Gastric cancer (GC) is an aggressive disease and the fifth most common cancer worldwide with a variable geographical distribution. GC has a very low survival rate, mainly because of its heterogeneous presentation, multifactorial etiology, and late diagnosis. It is well established that various risk factors contribute to the development of the disease, including salty diet, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Importantly, interactions between genetic and environmental traits trigger the activation of key signaling pathways, influencing gastric cell behavior towards neoplastic transformation and progression. Despite important advances in our understanding of GC, it remains a major health burden owing to epidemiological and therapeutic limitations. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the genetic landscape of GC phenotypes and molecular biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. In particular, we discuss the advances in genomic knowledge and technology that have yielded comprehensive information on the genetics of GC and classified it from a histological to a molecular perspective. Therefore, targeted and immune-based therapies have been developed, highlighting the challenges associated with intratumoral and interpatient heterogeneity. Finally, we explored potential research avenues on the intricacies of GC and identified accurate biomarkers for improved cancer screening and stratification. The development of innovative approaches to tackle relevant molecules is needed for GC management.

Sleep disorders are common among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to assess the perceptions of sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and stress reported by ICU patients and the relationships between these perceptions and patient variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study used consecutive non-probabilistic sampling to select participants. All patients admitted for more than 72 hours of ICU hospitalization at a Portuguese hospital between March and June 2020 were asked to complete the “Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire” and “Anxiety, depression, and Stress Assessment Questionnaire.” The resulting data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Student t-tests for independent samples, and analysis of variance. The significance level for rejecting the null hypothesis was set to α ≤0.05. Results: A total of 52 patients admitted to the ICU for at least 72 hours was recruited. The mean age of the participants was 64 years (standard deviation, 14.6); 32 (61.5%) of the participants were male. Approximately 19% had psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of self-reported poor sleep was higher in women (t[50]=2,147, P=0.037) and in participants with psychiatric problems, although this difference was not statistically significant (t[50]=–0.777, P=0.441). Those who reported having sleep disorders before hospitalization had a worse perception of their sleep. Conclusions: Sleep quality perception was worse in female ICU patients, those with psychiatric disorders, and those with sleep alterations before hospitalization. Implementing early interventions and designing nonpharmacological techniques to improve sleep quality of ICU patients is essential.

Sleep disorders are common among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to assess the perceptions of sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and stress reported by ICU patients and the relationships between these perceptions and patient variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study used consecutive non-probabilistic sampling to select participants. All patients admitted for more than 72 hours of ICU hospitalization at a Portuguese hospital between March and June 2020 were asked to complete the “Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire” and “Anxiety, depression, and Stress Assessment Questionnaire.” The resulting data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Student t-tests for independent samples, and analysis of variance. The significance level for rejecting the null hypothesis was set to α ≤0.05. Results: A total of 52 patients admitted to the ICU for at least 72 hours was recruited. The mean age of the participants was 64 years (standard deviation, 14.6); 32 (61.5%) of the participants were male. Approximately 19% had psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of self-reported poor sleep was higher in women (t[50]=2,147, P=0.037) and in participants with psychiatric problems, although this difference was not statistically significant (t[50]=–0.777, P=0.441). Those who reported having sleep disorders before hospitalization had a worse perception of their sleep. Conclusions: Sleep quality perception was worse in female ICU patients, those with psychiatric disorders, and those with sleep alterations before hospitalization. Implementing early interventions and designing nonpharmacological techniques to improve sleep quality of ICU patients is essential.

Sleep disorders are common among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to assess the perceptions of sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and stress reported by ICU patients and the relationships between these perceptions and patient variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study used consecutive non-probabilistic sampling to select participants. All patients admitted for more than 72 hours of ICU hospitalization at a Portuguese hospital between March and June 2020 were asked to complete the “Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire” and “Anxiety, depression, and Stress Assessment Questionnaire.” The resulting data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Student t-tests for independent samples, and analysis of variance. The significance level for rejecting the null hypothesis was set to α ≤0.05. Results: A total of 52 patients admitted to the ICU for at least 72 hours was recruited. The mean age of the participants was 64 years (standard deviation, 14.6); 32 (61.5%) of the participants were male. Approximately 19% had psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of self-reported poor sleep was higher in women (t[50]=2,147, P=0.037) and in participants with psychiatric problems, although this difference was not statistically significant (t[50]=–0.777, P=0.441). Those who reported having sleep disorders before hospitalization had a worse perception of their sleep. Conclusions: Sleep quality perception was worse in female ICU patients, those with psychiatric disorders, and those with sleep alterations before hospitalization. Implementing early interventions and designing nonpharmacological techniques to improve sleep quality of ICU patients is essential.

Sleep disorders are common among patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). This study aimed to assess the perceptions of sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and stress reported by ICU patients and the relationships between these perceptions and patient variables. Methods: This cross-sectional study used consecutive non-probabilistic sampling to select participants. All patients admitted for more than 72 hours of ICU hospitalization at a Portuguese hospital between March and June 2020 were asked to complete the “Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire” and “Anxiety, depression, and Stress Assessment Questionnaire.” The resulting data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Student t-tests for independent samples, and analysis of variance. The significance level for rejecting the null hypothesis was set to α ≤0.05. Results: A total of 52 patients admitted to the ICU for at least 72 hours was recruited. The mean age of the participants was 64 years (standard deviation, 14.6); 32 (61.5%) of the participants were male. Approximately 19% had psychiatric disorders. The prevalence of self-reported poor sleep was higher in women (t[50]=2,147, P=0.037) and in participants with psychiatric problems, although this difference was not statistically significant (t[50]=–0.777, P=0.441). Those who reported having sleep disorders before hospitalization had a worse perception of their sleep. Conclusions: Sleep quality perception was worse in female ICU patients, those with psychiatric disorders, and those with sleep alterations before hospitalization. Implementing early interventions and designing nonpharmacological techniques to improve sleep quality of ICU patients is essential.

Purpose: Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with sleep disturbances. We evaluated the effectiveness of pediatric prolonged-release melatonin (PedPRM) in real clinical practice, focusing on a population of complex neuropediatric patients with highly refractory insomnia in Spain. Methods: The patients were aged 2 to 18 years, diagnosed with ASD, had sleep maintenance insomnia and/or early morning awakening insomnia, and were refractory to prior therapy. The starting dose of PedPRM was 2 or 5 mg (increased to 10 mg, if necessary). Evaluation at 6 months consisted of a sleep diary, the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS), and the Clinical Global Impression Scale of Improvement (CGI-I) and Severity (CGI-S). Results: The median age of the 23 patients was 11.0 years, 56.5% were male, 73.9% had epilepsy, and 78.3% had intellectual disability. One patient discontinued treatment. The mean total sleep time did not change significantly. PedPRM improved sleep latency (median 30.0 to 15.0 minutes; P=0.001) and reduced the number of nocturnal awakenings (median 3.00 to 1.0; P<0.001). PedPRM significantly improved PDSS scores (14.6±4.5 to 10.4±3.5; P<0.001) and SDSC total scores (75.1±12.9 to 61.6±10.9; P<0.001). The CGI-I scale improved in 73.3% of patients; 46.7% of patients were normal, borderline, or mildly ill per CGI-S scale at the end of treatment. Conclusion In real clinical practice, PedPRM significantly improved sleep parameters in patients with ASD who were heavily medicated for comorbidities and were highly refractory to other insomnia treatments.

Background/Aims: Colorectal cancer prevention relies on surveillance colonoscopy, with the adenoma detection rate as a key factor in examination quality. Linked color imaging (LCI) enhances lesion contrast and improves the examination performance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of LCI on adenoma detection rate in adults who underwent colonoscopy. Methods: We searched the Medline, PubMed, BIREME, LILACS, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases for randomized controlled trials comparing the use of LCI versus white light imaging (WLI), published up to March 2023. The outcomes included lesion characteristics, number of adenomas per patient, and the additional polyp detection rate. Results: Sixteen studies were included in the analysis, which showed that LCI was more accurate than WLI in detecting adenomas, with an increased number of adenomas detected per patient. Although LCI performed well in terms of lesion size, morphology, and location, the subgroup analyses did not reveal any statistically significant differences between LCI and WLI. The addition of LCI did not result in significant improvements in the detection of serrated lesions, and there were no differences in the withdrawal time between groups. Conclusions LCI has been shown to be effective in detecting colonic lesions, improving the number of adenomas detected per patient and improving polyp detection rate without negatively affecting other quality criteria in colonoscopy.

Purpose: Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with sleep disturbances. We evaluated the effectiveness of pediatric prolonged-release melatonin (PedPRM) in real clinical practice, focusing on a population of complex neuropediatric patients with highly refractory insomnia in Spain. Methods: The patients were aged 2 to 18 years, diagnosed with ASD, had sleep maintenance insomnia and/or early morning awakening insomnia, and were refractory to prior therapy. The starting dose of PedPRM was 2 or 5 mg (increased to 10 mg, if necessary). Evaluation at 6 months consisted of a sleep diary, the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS), and the Clinical Global Impression Scale of Improvement (CGI-I) and Severity (CGI-S). Results: The median age of the 23 patients was 11.0 years, 56.5% were male, 73.9% had epilepsy, and 78.3% had intellectual disability. One patient discontinued treatment. The mean total sleep time did not change significantly. PedPRM improved sleep latency (median 30.0 to 15.0 minutes; P=0.001) and reduced the number of nocturnal awakenings (median 3.00 to 1.0; P<0.001). PedPRM significantly improved PDSS scores (14.6±4.5 to 10.4±3.5; P<0.001) and SDSC total scores (75.1±12.9 to 61.6±10.9; P<0.001). The CGI-I scale improved in 73.3% of patients; 46.7% of patients were normal, borderline, or mildly ill per CGI-S scale at the end of treatment. Conclusion In real clinical practice, PedPRM significantly improved sleep parameters in patients with ASD who were heavily medicated for comorbidities and were highly refractory to other insomnia treatments.

Purpose: Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with sleep disturbances. We evaluated the effectiveness of pediatric prolonged-release melatonin (PedPRM) in real clinical practice, focusing on a population of complex neuropediatric patients with highly refractory insomnia in Spain. Methods: The patients were aged 2 to 18 years, diagnosed with ASD, had sleep maintenance insomnia and/or early morning awakening insomnia, and were refractory to prior therapy. The starting dose of PedPRM was 2 or 5 mg (increased to 10 mg, if necessary). Evaluation at 6 months consisted of a sleep diary, the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS), and the Clinical Global Impression Scale of Improvement (CGI-I) and Severity (CGI-S). Results: The median age of the 23 patients was 11.0 years, 56.5% were male, 73.9% had epilepsy, and 78.3% had intellectual disability. One patient discontinued treatment. The mean total sleep time did not change significantly. PedPRM improved sleep latency (median 30.0 to 15.0 minutes; P=0.001) and reduced the number of nocturnal awakenings (median 3.00 to 1.0; P<0.001). PedPRM significantly improved PDSS scores (14.6±4.5 to 10.4±3.5; P<0.001) and SDSC total scores (75.1±12.9 to 61.6±10.9; P<0.001). The CGI-I scale improved in 73.3% of patients; 46.7% of patients were normal, borderline, or mildly ill per CGI-S scale at the end of treatment. Conclusion In real clinical practice, PedPRM significantly improved sleep parameters in patients with ASD who were heavily medicated for comorbidities and were highly refractory to other insomnia treatments.

Background/Aims: Colorectal cancer prevention relies on surveillance colonoscopy, with the adenoma detection rate as a key factor in examination quality. Linked color imaging (LCI) enhances lesion contrast and improves the examination performance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of LCI on adenoma detection rate in adults who underwent colonoscopy. Methods: We searched the Medline, PubMed, BIREME, LILACS, and Scientific Electronic Library Online databases for randomized controlled trials comparing the use of LCI versus white light imaging (WLI), published up to March 2023. The outcomes included lesion characteristics, number of adenomas per patient, and the additional polyp detection rate. Results: Sixteen studies were included in the analysis, which showed that LCI was more accurate than WLI in detecting adenomas, with an increased number of adenomas detected per patient. Although LCI performed well in terms of lesion size, morphology, and location, the subgroup analyses did not reveal any statistically significant differences between LCI and WLI. The addition of LCI did not result in significant improvements in the detection of serrated lesions, and there were no differences in the withdrawal time between groups. Conclusions LCI has been shown to be effective in detecting colonic lesions, improving the number of adenomas detected per patient and improving polyp detection rate without negatively affecting other quality criteria in colonoscopy.