Single-cell transcriptomics unveils multifaceted immune heterogeneity in early-onset versus late-onset cervical cancer.

Early-onset (EOCC) and late-onset cervical cancers (LOCC) represent two clinically distinct subtypes, each defined by unique clinical manifestations and therapeutic responses. However, their immunological profiles remain poorly explored. Herein, we analyzed single-cell transcriptomic data from 4 EOCC and 4 LOCC samples to compare their immune architectures.

Association of iron deficiency with kidney outcome and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease patients without anemia.

Background: Iron deficiency is prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), even in those without anemia. However, the effects of iron deficiency on CKD progression and all-cause mortality in non-dialysis-dependent CKD (NDD-CKD) patients without anemia remain incompletely understood.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective nationwide cohort study included adult patients with non-anemia NDD-CKD from 24 hospitals across China.

Blood from septic patients with necrotising soft tissue infection treated with hyperbaric oxygen reveal different gene expression patterns compared to standard treatment.

Background: Sepsis and shock are common complications of necrotising soft tissue infections (NSTI). Sepsis encompasses different endotypes that are associated with specific immune responses. Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment activates the cells oxygen sensing mechanisms that are interlinked with inflammatory pathways.

Quantitative proteomic analysis unveils a critical role of VARS1 in hepatocellular carcinoma aggressiveness through the modulation of MAGI1 expression.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) genetic/transcriptomic signatures have been widely described. However, its proteomic characterization is incomplete. We performed non-targeted quantitative proteomics of HCC samples and explored its clinical, functional, and molecular consequences.

Effects of levothyroxine therapy on bone and mineral metabolism in hypothyroidism: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Thyroid hormone plays an important role in accumulating bone development and regulating bone metabolism. It is established that hypothyroidism is linked to increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture. However, the effects of levothyroxine (LT4) treatment on bone for hypothyroid patients remain controversial.

Association between COVID-19 anxiety syndrome and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the postpandemic era: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound psychophysiological and socioeconomic effects worldwide. COVID-19 anxiety syndrome (CAS) is a specific cluster of maladaptive coping strategies, including perseveration and avoidance behaviours, in response to the perceived threat and fear of COVID-19. CAS is distinct from general COVID-19 anxiety.

Prospective clinical evidence from over 1,000 pan-cancer patients: a complement to fosaprepitant in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and/or vomiting (CINV) is an intractable adverse effect of anticancer drugs. Although prophylactic use of fosaprepitant may be effective in reducing CINV, there is a lack of studies evaluating the application of fosaprepitant in real world.

Aims And Methods: This study prospectively observed the effectiveness and safety for the prophylaxis of CINV in a real-world clinical setting.

Revealing the decision-making practices in automated external defibrillator deployment: insights from Shanghai, China.

In recent years, the government has promoted the increased deployment of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places with dense crowds, which is of great significance for ensuring that residents enjoy equal health rights. However, it is still unclear what factors decision-makers take into account when formulating deployment plans and whether these factors are related to local characteristics such as population distribution and socioeconomic conditions. Taking Shanghai, China as the research area, we adopted the kernel density estimation and spatial autocorrelation analysis to explore the spatial distribution characteristics of AEDs.

Total hip arthroplasty in hip tuberculosis: a systematic review.

Objectives: Tuberculosis of the hip joint is a common form of bone tuberculosis that can cause severe joint destruction and affect quality of life. Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an important way to treat hip joint-related diseases. In recent years, THA has been applied to treat tuberculosis of the hip joint and has achieved certain results.

Integrating the ADS Score with 24-Hour ASPECTS and red cell distribution width for enhanced prediction of stroke-associated pneumonia following intravenous thrombolysis: model development and internal validation.

Introduction: Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) is a major cause of mortality during the acute phase of stroke. The ADS score is widely used to predict SAP risk but does not include 24-h non-contrast computed tomography-Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (NCCT-ASPECTS) or red cell distribution width (RDW). We aim to evaluate the added prognostic value of incorporating 24-h NCCT-ASPECTS and RDW into the ADS score and to develop a novel prediction model for SAP following thrombolysis.

A mixed-method study on physicians' perceptions of pay for performance: impact on professionalism, morality and work-life balance.

Background: Pay-for-performance system (P4P) has been in operation in the Turkish healthcare sector since 2004. While the government defended that it encouraged healthcare professionals' job motivation, and improved patient satisfaction by increasing efficiency and service quality, healthcare professionals have emphasized the system's negative effects on working conditions, physicians' trustworthiness, and cost-quality outcomes. In this study, we investigated physicians' accounts of current working conditions, their status as a moral agent, and their professional attitudes in the context of P4P's perceived effects on their professional, social, private, and future lives.

Pre-pregnancy obesity and weight gain during pregnancy: impact on newborn outcomes.

Background: Overweight and obesity are global issues, especially among women of childbearing age, linked to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. These risks vary by age, race, and ethnicity, with increasing rates among immigrant and minority women. This study compares overweight and obesity rates, pregnancy weight gain, and neonatal outcomes in Turkish and Syrian immigrant/refugee women.

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis associated metabolic encephalopathy caused by dapagliflozin: a rare case report.

Background: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2(SGLT-2) inhibitors are a newer class of antidiabetic drugs with the increased risk of euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis(EuDKA). Encephalopathy is a rare but life-threatening event of EuDKA. Due to paradoxically normal or slightly elevated serum glucose levels, it's easy to be mimicked by cerebral infarction, structural brain damage, thus leading to delayed diagnosis and causing seriously irreversible brain injury.

Reflecting on the impact of the COVID pandemic on patient management and its subsequent influence on long-term outcomes: a case-control study in the field of esophago-gastric cancer.

Background: The delivery of cancer services changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to describe changes in presentations, assess the change in recommendations by the MDT during the pandemic, and describe the subsequent long-term impact of these changes on survival rates in patients with EG cancer.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was designed comparing three patient groups of those referred to EG MDT in the same 6-month period pre-pandemic (PP;2019) during the initial phase of the pandemic (P1;2020) and the year after the initial phase (P2;2021).

Head-mounted camera as a debriefing tool for surgical simulation-based training: a randomized controlled study in Senegal.

Introduction: Video feedback, particularly with a head-mounted camera, has previously been described as a useful debriefing tool in well-funded health systems but has never been performed in a low-resource environment. The purpose of this randomized, intervention-controlled study is to evaluate the feasibility of using video feedback with a head-mounted camera during intestinal anastomosis simulation training in a low-resource setting.

Methodology: This study recruited 14 first-year surgery residents in Senegal, who were randomized into control and camera groups.

Single cell transcriptomics in blood of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides gene expression profiles at the single-cell level. Hence, we evaluated gene expression in the peripheral blood of patients with COPD.

High interstitial fluid pressure enhances USP1-dependent KIF11 protein stability to promote hepatocellular carcinoma progression.

Background: HCC is characterized by a high interstitial fluid pressure (HIFP) environment, which appears to support cancer cell survival. However, the mechanisms behind this phenomenon are not fully understood.

Methods: This study investigates the role of kinesin family member 11 (KIF11) in HCC under HIFP conditions, using both in vivo and in vitro models.

Nonacademic predictors of China medical licensing examination.

Background: National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE) is the entrance exam for medical practice in China, and its general medical knowledge test (GMKT) evaluates abilities of medical students to comprehensively apply medical knowledge to clinical practice. This study aimed to identify nonacademic predictors of GMKT performance, which would benefit medical schools in designing appropriate strategies and techniques to facilitate the transition from medical students to qualified medical practitioners.

Methods: In 1202 medical students, we conducted the deletion-substitution-addition (DSA) and structural equation model (SEM) analyses to identify nonacademic predictors of GMKT performance from 98 candidate variables including early life events, physical conditions, psychological and personality assessments, cognitive abilities, and socioeconomic conditions.

Impact of a new case-based payment scheme on volume distribution across public hospitals in Zhejiang, China: does 'Same disease, same price' matter.

Background: With the implementation of the hierarchical medical system (HMS) in China, Zhejiang Province introduced an innovative payment scheme called "payment method by disease types with point counting". This scheme was initially adopted in Jinhua in July 2017, and was later integrated with the "same disease, same price" policy in Hangzhou in January 2020. This study aimed to investigate the impact of these reforms on the distribution of health service volume.

Exploring the barriers to cervical screening and perspectives on new self-sampling methods amongst under-served groups.

Background: Cervical screening rates have fallen in recent years in the UK, representing a health inequity for some under-served groups. Self-sampling alternatives to cervical screening may be useful where certain barriers prohibit access to routine cervical screening. However, there is limited evidence on whether self-sampling methods address known barriers to cervical screening and subsequently increase uptake amongst under-screened groups.

Comparison of the safety of esophagojejunal overlap and π-shaped anastomosis in totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy.

Background: Globally, totally laparoscopic total gastrectomy is increasingly being accepted by surgeons for the treatment of gastric cancer. Overlap anastomosis and π-shaped anastomosis are the two most commonly used anastomosis methods in total laparoscopic surgery; however, their safety and suitability for the population are still unclear.

Methods: A total of 162 consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent total laparoscopic total gastrectomy with overlap or π-shaped anastomosis were retrospectively analyzed.

Methodological challenges using routine clinical care data for real-world evidence: a rapid review utilizing a systematic literature search and focus group discussion.

Background: The integration of real-world evidence (RWE) from real-world data (RWD) in clinical research is crucial for bridging the gap between clinical trial results and real-world outcomes. Analyzing routinely collected data to generate clinical evidence faces methodological concerns like confounding and bias, similar to prospectively documented observational studies. This study focuses on additional limitations frequently reported in the literature, providing an overview of the challenges and biases inherent to analyzing routine clinical care data, including health claims data (hereafter: routine data).

Social cognition in bipolar I and II disorders: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: In recent years, there has been a rapid increase in reports upon social-cognition impairments in bipolar disorder. This study aimed to compare the characteristics of social cognition domains in bipolar I (BD I) and II (BD II) based on the findings to date.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on Web of Science and PubMed from inception to 28 August 2024.

Virtual primary care for people living with dementia in Canada: cross-sectional surveys of patients, care partners, and family physicians.

Background: Virtual care (VC) for dementia in primary care settings is an important aspect of healthcare delivery in Canada. However, the evidence informing optimal and sustainable provision of VC for persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners is scarce. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the frequency of VC use, (2) identify characteristics of PLWD, care partners, and family physicians (FPs) that are associated with the use of VC, and (3) explore FPs' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to provide VC for PLWD and their care partners.

Asymptomatic lung abscess of aspergillus in a female without previous lung diseases or immunocompromise: a case report.

Background: Chronic pulmonary abscess usually results from bacterial or mycobacterium infection, but rarely from aspergillosis. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is usually found in a person with structural lung disease or immunocompromise. Here, we report a case of chronic lung abscess of aspergillosis without immunocompromise, structural lung diseases or even clinical symptoms.