Patient and Family Involvement in Nursing Bedside Handover: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of Consumer Perceptions of Nursing Care.

Patient and family involvement in bedside handover is a requirement of the national standards on patient safety and quality in Australia. To ensure patient-and-family-centred care, it is essential to understand how patients and families perceive their involvement in nursing bedside handover and what difficulties they face when participating. This study aimed to explore patient and family perceptions of their involvement in nursing bedside handover.

The comparative effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for chronic pain versus prescription medication treatment.

Reviews of the effectiveness of medicinal cannabis for chronic pain vary in their conclusions. IASP has identified that a key missing evidence in this debate is data from observational cohort studies, analyzed with comparative effectiveness methods. In a medically supervised context to the use of marijuana for chronic pain, we identified 440 patients certified for medical marijuana by pain specialists in a single healthcare system.

Magnusiomyces capitatus, an Unusual Cause of Invasive Fungal Infections in Neutropenic Patients: Case Reports and Outbreak Investigation.

Magnusiomyces capitatus is an environmental fungus found in soil, water, air, plants, and dairy products which may cause opportunistic infections in patients with haematological disorders resulting in high mortality rates. This series of the first reported cases in Ireland discusses investigation of two patients with underlying haematological disorders, hospitalised in the Irish National Adult Stem Cell Transplant Unit (NASCTU), who developed line-related fungaemias with M. capitatus within a three-month period.

Atlas-scale single-cell DNA methylation profiling with sciMETv3.

Single-cell methods to assess DNA methylation have not achieved the same level of cell throughput per experiment compared to other modalities, with large-scale datasets requiring extensive automation, time, and other resources. Here, we describe sciMETv3, a combinatorial indexing-based technique that enables atlas-scale libraries to be produced in a single experiment. To reduce the sequencing burden, we demonstrate the compatibility of sciMETv3 with capture techniques to enrich regulatory regions, as well as the ability to leverage enzymatic conversion, which can yield higher library diversity.

A 4-year outbreak of MRSA ST72-MRSA-IV type t1597 in a surgical high dependency unit in Ireland linked to repeated healthcare worker recolonisation.

Background: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are identified as high risk for infection, including MRSA. An outbreak of MRSA was identified when two patients experienced MRSA infection concurrently in a cardiothoracic high dependency unit with uncommon detection of MRSA previously and an established screening programme.

Methods: An outbreak control team was convened and interventions applied including refresher training in hand and environmental hygiene, review of practice with regard to aseptic access of medical devices and consideration of antibiotic use in the unit.

Successful control of an outbreak of Panton-Valentine leucocidin positive meticillin resistant in a National Burns Unit through early detection by whole genome sequencing.

We report an outbreak of PVL-producing MRSA in the Irish National Burns Unit in 2022 involving seven patients, two staff members and two positive environmental samples. This outbreak was successfully controlled using a range of measures including staff screening, environmental screening and enhanced cleaning. The use of real time whole genome sequencing (WGS) allowed for rapid identification of relatedness and for a rapid outbreak response.

Vitamin D, periodontitis and tooth loss in older Irish adults.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) is associated with periodontitis and tooth loss in older adults. A total of 2346 adults underwent a detailed dental examination as part of the health assessment of a national population study - The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing. 25(OH)D analysis was performed on frozen non-fasting total plasma using LC-MS.

Graduating European Dentist Curriculum Domain V: Research.

This commentary introduces the new Graduating European Dentist Curriculum Domain V-'Research', and outlines the international multi-stakeholder development and consultation process that was undertaken in order to develop the new Domain.

Eganelisib combined with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and chemotherapy in frontline metastatic triple-negative breast cancer triggers macrophage reprogramming, immune activation and extracellular matrix reorganization in the tumor microenvironment.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis particularly in the metastatic setting. Treatments with anti-programmed cell death protein-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in combination with chemotherapies have demonstrated promising clinical benefit in metastatic TNBC (mTNBC) but there is still an unmet need, particularly for patients with PD-L1 negative tumors. Mechanisms of resistance to ICIs in mTNBC include the presence of immunosuppressive tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Single-cell DNA methylation analysis tool Amethyst reveals distinct noncanonical methylation patterns in human glial cells.

Single-cell sequencing technologies have revolutionized biomedical research by enabling deconvolution of cell type-specific properties in highly heterogeneous tissue. While robust tools have been developed to handle bioinformatic challenges posed by single-cell RNA and ATAC data, options for emergent modalities such as methylation are much more limited, impeding the utility of results. Here we present Amethyst, a comprehensive R package for atlas-scale single-cell methylation sequencing data analysis.

Increased intake of tree forage by moose is associated with intake of crops rich in nonstructural carbohydrates.

Animals representing a wide range of taxonomic groups are known to select specific food combinations to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet. The nutrient balancing hypothesis suggests that, when given the opportunity, animals select foods to achieve a particular target nutrient balance, and that balancing occurs between meals and between days. For wild ruminants who inhabit landscapes dominated by human land use, nutritionally imbalanced diets can result from ingesting agricultural crops rich in starch and sugar (nonstructural carbohydrates [NCs]), which can be provided to them by people as supplementary feeds.

Three-dimensional genome architecture persists in a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth skin sample.

Analyses of ancient DNA typically involve sequencing the surviving short oligonucleotides and aligning to genome assemblies from related, modern species. Here, we report that skin from a female woolly mammoth (†Mammuthus primigenius) that died 52,000 years ago retained its ancient genome architecture. We use PaleoHi-C to map chromatin contacts and assemble its genome, yielding 28 chromosome-length scaffolds.

sciMET-cap: high-throughput single-cell methylation analysis with a reduced sequencing burden.

DNA methylation is a key component of the mammalian epigenome, playing a regulatory role in development, disease, and other processes. Robust, high-throughput single-cell DNA methylation assays are now possible (sciMET); however, the genome-wide nature of DNA methylation results in a high sequencing burden per cell. Here, we leverage target enrichment with sciMET to capture sufficient information per cell for cell type assignment using substantially fewer sequence reads (sciMET-cap).

Chest tube management following two row vertebral body tethering for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Background: The current gold standard of scoliosis correction procedures is still posterior spinal fusion, an extensively studied procedure. anterior vertebral body tethering is a newer surgical technique for the correction of scoliotic curves. Consequently, best practices have yet to be determined.

PI3Kγ inhibition circumvents inflammation and vascular leak in SARS-CoV-2 and other infections.

Virulent infectious agents such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and methicillin-resistant (MRSA) induce tissue damage that recruits neutrophils, monocyte, and macrophages, leading to T cell exhaustion, fibrosis, vascular leak, epithelial cell depletion, and fatal organ damage. Neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages recruited to pathogen-infected lungs, including SARS-CoV-2-infected lungs, express phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ), a signaling protein that coordinates both granulocyte and monocyte trafficking to diseased tissues and immune-suppressive, profibrotic transcription in myeloid cells. PI3Kγ deletion and inhibition with the clinical PI3Kγ inhibitor eganelisib promoted survival in models of infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2 and MRSA, by suppressing inflammation, vascular leak, organ damage, and cytokine storm.

Protracted transmission and persistence of ST80 vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium clonal complex types CT2933, CT2932 and CT1916 in a large Irish hospital: a 39-month whole-genome sequencing study.

Background: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) are significant nosocomial pathogens. Sequence type (ST) 80 vanA-encoding VREfm predominate in Irish hospitals, but their transmission is poorly understood.

Aims: To investigate transmission and persistence of predominant complex type (CT) VREfm in two wards of an Irish hospital (H1) using whole-genome sequencing, and their intra- and inter-hospital dissemination.

Point-of-use chlorine residuals and disinfection byproduct occurrences in rural households served by public water utilities in Appalachian Virginia.

We characterized concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs), a measure of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), in tap water samples collected from households with utility-supplied water in two rural counties in Appalachian Virginia, and assessed associations with pH, free chlorine, and metal ions which can impact THM formation. Free chlorine concentrations in all samples ( = 27 homes) complied with EPA drinking water guidelines, though 7% ( = 2) of first draw samples and 11% ( = 3) of 5-min flushed-tap water samples exceeded the US Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) maximum contaminant level (MCL) for THM (80 ppb). Regression analyses showed that free chlorine and pH were positively associated with the formation of THM levels above SDWA MCLs (OR = 1.

Long-term exposure to PM air pollution and mental health: a retrospective cohort study in Ireland.

Background: Mental illness is the leading cause of years lived with disability, and the global disease burden of mental ill-health has increased substantially in the last number of decades. There is now increasing evidence that environmental conditions, and in particular poor air quality, may be associated with mental health and wellbeing.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis uses data on mental health and wellbeing from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a nationally representative survey of the population aged 50+ in Ireland.

Drinking water sources, quality, and associated health outcomes in Appalachian Virginia: A risk characterization study in two counties.

Objectives: In the US, violations of drinking water regulations are highest in lower-income rural areas overall, and particularly in Central Appalachia. However, data on drinking water use, quality, and associated health outcomes in rural Appalachia are limited. We sought to assess public and private drinking water sources and associated risk factors for waterborne pathogen exposures for individuals living in rural regions of Appalachian Virginia.

Does Bone Morphogenetic Protein Use Reduce Pseudarthrosis Rates in Single-Level Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Surgeries?

Background: Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2, or BMP for short) is a popular biological product used in spine surgeries to promote fusion and avoid the morbidity associated with iliac crest autograft. BMP's effect on pseudarthrosis in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) remains unknown.

Objective: To assess the rates of pseudarthrosis in single-level TLIF with and without concurrent use of BMP.