients with chronic kidney disease: A survey from the British Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Objectives: To examine the provision of cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) using gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to the service leads of all CMR units in the UK in October 2022 requesting information on current departmental protocols and practice.

Results: A response rate of 55% was achieved from the 82 UK CMR units surveyed.

The Global Prevalence of Reported Penicillin Allergy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Patients labelled with penicillin allergy (PenA) often receive broader spectrum antibiotics, associated with antimicrobial resistance and poorer outcomes. However, ~95% of patients are likely mis-labelled. Whilst de-labelling programmes are gaining momentum, they have been restricted to a few countries.

The potential of lazertinib and amivantamab combination therapy as a treatment strategy for uncommon EGFR-mutated NSCLC.

Uncommon epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) pose therapeutic challenge due to limited response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). This study presents preclinical evidence and mechanistic insights into the combination of lazertinib, a third-generation EGFR-TKI; and amivantamab, an EGFR-MET bispecific antibody, for treating NSCLC with uncommon EGFR mutations. The lazertinib-amivantamab combination demonstrates significant antitumor activity in patient-derived models with uncommon EGFR mutations either before treatment or after progressing on EGFR-TKIs.

Clinical outcomes and management following progressive disease with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy in patients with advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Aim: Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare skin cancer with a rising incidence worldwide. Anti-programmed death-1/ligand-1 (anti-PD-(L)1) therapies are effective for the treatment of advanced MCC. This study examines patterns of response / progression of advanced MCC to anti-PD-(L)1 therapies and describes subsequent management.

Efficacy of a multicomponent nature-based intervention on well-being and environmental engagement: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Nature-based interventions (NBIs) benefit human well-being, but clinical trials comparing different NBIs in various natural environments are scarce.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a multicomponent nature-based intervention (MNBI) in comparison to control group (classical forest bathing).

Primary Outcome: well-being; Secondary outcomes: vitality, happiness, connection, and engagement with nature across urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.