A virtual model of the rhesus macaque inner ear was created in the present study. Rhesus macaques have been valuable in cochlear research; however, their high cost prompts a need for alternative methods. Finite Element (FE) analysis offers a promising solution by enabling detailed simulations of the inner ear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is an Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) with the greatest risk of death and disability. Getting diagnosed patients rapid definitive treatment at the correct facility is crucial in improving their outcome. Using a Question-and-Answer algorithm (Mobile Priority Dispatch System (MPDS)), trained Emergency Medical Dispatchers (EMDs) can help identifying STEMI at the time of dispatch.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The global evolution of pre-hospital care systems faces dynamic challenges, particularly in multinational settings. Machine learning (ML) techniques enable the exploration of deeply embedded data patterns for improved patient care and resource optimisation. This study's objective was to accurately predict cases that necessitated transportation versus those that did not, using ML techniques, thereby facilitating efficient resource allocation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aim: Though emergency medical services (EMS) respond to all types of emergency calls, they do not always result in the patient being transported to the hospital. This study aimed to explore the determinants influencing emergency call-response-based conveyance decisions in a Middle Eastern ambulance service.
Methods: This retrospective quantitative analysis of 93,712 emergency calls to the Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service (HMCAS) between January 1 and May 31, 2023, obtained from the HMCAS electronic system, was analyzed to determine pertinent variables.
Objectives: Severe obesity in nursing home (NH) residents is associated with specialized care needs, limited mobility, and challenges in daily living. The COVID-19 pandemic strained NH resources and exacerbated staffing shortages. This study aimed to assess the ability of US NHs to accept and care for residents with severe obesity post-COVID, as well as associated NH factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This research explored the experiences and perspectives of patients declining hospital transportation after receiving prehospital emergency care using advanced computational techniques.
Method: Between 15th June and 1st August 2023, 210 patients in Qatar, treated by Hamad Medical Corporation Ambulance Service (HMCAS) but refusing transportation to hospital, were interviewed. Key outcome variables stratified by demographics included "reasons for refusing transport," "satisfaction with HMCAS service," and "postrefusal actions.
Objective: Deliberate practice (DP) is recommended as a new approach to facilitate the acquisition of discrete therapeutic skills, however, its implementation and effectiveness in psychotherapy remains unclear.
Method: A systematic search on DP for therapeutic skills among psychotherapy trainees and psychotherapists yielded eleven studies for inclusion. Nine were randomized controlled studies (RCTs), including seven unique RCTs, and two were within-group studies.
To date, little research on competition has focused on young children (6-7-year-olds). A total of ninety-seven participants (51 boys and 46 girls) from two English primary schools completed two physical education (PE) lessons, which included three different activity challenges. The control group undertook the same activities in both lessons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioengineering (Basel)
December 2023
Bilateral vestibular deficiency (BVD) results in chronic dizziness, blurry vision when moving the head, and postural instability. Vestibular prostheses (VPs) show promise as a treatment, but the VP-restored vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain in human trials falls short of expectations. We hypothesize that the slope of the rising ramp in stimulation pulses plays an important role in the recruitment of vestibular afferent units.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough the Government of Nepal has achieved high and sustained childhood vaccination coverage, reaching under-immunized and zero-dose children requires different approaches. Behavioral science offers promise in better understanding the drivers of vaccination and development of more effective programs; however, the application of behavioral science to immunization programs in Nepal is nascent. Through the Behavioral Science Immunization Network, JSI, UNICEF Nepal, and Dhulikhel Hospital-Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences established a Behavioral Science Center to engage a diverse group of stakeholders in increasing the capacity of practitioners to use behavioral science in immunization programming.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: The prevalence of resident obesity in nursing homes has increased dramatically from 22% to 28% between 2005 and 2015. To provide care for people with obesity, nursing homes have changed their admissions, staffing, and equipment, but underlying these changes are increased resources and financial costs of care. The purpose of this study is to describe nursing home organizational aspects of caring for older adults with obesity, with a focus on economic factors, from the perspective of nursing home staff and leadership.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Poor quality of care in nursing homes (NHs) with high proportions of Black residents has been a problem in the US and even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal and state agencies are devoting attention to identifying the best means of improving care in the neediest facilities. It is important to understand environmental and structural characteristics that may have led to poor healthcare outcomes in NHs serving high proportions of Black residents pre-pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCochlear implant (CI) surgery is one of the most utilized treatments for severe hearing loss. However, the effects of a successful scala tympani insertion on the mechanics of hearing are not yet fully understood. This paper presents a finite element (FE) model of the chinchilla inner ear for studying the interrelationship between the mechanical function and the insertion angle of a CI electrode.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe vast majority of people with cystic fibrosis (CF) are now eligible for CF transmembrane regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy. The remaining individuals with CF harbor premature termination codons (PTCs) or rare CFTR variants with limited treatment options. Although the clinical modulator response can be reliably predicted using primary airway epithelial cells, primary cells carrying rare CFTR variants are scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdverse drug events encompass a wide range of potential unintended and harmful events, from adverse drug reactions to medication errors, many of which in retrospect, are considered preventable. However, the primary challenge towards reducing their burden lies in consistently identifying and monitoring these occurrences, a challenge faced across the spectrum of healthcare, including the emergency medical services. The aim of this study was to identify and describe medication related adverse events (AEs) in the out-of-hospital setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Prehospital administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) to injured patients is increasing worldwide. However, optimal TXA dose and need of a second infusion on hospital arrival remain undetermined. We investigated the efficacy and safety of the second in-hospital dose of TXA in injured patients receiving 1 g of TXA in the prehospital setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMars' sedimentary rock record preserves information on geological (and potential astrobiological) processes that occurred on the planet billions of years ago. The rover is exploring the lower reaches of Mount Sharp, in Gale crater on Mars. A traverse from Vera Rubin ridge to Glen Torridon has allowed to examine a lateral transect of rock strata laid down in a martian lake ~3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Retention of nursing home caregivers is examined. This represents the concept of continuously employing the same caregivers in the same facility for a defined period of time. In this research, several measures of caregiver retention are examined and the utility of these measures for practitioners and policy makers is discussed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction And Aims: Youth work specialises in helping vulnerable young people face life challenges during critical stages of their development. It is a complex and demanding role and factors influencing occupational stress in youth workers are rarely investigated. This study examined whether youth alcohol and other drug workers with greater compassion satisfaction, self-care practice and self-care agency experienced different rates of occupational stress including burnout and secondary traumatic stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Evidence-based guidelines advocate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as the mainstay reperfusion strategy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the South African health system is not well positioned to provide PCI as a 'mainstay strategy'. In response, the Health Professions Council of South Africa approved the use of prehospital thrombolysis (PHT) for emergency care practitioners in 2009.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rover's exploration of rocks and soils in Gale crater has provided diverse geochemical and mineralogical data sets, underscoring the complex geological history of the region. We report the crystalline, clay mineral, and amorphous phase distributions of four Gale crater rocks from an 80-m stratigraphic interval. The mineralogy of the four samples is strongly influenced by aqueous alteration processes, including variations in water chemistries, redox, pH, and temperature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF