Usability of a smartphone application for patients with interstitial lung disease: Results from the Registry for Better Understanding of ILD (RE-BUILD) pilot study.

Background And Objective: Digital technologies offer opportunities for remote monitoring, increased patient engagement and incorporation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) into interstitial lung disease (ILD) care and research. This study evaluated the usability and patient experience of the RE-BUILD (Registry for Better Understanding of ILD) application, an ILD-specific smartphone app.

Methods: Patients with ILD aged ≥18 years were recruited from three tertiary ILD centres to use the RE-BUILD app for 6 months.

Laparoscopic common bile duct exploration is an effective, safe, and less-costly method of treating choledocholithiasis.

Background: Advancements in laparoscopic techniques led to the adoption of laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) as an alternative to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for management of choledocholithiasis (CD). The goal of this study was to describe the initial experience at a safety net hospital with acute care surgeons performing LCBDE for suspected CD. We hypothesized LCBDE would reduce length of stay and hospital costs compared to laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and ERCP performed in the same hospital admission.

When birds of a feather flock together: Severe genomic erosion and the implications for genetic rescue in an endangered island passerine.

The Seychelles magpie-robin's (SMR) five island populations exhibit some of the lowest recorded levels of genetic diversity among endangered birds, and high levels of inbreeding. These populations collapsed during the 20th century, and the species was listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List in 1994. An assisted translocation-for-recovery program initiated in the 1990s increased the number of mature individuals, resulting in its downlisting to Endangered in 2005.

Qualitative interview study of rheumatology patients' experiences of COVID-19 shielding to explore the physical and psychological impact and identify associated support needs.

Objective: Many clinically extremely vulnerable rheumatology patients have only recently ceased shielding from COVID-19, while some continue to minimise in-person contact. The objective of this study was to understand the impact of shielding and associated support needs in patients with rheumatic conditions and to understand how rheumatology teams can meet these needs both currently and in future pandemics.

Design, Participants And Setting: The study was conducted in the Southwest of England using a case-study design.

Challenges, Preoperative Assessment, and Surgical Strategies for the Left-Sided Gallbladder.

Left-sided gallbladder positioning, or sinistroposition, is a rare anatomical variation that poses challenges during surgical intervention due to associated vascular and biliary anomalies. While existing literature suggests an incidence of approximately 0.04-1.

Death and Dying: Grapevine Survival, Cold Hardiness, and BLUPs and Winter BLUEs in North Dakota Vineyards.

A total of fourteen diverse, interspecific hybrid grapevines ( spp.) were evaluated for their adaptability to North Dakota winter conditions using differential thermal analysis (DTA) of low-temperature exotherms (LTE) and bud cross-sectional assessment of survival techniques. This research was conducted in two vineyard locations in eastern North Dakota.

Effectiveness of sequential lines of biologic and targeted small-molecule drugs in psoriatic arthritis: a systematic review.

Objective: To assess current evidence for effectiveness of sequential lines of biologic and targeted small-molecule disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) when used beyond first-line for psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Methods: A systematic search of the literature (Medline, Embase, bibliographic searches) was undertaken (October and December 2022) to find studies meeting the criteria of assessing effectiveness of b/tsDMARDs beyond first-line in adults with PsA (PROSPERO CRD42022365298). Risk of bias assessment was undertaken (ROBINS-I/Cochrane RoB2).

How do patient-reported outcome measures affect treatment intensification and patient satisfaction in the management of psoriatic arthritis? A cross sectional study of 503 patients.

Objectives: The AsseSSing Impact in pSoriatic Treatment (ASSIST) study investigated prescribing in routine PsA care and whether the patient-reported outcome-PsA Impact of Disease questionnaire (PsAID-12)-impacted treatment. This study also assessed a range of patient and clinician factors and their relationship to PsAID-12 scoring and treatment modification.

Methods: Patients with PsA were selected across the UK and Europe between July 2021 and March 2022.

An international multi-centre analysis of current prescribing practices and shared decision-making in psoriatic arthritis.

Objectives: Shared decision-making (SDM) is advocated to improve patient outcomes in Psoriatic arthritis (PsA). We analysed current prescribing practices and the extent of SDM in PsA across Europe.

Methods: The ASSIST study was a cross-sectional observational study of PsA patients aged ≥18 years attending face-to-face appointments between July 2021-March 2022.

Dissociable role of the basolateral complex of the amygdala in the acquisition and extinction of conditioned fear following reproductive experience in female rats.

In female rats and humans, reproductive experience (i.e., pregnancy) alters the behavioral, hormonal and molecular substrates of fear extinction.

Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds.

Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world's oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial for targeting research and mitigation.

Mirizzi syndrome complicated by type IV cholecystobiliary fistula to the right hepatic duct.

Mirizzi syndrome is a rare complication of long-term chronic cholecystitis, characterized by extrinsic compression of the common hepatic duct that may progress to development of cholecystobiliary fistula. Here we report a case of a 38-year-old female patient who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiogram for acute cholecystitis and choledocholithiasis. Intraoperatively, the patient was found to have a Mirizzi syndrome complicated by cholecystobiliary fistula to the right hepatic duct.

Dynamic string-averaging CQ-methods for the split feasibility problem with percentage violation constraints arising in radiation therapy treatment planning.

We study a feasibility-seeking problem with percentage violation constraints (PVCs). These are additional constraints that are appended to an existing family of constraints, which single out certain subsets of the existing constraints and declare that up to a specified fraction of the number of constraints in each subset is allowed to be violated by up to a specified percentage of the existing bounds. Our motivation to investigate problems with PVCs comes from the field of radiation therapy treatment planning (RTTP) wherein the fully discretized inverse planning problem is formulated as a split feasibility problem and the PVCs give rise to nonconvex constraints.

Development of an Australia and New Zealand Lung Cancer Clinical Quality Registry: a protocol paper.

Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality, comprising the largest national cancer disease burden in Australia and New Zealand. Regional reports identify substantial evidence-practice gaps, unwarranted variation from best practice, and variation in processes and outcomes of care between treating centres. The Australia and New Zealand Lung Cancer Registry (ANZLCR) will be developed as a Clinical Quality Registry to monitor the safety, quality and effectiveness of lung cancer care in Australia and New Zealand.

The Top 50 Most Cited Articles on Special Olympics: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The Special Olympics was established in 1968 to "provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities". It has gained recognition in the field of sports and healthcare of persons with intellectual disability, with a large number of dedicated researchers and institutions all over the world. However, there is an urgent need to analyze the progress and current status of this research field to identify knowledge gaps and develop this discipline.

Using oxygen dose histograms to quantify voxelised ultra-high dose rate (FLASH) effects in multiple radiation modalities.

To introduce a methodology to predict tissue sparing effects in pulsed ultra-high dose rate radiation exposures which could be included in a dose-effect prediction system or treatment planning system and to illustrate it by using three published experiments.The proposed system formalises the variability of oxygen levels as an oxygen dose histogram (ODH), which provides an instantaneous oxygen level at a delivered dose. The histogram concept alleviates the need for a mechanistic approach.

Patients' perspectives of telemedicine appointments for psoriatic arthritis during the COVID-19 pandemic: results of a patient-driven pilot survey.

Background: Over recent years the lack of patient involvement in the design, set-up and implementation of clinical research studies has been well recognised; as such there has been a drive within research communities to increase patient participation. Patient perspectives on telemedicine differ widely, with variation in whether patients feel remote consultations are beneficial. By means of a patient-driven survey, we aimed to formally evaluate patient perspectives on its benefits and pitfalls, focusing on patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Incorporating oxygenation levels in analytical DNA-damage models-quantifying the oxygen fixation mechanism.

To develop a framework to include oxygenation effects in radiation therapy treatment planning which is valid for all modalities, energy spectra and oxygen levels. The framework is based on predicting the difference in DNA-damage resulting from ionising radiation at variable oxygenation levels.Oxygen fixation is treated as a statistical process in a simplified model of complex and simple damage.

Evaluation and Validation of a Patient-completed Psoriatic Arthritis Flare Questionnaire.

Objective: Evaluation of a psoriatic arthritis (PsA), multidimensional, patient-completed disease flare questionnaire (FLARE).

Methods: The FLARE questionnaire was administered to 139 patients in a prospective observational study. The "gold standard" of flare was based on patient opinion.

Racial disparities in parent knowledge of concussion and recognition of signs and symptoms.

Introduction: Concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury that can be sustained through participation in different sports. It is important that a parent be able to identify common and uncommon symptoms of a concussion to ensure the safety and good health of their child. The purpose of this study was to compare knowledge of concussion scores among White and African American parents and guardians.