Recurrent Cerebral Embolic Infarcts in a Patient With a Mechanical Valve: A Rare Case of Infective Endocarditis Caused by Parvimonas micra.

We present the case of a 60-year-old man with a history of mechanical mitral valve replacement and atrial fibrillation who developed infective endocarditis (IE) caused by (), resulting in recurrent cerebral infarctions. Despite increasing the intensity of anticoagulation therapy with warfarin and adding aspirin, the patient experienced four embolic cerebral infarctions. Following a single fever spike, blood cultures identified , although no other systemic features of IE were present.

The prescription and monitoring of conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: British Society for Rheumatology guideline scope.

This guideline will provide up-to-date, evidence-based recommendations on the safe use of non-biologic DMARDs, also called conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARD), across the full spectrum of autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The guideline will update the guideline published in 2017 and will be expanded to include people of all ages. Updated information on the monitoring of DMARDs and vaccinations will be included.

Smartphones and Learning: Evaluating the Focus of Recent Research.

The smartphone has become integral to most aspects of students' lives and is the primary conduit for accessing the internet. Objective research into the promise and dangers of this device is critical. While educational uses of the smartphone with young adults hold promise, the potential for harm is also present.

Public Perceptions About Smart Cities: Governance and Quality-of-Life in Hong Kong.

This study analyzes public perceptions about the impact of 'smart cities' programs on governance and quality-of-life. With smart city scholarship focusing primarily on technical and managerial issues, political legitimacy remains relatively underexplored-particularly in non-Western contexts. Drawing on a Hong Kong-based survey of over 800 residents conducted in 2019, this study analyzes the results of probit regressions on dependent variables for governance (participation, transparency, public services, communication, and fairness) and quality-of-life (buildings, energy-environment, mobility-transportation, education, and health).

Understanding Connections between Nature and Stress among Conservation-Engaged Adolescents Using Photovoice Methodology.

While the literature supports positive associations between nature and adolescent mental health, mechanisms are not well understood, and assessment of nature varies widely among existing studies. To partner with the most insightful informants, we enrolled eight adolescent participants from a conservation-informed summer volunteer program, applying qualitative photovoice methodology to understand their use of nature to relieve stress. Across five group sessions, participants identified four themes: (1) Nature shows us different aspects of beauty; (2) nature helps us relieve stressful experiences by balancing our senses; (3) nature gives us space to find solutions; and (4) we want to find time to enjoy nature.