Purpose Of Review: Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a new frontier for aiding in the management of both acute and chronic pain, which may potentially transform opioid prescribing practices and addiction prevention strategies. In this review paper, not only do we discuss some of the current literature around predicting various opioid-related outcomes, but we also briefly point out the next steps to improve trustworthiness of these AI models prior to real-time use in clinical workflow.
Recent Findings: Machine learning-based predictive models for identifying risk for persistent postoperative opioid use have been reported for spine surgery, knee arthroplasty, hip arthroplasty, arthroscopic joint surgery, outpatient surgery, and mixed surgical populations.
Background: Frustration intolerance (FI) is the belief that reality should meet our desires for ease, pleasure and comfort. Although extensively studied in adults, tools for measuring FI in children and adolescents are scarce. The Frustration Intolerance Scale for Students (FISS) was developed to fill this gap.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study explores adolescents' inherent curiosity about nature through the production of self-generated questions during a field visit to a nature-rich environment, followed by descriptive-interpretative analysis using focus groups. Utilizing cultural probes and content-free question tokens, we collected 164 valid questions produced by 36 adolescents during the field session. Biotic elements, like species, turned out to be more intriguing than abiotic elements, originating 89.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrimary prevention of diabetes still remains as an unmet challenge in a real world setting. While, translational programmes have been successful in the developed nations, the prevailing social and economic inequities in the low and middle income countries, fail to integrate diabetes prevention into their public health systems. The resulting exponential increase in the prevalence of diabetes and the cost of treatment has put primary prevention in the back seat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Corvo is a small and remote island in the western group of the Azores Archipelago, Portugal. The Island's lichen biodiversity was largely understudied, with only 17 species documented to date.
New Information: This study reports 68 new records of lichen species on Corvo Island, representing an addition of two classes, eight orders, 18 families and 43 genera.
Background: Due to the global growth of its prevalence and its impact on patient health, obesity is considered a near-epidemic condition by the World Health Organization (WHO). Its overall prevalence has now reached 17 % in France. The impact of obesity is also a concern for pregnant women, due to the risk of maternal and fetal complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This study examined the association between opioid-use disorder (OUD)-related diagnoses (eg, opioid dependence) and social determinants of health (SDoH) among patients with chronic pain.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed using the All of Us dataset (including >70,000 patients) to measure associations between SDoH and OUD using population- and individual-level surveys. Mixed-effects multivariable regression models (random effect being zip code) were conducted for each of the key SDoH domains.
Objectives: Debates on the management of macrosomia are still current. We have to consider the consequences of screening to contribute to these discussions. Our aim is to study the consequences of the 3rd trimester fetal macrosomia screening protocols used in several centres in the same French region in order to determine whether this screening affects maternal and neonatal outcomes: mode of delivery, maternal complications (haemorrhage, perineal lesions), neonatal health (pH, Apgar score) and the occurrence of neonatal trauma during delivery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorneal endothelium cells (CECs) regulate corneal hydration between the leaky barrier of the corneal endothelium and the ionic pumps on the surface of CECs. As CECs do not regenerate, loss of CECs leads to poor vision and corneal blindness. Corneal transplant is the only treatment option; however, there is a severe shortage of donor corneas globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Public Health Afr
November 2024
Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are a priority group targeted for vaccination because they are greatly exposed to infectious agents.
Aim: To determine the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and associated risk factors for vaccine hesitancy to recommend vaccine uptake strategies among student nurses.
Setting: The study was carried out at the University of Namibia, main campus in Windhoek.
This sub-analysis of the ePREDICE trial, investigated the prevalence and determinants of renal complications, specifically glomerular hyperfiltration, albuminuria, and reduced kidney function, in individuals with prediabetes (PD). The cohort consisted of 967 participants from diverse backgrounds across seven countries. The kidney function was evaluated using the MDRD-4 equation, and the influence of various clinical and demographic factors on renal involvement was assessed by multivariable regression models.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is scarce literature regarding the use of continuous peripheral nerve blocks in acute burn patients, who may be at higher risk for catheter-related complications, including infection. We sought to describe our center's experience and infection rate with continuous perineural catheters in the setting of pain management for patients suffering from burns.
Methods: A retrospective observational study was performed including all patients admitted to an American Burn Association-verified regional burn center between January 2018 and July 2023 who received a continuous peripheral nerve block for an acute burn injury.
Owing to its promiscuous roles, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is involved in various neurological disorders including several retinal pathologies. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus affecting the retina. In the present review, we highlight the importance of PARP-1 participation in pathophysiology of DR and discuss promising potential inhibitors for treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Objective: Newer regional anesthesia techniques and minimally invasive surgeries have yielded decreased postoperative pain scores, potentially leading to decreased need for perioperative epidural analgesia. Limited literature is available on trends in usage rates of epidurals. The objective of this study was to identify trends in perioperative epidural analgesia rates among multiple fields of surgery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Persistent opioid use is a common occurrence after surgery and prolonged exposure to opioids may result in escalation and dependence. The objective of this study was to develop machine-learning-based predictive models for persistent opioid use after major spine surgery.
Methods: Five classification models were evaluated to predict persistent opioid use: logistic regression, random forest, neural network, balanced random forest, and balanced bagging.
The assessment of social determinants of health (SDoH) within healthcare systems is crucial for comprehensive patient care and addressing health disparities. Current challenges arise from the limited inclusion of structured SDoH information within electronic health record (EHR) systems, often due to the lack of standardized diagnosis codes. This study delves into the transformative potential of large language models (LLM) to overcome these challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Systematic studies on the biodiversity of bryophytes along elevational gradients have been conductuted within the native vegetation of the Azores, using the MOVECLIM framework. The primary objective of this study was to inventory the bryophytes present within preserved areas of native vegetation in Terceira Island (Azores). From 25 to 28 September 2012, an inventory of the bryoflora was carried out along an elevational gradient, starting near Serreta lighthouse (38.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeovascularization is implicated in the pathology of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which are the leading causes of blindness worldwide. In our work, we analyzed how heme released during hemorrhage affects hypoxic response and neovascularization. Our retrospective clinical analysis demonstrated, that hemorrhage was associated with more severe retinal neovascularization in ROP patients.
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