Safety and efficacy of the therapeutic DNA-based vaccine VB10.16 in combination with atezolizumab in persistent, recurrent or metastatic HPV16-positive cervical cancer: a multicenter, single-arm phase 2a study.

Background: Second-line treatment options for persistent, recurrent or metastatic (r/m) cervical cancer are limited. We investigated the safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of the therapeutic DNA-based vaccine VB10.16 combined with the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)16-positive r/m cervical cancer.

Ticagrelor Induces Angiogenesis in Progenitor and Mature Endothelial Cells In Vitro: Investigation of the Possible Role of Adenosine.

Ticagrelor, a reversible platelet P2Y receptor antagonist, exerts various pleiotropic actions, some of which are at least partially mediated through adenosine. We studied the ticagrelor and adenosine effect on the angiogenic properties of progenitor CD34-derived endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs). Angiogenesis studies were performed in vitro using capillary-like tube formation and spheroid-based angiogenesis assays.

Brolucizumab and Platelet Activation and Reactivity.

Purpose: This study explores the potential interaction of brolucizumab with platelets and its effects on platelet activation and reactivity, crucial in retinal vasculitis and retinal vascular occlusion. Safety concerns remain of interest, although brolucizumab showed superior retinal efficacy and reduced injection frequency compared to other licensed anti-VEGF agents.

Methods: Resting and activated platelets of healthy volunteers were pretreated with brolucizumab at the following concentrations 0.

Value-Based Indication-Specific Pricing and Weighted-Average Pricing: Estimated Price and Cost Savings for Cancer Drugs.

Objectives: For US Medicare and Medicaid, single drug prices do not reflect the value of supplemental indications. Value-based indication-specific and weighted-average pricing has been suggested for drugs with multiple indications. Under indication-specific pricing, a distinct price is assigned to the differential value a drug offers in each indication.

Long-term outcomes of unselected patients undergoing coronary angiography according to the presence or absence of type II diabetes mellitus.

Objective: The study investigates long-term outcomes of unselected inpatients undergoing invasive coronary angiography (CA) with and without diabetes mellitus type II (T2DM).

Background: Due to continual shifts in demographics and advancements in treating cardiovascular disease, there has been a notable evolution in the types of patients undergoing CA over the past decades. Comprehensive data on the extended outcomes of CA patients, both with and without concurrent T2DM, remains scarce.

[From ozone depletion to the lens: effects of climate change on cataract progression].

The incidence of cataract is expected to increase, primarily due to an aging population. However, human-induced environmental changes may also contribute. In this narrative review, we explore the connection between climate change, the depletion of the ozone layer, and modifiable risk factors for cataract development such as UV light exposure and pollution-related factors.

Does size matter? Center-specific characteristics and survival after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia: an analysis of the German Registry for Stem Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy.

We investigated the effect of center-specific variables on overall survival (OS) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Eligible were adult patients reported to DRST registry receiving first alloHCT for AML from a related or matched (>= 9/10 HLA-match) unrelated donor 2015-2021. Primary endpoint was OS at 12 months from alloHCT.

Potassium levels and short-term outcomes in heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction.

Objective: The study investigates the prognostic impact of dyskalemias in patients hospitalized with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF).

Background: Although dyskalemias represent a common complication in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), data concerning the prevalence and prognostic impact of dyskalemias in HFmrEF is limited.

Methods: Consecutive patients with HFmrEF were retrospectively included at one institution from 2016 to 2022.

Delirium assessment, management and barriers to effective care across Scotland: A secondary analysis of survey data from World Delirium Awareness Day 2023.

Introduction: Delirium is a common, severe neuropsychiatric syndrome in hospitalised older adults. We evaluated use of validated delirium assessment tools, adherence to national guidelines and prevalence and management of delirium across Scotland, identifying barriers to effective care.

Methods: Secondary analysis of national survey data, collected by participating clinicians on World Delirium Awareness Day (15 March 2023).

Choriocapillaris flow deficit is associated with disease duration in type 2 diabetic patients without retinopathy: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) causes microvascular damage due to long-term hyperglycemia, even before the onset of retinal changes. We aimed to investigate the association between optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) metrics and disease duration in type 2 diabetic patients without retinopathy.

Methods: Eighty-two eyes of 82 type 2 diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR) were included.

Non-exudative OCT findings in neovascular AMD.

In this narrative review we describe the main optical coherence tomography biomarkers appearing in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that do not directly correspond to exudation. We highlight those signs that may mimic exudation and therefore do not require active treatment, such as outer retinal tubulations, pseudocysts, lipid globules, or hyporeflective wedges. Other signs may indicate impending exudation such as hyperreflective foci or shallow irregular retinal pigment epithelium elevation, and therefore should be carefully monitored.

Scan speed affects quantitative optical coherence tomography angiography vascular metrics.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) offers the possibility of obtaining objective quantification of retinal vasculature, with increasing utility as biomarkers for both systemic and ocular diseases. However, the differences between different manufacturers and scan settings are still an important limitation, as many parameters could affect vessel quantification. Here we aim to study the influence of scan speed on quantitative vascular parameters using OCTA.

World delirium awareness and quality survey in 2023-a worldwide point prevalence study.

Background: Delirium, an acute brain dysfunction, is proposed to be highly prevalent in clinical care and shown to significantly increase the risk of mortality and dementia.

Objectives: To report on the global prevalence of clinically documented delirium and delirium-related clinical practices in wards caring for paediatric and adult patients in healthcare facilities.

Design: A prospective, cross-sectional, 39-question survey completed on World Delirium Awareness Day, 15 March 2023.

Circulating collagen breakdown products as a biomarker for presence and instability of human intracranial aneurysms.

Introduction: There is an unmet need for improved detection of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) and distinction between stable and unstable (high rupture risk) IAs. Within the IA wall, synthesis and degradation of type I collagen as the main molecular constituent balance each other to maintain IA stability. We hypothesized that collagen breakdown products could serve as molecular markers for IA presence and instability.

Physicians' perspectives on cancer-related fatigue management and their suggestions for improvements in medical training: a cross-sectional survey study in Germany.

Purpose: Contrary to guidelines, many cancer patients are not screened for cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and do not receive information or adequate treatment. As physicians play a key role in cancer therapy, their knowledge of this common sequela and perspectives on its management are of major interest.

Methods: For an online survey, physicians working in oncology in Germany were systematically drawn from registers and invited by using institutional newsletters or colleagues.

Tumor Response and Its Impact on Treatment Failure in Rectal Cancer: Does Intensity of Neoadjuvant Treatment Matter?

Additional adjuvant treatment in patients with rectal cancer with limited response to neoadjuvant treatment to mitigate their higher risk of treatment failure remains controversial. This is a post hoc analysis of a cohort study of 3 randomized phase 2 or 3 trials (CAO/ARO/AIO-94, -04, and -12 trial) that included 1948 patients with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma. After excluding patients with missing information, 1788 patients (1254 men and 524 women; median age: 62.

A Prospective, Multicenter European Study on the Effects of Anatolian Propolis and Hypertonic Saline Combination Nasal Spray on Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms.

The current study examined the effectiveness of Rhinapi, a hypertonic saline nasal spray with Anatolian propolis added, on allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms in a European population. Four hundred and forty AR patients (251 males and 189 females) from various European centers were enrolled. Nasal examination, overall symptom scores, individual AR symptoms (nasal discharge, sneezing, nasal itching, and nasal obstruction), and quality of life (QoL) were assessed before and after 3 weeks of treatment with Rhinapi, the nasal spray made of hypertonic saline with Anatolian propolis added (Bee&You, Istanbul, Turkey).

Quantification of pulmonary edema using automated lung segmentation on computed tomography in mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: Quantification of pulmonary edema in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) by chest computed tomography (CT) scan has not been validated in routine diagnostics due to its complexity and time-consuming nature. Therefore, the single-indicator transpulmonary thermodilution (TPTD) technique to measure extravascular lung water (EVLW) has been used in the clinical setting. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have now enabled CT images of inhomogeneous lungs to be segmented automatically by an intensive care physician with no prior radiology training within a relatively short time.