Caring for a patient with appendiceal cancer.

Appendiceal cancer (AC) is a rare malignancy, occurring in 1 to 2 individuals per million annually in the US. It is often diagnosed incidentally during appendectomies or imaging for unrelated conditions. This article explores the risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, pathology, staging, and treatment options for AC, highlighting disparities in access to care across different demographics.

Exacerbation history and blood eosinophil count prior to diagnosis of COPD and risk of subsequent exacerbations.

Background: Prior exacerbation history is used to guide initial maintenance therapy in COPD; however, the recommendations were derived from patients already diagnosed and treated.

Methods: We assessed the rates of moderate ( treated with antibiotics and/or systemic corticosteroids) and severe ( hospitalised) exacerbations in the year following diagnosis in patients newly diagnosed with COPD according to their prior history of exacerbations, blood eosinophil count (BEC) and whether maintenance therapy was started. Data were extracted from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database.

Ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer, a leading cause of cancer deaths, poses challenges due to insidious development and vague signs and symptoms. Risk factors include age, reproductive history, genetic mutations, and environmental factors. Treatment involves surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy, with nursing interventions focusing on symptom management and supportive care.

Bladder cancer: An Update.

Bladder cancer, the 10th most common cancer globally, primarily manifests as urothelial cell carcinoma. Risk factors involve acquired genetic mutations and congenital predispositions, impacting diagnosis and management. This article discusses the risk factors, clinical presentation, and treatment strategies, with emphasis on providing comprehensive nursing support and patient education to patients with bladder cancer.

A Predictive Model of Vaccine Reactogenicity Using Data from an In Vitro Human Innate Immunity Assay System.

A primary concern in vaccine development is safety, particularly avoiding an excessive immune reaction in an otherwise healthy individual. An accurate prediction of vaccine reactogenicity using in vitro assays and computational models would facilitate screening and prioritization of novel candidates early in the vaccine development process. Using the modular in vitro immune construct model of human innate immunity, PBMCs from 40 healthy donors were treated with 10 different vaccines of varying reactogenicity profiles and then cell culture supernatants were analyzed via flow cytometry and a multichemokine/cytokine assay.

Family-centered delirium prevention and treatment using video calls: the FACE Delirium trial.

Purpose: In the FACE Delirium trial, we investigated the feasibility of a structured FAmily-CEntered delirium prevention and treatment during the corona pandemic.

Methods: Patients hospitalized in a German geriatric medicine department were included in this single-center, prospective, single-arm feasibility study. Their relatives received a short training on delirium and volunteers or paid staff members facilitated video calls.

Oral and oropharyngeal cancer: An overview for nurses.

Approximately 1 in 60 men and 1 in 141 women will develop oral and oropharyngeal cancer in the US. This article presents the risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and management of patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Patterns of care in the management of high-risk COPD in the US (2011-2019): an observational study for the CONQUEST quality improvement program.

Background: In this study, we compare management of patients with high-risk chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United States to national and international guidelines and quality standards, including the COllaboratioN on QUality improvement initiative for achieving Excellence in STandards of COPD care (CONQUEST).

Methods: Patients were identified from the DARTNet Practice Performance Registry and categorized into three high-risk cohorts in each year from 2011 to 2019: newly diagnosed (≤12 months after diagnosis), already diagnosed, and patients with potential undiagnosed COPD. Patients were considered high-risk if they had a history of exacerbations or likely exacerbations (respiratory consult with prescribed medication).

Alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

Approximately 50% of people with alcohol use disorder experience alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) after abruptly decreasing or abstaining from alcohol consumption. This article presents the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and management of patients with AWS.

Polarity signaling balances epithelial contractility and mechanical resistance.

Epithelia maintain a functional barrier during tissue turnover while facing varying mechanical stress. This maintenance requires both dynamic cell rearrangements driven by actomyosin-linked intercellular adherens junctions and ability to adapt to and resist extrinsic mechanical forces enabled by keratin filament-linked desmosomes. How these two systems crosstalk to coordinate cellular movement and mechanical resilience is not known.

Identification of key opportunities for optimising the management of high-risk COPD patients in the UK using the CONQUEST quality standards: an observational longitudinal study.

Background: This study compared management of high-risk COPD patients in the UK to national and international management recommendations and quality standards, including the COllaboratioN on QUality improvement initiative for achieving Excellence in STandards of COPD care (CONQUEST). The primary comparison was in 2019, but trends from 2000 to 2019 were also examined.

Methods: Patients identified in the Optimum Patient Care Research Database were categorised as newly diagnosed (≤12 months after diagnosis), already diagnosed, and potential COPD (smokers having exacerbation-like events).

Immunodeficiency.

Immunodeficiency is an immune system defect that increases a person's susceptibility to infection. This article discusses the signs, symptoms, and management of patients with immunodeficiency.

Systemic effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

This article presents priority nursing assessments and interventions that address the multicellular assault of excessive alcohol consumption on bodily organs and the impact on the patient's quality of life.

Cell Stretcher Assay to Analyze Mechanoresponses to Cyclic Stretching.

In their natural environment, most cells and tissues are continuously exposed to cyclic mechanical strain. Sensing these stimuli by mechanosensory proteins and subsequent conversion into a variety of biological responses (referred to as mechanotransduction) are key processes for tissue homeostasis, survival, and differentiation. Perturbations of underlying signaling pathways lead to severe diseases in vivo (Urciuoli E, Peruzzi B, Int J Mol Sci 21(24).

Managing patients who are immunocompromised during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused distinct challenges for immunocompromised populations, including disease and social management. This article presents strategies to prevent infection and promote quality of life in patients who are immunocompromised.

Outpatient management of adults with COVID-19.

This article discusses the outpatient management of adults with COVID-19 that reflects current evidence and best practices. Variants of concern, clinical presentation, assessment of the patient's clinical status, vaccination, medication management, and patient teaching are presented.

In the eyes of all mankind: Interests and independence in Vattelian statehood.

Emer de Vattel's argument that states should be understood as free and independent bodies operating as moral persons in the international sphere is credited with launching a doctrine of sovereignty that hardened national borders against external interference or obligation. It also helped launch one of the world's first modern states through its influence on the American founding. Vattel's theory rests upon the critical role of judgment, specifically, the judgment of interests.