Materials that combine high stiffness with effective damping are in high demand across various industries. While polymers excel in damping, they often lack stiffness and thermal stability. Conversely, metals and ceramics boast high mechanical and thermal properties but lack damping.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aim of this study was to use recent evidence to investigate and update volume-outcome relationships after open surgical repair (OSR) and endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysm in England.
Methods: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data from April 2006 to March 2018 were obtained. The primary outcome was in-hospital death.
Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the stages undertaken to generate the items and conceptual framework of a new electronic personal assessment questionnaire for vascular conditions.
Design: A mixed methods study: First a survey of vascular clinicians was completed to identify the most common conditions treated in vascular clinics and wards. Quantitative systematic reviews were done to identify validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for direct inclsuion in the new instrument.
Background: This paper describes the development and validation of an electronic personal assessment questionnaire for vascular conditions (ePAQ-VAS) that captures the symptomatology, quality of life and clinically relevant data of patients presenting to vascular services.
Methods: A two-stage survey was conducted in patients attending a tertiary vascular department. Patients completed the ePAQ-VAS remotely online, or on site using an electronic tablet.
Background: The United Kingdom aortic aneurysms (AA) services have undergone reconfiguration to improve outcomes. The National Health Service collects data on all hospital admissions in England. The complex administrative datasets generated have the potential to be used to monitor activity and outcomes, however, there are challenges in using these data as they are primarily collected for administrative purposes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study evaluated public preferences for the treatment processes for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in order to allow them to be incorporated into a cost-effectiveness analysis.
Methods: This was a telephone survey using a trade-off method in UK resident adults (aged at least 18 years) with no previous diagnosis of a vascular condition.
Results: Some 167 of 209 participants (79·9 per cent) stated that they would prefer endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), 40 (19·1 per cent) preferred open surgery and two (1·0 per cent) stated no preference.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
September 2019
In 2013, Allen Harim Foods purchased the former site of a Vlasic Pickle plant in Millsboro, Delaware, and proposed to convert the site into a poultry processing plant that would process approximately two million birds weekly. This generated concerns about the proposed plant's potential to impact health and quality of life among residents. We conducted a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) of the proposed plant to assess baseline environmental health issues in the host community and projected impacts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: To identify the symptoms and quality of life impacts that are important from the perspective of patients with varicose veins and to compare identified themes to items in varicose vein patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
Background: Varicose veins are common worldwide and are considered a chronic condition with implications for quality of life. Treatment is predominantly conservative; therefore, understanding patients' experiences of living with varicose veins is important to inform the provision of clinical care.
Background: The aim of this study was to assess the sex differences in both the rate and type of repair for emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in England.
Methods: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data sets from April 2002 to February 2015 were obtained. Clinical and administrative codes were used to identify patients who underwent primary emergency definitive repair of ruptured or intact AAA, and patients with a diagnosis of AAA who died in hospital without repair.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify themes that determine health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with carotid artery stenosis and identify the patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that best cover the identified themes.
Methods: A systematic review of the main six databases from inception to September 2018 was undertaken to identify primary qualitative studies reporting on the HRQoL of patients with carotid artery stenosis. The quality of studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) criteria.
Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 5 million people in the United States. During the progression of Alzheimer disease, a particular protein begins to accumulate in the brain and also in extensions of the brain, ie, the retina. This protein, amyloid-β (Aβ), exhibits fluorescent properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A variety of instruments have been used to assess outcomes for patients with venous leg ulcers. This study sought to identify, evaluate and recommend the most appropriate patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for English-speaking patients with venous leg ulcers.
Methods: This systematic review used a two-stage search approach.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify domains that determine quality of life in patients with peripheral arterial disease and find the patient-reported outcome measures that can examine the identified themes.
Methods: A systematic review of all the main six databases was undertaken to identify primary qualitative studies reporting on the health and/or quality of life of patients with peripheral arterial disease. The quality of studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program criteria.
Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide a way to measure the impact of a disease and its associated treatments on the quality of life (QoL) from the patients' perspective. The aim of this review was to identify PROMs that have been developed and/or validated in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS) undergoing revascularization and to assess their psychometric properties and examine suitability for research and clinical use.
Methods: Eight electronic databases including MEDLINE and CINAHL were searched using a 2-stage search approach to identify studies reporting the development and/or validation of relevant PROMs in patients with CAS undergoing revascularization.
Aim: To systematically identify, evaluate and synthesize qualitative research that examined the symptoms and health-related quality of life themes that are important from the perspective of patients with venous leg ulceration.
Background: Venous leg ulceration is a common chronic condition; the symptoms and associated treatments have a negative effect on health-related quality of life. Qualitative research methods can provide insight into the personal experiences of patients with venous leg ulceration.
Background: Varicose veins can affect quality of life. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) provide a direct report from the patient about the impact of the disease without interpretation from clinicians or anyone else. The aim of this study was to examine the quality of the psychometric evidence for PROMs used in patients with varicose veins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To report outcomes following ligation and bypass (LGB) surgery for popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA) and study factors influencing patient and graft survival.
Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing LGB surgery for PAA between September 1999 and August 2012 at a tertiary referral vascular unit was performed. Primary graft patency (PGP), primary-assisted graft patency (PAGP), and secondary graft patency (SGP) rates were calculated using survival analyses.
This study proposes an umbrella deployment of swarm intelligence algorithm, such as stochastic diffusion search for medical imaging applications. After summarising the results of some previous works which shows how the algorithm assists in the identification of metastasis in bone scans and microcalcifications on mammographs, for the first time, the use of the algorithm in assessing the CT images of the aorta is demonstrated along with its performance in detecting the nasogastric tube in chest X-ray. The swarm intelligence algorithm presented in this study is adapted to address these particular tasks and its functionality is investigated by running the swarms on sample CT images and X-rays whose status have been determined by senior radiologists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBenign cystic mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis is a rare occurrence. It usually presents with painless gradual swelling in the scrotum. These types of benign mesotheliomas typically occur in the peritoneum and usually affect young to middle-aged patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe gastric fundal diverticulae are rare. They can present with variable symptoms. We are enclosing a literature review on gastric fundal diverticulum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF