PLAP expression is linked to invasive tumor growth in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Purpose: Placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) is a protein with a poorly understood function that is normally only expressed in the placenta. In cancer, PLAP expression is a hallmark of germ cell neoplasms, but it can also occur in urothelial carcinoma. To evaluate the potential clinical significance of PLAP expression in bladder cancer, METHODS: PLAP protein was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in more than 2500 urothelial bladder carcinomas in a tissue microarray format.

[Vestibular testing-from the 1950s to today].

The current article presents and explains methods for clinical examination of the vestibular system that have been used from the 1950s to the present day. It spans 230 years of clinical vestibular research, giving the reader a better overview and filling in the gaps in the history. Whilst only limited topographic regions could be examined in the early years, it is nowadays possible to collect objective results independently of patient compliance.

Periprosthetic joint infections - a scoping review.

Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are dramatic complications after primary total joint arthroplasty. Despite increasing research in this field, the diagnosis, classification, and management of PJI remain a challenge. This is mainly due to the heterogenous clinical presentation of PJI in clinical routine and patient-related factors as secondary diagnosis and periprosthetic tissue condition.

Administration and cancer-control outcomes of bone-modifying agents in real-world patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Hormonal agents administered for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) may lead to osteoporosis, skeletal events, reduced quality of life, and even reduced overall survival (OS). Bone-modifying agents may prevent those events but their effect on cancer-control outcomes remains uncertain. Relying on our institutional tertiary-care database, we explored the effect of bone-modifying agents (bisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid and denosumab) on OS and progression-free survival in patients with mCRPC with at least 1 bone metastasis using Kaplan-Meyer estimates and Cox regression models.

Factors influencing the course of post-COVID-19-related symptoms: A bidirectional cohort study among employees in health and welfare services in Germany.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and trajectory of persistent symptoms following COVID-19 and to investigate factors influencing these among employees in the health and welfare services in Germany.

Methods: This exploratory, mixed retro- and prospective cohort study using paper-and-pencil questionnaires was conducted among insured persons of the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the health and welfare services with a SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020. The baseline survey in February 2021 was succeeded by two follow-up surveys after 8 and 13 months.

Conception and development of a neurological registry of patients with persistent health impairments following work-related COVID-19 disease in Germany.

Background: Healthcare and social workers had an increased occupational risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic. Some developed long-lasting symptoms known as post-COVID syndrome (PCS). To assess the consequences of COVID-19 for individuals insured by the German Social Accident Insurance, the BG hospitals (Berufsgenossenschaftliche Kliniken: clinics for occupational accident insurance) established an interdisciplinary diagnostic programme.

Trends in the Management and Outcomes of Neuroendocrine Liver Metastases: A Three-decade, Multi-centre Observational Cohort Study.

Objective: To describe the evolution of management strategies for neuroendocrine liver metastases (NE LM) and trends in patient outcomes over the preceding 3 decades.

Summary Background Data: Liver metastases are common in neuroendocrine neoplasms and impair prognosis. A broad therapeutic armamentarium has evolved over recent decades but there remains uncertainty regarding optimal treatment selection and sequencing.

Frontal midline theta reveals temporal dynamics of target amplification and distracter inhibition during mental set-shifting.

When humans shift between tasks, they initially show slower responses in the new task than in the previous one. Persisting attentional settings are increasingly recognized as a source for these shifting costs. However, the extent to which specific mechanisms underlying information selection and interference control contribute to this phenomenon remains less clear.

Sociodemographic, lifestyle and psychological factors associated with healthy ageing in a national longitudinal study of middle-aged and older adults in Thailand.

The aim of this study was to estimate the longitudinal associations with healthy ageing as well as its association with mortality in a national sample in Thailand. The analytic sample consisted of 2585 participants (≥45 years) in four study assessments in 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022. The distribution of the healthy ageing components at baseline was 93.

Integration of genetic testing into diagnostic pathways for cardiomyopathies: a clinical consensus statement by the ESC Council on Cardiovascular Genomics.

In the modern era, cardiologists managing patients and families with cardiomyopathies need to be familiar with every stage of the diagnostic pathway from clinical phenotyping to the prescription and interpretation of genetic tests. This clinical consensus statement from the ESC Council for Cardiovascular Genomics aims to promote the integration of genetic testing into routine cardiac care of patients with cardiomyopathies, as recommended in the 2023 ESC guidelines for cardiomyopathies. The document describes the types of genetic tests currently available and provides advice on their prescription and for counselling after the return of genetic findings, including the approach in patients and families with variants of unknown significance.

The mediating role of behavioural and socio-structural factors on the association between household wealth and childhood malaria in Ghana.

Background: Children under five continue to bear a disproportionate burden of malaria morbidity and mortality in endemic countries. While the link between socioeconomic position (SEP) and malaria is well established, the causal pathways remain poorly understood, hindering the design and implementation of more targeted structural interventions. This study examines the association between SEP and malaria among children in Ghana and explores the potential mediating role of behavioural and socio-structural factors.

Association of intraoperative hypotension and cumulative norepinephrine dose with postoperative acute kidney injury in patients having noncardiac surgery: a retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Intraoperative hypotension is associated with acute kidney injury (AKI). Clinicians thus frequently use vasopressors, such as norepinephrine, to maintain blood pressure. However, vasopressors themselves might promote AKI.

Cosmetic complications after anterior urethral surgery: a scoping review and photo collection.

Introduction: Anterior urethroplasty is the gold standard for treating complex urethral strictures, primarily focusing on restoring urinary function. However, aesthetic complications, including penile curvature, scarring, and meatal deformities, can impact patient satisfaction, self-image, and quality of life. Despite their significance, cosmetic outcomes are underreported in the literature, affecting patient counseling and surgical planning.

Management of severe pyogenic spinal infections: the 2SICK study by the EANS spine section.

Background Context: Spondylodiscitis management presents significant clinical challenges, particularly in critically ill patients, where the risks and benefits of surgical intervention must be carefully balanced. The optimal timing of surgery in this context remains a subject of debate.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early surgery versus delayed surgery or conservative management in critically ill patients with de novo pyogenic spondylodiscitis.

Towards the DSM-6: The intersection of OCD and psychosis. Expert perspectives on insight in the diagnosis of OCD.

In 1994, the DSM-IV added the specifier "with poor insight" to the diagnostic criteria of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The DSM-5 went one step further and now allows clinicians to diagnose OCD "with absent insight/delusional beliefs," thereby blurring the long-standing distinction between OCD and psychosis. The present study surveyed OCD experts as to their opinions on the insight specifier and the future classification of OCD.

Ion permeation through a narrow cavity constriction in KCNQ1 channels: Mechanism and implications for pathogenic variants.

KCNQ1 potassium channels play a pivotal role in the physiology and pathophysiology of several human excitable and epithelial tissues. The latest cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures provide unique insights into channel function and pharmacology, opening avenues for different therapeutic strategies against human diseases associated with KCNQ1 mutations. However, these structures also raise fundamental questions about the mechanisms of ion permeation.

A combination of long- and short-read genomics reveals frequent p-arm breakpoints within chromosome 21 complex genomic rearrangements.

Purpose: Although chromosome 21 is the smallest human chromosome, it is highly relevant in the pathogenicity of both cancer and congenital diseases, including Alzheimer disease and trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). In addition, cases with rare structural variants (SVs) of chromosome 21 have been reported. These events vary in size and include large chromosomal events, such as ring chromosomes and small partial aneuploidies.

Automated Detection of Central Retinal Artery Occlusion Using OCT Imaging via Explainable Deep Learning.

Objective: To demonstrate the capability of a deep learning model to detect central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), a retinal pathology with significant clinical urgency, using OCT data.

Design: Retrospective, external validation study analyzing OCT and clinical baseline data of 2 institutions via deep learning classification analysis.

Subjects: Patients presenting to the University Medical Center Tübingen and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany.