Urotoxicity of Cyclophosphamide: A Comparison Across Neoplastic, Autoimmune, and Transplant Indications.

We conducted a large-scale disproportionality analysis of the urotoxicity of cyclophosphamide (CYC) and the related drug ifosfamide (IFO) using the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database, with data ranging from Q4 2012 to Q2 2024. We compared the reporting odds ratio (ROR) of various urotoxicity manifestations of CYC and IFO across patient populations being treated for antineoplastic, immunosuppressive, and transplantation indications. When a wide range of urotoxicity manifestations was aggregated, we found that transplant patients had an increased relative susceptibility to CYC urotoxicity.

Corrigendum to "Mapping taste and flavour traits to genetic markers in lettuce " [Food Chem.: Mol. Sci. 9 (2024) 100215].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.fochms.

Multiple testing for signal-agnostic searches for new physics with machine learning.

In this work, we address the question of how to enhance signal-agnostic searches by leveraging multiple testing strategies. Specifically, we consider hypothesis tests relying on machine learning, where model selection can introduce a bias towards specific families of new physics signals. Focusing on the New Physics Learning Machine, a methodology to perform a signal-agnostic likelihood-ratio test, we explore a number of approaches to multiple testing, such as combining -values and aggregating test statistics.

Glucagon-like peptide1 receptor agonist treatment of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes complicated by obesity: A cases series and literature review.

Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is the most common non-pulmonary comorbidity in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Current guidelines recommend insulin therapy as the treatment of choice for people with CFRD. In the past, obesity and overweight were uncommon in individuals with CF.

Fahr's Syndrome With Hypoparathyroidism in a Patient With Schizophrenia and Iron Deficiency Anemia: A Case Report.

Fahr's syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that shows up as calcium deposits in the brain, affecting motor control and cognitive functions. In this case report, a 45-year-old woman with schizophrenia was diagnosed with Fahr's syndrome, which can be challenging to diagnose due to coexisting neurological comorbidity.

Pregnancy-Related Aortic Dissection-A Rare Complication of Pregnancy.

Patients with pregnancy-related aortic dissections should be transferred to high-volume aortic centers for management. Malperfusion syndromes from acute type A aortic dissections appear to have better outcomes with thoracic endovascular repair before definitive surgical repair.

Visual and Refractive Outcomes After Bilateral Implantation of a New Toric Intraocular Lens.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of a new FDA approved toric aspheric hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens.

Patients And Methods: This is a single surgeon, single-arm, on-label, non-randomized, prospective observational study. Thirty patients underwent bilateral cataract surgery (60 eyes) with placement of a Clareon™ Toric IOL in each eye.

Evidence of multiple bacterial, viral, and parasitic infectious disease agents in rodents in riverine areas in selected parts of Zambia.

Background: Infectious disease agents pose significant threats to humans, wildlife, and livestock, with rodents carrying a third of these agents, many linked to human diseases. However, the range of pathogens in rodents and the hotspots for disease remain poorly understood.

Aim: This study evaluated the prevalence of viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens in rodents in riverine and non-riverine areas in selected districts in Zambia.

Psychological factors associated with Long COVID: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Despite the immense impact of Long COVID on public health and those affected, its aetiology remains poorly understood. Findings suggest that psychological factors such as depression contribute to symptom persistence alongside pathophysiological mechanisms, but knowledge of their relative importance is limited. This study aimed to synthesise the current evidence on psychological factors potentially associated with Long COVID and condition-relevant outcomes like quality of life.

Benchmarking lung cancer screening programmes with adaptive screening frequency against the optimal screening schedules derived from the ENGAGE framework: a comparative microsimulation study.

Background: Lung cancer screening recommendations employ annual frequency for eligible individuals, despite evidence that it may not be universally optimal. The impact of imposing a structure on the screening frequency remains unknown. The ENGAGE framework, a validated framework that offers fully dynamic, analytically optimal, personalised lung cancer screening recommendations, could be used to assess the impact of screening structure on the effectiveness and efficiency of lung cancer screening.

Robust and interpretable AI-guided marker for early dementia prediction in real-world clinical settings.

Background: Predicting dementia early has major implications for clinical management and patient outcomes. Yet, we still lack sensitive tools for stratifying patients early, resulting in patients being undiagnosed or wrongly diagnosed. Despite rapid expansion in machine learning models for dementia prediction, limited model interpretability and generalizability impede translation to the clinic.

12-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes of semaglutide use for type 2 diabetes: a propensity-score matched cohort study.

Background: While semaglutide, approved for type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is being investigated as a treatment for brain disorders, concerns over adverse neuropsychiatric events have emerged. More data are therefore needed to assess the effects of semaglutide on brain health. This study provides robust estimates of the risk of neurological and psychiatric outcomes following semaglutide use compared to three other antidiabetic medications.

Severe Hypertension on the Background of Buspirone Use.

Drug-induced hypertension, though rare, often presents diagnostic challenges, particularly when the causative drug is not typically associated with hypertension. We describe a case involving a 55-year-old woman who presented with anxiety, confusion, and significantly high blood pressure unresponsive to standard treatments. Despite increasing medication doses, her blood pressure remained poorly controlled, leading to an investigation for secondary causes.

Relationship between sodium and diffusion MRI metrics in multiple sclerosis.

Sodium MRI can measure sodium concentrations in people with multiple sclerosis, but the extent to which these alterations reflect metabolic dysfunction in the absence of tissue damage or neuroaxonal loss remains uncertain. Increases in total sodium concentration and extracellular sodium concentration are believed to be indicative of tissue disruption and extracellular space expansion. Conversely, increase in intracellular sodium concentration may represent early and transient responses to neuronal insult, preceding overt tissue damage.

Contributions of connectional pathways to shaping Alzheimer's disease pathologies.

Four important imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, namely grey matter atrophy, glucose hypometabolism and amyloid-β and tau deposition, follow stereotypical spatial distributions shaped by the brain network of structural and functional connections. In this case-control study, we combined several predictors reflecting various possible mechanisms of spreading through structural and functional pathways to predict the topography of the four biomarkers in amyloid-positive patients while controlling for the effect of spatial distance along the cortex. For each biomarker, we quantified the relative contribution of each predictor to the variance explained by the model.

'We need to be part of the solution': lessons from the 2024 PPRI Conference on ensuring access to affordable medicines through innovative policies.

On 25-26 April 2024, the 5th PPRI (Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Information) Conference on ensuring equitable access to affordable medicines took place in Vienna (Austria). Twenty-four accepted contributions were presented either as oral presentations or posters, adding to invited keynote lectures, stakeholder debates and workshops. The global multi-stakeholder audience discussed a range of approaches in pharmaceutical policies, which have the potential to successfully and sustainably address current and future challenges in ensuring patient access to affordable medicines globally.

Syphilis infection prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be prevented and effectively treated; yet it continues to be a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a limited understanding of the epidemiology of syphilis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Methods: A systematic review conducted up to April 30, 2024 assessed the prevalence of syphilis and followed PRISMA guidelines, without language and date restrictions.

The literacy barrier in clinical trial consents: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Historically, the readability of consent forms in medicine have been above the average reading level of patients. This can create challenges in obtaining truly informed consent, but the implications on clinical trial participant retention are not fully explored. To address this gap, we seek to analyze clinical trial consent forms by determining their readability and relationship with the associated trial's participant dropout rate.

Once daily Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement of venous leg ulcers versus gel vehicle (placebo) and non-surgical standard of care: a three-arm multicenter, double blinded, randomized controlled study.

Background: Debridement is considered the first step in treatment of chronic wounds, however, current enzymatic and autolytic debridement agents are slow or ineffective. Previous studies have shown positive initial results with EscharEx® (EX-02 formulation), a Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement agent in development for chronic wounds. The main objective of this study was to assess its efficacy in debriding venous leg ulcers (VLU), compared to gel vehicle (GV) as a placebo control and to non-surgical standard of care (NSSOC).

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Healthcare: A Comprehensive Review of Advancements in Diagnostics, Treatment, and Operational Efficiency.

Background And Aims: Artificial Intelligence (AI) beginning to integrate in healthcare, is ushering in a transformative era, impacting diagnostics, altering personalized treatment, and significantly improving operational efficiency. The study aims to describe AI in healthcare, including important technologies like robotics, machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and natural language processing (NLP), and to investigate how these technologies are used in patient interaction, predictive analytics, and remote monitoring. The goal of this review is to present a thorough analysis of AI's effects on healthcare while providing stakeholders with a road map for navigating this changing environment.

Designing for medication adherence in inflammatory bowel disease: multi-disciplinary approaches for self-administrable biotherapeutics.

Biotherapeutics are among the therapeutics that have revolutionized standard inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment, which was previously limited to mesalamine, 5-aminosalicylic acid, corticosteroids, and classical immunosuppressants. Self-administrable biotherapeutics for IBD would enable home-based treatment and reduce the burden on medical infrastructure. Self-administration is made possible through subcutaneous injectable, oral, and rectal dosage forms.

Functional imaging derived ADHD biotypes based on deep clustering: a study on personalized medication therapy guidance.

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder with childhood onset, however, there is no clear correspondence established between clinical ADHD subtypes and primary medications. Identifying objective and reliable neuroimaging markers for categorizing ADHD biotypes may lead to more individualized, biotype-guided treatment.

Methods: Here we proposed a graph convolution network for biological subtype detection (GCN-BSD) using both functional network connectivity (FNC) and non-imaging phenotypic data for ADHD biotype.

Outcomes for smokers who develop melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There is compelling evidence that the incidence of melanoma in cigarette smokers is substantially lower than in non-smokers. However, the risks of both recurrence and death appear to be higher in smokers if melanoma does develop. The magnitude of these increased risks is poorly documented.

Transforming grayscale MRI images to color utilizing generative artificial intelligence to better understand multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) falls within the spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating diseases that may lead to permanent neurological disability. Fundamental to the diagnosis and clinical surveillance is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that allows for the identification of T2-hyperintensities associated with autoimmune injury that demonstrate distinct spatial distribution patterns. Here, we describe the clinical experience of a 31-year-old, right-handed, White man seen in consultation at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, following complaints of headaches that began after head trauma related to military service.

Assessing Residual Moisture After Sterilization as an Overlooked Source of Intraoperative Bacterial Contamination in Knee Intra-articular Reconstructions: Evaluating the Reliability of Routine Procedures and Tests.

Background: Contamination of sterilized surgical instruments is not a typically suspected source of increased infection rate, especially if no abnormalities in the sterilization process are detected.

Purpose/hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to report increased infection rates after knee ligament reconstructions due to undetectable sterilization process errors leading to residual moisture, not limited to a specific surgical tool. It was hypothesized that (1) residual moisture on surgical tools due to autoclave overloading would not be detected by autoclave self-diagnostics, chemical and biological tests, or organoleptic assessment and (2) this kind of contamination may elevate infection rates, especially in knee intra-articular reconstruction procedures.