The role of IgE sensitisation in acute FPIES: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Evidence on the role of IgE sensitisation in acute Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome ('atypical FPIES') is limited. Initial reports claimed association with persistent disease, however recent studies have not replicated this.

Objective: To systematically review the relationship between sensitisation to the culprit food(s) in acute FPIES and the outcome of follow-up oral food challenges.

Exploiting novel placental homing peptides for targeted drug delivery in breast Cancer.

More effective drug formulations are needed to increase the selectivity and efficacy of available chemotherapeutics. We have previously shown that nanoparticles decorated with the tumour homing peptide CGKRK can selectively deliver payloads to the placenta. In this study, we investigated whether two novel placental homing peptides NKGLRNK (NKG) and RSGVAKS (RSG) can be utilized to selectively deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to breast cancer cells.

Use of alternatives to animal testing for Environmental Safety Assessment (ESA): Report from the 2023 EPAA partners' forum.

Environmental Safety Assessments (ESA) are mandatory for several regulatory purposes and are an important component of stewardship/sustainability initiatives. Fish testing is used for assessing chemical toxicity and bioaccumulation potential; amphibians are included in some jurisdictions and their use is increasing to assess endocrine disruption. Alternative methods are becoming more available, covering the principles of the 3Rs (i.

Identifying Patient Subgroups in the Heterogeneous Chronic Pain Population Using Cluster Analysis.

Chronic pain is an ill-defined disease with complex biopsychosocial aspects, posing treatment challenges. We hypothesized that treatment failure results, at least partly, from limited understanding of diverse patient subgroups. We aimed to identify subgroups using psychological variables, allowing for more tailored interventions.

Molecular allergy diagnosis enabling personalized medicine.

Allergic patients are characterized by complex and patient-specific IgE sensitization profiles to various allergens, which are accompanied by different phenotypes of allergic disease. Molecular allergy (MA) diagnosis establishes the patient's IgE reactivity profile at a molecular allergen level and has moved allergology into the "Precision Medicine" era. Molecular allergology started in the late 1980s with the isolation of the first allergen-encoding DNA sequences.

Discontinuation of anticoagulants and occurrence of bleeding and thromboembolic events in vitamin K antagonist users with a life-limiting disease.

Background: Data on risks and benefits of long-term anticoagulants in patients with a life-limiting disease are limited. This cohort study aims to describe (dis)continuation of anticoagulants and incidences of bleeding and thromboembolic events in vitamin K antagonist (VKA) users with a life-limiting disease.

Methods: Data from five Dutch anticoagulation clinics were linked to data from Statistics Netherlands and the Netherlands Cancer registry.

Effect modification in settings with "truncation by death".

Epidemiologic studies recruiting individuals with higher-than-population-average mortality can be affected by "truncation by death", whereby the outcome of interest (e.g. quality of life) is considered not to be defined for individuals who die before the end of follow-up.

Invisible Monitoring for Athlete Health and Performance: A Call for a Better Conceptualization and Practical Recommendations.

Background: Practices to routinely monitor athletes are rapidly changing. With the concurrent exponential rise in wearable technologies and advanced data analysis, tracking training exposures and responses is widespread and more frequent in the athlete-coach decision-making process. Within this scenario, the concept of invisible monitoring emerged, which was initially vaguely defined as testing athletes without testing them.

Breast imaging readers' performance in the PERFORMS test-set based assessment scheme within the MyPeBS international randomised study.

Purpose: A survey conducted by the European Society of Breast Imaging (EUSOBI) in 2023 revealed significant variations in Quality Assurance (QA) practices across Europe. The UK encourages regular performance monitoring for screen readers. This study aimed to assess the variability in diagnostic performance among readers participating in a wider prospective randomised trial across multiple countries.

Predicting a strongly positive fluid balance in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury: A multicentre, international study.

Background: In critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), a fluid balance (FB) > 2 L at 72 h after AKI diagnosis is associated with adverse outcomes. Identification of patients at high-risk for such fluid accumulation may help prevent it.

Methods: We used Australian electronic medical record (EMR)-based clinical data to develop the "AKI-FB risk score", validated it in a British cohort and used it to predict a positive FB >2 L at 72 h after AKI diagnosis.

Slip length and drag reduction of superhydrophobic surfaces in shear-thinning fluid flows.

Hypothesis: We hypothesise that superhydrophobic surfaces can achieve effective interfacial slip and drag reduction even under non-Newtonian, shear-thinning fluid flows. Unlike Newtonian fluids, where slip is primarily influenced by viscosity and surface tension, we anticipate that the shear-thinning nature of these fluids may enhance slip length and drag reduction.

Experiments And Numerical Analysis: The superhydrophobic surfaces used in this study, featuring a dual-scale random topography, were fabricated via a spray coating process, and low-concentration xanthan gum solutions (50-250 ppm) were used as model shear-thinning fluids of low elasticity.

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

Insights into the contribution of multiple factors on Ixodes ricinus abundance across Europe spanning 20 years using different machine learning algorithms.

The interplay of biotic and abiotic factors driving Ixodes ricinus abundance trends are not fully understood. Machine learning (ML) approaches are being increasingly used to explore this and predict future abundance patterns of this species, however, the studies focusing on this to date have had limitations (including short study duration, limited sample size, narrow geographical range and use of a single ML model). This study was undertaken to address these limitations by applying 11 predictive ML models (across three data clustering techniques) to a large I.

Putting things into perspective: Which visual cues facilitate automatic extraretinal symmetry representation?

Objects project different images when viewed from varying locations, but the visual system can correct perspective distortions and identify objects across viewpoints. This study investigated the conditions under which the visual system allocates computational resources to construct view-invariant, extraretinal representations, focusing on planar symmetry. When a symmetrical pattern lies on a plane, its symmetry in the retinal image is degraded by perspective.

Digital papillary adenocarcinoma: A case report of a rare malignant tumour with recommendations on management and follow-up.

Introduction: Digital papillary adenocarcinoma (DPAC) is a rare malignant tumour of the sweat glands, usually in the digits. It has a high rate of recurrence and metastasis, yet there's a lack of guidelines for its diagnosis and management. Therefore, this report aims to evaluate procedures that provide the best outcomes, which will help create a consensus for its management.

Proficiency-chasing and goalodicy: In prioritising checklists, are we gambling with the future of mental health nursing?

In this discussion paper, I take a critical approach to the use of standardised checklists in practice assessment documents as a valid method of assessing mental health nursing students in the UK. The game Bingo is applied here as a metaphor, highlighting the folly of using standardised cross-field checklists to assess mental health nursing students in practice. Such practices, I argue, amount to little more than a game of proficiency-chasing at the expense of seeking more meaningful learning experiences, especially where practice assessment documents currently prioritise physical health care skills above those required for successful mental health nursing.

What about the Workers? An Update.

Epidemiological studies of nuclear industry workers are of substantial importance to understanding the risk of cancer consequent to low-level exposure to radiation, and these studies should provide vital evidence for the construction of the international system of radiological protection. Recent studies involve large numbers of workers and include health outcomes for workers who accumulated moderate (and even high) doses over prolonged periods while employed during the earlier years of the nuclear industry. The interpretation of the findings of these recent studies has proved to be disappointingly difficult.

Effectiveness of Digital Mental Health Interventions in the Workplace: Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews.

Background: There is potential for digital mental health interventions to provide affordable, efficient, and scalable support to individuals. Digital interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, stress management, and mindfulness programs, have shown promise when applied in workplace settings.

Objective: The aim of this study is to conduct an umbrella review of systematic reviews in order to critically evaluate, synthesize, and summarize evidence of various digital mental health interventions available within a workplace setting.

Desmopressin prescription safety in adult inpatients: a real-world tertiary centre experience.

Omissions or delays in desmopressin can result in serious patient harm in patients with Arginine-Vasopressin Deficiency (AVP-D), formally known as Cranial Diabetes Insipidus (CDI). Desmopressin administration practice in hospitals has not been thoroughly investigated previously. This study evaluated desmopressin prescription and administration practice at a large tertiary centre.

Small Bowel Leiomyoma Mimics Neuroendocrine Tumor on 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT.

A 57-year-old man with a 3-month history of lower abdominal pain and rectal bleeding with black stools underwent urgent abdominal CT, which revealed an ovoid hyperdense lesion in the ileum in the right iliac fossa. The prime differential was a midgut neuroendocrine tumor. Thus, the patient was referred for a 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT scan, which demonstrated intense activity in this lesion with no evidence of somatostatin receptor expression elsewhere.

Identifying Research Priorities for Cognition in CKD: A Delphi Study.

Background: Cognition is a research priority for people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but identification of critical research questions is lacking. This study aimed to determine which cognition-related research questions are most important to CKD stakeholders.

Methods: A modified Delphi technique with 3 survey rounds was used.

Aberrant auditory prediction patterns robustly characterize tinnitus.

Phantom perceptions like tinnitus occur without any identifiable environmental or bodily source. The mechanisms and key drivers behind tinnitus are poorly understood. The dominant framework, suggesting that tinnitus results from neural hyperactivity in the auditory pathway following hearing damage, has been difficult to investigate in humans and has reached explanatory limits.

Automated mold defects classification in paintings: A comparison of machine learning and rule-based techniques.

Mold defects pose a significant risk to the preservation of valuable fine art paintings, typically arising from fungal growth in humid environments. This paper presents a novel approach for detecting and categorizing mold defects in fine art paintings. The technique leverages a feature extraction method called Derivative Level Thresholding to pinpoint suspicious regions within an image.