Lung Function Recovery from Pulmonary Exacerbations Treated with Oral Antibiotics in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.

Rationale: Patients with Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) experience acute pulmonary exacerbations (PEx). In Cystic Fibrosis (CF), PEx treated with oral antibiotics (oPEx) were found to be related to short and long-term lung function deficits, however the impact oPEx on lung function in patients with PCD has not yet been assessed.

Objective: To assess the impact of oPEx on lung function recovery in PCD and determine the factors associated with poorer response.

Unveiling immune cell response disparities in human primary cancer-associated fibroblasts between two- and three-dimensional cultures.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play pivotal roles in solid tumor initiation, growth, and immune evasion. However, the optimal biomimetic modeling conditions remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the effects of 2D and 3D culturing conditions on human primary CAFs integrated into a modular tumor microenvironment (TME).

Invasive Aspergillosis With Multiple Locations, Mediastinitis, and Cardiac Invasion.

A 25-year-old man reporting weight loss and constitutional symptoms was empirically treated for tuberculosis. Following acute seizures, the patient underwent cerebral imaging and was diagnosed with multiple nonischemic cerebral lesions. Thoracic imaging revealed fibrosing mediastinitis infiltrating and obscuring the left atrium and left ventricle.

Mechanisms underlying neurocognitive dysfunction following critical illness: a systematic review.

Introduction: Cognitive impairment is a significant healthcare problem globally and its prevalence is projected to affect over 150 million people worldwide. Survivors of critical illness are impacted frequently by long-term neurocognitive dysfunction regardless of presenting illness, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. The goal of this review was to synthesise the existing evidence regarding potential mechanisms underlying neurocognitive dysfunction following critical illness in order to guide potential avenues for future research.

Sensitive Detection of Hg and l-Cysteine through Optical Asymmetry-Tuned Fluorescence Switch Off-On Behavior in N-Doped Chiral Carbon Dot.

Blue-emissive nitrogen-doped chiral carbon dots (d-NCD230 and l-NCD230) exhibiting antipodal chiroptical activity, synthesized from the thermal pyrolysis of citric acid and d/l-aspartic acid in 1:2 molar ratios, have been explored as chirality-based fluorescent turn-off/on probes for the detection of Hg and l-cysteine (l-Cys). Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed that the chiroptical activity originates from a synergy among intrinsic chirality, chiral precursors on the NCD surface, and hybridization of lower energy levels within the embedded chiral chromophore. Quantitative analysis of optical asymmetry using the Kuhn asymmetry factor () at the CD signal of 312 nm showed a higher value for d-NCD230 (1.

Long G4-rich enhancers target promoters via a G4 DNA-based mechanism.

Several studies have now described instances where G-rich sequences in promoters and enhancers regulate gene expression through forming G-quadruplex (G4) structures. Relatedly, our group recently identified 301 long genomic stretches significantly enriched for minimal G4 motifs (LG4s) in humans and found the majority of these overlap annotated enhancers, and furthermore, that the promoters regulated by these LG4 enhancers are similarly enriched with G4-capable sequences. While the generally accepted model for enhancer:promoter specificity maintains that interactions are dictated by enhancer- and promoter-bound transcriptional activator proteins, the current study tested an alternative hypothesis: that LG4 enhancers interact with cognate promoters via a direct G4:G4 DNA-based mechanism.

Defining a core set of research and development priorities for virtual care in the post-pandemic environment: a call to action.

Objectives: To identify research and development priorities for virtual care following the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic from the perspective of key stakeholders (patients, clinicians, informaticians and academics).

Design: Qualitative study using a modified nominal group technique.

Setting: Online semi-structured interviews and workshops held in November 2022 and February 2023.

Barriers, facilitators and next steps for sustaining and scaling virtual hospital services in Australia: a qualitative descriptive study.

Objective: To describe the barriers to and facilitators of implementing and delivering virtual hospital (VH) services, and evidence and practice gaps where further research and policy changes are needed to drive continuous improvement.

Study Design: Qualitative descriptive study.

Setting, Participants: Online semi-structured interviews and a focus group were conducted between July 2022 and April 2023 with doctors, nurses and leadership staff involved in VH services at three sites in New South Wales, Australia.

Correction: Investigating ethical tradeoffs in crisis standards of care through simulation of ventilator allocation protocols.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

How primary and tertiary care services collaborate in urgent care delivery: an evaluation of general practice advice lines.

Background: To address the rising demand for urgent care and decrease hospital use, health systems are implementing different strategies to support urgent care patients (i.e. patients who would have typically been treated in hospital) in the community, such as general practitioner (GP) advice lines.

Sexual History-Taking in a Surgery Clerkship Assessment: A Stubborn Clinical Skills Gap With Reproductive Health Care Implications.

Purpose: Patients present with sexual and reproductive health needs in a variety of clinical settings, so knowing when and how to elicit a relevant sexual history is critical in any specialty. This work examined whether reinforcing the surgical relevance of sexual health with an integrated training improved third-year medical students' sexual history-taking.

Method: Third-year surgery clerkship standardized patient assessments were video coded from a 2021-2022 comparison and 2022-2023 intervention cohort (University of Louisville School of Medicine).

Emotion recognition and clinical empathy: An observational study of nurses.

Aim: To explore nurse ability to recognize emotion and its association with clinical empathy.

Background: Empathy is elemental to nursing care and positively effects patient and nurse outcomes, yet self-reported clinical empathy has declined over the past decade. One hypothesized contributor to the ability of a nurse to be empathic is whether they can recognize emotion, a phenomenon thus far unstudied among nurses.

Rate of non-metastatic solid tumor progression following critical illness: a prospective cohort study of UK Biobank participants.

Objective: To determine whether admission to critical care is associated with subsequent disease progression in patients with non-metastatic solid tumors.

Methods: This observational cohort study of UK Biobank participants identified those diagnosed with solid tumors and survived hospitalization. Two cohorts were identified based on critical care admission and new metastatic disease as reported at UK Biobank follow-up visits, or primary or secondary care records were compared.

An Ambient Measurement Technique for Vehicle Emission Quantification and Concentration Source Apportionment.

We develop a new technique called where fast response instruments located at the roadside are used to measure exhaust plumes of passing vehicles. The approach is used to generate highly disaggregated vehicle emissions information by vehicle type, which compares well with traditional vehicle emission remote sensing. Additionally, the technique provides valuable new information on ambient concentration source apportionment by vehicle type.

An illustrated key to European genera of Microgastrinae parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) with a recent historical and biological perspective and a guide to available species-level identification resources.

An illustrated key is provided for the identification of the 20 genera of Microgastrinae so far known to occur in Europe. A brief review of 20 century progress on the group is given. Morphological terms are explained and illustrated, with special reference to the different systems of wing venation employed by past workers on Microgastrinae in Europe, and recommendations are made for future work.

Delayed Presentation of Baffle Obstruction in an Adult Post-Mustard Repair of Transposition: Computed Tomography Demonstration.

Atrial switch surgery is performed in patients with transposition of the great arteries. One of the complications of this surgery is obstruction of the baffle created. We describe the computed tomography findings of one such case where there was delayed presentation of recurrent Mustard baffle obstruction in addition to pulmonary venous drainage obstruction in an adult previously operated on for intra-atrial repair of transposition of the great arteries.

Understanding attendance patterns and determinants in cardiac, pulmonary, and ICU rehabilitation/recovery programs: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Cardiac, pulmonary, and intensive care unit (ICU) rehabilitation/recovery programs are health promotion interventions designed to improve physical recovery, psychological well-being, and quality of life after acute illness while reducing the risk of adverse events.

Objective: Identify the difference in attendance rates for patients invited to a cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, or ICU recovery program and factors influencing attendance.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis by searching PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, and manual reference lists from inception to June 3, 2024.

Assessment of health technology acceptability for remote monitoring of patients with COVID-19: A measurement model for user perceptions of pulse oximeters.

Objective: This study aims to develop a measurement model for health technology acceptability using a theoretical framework and a range of validated instruments to measure user experience, acceptance, usability, health and digital health literacy.

Methods: A cross-sectional evaluation study using a mixed-methods approach was conducted. An online survey was administered to patients who used a pulse oximeter in a virtual hospital setting during COVID-19.

The impact of surfaces on indoor air chemistry following cooking and cleaning.

Cooking and cleaning are common sources of indoor air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The chemical fate of VOCs indoors is determined by both gas-phase and multi-phase chemistry, and can result in the formation of potentially hazardous secondary pollutants. Chemical interactions at the gas-surface boundary play an important role in indoor environments due to the characteristically high surface area to volume ratios (SAVs).

Wet military uniforms pose low risk of hypothermia while static in mild cold air.

Wet clothing is less insulative than dry clothing and consequently increases heat loss in cold air. Tactical necessity can render removal of wet clothing impossible and/or require Warfighters to remain static to avoid detection, limiting heat production and posing a threat of hypothermia (core temperature <35 °C). This study aimed to characterize body temperatures and evaluate hypothermia risk while statically exposed to 5 °C air wearing three wet military uniforms.