High risk of drug-resistant tuberculosis in IGRA-negative contacts: should preventive treatment be considered?

Purpose: Deciding whether to provide preventive treatment to contacts of individuals with multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis is complex.

Methods: We present the diagnostic pathways, clinical course and outcome of tuberculosis treatment in eight siblings from a single family. Tuberculosis disease was diagnosed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture and molecular detection of M.

Endovascular versus Best Medical Treatment for Acute Carotid Occlusion BelOw Circle of Willis (ACOBOW): The ACOBOW Study.

Background Symptomatic acute occlusions of the internal carotid artery (ICA) below the circle of Willis can cause a variety of stroke symptoms, even if the major intracranial cerebral arteries remain patent; however, outcome and safety data are limited. Purpose To compare treatment effects and procedural safety of endovascular treatment (EVT) and best medical treatment (BMT) in patients with symptomatic acute occlusions of the ICA below the circle of Willis. Materials and Methods This retrospective, multicenter cohort study from 22 comprehensive stroke centers in Europe and Asia includes patients treated between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2022.

Minimally invasive versus open lateral pancreaticojejunostomy in patients with painful chronic pancreatitis: systematic review.

Background: Patients with painful chronic pancreatitis combined with a dilated main pancreatic duct and a normal size pancreatic head are treated according to guidelines by lateral pancreaticojejunostomy (LPJ). This systematic review compared outcomes of minimally invasive LPJ and open LPJ.

Methods: From 1 January 2000 until 13 November 2023, series reporting on minimally invasive LPJ and open LPJ in patients with symptomatic chronic pancreatitis were included.

Outcome of critically ill patients receiving systemic chemotherapy on the intensive care unit.

Objective: Analyze the outcomes of critically ill patients who developed new-onset organ dysfunction and received systemic chemotherapy during their ICU stay.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: A tertiary medical center in Germany with an Intensive Care Medicine department consists of 11 intensive care units comprising 140 beds, serving all subspecialties of adult intensive care medicine.

Do clinical outcomes in individuals with malignant gliomas differ between sexes?

Introduction: Sex-related differences in the epidemiology of malignant gliomas are acknowledged; however, information regarding their clinical characteristics and outcomes after surgery is limited.

Research Question: To identify sex-specific differences of all patients with high-grade glioma at our institution and assessed clinical outcomes and prognostic factors.

Material And Methods: This single-center study included those who underwent surgery for malignant gliomas between 2010 and 2020.

Engagement in a web-based intervention for individuals who committed sexual offenses against children: observational study.

Web-based interventions have been shown to be effective for various health and mental health problems. However, the effectiveness of interventions is often limited by the fact that individuals do not start or complete them. Using data from an intermediate analysis of the randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of @myTabu, the current study investigated engagement with a web-based intervention for 113 individuals convicted of child sexual abuse and/or for child sexual exploitation material.

[How will hybrid-DRGs (diagnosis related groups) change German urology? : A survey and potential analysis].

Background: The introduction of hybrid DRGs on 1 January 2024 is intended to create incentives to perform inpatient urology services, e.g., ureterorenoscopy (URS), on an outpatient basis.

Influence of label and academic field on cancer stigma and subjective illness theories among medicine and psychology students: a cross-sectional online study.

The growing population of cancer survivors faces psychosocial challenges, including stigma. This study examined stigma toward "persons with cancer" and "cancer survivors" among medicine and psychology students, focusing on the impact of labeling. Additionally, the study explored these students' subjective illness theories of cancer.

Reconstructing skeletal homeostasis through allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in myelofibrosis.

Myeloproliferative neoplasm-associated myelofibrosis is a clonal stem cell process characterized by pronounced bone marrow fibrosis associated with extramedullary hematopoiesis and splenomegaly. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) represents the only curative treatment leading to bone marrow fibrosis regression. Here we provide an in-depth skeletal characterization of myelofibrosis patients before and after allo-HSCT utilizing clinical high-resolution imaging, laboratory analyses, and bone biopsy studies.

Semantic search helper: A tool based on the use of embeddings in multi-item questionnaires as a harmonization opportunity for merging large datasets - A feasibility study.

Background: Recent advances in natural language processing (NLP), particularly in language processing methods, have opened new avenues in semantic data analysis. A promising application of NLP is data harmonization in questionnaire-based cohort studies, where it can be used as an additional method, specifically when only different instruments are available for one construct as well as for the evaluation of potentially new construct-constellations. The present article therefore explores embedding models' potential to detect opportunities for semantic harmonization.

EPISeg: Automated segmentation of the spinal cord on echo planar images using open-access multi-center data.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the spinal cord is relevant for studying sensation, movement, and autonomic function. Preprocessing of spinal cord fMRI data involves segmentation of the spinal cord on gradient-echo echo planar imaging (EPI) images. Current automated segmentation methods do not work well on these data, due to the low spatial resolution, susceptibility artifacts causing distortions and signal drop-out, ghosting, and motion-related artifacts.

In-Hospital Outcomes after Robotic Open Radical Nephroureterectomy.

To test whether the contemporary robot-assisted nephroureterectomy (RNU) is associated with more favorable in-hospital outcomes than historical RNU, relative to the same endpoints in open NU (ONU). Within the National Inpatient Sample (2008-2019), we identified RNU and ONU patients. Multivariable logistic and Poisson regression models were fitted.

Superior biomechanical stability of pedicle screws compared to lateral mass screws: recommendations for bicortical positioning and enhancing bone contact in geriatric C1 vertebrae.

Background: In atlantoaxial instabilities, posterior C1/C2 fusion using lateral mass screws (LMS) or pedicle screws (PS) in a mono- or bicortical position in the atlas is a typical treatment. The bone microstructure and positioning of the screw trajectories appear to be of significant relevance for stability.

Purpose: The aim of this study was a comparative analysis of the mechanical durability of screw fixation concerning microstructural characteristics of the trajectories of LMS and PS in mono- and bicortical position.

Multinational retrospective analysis of bridging therapy prior to chimeric antigen receptor t cells for relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR) are a well-established treatment option for children and young adults suffering from relapsed/refractory B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Bridging therapy is used to control disease prior to start of lymphodepletion before CAR infusion and thereby improve efficacy of CAR therapy. However, the effect of different bridging strategies on outcome, side effects and response to CAR therapy is still poorly understood.

MethylBERT enables read-level DNA methylation pattern identification and tumour deconvolution using a Transformer-based model.

DNA methylation (DNAm) is a key epigenetic mark that shows profound alterations in cancer. Read-level methylomes enable more in-depth analyses, due to their broad genomic coverage and preservation of rare cell-type signals, compared to summarized data such as 450K/EPIC microarrays. Here, we propose MethylBERT, a Transformer-based model for read-level methylation pattern classification.

Pancreatic cancer cell-intrinsic transglutaminase-2 promotes T cell suppression through microtubule-dependent secretion of immunosuppressive cytokines.

Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is mostly refractory to immunotherapy due to immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment and cancer cell-intrinsic T cell tolerance mechanisms. PDAC is described as a "cold" tumor type with poor infiltration by T cells and factors leading to intratumoral T cell suppression have thus received less attention. Here, we identify a cancer cell-intrinsic mechanism that contributes to a T cell-resistant phenotype and describes potential combinatorial therapy.

Intimal sarcoma of the lower pulmonary vein diagnosed by Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration (EBUS-FNA): A case report and comprehensive literature review.

Intimal sarcoma of blood vessels is a rare, aggressive tumor originating from vascular endothelial cells. This report presents a 22-year-old male diagnosed with an intimal sarcoma of the lower pulmonary vein, detailing diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis information. Additionally, this report explores the application application of Endobronchial Ultrasound-Guided Fine-Needle Aspiration (EBUS-FNA) alongside with Rapid Remote Online Evaluation (ROLE) for identifying a mass-like lesion in the pulmonary vein.

Repeat Procedures After Pulsed Field Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation: MANIFEST-REDO Study.

Background: Initial clinical studies of pulsed field ablation (PFA) to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) indicated a >90% durability rate of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). However, these studies were largely conducted in single centers and involved a limited number of operators. The electrophysiological findings and outcomes in patients undergoing repeat ablation after an initial PF ablation for AF are incompletely understood.

Incidence and predictors of weaning failure from veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy in patients with cardiogenic shock.

Aims: This study aimed to investigate incidence and predictors of weaning failure and in-hospital death after successful weaning from veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS).

Methods And Results: Overall, 685 patients with CS treated with VA-ECMO from 23 tertiary care centres in 7 countries were analysed (median age 57 [interquartile range 49-66] years, 542 [79.1%] male, median lactate 7.

NET Models Meeting 2024 white paper: the current state of neuroendocrine tumour research models and our future aspirations.

Current models for the study of neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are severely limited. While (e.g.

Idecabtagene vicleucel or ciltacabtagene autoleucel for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma: An international multicenter study.

Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) have revolutionized the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), but direct comparisons are lacking. Leveraging an international multicenter RRMM cohort, we compared the outcome of ide-cel ( = 162) versus cilta-cel ( = 42). Co-primary efficacy endpoints of the study were overall response rate (ORR) and progression-free survival (PFS).