Implementation of a data-driven quality improvement program in primary care for patients with coronary heart disease: a mixed methods evaluation of acceptability, satisfaction, barriers and enablers.

Background The study aimed to understand the acceptability, satisfaction, uptake, utility and feasibility of a quality improvement (QI) intervention to improve care for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in Australian primary care practices and identify barriers and enablers, including the impact of COVID-19. Methods Within the QUality improvement for Effectiveness of care for people Living with heart disease (QUEL) study, 26 Australian primary care practices, supported by five Primary Health Networks (PHN) participated in a 1-year QI intervention (November 2019 - November 2020). Data were collected from practices and PHNs staff via surveys and semi-structured interviews.

Seed banking impacts native Acacia ulicifolia seed microbiome composition and function.

Background: Seed banks are a vital resource for preserving plant species diversity globally. However, seedling establishment and survival rates from banked seeds can be poor. Despite a growing appreciation for the role of seed-associated microbiota in supporting seed quality and plant health, our understanding of the effects of conventional seed banking processes on seed microbiomes remains limited.

Sex Differences in Melanoma Survival-a GEM study.

Sex differences in melanoma are prominent, with females having a significant survival advantage. However, it is unclear why we see this survival advantage. Here we investigate the relationship between sex, clinicopathologic variables, and melanoma specific survival in 1,753 single primary melanomas from patients in the GEM study.

Disparities Attributable to Sex Differences in 4680 Lumbar Fusion Outcomes.

Background: While studies have examined the relationship between sex and outcomes after lumbar fusion surgery, few have strictly controlled for other patient-level variables. In this study, we use coarsened exact matching (CEM) to determine the effect of patient-reported sex on spinal fusion outcomes.

Methods: Outcomes across 4680 consecutive adult single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusions at a multihospital academic medical center were retrospectively assessed.

The "July Effect" scrutinized: A coarsened-exact match analysis of lumbar fusion outcomes during resident transition.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess for a "July Effect" by comparing exact matched patients undergoing single-level spinal fusions in July or in the latter half of the academic year.

Methods: Data from 2338 patients who underwent single-level, posterior-only lumbar fusion at a single, multicenter university hospital system were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcomes were 90-day unplanned hospital readmissions, Emergency Department (ED) evaluations, reoperations, non-home discharge, and all-cause mortality.

Lumbar Spinal Fusion Outcomes in Patients With Cancer Compared to Matched Peers Without Cancer.

Study Design: Retrospective Matched Cohort Study.

Objectives: Optimization of medical comorbidities is an essential part of preoperative management. However, the isolated effects of individual comorbidities have not been evaluated within a homogenous spine surgery population.

Evaluating the role of weight loss in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: An audit of Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight For Life's database.

Background And Objectives: Obesity contributes to the onset and progression of osteoarthritis. This study assesses the influence of baseline body mass index (BMI) and baseline knee pain on improvements observed in patients undertaking a community-based weight loss program for knee osteoarthritis.

Method: This study is a retrospective analysis of data from 9004 patients who took part in the Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight For Life program between January 2014 and July 2022.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Thresholds for Secondary Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease: Morbidity Survival Tree Analysis.

Background: There are no diagnosis-specific guidelines for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) for coronary heart disease (CHD). This study aimed to identify thresholds of MVPA and SB associated with cardiovascular events.

Methods: This cohort study included individuals with CHD.

A Self-Administered Gamified Mobile Application for Secondary Prevention of Heart Disease in Patients Following a Cardiac Event (MyHeartMate): Process Evaluation from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study reports the process evaluation of a randomized controlled trial of the MyHeartMate app for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Data were collected on engagement in the intervention group from the app platform logs and self-reported usage and via interviews for perspectives of usefulness and acceptability. Participants' ( = 194) data logs showed 80.

School-based organizational skills training for students in grades 3-5: A cluster randomized trial.

Objective: Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of interventions to reduce organizational skills deficits and homework problems, including the clinic-based Organizational Skills Training (OST-C) program (Abikoff et al., 2013). In this study, OST-C was adapted for schools as a small-group (Tier 2) intervention delivered by school partners (OST-T2).

Patient education in ethnic minority and migrant patients with heart disease: A scoping review.

Objective: to describe the characteristics and synthesise the effectiveness of culturally and linguistically appropriate educational interventions for ethnic minority/migrant patients with heart disease.

Methods: Five databases were searched (journal inception to August/2023), identifying studies reported on health outcomes and patients' experience of educational interventions specifically designed for individuals from ethnic minority/migrant backgrounds. These outcomes included disease-related knowledge, self-care behaviours, risk factor profiles, hospital admissions, and patient satisfaction.

Pathways for non-manufacturers to drive generic drug repurposing for cancer in the U.S.

Repurposing generic drugs as new treatments for life-threatening diseases such as cancer is an exciting yet largely overlooked opportunity due to a lack of market-driven incentives. Nonprofit organizations and other non-manufacturers have been ramping up efforts to repurpose widely available generic drugs and rapidly expand affordable treatment options for patients. However, these non-manufacturers find it difficult to obtain regulatory approval in the U.

The sixth sense: how much does interictal intracranial EEG add to determining the focality of epileptic networks?

Intracranial EEG is used for two main purposes: to determine (i) if epileptic networks are amenable to focal treatment and (ii) where to intervene. Currently, these questions are answered qualitatively and differently across centres. There is a need to quantify the focality of epileptic networks systematically, which may guide surgical decision-making, enable large-scale data analysis and facilitate multi-centre prospective clinical trials.

Detecting and managing cognitive impairment in cardiac patients: insights from qualitative interviews with nurses.

Cognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease often coexist, and nurses are ideally positioned to detect and manage cognitive impairment in cardiac patients. This study explored nurses' perspectives on understanding, detecting, and acting on cognitive impairment in cardiac patients. Using an exploratory descriptive design, nurses from acute and outpatient cardiac units were interviewed.

Loss of body weight is dose-dependently associated with reductions in symptoms of hip osteoarthritis.

Background/objectives: While weight loss is recommended for managing hip osteoarthritis (OA), most evidence comes from knee OA studies, limiting its applicability to hip OA. This study addresses this gap by examining the effects of weight loss on hip OA symptoms.

Design And Setting: A retrospective audit of routinely collected healthcare data from participants enrolled in the Osteoarthritis Healthy Weight for Life (OAHWFL) program, designed for individuals with knee or hip OA.

Diabetes and heart disease do not affect short-term lumbar fusion outcomes accounting for other risk factors in a matched cohort analysis.

Objectives: Comprehensive preoperative management involves the identification and optimization of medical comorbidities while avoiding excessive healthcare utilization. While diabetes and heart disease are major causes of morbidity that can worsen surgical outcomes, further study is needed to evaluate how well current perioperative strategies mitigate their risks. This study employs an exact matching protocol to isolate the effects of both diabetes and cardiovascular disease on spine surgery outcomes.

Interictal intracranial EEG asymmetry lateralizes temporal lobe epilepsy.

Patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy often undergo intracranial EEG recording to capture multiple seizures in order to lateralize the seizure onset zone. This process is associated with morbidity and often ends in postoperative seizure recurrence. Abundant interictal (between-seizure) data are captured during this process, but these data currently play a small role in surgical planning.

Morphological Seed Traits Predict Early Performance of Native Species to Pelletized Seed Enhancement Technologies.

Native seeds are a finite resource, and their inclusion in revegetation is vital for supporting restoration outcomes that are both effective and scalable. Pelletized seed enhancement technologies (SETs) offer a promising solution to improve seed use efficiency in ecological restoration. Yet, knowledge of how diverse suites of native species perform when pelletized is required to optimize the application of SETs to the many species and ecosystems where restoration is required.