Green Cystoscopy: Does Minimizing the Use of Drapes Increase Infection Rates?

Importance: The U.S. health care system has an enormous carbon footprint made worse by the escalating use of single-use supplies.

Introduction to Topical Collection: Changing Values and Energy Systems.

This paper is the introduction to a topical collection on "Changing Values and Energy Systems" that consists of six contributions that examine instances of value change regarding the design, use and operation of energy systems. This introduction discusses the need to consider values in the energy transition. It examines conceptions of value and value change and how values can be addressed in the design of energy systems.

Does reusable mean green? Comparison of the environmental impact of reusable operating room bed covers and lift sheets versus single-use.

Introduction: As hospitals strive to reduce their environmental footprint, there is an ongoing debate over the environmental implications of reusable versus disposable linens in operating rooms (ORs). This research aimed to compare the environmental impact of reusable versus single-use OR bed covers and lift sheets using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology.

Methods: LCA is an established tool with rigorous methodology that uses science-based processes to measure environmental impact.

EASY-NET Program: Effectiveness of an Audit and Feedback Intervention in the Emergency Care for Acute Conditions in the Lazio Region.

The EASY-NET network program (NET-2016-02364191)-effectiveness of audit and feedback (A&F) strategies to improve health practice and equity in various clinical and organizational settings), piloted a novel and more structured A&F strategy. This study compared the effectiveness of the novel strategy against the sole periodic dissemination of indicators in enhancing the appropriateness and timeliness of emergency health interventions for patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and ischemic stroke in the Lazio Region. The efficacy of the intervention was assessed through a prospective quasi-experimental design employing a pre- and post-intervention (2021-2022) comparison with a control group.

Post-synthesis Oxidation of Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles to Enhance Magnetic Particle Imaging Performance.

This study investigates the impact of post-synthesis oxidation on the performance of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) in magnetic particle imaging (MPI), an emerging technology with applications in diagnostic imaging and theranostics. SPIONs synthesized from iron oleate were subjected to a post-synthesis oxidation treatment with a 1% Oxygen in Argon mixture. MPI performance, gauged via signal intensity and resolution using a MOMENTUM scanner, was correlated to the nanoparticles' physical and magnetic properties.

No-Show Rates in a Urogynecology Clinic.

Importance: No-show appointments, or scheduled appointments that patients do not attend without giving notice of cancellation, are a prevalent problem in the outpatient setting.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the proportion of patients by decades of life who "no-show" to their urogynecology appointments.

Study Design: This retrospective cohort included women 20 years and older who did not show to their urogynecologic clinical encounters at an academic practice between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022.

Magnetic Cellular Backpacks for Spatial Targeting, Imaging, and Immunotherapy.

Adoptive cell transfer (ACT) therapies are growing in popularity due to their ability to interact with diseased tissues in a specific manner. Disc-shaped particles, or "backpacks", that bind to cellular surfaces show promise for augmenting the therapeutic potential of adoptively transferred cells by resisting phagocytosis and locally releasing drugs to maintain cellular activity over time. However, many ACTs suffer from limited tumor infiltration and retention and lack a method for real-time spatial analysis.

Antibiotic utilization and symptom improvement in a retrospective cohort of women with urinary tract infection symptoms.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections in women. We hypothesized that over half of those treated empirically would receive inappropriate antibiotics, those treated expectantly would have lower symptom improvement without antibiotics, and that overall progression to sequelae would be uncommon.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study of women with UTI symptoms, we quantified the proportion who received inappropriate antibiotics in those treated empirically, defined as those with a negative urine culture or antibiotics that were changed according to culture sensitivities, and identified factors associated with symptom improvement during expectant management.

Sustainability in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Current practices in the U.S. health care industry drive climate change.

Melanistic coloration does not influence thermoregulation in the crepuscular gecko Eublepharis macularius.

Body coloration in ectotherms serves multiple biological functions, including avoiding predators, communicating with conspecific individuals, and involvement in thermoregulation. As ectotherms rely on environmental sources of heat to regulate their internal body temperature, stable melanistic body coloration or color change can be used to increase or decrease heat absorption and heat exchange with the environment. While melanistic coloration for thermoregulation functions to increase solar radiation absorption and consequently heating in many diurnal ectotherms, research on crepuscular and nocturnal ectotherms is lacking.

Demographic and epidemiological characteristics of Ukrainian refugees in an Italian Local Health Authority.

Background: The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused millions of Ukrainian refugees to flee to other nations. To provide the most appropriate assistance, host nations necessitate up-to-date information regarding Ukrainian refugee's demographic and epidemiological conditions. We aim to investigate the demographic composition, the COVID-19 vaccinations performed, specialist care provided and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in refugees assisted by an Italian Local Health Authority (LHA).

Ukrainian refugee crisis management in the Local Health Authority Roma 1: the challenges of implementing public health policies and lessons learned.

Background: The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has strained the health systems of countries that welcome war refugees on all levels, from national to local. Despite the Public Health guidelines regarding assistance being published on the topic, the scientific literature currently lacks evidence on the experience of applying theory in practice. This study aims to describe evidence-based practices that were implemented and to provide a detailed description of emerging problems and solutions pertaining Ukrainian refugee assistance in the context of one of the biggest Local Health Authorities in Italy (LHA Roma 1).

The Use of Disposable Supplies: Measuring Suburethral Sling Surgical Waste by Cost and Weight.

Importance: The health care industry is a leading contributor to solid waste in the United States, and two thirds of a hospital's regulated medical waste is produced from surgery.

Objective: The primary objective was to assess the utilization of single-use disposable supplies during suburethral sling cases.

Study Design: We observed suburethral sling plus cystoscopy procedures at an academic medical center.

Strengthening and promoting digital health practice: results from a Global Digital Health Partnership's survey.

Background And Objective: The capacity to promote and disseminate the best evidence-based practices in terms of digital health innovations and technologies represents an important goal for countries and governments. To support the digital health maturity across countries the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) was established in 2019. The mission of the GDHP is to facilitate global collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the design of digital health services, through the administration of surveys and white papers.

Going green in gynecology: a call to action.

The climate change crisis poses a central threat to public health. The health outcomes of this crisis are well known, but lesser known to medical professionals is the role that healthcare delivery plays in worsening this crisis. The United States healthcare system is responsible for producing 10% of the total greenhouse gases.

Surgical treatment of stress urinary incontinence: comparison of robotic-assisted Burch urethropexy with retropubic midurethral sling.

Synthetic retropubic midurethral slings (RMUS) and robotic-assisted Burch urethropexies (RA-Burch) are common surgical treatment options for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Few data exist comparing the success of these two retropubic surgeries. This retrospective cohort study of RA-Burch and RMUS procedures compared the proportion of patients with subjective cure after RA-Burch compared to RMUS at our institution between 2016 and 2020.

A deconvolution approach to modelling surges in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to emphasize the importance of epidemiological modelling in guiding timely and systematic responses to public health threats. Nonetheless, the predictive qualities of these models remain limited by their underlying assumptions of the factors and determinants shaping national and regional disease landscapes. Here, we introduce epidemiological feature detection, a novel latent variable mixture modelling approach to extracting and parameterizing distinct and localized features of real-world trends in daily COVID-19 cases and deaths.

The Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Paediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis in Poland.

Background. Paediatric-onset MS (POMS) has a unique clinical profile compared to the more prevalent adult-onset MS. For this study, we aimed to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of POMS in Poland as well as addressing some of its epidemiological aspects.

Co-chaperones of the Human Endoplasmic Reticulum: An Update.

In mammalian cells, the rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays central roles in the biogenesis of extracellular plus organellar proteins and in various signal transduction pathways. For these reasons, the ER comprises molecular chaperones, which are involved in import, folding, assembly, export, plus degradation of polypeptides, and signal transduction components, such as calcium channels, calcium pumps, and UPR transducers plus adenine nucleotide carriers/exchangers in the ER membrane. The calcium- and ATP-dependent ER lumenal Hsp70, termed immunoglobulin heavy-chain-binding protein or BiP, is the central player in all these activities and involves up to nine different Hsp40-type co-chaperones, i.

MORPHOLOGICAL AND FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF THE MUCOUS MEMBRANE OF SMALL AND LARGE INTESTINE IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 AND IN POST-COVID-19 PERIOD.

Objective: The aim: To reveal the morphological and functional features of the mucous membrane of small and large intestine in patients with COVID-19 and in post-COVID-19 period.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: In the present study, the authors used biopsy and autopsy material represented by the fragments of the mucous membrane of small and large intestine. All studied material was divided into 10 groups.

Scoping review of the current landscape of AI-based applications in clinical trials.

Background: Clinical trials are essential for bringing new drugs, technologies and procedures to the market and clinical practice. Considering the design and the four-phase development, only 10% of them complete the entire process, partly due to the increasing costs and complexity of clinical trials. This low completion rate has a huge negative impact in terms of population health, quality of care and health economics and sustainability.