Treatment strategies with electrochemotherapy for limb in-transit melanoma: Real-world outcomes from a European, retrospective, cohort study.

Background: This study analysed treatment strategies with electrochemotherapy (ECT) in melanoma with limb in-transit metastases (ITM).

Methods: We audited AJCC v.8 stage IIIB-IIID patients treated across 22 centres (2006-2020) within the International Network for Sharing Practices of ECT (InspECT).

RELAX (REducing Levels of AnXiety): a study protocol for a parallel two-arm randomised controlled trial evaluating a web-based early intervention for pregnant women with high levels of repetitive negative thinking to prevent escalating anxiety during pregnancy and after birth.

Background: Perinatal anxiety is common: up to 40% of pregnant women and new mothers experience high levels of anxiety. Given its prevalence, interventions that are low-intensity, highly accessible and cost-efficient, and target modifiable risk factors for anxiety are needed. Repetitive negative thinking (RNT)-such as worrying about ways things will go wrong in the future or ruminating about past negative events-is a risk factor for the development of anxiety.

Brain PET Imaging in the Presurgical Evaluation of Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy.

Presurgical evaluation aims to localize the seizure onset zone (SOZ) for a tailored resection. Interictal [F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET is now an established test to lateralize and/or localize the SOZ, particularly if MR imaging is negative or if the noninvasive assessment shows discrepancies. PET can show hypometabolic areas associated with SOZ and the potential altered metabolic brain networks.

Endoscopic balloon dilatation of primary obstructive megaureter: An effective first line management in children.

Aim: This study evaluates outcomes of endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) in the management of primary obstructive megaureter (POM) in children.

Methods: Retrospective data between 2013 and 2023 from two tertiary paediatric surgical centres in the UK were reviewed. Pre and post-operative clinical and imaging parameters of children managed with EBD were assessed.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Expert Consensus on the Multidisciplinary Management and Resectability of Locally Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: The contemporary management and resectability of locally advanced lung cancer are undergoing significant changes as new data emerge regarding immunotherapy and targeted treatments. The objective of this document is to review the literature and present consensus among a group of multidisciplinary experts to guide the determination of resectability and management of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the context of contemporary evidence.

Methods: The Society of Thoracic Surgeon Workforce on Thoracic Surgery assembled a multidisciplinary expert panel composed of thoracic surgeons and medical and radiation oncologists with established expertise in the management of lung cancer.

An update on autophagy disorders.

Macroautophagy is a highly conserved cellular pathway for the degradation and recycling of defective cargo including proteins, organelles, and macromolecular complexes. As autophagy is particularly relevant for cellular homeostasis in post-mitotic tissues, congenital disorders of autophagy, due to monogenic defects in key autophagy genes, share a common "clinical signature" including neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neuromuscular features, as well as variable abnormalities of the eyes, skin, heart, bones, immune cells, and other organ systems, depending on the expression pattern and the specific function of the defective proteins. Since the clinical and genetic resolution of EPG5-related Vici syndrome, the paradigmatic congenital disorder of autophagy, the widespread use of massively parallel sequencing has resulted in the identification of a growing number of autophagy-associated disease genes, encoding members of the core autophagy machinery as well as related proteins.

Combined antegrade and retrograde dissection and re-entry techniques: A two-in-one chronic total occlusion procedure.

Treatment of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is technically challenging, with exponential difficulty in the presence of specific anatomical features. We present a complex case where procedural success was achieved by sequential PCIs to two separate CTOs in a 'two-in-one' procedure.

Update on Quantitative Computed Tomography.

Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) has important technical advantages for the measurement of bone mineral density, and the technique is well suited for both the diagnosis of osteoporosis and the monitoring of treatment. Its use deserves a wider application than at present. The use of QCT in both research and in the clinic has recently garnered increasing attention.

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: a cross-sectional study of community pharmacists in the UK.

Objectives: To assess the content and frequency of advice community pharmacists (CPs) provide to pregnant women with nausea and vomiting, their confidence in providing advice, and their knowledge of the safety of medication used to manage the condition.

Methods: An online questionnaire of closed- and open-ended questions was distributed to CPs in the UK in May 2023. Closed-ended questions were analysed quantitatively, and conventional content analysis was utilised for open-ended responses.

Imaging Advances in Heart Failure.

This paper delves into the significance of imaging in the diagnosis, aetiology and therapeutic guidance of heart failure, aiming to facilitate early referral and improve patient outcomes. Imaging plays a crucial role not only in assessing left ventricular ejection fraction, but also in characterising the underlying cardiac abnormalities and reaching a specific diagnosis. By providing valuable data on cardiac structure, function and haemodynamics, imaging helps diagnose the condition, evaluate haemodynamic status and, consequently, identify the underlying pathophysiological phenotype, as well as stratifying the risk for outcomes.

Nasal endoscopy score thresholds to trigger consideration of chronic rhinosinusitis treatment escalation and implications for disease control.

Background: In the absence of direct evidence supporting how to use nasal endoscopy findings to judge chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) disease control, experts' practice patterns could provide guidance.

Methodology: Participants consisted of a diverse group of twenty-nine rhinologists. Participants were presented with every possible combination of bilateral nasal endoscopy findings represented by the modified Lund-Kennedy (MLK; range: 0-12) endoscopic scoring system and Nasal Polyp Score (NPS; range: 0-8).

Stretch-Induced Ordering of Prochiral Dimethyl Sulfoxide in Anisotropic Hydrogels Analysed by H and H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.

Nuclear spins in small molecules dissolved in stretched hydrogels typically have population-averaged residual interactions. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of these systems often show additional peaks and splittings compared with free solutions. Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) and quadrupolar couplings (RQCs) are observed for guest H and H nuclear spins, respectively.

The epithelial barrier theory and its associated diseases.

The prevalence of many chronic noncommunicable diseases has been steadily rising over the past six decades. During this time, over 350,000 new chemical substances have been introduced to the lives of humans. In recent years, the epithelial barrier theory came to light explaining the growing prevalence and exacerbations of these diseases worldwide.