The Use of Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis in Sickle Cell Disease.

Introduction: Despite being a rare cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), sickle cell disease has broad kidney implications. Patients with both sickle cell disease and ESKD are at a greater risk of adverse events including mortality; while these patients can be managed with hemodialysis (HD), the use of nocturnal HD in sickle cell disease has not been previously described.

Methods: Here, we report a patient with sickle cell disease and ESKD who transitioned from conventional HD to nocturnal home HD.

Impact of Height Exponents on the Diagnosis and Prognosis of LVH: The REMODEL Study.

Background: Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a strong predictor of adverse outcomes. Although normalizing LV mass (LVM) to height exponents reduced variability from body size, specific recommendations for height exponents are lacking due to a scarcity of normal cohorts to define appropriate height exponents.

Objectives: The authors aimed to show the diagnostic and prognostic implications of establishing height exponents specific to sex, ethnicity, and imaging modality.

Appropriateness of Antiplatelet Therapy and Proton Pump Inhibitor Prescribing in End-Stage Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Quality Investigation Study.

Background: Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) have high rates of gastrointestinal bleeding due to several risk factors including platelet dysfunction, comorbid illness, and use of antiplatelet medications. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) reduce gastrointestinal bleeding and are recommended for high-risk patients such as those prescribed dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Whether inappropriate duration of DAPT therapy and/or lack of appropriate PPI use contribute to the known elevated risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in hemodialysis patients is not known.

Peritoneal dialysis and its impact on intra-abdominal pressure and respiratory mechanics in the critically ill patient: Can PD take the pressure?

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) was historically the initial kidney replacement modality of choice for patients admitted to the intensive care unit, and there are several advantages to maintaining critically ill PD patients on their usual dialysis therapy. However, in this patient population, there are two contentious questions: how are the respiratory dynamics of mechanical ventilation impacted by the presence of dialysate within the abdomen, and what can be done to mitigate these potential effects? This review discusses the theoretical impact of PD on intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) and evidence for the effect of IAP on respiratory mechanics in mechanically ventilated PD patients.

Cutaneous Dermatologic Manifestations of Cardiovascular Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Cardiovascular diseases represent the largest worldwide cause of morbidity and mortality. Common signs and symptoms of cardiovascular disease are well characterized and taught in medical curricula, allowing clinicians to quickly recognize and diagnose the more acute and emergent cardiovascular diseases. Dermatological features associated with cardiovascular diseases are less understood but very valuable to appreciate in clinical practice.

Rapid-response RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay platform for coronavirus antiviral high-throughput screening.

Over the past 25 years, the global community has faced challenges posed by three distinct outbreaks of coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The identification of a novel alphacoronavirus canine CoV (CCoV-HuPn2018) in human patients in Malaysia underscores the potential for crossover infections to humans. The threat of the ever-evolving nature of viral infections as well as the lingering health and socioeconomic effects of the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic emphasize the urgent need for advanced antiviral drug screening tools that can be quickly implemented to strengthen preparedness and preventive measures against future outbreaks.

Identification of Potent, Broad-Spectrum Coronavirus Main Protease Inhibitors for Pandemic Preparedness.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the ongoing risk of zoonotic transmission of coronaviruses to global health. To prepare for future pandemics, it is essential to develop effective antivirals targeting a broad range of coronaviruses. Targeting the essential and clinically validated coronavirus main protease (M), we constructed a structurally diverse M panel by clustering all known coronavirus sequences by M active site sequence similarity.

Mapping Trust in Nurses with Dimensions of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review examines the concept of trust in nursing and its potential application in developing trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) for healthcare. Recognizing nurses as highly trusted professionals, the study explores how attributes contributing to trust in nursing can inform AI development. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute framework, the review synthesizes literature on patients' perceptions of nurses' trustworthiness and compares these with desired qualities in trustworthy AI.

Vascular Access Considerations in Home Hemodialysis.

There is a global interest in expanding home dialysis utilization among patients with ESKD. Home hemodialysis (HHD) is an appealing KRT option for this population because of its multiple clinical and quality of life benefits. Central to successful HHD is the establishment and maintenance of a functioning vascular access that serves as a patient's lifeline while on therapy.

A rapid review on current and potential uses of large language models in nursing.

Background: The application of large language models across commercial and consumer contexts has grown exponentially in recent years. However, a gap exists in the literature on how large language models can support nursing practice, education, and research. This study aimed to synthesize the existing literature on current and potential uses of large language models across the nursing profession.

Take-Home Naloxone Access and Use among Older Adults Living with Pain: A Scoping Review.

Background: Opioids are a common treatment for older adults living with pain. Given high rates of polypharmacy and chronic comorbidities, older adults are at risk of opioid overdose. Evidence is now available that take-home naloxone (THN) supports reduction of opioid-related harms.

Revisiting resistant hypertension: a comprehensive review.

Resistant hypertension (RHT) is typically defined as blood pressure that remains above guideline-directed targets despite the use of three anti-hypertensives, usually including a diuretic, at optimal or maximally tolerated doses. It is generally estimated to affect 10-30% of those diagnosed with hypertension, though the true incidence might be lower after one factor in the prevalence of non-adherence. Risk factors for its development include diabetes, obesity and other adverse lifestyle factors, and a diagnosis of RHT confers a greater risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as stroke, heart failure and mortality.

Postoperative 30-Day Comparative Complications of Multilevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion and Laminoplasty for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: An Evidence in Reaching Consensus.

Although a few large-scale studies have investigated multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and laminoplasty (LAMP) and their related complications for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), the optimal surgical intervention remains controversial. Therefore, we compared their 30 days of postoperative complications. Through the 2010-2019 ACS NSQIP Participant Use Data Files, we estimated the risk of serious morbidity, reoperation, readmission, mortality, and other postoperative complications.

A Diagnostic Dilemma "Cured" by Dialysis: An Educational Case Report.

Rationale: The differential diagnosis for a patient with high-anion-gap metabolic acidosis (HAGMA) is broad; lactic acidosis is an important entity to screen for and treat. An elevated serum lactate is often used as a marker of inadequate tissue perfusion in critically ill patients but can also be indicative of decreased lactate utilization or poor hepatic clearance. Investigating for the underlying cause such as diabetic ketoacidosis, malignancy, or culprit medications is essential to establish the diagnosis and treatment plan.

Going beyond Mindfulness: How Concentration and Tranquility Commonly Co-Arising with Mindfulness Account for Mental Health.

Concentration and tranquility usually co-arise with mindfulness during mindfulness practice and in daily life and may potentially contribute to mental health; however, they have rarely been studied in empirical research. The present study aimed to examine the relationship of concentration and tranquility with mindfulness and indicators of mental health. With no existing self-report measure assessing concentration and tranquility, the Concentration Scale and Tranquility Scale were first developed and validated.

DNA hydrogels for bone regeneration.

DNA-based biomaterials have been proposed for tissue engineering approaches due to their predictable assembly into complex morphologies and ease of functionalization. For bone tissue regeneration, the ability to bind Ca and promote hydroxyapatite (HAP) growth along the DNA backbone combined with their degradation and release of extracellular phosphate, a known promoter of osteogenic differentiation, make DNA-based biomaterials unlike other currently used materials. However, their use as biodegradable scaffolds for bone repair remains scarce.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Peripapillary Gamma Zone in Children With Different Refractive Status: The Hong Kong Children Eye Study.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of the peripapillary gamma zone in myopic, emmetropic, and hyperopic eyes of Chinese children.

Methods: Overall, 1274 children aged 6 to 8 years from the Hong Kong Children Eye Study underwent ocular examinations, including measurements of cycloplegic auto-refraction and axial length (AL). The optic disc was imaged using a Spectralis optical coherence tomography (OCT) unit and a protocol involving 24 equally spaced radial B-scans.

Differential age-associated brain atrophy and white matter changes among homeless and precariously housed individuals compared with the general population.

Background: Homeless or precariously housed individuals live with poor health and experience premature mortality compared with the general population, yet little is known about age-related brain changes among these individuals. We evaluated whether MRI measures of brain structure are differentially associated with age and selected risk factors among individuals who are homeless or precariously housed compared with a general population sample.

Methods: We compared T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging measures of brain macrostructure and white matter microstructure in a well-characterised sample of 312 precariously housed participants with a publicly available dataset of 382 participants recruited from the general population.

Association of Maternal and Paternal Astigmatism With Child Astigmatism in the Hong Kong Children Eye Study.

Importance: Parental astigmatism is a factor associated with risk for development of child astigmatism; however, the magnitude of the association has not been determined.

Objective: To determine the association between parental and child astigmatism.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This population-based, cross-sectional study included participants from familial trios, each comprising a child aged 6 to 8 years and both parents, recruited from the Hong Kong Children Eye Study.