Bellvitge University Hospital

Targeted DNA Sequencing Reveals Distinct Rare-Variant Profiles in Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Chronic Lung Diseases

The mechanisms underlying the development and severity of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD) remain poorly understood. To investigate the contribution of genetic factors, we performed targeted sequencing...

Sex-dependent DNA methylation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shows well-established sex differences in incidence, age at onset and progression, but their biological basis is unclear. We hypothesised that the DNA methylation changes associated with ALS differ between the sexes, which would point to sex-sp...

Cutaneous Lymphoma International Prognostic Index and Risk Stratification in Advanced Mycosis Fungoides and Sézary Syndrome

Importance Risk stratification in advanced mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome (MF/SS) remains suboptimal given that current TNMB (tumor, node, metastasis, blood) staging has limited prognostic value for clinically relevant outcomes. Objective To determine whether the Cutaneous...

The HEADSpAcE Data Center: An international data and biospecimen resource for head and neck cancer translational research

Head and neck cancer (HNC) comprises a heterogeneous group of malignancies with substantial variation in incidence, risk factors, and outcomes across populations. Existing studies are often limited by regional scope or lack integration of epidemiological, clinical, and molecular...

Targeting food addiction through an intensive energy-reduced Mediterranean diet lifestyle intervention: evidence from the 3-year PREDIMED-plus trial

Food addiction (FA) has been proposed as a behavioural phenotype linked to obesity, potentially influencing adherence and response to lifestyle interventions. Its role within long-term, multicomponent weight-loss programmes remains unclear. This study evaluated the impact of an i...

Development and Nationwide Multicentre Evaluation of Guideline-Grounded Large Language Model Chatbots to Support Patient Self-Management and Education in Rheumatology

Patients with rheumatic diseases have persistent information needs that are not fully addressed in routine care. We developed and evaluated guideline-grounded, large language model (LLM) chatbots to support patient self-management and education in rheumatology.Ten disease-specifi...

Three clinical and immunological phenotypes of systemic lupus erythematosus onset identified through clustering analysis: data from the RELES registry

Abstract Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) shows heterogeneous clinical expression at onset, complicating early characterisation and risk assessment. We aimed to identify SLE phenotypes emerging after diagnosis and assess their clinical relevance. Methods We analysed...

Standards for practical management of drug hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous drugs and proactive early allergy involvement before referral: A WAO Statement

Hypersensitivity reactions to intravenous therapies—including antibiotics, chemotherapeutics, biologics, anesthesia agents, and contrast media—pose significant challenges in acute care settings. These reactions often occur outside the purview of allergy specialists, leading to de...

Integrating genetics in the clinical care of patients with fibrotic interstitial lung diseases helps in diagnosis and predicting progression

Growing evidence suggests genetic basis in familial and other types of fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD). Genetics may improve diagnostic accuracy and risk stratification. The objective was to evaluate the utility of integrating genetic data into ILD clinical practice. A r...

Association between choroidal structure and retinal fluid location in type 1 neovascular age-related macular degeneration

Abstract Objectives To correlate choroidal structure parameters with the presence and amount of subretinal fluid (SRF) and intraretinal fluid (IRF) in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients with type 1 macular neovascularisation (MNV). Method...

Survival benefit of deceased donor kidney transplantation versus continued dialysis: international target trial emulation

Abstract Objective To quantify the survival benefit of deceased donor kidney transplantation versus continued dialysis according to patients’ characteristics (age, diabetes, cardiovascular disease), donor quality (standard criteria donor or expanded criteria donor) and donor retr...

α-Parvin regulation of cell rearrangement is critical for ureteric bud branching morphogenesis

All branched tubular structures, including the kidney collecting system, are formed by branching morphogenesis, a process that includes tip branching and trunk narrowing. Tight control of cell movement and rearrangement is a prerequisite for branching morphogenesis. The role of i...

Comparative analysis of blood inflammatory profile and intestinal microbiota in late-fetal growth restriction vs. normal pregnancy

To determine the association of blood inflammatory biomarkers and intestinal microbiota composition in women with late-onset fetal growth restriction. Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a pathological condition in which fetus fails to achieve its genetically determined growth pote...

VerifyNow in acute coronary syndrome: design of the EPIC17-VERONICA trial to optimize platelet inhibition.

Introduction and objectives: De-escalation from prasugrel and ticagrelor to clopidogrel in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a strategy aimed at reducing bleeding. This study evaluates whether VerifyNow (Werfen, Spain)-g...

Beyond Disease Activity: Fatigue and Health-Related Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission and Low Disease Activity

Background/Objectives: Remission and low disease activity (LDA) are established treatment targets in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but they may not imply normalization of patient-perceived disease burden. Fatigue and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) provide complementary measu...

The Laboratory Medicine Inference Framework: evidentiary boundaries from measurement to clinical action

INTRODUCTION: Laboratory medicine relies on multiple metrological, analytical, interpretative, and clinical frameworks. Although each addresses a specific question, the relationships linking measurement, interpretation, clinical translation, and action remain incompletely articul...

Towards a deep-learning genomic tool for risk stratification and diagnostic support in sporadic ALS

Abstract Background A variety of common and rare genetic factors have been implicated in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the evidence is that a genetic component is present in most affected individuals. However, our current understanding of ALS genetic...

LDL Cholesterol Lowering With Evolocumab Before Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Importance: Proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibition is recommended as second- or third-line lipid-lowering therapy after myocardial infarction (MI), resulting in prolonged periods of inadequate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) control. Whether...

Incidence, Causes, and Outcomes of Conversion to Open Surgery During Minimally Invasive Left Pancreatectomy: A Prospective Multicenter Study

ABSTRACT Background Minimally invasive left pancreatectomy (MILP) has become the preferred approach to treat lesions of the pancreatic body and tail. However, the procedure may require conversion to open surgery, with reported conversion rates varying widely in the literature. Th...

Cell Type‐Specific Extracellular Vesicles in Mouse Brain: Proteomic Signatures Highlight Astrocytic GlialCAM Network and GPCR Enrichment

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate intercellular communication in the central nervous system (CNS) and are emerging as biomarkers of brain health and disease. However, the molecular composition of cell type-specific brain EVs, particularly astrocyte-derived EVs (ADEVs), remains...