Double-Duty Caregivers' Satisfaction With Health Care Provider Communication.

Background: Double-duty caregivers are health care professionals caring for family members or friends outside the workplace. While they may communicate frequently with colleagues in their professional role, little is known about communication with health care providers in the caregiving role.

Objective: To measure double-duty caregiver satisfaction when communicating with health care providers and to identify correlates and predictors of satisfaction.

Urgent Reversal of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Critical and Life-Threatening Bleeding: A Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly being used due to their improved efficacy/safety ratio and lower clinical and economic burden when compared to vitamin K antagonists. However, bleeding is still the most frequent complication associated with DOACs, and although rare, bleeding episodes can be life-threatening or critical. The impact of DOAC anticoagulation activity during a bleeding event must be evaluated according to patient clinical assessment, dosage and time from last intake, the presence of comorbidities (especially kidney and liver dysfunction), and, whenever possible, coagulation tests.

Comorbidity, Treatment, and Service Utilization Patterns in Difficult-to-Treat Depression Patients: A Retrospective Study in a Portuguese Community Mental Health Team.

: Observational studies with data from real-world clinical practice with patients with difficult-to-treat depression (DTD) are rare. This study aims to collect observational data from the real-world clinical practice of a Portuguese community mental health team (CMHT) on the prevalence of DTD and to explore differences between DTD and non-DTD groups. : We conducted a retrospective chart review study using data from Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of adult patients with psychiatric disorders followed by a CMHT from the Department of Psychiatry of the Coimbra Local Health Unit (between 1 December 2020-31 December 2022).

Handgrip Strength and Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate in a Frailty Unit: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: Frailty is characterized by vulnerability and decline in physical, mental, and social activity, significantly contributing to adverse health outcomes. Frailty encompasses nutritional status, muscle strength, inflammation, and hormones. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is one of the hormones hypothesized to play a role in frailty.

Graphene Oxide-Based Nanocomposites for Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing: Comprehensive Mechanical Characterization under Combined Loading Modes.

Additive manufacturing, particularly Stereolithography (SLA), has gained widespread attention thanks to its ability to produce intricate parts with high precision and customization capacity. Nevertheless, the inherent low mechanical properties of SLA-printed parts limit their use in high-value applications. One approach to enhance these properties involves the incorporation of nanomaterials, with graphene oxide (GO) being a widely studied option.

A Rare Case of Phytobezoar Related to Occupational Exposure.

Bezoars constitute a compacted collection of undigested or partially digested material, potentially leading to intestinal obstruction. They most frequently occur in the stomach, with classification based on their composition. Many gastric bezoars are asymptomatic and frequently manifest in patients with gastrointestinal disturbances or psychiatric issues.

Brugada Phenocopy Caused by Intracranial Hemorrhage.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is a congenital channelopathy associated with an increased risk of malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in individuals without any structural cardiopathy. Brugada phenocopies (BrPs) are clinical entities that present electrocardiographic patterns similar to those of BrS that are elicited only under transitory pathophysiological conditions, with normalization of the ECG pattern after the resolution of those conditions. We present a rare case of BrP due to intracranial hemorrhage.

Blood parasite load by qPCR as therapeutic monitoring in visceral leishmaniasis patients in Brazil: a case series study.

Background: This study aimed to describe the kinetics of Leishmania parasite load determined using kinetoplast DNA (kDNA)-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in visceral leishmaniasis (VL) patients.

Methods: Parasite load in blood was assessed by qPCR at five time points, up to 12 months post-diagnosis. Sixteen patients were followed up.

Looking back to look forward: Reflections from networked research on energy poverty.

Energy poverty is a far-reaching concept that intrinsically bridges numerous fields of study, ranging from engineering to anthropology and medical science to social psychology. The profound implications of energy poverty on the quality of life globally have also led to a wide range of metrics and policies aimed at measuring it and alleviating it, albeit with limited success. Using a mixed methods approach, our network has conducted research to advance knowledge and interpretations of energy poverty and boost scientific outputs' capacity to shape knowledge-based policies.

Characterization of Static Strength, Vertical Jumping, and Isokinetic Strength in Soccer Players According to Age, Competitive Level, and Field Position.

Muscular strength is strongly related to speed and agility tasks, which have been described as the most decisive actions preceding goals in the soccer game. This study aimed to characterize the players' strength indicators and to analyze the variation associated with age, competition level, and positional role. Eighty-three male soccer players from A team ( = 22), B team ( = 17), U-23 ( = 19), and U-19 ( = 25) participated in this study.

Feasibility and performance of a combined extracorporeal assisted cardiac resuscitation and an organ donation program after uncontrolled cardiocirculatory death (Maastricht II).

Introduction: Approximately 500.000 people in Europe sustain cardiac arrest (CA) every year, being myocardial infarction the main etiology. Interest has been raised in a new approach to refractory cardiac arrest (rCA) using extra-corporeal oxygenation (ECMO).

Giant left myxoma with mitral valve obstruction.

We present a case of a patient admitted with acute pulmonary edema. An echocardiogram showed a giant myxoma of the left atrium causing mitral valve obstruction. The patient underwent urgent cardiac surgery for tumor resection.

Downregulation of growth plate genes involved with the onset of femoral head separation in young broilers.

Femoral head separation (FHS) is characterized by the detachment of growth plate (GP) and articular cartilage, occurring in tibia and femur. However, the molecular mechanisms involved with this condition are not completely understood. Therefore, genes and biological processes (BP) involved with FHS were identified in 21-day-old broilers through RNA sequencing of the femoral GP.

MXenes : Tailoring the Epitaxial Growth Alternating Nitrogen and Transition Metal Layers.

A high-throughput analysis based on density functional simulations underscores the viable epitaxial growth of MXenes by alternating nitrogen and metal adlayers. This is supported by an exhaustive analysis of a number of thermodynamic and kinetic thresholds belonging to different critical key steps in the course of the epitaxial growth. The results on 18 pristine N- and C-based MXenes with MX stoichiometry reveal an easy initial N fixation and dissociation, where N adsorption is controlled by the MXene surface charge and metal d-band center and its dissociation controlled by the reaction energy change.

Association between self-reported drug hypersensitivity reactions and psychological disorders.

Background: Medically unexplained physical symptoms are a well-recognized problem and, in some cases, there is a well-established relationship between behavior and psychopathological disturbances. However, the association between drug hypersensitivity reactions and psychoactive disorders stills under discussion.

Objective: Our main goal was to establish if there is an association between self-reported drug hypersensitivity reaction and psychopathology with need for psychoactive drug consumption.

Comprehensive Analyses of Bone and Cartilage Transcriptomes Evince Ion Transport, Inflammation and Cartilage Development-Related Genes Involved in Chickens' Femoral Head Separation.

Femoral head separation (FHS) is usually a subclinical condition characterized by the detachment of articular cartilage from the bone. In this study, a comprehensive analysis identifying shared and exclusive expression profiles, biological processes (BP) and variants related to FHS in the femoral articular cartilage and growth plate in chickens was performed through RNA sequencing analysis. Thirty-six differentially expressed (DE) genes were shared between femoral articular cartilage (AC) and growth plate (GP) tissues.

Effects of Functionalized Kraft Lignin Incorporation on Polypropylene Surface Energy and Practical Adhesion.

Polypropylene (PP) is a multifunctional and widely applied polymer. Nevertheless, its low energy surface and poor adhesion are well-known and might impair some prospective applications. Aiming to overcome these limitations, PP composites can be applied as a tool to enhance PP surface energy and then increase its practical adhesion.

Update of the recommendations of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Cuidados Intensivos and the Infection and Sepsis Group for the approach to COVID-19 in Intensive Care Medicine.

Introduction: The Sociedade Portuguesa de Cuidados Intensivos and the Infection and Sepsis Group have previously issued health service and management recommendations for critically ill patients with COVID-19. Due to the evolution of knowledge, the panel of experts was again convened to review the current evidence and issue updated recommendations.

Methods: A national panel of experts who declared that they had no conflicts of interest regarding the development of the recommendations was assembled.