Evaluating the push-pull strategy in eastern apple orchards: verbenone effectively reduces ambrosia beetle populations without the need for a pull factor in a species-specific manner.

Background: Non-native ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), specifically Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford), Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky), and more recently Anisandrus maiche (Kurentzov) are destructive wood-boring pests of apple trees (Malus domestica). Previous studies have demonstrated all three beetle species are strongly attracted to ethanol and verbenone interrupts their attraction to ethanol. We tested a 'push-pull' management strategy in eastern United States apple orchards in three states New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio using verbenone sachets to 'push' beetles away from apple trees and high release ethanol lures to 'pull' them into clear sticky traps.

Enhancing Rigor, Quality, and Patient Engagement in Qualitative Research: A Step-By-Step Guide to Applying Reflexive Thematic Analysis to the Experience-Based Co-Design Methodology.

Experience-based co-design (EBCD) is a qualitative form of participatory action research supported by a toolkit providing guidance and recommendations. The toolkit is intentionally non-prescriptive, allowing EBCD practitioners the freedom to flex the approach to cater to the needs of their specific populations and contexts. For less experienced researchers, the lack of specificity can be a challenge when navigating activities such as data analysis, particularly as wider literature provides limited insights to methods, processes, methodological critique, and lessons learned.

Palliative care is an overlooked global health priority.

Improving access and tackling inequities in palliative care globally would help to reduce preventable suffering, write , , and

Palliative Care Research and Clinical Practice Priorities in the United States as Identified by an Interdisciplinary Modified Delphi Approach.

Palliative care demands in the United States are growing amid a comparatively small workforce of palliative care clinicians and researchers. Therefore, determining research and clinical practice priorities is essential for streamlining initiatives to advance palliative care science and practice. To identify and rank palliative care research and clinical practice priority areas through expert consensus.

Grassroots and Digital Outreach Strategies Raise Awareness of COVID-19 Information and Research in Baltimore City.

We aimed to disseminate reliable COVID-19 information to the Black and Latino communities of Baltimore City, Maryland, between July 2020 and December 2022. With community partners, we disseminated evidence-based COVID-19 information via grassroots and digital strategies, including Hopkins Opportunity for Participant Engagement, and connected volunteers to COVID-19 research. Using a multimodal approach facilitated dissemination of reliable information and raised awareness of research; evaluation of trust is ongoing.

Living with multimorbidity: A qualitative exploration of shared experiences of patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals in managing symptoms in the United States.

Aims: To elicit experiences of patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals in intermediate care units (IMCUs) in an academic medical centre in Baltimore, MD related to the challenges and intricacies of multimorbidity management to inform development of a multimorbidity symptom management toolkit.

Design: Experience-based co-design.

Methods: Between July and October 2021, patients aged 55 years and older with multimorbidity admitted to IMCUs at an academic medical centre in Baltimore, Maryland, USA were recruited and interviewed in person.

Trends in the Utilization of Herbal and Dietary Supplements in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease During the SARS-CoV2 Pandemic.

Background: We studied the pattern of herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) use in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A questionnaire/survey was sent to hepatology patients with CLD under the care of hepatologists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Results: The 5 most taken dietary supplements during the pandemic included vitamin B12 (27.

Engaging with communities in rural, coastal and low-income areas to understand barriers to palliative care and bereavement support: reflections on a community engagement programme in South-west England.

Background: England's South-west Peninsula is largely rural, has a high proportion of over 65s, and has areas of rural and coastal deprivation. Rural and low-income populations face inequities at end of life and little is known about the support needs of rural, coastal and low-income communities.

Objectives: To understand how to foster community support for dying and grieving well, a regional, multi-sectoral research partnership developed a community engagement programme to explore experiences of seeking support, issues important to people and the community support they valued.

Feasibility of a Multi-Component Strengths-Building Intervention for Caregivers of Persons With Heart Failure.

Caregivers of persons with heart failure (HF) navigate complex care plans, yet support strategies often focus solely on meeting the needs of patients. We conducted a randomized waitlist control trial ( = 38) to test the feasibility and gauge initial effect size of the intervention on quality of life, caregiver burden, and self-efficacy among HF caregivers. The intervention includes up to five remote, nurse-facilitated sessions.

Public health palliative care interventions that enable communities to support people who are dying and their carers: a scoping review of studies that assess person-centered outcomes.

Background: Public health palliative care views communities as an integral part of care delivery at the end of life. This community-provider partnership approach has the potential to improve end-of-life care for people who are dying and their carers.

Objective: To identify and appraise the current literature related to public health interventions that enable communities to support people who are dying and their carers.

Palliative Care Utilization in Patients Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: An Observational Study.

Palliative care (PC) is a model of care centered around improving the quality of life for individuals with life-limiting illnesses. Few studies have examined its impact in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). We aimed to describe demographics, clinical characteristics, and complications associated with PC consultation in adult patients requiring ECMO support.

Experiences with recruitment and retention of adolescents and emerging adults in a weight loss intervention trial.

Background/aims: Efficient and effective participant recruitment is key for successful clinical research. Adolescent and emerging adult recruitment into clinical trials can be particularly challenging, especially when targeting underrepresented groups. This study aimed to determine the most successful recruitment strategies from those employed during a pediatric trial testing the efficacy of a behavioral intervention on adiposity and cardiovascular disease risk.

Prevention of Tracheostomy-Related Pressure Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: In the critical care environment, individuals who undergo tracheostomy are highly susceptible to tracheostomy-related pressure injuries.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce tracheostomy-related pressure injury in the critical care setting.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies of pediatric or adult patients in intensive care units conducted to evaluate interventions to reduce tracheostomy-related pressure injury.

Living with multiple chronic conditions: How we achieve holistic care and optimize health outcomes.

Editorials are opinion pieces. This piece has not been subject to peer review and the opinions expressed are those of the authors. None of the authors have relevant political or other affiliations to declare.

Prevention of Endotracheal Tube-Related Pressure Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries, including those related to airway devices, are a significant source of morbidity in critically ill patients.

Objective: To determine the incidence of endotracheal tube-related pressure injuries in critically ill patients and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions designed to prevent injury.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies of pediatric or adult patients in intensive care units that evaluated interventions to reduce endotracheal tube-related pressure injury.

Centralized registry for COVID-19 research recruitment: Design, development, implementation, and preliminary results.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had substantial global morbidity and mortality. Clinical research related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 is a top priority. Effective and efficient recruitment is challenging even without added constraints of a global pandemic.

Recruitment of Black Adults into Cardiovascular Disease Trials.

Background Although disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease, Black adults remain underrepresented in clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health recommends that studies define goals for recruitment of underrepresented populations. However, the extent to which cardiovascular trials incorporate evidence-based recruitment strategies in their protocols is understudied.

Population Characteristics and Markers for Withdrawal of Life-Sustaining Therapy in Patients on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Objective: As survival with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy improves, it is important to study patients who do not survive secondary to withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy (WLST). The purpose of the present study was to determine the population and clinical characteristics of those who experienced short latency to WLST.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Frailty as a Predictor of Postoperative Outcomes in Invasive Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review of Literature.

Objectives: Frailty is a syndrome characterized by increased vulnerability and reduced ability to maintain homeostasis after stressful events that results in an increased risk for poor outcomes. Frailty screening could potentially be valuable in cardiac surgery risk assessment. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the current literature linking multicomponent frailty assessment and invasive cardiac surgery outcomes.

"Talking Around It": A Qualitative Study Exploring Dyadic Congruence in Managing the Uncertainty of Living With a Ventricular Assist Device.

Background: Vital components of communicating goals of care and preferences include eliciting the patient and caregiver's definition of quality of life, understanding meaningful activities and relationships, and exploring wishes for care at the end of life. Although current literature suggests framing conversations regarding end of life through the lens of meaning and quality of life, there is limited literature exploring dyadic congruence surrounding these important constructs among patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs) and their caregivers.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore congruence of VAD patient and caregiver perspectives regarding end of life, definitions of quality of life, and meaning in life while managing the uncertainty of living with a VAD.