Enhanced Skin Assessment Methodology to Detect Early Tissue Damage and Prevent Pressure Injuries.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a skin assessment technique, subepidermal moisture (SEM) assessment, to assess, identify, and prevent pressure injuries (PIs) in critically ill adults.

Design: This was a retrospective, descriptive, comparative research study.

Subjects And Setting: The sample comprised 69 critically ill adults; their mean age was 58.

Amyloid-β and caspase-1 are indicators of sepsis and organ injury.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that results from a dysregulated host response to infection, leading to organ dysfunction. Despite the prevalence and associated socioeconomic costs, treatment of sepsis remains limited to antibiotics and supportive care, and a majority of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors develop long-term cognitive complications post-discharge. The present study identifies a novel regulatory relationship between amyloid-β (Aβ) and the inflammasome-caspase-1 axis as key innate immune mediators that define sepsis outcomes.

Impact of Weight on Severity of Hospital Course in Children Admitted With COVID-19.

To describe the impact of weight on length of stay (LOS) and oxygen requirement among hospitalized children with COVID-19. This is a retrospective review of 153 children admitted for COVID-19 from March 2020 to October 2021. Body mass index (BMI) percentile and weight-for-age (WFA) percentile were used to determine weight status for children ≥2 years and <2 years respectively.

Women's perceptions of body mass graphics and their preferences for weight counselling.

Health care providers may lack data-driven guidance about best practises for discussing weight. We assessed women's self-perception of body mass index (BMI) and preferences for weight counselling by provider characteristics and the initiating question. A voluntary, anonymous survey was completed by 756 women (age ≥ 19 year) at our tertiary care obstetrics and gynaecology clinics in autumn 2021.

Arterial stiffness mediates the association between age and processing speed at low levels of microvascular function in humans across the adult lifespan.

The function of micro- and macrovessels within the peripheral vasculature has been identified as a target for the investigation of potential cardiovascular-based promoters of cognitive decline. However, little remains known regarding the interaction of the micro- and macrovasculature as it relates to cognitive function, especially in cognitively healthy individuals. Therefore, our purpose was to unravel peripheral factors that contribute to the association between age and processing speed.

Key stakeholders' perspectives: A gap analysis of hospital-acquired pressure injuries.

Introduction: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are a global high-stakes patient safety issue. Key stakeholder perspectives regarding their role and experiences with pressure injuries is critical as part of the solution to minimizing HAPI occurrence and attain sustainability.

Design: A qualitative, descriptive approach provided multiple perspectives of key stakeholders to support the complexity of HAPI care.

The adherence to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases 2018 guidelines in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma and its impact on survival.

Introduction: In two Korean and Italian studies, the adherence rate (AR) to ASSLD 2005 guidelines in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was 60%. In a US study, the AR to American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) 2005 guidelines was 73.3%, 26.

Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Plasma Cell-Free Mitochondrial DNA, Insulin Sensitivity and Metabolic Changes in Obese Patients.

While improvement of mitochondrial function after bariatric surgery has been demonstrated, there is limited evidence about the effects of bariatric surgery on circulatory cell-free (cf) mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and intracellular mtDNA abundance. Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells were isolated from healthy controls (HC) and bariatric surgery patients before surgery and 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery. At baseline, the plasma level of short cf-mtDNA (, ~100 bp) fragments was significantly higher in obese patients compared to HC.

A Quality Improvement Project: Implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Hepatitis C Virus Treatment Guidelines at an Addiction Treatment Center.

Purpose: This quality improvement project was introduced at an addiction treatment center to implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment guidelines and offer anticraving medications to patients to improve standards of care of patients with substance use disorders.

Literature Review: Patients with opioid use disorders are at the highest risk of contracting HCV. More than 80% of people in the United States with opioid use disorders who use intravenous drugs have contracted HCV.

Congenital granular cell epulis: 24 new cases with more differences than similarities to granular cell tumor.

Congenital granular cell epulis (CGCE) is a rare tumor of gingiva that is exclusive to newborns, has marked female predominance, and is rarely associated with other abnormalities. Although benign in behavior, CGCE can be lethal by obstruction of respiration and/or deglutition and can require a multidisciplinary team of specialist at birth for survival of an otherwise normal infant. Histologically, CGCE resembles granular cell tumor (GCT), but unlike GCT, which is Schwannian-derived, derivation of CGCE remains an enigma, largely because of its low prevalence.

Pressure Injury Prevention and Management: A Gap Analysis Using Key Stakeholder Engagement.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine pressure injury prevention and management (PIPM) practices in an academic acute care setting. Specific aims were to (1) develop and examine key stakeholder engagement regarding PIPM practices, (2) develop a valid/reliable gap analysis instrument, and (3) conduct a gap analysis of current PIPM practices.

Design: Mixed-methods convergent design and participatory action research.

Pilot Study of Respiratory-Swallow Coordination in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Purpose: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) impacts bulbar and respiratory musculature, which may contribute to impaired swallow function (dysphagia) and respiratory-swallow coordination. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine if respiratory-swallow coordination in individuals with ALS was perturbed compared to healthy controls. We further explored relationships between measures of respiratory function and self-reported swallowing outcomes on respiratory-swallow coordination.

Review of Outcomes of Low Verses Standard Pressure Pneumoperitoneum in Laparoscopic Surgery.

Background: Carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum during laparoscopy changes cardiorespiratory physiology and contributes to post-op pain. We studied outcomes before and after implementing low-pressure pneumoperitoneum QI project.

Methods: Forty-two patients were insufflated at standard pressures (15 mmHg) while 41 were insufflated using low (8-12 mmHg) during laparoscopic procedures.

Ostomy Complications and Quality of Life of Ostomy Support Belt/Garment Wearers: A Web-Based Survey.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine ostomy complications and health-related quality of life (QOL) in individuals with an ostomy who wear an ostomy support belt/garment.

Design: A mixed-methods descriptive study.

Subjects And Setting: Two hundred two community-living adults with an ostomy were recruited using an industry distribution list.

Demographics and Risk Factors of Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension Readmissions.

Background And Objectives: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) leads to significant morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients and increases the readmission rates for hospitalizations. This study evaluates the risk factors and comorbidities associated with an increase in 30-day readmissions among pediatric PH patients.

Methods: National Readmission Database (NRD) 2017 was searched for patients less than 18 years of age who were diagnosed with PH based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10).

The Influence of the Psychophysical Assessment Paradigm on Pitch Discrimination for Adults (and a Pilot Sample of Children).

Pitch discrimination ability has been of research interest due to its potential relationship to language and literacy. However, assessment protocols for pitch discrimination have varied widely. Prior studies with both children and adults have produced conflicting performance findings across different pitch discrimination research paradigms, though they have consistently shown that discrimination accuracy is based on the psychophysical assessment method applied.

Clinical and Hematological Predictors of High-Grade Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.

Background: Life-threatening immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that require hospital admission are not uncommon in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The clinical and hematological parameters are attractive biomarkers as potential predictors of irAE.

Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients with melanoma and lung cancer treated with ICIs between 2015 and 2019 at the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute.

Effect of Covid-19 quarantine on diabetes Care in Children.

Background: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and state-mandated school closures in the spring of 2020, the management of type 1 diabetes in children underwent significant changes. The aim of our study was to assess the effect of stay-at-home orders on glycemic control in children.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 238 children with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who were seen in the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic at the University of South Alabama.

Nurse's Achilles Heel: Using Big Data to Determine Workload Factors That Impact Near Misses.

Purpose: To explore how big data can be used to identify the contribution or influence of six specific workload variables: patient count, medication count, task count call lights, patient sepsis score, and hours worked on the occurrence of a near miss (NM) by individual nurses.

Design: A correlational and cross-section research design was used to collect over 82,000 useable data points of historical workload data from the three unique systems on a medical-surgical unit in a midsized hospital in the southeast United States over a 60-day period. Data were collected prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States.

Mommy Meltdown: Understanding Racial Differences Between Black and White Women in Attitudes About Postpartum Depression and Treatment Modalities.

Background: Postpartum depression is a major public health problem, but limited information is available about risk factors and attitudes of minority women about postpartum depression. The objective of this study is to determine attitudes of minority women toward postpartum depression and treatment.

Methods: In this prospective study at an academic resident and faculty clinic, 39 women (19 black and 20 white) at the 6-week postpartum visit completed a survey that was developed for this study to assess personal and family attitudes about postpartum depression in addition to the routinely distributed Edinburgh postnatal depression scale.

Efficacy and Safety of Full-thickness Resection Device (FTRD) for Colorectal Lesions Endoscopic Full-thickness Resection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: Endoscopic full-thickness resection (eFTR) is a field of increasing interest that offers a minimally invasive resection modality for lesions that are not amenable for resection by conventional methods. Full-thickness resection device (FTRD) is a new device that was developed for a single-step eFTR using an over-the scope-clip. In this meta-analysis, we aim to assess the efficacy and safety of FTRD for eFTR of colorectal lesions.

Enhanced Mitochondrial DNA Repair Resuscitates Transplantable Lungs Donated After Circulatory Death.

Background: Transplantation of lungs procured after donation after circulatory death (DCD) is challenging because postmortem metabolic degradation may engender susceptibility to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Because oxidative mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage has been linked to endothelial barrier disruption in other models of IR injury, here we used a fusion protein construct targeting the DNA repair 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase-1 (OGG1) to mitochondria (mtOGG1) to determine if enhanced repair of mtDNA damage attenuates endothelial barrier dysfunction after IR injury in a rat model of lung procurement after DCD.

Materials And Methods: Lungs excised from donor rats 1 h after cardiac death were cold stored for 2 h after which they were perfused ex vivo in the absence and presence of mt-OGG1 or an inactive mt-OGG1 mutant.