Outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) has become the routine standard of care in patients with severe aortic stenosis and prohibitive surgical risk worldwide. However, data on TAVI outcomes from Africa remain sparse. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of TAVI in Africa.

Strategies to enhance nurses' adherence to central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention bundles in the ICU setting: A systematic review.

Background: The incidence of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in the ICU continues to rise. Despite existing CLABSI bundles to prevent infections, adherence remains suboptimal.

Objective: To identify and synthesize the evidence about strategies used to enhance nurses' adherence to CLABSI prevention bundles.

V-PRO Blood Collection Tubes: Validation for Clinical Chemistry and Immunoassay Tests.

Background: In accredited laboratories, each component of diagnostic products-such as laboratory instruments, reagents, and blood collection tubes must be validated before integration into routine patient testing. BD Vacutainers are commonly used in clinical laboratories compared to other blood collection tubes, while V-PRO tubes have recently been introduced to the market without prior laboratory validation. This study compares V-PRO tubes to BD Vacutainers to assess the validity of using V-PRO tubes for blood testing.

SBDH-Reader: an LLM-powered method for extracting social and behavioral determinants of health from medical notes.

Introduction: Social and behavioral determinants of health (SBDH) are increasingly recognized as essential for prognostication and informing targeted interventions. While medical notes contain rich SBDH details, these are unstructured and conventional extraction methods tend to be labor intensive, inaccurate, and/or unscalable. The emergence of large language models (LLMs) presents an opportunity to develop more effective approaches for extracting SBDH data.

Greening Critical Care: Exploring Environmental Sustainability Challenges and Opportunities in the Emirati ICU Context.

This qualitative study seeks to explore the perspectives of Emirati ICU teams on environmental sustainability, identifying the challenges they face, and exploring potential opportunities to make healthcare practice more sustainable. The study thereby contributes to addressing the research gap on reducing impacts of resource-intensive care environments by exploring how ICU teams perceive and approach environmental sustainability in their practice. A descriptive qualitative design was utilized, involving semi-structured interviews with 19 ICU nurses and nurse managers and 5 ICU physicians.

Quality of life among residents of informal urban settlements during the COVID-19 pandemic in Salvador, Brazil.

Background: Disadvantaged populations, especially those living in rural and informal settlements, constitute the most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited information on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and indirect consequences of non-pharmaceutical interventions implemented during the pandemic.

Methods: We leveraged on an ongoing prospective open-cohort survey and performed a cross-sectional analysis of data collected between November 2021 and July 2022 among 793 residents above age 5 in a large slum community in the city of Salvador, Brazil.

Assessment of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Cultivation Using Fetal Bovine Serum or Platelet Lysate.

Background: Wharton's jelly (WJ) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) are considered marvelous sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) due to their availability, simply isolated without pain and ethical issues. Additionally, UC-MSCs are more primitive than MSCs isolated from adult sources, thus opening new possibilities for cell therapies.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to develop a simple, economical, and efficient xenogenic-free protocol for the isolation and expansion of UC-MSCs to be compliant with good manufacturing practice (GMP) guidelines.

Effect of empowerment-based interventions on self-efficacy and self-care capacity among patients with sickle cell disease: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of empowerment-based interventions on self-efficacy and self-care capacity among adults with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Methods: A randomized control trial was conducted [NCT06296654]. A total of 76 patients were recruited by using a cluster sampling technique in the two health centers in Bahrain from February to May 2022 and randomly allocated to the intervention group ( = 38) or control group ( = 38).

The relationship between blood pressure and mortality after subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Background: Blood pressure monitoring and management are critical nursing tasks in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Yet, it remains unclear to several bedside nurses whether high or low blood pressure is associated with better outcomes.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate whether blood pressure predicts mortality and hospital length of stay in patients with aneurysmal SAH.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) microfilled anhydride-modified crude lignin blend biodegradable materials.

This study explores the potential of crude lignin, extracted from coir fibers, an agricultural byproduct, as a sustainable filler in Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) biodegradable blends. To enhance compatibility with the PHBV matrix, lignin was chemically modified using acetic anhydride (AL) and propionic anhydride (PL). These modifications were confirmed through FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and TGA analyses.

Exploring healthcare workers' immunisation behaviour towards COVID-19 vaccines through psychological patterns.

Background:  The psychological approach can provide valuable insights into vaccination behaviour, especially in high-risk contexts. It offers new perspectives for effective interventions to improve vaccination behaviour.

Aim:  To investigate key factors influencing stress related to vaccination in emergency situations among healthcare professionals.

Scoping reviews and their role in identifying research priorities.

Background And Objectives: Scoping reviews have been identified as appropriate methodologies to contribute to our knowledge. The objective of this review is to summarize how scoping reviews can be used to identify research priorities.

Methods: Based on our experience as evidence synthesis methodologists and researchers, the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology group, have identified the potential roles of scoping reviews in identification of research priorities.

Case report: Purtscher-like Retinopathy in a Patient after otorhinolaryngological surgery.

Purpose: Purtscher-like Retinopathy after otorhinolaryngological surgery is extremely rare. In this case report we present a patient with Purtscher-like Retinopathy after endoscopic surgery of the left sphenopalatine artery.

Observations: A 62-year-old woman presented herself with painless vision reduction one day after endoscopic treatment of the left sphenopalatine artery with an incidental opening of the dura.

The role of vascularity and the fibrovascular interface in interstitial lung diseases.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a clinical term that refers to a diverse group of non-neoplastic lung diseases. This group includes idiopathic and secondary pulmonary entities that are often associated with progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Currently, therapeutic approaches based on specific structural targeting of pulmonary fibrosis are limited to nintedanib and pirfenidone, which can only slow down disease progression leading to a lower mortality rate.

Comprehensive analysis of causal pathogens and determinants influencing black rot disease development in MD2 pineapples.

Malaysia ranks among the world's top 20 pineapple producers, driven by the success of the MD2 variety in meeting domestic and international demand. However, postharvest losses due to pathological diseases remain a challenge. Black rot, a major postharvest disease, causes significant economic losses in pineapples.

The role of multifocal visual evoked potential in detection of minimal hepatic encephalopathy in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis.

Background: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is one of the most debilitating complications of hepatic cirrhosis, and visual electrophysiology, visual evoked potential (VEP) has long been used for MHE diagnosis. This technique only produces a summed response that is greatly dominated by the macular region. Multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP) imaging minimizes these limitations because it allows topographic recording of the optic nerve and visual cortex.

Examining postoperative care: Predictors of perceived pain relief and satisfaction with pain management after orthopedic surgeries.

Purpose: This study examines predictors of postoperative pain relief and patient satisfaction among orthopedic patients in Jordan, emphasizing demographic and clinical factors, patient involvement in pain management, Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) utilization, and non-pharmacological pain relief techniques.

Methods: This observational, predictive study included 300 orthopedic surgery patients. Pain intensity was measured 24 h post-surgery, and patients completed the Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ-R).

Tissue-friendly dentin treatments as a potential element in revascularization protocol (ex-vivo study).

Background: Endodontic treatment aims to eliminate pulp tissue, microorganisms, and toxins while creating an environment conducive to tissue revitalization and regeneration. Sodium hypochlorite, the gold-standard irrigant, is effective but has significant cytotoxic effects, prompting the need for safer alternatives. This study investigates the cytotoxicity, cell proliferation, adhesion to dentin, and osteogenic differentiation of cells exposed to Dual Rinse HEDP, curcumin, and sodium hypochlorite (2.

Different manipulations for resolving the overlapped spectra of novel anti-asthmatic combination: Green-blue-white triple evaluation tools.

This work represents different spectrophotometric techniques for concurrent quantification of Indacaterol (IND) and Mometasone furoate (MOM); co-formulated inhalation capsules to control asthma symptoms. Direct spectrophotometric (D) approach was applied for IND assay. While, absorption factor (AF), ratio difference (RD), mean centering of the ratio spectra (MC), and continuous wavelet transform (CW) techniques were utilized for MOM quantification.

Quantification of physiological tilt of the phakic eye using biometry parameters and anterior segment optical coherence tomography: Measuring Eye Tilt with High-Res Swept Source OCT.

Purpose: To comprehensively evaluate the tilt of the crystalline lens in phakic eyes and its relationship with optical biometry parameters.

Setting: The retrospective analysis was conducted at the Department for Ophthalmology and Optometry, Kepler University Clinic in Linz, Austria.

Design: Lens tilt assessment was performed through a combined analysis of optical biometry (IOL Master 700) and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) data to understand its relationship.

Umbrella Reviews: A methodological guide.

Aim: This paper aims to explore the significance of umbrella reviews as a methodological advancement in evidence synthesis, emphasizing their role in aggregating data from multiple systematic reviews and their impact on evidence-based practice and policy-making.

Methods And Results: The paper examines the evolution of systematic reviews and meta-analyses, highlighting the emergence of umbrella reviews as a comprehensive synthesis method. It details the key steps involved in conducting an umbrella review, including literature searches, study selection, quality appraisal, and data synthesis.

Characteristics of Quality Improvement Projects in Health Services: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Objective: Current QI reports within the literature frequently fail to provide enough information regarding interventions, and a significant number of publications do not mention the utilization of a guiding model or framework. The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize the characteristics of hospital-based QI interventions and assess their alignment with recommended quality goals.

Methods: This scoping review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews to synthesize existing literature on hospital-based QI interventions and reporting using the PRISMA Extension for scoping reviews.

Update to the PRISMA guidelines for network meta-analyses and scoping reviews and development of guidelines for rapid reviews: a scoping review protocol.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to develop a list of items for potential inclusion in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines for network meta-analysis (NMA), scoping reviews (ScRs), and rapid reviews (RRs).

Introduction: The PRISMA extensions for NMA and ScRs were published in 2015 and 2018. However, since then, their methodologies and innovations, including automation, have evolved.

Effective Targeting of Glutamine Synthetase with Amino Acid Analogs as a Novel Therapeutic Approach in Breast Cancer.

Cancer cells undergo metabolic rewiring to support rapid proliferation and survival in challenging environments. Glutamine is a preferred resource for cancer metabolism, as it provides both carbon and nitrogen for cellular biogenesis. Recent studies suggest the potential anticancer activity of amino acid analogs.