Background: Traditional bone scintigraphy for detecting malignant bone metastases is limited by suboptimal accuracy and radiation exposure. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI), while an alternative, requires lengthy scan times and high patient compliance. Purpose: To develop a novel, rapid whole body bone screening (WB-RBS) MRI protocol and evaluate its diagnostic performance for bone metastasis detection. […]
Cognitive test performance in CLN3 Disease is associated with the CLN3 Staging System (CLN3SS)
CLN3 disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disease, typically with childhood onset, and characterized by vision loss, seizures, cognitive decline, and difficulties. The CLN3 Staging System (CLN3SS) characterizes disease progression. Our aim was to assess differences in cognitive test scores in relation to CLN3SS among individuals with CLN3 disease. We evaluated the relationship between cognitive test […]
Impact of Imaging Protocols on Thermal Detection of Pressure Injuries: Threshold versus Deep Learning Across Skin Tones
Pressure injuries represent a significant healthcare challenge requiring early detection to prevent severe complications. While thermal imaging shows promise for detecting early pressure-related temperature changes, its robustness across varying imaging conditions and diverse patient populations remains unclear. This study systematically evaluated how imaging protocol variations (lighting, distance, positioning, camera type) and participant skin tone influence […]
Thermal Discomfort and In-vitro Fertilization Treatment Outcomes
Background: Literature on the role of thermal discomfort (heat- and cold-stress) on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes are scarce and inconclusive. This multi-center research examines association between heat stress and IVF treatment outcomes in Andhra Pradesh, which is prone to year around chronic heat stress. Methods: IVF data were abstracted from clinical chart review of all […]
Development and evaluation of the cooperative experiences measure
Given the growing crisis in youth mental health, there is a critical need to rebuild and sustain healthy social environments. Cooperative experiences (e.g., sports, clubs) may promote mental health but we lack rigorously tested measures to drive research and evaluation. This study sought to develop a measure of cooperative experiences and test associations with health. […]
Efficacy Validation of a Novel MRI-Based Whole-Body Rapid Bone Scan (WB-RBS) Strategy for Diagnosing Bone Metastases: A Prospective Trial
Background: Traditional bone scintigraphy for detecting malignant bone metastases is limited by suboptimal accuracy and radiation exposure. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI), while an alternative, requires lengthy scan times and high patient compliance. Purpose: To develop a novel, rapid whole body bone screening (WB-RBS) MRI protocol and evaluate its diagnostic performance for bone metastasis detection. […]
Antigenic seniority and convergent haemagglutinin evolution shaped the immune landscape preceding influenza B/Yamagata’s extinction
Background: In 2020, the B/Yamagata lineage of influenza B disappeared from circulation. Understanding the immunological conditions preceding this loss can help explain why the lineage disappeared and has implications for our understanding of viral evolution and ongoing vaccine policies. Methods: We measured neutralising antibody responses in age- and sex-matched blood donor cohorts collected in 2020, […]
Determinants of specificity and end-user acceptability of an IP-10-based point-of-care triage test for antiretroviral therapy monitoring in Mozambique
Introduction: Viral load (VL) monitoring is the gold standard for antiretroviral therapy (ART) monitoring. Still, due to limited funds and infrastructure, many people living with HIV (PLHIV) in low- and middle-income countries do not receive timely VL testing. We evaluated the clinical performance and end-user acceptability of a prototype interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) point-of-care […]
Macrophage spatial polarity to T cells predicts prognosis in young women with luminal breast cancer
Purpose: The prognostic role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in luminal breast cancer remains uncertain, partly because density-based metrics do not capture spatial interactions between immune cell subsets. We developed a density-independent spatial metric quantifying macrophage-T cell proximity and assessed its prognostic value. Experimental Design: Using multiplex immunohistochemistry across three breast cancer cohorts (exploratory, n = 17; […]
Harmonising APASL and A-TANGO criteria for acute-on-chronic liver failure: identification of complementary high-risk pre-ACLF populations
Background & Aims: ACLF is defined differently by APASL (acute hepatic dysfunction) and by organ failure-based frameworks including EASL-CLIF and the recently developed A-TANGO score. Whether these definitions identify competing populations or sequential stages of the same syndrome remains unresolved, with direct implications for the timing of intervention. We tested whether APASL-defined ACLF can be […]
Clinical effectiveness of SGLT2 inhibitors in non-diabetic kidney transplanted patients- a real world data analysis.
Background and hypothesis: Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2-inhibitors) slow chronic kidney disease progression, but evidence in non-diabetic kidney transplant recipients is limited. We evaluated associations between SGLT2-inhibitor use and major adverse kidney events (MAKE), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and all-cause mortality. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study using the TriNetX federated research network, adult non-diabetic […]
Predicting the median lifespan of ITNs using an area-measure of risk of physical durability: proof of concept of the Risk Index
Background: The lifespan of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) varies widely across settings, reflecting both intrinsic product characteristics and external factors related to use, care, and environment. While the resistance to damage (RD) score captures intrinsic product durability, there is no standardized metric to quantify contextual risks. This study presents a proof of concept for the Risk […]