Robotic Versus Thoracoscopic Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Matched Studies.

Mitral regurgitation is the most prevalent form of valvular heart disease, impacting over 24 million people globally. Robotic and thoracoscopic minimally invasive mitral valve repair (MIMR) techniques have emerged as viable alternatives to traditional open-heart surgery. However, the comparative effectiveness and safety of these 2 approaches remain underexplored.

Evaluating culture-free targeted next-generation sequencing for diagnosing drug-resistant tuberculosis: a multicentre clinical study of two end-to-end commercial workflows.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis remains a major obstacle in ending the global tuberculosis epidemic. Deployment of molecular tools for comprehensive drug resistance profiling is imperative for successful detection and characterisation of tuberculosis drug resistance. We aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a new class of molecular diagnostics for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Exposure to e-cigarette and heated tobacco product advertisements via digital, traditional media, and points-of-sale: An examination of associations with use intentions and perceived risk among adults in Armenia and Georgia.

Introduction: E-cigarette and heated tobacco product (HTP) marketing often leverages digital media and points-of-sale (POS) and advertises risk reduction, including in Armenia and Georgia where male cigarette use rates are high.

Methods: Using 2022 survey data from Armenian and Georgian adults (n=1468, mean age=42.92 years, 51.

Radiotherapy with 15 × 2.633 Gy vs. 20 × 2.0 Gy in Patients with Malignant Spinal Cord Compression and Favorable Survival Prognoses: A Secondary Analysis of the RAMSES-01 Trial.

Many patients with malignant spinal cord compression (MSCC) who are not candidates for neurosurgery receive radiotherapy alone. This study compared 15 × 2.633 Gy over three weeks to 20 × 2.

Living with COPD and its psychological effects on participating in community-based physical activity in Brazil: a qualitative study. Findings from the Breathe Well group.

Physical activity (PA) improves dyspnoea, psychological wellbeing and quality of life (QoL) for people with COPD reducing their risk of exacerbation. However, engagement in PA is low especially amongst those with anxiety and depression, and PA programmes are limited in countries with limited resources such as Brazil. We explored perceptions of 21 people with COPD about the impact of their disease on taking part in community-based PA programmes in Sao Paulo, Brazil through semi-structured telephone interviews from October 2020 to April 2021.

Primary Chemoablation of Recurrent Low-Grade Intermediate-Risk Nonmuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer With UGN-102: A Single-Arm, Open-Label, Phase 3 Trial (ENVISION).

Purpose: We evaluate the efficacy and safety of UGN-102 chemoablation for the primary treatment of patients with recurrent low-grade intermediate-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: ENVISION is an ongoing, multinational, single-arm, phase 3 study in patients with a biopsy-proven recurrence of untreated low-grade intermediate-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer. Patients received 6 weekly intravesical instillations of UGN-102 (mitomycin; outpatient setting) and were evaluated at 3 months.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOLLICLE SIZE, OOCYTE MATURATION, BLASTOCYST FORMATION, BLASTOCYST PLOIDY, AND PREGNANCY OUTCOMES IN YOUNG WOMEN UNDERGOING IVF.

Unlabelled: The relationship between follicle size, oocyte quality, and blastocyst ploidy is not fully established. This question becomes especially important for poor responders and older reproductive age women, where optimal follicle size and oocyte quantity cannot always be achieved during ovarian stimulation. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between follicle size, oocyte maturation, blastocyst formation, blastocyst ploidy, and pregnancy outcomes in young women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

EFFECT OF INTRANASAL ELECTROPHORESIS WITH 5% POTASSIUM IODATE SOLUTION ON CLINICAL OUTCOME OF PATIENTS WITH HYPERTROPHIC RHINITIS.

High prevalence of hypertrophic rhinitis makes more topical the problem of search of new, more effective means of treatment this pathology. 37 patients with hypertrophic rhinitis were examined. The clinical examination included the study of complaints and objective visual indicators associated with hypertrophic rhinitis.

A systematic review of the efficacy and safety of anti-amyloid beta monoclonal antibodies in treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease can cause dementia through brain matter degradation. This study investigates the monoclonal antibody usage for AD treatment, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, and aims to discern the monoclonal antibody that offers the optimal balance of efficacy and safety for individuals with AD.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted across databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, and clinical trial registries for randomized controlled trials.

Access to diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy technologies for patients with cancer in the Baltic countries, eastern Europe, central Asia, and the Caucasus: a comprehensive analysis.

Background: Only 10-40% of patients with cancer in low-income and middle-income countries were able to access curative or palliative radiotherapy in 2015. We aimed to assess the current status of diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy services in the Baltic countries, eastern Europe, central Asia, and the Caucasus by collecting and analysing local data.

Methods: This Access to Radiotherapy (ART) comprehensive analysis used data from 12 countries: the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), two countries in eastern Europe (Moldova and Ukraine), four countries in central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan), and three countries in the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), referred to here as the ART countries.

Bistable Perception Discriminates Between Depressive Patients, Controls, Schizophrenia Patients, and Their Siblings.

Background And Hypothesis: Individuals with schizophrenia have less priors than controls, meaning they rely less upon their prior experiences to interpret the current stimuli. These differences in priors are expected to show as higher alternation rates in bistable perception tasks like the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) paradigm. In this paradigm, continuously moving dots in two dimensions are perceived subjectively as traveling along a three-dimensional sphere, which results in a direction of motion (left or right) that shifts approximately every few seconds.

Post-legalization shifts in cannabis use among young adults in Georgia-A nationally representative study.

Background And Aim: In 2018, the country of Georgia legalized cannabis for recreational use and decriminalized limited possession. This study aimed to assess whether cannabis use increased among young adults (ages 18-29 years) in Georgia after national policy changes and to evaluate whether perceived access became easier after legalization and current risk factors of young adult cannabis use.

Methods: We used data from the Georgian nationally representative survey administered in 2015 (n = 1308) and 2022 (n = 758), before and after decriminalization.

Takotsubo Syndrome: An International Expert Consensus Report on Practical Challenges and Specific Conditions (Part-2: Specific Entities, Risk Stratification and Challenges After Recovery).

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) still remains as an enigmatic phenomenon. In particular, long-term challenges (including clinical recurrence and persistent symptoms) and specific entities in the setting of TTS have been the evolving areas of interest. On the other hand, a significant gap still exists regarding the proper risk-stratification of this phenomenon in the short and long terms.

Takotsubo Syndrome: An International Expert Consensus Report on Practical Challenges and Specific Conditions (Part-1: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges).

In the recent years, there has been a burgeoning interest in Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), which is renowned as a specific form of reversible myocardial dysfunction. Despite the extensive literature available on TTS, clinicians still face several practical challenges associated with the diagnosis and management of this phenomenon. This potentially results in the underdiagnosis and improper management of TTS in clinical practice.

Plaque-like cutaneous mucinosis associated with pain: A case report.

Plaque-like cutaneous mucinosis (PCM) is a rare atypical subtype of Lichen myxedematosus, characterized by hyperpigmented plaques typically found on the midline trunk. We report the case of a 26-year-old woman with a 1-year history of painful, pruritic, hyperpigmented plaques over her spine. Physical examination revealed soft plaques in the midline of the back, and histopathology showed dermal mucin deposition, consistent with PCM.