European cancer mortality predictions for the year 2025 with focus on breast cancer.

Background: We predicted the number of cancer deaths and rates for 2025 in the European Union (EU), its five most populous countries, and the UK, focusing on breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: We derived population data and death certificates for all cancers and major sites for the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the UK since 1970, from the World Health Organization and United Nations databases. Estimates for 2025 were computed by linear regression on recent trends identified through Poisson joinpoint regression, considering the slope of the most recent trend segment.

Community pharmacy services in the late COVID-19 period: What has driven change?

Background: Community pharmacy appears to have undergone considerable change over the years.

Objectives: The objective of this research is to study the range of community pharmacy services provided in late stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the last decades and to identify potential drivers for change.

Methods: Four European countries (Austria, England, Estonia, and Portugal), which represent a balance in terms of income, organization of the health system and pharmacy services, were selected as case studies.

SubtiToolKit: a bioengineering kit for Bacillus subtilis and Gram-positive bacteria.

Building DNA constructs of increasing complexity is key to synthetic biology. Golden Gate (GG) methods led to the creation of cloning toolkits - collections of modular standardized DNA parts hosted on hierarchic plasmids, developed for yeast, plants, Gram-negative bacteria, and human cells. However, Gram-positive bacteria have been neglected.

Safety and recovery profile of patients after inhalational anaesthesia versus target-controlled or manual total intravenous anaesthesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: In the UK, total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA) is used in 25% of general anaesthetics and is gaining traction because of its lower environmental impact and effectiveness in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Although meta-analyses have compared TIVA and inhalational anaesthesia (IA), the optimal delivery method-manual infusion or target-controlled infusion (TCI)-remains underexplored. This review addresses this gap, leveraging the rapidly growing body of evidence to guide optimal anaesthetic practice.

Bridging the evidence-to-practice gap: Advancing neonatal blood transfusion. A narrative review of recent guidelines.

Neonates represent a distinct population within the context of transfusion medicine. Blood transfusions in neonates are vital interventions for multiple conditions, despite their inherent risks and potential complications. Differences in physiology and other transfusion risk factors unique to this group require careful adaptation of transfusion guidelines.

Linking epidemiology and genomics of maternal smoking during pregnancy in utero and in ageing: a population-based study using human foetuses and the UK Biobank cohort.

Background: Maternal smoking and foetal exposure to nicotine and other harmful chemicals in utero remains a serious public health issue with little knowledge about the underlying genetics and consequences of maternal smoking in ageing individuals. Here, we investigated the epidemiology and genomic architecture of maternal smoking in a middle-aged population and compare the results to effects observed in the developing foetus.

Methods: In the current project, we included 351,562 participants from the UK Biobank (UKB) and estimated exposure to maternal smoking status during pregnancy through self-reporting from the UKB participants about the mother's smoking status around their birth.

Atrial fibrillation development in the heart failure population from nationwide British linked electronic health records.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a frequent comorbidity in heart failure (HF). We analysed factors associated with new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with heart failure using linked real-world UK data from primary and secondary care, along with findings from genome-wide association studies.

Methods And Results: Among 163 174 participants with a diagnosis of HF (January 1998 to May 2016) from Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES), 111 595 participants had no previous history of AF (mean age 76.

The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme is associated with lasting improvements in children's language and reading skills.

Background: Oral language skills are a critical foundation for education and psychosocial development. Learning to read, in particular, depends heavily on oral language skills. The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) has been shown to improve the language of 4-5-year-old children entering school with language weaknesses in four robust trials.

Integrating Genomic, Transcriptomic, and Phenotypic information to Explore Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis sub-lineage 4.2.2.2.

Aims: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains a major global health challenge, particularly due to increasing drug resistance. Beyond the well-characterized mutations, the mechanisms involved in driving resistance appear to be more complex. This study investigated the differential gene expression of Ethiopian drug-resistant Mtb sub-lineage 4.

Spatial prediction of immunity gaps during a pandemic to inform decision making: A geostatistical case study of COVID-19 in Dominican Republic.

Background: To demonstrate the application and utility of geostatistical modelling to provide comprehensive high-resolution understanding of the population's protective immunity during a pandemic and identify pockets with sub-optimal protection.

Methods: Using data from a national cross-sectional household survey of 6620 individuals in the Dominican Republic (DR) from June to October 2021, we developed and applied geostatistical regression models to estimate and predict Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (anti-S) antibodies (Ab) seroprevalence at high resolution (1 km) across heterogeneous areas.

Results: Spatial patterns in population immunity to SARS-CoV-2 varied across the DR.

Sleep Health and White Matter Integrity in the UK Biobank.

Many people experience impaired sleep health, yet knowledge about its neurobiological correlates is limited. As previous studies have found associations between white matter integrity and several sleep traits, white matter integrity could be causally implicated in poor sleep health. However, these studies were often limited by small sample sizes.

Unpacking medical students' resit experiences: a qualitative study of early years medical students´ experiences of a peer-assisted learning programme during summer resit exams.

Resitting, being offered a 'second chance' at an exam following failure to achieve a passing grade, is both common and stressful in medical school. There is a significant gap in the medical education literature around evidence-based support for resitting medical students. The study explores medical student experiences of resits through a peer-assisted learning programme (PAL) delivered to early years resitting medical students at Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) in 2021 and 2022.

Cytokine therapy of acute radiation syndrome.

Radiological accidents/incidents are common with nearly 400 reported since 1944 exposing about 3000 people to substantial doses of ionizing radiations with 127 deaths. Damage to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells with resulting bone marrow failure is a common consequence of exposure to whole body acute high-dose and -dose-rate ionizing radiations and is termed hematopoietic-acute radiation syndrome, or H-ARS. Therapy of H-ARS includes transfusions, anti-bacterial and -viral drugs, molecularly-cloned hematopoietic growth factors and hematopoietic cell transplants.

Sex/gender differences in hemispheric asymmetries.

This chapter will critically review evidence across 40 years of research, covering both early and contemporary studies that have investigated sex/gender differences in hemispheric asymmetries, including both structural and functional asymmetries. We argue that small sex/gender differences in hemispheric asymmetry reliably exist, but there is significant overlap between the sexes and considerable within-sex variation. Furthermore, we argue that research to date is limited in its consideration of sex/gender-related factors, such as sex hormones and gender roles.

Assessing the link of malnutrition with diabetes and mortality risk in heart failure patients.

Aims: Malnutrition is increasingly recognized as a significant factor influencing the clinical outcomes of patients with heart failure (HF). Diabetes exacerbates risks like hospitalizations and mortality due to cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to explore the association of malnutrition with diabetes and its prognostic impact on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients with HF, using the nutritional assessment tools, controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI).

The association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone in adolescents living with HIV in southern Africa: a cross sectional study.

Low vitamin D associated with high parathyroid hormone (PTH) is commonly reported in the context of HIV infection. We determined the association between total 25-hydroxyvitamin-D [25(OH)D] and PTH in adolescents living with HIV, in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Adolescents (11-19 years) perinatally-infected with HIV and established on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for ≥6 months were recruited into a cross-sectional study.

Effect of Home-based Virtual Reality Training on Upper Extremity Recovery in Patients with Stroke: Systematic Review.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, often resulting in upper extremity dysfunction. Traditional rehabilitation methods often face challenges such as limited patient access to resources and lack of sustained motivation. Home-based virtual reality (VR) training is gaining traction as an innovative, sustainable and interactive alternative.

Association Between Cardiovascular Biological Age and Cardiovascular Disease - A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Biological age serves as a common starting point for various age-related diseases and can be associated with a wide range of cardiovascular outcomes. However, associations between cardiovascular biological age (CBA) and various types of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain unclear.

Methods And Results: Analyzing 262,343 UK Biobank participants, we constructed CBA based on composite biomarkers using the Klemera-Doubal method (denoted as KDM-CBA).

Fc-mediated immune stimulating, pro-inflammatory and antitumor effects of anti-HER2 IgE against HER2-expressing and trastuzumab-resistant tumors.

Background: Anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) IgG1-based antibody therapies significantly improve cancer prognosis, yet intrinsic or acquired resistance to fragment antigen-binding (Fab)-mediated direct effects commonly occurs. Most resistant tumors retain antigen expression and therefore remain potentially targetable with anti-HER2 therapies that promote immune-mediated responses. Tumor-antigen-specific IgE class antibodies can mediate powerful immune cell-mediated effects against different cancers and have been shown to activate IgE Fc receptor-expressing monocytes.