Cardiovascular disease essential medicines listing by countries: changes over time and association with health outcomes.

Background: Since national essential medicine lists guide the procurement of medicines for populations in many countries, and cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, including cardiovascular medicines on these lists can significantly impact healthcare outcomes.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, national essential medicines' lists from 158 countries were analysed on whether or not they included medicines to treat ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and hypertensive heart disease. A linear regression model was used to evaluate the association between countries' coverage scores and amenable mortality.

Normal variations of myocardial T1, T2 and T2* values at 1.5 T cardiac MRI in sex-matched healthy volunteers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the normal variations of myocardial T1, T2, and T2* relaxation times on cardiac MRI obtained at 1.5 T in healthy, sex-balanced volunteers aged between 18 and 69 years.

Material And Methods: A total of 172 healthy volunteers were recruited prospectively.

Liberal/Individualized Versus Materialist/Structuralist Approaches to Addressing Social and Health Inequalities: Education and Income as Social Determinants of Health.

While consensus exists that the sources of health inequalities are social inequalities brought on by the experience of qualitatively different living and working conditions, means of addressing these conditions continue to be the subject of dispute. Whether to emphasis education or income as asocial determinant of health is one such example of differing views on the sources of these inequalities and the means of addressing them. These different emphases are often justified through the narrow examination of the magnitude of statistical relationships between educational attainment and income with health outcomes.

Decoding Cortical Folding Patterns in Marmosets Using Machine Learning and Large Language Model.

Macroscale neuroimaging results have revealed significant differences in the structural and functional connectivity patterns of gyri and sulci in the primate cerebral cortex. Despite these findings, understanding these differences at the molecular level has remained challenging. This study leverages a comprehensive dataset of whole-brain in situ hybridization (ISH) data from marmosets, with updates continuing through 2024, to systematically analyze cortical folding patterns.

The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Staging Project: The Database and Proposal for the Revision of the Staging of Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Carcinoma in the Forthcoming Ninth Edition of the TNM Classification for Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Pulmonary high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) includes small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC). The seventh and eighth editions of the TNM classification for lung cancer confirmed the applicability of this staging system for SCLC. With the proposal of N2 and M1c subcategories for the ninth edition classification, we assessed the applicability to NECs.

Future directions in the evaluation and management of newly diagnosed metastatic cancer.

There is a much debate regarding optimal selection in patients with metastatic cancer who should undergo local treatment (surgery or radiation treatment) to the primary tumor and/or metastases. Additionally, the optimal treatment of newly diagnosed metastatic cancer is largely unclear. Current prognostication systems to best inform these clinical scenarios are limited, as all metastatic patients are grouped together as having Stage IV disease without further incorporation of patient and disease-specific covariates that significantly impact patient outcomes.

Global impact of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines on pneumococcal meningitis in all ages: the PSERENADE project.

Background: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) introduced in childhood national immunization programs lowered vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), but replacement with non-vaccine-types persisted throughout the PCV10/13 follow-up period. We assessed PCV10/13 impact on pneumococcal meningitis incidence globally.

Methods: The number of cases with serotyped pneumococci detected in cerebrospinal fluid and population denominators were obtained from surveillance sites globally.

Targeting extracellular matrix components to attenuate microglia neuroinflammation: A study of fibulin-2 and CSPGs in a model of multiple sclerosis.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in the central nervous system (CNS), shaping tissue structure and functions as well as contributing to the pathology of chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). ECM components, including fibulin-2 (FBLN2) and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), may impact neuroinflammation and remyelination. We investigated the capacity of FBLN2 to modulate immune responses and evaluated its interaction with CSPGs in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a common model for MS.

ISCT MSC committee statement on the US FDA approval of allogenic bone-marrow mesenchymal stromal cells.

The December 2024 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Mesoblast's Ryoncil (remestemcel-L-rknd)-allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC(M)) therapy-in pediatric acute steroid-refractory graft-versus-host-disease finally ended a long-lasting drought on approved MSC clinical products in the United States. While other jurisdictions-including Europe, Japan, India, and South Korea-have marketed autologous or allogeneic MSC products, the United States has lagged in its approval. The sponsor's significant efforts and investments, working closely with the FDA addressing concerns regarding clinical efficacy and consistent MSC potency through an iterative process that spanned several years, was rewarded with this landmark approval.

Influences of age and sex on the diagnostic accuracy of human epididymis secretory protein 4 for malignant pleural effusion.

Previous studies have suggested that the presence of human epididymal protein 4 (HE4) in pleural fluid can be used to diagnose malignant pleural effusion (MPE) with moderate accuracy. However, the factors that affect the diagnostic accuracy of HE4 remain unknown. This study aimed to examine how age and sex influence the diagnostic accuracy of HE4.

Spatial variations in urban woodland cooling between background climates.

Urban woodland composition and configuration have strong associations with land surface temperatures (LST), but the evidence is contradictory due to different spatial scales, regional climate zones, woodland types and urban contexts. In this study, we analyse associations between urban woodland and LST within and between five cities in different Köppen climate zones. Our consistent methodology is framed around local climate zones and conducted at a fine spatial scale.

Fuzzy reinforcement learning based control of linear systems with input saturation.

This research introduces an innovative approach to optimal control for a class of linear systems with input saturation. It leverages the synergy of Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy models and reinforcement learning (RL) techniques. To enhance interpretability and analytical accessibility, our approach applies T-S models to approximate the value function and generate optimal control laws while incorporating prior knowledge.

Exploratory study of patients' and carers' preferences for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring using survey and interviews.

Objectives: To explore patients' and carers' preferences for postdischarge surgical wound monitoring.

Design: Explanatory mixed methods study with an online survey followed by online interviews.

Setting: The online survey was distributed via the Cardiothoracic Interdisciplinary Research Network and cardiac surgery patient and public involvement groups in London and Leicester, UK.

Adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment in high compared to low TB burden countries: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis with a qualitative meta-synthesis of themes.

Introduction: Non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) treatment poses a significant challenge to effective TB management globally and is a major contributor to the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB. Although adherence to TB treatment has been widely studied, a comprehensive evaluation of the comparative levels of adherence in high- versus low-TB burden settings remains lacking. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the levels of adherence to TB treatment in high-TB burden countries compared to low-burden countries.

Impact of microgeography on communication dynamics in a healthcare environment.

Background: For growing healthcare organisations, anchored resources-assets that are not easily movable-may complicate expansion and distort workflow patterns. We examine work patterns at a radiation oncology department of a major Canadian hospital. As this department doubled its size, healthcare providers remained bound to treatment planning rooms and radiation machines at the original site.

Characterizing tumor-infiltrating group 1 innate lymphoid cells in PyMT breast tumors.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and continues to have a significant impact in cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Investigating the complex roles of infiltrating immune subsets within the tumor microenvironment (TME) will enable a better understanding of disease progression and reveal novel therapeutic strategies for patients with breast cancer. The mammary-specific expression of polyomavirus middle T oncoprotein (MMTV-PyMT) was first established in 1992 by William Muller and is the most commonly used genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) for breast cancer research.

Spatiotemporal metabolic mapping of ex-situ preserved hearts subjected to dialysis by integration of bio-SPME sampling with non-targeted metabolipidomic profiling.

Background: Normothermic ex situ heart perfusion (ESHP) has emerged as a valid modality for advanced cardiac allograft preservation and conditioning prior to transplantation though myocardial function declines gradually during ESHP thus limiting its potential for expanding the donor pool. Recently, the utilization of dialysis has been shown to preserve myocardial and coronary vasomotor function. Herein, we sought to determine the changes in myocardial metabolism that could support this improvement.

Assessing the performance of Microsoft Copilot, GPT-4 and Google Gemini in ophthalmology.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of large language models (LLMs), specifically Microsoft Copilot, GPT-4 (GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini), and Google Gemini (Gemini and Gemini Advanced), in answering ophthalmological questions and assessing the impact of prompting techniques on their accuracy.

Design: Prospective qualitative study.

Participants: Microsoft Copilot, GPT-4 (GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini), and Google Gemini (Gemini and Gemini Advanced).