Uncertainty-aware automatic TNM staging classification for [F] Fluorodeoxyglucose PET-CT reports for lung cancer utilising transformer-based language models and multi-task learning.

Background: [F] Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET-CT is a clinical imaging modality widely used in diagnosing and staging lung cancer. The clinical findings of PET-CT studies are contained within free text reports, which can currently only be categorised by experts manually reading them. Pre-trained transformer-based language models (PLMs) have shown success in extracting complex linguistic features from text.

Carotid Web Management in Symptomatic Patients: A Case Report and Literature Review.

The carotid web is a rare fibromuscular dysplasia disease of the internal carotid artery wall. It is a cause of thromboembolic stroke in a demographic of patients generally younger than those with atherosclerotic carotid artery disease. It is easy to miss the diagnosis without a high index of suspicion.

Controversies in the Management of the Airway in Panfacial Fractures: A Literature Review and Algorithm Proposal.

Panfacial fractures are complex fractures involving multiple regions of the facial skeleton and may require multiple surgeries over a relatively short period. They are often associated with polytrauma and other injuries including neurotrauma, which require either immediate (ATLS) airway management, prolonged intubation, or repeated intubations for staged surgeries. The choice of airway for the surgical management of these fractures is difficult, as an assessment of the occlusion is required, and the central nasal complex and/or skull base may be involved, making classical orotracheal or nasotracheal intubation problematic.

Polyp Matching in Colon Capsule Endoscopy: Pioneering CCE-Colonoscopy Integration Towards an AI-Driven Future.

: Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is becoming more widely available across Europe, but its uptake is slow due to the need for follow-up colonoscopy for therapeutic procedures and biopsies, which impacts its cost-effectiveness. One of the major factors driving the conversion to colonoscopy is the detection of excess polyps in CCE that cannot be matched during subsequent colonoscopy. The capsule's rocking motion, which can lead to duplicate reporting of the same polyp when viewed from different angles, is likely a key contributor.

Characterization of Epithelial-Mesenchymal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation States in Pancreatic and Small Cell Ovarian Tumor Cells and Their Modulation by TGF-β1 and BMP-7.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has an extremely poor prognosis, due in part to early invasion and metastasis, which in turn involves epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the cancer cells. Prompted by the discovery that two PDAC cell lines of the quasi-mesenchymal subtype (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2) exhibit neuroendocrine differentiation (NED), we asked whether NED is associated with EMT. Using real-time PCR and immunoblotting, we initially verified endogenous expressions of various NED markers, i.

Assessing the Quality of Use of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Prophylactic Devices for Stroke Patients at Leeds General Infirmary: An Audit and Re-audit.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients suffering from stroke. Intermittent pneumatic compression devices (IPCs) and geko™ devices are used to reduce the risk of VTE in patients who have suffered an acute stroke. Correct use of the devices is essential for achieving the reduced risk of VTE.

A Review of Educational Supervision in UK Postgraduate Medical Training: Roles, Responsibilities, and Impact on Trainee Development.

This review examines the roles and responsibilities of educational and clinical supervisors in the UK postgraduate medical education system, focusing on their impact on trainee doctors' educational experiences and professional development. Guidance from the General Medical Council and the Department of Health underscores the importance of consistent supervision in various clinical settings. Educational supervisors are critical in helping trainees establish clear, competency-based goals, engage in career planning, and develop resilience.

Disentangling faculty development: A scoping review towards a rich description of the concept and its practice.

Background: There is wide variation in how faculty development (FD) is practiced globally and described in the literature. This scoping review aims to clarify how FD is conceptualised and practiced in health professions education.

Methodology: Using a systematic search strategy, 418 papers, published between 2015-2023, were included for full text review.

A European expert consensus surgical technique description for robotic hepatectomy.

The robotic platform enables surgeons to operate with a similar level of freedom and control as in open surgery, while still providing the patient with the benefits of a minimally invasive approach. More centres continue to adopt robotic liver surgery however standardized training materials and consensus on the surgical technique are currently lacking. The availability of a standardized surgical protocol could benefit the further dissemination of the robotic approach while promoting safe and effective operating techniques.

Socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities increase the risk of type 2 diabetes: an analysis of NHS health check attendees in Birmingham.

Introduction: Birmingham has a significantly higher type-II diabetes prevalence than the national average. This study aimed to investigate the association of socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity on the risk of diabetes in Birmingham.

Methods: Data were included from 108,514 NHS Health Checks conducted in Birmingham between 2018 and 2023.

The Use of Nitinol Continuous Compression Implants in Orthopaedic Trauma.

Background: Continuous compression implants (CCIs) can provide continuous compression across a fracture site. They are mainly used in foot/ankle surgery, with very limited descriptions in the literature of their potential for trauma. The aim of this study was to describe the use and associated outcomes of CCIs in modern day trauma practice.

Therapeutic interventions targeting enteropathy in severe acute malnutrition modulate systemic and vascular inflammation and epithelial regeneration.

Background: Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is the most life-threatening form of undernutrition, and children hospitalised with complications have unacceptably high mortality. Complicated SAM is a multisystem disease characterised pathophysiologically by muscle wasting, systemic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and malnutrition enteropathy including epithelial barrier dysfunction. There is a clear need for novel interventions to address the underlying pathogenic perturbations of complicated SAM.

Dual-resonance optical fiber lossy mode resonance immunoprobe for serum PSA detection.

Biomarker detection has emerged as an essential complementary approach for early-stage screening of tumors. Conventional methods are constrained by bulky systems, cumbersome operation steps, and low detection accuracy. Here, we demonstrate a dual-resonance optimally configured lossy mode resonance (LMR) immunoprobe for detecting prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a biomarker for prostate cancer (PCa).

Associations of Cumulative Adulthood, Childhood and Life-long Insulin with Adulthood Retinal Microvasculature.

Context: Exogenous insulin is reported to have both vasodilatory and vasoconstrictive effects on the microvasculature. Little is known about the associations of long-term endogenous insulin exposure with microvasculature.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that long-term exposure to high insulin levels in childhood and adulthood is associated with adverse changes in retinal microvasculature in adulthood in a population without diabetes.

Understanding the current provisions of support for people with an intellectual disabilities and/or autism in crisis: A mixed methods study.

Background: There has been significant reduction in inpatient beds for people with intellectual disability and/or autism (PwID/A) in the UK in the last decade following high profile national scandals in specialist psychiatric hospitals. To reduce inappropriate admissions a new strategy (Blue-Light, an emergency multi-disciplinary meeting to prevent admission to hospital) was introduced. However, there is no research on the influence of Blue-Light on crisis management for PwID/A.

Biomarker-Guided Antibiotic Duration for Hospitalized Patients With Suspected Sepsis: The ADAPT-Sepsis Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: For hospitalized critically ill adults with suspected sepsis, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) monitoring protocols can guide the duration of antibiotic therapy, but the evidence of the effect and safety of these protocols remains uncertain.

Objective: To determine whether decisions based on assessment of CRP or PCT safely results in a reduction in the duration of antibiotic therapy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A multicenter, intervention-concealed randomized clinical trial, involving 2760 adults (≥18 years), in 41 UK National Health Service (NHS) intensive care units, requiring critical care within 24 hours of initiating intravenous antibiotics for suspected sepsis and likely to continue antibiotics for at least 72 hours.

Efficacy and Safety of Artificial Urinary Sphincters in Female Patients With Stress Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) significantly affects the quality of life in women, causing social, psychological, and physical distress. While artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) implantation is a well-established treatment for male incontinence, it is less commonly used in female patients and is typically considered for cases where other treatments have failed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of AUS implantation in treating SUI in female patients, focusing on continence rates, revision rates, explant rates, and perioperative complications.

"It's put a routine and regimen in my life" - Participant experiences with a programme of community walking and home-based circuit training for intermittent claudication.

Introduction: The WALKSTRONG trial includes a programme of community walking and home-based circuit training which has been developed for people with intermittent claudication (IC). The aim of the present study was to determine the acceptability of the programme for those who took part, by gleaning their opinions and experiences.

Methods: All participants eligible for the WALKSTRONG trial were approached regarding completing a semi-structured interview, selected from three groups: A) programme completers, B) programme withdrawers and C) programme decliners.