Outcomes and complications of external ventricular drainage in primary and secondary intraventricular hemorrhage: a descriptive observational study.

Objective: Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is a serious condition with high mortality rates and poor functional outcome in survivors. Treatment includes external ventricular drains (EVDs), which are associated with several complications. This study reports the clinical outcome and complication rate in patients with primary IVH (pIVH) and secondary IVH treated with EVDs.

Complete pipeline for Oxford Nanopore Technology amplicon sequencing (ONT-AmpSeq): from pre-processing to creating an operational taxonomic unit table.

Amplicon sequencing has long served as a robust method for characterising microbial communities, and despite inherent resolution limitations, it remains a preferred technique, offering cost- and time-effective insights into bacterial compositions. Here, we introduce ONT-AmpSeq, a user-friendly pipeline designed for processing amplicon sequencing data generated from Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) devices. Our pipeline enables efficient creation of taxonomically annotated operational taxonomic unit (OTU) tables from ONT sequencing data, with the flexibility to multiplex amplicons on the same barcode.

Conventional superconductivity in the doped kagome superconductor Cs(VTa)Sb from vortex lattice studies.

A hallmark of unconventional superconductors is a complex electronic phase diagram where intertwined orders of charge-spin-lattice degrees of freedom compete and coexist. While the kagome metals such as CsVSb also exhibit complex behavior, involving coexisting charge density wave order and superconductivity, much is unclear about the microscopic origin of the superconducting pairing. We study the vortex lattice in the superconducting state of Cs(VTa)Sb, where the Ta-doping suppresses charge order and enhances superconductivity.

Quantitative Analogue Simulation of Planar Molecules.

Synthetic quantum systems provide a pathway for exploring the physics of complex quantum matter in a programmable fashion. This approach becomes particularly advantageous when it comes to systems that are thermodynamically unfavorable. By sculpting the potential landscape of Cu(111) surfaces with carbon monoxide quantum corrals in a cryogenic scanning tunneling microscope, we created analogue simulators of planar organic molecules, including antiaromatic and non-Kekulé species that are generally reactive or unstable.

Reversible, irreversible, and mixed regimes for periodically driven disks in random obstacle arrays.

We examine an assembly of repulsive disks interacting with a random obstacle array under a periodic drive and find a transition from reversible to irreversible dynamics as a function of drive amplitude or disk density. At low densities and drives, the system rapidly forms a reversible state where the disks return to their exact positions at the end of each cycle. In contrast, at high amplitudes or high densities, the system enters an irreversible state where the disks exhibit normal diffusion.

Exposure to resistant fungi across working environments and time.

Antifungal resistance has emerged as a significant health concern with increasing reports of resistant variants in previously susceptible species. At present, little is known about occupational exposure to antifungal-resistant fungi. This study aimed to investigate Danish workers' occupational exposure to airborne fungi resistant to first-line treatment drugs.

Feeding level during the last week of gestation can influence performance of sows and their litters in the subsequent lactation.

This study investigated the impact of feeding level during the last week of gestation on performance of sows and their litters in the subsequent lactation. A total of 48 sows were assigned to one of six feeding levels (1.8, 2.

Characteristics of sows' milk and piglet nutrient utilization during a 28-d lactation period.

The present study aimed to characterize the performance of suckling piglets from high prolific sows and investigate the impact of milk composition on piglet growth during a 4-wk lactation period. Piglet performance included weight gain (WG), milk intake, nutrients and energy in milk, and piglet energy metabolism in weeks 1 to 4 of lactation. Data from six previous experiments were used with a total of 2,047 piglets and 604 milk samples collected from 151 sows.

An autologous blood-derived patch as a hemostatic agent: evidence from thromboelastography experiments and a porcine liver punch biopsy model.

Perioperative bleeding is a common complication in surgeries that increases morbidity, risk of mortality, and leads to increased socioeconomic costs. In this study we investigated a blood-derived autologous combined leukocyte, platelet, and fibrin patch as a new means of activating coagulation and maintaining hemostasis in a surgical setting. We evaluated the effects of an extract derived from the patch on the clotting of human blood in vitro, using thromboelastography (TEG).

Polypharmacy in Nursing Homes.

Older adults in the nursing home are at high risk for polypharmacy. This article provides a background of older adults in nursing homes and reviews key steps to address polypharmacy.

Autologous Blood-Derived Patches Used as Anti-adhesives in a Rat Uterine Horn Damage Model.

Background: Intra-abdominal adhesions are frequent side effects of surgery, associated with risks of serious complications such as abdominal pain, infertility, and small bowel obstruction. This study investigated a new autologous blood-based approach to adhesion prophylaxis.

Materials And Method: Two autologous blood-derived patches (whole-blood-derived, n = 20, and plasma-derived, n = 20) were evaluated as anti-adhesives.

Impact of four fiber-rich supplements on nutrient digestibility, colostrum production, and farrowing performance in sows.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of dietary fiber (DF) sources on sow and litter performance, and apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE) and nutrients. A total of 48 sows were stratified for body weight at mating and randomly assigned to one of four DF sources (mixed fiber [MF], palm kernel expellers [PKE], sugar beet pulp [SBP], or soy hulls [SH]) and fed the diet from mating until farrowing. Within DF treatments, sows were supplemented with one of two extra energy sources (glycerol or sugar dissolved in water), whereas a third group (control) received water from day 108 of gestation until farrowing.

Intravenous infusion of glucose improved farrowing performance of hyperprolific crossbred sows.

The sow at parturition is challenged with respect to energy status due to increases in energetic expenses associated with 1) nest building 2) uterine contractions, and 3) colostrum production. A previous study indicated that sows were depleted of glucogenic energy around farrowing. The aim was to investigate whether intravenous infusion of glucose from observed nest-building behavior to 24 h postpartum affected the farrowing kinetics and colostrum production in sows.

Using clinical quality databases to monitor the quality of fundamental care: Example with weight status after severe traumatic brain injury.

Aims And Objectives: To determine weight status and risk of overweight up to 1 year after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) as basis for defining nursing-sensitive indicators of fundamental nutritional nursing care in a clinical quality database.

Background: Patients' nutritional needs are recognised as fundamental care during hospitalisation, but less attention has been given to nutritional status after discharge.

Design: Nationwide cohort study.

Development of a Measure of Nociception for Patients With Severe Brain Injury.

Objectives: Severe brain injury is often accompanied by painful comorbidities and by concurrent limitations in the ability to report pain. Assessment of nociception aids diagnosis and helps balance reduction in suffering with avoidance of sedating medications. Existing assessment methods confound patients' level of consciousness with the intensity of nociception, complicating pain assessment as consciousness evolves.

Nursing Sensitive Outcomes After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Nationwide Study.

Background: Complications such as infections and conditions after immobilization are frequent after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) due to compromised bodily functions. Traditionally, bodily functions are core elements in nursing, and therefore nurses in the rehabilitation departments are pivotal in the prevention of complications. Hence, the frequency of complications is an indicator of nursing care quality, which can be included in nursing-sensitive outcome indicators.

Dynamic Reorganization of Vortex Matter into Partially Disordered Lattices.

We report structural evidence of dynamic reorganization in vortex matter in clean NbSe(2) by joint small-angle neutron scattering and ac susceptibility measurements. The application of oscillatory forces in a transitional region near the order-disorder transition results in robust bulk vortex lattice configurations with an intermediate degree of disorder. These dynamically originated configurations correlate with intermediate pinning responses previously observed, resolving a long-standing debate regarding the origin of such responses.

Persistence of metastable vortex lattice domains in MgB2 in the presence of vortex motion.

Recently, extensive vortex lattice metastability was reported in MgB2 in connection with a second-order rotational phase transition. However, the mechanism responsible for these well-ordered metastable vortex lattice phases is not well understood. Using small-angle neutron scattering, we studied the vortex lattice in MgB2 as it was driven from a metastable to the ground state through a series of small changes in the applied magnetic field.

Prostaglandin I2 and prostaglandin E2 modulate human intrarenal artery contractility through prostaglandin E2-EP4, prostacyclin-IP, and thromboxane A2-TP receptors.

Cyclooxygenase inhibitors decrease renal blood flow in settings with decreased effective circulating volume. The present study examined the hypothesis that prostaglandins, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostacyclin (PGI2), induce relaxation of human intrarenal arteries through PGE2-EP and PGI2-IP receptors. Intrarenal arteries were microdissected from human nephrectomy samples (n=53, median diameter ≈362 μm, 88% viable, 76% relaxed in response to acetylcholine).

Anisotropy of the superconducting state in Sr2RuO4.

Despite intense studies the exact nature of the order parameter in superconducting Sr2RuO4 remains unresolved. We have used small-angle neutron scattering to study the vortex lattice in Sr2RuO4 with the field applied close to the basal plane, taking advantage of the transverse magnetization. We measured the intrinsic superconducting anisotropy between the c axis and the Ru-O basal plane (~60), which greatly exceeds the upper critical field anisotropy (~20).

Observation of well-ordered metastable vortex lattice phases in superconducting MgB2 using small-angle neutron scattering.

The vortex lattice (VL) symmetry and orientation in clean type-II superconductors depends sensitively on the host material anisotropy, vortex density and temperature, frequently leading to rich phase diagrams. Typically, a well-ordered VL is taken to imply a ground-state configuration for the vortex-vortex interaction. Using neutron scattering we studied the VL in MgB(2) for a number of field-temperature histories, discovering an unprecedented degree of metastability in connection with a known, second-order rotation transition.

Vortex lattice studies in CeCoIn5 with H is orthogonal to c.

We present small angle neutron scattering studies of the vortex lattice (VL) in CeCoIn5 with magnetic fields applied parallel (H) to the antinodal [100] and nodal [110] directions. For H is parallel to [100], a single VL orientation is observed, while a 90° reorientation transition is found for H is parallel to [110]. For both field orientations and VL configurations we find a distorted hexagonal VL with an anisotropy, Γ=2.

Use of a virtual classroom in training fourth-year medical students on care transitions.

Background: Transferring complex patients between settings can be fraught with poor communication and adverse outcomes, yet few medical students nationwide are trained in specific skills to improve care transitions.

Objective: To give medical students the fund of knowledge and skills to develop and implement a safe discharge plan.

Design: A new care transitions curriculum imparted to all fourth-year medical students from August 2009 to April 2010 during their internal medicine sub-internship.

Exploring the fragile antiferromagnetic superconducting phase in CeCoIn5.

CeCoIn5 is a heavy fermion type-II superconductor showing clear signs of Pauli-limited superconductivity. A variety of measurements give evidence for a transition at high magnetic fields inside the superconducting state, when the field is applied either parallel to or perpendicular to the c axis. When the field is perpendicular to the c axis, antiferromagnetic order develops on the high-field side of the transition.