Tetralogy of Fallot Repair in Developing Countries: International Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Background: Isolated reports from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) for surgical results in tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) are available. The International Quality Improvement Collaborative for Congenital Heart Disease (IQIC) seeks to improve surgical results promoting reductions in infection and mortality in LMICs.

Methods: All cases of TOF in the IQIC database performed between 2010 and 2014 at 32 centers in 20 LMICs were included.

Pilot Study Comparing Nasal vs Oral Intubation for Dental Surgery by Physicians, Nurse Anesthetists, and Trainees.

The purpose of this article was to determine if pediatric dental treatment under general anesthesia utilizing orotracheal intubation takes longer than using nasotracheal intubation techniques. Twenty-six American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification I and II pediatric dental patients, ages 2-8 years treated under general anesthesia, were assigned to 1 of 2 groups: (a) nasotracheal intubation (control, n = 13), (b) orotracheal intubation (experimental, n = 13). Times for intubation, radiographic imaging, and dental procedures, as well as total case time were quantified.

Characterizing Employees' Preferences for Incentives for Healthy Behaviors: Examples to Improve Interest in Wellness Programs.

. Many employers now incentivize employees to engage in wellness programs, yet few studies have examined differences in preferences for incentivizing participation in healthy behaviors and wellness programs. .

Building workforce capacity in Australia and New Zealand: a profile of psychiatrists with an interest in intellectual and developmental disability mental health.

Objective:: To describe the characteristics of psychiatrists working in the area of intellectual and developmental disability mental health (IDDMH) across Australia and New Zealand.

Methods:: A secondary analysis of data collected by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014 workforce survey. Characteristics of the IDDMH workforce ( n=146 psychiatrists) were compared with those of the broader psychiatry workforce ( n=1050 psychiatrists).

Utility of Autopsy among Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: One Last Chance to Learn?

Autopsy may confirm clinical diagnoses or identify conditions that were not suspected prior to a patient's death. Previous studies evaluating the utility of autopsy in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients yielded conflicting results. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children (<18 years of age) undergoing allogeneic HSCT at Duke University who died of any cause between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2016.

Epidemiology and risk factors for typhoid fever in Central Division, Fiji, 2014-2017: A case-control study.

Background: Typhoid fever is endemic in Fiji, with high reported annual incidence. We sought to identify the sources and modes of transmission of typhoid fever in Fiji with the aim to inform disease control.

Methodology/principal Findings: We identified and surveyed patients with blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever from January 2014 through January 2017.

Stroke in Adults With Coarctation of the Aorta: A National Population-Based Study.

Background: Adults with repaired coarctation of the aorta (CoA) have reduced long-term survival compared with the general population. This study aimed to determine whether CoA is independently associated with premature ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in the contemporary era.

Methods And Results: This was a cross-sectional study utilizing the National Inpatient Sample database from 2005 to 2014.

Restoration of sensory input may improve cognitive and neural function.

Age-related hearing loss is one of the most prevalent health conditions among the elderly. Hearing loss may lead to social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline in older adults. The mechanistic basis for the association between hearing loss and decreased cognitive function remains unknown as does the potential for improving cognition through hearing rehabilitation.

Strengthening insurance partnerships in the face of climate change - Insights from an agent-based model of flood insurance in the UK.

Multisectoral partnerships are increasingly cited as a mechanism to deliver and improve disaster risk management. Yet, partnerships are not a panacea and more research is required to understand the role that they can play in disaster risk management and particularly disaster risk reduction. This paper investigates how partnerships can incentivise flood risk reduction by focusing on the UK public-private partnership on flood insurance.

Neural and behavioral changes after the use of hearing aids.

Objective: Individuals with age-related hearing loss (ARHL) can restore some loss of the auditory function with the use of hearing aids (HAs). However, what remains unknown are the physiological mechanisms that underlie how the brain changes with exposure to amplified sounds though the use of HAs. We aimed to examine behavioral and physiological changes induced by HAs.

Adjunct Targeted Biologic Inhibition Agents to Treat Aggressive Multivessel Intraluminal Pediatric Pulmonary Vein Stenosis.

Objective: To evaluate the use of imatinib mesylate with or without bevacizumab targeting neoproliferative myofibroblast-like cells with tyrosine kinase receptor expression, as adjuncts to modern interventional therapies for the treatment of multivessel intraluminal pulmonary vein stenosis (PVS). We describe the 48- and 72-week outcomes among patients receiving imatinib mesylate with or without bevacizumab for multivessel intraluminal PVS.

Study Design: This single-arm, prospective, open-label US Food and Drug Administration approved trial enrolled patients with ≥2 affected pulmonary veins after surgical or catheter-based relief of obstruction between March 2009 and December 2014.

High-Frequency Jet Ventilation During Cryoablation of Small Renal Tumours.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) in place of standard intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (IPPV) on procedure duration, patient radiation dose, complication rates, and outcomes during CT-guided cryoablation of small renal tumours.

Materials And Methods: One hundred consecutive CT-guided cryoablation procedures to treat small renal tumours under general anaesthesia were evaluated-50 with standard IPPV and 50 after the introduction of HFJV as standard practice. Anaesthesia and procedural times, ionising radiation dose, complications, and 1-month post-treatment outcomes were collected.

Innovative approaches to genome editing in avian species.

The tools available for genome engineering have significantly improved over the last 5 years, allowing scientist to make precise edits to the genome. Along with the development of these new genome editing tools has come advancements in technologies used to deliver them. In mammals genome engineering tools are typically delivered into in vitro fertilized single cell embryos which are subsequently cultured and then implanted into a recipient animal.

Effects of vibratory pile driver noise on echolocation and vigilance in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

Vibratory pile drivers, used for marine construction, can produce sustained, high sound pressure levels (SPLs) in areas that overlap with dolphin habitats. Dolphins rely on echolocation for navigation, detecting predators and prey, and to coordinate group behavior. This study examined the effects of vibratory pile driver noise on dolphin sustained target detection capabilities through echolocation.

Anticoagulation and Mortality Rates among Hospitalized Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with an increased rate of mortality, heart failure, and stroke. We conducted an observational study to assess the relationship between anticoagulation and adverse clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with AF. We performed a 5,000-consecutive-patient retrospective cohort analysis of anticoagulation prescription and 90-day outcomes in patients with AF hospitalized at Brigham and Women's Hospital from May 2008 to September 2014.

Effects of Amplification on Neural Phase Locking, Amplitude, and Latency to a Speech Syllable.

Objective: Older adults often have trouble adjusting to hearing aids when they start wearing them for the first time. Probe microphone measurements verify appropriate levels of amplification up to the tympanic membrane. Little is known, however, about the effects of amplification on auditory-evoked responses to speech stimuli during initial hearing aid use.

Piezoelectric Potential in Single-Crystalline ZnO Nanohelices Based on Finite Element Analysis.

Electric potential produced in deformed piezoelectric nanostructures is of significance for both fundamental study and practical applications. To reveal the piezoelectric property of ZnO nanohelices, the piezoelectric potential in single-crystal nanohelices was simulated by finite element method calculations. For a nanohelix with a length of 1200 nm, a mean coil radius of 150 nm, five active coils, and a hexagonal coiled wire with a side length 100 nm, a compressing force of 100 nN results in a potential of 1.

International quality improvement initiatives.

Across the globe, the implementation of quality improvement science and collaborative learning has positively affected the care and outcomes for children born with CHD. These efforts have advanced the collective expertise and performance of inter-professional healthcare teams. In this review, we highlight selected quality improvement initiatives and strategies impacting the field of cardiovascular care and describe implications for future practice and research.

Development and Evaluation of a Continuing Education Program for Nursing Technicians at a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in a Developing Country.

Background: The nursing profession faces continuous transformations demonstrating the importance of professional continuing education to extend knowledge following technological development without impairing quality of care. Nursing assistants and technicians account for nearly 80% of nursing professionals in Brazil and are responsible for uninterrupted patient care. Extensive knowledge improvement is needed to achieve excellence in nursing care.

Ultrasound Finding of Ischiofemoral Impingement Syndrome and Novel Treatment With Botulinum Toxin Chemodenervation: A Case Report.

Unlabelled: Ischiofemoral impingement syndrome (IFIS) is a rare and poorly understood condition that leads to deep gluteal pain, groin, and/or medial thigh pain. It has unique diagnostic challenges, with limited nonoperative treatment options. It is caused by the impingement of the quadratus femoris by the lesser trochanter and the ischium.

A Probabilistic Analysis of Surface Water Flood Risk in London.

Flooding in urban areas during heavy rainfall, often characterized by short duration and high-intensity events, is known as "surface water flooding." Analyzing surface water flood risk is complex as it requires understanding of biophysical and human factors, such as the localized scale and nature of heavy precipitation events, characteristics of the urban area affected (including detailed topography and drainage networks), and the spatial distribution of economic and social vulnerability. Climate change is recognized as having the potential to enhance the intensity and frequency of heavy rainfall events.