The cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a rare but critical disorder, which can result in devastating motor weakness and sensory deficit, alongside often irreversible bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. In addition to the clinical burden of disease, this syndrome results in a disproportionately high medicolegal strain due to missed or delayed diagnoses. Despite being an emergency diagnosis, often necessitating urgent surgical decompression to treat, we believe there is a lack of clarity for clinicians in the current literature, with no published Irish guideline concerning screening or detection. The current study aims to identify and analyse appropriate guidelines in relation to CES screening which are available to clinicians in Ireland. The study design included a comprehensive literature review and comparison of existing guidelines. The review identified 13 sources of appropriate guidance for clinicians working in Ireland. These resources included textbooks, websites and guidelines developed in the UK. No Irish guidelines or advice were available on CES screening/treatment at the time of review. This review demonstrated the lack of consensus and guidance for clinicians in Ireland on how to effectively screen for CES, judge who requires further imaging and investigations and how to rule out the condition. A national consensus on thorough screening and prompt investigation for CES is necessary, and the formulation of new CES guidelines would be a welcome addition to what is available to clinicians currently.

Eating disorders are severe and often chronic mental illnesses that are associated with high impairment and mortality rates. Recent estimates suggest that eating disorder prevalence rates are on the rise, indicating an increased need for accurate assessment and detection. The current review provides an overview of transdiagnostic eating disorder assessments, including interview, self-report, health and primary care screeners, and technology-based and objective assessments. We focused on assessments that are transdiagnostic in nature and exhibit high impact in the field. We provide recommendations for how these assessments should be used in research and clinical settings. We also discuss considerations that are crucial for assessment, including the use of a categorical versus dimensional diagnostic framework, assessment of eating disorders in related fields (i.e., anxiety and depression), and measurement-based care for eating disorders. Finally, we provide suggestions for future research, including the need for more research on short transdiagnostic screeners for use in health care settings, standardized assessments for ecological momentary assessment, development of state-based assessment of eating disorder symptoms, and consideration of assessment across multiple timescales.

To effectively prevent recurrence, improve the prognosis and increase the survival rate of primary liver cancer (PLC) patients with radical cure, the Chinese Society of Hepatology, Chinese Medical Association, invited clinical experts and methodologists to develop the Consensus on the Tertiary Prevention of Primary Liver Cancer, which was based on the clinical and scientific advances on the risk factors, histopathology, imaging finding, clinical manifestation, and prevention of recurrence of PLC. The purpose is to provide a current basis for the prevention, surveillance, early detection and diagnosis, and the effective measures of PLC recurrence.

Detection of cells and particles in microscopy images is a common and challenging task. In recent years, detection approaches in computer vision achieved remarkable improvements by leveraging deep learning. Microscopy images pose challenges like small and clustered objects, low signal to noise, and complex shape and appearance, for which current approaches still struggle. We introduce Deep Consensus Network, a new deep neural network for object detection in microscopy images based on object centroids. Our network is trainable end-to-end and comprises a Feature Pyramid Network-based feature extractor, a Centroid Proposal Network, and a layer for ensembling detection hypotheses over all image scales and anchors. We suggest an anchor regularization scheme that favours prior anchors over regressed locations. We also propose a novel loss function based on Normalized Mutual Information to cope with strong class imbalance, which we derive within a Bayesian framework. In addition, we introduce an improved algorithm for Non-Maximum Suppression which significantly reduces the algorithmic complexity. Experiments on synthetic data are performed to provide insights into the properties of the proposed loss function and its robustness. We also applied our method to challenging data from the TUPAC16 mitosis detection challenge and the Particle Tracking Challenge, and achieved results competitive or better than state-of-the-art.

Adolescence represents a vulnerable period for the onset of depression. Globally, there is a need to better understand risk factors for adolescent depression to inform policies for effective prevention initiatives.
A Delphi consensus study was conducted on risk factors, early signs, and detection strategies for adolescent depression in global settings. Over 3 survey rounds, global experts formulated and ranked these variables for (1) specificity for adolescent depression and (2) feasibility of measurement (round 1, n=21 participants; rounds 2 and 3, n=17). We calculated Smith\'s salience index as a measure of consensus. Interviews were conducted with 10 participants to elicit qualitative reflections on the ranking results, and on the influence of cultural and contextual factors on depression risks.
Thirty-one risk factors for adolescent depression were generated. Panelists ranked three as highly specific and highly feasible to measure: family history of depression, exposure to bullying, and a negative family environment. Six were ranked as modestly specific and highly feasible: physical illness or disability, female sex, bereavement, trauma exposure, substance abuse, and low self-esteem. An additional 5 items were modestly specific and modestly feasible: social difficulties, academic stress, poverty, loss of family, and cognitive distortions. Five symptoms were at least modestly specific and feasible to measure: mood changes, loss of interest, social isolation, suicidality, and sleep changes. Schools were considered the most feasible place for screening.
The participants were not representative of all countries and cultural regions.
This study offers a profile of risk factors developed and prioritized by experts to inform a research agenda for risk, identification and prevention of adolescent depression across global settings.

Purpose: We aimed to develop a stroke-vision care pathway for stroke survivors with visual impairment.Methods: A literature review searched key electronic bibliographic databases for care pathways related to stroke/vision. Two focus group meetings using semi-structured/nominal group technique reached consensus on items relevant for inclusion in a stroke-vision care pathway. Following the development of the pathway, we obtained feedback through consultation with patient and professional groups.Results: The literature review identified two care pathways relevant to acute stroke and generic vision disorders. Outputs from focus groups related to how stroke survivors present with vision problems; the time points at which stroke survivors present with vision symptoms; the relevance of different types of visual condition to different vision services; the importance of support services supplementary to hospital services and; the importance of key resources to promote awareness of vision problems in stroke survivors. Refinement of the pathway considered time duration from stroke onset, reporting of symptoms to services, and signposting/referrals required dependent on visual condition type.Conclusions: This new stroke-vision care pathway is a process pathway describing potential options for stroke survivors with visual impairment to access health care and obtain appropriate referral(s) to vision services relevant to their specific vision problem(s).IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONVisual impairment is a common consequence of stroke.It is imperative that those who care for stroke survivors are aware of the visual consequences of stroke and make the appropriate referrals for vision and support services.The stroke-vision care pathway is a process pathway that describes the potential options for stroke survivors with visual impairment to access health care and obtain the appropriate referral(s) to vision services relevant to their specific vision problem(s).The stroke-vision care pathway is available (free to download) from the VISION research unit (www.vision-research.co.uk) website and available as supplemental information with this publication.

Focusing on the current challenges and opportunities of China National Infectious Disease Surveillance Network (CNIDS), the exploration and development of pathogen detecting and tracing technologies, and the key issues in vaccine development, 48 experts from the disease control and prevention centers; research institutes, universities and hospitals launched an in-depth discussion on October 24-27, 2019, and reached the following consensus. (1) CNIDS needs to coordinate operational activities and to integrate data across governmental departments in order to build a human-centered and life-cycle based disease monitoring and health managing system. (2) In addition to standardize and further strengthen pathogen culturing and isolating techniques, it is desired to develop multi-targeted, ultra-sensitive, high-specific, high-throughput, digitalized and easy-to-use techniques for pathogen detections and pathobionts analyses. (3) The rapid development of pathogen tracing technologies calls to facilitate the formulation of a more efficient pathogen-tracing system by integrating technologies from genomics, bioinformatics and microbiology.(4) To strengthen the basic researches to support new vaccine developments, to explore vaccination strategies and to unfold the post-marketing evaluation on vaccines. Finally, experts proposed and discussed possiblecountermeasures and suggestions tackling with those challenges.
来自疾病控制、高校科研院所、医疗机构的48位专家于2019年10月24—27日围绕我国传染病监测网络面临的挑战与机遇，病原微生物检测与溯源技术的探索和未来发展需求，以及疫苗研发面临的关键问题等内容展开了深入的讨论，并达成共识：（1）我国传染病监测网络亟须跨部门进行业务和数据整合，建设并完善以人为核心的全生命周期疾病监测与健康管理系统；（2）传统病原分离培养技术仍需进一步规范和加强，病原微生物检测技术亟须发展多靶标、超灵敏、高特异、便捷化和数字化的高中通量的新技术，并发展基于致病共栖菌谱新靶标的疾病诊断新技术；（3）亟须建立基因组学、生物信息学、微生物学等多学科交叉的溯源技术体系；（4）疫苗研发亟须相关基础研究支撑，并需加强疫苗接种策略和上市后评价与评估策略的研究。同时根据以上问题提出了专家建议。.

Neurocognitive disorders causing progressive cognitive, functional, and behavioral impairment remain underdiagnosed. The needs for a timely diagnosis are now widely acknowledged since person-centered care helps to preserve life quality and prevent crises. One powerful barrier to detection in primary care is the lack of an easy-to-follow stepwise approach, grounded in evidence and consistent with high-quality specialty practice. To help fill this gap, the current European Joint Action proposes a graduated diagnosis strategy tailored to the patients\' needs and wills, clarifying appropriate components for primary and specialty care. This strategy considers a first evaluation in primary care that may detect a neurocognitive disorder, that would lead to a second evaluation step allowing etiological diagnosis hypotheses performed mostly by the specialist. A third evaluation stage considering some biological, electrophysiological, or neuroimaging complementary techniques would be proposed to atypical cases or patients willing to consider access to research.

Background: We have previously shown that PCR following enrichment culture is the most sensitive method to detect Burkholderia pseudomallei in environmental samples. Here we report an evaluation of the published consensus method for the culture of B. pseudomallei from Lao soil in comparison with our conventional culture method and with PCR with or without prior broth enrichment. Methods: One hundred soil samples were collected from a field known to contain B. pseudomallei and processed by: (i) the conventional method, (ii-iii) the consensus method using media prepared in either Laos or Thailand, and (iv) the consensus method performed in Thailand, as well as by (v) PCR following direct extraction of DNA from soil and (vi) PCR following broth pre-enrichment. Results: The numbers of samples in which B. pseudomallei was detected were 42, 10, 7, 6, 6 and 84, respectively. However, two samples were positive by the consensus method but negative by conventional culture, and one sample was negative by PCR following enrichment although B. pseudomallei was isolated by the conventional culture method. Conclusions/Discussion: The results show that no single method will detect all environmental samples that contain B. pseudomallei. People conducting environmental surveys for this organism should be aware of the possibility of false-negative results using the consensus culture method. An approach that entails screening using PCR after enrichment, followed by the evaluation of a range of different culture methods on PCR-positive samples to determine which works best in each setting, is recommended.

Electronic medical records and clinical information systems are increasingly used in hospitals and can be leveraged to improve recognition and care for acute kidney injury. This Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) workgroup was convened to develop consensus around principles for the design of automated AKI detection systems to produce real-time AKI alerts using electronic systems. AKI alerts were recognized by the workgroup as an opportunity to prompt earlier clinical evaluation, further testing and ultimately intervention, rather than as a diagnostic label. Workgroup members agreed with designing AKI alert systems to align with the existing KDIGO classification system, but recommended future work to further refine the appropriateness of AKI alerts and to link these alerts to actionable recommendations for AKI care. The consensus statements developed in this review can be used as a roadmap for development of future electronic applications for automated detection and reporting of AKI.
Les dossiers médicaux électroniques et les systèmes de renseignements cliniques sont de plus en plus utilisés dans les hôpitaux. Ces éléments pourraient être mis à profit pour faciliter le dépistage de l’insuffisance rénale aigüe (IRA) et améliorer les soins offerts aux patients qui en souffrent. Lors de la dernière réunion du Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI), un groupe de travail s’est réuni pour établir un consensus autour de principes régissant la constitution d’un système automatisé de détection de l’IRA. Un système qui permettrait de produire des alertes en temps réel pour dépister les cas d’IRA (alertes IRA). Le groupe de travail a reconnu que de telles alertes représenteraient des opportunités de procéder à une évaluation clinique ou un dépistage précoce de la maladie et donc, à des interventions plus rapides, plutôt que de ne constituer qu’un indicateur diagnostique. Les membres du groupe de travail se sont entendus pour que le système d’alertes IRA soit développé en se basant sur la classification établie par le KIDGO. Ils ont toutefois recommandé que des travaux ultérieurs soient effectués pour raffiner les alertes et pour que celles-ci soient suivies de recommandations applicables et assorties d’un plan concret de soins à offrir aux patients. Les déclarations consensuelles présentées dans ce compte-rendu pourraient constituer le plan de développement pour la mise au point d’applications électroniques permettant la détection et le signalement de cas d’IRA de façon automatisée.