Identifying Factors Contributing to Dropouts in a Pilot Telenutrition Weight-Loss Program: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Telehealth programs exhibit strong potential to improve health measures and quality of life among obese and overweight individuals for whom medical nutritional therapy remains a challenge due to poor adherence and dietary compliance. Supporting weight-management programs with dietary interventions or "telenutrition" and integrating telemonitoring and/or telehealth coaching have had a significant positive impact on weight-loss patients achieving their goals in long-term interventions.

Methods: The aim of the current study was to identify the factors leading patients to drop out of a telenutrition weight-loss program, including weekly telemonitoring (total of 36 weeks) and monthly telehealth coaching (total of 6 months).

Biochemical study of the risk of diabetes, prediabetic and insulin resistance in car painters and its association with mercury exposure: a retrospective case-control study.

Purpose: There is controversy about the effect of mercury (Hg) exposure on developing diabetes and insulin resistance. This study aimed to assess the risk of diabetes and insulin resistance in car painters using biochemical markers and serum Hg levels.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study involving 210 male participants aged between 25 and 50 years.

Iron Homeostasis-Related Parameters and Hepcidin/Ferritin Ratio: Emerging Sex-Specific Predictive Markers for Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a worldwide public health challenge. Accumulating evidence implicates elevated serum ferritin and disruptions in iron metabolism as potential elements linked to an increased risk of MetS. This study investigates the relationship between iron homeostasis-including hepcidin levels, serum iron concentration, unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC), and the hepcidin/ferritin (H/F) ratio-and MetS.

Biochemical study of the effect of lead exposure in nonobese gasoline station workers and risk of hyperglycemia: A retrospective case-control study.

Evaluate the relationship between blood lead (Pb) levels and other biomedical markers and the risk of diabetes in gasoline station workers. The participants were separated into 2 groups: group A consisted of 26 workers from gasoline filling stations, while group B comprised 26 healthy individuals. Serum levels of malondialdehyde, IL-1β, visfatin, insulin, fasting blood sugar, and vitamin D were assessed.

Comparison of NEWS2 and PSI as mortality predictors in patients with community acquired pneumonia.

In the West, National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) is commonly applied to predict the severity of illness using only bedside variables unlike the extensive Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI). The objective of this study was to compare these scores as mortality predictors in patients admitted with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan, for six months in 2020 on 116 patients presenting with CAP.

True brachial artery aneurysm: A systematic review.

Objective: To identify and critically appraise literature on true brachial artery aneurysm, exploring its demographic characteristics, aetiologies, clinical manifestations and different methods of repair along with complication rates to determine future treatment strategies.

Methods: The systematic review was conducted at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from September 30, 2021, to November 30, 2022, in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Literature was searched on MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane databases for relevant studies in English language or with English translation published till May 31, 2022.

Long term nitrofurantoin induced interstitial lung disease: a case series and literature review.

Background And Aim: In the UK, prophylactic use of nitrofurantoin is recommended in women who have 3 or more UTI per year. Reported cases of nitrofurantoin-induced pulmonary toxicity are limited and the exact mechanism of chronic nitrofurantoin induced lung reaction is unclear. In England, the national trend for prescribing Nitrofurantoin has gone up significantly in the last 10 years.

Exploring health advice by dental professionals in USA: A secondary data analysis of NHANES (2015-2018).

Objectives: To examine socioeconomic and ethnic variations in the provision of health advice by dental professionals.

Methods: Data were from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) (2015-2018). Socioeconomic position (Poverty-income ratio and education) and ethnicity were the main exposures.

The use of technology to improve medication adherence in heart failure patients: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Heart failure is an ever-growing contributor to morbidity and mortality in the ageing population. Medication adherence rates among the HF population vary widely in the literature, with a reported range of 10-98%. Technologies have been developed to improve adherence to therapies and other clinical outcomes.

Treatment of superior mesenteric artery mycotic aneurysm by synthetic vascular graft: A case report.

Superior mesenteric artery (SMA) aneurysm is a rare disease, especially if it is mycotic (infective) in origin. It is difficult to detect the problem during its initial natural course and usually presents in late phase due to its complications such as rupture, dissection, haemorrhage, and mesenteric ischaemia. Initially, the patient present with non-specific symptoms like vague colicky abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, discomfort, malaise, and low-grade fever but prompt workup and intervention can lead to definitive diagnosis and uneventful outcome.

Evaluating the Implementation of a Model of Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care: Perceptions of the Healthcare Team.

Objectives: This study aims to compare primary care providers and medical assistants in degrees of comfort, confidence, and consistency when addressing behavioral health concerns with patients before and after the implementation of a model of integrated behavioral health in primary care (IBHPC), and evaluate whether these perceptions differ based on increased access to behavioral health clinicians.

Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted at 2 primary care clinics in Northern California while implementing an IBHPC model. was administered to assess the comfort, confidence, and consistency of behavioral health practices.

Perceptions of, and Obstacles to, SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Among Adults in Lebanon: Cross-sectional Online Survey.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is an additional burden on Lebanon's fragmented health care system and adds to its ongoing political, economic, and refugee crises. Vaccination is an important means of reducing the impact of the pandemic.

Objective: Our study's aims were to (1) assess the prevalences of intention to vaccinate and vaccine hesitancy in Lebanon; (2) determine how vaccine hesitancy in Lebanon varies by sociodemographic, economic, and geographic characteristics; and (3) understand individuals' motivations for vaccinating as well as concerns and obstacles to vaccination.

Longitudinal relations between abusive supervision, subordinates' emotional exhaustion, and job neglect among Pakistani Nurses: The moderating role of self-compassion.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate reciprocal relationships between abusive supervision, subordinates' emotional exhaustion, and job neglect, and to examine the mediating role of emotional exhaustion in the cross-lagged relationship between abusive supervision and job neglect. Besides, we tested the moderating role of self-compassion in the cross-lagged relationship between abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion. We applied a two-wave cross-lagged panel design with a time lag of six months.

Reprogramming the tumor microenvironment to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.

The immunotherapeutic approaches based on checkpoint inhibitors, tumor vaccination, immune cell-based therapy, and cytokines were developed to engage the patient's immune system against cancer and better survival of them. While potent, however, preclinical and clinical data have identified that abnormalities in the tumor microenvironment (TME) can affect the efficacy of immunotherapies in some cancers. It is therefore imperative to develop new therapeutic interventions that will enable to overcome tumor-supportive TME and restrain anti-tumor immunity in patients that acquire resistance to current immunotherapies.

A retrospective analysis of surgical techniques and outcomes of hydatid disease in Wasit, Iraq.

Echinococcosis is a parasitic infestation with high prevalence in Iraq. Surgical treatment remains the standard gold method for treating this disease. The selection of surgical approach depends on the general condition of the patient and characters of the cyst, , size, location, number of cysts, intraoperative findings, and complications such as adhesion, bile leakage, and bleeding.

Fear of Movement and Catastrophizing in Participants with Temporomandibular Disorders.

Aims: To assess differences in catastrophizing and kinesiophobia in relation to areas of pain and somatic symptoms among participants with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and controls.

Methods: In total, 401 participants (333 women, 68 men, mean age: 45.8 years) in the TMJ Impact Project were examined in accordance with the Diagnostic Criteria for TMD, including clinical examination (Axis I) and psychosocial assessment (Axis II) augmented with imaging of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

The Cavity as a Lasting Abode for Tuberculous Bacilli: An Observational Study.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with persistent sputum positivity at the end of 2 months of treatment in patients presenting with (drug-susceptible) pulmonary tuberculosis at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Chest Medicine (Ward 12), Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), Karachi, over 6 months. A sample of 73 consenting, newly diagnosed, smear-positive drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis patients was studied.

Assessing Fracture Resistance of Restored Premolars with Novel Composite Materials: An In Vitro Study.

During restorative treatment, premolars restored with resin filling materials using the conventional incremental-fill technique take longer restoration time and undermine the integrity of the tooth. The aim of this study was to assess fracture resistance of premolars restored by various types of novel bulk-fill composite resin materials. Forty-eight ( = 48) freshly extracted sound maxillary first premolars were used in this in vitro study.