Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a Swiss case series of a very rare disease and a structured review of the literature.

Introduction: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a very rare disease, with unique diagnostic challenges and often dismal outcome. There are no widely accepted treatment guidelines available. Lymphoma-like regimens with or without autologous or allogenic transplantation were the cornerstone of most therapeutic concepts.

Practice Guidelines for the Value Evaluation of Clinical Pharmacy Services (version 2).

Objective: To optimize the construction of pharmaceutical services in medical institutions, advance the development of clinical pharmacy as a discipline, enhance the level of clinical pharmacy services, systematically implement and evaluate clinical pharmacy practices, and improve patient therapeutic outcomes, we have developed the Practice Guidelines for the Value Evaluation of Clinical Pharmacy Services (Version 2).

Methods: This guideline was designed following the World Health Organization (WHO) Guideline Development Manual. The Delphi method was employed to identify clinical questions.

An explorative qualitative study of barriers to the use of health and mental health services among migrant female sex workers in Germany and needs for action.

Background: Migrant female sex workers (MFSWs) can be exposed to various health risks due to their occupation, including mental and physical health, substance use, and experience of violence. However, they face substantial barriers to accessing healthcare services. The inadequate access to medical care for migrant female sex workers poses a challenge to the German healthcare system.

Prevalence, risk and resilience factors of mental health conditions among female sex workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Female sex workers are a vulnerable hard-to-reach group. Research in this field is scarce due to several issues, such as methodological difficulties or societal stigmatization. Most of the available literature focuses on sexually transmittable diseases.

The usefulness of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scoring in predicting all-cause mortality in Outpatients with Clinical Diagnoses of COPD.

Background: Since comorbid conditions are frequently present in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and affect outcome, a composite scoring system to quantify comorbidity might be helpful in assessing mortality risk.

Methods: We tested the hypothesis that the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score at the time of an outpatient medical clinic encounter for COPD predicts all-cause mortality. Cox Proportional Hazards analyses were used in 200 randomly selected patients to relate CCI scores to all-cause mortality out to 5 years.

Gut Microbiome and Metabolome Changes in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients With Vertebral Bone Marrow Lesions.

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a significant global health concern, often linked to vertebral bone marrow lesions (BML), particularly fatty replacement (FR). This study aims to explore the relationship between the gut microbiome, serum metabolome, and FR in chronic LBP patients.

Methods: Serum metabolomic profiling and gut microbiome analysis were conducted in chronic LBP patients with and without FR (LBP + FR,  = 40; LBP,  = 40) and Healthy Controls (HC,  = 31).

Case report: Dirofilarial infection of the face.

An 18-year-old male patient from Ukraine, living in Germany for 2 years, presented with a painless subcutaneous swelling on the left cheek that had been present for several months. Finally, the diagnosis of subcutaneous dirofilariasis caused by was confirmed by 12S rRNA gene PCR and sequencing from tissue by nematode-specific PCRs followed by sequencing after surgical resection of the lesion. Microfilaremia was ruled out and no further treatment was required.

Delirium and Cognitive Screening in National Hip Fracture Registries: Scoping Review Protocol.

Background: Delirium and cognitive impairment are common in hip fracture populations and are associated with significant adverse patient outcomes. National hip fracture registries facilitate improvements in patient outcomes and care quality, such as reduced mortality and the development of specialist multidisciplinary services. However, there is substantial variation in the data collected and reported in relation to delirium and cognition, which impedes international comparison and may reduce quality of care.

Naxos Disease and Related Cardio-Cutaneous Syndromes.

Naxos disease is a rare autosomal recessive condition combining arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, woolly hair, and palmoplantar keratoderma. The first identified causative variant was in the gene encoding the desmosomal protein plakoglobin. Naxos disease exhibits fibro-fatty myocardial replacement with immunohistological abnormalities in cardiac protein and signaling pathways, highlighting the role of inflammation and potential anti-inflammatory treatments.

The feasibility and safety of robotic-assisted salvage radical cystectomy.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of robotic-assisted salvage radical cystectomy (RA-SRC).

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively searched the prospectively collected surgical database of two highly experienced robotic urological surgeons for cases of RA-SRC, defined as RARC performed post-previous pelvic RT for palliative or oncologic treatment purposes. Collected data included demographic and clinical information and outcome measures including operative course, hospital stay and complications.

Current attitudes to testicular prosthesis insertion during radical orchidectomy-An international perspective.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess current international clinician practices, attitudes and barriers related to testicular prosthesis implantation in patients with testicular cancer at the time of radical inguinal orchidectomy.

Methods: An international online survey of urologists who perform radical orchidectomy for testicular cancer was developed. The recruitment process used social media and the emailing lists of national urological societies.

The impact of preoperative venous thromboembolism on patients undergoing TURBT: Perioperative outcomes and healthcare costs from US insurance claims data.

Objectives: To assess the impact of a positive history of venous thromboembolism (VTE) on perioperative outcomes, including length of in-hospital stay, readmission rates, 90-day postoperative complications, and healthcare costs in bladder cancer (BCa) patients undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) in the United States.

Patients And Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with a BCa diagnosis undergoing TURBT were identified in the Merative® Marketscan® Research de-identified databases between 2007 and 2021. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted by relevant perioperative confounders was used to investigate the association between diagnosis of VTE before TURBT and 90-day complication rates, new postoperative VTE events, re-hospitalization, and total hospital expenditures (2021 US dollars).

Does the transfer of knowledge from the pioneer generation to the second-generation speed-up the learning curve of robot-assisted partial nephrectomies? TRANSFER trial (UroCCR n°83).

Objectives: The objective is to compare the learning curves between two pioneer and three second-generation surgeons for RAPN in terms of WIT, CD and positive surgical margins.

Materials And Methods: The charts of consecutive RAPNs of three centres were reviewed from the UroCCR prospective database. The experience was assessed by a regression model for each group.

The significance of isolated de novo red patches in the bladder in patients referred with suspected urinary tract cancer: Results from the IDENTIFY study.

Objectives: To assess the contemporary malignancy rate in isolated de novo red patches in the bladder and associated risk factors for better selection of red patch biopsy.

Patients: Patients from the IDENTIFY dataset; Patients referred to secondary care with suspected urinary tract cancer and found to have isolated de novo red patches on cystoscopy.

Methods: We reported the unadjusted cancer prevalence in isolated de novo red patches that were biopsied; multivariable logistic regression was used to explore cancer-associated risk factors including age, sex, smoking, type of haematuria, LUTS, UTIs and a suspicious-looking red patch (as reported by the cystoscopist).

SPIRIT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials protocols.

Unlabelled: Transparent and accurate reporting in early phase dose-finding (EPDF) clinical trials is crucial for informing subsequent larger trials. The SPIRIT statement, designed for trial protocol content, does not adequately cover the distinctive features of EPDF trials. Recent findings indicate that the protocol contents in past EPDF trials frequently lacked completeness and clarity.

CONSORT-DEFINE explanation and elaboration: recommendations for enhancing reporting quality and impact of early phase dose-finding clinical trials.

Unlabelled: Early phase dose-finding (EPDF) trials are key in the development of novel therapies, with their findings directly informing subsequent clinical development phases and providing valuable insights for reverse translation. Comprehensive and transparent reporting of these studies is critical for their accurate and critical interpretation, which may improve and expedite therapeutic development. However, quality of reporting of design characteristics and results from EPDF trials is often variable and incomplete.

Comparison Of Risk Factors and Clinicopathological Features Between Pre- and Post-Menopausal Patients with Breast Cancer.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women globally with an estimated 2.3 million new cases in 2020. In Nigeria, it constitutes about 12% of all new cancers and 25% of all cancers in women.

A Rare Case of Poorly Differentiated Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Descending Colon with Regional Lymph Node Involvement Presenting in a Young Adult Nigerian Male: A Case Report.

Malignant colonic neuroendocrine tumours are rare. Even more uncommon is their occurrence in the left colon. They also infrequently occur in males and young adults.

Co-infection of human papillomavirus genotypes and Epstein-Barr virus in tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx: a retrospective study in Northeastern Mexico.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and genotyping of human papillomavirus (HPV) and to assess co-infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers (OC and OPC) specimens from patients at a tertiary care hospital in Northeastern Mexico.

Methods: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 41 patients with OC and OPC were evaluated. HPV detection and genotyping were performed using the Ampliquality HPV-Type Express kit.

Hepatitis C Virus Seroprevalence, Incidence, and Screening Patterns in Ontario Preexposure Prophylaxis Users.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as a sexually transmitted infection in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). We estimated the seroprevalence and incidence of HCV infection and examined patterns of HCV testing among GBM using human immunodeficiency virus preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Ontario PrEP Cohort Study (ON-PrEP), a prospective cohort of PrEP users from 10 Ontario clinics.

Transcriptional signature of CD56 NK cells predicts favourable prognosis in bladder cancer.

Human natural killer (NK) cells can be sub-divided into two functional subsets but the clinical significance of these CD56 and CD56 NK cells in anti-tumour immunity remains largely unexplored. We determined the relative abundances of gene signatures for CD56 and CD56 NK cells along with 3 stromal and 18 other immune cell types in the patient tumour transcriptomes from the cancer genome atlas bladder cancer dataset (TCGA-BLCA). Using this computational approach, CD56 NK cells were predicted to be the more abundant tumour-infiltrating NK subset which was also associated with improved patient prognosis.

Upregulation of interferon-γ response genes in monocytes and T cells identified by single-cell transcriptomics in patients with anti-citrullinated peptide antibody-positive early rheumatoid arthritis.

Introduction: Our aim was to investigate the insufficiently understood differences in the immune system between anti-citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA)-positive (ACPA) and ACPA-negative (ACPA) early rheumatoid arthritis (eRA) patients.

Methods: We performed multiple cytokine assays using sera from drug-naïve ACPA and ACPA eRA patients. Additionally, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing of CD45 cells from peripheral blood samples to analyze and compare the distribution and functional characteristics of the cell subsets based on the ACPA status.

Self-care interventions for legal and safe abortions: lessons learned from a woman-centered approach to sexual and reproductive healthcare in Uruguay.

Problem: In the 1990s, almost 40% of maternal deaths in Uruguay were caused by unsafe abortions.

Approach: A harm reduction model implemented in Uruguay, which addressed the risks associated with unsafe abortion practices by promoting and supporting the self-management of medical abortions by women in their homes, encouraged women's autonomy.

Local Setting: Since 2005, an accelerated decrease in maternal mortality has been recorded in Uruguay, coinciding with the implementation of two major actions: a harm reduction approach with active promotion of self-care through self-management of medical abortions; and in 2012, a change in legislation, which made abortion legal within sexual and reproductive health facilities when requested by women up to 12 weeks of pregnancy or later for specific indications.