METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed eight patients with endobronchial IMT between January 2004 and December 2023.
RESULTS: The median age of our patients was 36 years, and 62.5% were male. Dyspnea was the predominant symptom in cases where the tumor was centrally located (n = 6), whereas hemoptysis was the predominant symptom in peripherally located tumors (n = 2). Most cases had high contrast enhancement and a tumor stalk without bronchial wall invasion on computed tomography (CT) and bronchoscopy. Complete endoscopic resection and laser cauterization via rigid bronchoscopy were possible in five patients. There were only two cases in which tumors remained after the procedure, requiring additional treatment (chemotherapy and surgical resection, respectively). In one patient, surgical resection was performed three weeks after the procedure, and the surgical specimen was free of residual tumor. There was no mortality during the median follow-up duration of 18.8 months.
CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic resection and laser cauterization using rigid bronchoscopy may serve as a safe and effective alternative treatment modality to surgery for patients with endobronchial IMT.
METHODS: This is a case series of four patients with endobronchial GT who underwent therapeutic rigid bronchoscopy between February 2021 and June 2024.
RESULTS: The ages of the patients in our series ranged from 32 to 75 years, and all patients were male. Cough and blood-tinged sputum were present in all patients with endobronchial GT. The tumor sizes ranged from 1 to 3 cm. Complete endoscopic resection and laser cauterization via rigid bronchoscopy were achieved in two patients. One patient had incomplete resection of a 3-cm tumor in the segmental bronchus that showed radiological evidence of bronchial wall invasion. This patient subsequently underwent lobectomy seven months after bronchoscopic resection. The fourth patient was lost to follow-up. There was no mortality throughout the follow-up periods that ranged from 2.8 to 42.5 months. Factors favoring successful rigid bronchoscopy resection for endobronchial GT include a benign tumor in the central airways without bronchial wall invasion.
CONCLUSION: Endoscopic resection and laser cauterization using rigid bronchoscopy may be a viable option for patients with endobronchial GT when surgery is not practical.
CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
METHODS: One hundred and seventy (170) unique oropharyngeal cancer cases were stained for qualitative analysis by the LBS p16 antibody on BOND III. This assay was compared to Ventana's RTD E6H4 (CINtec) clone on Benchmark XT. A stained core was considered p16 positive if the Histoscore (H score) was ≥ 140 and negative if H
METHOD: A total of 292 married individuals (Mage=42.98; SDage=9.82; 66.4% women; 65.4% Chinese Malaysians, 15.8% Indians Malaysians, 14.7% Others Ethnic Malaysians, and 4.1% Malay Malaysians) participated in the cross-sectional quantitative online survey.
RESULTS: A significant positive association was found between sex life and relationship satisfaction. However, sex life and relationship satisfaction were negatively associated with intention toward infidelity. Meanwhile, relationship satisfaction significantly mediates the link between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity after controlling for the effects of age and gender. These findings support the hypothetical mediating role of relationship satisfaction in the association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity.
CONCLUSIONS: This study may fill a knowledge gap in Malaysia about the underlying association among these variables as well as the practical implication of the importance of sex life and relationship satisfaction in determining whether one would engage in extramarital affairs.
METHODS: The VCTE-Prognosis study was a longitudinal study of patients with MASLD who had undergone VCTE examinations at 16 centres from the US, Europe and Asia with subsequent follow-up for clinical events. The primary endpoint was incident liver-related events (LREs), defined as hepatic decompensation and/or hepatocellular carcinoma.
RESULTS: Of 12,950 patients (mean age 52 years, 41% female, 12.1% LSM >12 kPa), baseline FIB-4, at cut-offs of 1.3 (or 2.0 for age ≥65) and 2.67, classified 66.3% as low-risk and 9.8% as high-risk, leaving 23.9% in the intermediate-risk zone. After classifying intermediate FIB-4 patients as low-risk if LSM was <8.0 kPa and high-risk if LSM was >12.0 kPa, 81.5%, 4.6%, and 13.9% of the full cohort were classified as low-, intermediate-, and high-risk, respectively. At a median (IQR) follow-up of 47 (23-72) months, 248 (1.9%) patients developed LREs. The 5-year cumulative incidence of LREs was 0.5%, 1.0% and 10.8% in the low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups, respectively. Replacing LSM with Agile 3+, Agile 4, and FAST did not reduce the intermediate-risk zone or improve event prediction. Classifying intermediate FIB-4 patients by LSM <10 kPa (low-risk) and >15 kPa (high-risk) reduced the intermediate-risk zone while maintaining predictive performance.
CONCLUSIONS: The non-invasive two-step approach of FIB-4 followed by LSM is effective in classifying patients at different risks of LREs.
IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is emerging as one of the leading causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide, but only a minority of patients will develop these complications. Therefore, it is necessary to use non-invasive tests instead of liver biopsy for risk stratification. Additionally, as most patients with MASLD are seen in primary care instead of specialist settings, cost and availability of the tests should be taken into consideration. In this multicentre study, the use of the Fibrosis-4 index followed by liver stiffness measurement by vibration-controlled transient elastography effectively identified patients who would later develop liver-related events. The results support current recommendations by various regional guidelines on a clinical care pathway based on non-invasive tests to diagnose advanced liver fibrosis.
OBJECTIVE: This study explores the relationship between CRFs, BBB integrity, and WMH burden.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The study included 155 participants from the Biomarkers and Cognition Study, Singapore (BIOCIS). CRFs were assessed through blood tests for glucose and lipid profiles, and blood pressure measurements. WMH volumes were quantified using MRI.
MEASUREMENTS: BBB integrity was evaluated using a Transendothelial Electrical Resistance (TEER) assay with human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMEC) exposed to participant plasma.
RESULTS: Plasma from individuals with a higher WMH burden was associated with increased BBB disruption in hBMEC. Higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as body mass index, were correlated with greater BBB disruption. Regression analyses revealed that elevated blood glucose and lipid levels were linked to increased BBB disruption. Both periventricular and subcortical WMH burdens were associated with increased BBB disruption.
CONCLUSION: This study highlights a relationship between CRFs, BBB disruption, and WMH burden, suggesting that CRFs may impair BBB integrity and contribute to WMH and cognitive decline in cSVD.
METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey that assessed PA avoidance, two types of weight stigma, and PA level was completed in late 2023 by 884 Taiwanese young adults aged between 20 and 40 years (63.9% females). Multinomial logistic regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to assess the associations between variables and perform the mediation analysis.
RESULTS: Cognitive behavioral symptoms and negative consequences related to gaming disorder were more common among participants with lower PA than those with moderate to high PA. Individuals at risk of gaming disorder exhibited higher level of PA avoidance, internalized weight stigma, and perceived weight stigma. The SEM found a direct association between gaming disorder and PA, which was negatively mediated by PA avoidance. However, this direct effect was not present when the association was negatively mediated by serial mediations of weight stigma and PA avoidance.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Higher gaming disorder was associated with higher levels of PA, but this association may not be present when taking into account the mediation effect of weight stigma and PA avoidance. The findings suggest complex relationships and further research is needed to examine individual differences and relationships among clinical groups.
METHODS: Using Web of Science and PubMed databases, systematic reviews and meta-analyses comparing outcomes of biceps tenodesis and tenotomy were identified. Abstracts were evaluated for the nine most severe types of spin as described by Yavchitz et al. and appraised using the AMSTAR 2 (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews). Study characteristics were extracted, including adherence to PRISMA guidelines,funding status, and impact metrics such as journal impact factor, total number of citations, and average annual citations.
RESULTS: A total of 16 studies were included, with spin detected in 81.3% of the abstracts. Type three spin was the most frequent (56.3%), followed by types six (43.8%), five (37.5%), nine (25.0%), two (12.5%), and four (6.3%). Spin types one, seven, and eight were not observed. AMSTAR 2 appraised 75% of the studies as 'low' quality, and 25% as 'critically low' quality. All studies had at least one critical flaw, with item 15 (investigation of publication bias) being the most frequent (93.8%). A strong positive correlation was found between AMSTAR 2 scores and citation counts (r = 0.821, p