The European Union Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) introduces a landmark regulatory framework governing the development, deployment, and post-marketing requirements and maintenance of AI systems, with growing relevance for the field of digital pathology. This paper explores the practical implications of the AI Act for pathology laboratories, particularly in relation to high-risk AI tools used in diagnostic workflows. We outline the Act's risk-based classification approach and highlight key obligations for both AI developers and users, including requirements for transparency, explainability, risk management, data governance, human oversight, and staff training. Special attention is given to how these regulatory demands relate to existing healthcare standards and implemented quality systems in anatomic pathology laboratories. By translating the AI Act's legal language into concrete, pathology-specific recommendations, this work provides guidance supporting safe and effective AI integration in clinical practice. While the legislation introduces operational and administrative challenges, it also presents an opportunity to enhance accountability, trust, and innovation in pathology. This paper aims to equip anatomic pathology laboratories with the tools and insights needed to responsibly navigate the evolving regulatory landscape of AI in healthcare.

The measurement of blood pressure remains the cornerstone for diagnosing and managing individuals with hypertension. Today there is international consensus on the optimal technology and methodology for reliable evaluation of blood pressure. Automated oscillometric upper-arm cuff blood pressure devices which have been properly validated are recommended for all measurement methods. Office blood pressure measurement remains an essential method, yet as much as possible treatment decisions should be primarily based on out-of-office blood pressure monitoring at home or with 24-hour ambulatory monitoring. It is important that established protocols are applied to standardise each of these methods in clinical practice, to exhaust their potential in diagnosing hypertension and guiding treatment-induced blood pressure decline. Despite the wide use of blood pressure measurement methods for too long time, there are still research questions regarding their optimal clinical implementation, which need to be addressed in future studies.

The transition from Child and Adolescent (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) can be challenging. Drawing on the sample of the European MILESTONE project, we explored changes in clinical profiles and treatment outcomes in adolescents transitioning to AMHS over two years, focusing on different pharmacological treatment patterns. The sample (N = 690; mean age: 17.7 years; SD = 0.29) was categorised into three groups based on medication patterns: continuous (Group 1), intermittent (Group 2), and never medicated (Group 3). Participants underwent four evaluations over two years using tools measuring psychopathology and functioning, including the Health of the Nation Outcome Scale for Child and Adolescents (HoNOSCA) and ASEBA Battery. We employed repeated-measures models to analyse clinical rating changes and a two-way mixed ANOVA to assess interaction between time and groups. Group 3 had significantly lower mean HoNOSCA ratings than Groups 1 and 2 (p < 0.001), indicating better mental health. By the last time point (T4), the factors associated with a reduced risk of severe illness included an improvement in the risk of suicide attempts (p = 0.038), enhanced everyday functional skills (p = 0.008), higher quality of life (p = 0.001), and being male (p = 0.020). The ASEBA Battery showed Group 1 had more internalising symptoms, while Group 2 had more externalising symptoms than Group 3. During the transition from CAMHS to AMHS, continuous medication was associated with higher symptom severity than intermittent or no pharmacological treatment. This may reflect either a more severe initial symptomatology requiring sustained pharmacotherapy or a medication-related paradox, whereby symptoms persist or intensify owing to treatment resistance or side effects. TRIAL REGISTRATION: "MILESTONE study" registration: ISRCTN ISRCTN83240263 Registered 23 July 2015; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03013595 Registered 6 January 2017.

Surgery is the gold standard to differentiate benign from malignant thyroid nodules, but it is invasive and often unnecessary in indeterminate cases. Diffusion-Weighted MRI (DW-MRI) has emerged as a promising, non-invasive tool, though its accuracy and the impact of acquisition parameters remain unclear. To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of DW-MRI in distinguishing malignant from benign thyroid nodules and identifying influencing acquisition parameters. Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (researchregistry11482). 2073 patients, 2403 thyroid nodules (1067 malignant). DW-MRI at 3.0T or 1.5T. A systematic search of Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted through July 2025 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Diagnostic Test Accuracy guidelines. Studies on DW-MRI in thyroid nodules were included. Risk of bias and applicability were assessed using QUADAS-2. A bivariate random-effects model estimated pooled sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), and area under the curve (AUC). Univariable and multivariable meta-regressions explored the influence of DW-MRI parameters. Subgroup analyses and pooled Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) comparisons were also performed. Results were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. Thirty-seven studies were included. DW-MRI showed pooled SE 0.84, SP 0.87, and AUC 0.91, confirmed in studies at low risk of bias (AUC 0.80). Univariable meta-regression revealed that 3.0T field strength reduced SP, while < 5 averages and acquisition matrix ≥ 130 increased SE. Nodule size ≥ 10 mm and circular region of interest improved SP. Multivariable analysis confirmed increased SE with b-values > 2 and improved SP with b ≥ 1000, while 3.0 T remained associated with reduced SP. Malignant nodules showed lower ADC (1.08 vs. 1.73 × 10-3 mm2/s vs. 1.70 × 10-3 mm2/s for benign), especially with b ≥ 1000. DW-MRI shows good diagnostic accuracy for thyroid nodule assessment, although it is influenced by both technical and methodological factors. Stage 3.

Despite the main clinical criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis being the dysfunction of socio-communicative interaction abilities and the presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, sensory-motor dysfunctions are also frequently observed in this population. Moreover, among sensory-motor issues, both postural control and visual processing may be impaired. The main aim of this scoping review is to synthesize the evidence on the relationship between visual behavior and postural control dysfunctions in children and adolescents with ASD. This scoping review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocol, Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, and was registered a priori on the Open Science Framework. PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were consulted. Primary studies with any study design were included. No time, geographical, or study setting limitations or language restrictions were applied. A total of 646 articles were found in the initial search, but only 14 studies met the full inclusion criteria. Findings highlighted that studies on the relationship between vision and posture in ASD children and adolescents are scarce, and their results are contrasting because of the significant heterogeneity in the methods. This scoping review carried out a relevant survey of the literature considering the relationship between vision and posture in ASD. Nonetheless, the characteristics of the included sample and the methodology used in the analyzed studies were highly variable. Thus, rigorous study methods with population-specific objective outcome measures are needed to draw generalizable conclusions.

This special issue, titled ‘First-Generation Students in the post-pandemic university: Centring students’ experiences in moving towards a more inclusive higher education’, brings together eight research articles that shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student equity. By taking a holistic view on First-Generation Students’ journeys into and through higher education, and by valuing their experiences in different institutional and national contexts (Austria, Australia, Czechia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), this special issue offers new methodological and theoretical insights into equity and inclusion in higher education. It contributes to critically reflect on the meanings and configuration of higher education in a post-pandemic scenario by discussing how social justice-oriented policies can improve higher education for all. In this editorial, we outline the scope of this special issue and introduce each of the eight articles.

The latest guidelines from both the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) emphasize ambulatory 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) as a complementary and additive tool for the diagnosis and management of arterial hypertension. ABPM offers a comprehensive assessment of various blood pressure (BP) parameters, making it a crucial tool for clinicians. It enables them to develop tailored treatment strategies, improve BP control, and reduce cardiovascular risk. However, interpreting ABPM results can be challenging, especially for clinicians who are new to managing hypertensive patients. This comprehensive guide is designed to equip physicians with the necessary insights to effectively use ABPM in clinical practice, ultimately enhancing patient care and outcomes in hypertension management.

Abstract The black hole occupation fraction (f occ) defines the fraction of galaxies that harbor central massive black holes (MBHs), irrespective of their accretion activity level. While it is widely accepted that f occ is nearly 100% in local massive galaxies with stellar masses M ⋆ ≳ 1010 M ⊙, it is not yet clear whether MBHs are ubiquitous in less-massive galaxies. In this work, we present new constraints on f occ based on over 20 yr of Chandra imaging data for 1606 galaxies within 50 Mpc. We employ a Bayesian model to simultaneously constrain f occ and the specific accretion-rate distribution function, p(λ), where the specific accretion rate is defined as λ = L X/M ⋆, where L X is the MBH accretion luminosity in the 2–10 keV range. Notably, we find that p(λ) peaks around 1 0 28 erg s − 1 M ⊙ − 1 ; above this value, p(λ) decreases with increasing λ, following a power law that smoothly connects with the probability distribution of bona fide active galactic nuclei. We also find that the occupation fraction decreases dramatically with decreasing M ⋆: in high-mass galaxies (M ⋆ ≈ 1011−12 M ⊙), the occupation fraction is &gt;93% (a 2σ lower limit), and then declines to 6 6 % − 7 % + 8 % (1σ errors) between M ⋆ ≈ 109−10 M ⊙, and to 3 3 % − 9 % + 13 % in the dwarf galaxy regime between M ⋆ ≈ 108−9 M ⊙. Our results have significant implications for the normalization of the MBH mass function over the mass range most relevant for tidal disruption events, extreme mass ratio inspirals, and MBH merger rates that upcoming facilities are poised to explore.

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a heterogeneous small vessel disease that can occur independently or alongside Alzheimer disease (AD). CAA is diagnosed using the Boston Criteria 2.0, integrating clinical and neuroimaging features, whereas the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) role in clinical practice remains under investigation. This study explores whether CSF biomarkers can identify distinct disease phenotypes, supporting hemorrhagic risk stratification. We enrolled probable patients with CAA retrospectively (Boston Criteria 2.0) from 2 institutions, collecting clinical, neuroimaging, and follow-up data alongside core CSF biomarkers (Aβ40 [amyloid β 1-40], Aβ42 [amyloid β 1-42], p-Tau181 [phosphorylated Tau], total-Tau). Patients with CAA were stratified applying the Amyloid Tau Neurodegeneration (ATN) research framework, according to the presence of CSF amyloidosis (A+CAA versus A-CAA) and tauopathy (A+T+CAA versus A+T-CAA), and using unsupervised clustering, which defined CAA subgroups based on CSF biomarker levels only. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses assessed the predictive value of CSF-based subgroups for symptomatic hemorrhages during follow-up. Seventy-one probable CAA patients (aged 71.77±8.45 years, 66% men, median follow-up 1.15 years [0.50-2.44]) were enrolled. A+CAA showed a higher prevalence of cortical superficial siderosis than A-CAA (67% versus 25%, P=0.016). A+T-CAA had a greater hemorrhagic risk than A+T+CAA during follow-up (29 versus 7 events per 100 patient-years, P=0.010; log-rank test: P=0.013). Unsupervised clustering identified 2 subgroups, which we defined as pure CAA and CAA-ADA, with pure CAA presenting more symptomatic hemorrhages during follow-up (22 versus 0 events per 100 patient-years, P=0.017; log-rank test, P=0.011). CSF-based profiling effectively stratifies CAA phenotypes, offering a promising prognostic tool alongside neuroimaging markers. Further validation is needed to confirm its role in identifying patients with CAA with different natural histories.