Trifluridine/Tipiracil (FTD/TPI) in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer in Hong Kong: A Territory-Wide Cohort Study.

Introduction: Randomized phase III trials showed that using trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) in patients with pre-treated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) conferred survival benefit versus placebo. Here, we investigated the effectiveness and safety of FTD/TPI and sought to identify prognostic factors among the mCRC population in Hong Kong.

Methods: A non-interventional, retrospective, multicenter cohort study enrolled patients with mCRC who received FTD/TPI in seven public hospitals in Hong Kong between 2016 and 2020.

Empagliflozin in acute myocardial infarction in patients with and without type 2 diabetes: A pre-specified analysis of the EMPACT-MI trial.

Aims: In the EMPACT-MI trial, empagliflozin reduced heart failure (HF) hospitalizations but not mortality in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Contemporary reports of clinical event rates with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in acute MI trials are sparse. The treatment effect of empagliflozin in those with and without T2DM in acute MI is unknown.

Relationships between patient and physician global assessments in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Introduction/objectives: Patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) experience reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Global assessment tools use visual analogue scales to provide patients' and physicians' views on disease activity or the patient's overall health and well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between patient and physician global assessments (PtGA and PhGa) as they relate to overall health in people with AAV.

Effectiveness and safety of intravenous immunoglobulin for peripheral neuropathy in EGPA patients: a retrospective study.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a chronic inflammatory disease belonging to the spectrum of small-vessel vasculitis associated with the presence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs), also characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of target organs. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) affects about 2/3 of the patients as a presenting symptom and typically represents a vasculitic involvement. A few studies have addressed the role of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) for the treatment of PN in EGPA.

Hemospray as first-line treatment option for malignant gastrointestinal bleeding: A cost-utility analysis in the United Kingdom.

Aims: For managing malignant upper gastrointestinal bleeding (MUGIB), randomised control trial data have shown the haemostatic powder; Hemospray (TC-325), results in greater immediate haemostasis and lower 30-day rebleeding rates than standard endoscopic therapy (SET). We sought to determine if using TC-325 as a first-line option for patients with MUGIB would be cost-effective compared with SET in the United Kingdom.

Methods: A decision tree was developed among patients with MUGIB, assessing initial therapy with TC-325 or SET over a 30-day time horizon.

Ontology-based integration and querying of heterogeneous rare disease data sources - POLVAS perspective.

The integration of rare disease medical databases belonging to different countries is an important problem, as a large number of observations are required for reliable statistical inference of patient data in order to facilitate clinical research. Such integration of national registry data, which requires harmonization of the heterogeneous data sets into a unified view, is facilitated in the European FAIRVASC project by developing a domain-specific ontology. The FAIRVASC project is dedicated to the rare disease of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV).

Urinary Metal Levels, Cognitive Test Performance, and Dementia in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Importance: Metals are established neurotoxicants, but evidence of their association with cognitive performance at low chronic exposure levels is limited.

Objective: To investigate the association of urinary metal levels, individually and as a mixture, with cognitive tests and dementia diagnosis, including effect modification by apolipoprotein ε4 allele (APOE4).

Design, Setting, And Participants: The multicenter prospective cohort Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) was started from July 2000 to August 2002, with follow-up through 2018.

Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic treatment in patients with cancer: a patient-level meta-analysis from randomized controlled trials.

Background: Use of serum procalcitonin (PCT), an inflammatory biomarker for bacterial infections, has shown promising results for early stopping antibiotic treatment among patients with respiratory infections and sepsis. There is need for additional data regarding effectiveness and safety of this concept among patients with cancer.

Methods: Individual data of patients with a documented diagnosis of cancer and proven or suspected respiratory infection and/or sepsis were extracted from previous trials where adult patients were randomized to receive antibiotic treatment based on a PCT protocol or usual care (control group).

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention during Off-Hours: One-Decade Experience from a High-Volume Cardiovascular Center.

Background: The impact of performing a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) off-hours on clinical outcomes is not well established.

Objective: Compare characteristics and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) of pPCI off-hours versus on-hours in a high-volume cardiology center.

Methods: Prospective cohort of patients who underwent pPCI for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) from 2009 to 2019.

Neutralizing the IL-7Rα limits injury in experimental ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis.

Background And Hypothesis: Increased T cell IL-7Rα signaling is associated with a poorer prognosis in ANCA-associated vasculitis. These studies examined the functional role of IL-7Rα (CD127) in experimental glomerulonephritis mediated by anti-MPO T cell autoimmunity. We hypothesized that T cells would express IL-7Rα in the kidney and that blocking the function of IL-7Rα, without cellular depletion, would be protective.

The evaluation of myocarditis in patients with Still's disease; clinical findings from the multicentre international AIDA Network Still's Disease Registry.

Objective: To evaluate the cardiac involvement in patients with Still's disease with a focus on myocarditis included in the multicenter AIDA (AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance) network Still's disease registry. To exploit the predictive factors for myocarditis in deriving a clinical risk patient profile for this severe manifestation.

Methods: A multicenter observational study was built up assessing consecutive patients with Still's disease characterized by the cardiac involvement among those included in the AIDA Network Still's Disease Registry.

Single-Cell RNA-Sequencing Identifies Bone Marrow-Derived Progenitor Cells as a Main Source of Extracellular Matrix-Producing Cells Across Multiple Organ-Based Fibrotic Diseases.

Fibrosis is characterized by the aberrant deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) due to dysregulated tissue repair responses, imposing a significant global burden on fibrosis-related diseases. Although alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA/)-expressing myofibroblasts are considered as key player in fibrogenesis, the origin of ECM-producing cells remains controversial. To address this issue, we integrated and analyzed large-scale single-cell transcriptomic datasets from patients with distinct fibrotic diseases involving the heart, lung, liver, or kidney.

Accuracy of ultrasound in predicting thyroid malignancy: a comparative analysis of the ACR TI-RADS and ATA risk stratification systems.

Objective: Thyroid nodules are very common in clinical practice, and ultrasound has long been used as a screening tool for their evaluation. Several risk assessment systems based on ultrasonography have been developed to stratify the risk of malignancy and determine the need for fine-needle aspiration in thyroid nodules, including the American Thyroid Association (ATA) system and the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS). The aim of this study was to compare the performance of the ATA and ACR TI-RADS systems in predicting malignancy in thyroid nodules based on the nodules' final histopathology reports.

Efficacy and safety of infliximab or adalimumab in severe mucocutaneous Behçet's syndrome refractory to traditional immunosuppressants: a 6-month, multicentre, randomised controlled, prospective, parallel group, single-blind trial.

Introduction: Evidence from randomised controlled trials on anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agents in patients with Behçet's syndrome (BS) is low.

Method: We conducted a phase 3, multicentre, prospective, randomised, active-controlled, parallel-group study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of either infliximab (IFX) or adalimumab (ADA) in patients with BS. Adults patients with BS presenting with active mucocutaneous manifestations, occurring while on therapy with either azathioprine or cyclosporine for at least 3 months prior to study entry, were eligible.

Living histopathology - interrogation of ocular tissues by light: a celebration of the slit-lamp and a repertoire of clinical techniques.

The evolution of the slit-lamp microscope has enabled ophthalmologists to examine the transparent tissues of the eye with histological detail. This paper considers the history and optics of the slit-lamp. Optical sectioning and retro-illumination are discussed; particularly, effective placement of the reflected light beam.

Understanding the Social Risk Factors That Avert Equitable Lung Cancer Care.

Background: Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. There is an association between certain social determinants of health (SDOH) and adverse cancer outcomes. These include Black race and low-income, which are associated with poorer adherence to lung cancer screening and presentation at a later stage of disease.

Preferences for diagnostic pathways and treatment choice in systemic lupus erythematosus: a patient-based discrete choice experiment.

Objectives: Starting from the unmet need of early diagnosis and treatment in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the study aims to explore patient preferences in diagnostic pathways and treatment modalities. It seeks to integrate clinical priorities with patient perspectives, providing an optimal approach to SLE treatment that remains uncertain.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) has been conducted to investigate whether patient preferences align while maintaining consistent attributes and levels, providing a direct assessment of relative preferences and hypothetical treatment approaches in SLE.

Work Environment, Burnout, and Intent to Leave Current Job Among Cardiologists and Cardiology Health Care Workers: Results From the National Coping With COVID Survey.

Background: Little is known about factors contributing to burnout and intent to leave in cardiologists and other cardiology health care workers.

Methods And Results: The Coping With COVID survey assessed work conditions, burnout, and intent to leave among physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, and other clinical staff (OCS) from April 2020 to December 2020. Single-item measures assessed work conditions, burnout (emotional exhaustion), and intent to leave.

Open Access Data Repository and Common Data Model for Pulse Oximeter Performance Data.

The OpenOximetry Repository is a structured database storing clinical and lab pulse oximetry data, serving as a centralized repository and data model for pulse oximetry initiatives. It supports measurements of arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) by arterial blood gas co-oximetry and pulse oximetry (SpO2), alongside processed and unprocessed photoplethysmography (PPG) data and other metadata. This includes skin color measurements, finger diameter, vital signs (e.