UROLOGY

Radiation therapy is a curative intent treatment option for men with prostate cancer. Despite advancement in radiation therapy delivery, rectal toxicity still occurs. Hydrogel spacers offer the potential to reduce rectal toxicity for prostate cancer patients receiving radiation therapy. The concept is elegantly simple whereby a hydrogel compound is injected under ultrasound guidance during routine fiducial marker insertion or as a standalone procedure prior to radiotherapy. After radiation therapy, the body naturally reabsorbs the hydrogel material. The study aimed to provide a comprehensive narrative review and outline the practicalities of inserting hydrogel spacers and published data on the impact of hydrogel spacers on rectal dosimetry and toxicity.

Hydrogel Spacers for Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy: Impact on Rectal Toxicity and Dosimetry | Comprehensive Review and Practical Insights

NEUROLOGY

A review found 143 unique MCI treatment outcomes, highlighting major reporting variation and the need for a core outcome set.

MCI Studies Show Major Variation in Treatment Outcome Reporting

An umbrella review of 153 studies involving adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) identified 143 unique treatment outcomes. Global cognition was the only outcome reported in more than half of studies, while two-thirds of outcomes appeared in three or fewer studies. The substantial heterogeneity in outcome reporting may limit evidence synthesis and treatment evaluation.

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Varenicline nasal spray significantly improved dry eye symptoms and ocular surface signs after 28 days of treatment.

Varenicline Nasal Spray Improves Dry Eye Disease Symptoms and Signs

A prospective placebo-controlled study of 50 patients with dry eye disease found that twice-daily varenicline nasal spray significantly improved symptoms and ocular surface staining after 28 days compared with vehicle. Improvements were greater in dry eye questionnaire and dryness scores, as well as corneal and conjunctival staining. No serious adverse events were reported.

VKC and donor factors were associated with prolonged corneal epithelial healing after keratoplasty in a retrospective study.

Risk Factors Linked to Delayed Epithelial Healing After Keratoplasty

A retrospective study of 146 eyes with delayed epithelialization after keratoplasty identified three independent factors associated with prolonged healing: recipient vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC), female donor sex, and donor history of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Healing became progressively slower as risk factors accumulated, with median closure times increasing from approximately 10 to 16 days.

A monofocal aspheric hydrophobic acrylic IOL improved visual acuity and maintained stable clinical outcomes through 12 months.

Monofocal Aspheric IOL Shows Favorable 12-Month Cataract Outcomes

A prospective feasibility study of 30 patients evaluated a preloaded monofocal aspheric hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens after cataract surgery. At 12 months, corrected distance visual acuity improved substantially, while intraocular pressure remained stable. Most eyes had no or minimal posterior capsule opacification, and no clinically detectable IOL tilt, decentration, or discoloration was observed.

GASTROENTEROLOGY

NGS improved detection of malignant biliary strictures, with combined NGS and histopathology achieving 78% sensitivity.

NGS Improves Diagnostic Accuracy for Malignant Biliary Strictures

A real-world study found that next-generation sequencing (NGS) of endoscopic biopsies improved the detection of malignant biliary strictures compared with histopathology alone. NGS showed higher sensitivity for malignancy (65% vs. 52%) at similar specificity. Combining NGS with histopathology further increased sensitivity to 78%, supporting its potential role in routine diagnostic evaluation.

GYNAECOLOGY - IVF

Postnatal reassessment and selective exome reinterpretation identified genetic diagnoses after nondiagnostic prenatal testing.

Postnatal Reassessment Improves Genetic Diagnosis After Prenatal Exome Sequencing

A retrospective study of 61 liveborn children with prenatal structural anomalies found that postnatal medical genetics reassessment occurred in 41% of cases. Among reassessed children who underwent selective prenatal exome sequencing reinterpretation, 27% received an explanatory genetic diagnosis, representing 5% of the overall cohort. Findings support structured, phenotype-guided postnatal reassessment.

A dedicated research year modestly increased OHNS applicants' research output, mainly through unpublished work and presentations.

Research Year Modestly Boosts OHNS Residency Applicant Productivity

A retrospective review of 196 otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency applicants found that those completing a dedicated research year had more total research products than applicants without one (median 32 vs. 24). However, the difference was mainly driven by unpublished work and oral presentations, while published articles and first-author manuscripts did not significantly differ.

Persistent dysphagia was more common than recurrence after CPMD surgery, with most non-responders identified within 12 months.

Persistent Dysphagia More Common Than Recurrence After CPMD Surgery

A multicenter study of 160 patients with cricopharyngeal muscle dysfunction (CPMD) found persistent dysphagia in 14.3% after surgery, compared with recurrent dysphagia in 3.7%. Patients with persistent symptoms had higher preoperative EAT-10 scores, while recurrence was uncommon. Most persistent non-responders were identified within the first 12 months after surgery.

CARDIOLOGY

CAD and hypertension-related mortality increased in the US from 2000 to 2024, with substantial demographic disparities.

CAD and Hypertension Mortality Increased in the US Over 25 Years

A US mortality analysis of 3.78 million deaths from 2000 to 2024 found that age-adjusted mortality from coronary artery disease and hypertension increased overall. Mortality rose sharply from 2018 to 2021 before declining through 2024. Men, non-Hispanic Black adults, non-metropolitan populations, and Southern US residents experienced higher mortality rates.

A biophysical model accurately predicted platelet activation and receptor shedding in rotary blood pumps.

Biophysical Model Predicts Platelet Activation in Blood Pumps

A computational study evaluating four rotary blood pumps found that a biophysical damage model accurately predicted platelet activation and receptor shedding caused by non-physiological shear stress. CentriMag at 350 mmHg produced the highest levels, with 10-fold greater activation and six-fold greater receptor shedding than at 75 mmHg. Model predictions strongly correlated with experimental data.

Mirikizumab achieved 52-week remission and sustained drug persistence in treatment-experienced ulcerative colitis patients.

Mirikizumab Shows 52-Week Real-World Efficacy in Ulcerative Colitis

A two-center real-world study of 120 treatment-experienced patients with ulcerative colitis found that mirikizumab achieved clinical remission in 28.3% at 52 weeks, with corticosteroid-free remission in 26.1%. Drug persistence was 64.6%, while adverse events occurred in 10.8% of patients. No new safety signals were identified during follow-up.

GNRI, PNI, and MUST were associated with week-14 vedolizumab remission in moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis.

Nutritional Indices Predict Early Vedolizumab Response in UC

A multicenter study of 184 patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis found that baseline nutritional indices were associated with response to vedolizumab at week 14. Higher GNRI and PNI scores and lower MUST scores were linked to greater likelihood of clinical remission. GNRI showed the strongest discriminatory performance, with an AUC of 0.697.

High subcutaneous adipose tissue density was associated with higher mortality and poorer survival in cirrhosis patients awaiting liver transplant.

High Adipose Tissue Density Linked to Mortality in Cirrhosis

A prospective multicenter study of 121 liver transplant candidates with cirrhosis found that higher subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) density on CT was associated with greater pre-transplant mortality and poorer overall survival. Patients with both low muscle density and high SAT density had the poorest survival. SAT density decreased significantly six months after transplantation.

DENTISTRY

Traumatic events altered healthcare utilization, increasing medical care use while some events reduced dental care use in Mexico.

Traumatic Events Influence Healthcare Use in Older Mexican Adults

An analysis of 39,875 observations from 17,424 middle-aged and older adults in Mexico found that traumatic life events were associated with distinct patterns of healthcare use. Natural disasters and the death of a child increased medical care use but reduced dental care utilization, while crime or accidents increased medical service use without a clear effect on dental care.

Speech synchronization interventions were associated with improved speech fluency and production in adults with post-stroke aphasia.

Speech Synchronization Shows Promise for Post-Stroke Aphasia

A systematic review of 32 studies found that speech synchronization interventions were consistently associated with improvements in speech fluency and production among adults with post-stroke aphasia. Synchronization-focused approaches mainly improved speech rate and verbal output, while multicomponent interventions also reported gains in connected speech, lexical retrieval, and functional communication.

Comprehensive review of h...

Comprehensive review of hydrogel spacers prior to radiation therapy for prostate cancer