Experiences of Oral Corticosteroid Use and Adverse Effects: A National Cross-Sectional Survey of People with Asthma.

Purpose: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are an effective treatment for severe uncontrolled asthma or asthma exacerbations, but frequent bursts or long-term use carry serious and sometimes irreversible adverse effects, or complications such as adrenal insufficiency upon discontinuation. Our aim was to survey people with asthma on their experiences of, and attitudes towards, using OCS.

Patients And Methods: This study was a national descriptive cross-sectional survey of people with asthma in Australia.

Autonomic features of craniofacial neuralgias: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

The aim of the study is to describe the severity, temporal characteristics, and types of autonomic features as they relate to the characteristics of pain of the neuralgias. Also, to describe, based on literature, how these autonomic features can affect the treatment outcomes of patients with craniofacial neuralgias. We carried out a literature search using five databases, PubMed, Embase, OVID, Scopus and Web of Science.

Updates on Methods for Body Composition Analysis: Implications for Clinical Practice.

Background: Recent technological advances have introduced novel methods for measuring body composition, each with unique benefits and limitations. The choice of method often depends on the trade-offs between accuracy, cost, participant burden, and the ability to measure specific body composition compartments.

Objective: To review the considerations of cost, accuracy, portability, and participant burden in reference and emerging body composition assessment methods, and to evaluate their clinical applicability.

Anti-bacterial Efficacy of Zirconium Oxide Nanoparticles on Streptococcus mutans and Enterococcus faecalis: An In Vitro Study.

Introduction Complex interactions between cariogenic bacteria and host factors modulate dental caries. , a gram-positive facultative anaerobe plays a prominent role in the initiation of caries. The ability of to adhere to salivary enamel pellicle results in an acidic local habitat for the organism.

Impact of COVID-19 Public Health Measures on Antiretroviral Therapy Use Among Ugandans Living with HIV in Sero-Different Couples.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) use and HIV suppression among people living with HIV (PLHIV) are critical for HIV control and prevention. Extreme restrictions on movement early during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda may have impeded the ability to initiate and sustain access to and use of ART. From our stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial of an integrated PrEP and ART intervention for HIV-serodifferent couples at 12 ART clinics in Uganda, we identified participants who enrolled and had a 6-month post-ART initiation viral load measured before the beginning of the first COVID-19 lockdown (Period 1), participants whose enrollment and 6-month viral load measurement straddled pre-COVID and COVID lockdown times (Period 2), and participants whose enrollment and 6-month viral load were quantified entirely during COVID-19 (Period 3).