Process Rounds to Elevate Psychological Skills in Palliative Care.

A half-day workshop improved palliative care clinicians' ability to integrate psychological concepts into serious illness communication but created demand for longitudinal learning. To pilot "Process Rounds," a four-session, case-based, adapted psychotherapeutic supervision group reinforcing formulation, countertransference, and mindful intervention. Workshop graduates from four cohorts were invited; 25/143 enrolled.

Multimodal machine learning for staging laparoscopy: a combined image analysis and morphologic tool for the discrimination of peritoneal metastasis.

Background: Staging laparoscopy (SL) is an essential procedure for peritoneal metastasis (PM) detection. Although surgeons are expected to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions intraoperatively, this task remains difficult and error-prone. The aim of this study was to develop a novel multimodal machine learning (MML) model to differentiate PM from benign lesions by integrating morphologic characteristics with intraoperative SL images.

Single-Cell and Plasma Proteomics Do Not Differentiate Patients With and Without SARS-CoV-2 Antigenemia in Convalescence in a Cohort of 100 Patients.

Plasma samples obtained approximately 3 ( = 100) and 12 months ( = 78) after acute SARS-CoV-2 infection were tested for S1, spike, and N antigens. There were no significant differences in plasma proteins or single-cell protein expression levels on immune cells between those with and without plasma antigen detected.

Mechanisms and treatment of cancer therapy-induced peripheral and central neurotoxicity.

Neurotoxicity is a common and potentially severe adverse effect from conventional and novel cancer therapy. The mechanisms that underlie clinical symptoms of central and peripheral nervous system injury remain incompletely understood. For conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiotherapy, direct toxicities to brain structures and neurovascular damage may result in myelin degradation and impaired neurogenesis, which eventually translates into delayed neurodegeneration accompanied by cognitive symptoms.

A clinical and genotype-phenotype analysis of MACF1 variants.

Microtubule-actin cross-linking factor 1 (MACF1) is a large protein of the spectraplakin family, which is essential for brain development. MACF1 interacts with microtubules through the growth arrest-specific 2 (Gas2)-related (GAR) domain. Heterozygous MACF1 missense variants affecting the zinc-binding residues in this domain result in a distinctive cortical and brain stem malformation.

Access to Healthy Foods and Diet Quality: Implications for Advancing Equity in Kidney Health Outcomes.

Socioeconomic, environmental and lifestyle factors shape kidney health. Among the social determinants of health, access to healthy foods is particularly significant. As a basic need, food is integral to an individual's identity, culture, and health.

2025 Clinical Practice Guideline Update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America on the Treatment and Management of COVID-19: Abatacept.

This article provides a focused update to the clinical practice guideline on the treatment and management of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The guideline panel presents a recommendation on the use of abatacept in hospitalized adults with severe or critical COVID-19. The recommendation is based on evidence derived from a systematic literature review and adheres to a standardized methodology for rating the certainty of evidence and strength of recommendation according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach.

Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Breast Cancer Diagnoses in Older Hispanic Women.

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on discrepancies between expected and actual breast cancer diagnosis. Methods Data on breast cancer incidence were obtained from the United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) program from 2001 to 2020. We compared actual breast cancer incidence rates in the year 2020 to estimated rates based on trends from 2001 to 2019.

Sleep disordered breathing and circulating non-esterified fatty acids: the cardiovascular health study.

Study Objectives: Circulating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) have been associated with impaired glucose metabolism but their modifiable determinants remain uncertain. We sought to determine the association between objectively-measured sleep disordered breathing (SDB), which is also associated with dysglycemia, and NEFA levels among community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: We analyzed 787 older adults who had total fasting and post-load NEFAs measured in 1996-1997 in the Cardiovascular Health Study and underwent polysomnography between 1995 and 1997 in the Sleep Heart Health Study.

A 3-month clofazimine-rifapentine-containing regimen for drug-susceptible tuberculosis versus standard of care (Clo-Fast): a randomised, open-label, phase 2c clinical trial.

Background: Based on results from preclinical and clinical studies, a five-drug combination of isoniazid, rifapentine, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, and clofazimine was identified with treatment shortening potential for drug-susceptible tuberculosis; the Clo-Fast trial aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of this regimen. We compared 3 months of isoniazid, rifapentine, pyrazinamide, ethambutol, and clofazimine, administered with a clofazimine loading dose, to the standard 6 month regimen of isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol in drug-susceptible tuberculosis.

Methods: Clo-Fast was a phase 2c open-label trial recruiting participants at six sites in five countries.

Chronic kidney disease and incident cancer risk: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Studies examining the association of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with cancer risk have demonstrated conflicting results.

Methods: This was an individual participant data meta-analysis including 54 international cohorts contributing to the CKD Prognosis Consortium. Included cohorts had data on albuminuria [urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR)], estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), overall and site-specific cancer incidence, and established risk factors for cancer.

Multiomics approach to evaluating personalized biomarkers of allergen immunotherapy.

Recent advancements in genomics and "omic" technologies have ushered in a transformative era referred to as personalized or precision medicine. This innovative approach considers the unique genetic profiles of individuals, along with a range of variability factors, to devise tailored disease treatments and prevention strategies that cater to the distinct needs of each patient. Although the terms personalized medicine and precision medicine are frequently utilized interchangeably, it is essential to delineate the subtle distinctions between them.

MRI versus radiography as eligibility screening tool for knee osteoarthritis clinical trials: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of knee structural pathologies that may warrant exclusion from disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) trials, based on MRI versus radiography, among participants who would otherwise be considered eligible for enrollment based on commonly used radiographic inclusionary criteria.

Methods: We selected participants from the baseline visit of the Osteoarthritis Initiative that met radiographic structural and clinical eligibility criteria for a DMOAD clinical trial: Radiographic OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3 with medial minimum joint space width ≥ 1.5 mm); and WOMAC knee pain score between 8 and 18 (0-20 scale).

Advanced Glycation End-Product Carboxymethyl-Lysine and Incident Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation in Older Adults.

Background: Advanced glycation end-products result from chemical modification of proteins under conditions of hyperglycemia or oxidative stress common with advancing age. Advanced glycation end-product (AGE) formation alters vascular and cardiac structure and function, yet the prospective associations of circulating AGEs with heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) have not been studied.

Methods: We evaluated the associations of serum N-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), a major AGE in tissue proteins, and incident HF and AF in the CHS (Cardiovascular Health Study), a population-based cohort of older adults.

Current Landscape of Children's Surgery in Africa: A Multicenter Analysis of 16,000 Cases.

Background: Although prior studies have estimated the burden of pediatric surgical disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through statistical modeling and hospital- or household-based surveys, few large-scale descriptions of procedures and outcomes have been published. We aimed to describe the epidemiology and outcomes of children's surgical care at multiple centers across Africa.

Methods: Perioperative clinical data were collected prospectively from 2018 to 2023 at 17 hospitals in 11 African countries using a preexisting tool.

Composite arterial and venous collateral score on single-phase CTA predicts 90-day outcomes in anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion stroke.

Background: Collateral circulation influences clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to anterior circulation large-vessel occlusion (LVO). While both arterial and venous collateral assessments on single-phase computed tomography angiography (CTA) have prognostic value, they have traditionally been evaluated independently.

Purpose: We developed the CTA Collateral Impairment Score (CCIS), a composite measure incorporating arterial (Tan) and venous (Cortical Venous Opacification Score (COVES)) scores, and investigated its association with 90-day functional outcomes.

Guidelines for the Standardization of Adult Echocardiography Reporting: Recommendations From the American Society of Echocardiography.

The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) plays a vital role in establishing practice standards and guidelines within the echocardiography field. Its influence is comprehensive, covering training, image acquisition, nomenclature, measurements, diagnosis, and quality improvement. This report focuses on the final phases of the diagnostic imaging process, specifically reporting and communicating exam results.

Appropriateness, barriers, and facilitators of multi-month dispensing of tuberculosis drugs in rural eastern Uganda: A qualitative study to inform a non-inferiority randomized trial.

Multi-month dispensing of tuberculosis (TB) drugs is an innovative strategy that may reduce frequent clinic visits and travel costs among people with TB (PWTB) in rural areas. To inform a planned trial, we explored the appropriateness, barriers, and facilitators to multi-month dispensing among PWTB and healthcare providers in rural eastern Uganda. We used qualitative methods situated within the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to explore two refill schedules for multi-month dispensing of TB drugs-a four- or five-visit refill schedule.

Genetic and Cellular Architecture of Breast Cancer Risk in Multi-Ancestry Studies of 159,297 Cases and 212,102 Controls.

Breast cancer genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over 200 independent genome-wide significant susceptibility markers. However, most studies have focused on one or two ancestral groups. We examined breast cancer genetic architecture using GWAS summary statistics from African (AFR), East Asian (EAS), European (EUR) and Hispanic/Latina (H/L) samples, totaling 159,297 cases and 212,102 controls, comprising the largest multi-ancestry study of breast cancer to date.

Current Situation of Solid Organ Transplantation from HIV-Positive Donors to HIV-Positive Recipients in Europe. The Spanish Perspective.

Objectives: There is limited information on the use of organs from HIV-positive donors (HIV D+) for HIV-positive recipients (HIV R+) in Europe. In some countries the use of HIV D+ organs is prohibited by law. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of Spanish kidney and liver transplant (KT/LT) teams towards HIV D+/R+ KT/LT through a nationwide survey, and to evaluate the current situation across Europe regarding legislation and reported cases.

Target volume delineation of the neck for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas.

The Chinese Society for Therapeutic Radiology Oncology, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology, the Head and Neck Cancer International Group, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, and the American Society for Radiation Oncology collaboratively developed evidence-based guidelines and a comprehensive contouring atlas for neck target volume delineation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. These guidelines address five key challenges in modern radiotherapy practice: margin design of clinical target volume; nodal target volume delineation after induction chemotherapy; delineation of equivocal nodes evident on imaging; low-risk clinical target volume delineation based on regional stepwise extension patterns; and modifications for anatomical boundaries of lymphatic areas. Developed through a rigorous systematic review and expert appraisal process by a panel of 50 international, multidisciplinary members from 17 countries and regions, these guidelines incorporate the latest advances in nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis and treatment.

Primary target volume delineation for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: CSTRO, CACA, CSCO, HNCIG, ESTRO, and ASTRO guidelines and contouring atlas.

The Chinese Society for Therapeutic Radiology Oncology, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology, Head and Neck Cancer International Group, the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology, and the American Society for Radiation Oncology jointly developed evidence-based guidelines and a contouring atlas for primary target volume delineation for radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The guidelines systematically address three crucial challenges: margin design of clinical target volumes; target volume delineation after induction chemotherapy; and low-risk clinical target volume delineation based on local stepwise extension patterns. Based on a comprehensive systematic review and critical appraisal by an international multidisciplinary panel of 50 nasopharyngeal carcinoma specialists from 17 countries and regions, these guidelines are in keeping with advances in nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosis and treatment, embodying contemporary treatment concepts, and elaborating on the differences in practice.