Pain Assessment for Individuals with Advanced Dementia in Care Homes: A Systematic Review.

Pain is prevalent in older people, especially in those with advanced dementia who have communication impairments. Although pain is recognised to be present in this population, it is often under-assessed and ineffectively managed. The assessment of pain in advanced dementia is extremely challenging and complex, particularly in institutional settings such as care homes.

Interferon-gamma release assays for latent tuberculosis infection screening in Canadian federal correctional facilities.

The correctional setting presents an opportunity for latent TB infection (LTBI) screening in an otherwise difficult to reach demographic. We evaluate factors associated with the fidelity of the tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), specifically the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube assay (QFT-GIT), explain factors associated with discordance, and report LTBI treatment outcomes. We describe the association between demographic and clinical variables, and predictors of concordance with IGRA using univariate logistic regression in a population of TST-positive inmates.

Myocardial changes in incident haemodialysis patients over 6-months: an observational cardiac magnetic resonance imaging study.

Patients commencing on haemodialysis (HD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular events in the first year after starting HD compared to those patients established on HD longer. Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and abnormal myocardial strain predict mortality. There may be changes in the myocardium of incident HD patients over a 6-month period of HD which may explain changes in cardiovascular risk.

Native T1 mapping: inter-study, inter-observer and inter-center reproducibility in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Native T1 mapping is a cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) technique that associates with markers of fibrosis and strain in hemodialysis patients. The reproducibility of T1 mapping in hemodialysis patients, prone to changes in fluid status, is unknown. Accurate quantification of myocardial fibrosis in this population has prognostic potential.