Impact of Rapid Response Teams on Pediatric Care: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Unplanned PICU Admissions and Cardiac Arrests.

Pediatric rapid response teams (RRTs) are expected to significantly lower pediatric mortality in healthcare settings. This study evaluates RRTs' effectiveness in decreasing cardiac arrests and unexpected Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admissions. A quasi-experimental study (2014-2017) at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, involved 3261 pediatric inpatients, split into pre-intervention (1604) and post-intervention (1657) groups.

Early Mobilization in Pediatric Critical Care: Exploring the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND Because of advancements in critical care, Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) have experienced improved survival rates. However, PICU-acquired frailty and cognitive deficits continue to be issues. In PICUs, early mobilization is emerging as a useful technique.

Awareness of Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes Among Type II Diabetic Patients in Makkah: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Several studies have suggested using stem cells for diabetes treatment. However, there is a lack of research assessing the population's awareness of stem cells.

The Association between Colorectal Cancer and Colonoscopic Conditions in Saudi Patients: A 10-Year Cross-Sectional-Retrospective Study.

Background: In Saudi Arabia, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common cancer in males and the third most common cancer in females. The current gold standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis is colonoscopy. Several concerns regarding the balance of ordering colonoscopy procedures for patients presenting with signs and symptoms.

Complete chloroplast genome of the desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. comparative analysis, and phylogenetic relationships among the members of Zygophyllaceae.

Background: Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile, commonly known as desert date, is a thorny evergreen tree belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae and subfamily Tribuloideae that is widespread in arid and semiarid regions. This plant is an important source of food and medicines and plays an important role in conservation strategies for restoring degraded desert ecosystems.

Exogenous administration of unacylated ghrelin attenuates hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet-fed rats by modulating glucose homeostasis, lipogenesis, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Low levels of unacylated ghrelin (UAG) and a higher ratio of acylated ghrelin (AG)/UAG in obesity are associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study tested the potential protective effect of increased circulatory levels of UAG by exogenous UAG administration on hepatic steatosis in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed rats and investigated some possible mechanisms. Rats were divided (n = 6/group) as low fat diet (LFD), LFD + UAG (200 mg/kg), HFD, HFD + UAG (50, 100, or 200 mg/kg).

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 marks different cancer stem cell compartments in human Caco-2 and LoVo colon cancer lines.

Background: Colon cancer cell lines are widely used for research and for the screening of drugs that specifically target the stem cell compartment of colon cancers. It was reported that colon cancer carcinoma specimens contain a subset of leucine-rich repeat-containing G protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5)-expressing stem cells, these so-called "tumour-initiating" cells, reminiscent in their properties of the normal intestinal stem cells (ISCs), may explain the apparent heterogeneity of colon cancer cell lines. Also, colon cancer is initiated by aberrant Wnt signaling in ISCs known to express high levels of LGR5.

Taxonomic revision of sect. (Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae) in Saudi Arabia with three new combinations.

This study provides a taxonomic revision for Ceropegia sect. Huernia in the flora of Saudi Arabia. Forty-six quantitative and qualitative morphological characters were analysed using principal component analysis (PCA), principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) and the unweighted pairs group using mean average (UPGMA) to separate and help delimit taxa.

Priority Outcomes in Critically Ill Children: A Patient and Parent Perspective.

Background: Outcomes in pediatric critical care research are typically selected by the researcher.

Objectives: (1) To identify outcomes prioritized by patients and their families following a critical illness and (2) to determine the overlap between patient-centered and researcher-selected study outcomes.

Methods: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study nested within a longitudinal cohort study conducted in 2 pediatric intensive care units (PICUs).

Illumination Adaptation in a Multi-Wavelength Opto-Electronic Patch Sensor.

In capturing high-quality photoplethysmographic signals, it is crucial to ensure that appropriate illumination intensities are used. The purpose of the study was to deliver controlled illumination intensities for a multi-wavelength opto-electronic patch sensor that has four separate arrays each consisting of four light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the wavelength of the light generated by each array being different. The study achieved the following: (1) a linear constant current source LED driver incorporating series negative feedback using an integrated operational amplifier circuit; (2) the fitting of a linear regression equation to provide rapid determination of the LEDs driver voltage; and (3) an algorithm for the automatic adjustment of the output voltage to ensure suitable LED illumination.

Exendin-4 Protects Against Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Upregulation of SIRT1 and SIRT3 and Activation of AMPK.

This study evaluated if the cardioprotective effect of Exendin-4 against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in male rats involves modulation of AMPK and sirtuins. Adult male rats were divided into sham, sham + Exendin-4, I/R, I/R + Exendin-4, and I/R + Exendin-4 + EX-527, a sirt1 inhibitor. Exendin-4 reduced infarct size and preserved the function and structure of the left ventricles (LV) of I/R rats.

Exendin-4 Ameliorates Cardiac Remodeling in Experimentally Induced Myocardial Infarction in Rats by Inhibiting PARP1/NF-κB Axis in A SIRT1-Dependent Mechanism.

Sirt1 is a potent inhibitor of both poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases1 (PARP1) and NF-kB. This study investigated the cardioprotective effect of exendin-4 on cardiac function and remodeling in rats after an expreimentally-induced myocardial infarction (MI) and explored if this protection involves SIRT1/PARP1 axis. Rats were divided into five groups (n = 10/each): sham, sham + exendin-4 (25 nmol/kg/day i.

The apoptotic effect of resveratrol in ovarian cancer cells is associated with downregulation of galectin-3 and stimulating miR-424-3p transcription.

This study investigated if the well-reported anti-tumor effects of resveratrol (RES) is mediated by modulation levels of galectin-3 (GAL-3), an anti-apoptotic lectin that is highly overexpressed in ovarian cancer cells. SKOV3 and OVCAR-3 OC cells were untreated or incubated with DMOS or increasing concentrations of RES (25, 50, 100 μM) for 72 hr. RES, in a dose-dependent manner and in both cell lines, induced cell death and inhibited cell migration and invasion It also downregulated Bcl-2 levels, increased cleaved caspase-3, and GAL-3 protein (but not mRNA) levels, suggesting increased breakdown.

Oxygen Saturation Measurements from Green and Orange Illuminations of Multi-Wavelength Optoelectronic Patch Sensors.

Photoplethysmography (PPG) based pulse oximetry devices normally use red and infrared illuminations to obtain oxygen saturation (SpO₂) readings. In addition, the presence of motion artefacts severely restricts the utility of pulse oximetry physiological measurements. In the current study, a combination of green and orange illuminations from a multi-wavelength optoelectronic patch sensor (mOEPS) was investigated in order to improve robustness to subjects' movements in the extraction of SpO₂ measurement.

Early Mobilization in Critically Ill Children: A Systematic Review.

Objective: To characterize how early mobilization is defined in the published literature and describe the evidence on safety and efficacy on early mobilization in critically ill children.

Study Design: Systematic search of randomized and nonrandomized studies assessing early mobilization-based physical therapy in critically ill children under 18 years of age in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, CENTRAL, the National Institutes of Health, Evidence in Pediatric Intensive Care Collaborative, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and the Mobilization-Network. We extracted data to identify the types of mobility-based interventions and definitions for early, as well as barriers, feasibility, adverse events, and efficacy outcomes (mortality, morbidities, and length of stay).

Impressions of Early Mobilization of Critically Ill Children-Clinician, Patient, and Family Perspectives.

Objectives: To understand patient, family caregiver, and clinician impressions of early mobilization, the perceived barriers and facilitators to its implementation, and the use of in-bed cycling as a method of mobilization.

Design: A qualitative study, conducted as part of the Early Exercise in Critically ill Youth and Children, a preliminary Evaluation (wEECYCLE) Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Setting: McMaster Children's Hospital PICU, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Functional Recovery in Critically Ill Children, the "WeeCover" Multicenter Study.

Objectives: To evaluate functional outcomes and evaluate predictors of an unfavorable functional outcome in children following a critical illness.

Design: Prospective observational longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Two tertiary care, Canadian PICUs: McMaster Children's Hospital and London Health Sciences.

Early Exercise in Critically Ill Youth and Children, a Preliminary Evaluation: The wEECYCLE Pilot Trial.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of conducting a full trial evaluating the efficacy of early mobilization using in-bed cycling as an adjunct to physiotherapy, on functional outcomes in critically ill children.

Design: Single center, pilot, randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Twelve-bed tertiary care, medical-surgical PICU at McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

A Multi-Wavelength Opto-Electronic Patch Sensor to Effectively Detect Physiological Changes against Human Skin Types.

Different skin pigments among various ethnic group people have an impact on spectrometric illumination on skin surface. To effectively capture photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals, a multi-wavelength opto-electronic patch sensor (OEPS) together with a schematic architecture of electronics were developed to overcome the drawback of present PPG sensor. To perform a better in vivo physiological measurement against skin pigments, optimal illuminations in OEPS, whose wavelength is compatible with a specific skin type, were optimized to capture a reliable physiological sign of heart rate (HR).

In-Bed Mobilization in Critically Ill Children: A Safety and Feasibility Trial.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of implementing two methods of in-bed mobilization in critically ill children. This prospective cohort trial was conducted at McMaster Children's Hospital, Pediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU). Hemodynamically stable patients aged 3 to 17 years with a longer than 24-hour PCCU stay were eligible to participate in the study.

Feasibility and Reliability of Muscle Strength Testing in Critically Ill Children.

Diagnosing pediatric intensive care unit-acquired weakness (PICU-AW) is challenging. The Medical Research Council (MRC) score is a widely used screening method for muscle weakness in critically ill adults; however, its utility in critically ill children has not been established. Our objective was to determine the feasibility and interobserver reliability of muscle strength testing using MRC score in critically ill children.

Functional recovery following critical illness in children: the "wee-cover" pilot study.

Objective: To determine the feasibility of conducting a longitudinal prospective study to evaluate functional recovery and predictors of impaired functional recovery in critically ill children.

Design: Prospective pilot study.

Setting: Single-center PICU at McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, Canada.

Transgenic human ES and iPS reporter cell lines for identification and selection of pluripotent stem cells in vitro.

Optimization of pluripotent stem cell expansion and differentiation is facilitated by biological tools that permit non-invasive and dynamic monitoring of pluripotency, and the ability to select for an undifferentiated input cell population. Here we report on the generation and characterisation of clonal human embryonic stem (HES3, H9) and human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (UQEW01i-epifibC11) that have been stably modified with an artificial EOS(C3+) promoter driving expression of EGFP and puromycin resistance-conferring proteins. We show that EGFP expression faithfully reports on the pluripotency status of the cells in these lines and that antibiotic selection allows for an efficient elimination of differentiated cells from the cultures.