Integrating social prescribing in a Canadian regional health system to support healthy aging.

Social prescribing (SP) is a rapidly growing health and social model of care. The concept of social prescribing is based on well-known clinical practices such as community referrals, integrated health and social care, and navigator models. Although SP began in the United Kingdom's mental health and social care field, there are many examples of different models of SP foci and pathways.

Volumetric Analysis: Effect on Diagnosis and Management of Indeterminate Solid Pulmonary Nodules in Routine Clinical Practice.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of volumetric analysis on the diagnosis and management of indeterminate solid pulmonary nodules in routine clinical practice.

Methods: This was a retrospective study with 107 computed tomography (CT) cases of solid pulmonary nodules (range, 6-15 mm), 57 pathology-proven malignancies (lung cancer, n = 34; metastasis, n = 23), and 50 benign nodules. Nodules were evaluated on a total of 309 CT scans (average number of CTs/nodule, 2.

Barriers to Completing Low Dose Computed Tomography Scan for Lung Cancer Screening.

Introduction: Annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening has been shown to reduce lung cancer mortality in high-risk individuals by detecting the disease at an earlier stage. This study aims to assess the barriers to completing LDCT in a cohort of patients who were determined eligible for lung cancer screening (LCS).

Methods: We performed a single institution, mixed methods, cross-sectional study of patients who had a LDCT ordered from July to December 2022.

'I want him to tell me he loves me': A smart audio device, Tochie, for resident-family connection in long-term care.

Background: Older people living in long-term care homes are particularly susceptible to loneliness and social isolation, which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated further. 'Tochie' is a smart audio device that allows family members to remotely record and send messages, such as daily reminders and comforting recordings, to their loved ones in LTC settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using Tochie to improve resident-family connections, and to investigate user experience, impact and lessons learned.

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair for Chronic Type B Aortic Dissection: Pre- and Postprocedural Imaging.

Aortic dissection is a chronic disease that requires lifelong clinical and imaging surveillance, long after the acute event. Imaging has an important role in prognosis, timing of repair, device sizing, and monitoring for complications, especially in the endovascular therapy era. Important anatomic features at preprocedural imaging include the location of the primary intimal tear and aortic zonal and branch vessel involvement, which influence the treatment strategy.

Reducing Pediatric Emergency Department Prescription Errors.

Background: Prescription errors are a significant cause of iatrogenic harm in the health care system. Pediatric emergency department (ED) patients are particularly vulnerable to error. We sought to decrease prescription errors in an academic pediatric ED by 20% over a 24-month period by implementing identified national best practice guidelines.

Involvement of frontline clinicians in healthcare technology development: Lessons learned from a ventilator project.

Unlabelled: Co-development of healthcare technology with users helps produce user-friendly products, ensuring safe device usage and meeting patients' needs. For developers considering healthcare innovations, engaging user experience can reduce production time and cost while maximizing device application. The purpose of this paper is to report lessons learned from the development of a 3D printed origami ventilator prototype in response to the rise of ventilator demand due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease: epidemiology, risk/prognostic factors, and treatment landscape.

Objectives: To summarise the epidemiology, risk and prognostic factors, and treatment landscape of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).

Methods: Targeted and systematic literature reviews were conducted to characterise the epidemiology and treatment landscape associated with RA-ILD, respectively. MEDLINE®, Embase, and CENTRAL were searched via OvidSP in March 2019 and December 2018.

Does Point-of-care Ultrasound Affect Patient and Caregiver Satisfaction for Children Presenting to the Pediatric Emergency Department?

Objectives: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) may facilitate the diagnosis and management of children for various conditions. Integration of POCUS into clinical care requires hands-on training; however, providers may be reluctant to perform educational ultrasounds to improve their skills, as it is a procedure without direct clinical benefit to the patient and due to concerns that it may lower a family's overall satisfaction. We sought to evaluate whether the use of POCUS changed overall patient/caregiver satisfaction in a pediatric emergency department (ED) visit.

Characterization of ELISA Antibody-Antigen Interaction using Footprinting-Mass Spectrometry and Negative Staining Transmission Electron Microscopy.

We describe epitope mapping data using multiple covalent labeling footprinting-mass spectrometry (MS) techniques coupled with negative stain transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data to analyze the antibody-antigen interactions in a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Our hydroxyl radical footprinting-MS data using fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) indicates suppression of labeling across the antigen upon binding either of the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) utilized in the ELISA. Combining these data with Western blot analysis enabled the identification of the putative epitopes that appeared to span regions containing N-linked glycans.

Imaging the Tear Film: A Comparison Between the Subjective Keeler Tearscope-Plus™ and the Objective Oculus® Keratograph 5M and LipiView® Interferometer.

Purpose: To compare non-invasive break-up time (NIBUT) when measured with the Tearscope-Plus™ and the Oculus® Keratograph 5M, and to compare lipid layer thicknesses (LLT) when measured with the Tearscope-Plus™ and the LipiView®. This study also set out to establish the repeatability of these methods.

Methods: The following measurements were taken from both eyes of 24 participants on two occasions: non-invasive keratograph break-up time using the Oculus® (NIKBUT-1 and NIKBUT-average), NIBUT using the Tearscope-Plus™, and LLT using the LipiView® (minimum, maximum, and average) and Tearscope-Plus™.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound is Associated With Decreased Length of Stay in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department With Soft Tissue Infection.

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly being used to differentiate cellulitis from abscess in the pediatric emergency department (ED). POCUS has also been shown to decrease length of stay (LOS) for other applications among adult patients.

Objective: We sought to determine if ED LOS differed for children presenting with skin and soft tissue infections who received POCUS versus radiology-performed ultrasound.

Bedside Ultrasound for Tracheal Tube Verification in Pediatric Emergency Department and ICU Patients: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Improper placement of the tracheal tube during intubation can lead to dangerous complications, and bedside ultrasound has been proposed as a method of quickly and accurately identifying tube placement. Recent studies in adults have found it to be accurate, but its applicability in pediatric patients is unclear. This systematic review aims to describe the current available data on the accuracy and feasibility of bedside ultrasound for tracheal tube placement in children.

Examining patient comprehension of emergency department discharge instructions: Who says they understand when they do not?

Patient comprehension of emergency department (ED) discharge instructions is important for ensuring that patients understand their diagnosis, recommendations for treatment, appropriate follow-up, and reasons to return. However, many patients may not fully understand their instructions. Furthermore, some patients may state they understand their instructions even when they do not.

Observation vs admission in syncope: can we predict short length of stays?

Background: Rising health care costs demands justifying prolonged hospitalization for syncope, yet predictors of shorter length of stay (LOS) have not been identified.

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify independent predictors of LOS for syncope patients presenting to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: We performed an analysis of a prospectively collected cohort of ED syncope patients.

Host cell protein testing by ELISAs and the use of orthogonal methods.

Host cell proteins (HCPs) are among the process-related impurities monitored during recombinant protein pharmaceutical process development. The challenges of HCP detection include (1) low levels of residual HCPs present in large excess of product protein, (2) the assay must measure a large number of different protein analytes, and (3) the population of HCP species may change during process development. Suitable methods for measuring process-related impurities are needed to support process development, process validation, and control system testing.

Does numeracy correlate with measures of health literacy in the emergency department?

Objectives: The objective was to quantify the correlation between general numeracy and health literacy in an emergency department (ED) setting.

Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional convenience sample study of adult patients in an urban, academic ED with 97,000 annual visits. General numeracy was evaluated using four validated questions and health literacy using three commonly used validated screening tools (Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults [S-TOFHLA], Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Revised [REALM-R], and the Newest Vital Sign [NVS]).

Feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of brief health literacy and numeracy screening instruments in an urban emergency department.

Objectives: The objective was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of five health literacy screening instruments in emergency department (ED) patients: the Rapid Evaluation of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Revised (REALM-R), the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), Single Item Literacy Screens (SILS), health numeracy, and physician gestalt. A secondary objective was to evaluate the feasibility of these instruments as measured by administration time, time on task, and interruptions during test administration.

Methods: This was a prospective observational cross-sectional study of a convenience sampling of adult patients presenting during March 2011 and February 2012 to one urban university-affiliated ED.

Pooled analysis of a self-sampling HPV DNA Test as a cervical cancer primary screening method.

Background: Worldwide, one-seventh of cervical cancers occur in China, which lacks a national screening program. By evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of self-collected cervicovaginal specimens tested for human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA (Self-HPV testing) in China, we sought to determine whether Self-HPV testing may serve as a primary cervical cancer screening method in low-resource settings.

Methods: We compiled individual patient data from five population-based cervical cancer-screening studies in China.

Age-specific human papillomavirus antibody and deoxyribonucleic acid prevalence: a global review.

Purpose: Global data on human papillomavirus (HPV) serological and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) prevalence are essential to optimize HPV prophylactic vaccination strategies.

Methods: We conducted a global review of age-specific HPV antibody and studies with both antibody and DNA prevalence for HPV-16, -18, -6, and -11.

Results: One hundred seventeen studies were included; participants' ages ranged from several hours to >90 years.

CT screening and follow-up of lung nodules: effects of tube current-time setting and nodule size and density on detectability and of tube current-time setting on apparent size.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to quantify and compare the effect of CT dose and of size and density of nodules on the detectability of lung nodules and to quantify the influence of CT dose on the size of the nodules.

Materials And Methods: From 50 patients a total of 125 cuboidal regions of interest (3 × 3 × 1.5 cm volumes) showing a single nodule (≤ 8 mm) and 27 normal cuboids were selected.

CT patterns of fungal pulmonary infections of the lung: comparison of standard-dose and simulated low-dose CT.

Purpose: To assess the effect of radiation dose reduction on the appearance and visual quantification of specific CT patterns of fungal infection in immuno-compromised patients.

Materials And Methods: Raw data of thoracic CT scans (64 × 0.75 mm, 120 kVp, 300 reference mAs) from 41 consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of pulmonary fungal infection were collected.

An empirical analysis of overlap publication in Chinese language and English research manuscripts.

Background: There are a number of sound justifications for publishing nearly identical information in Chinese and English medical journals, assuming several conditions are met. Although overlap publication is perceived as undesirable and ethically questionable in Europe and North America, it may serve an important function in some regions where English is not the native tongue. There is no empirical data on the nature and degree of overlap publication in English and Chinese language journals.