The impact of protocol designs for using massage guns on lower body flexibility: A randomised cross-over design study.

Introduction: Current protocols for delivering percussive therapy (PT) using massage guns are heterogeneous creating a need to establish the impact of study design on physiological measures. This cross-over design study aimed to determine the most effective protocol, among the eight protocols examined, on lower body flexibility, and to support the provision of protocol validation for future research.

Method: Recreationally active healthy adults (n = 35) undertook two main protocols; three sessions per week at 2100 rpm or increasing the speed from session-to-session: 1750 to 2100-2400 rpm.

Telemedical management of symptomatic COVID-19 outpatients.

Background: COVID-19 remains a challenge to individual health and healthcare resources worldwide. Telemedical surveillance might minimise hospitalisation and direct patient-physician contacts. Yet, randomised clinical trials evaluating telemedical management of COVID-19 patients are lacking.

"We have to change our mindsets": a qualitative study of barriers and facilitators in research collaboration across integrated care system organisations.

The introduction of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in England aimed to increase joint planning and delivery of health and social care, and other services, to better meet the needs of local communities. There is an associated duty to undertake collaborative research across ICS partners to inform this new integrated approach, which might be challenging given that organisations span health, local authority, voluntary and community sector, and research. This study aimed to explore the appetite for collaborative Research and Innovation (R&I) across ICSs, potential barriers and solutions.

Periodic repolarization dynamics: Different methods for quantifying low-frequency oscillations of repolarization.

Background: Periodic repolarization dynamics (PRD) is an electrocardiographic biomarker that quantifies low-frequency (LF) instabilities of repolarization. PRD is a strong predictor of mortality in patients with ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Until recently, two methods for calculating PRD have been proposed.

Atopic manifestations of inborn errors of immunity.

Purpose Of Review: Allergy and atopic features are now well recognized manifestations of many inborn errors of immunity (IEI), and indeed may be the hallmark in some, such as DOCK8 deficiency. In this review, we describe the current IEI associated with atopy, using a comprehensive literature search and updates from the IUIS highlighting clinical clues for underlying IEI such as very early onset of atopic disease or treatment resistance to enable early and accurate genetic diagnosis.

Recent Findings: We focus on recently described genes, their categories of pathogenic mechanisms and the expanding range of potential therapies.

An Updated Review of Food and Drug Administration Warning and Untitled Letters for Clinical Outcome Assessment Claims Between 2013 and 2021.

Objectives: We aimed to ascertain the frequency and types of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-identified clinical outcome assessment (COA) violations in US pharmaceutical promotional materials from 2013 to 2021 by updating the review by Symonds et al (covering the period 2006-2012 for patient-reported outcomes [PRO] measures), expanding to infringements across all types of COAs, and grouping by efficacy or overall patient experience.

Methods: Warning letters (WLs) and untitled letters (ULs) issued by the FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion were reviewed for COA violations and classified by their type: (1) COA measure not fit for purpose, (2) issue with study design or interpretation of results, and (3) inadequate statistical analysis.

Results: From 2013 to 2021, the FDA issued 22 WLs and 65 ULs.

Prevalence, management, and prediction of venous access site occlusion in patients undergoing lead revision surgery.

Background: Implantable electronic cardiac devices (CIED) have emerged as an essential component in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias and heart failure. Due to increased life expectancy, expanding indications and limited technical survival, an increasing number of revision procedures can be anticipated. Venous access site occlusion (VASO) is the main obstacle during revision surgery.

The Effect Of Percussive Therapy On Musculoskeletal Performance And Experiences Of Pain: A Systematic Literature Review.

Background: There is a lack of specific research on the effect of percussive therapy (PT) delivered by massage guns on physiological adaptations. This systematic literature review investigates research conducted on the effects of PT interventions on performance in strength and conditioning settings, and on experiences of musculoskeletal pain.

Purpose: To determine the effect of PT delivered by massage guns on physiological adaptations: muscle strength, explosive muscle strength and flexibility, and experiences of musculoskeletal pain.

Evaluation of a Standardized Training and Adherence Surveillance Programme to Overcome Quality-of-Life Impairments and Enhance Compliance in Patients Treated with Wearable Cardioverter Defibrillator.

Background: Treatment with wearable cardioverter defibrillators (WCD) is a non-invasive, transient therapy option for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with temporary contraindications for implantation of a permanent cardioverter defibrillator. Due to the constant risk of fatal arrhythmias, compliance is the fundamental requirement for effectiveness of a WCD, but this might be hindered by the poor quality-of-life (QoL) during WCD therapy. In this retrospective single-center study, we examined if a standardized WCD training and adherence surveillance programme could enhance compliance and QoL.

Determination of time of death by blinded post-mortem interrogation of cardiac implantable electrical devices.

Postmortal interrogation of cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIED) may contribute to the determination of time of death in forensic medicine. Recent studies aimed to improve estimation of time of death by combining findings from autopsy, CIED interrogation and patients´ medical history. CIED from deceased undergoing forensic autopsy were included, if time of death remained unclear after forensic assessment.

Zieve syndrome presenting with lipaemia and treated by plasmapheresis.

Zieve syndrome is a rare condition which occurs in patients with severe alcohol abuse. It is typically characterised by the triad of jaundice, haemolytic anaemia and transient hyperlipidaemia. In the following report, we present the case of a man in his 30s who was admitted to our emergency department with severe epigastric pain and signs of alcohol intoxication.

Phase 2 Trial of Rituximab in Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody-Positive Generalized Myasthenia Gravis: The BeatMG Study.

Objective: To determine whether rituximab is safe and potentially beneficial, warranting further investigation in an efficacy trial for acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive generalized MG (AChR-Ab+ gMG).

Methods: The B-Cell Targeted Treatment in MG (BeatMG) study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter phase-2 trial that utilized a futility design. Individuals 21-90 years of age, with AChR-Ab+ gMG (MG Foundation of America Class II-IV) and receiving prednisone ≥15 mg/day were eligible.

Estimation of anaerobic threshold by cardiac repolarization instability: a prospective validation study.

Background: Assessing lactate (LT) or anaerobic thresholds (AT) in athletes is an important tool to control training intensities and to estimate individual performance levels. Previously we demonstrated that ECG-based assessment of cardiac repolarization instability during exercise testing allows non-invasive estimation of AT in recreational athletes. Here, we validate this method in professional and amateur team sports athletes.

Unexpected pacemaker lead in an 84-year-old patient.

An elderly patient with a history of atrial fibrillation presented to our emergency room. Previous medical records from another hospital described a pacemaker lead in the echocardiography although the patient had no known history of a pacemaker implantation. Finally, by close examination, chest X-ray, and computed tomography, we found that a kyphoplasty of the spine had caused a so-called palacos embolism, which had repeatedly been mistaken for a pacemaker lead.

Alterations in regulatory T cells and immune checkpoint molecules in pancreatic cancer patients receiving FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel.

Purpose: This pilot study aimed on generating insight on alterations in circulating immune cells during the use of FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Patients And Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated before and 30 days after initiation of chemotherapy from 20 patients with advanced PDAC. Regulatory T cells (FoxP3+) and immune checkpoints (PD-1 and TIM-3) were analyzed by flow cytometry and immunological changes were correlated with clinical outcome.

The NEALS primary lateral sclerosis registry.

Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive upper motor neuron dysfunction. Because PLS patients represent only 1 to 4% of patients with adult motor neuron diseases, there is limited information about the disease's natural history. The objective of this study was to establish a large multicenter retrospective longitudinal registry of PLS patients seen at Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) sites to better characterize the natural progression of PLS.

Trends and determinants of drinking water practices among North Carolina children.

Objectives: To identify trends and determinants of drinking water practices [bottled (BW) versus community water (CW) consumption] among families of pediatric patients presenting to an academic dental institution over 15 years.

Methods: Electronic health record data were obtained for all first-time routine-care patients ages 0-16 presenting to UNC-Chapel Hill's Pediatric Dentistry Clinics from 2002 to 2016, including families' primary drinking water source and patient demographics (e.g.

Drinking Water Practices Among Latino Families in North Carolina: A qualitative study.

The purpose of this study was to understand the beliefs, experiences and practices regarding drinking water among the North Carolina (NC) Latino community, and to gather information on what would make effective messages to promote fluoridated community water (CW) consumption among Latino families. Phone interviews were conducted with Latino stakeholders, consisting of parents of young children and key community informants (n=15). The interviews were audio-recorded, and transcripts were analyzed qualitatively using Atlas.

Growth in the High-Risk Newborn Infant Post-Discharge: Results from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nutrition Follow-up Clinic.

Growth and nutrition in preterm infants have long-term implications for neurodevelopmental and cardiometabolic outcomes. Many infants are discharged from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with growth restriction, but often without a specialized team to monitor postdischarge growth. At our institution, we addressed our ongoing concerns for the health and growth of these infants post-discharge by creating a Nutrition NICU Graduate Clinic.

Enhancing Allied Dental Health Students' Understanding of Poverty through Simulation.

Poverty impacts the daily lives of over 40 million Americans. Allied dental health students need to be aware of the oral health barriers experienced by individuals with limited resources. The purpose of this exploratory descriptive study was to evaluate the impact of a poverty simulation exercise (PSE) on students' understanding of daily challenges faced by low-income families.

Impact of an oral health education intervention among a group of patients with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa).

Background: It is recognized that eating disorders are serious psychosocial illnesses that affect many adolescents and adults. A pre and post survey study was developed to assess demographics, oral health knowledge and self-image of patients with eating disorders participating in a hospital-based eating disorder clinic using an original oral health education program. The program's aim is to change the self-image and oral health practices of patients with anorexia-binge eating/purging (AN-BP) and bulimia nervosa (BN) disorders.

Characterization of pepsin from rabbit gastric extract, its action on β-casein and the effects of lipids on proteolysis.

Rabbit gastric extract (RGE) is a source of gastric enzymes for in vitro digestion studies. While its gastric lipase activity has been characterized and compared to other lipases, its pepsin activity has not been studied. We measured pepsin activity in RGE using both hemoglobin and azocoll as substrates, and identified the protein separated by SDS-PAGE as a type II-4 mature pepsin of 328 amino acid residues using Edman sequencing, LC-MS/MS analysis and intact mass measurement.