Background: Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is characterised by widespread and persistent pain, intrusive fatigue and cognitive issues, affecting approximately 5.4% of the UK population. Non-pharmacological therapies and education are current management recommendations, but these approaches rely on patients having an active role in their healthcare management.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnim Reprod Sci
December 2024
This review focuses on bull breeding behaviors and management strategies to improve reproductive efficiency. Breeding soundness evaluations are utilized to classify a bull's physical ability and sperm quality, yet roughly 20 % of bulls fail to meet the minimum criteria. Furthermore, despite achieving the minimum criteria, few bulls in multi-sire breeding groups sire the majority of calves, indicating a need for better understanding of bull behavior that impact siring capacity, and thus, a bull's reproductive efficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ceftolozane-tazobactam and ceftazidime-avibactam are preferred treatment options for multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections; however, real-world comparative effectiveness studies are scarce. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences between the agents might affect clinical response rates. We aimed to compare the effectiveness of ceftolozane-tazobactam and ceftazidime-avibactam for treatment of invasive multidrug-resistant P aeruginosa infections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWith an increased focus on climate change in graduate medical education (GME), the environmental implications of travel for board certification examinations remain poorly described. The return to the mandatory in-person applied examination (AE) for board eligible anesthesiologists presents potentially sizeable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when compared to the virtual format administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. To estimate the GHG emissions from air travel to the in-person AE and discuss its implications for various specialties as they return to in-person examinations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Research suggests deaf children who receive cochlear implants (CIs) at an early age can achieve age-appropriate language. Recent studies suggest age at full-time CI use is a better predictor of language outcomes than age at implant. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are correlations between age at implantation, establishing consistent device use, and language outcomes in a cohort of young children in Aotearoa New Zealand.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To measure recent social cohesion (resource sharing, trust and support) and its association with (1) sexual/physical violence, and (2) engagement with sex work-specific services among women sex workers in Metro Vancouver, Canada.
Methods: Prospective data (January 2010-August 2022) were drawn from an open cohort of 900+ women sex workers. We developed multivariable logistic regression confounder models with generalized estimating equations (GEE) to examine associations between social cohesion and recent (1) physical/sexual violence and (2) engagement with sex work-specific services.
Background: Research assistants (RAs) are vital for the successful completion of research. When data collection and recruitment are disrupted, like during the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying restrictions, the effects on RAs attempting to conduct research are unclear.
Participants And Procedure: This study explored RAs' perspectives of conducting research during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Introduction: Given the increasing frequency of drug-resistant bacteria and the limited progress in developing new antibiotics, it is necessary to explore new methods of combating microbial infections. Nanoparticles, particularly silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), have shown exceptional antibacterial characteristics; however, elevated concentrations of Ag-NPs can produce noticeable levels of toxicity in mammalian cells.
Aim: This study examined the potential synergistic effect of combining a low dosage of Ag-NPs and anti-pseudomonas drugs against (ATCC strain) and eleven clinical isolates from cystic fibrosis patients.
Background: Many outcome measures used in lower-limb osteoarthritis (OA) present ceiling effects. This compromises the ability of those measures to accurately assess people with higher levels of physical function. Understanding of the difficulty and importance of physical activities would enable the inclusion of challenging and meaningful activities in new outcome measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) continue to drive persistent disparities in perioperative care. Our team has previously demonstrated racial and socioeconomic disparities in perioperative processes, notably in the administration of antiemetic prophylaxis, in several large perioperative registries. Given how neighborhoods are socially segregated in the US, we examined geospatial clustering of perioperative antiemetic disparities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Death Discov
November 2024
Pancreatic islets are 3D micro-organs that maintain β-cell functionality through cell-cell and cell-matrix communication. While primary islets, the gold standard for in vitro models, have a short culture life of approximately 1-2 weeks, we developed a novel protocol that employs reformed islets following dispersion coupled with a fine-tuned culture environment. Reformed islets exhibit physiological characteristics similar to primary islets, enabling high-resolution imaging and repeated functional assessment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTissue Eng Part A
November 2024
Muscle degeneration after rotator cuff tendon tear is a significant clinical problem. In these experiments, we developed a poly(ethylene glycol)-based injectable granular hydrogel containing two heparin derivatives (fully sulfated [Hep] and fully desulfated [Hep-]) as well as a matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive peptide to promote sustained release of tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG-6) over 14+ days in a rat model of rotator cuff muscle injury. The hydrogel formulations demonstrated similar release profiles , thus facilitating comparisons between delivery from heparin derivatives on the level of tissue repair in two different areas of muscle (near the myotendious junction [MTJ] and in the muscle belly [MB]) that have been shown previously to have differing responses to rotator cuff tendon injury.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Evidence for an association of smoking with gout is conflicting. We assessed associations of current and past smoking with gout in an Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) population.
Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed on cross-sectional data from participants of NZ Māori (from 2 studies: Genetics of Gout in Aotearoa [GGA] study of 293 participants with gout and 431 without; and Ngāti Porou Hauora [NPH] study of 111 participants with gout and 42 without), Pacific people (257 participants with gout and 357 without), and European (694 participants with gout and 688 without) ancestry.
Background: Current vancomycin monitoring guidelines recommend monitoring 24-hour area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) to minimum inhibitory concentration ratios for patients with serious methicillin-resistant infections. However, there are sparse data on the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of vancomycin AUC monitoring for outpatients. Traditional AUC pharmacokinetic calculations require 2 concentrations, while bayesian software allows for single-concentration AUC estimations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite increasing autism prevalence rates across racial and ethnic groups, research has traditionally overlooked the influence of culture on developmental diagnostic conversations. Addressing this gap in research is crucial to understanding and mitigating potential disparities in diagnostic experiences, especially among Black caregivers. Black caregivers encounter frustration and discrimination during the diagnostic process, citing dismissiveness and a lack of cultural competence from healthcare providers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA patient with a benign bizarre parosteal osteochondromatous proliferation (BPOP) located in the anterior knee was treated with resection in preparation for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The BPOP reoccurred and was treated with re-resection at the time of TKA. The BPOP reoccurred a second time and underwent malignant transformation to a fungating high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma with metastatic lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Lung cancer is a heterogeneous disease and the primary cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Somatic mutations, including large structural variants, are important biomarkers in lung cancer for selecting targeted therapy. Genomic studies in lung cancer have been conducted using short-read sequencing.
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