Comparing methods to classify admitted patients with SARS-CoV-2 as admitted for COVID-19 versus with incidental SARS-CoV-2: A cohort study.

Introduction: Not all patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection develop symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), making it challenging to assess the burden of COVID-19-related hospitalizations and mortality. We aimed to determine the proportion, resource utilization, and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted for COVID-19, and assess the impact of using the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) discharge diagnosis-based algorithm and the Massachusetts state department's drug administration-based classification system on identifying admissions for COVID-19.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we enrolled consecutive SARS-CoV-2 positive patients admitted to one of five hospitals in British Columbia between December 19, 2021 and May 31,2022.

A Study of 179 Patients with Degenerative Stenosis of the Lumbosacral Spine to Evaluate Differences in Quality of Life and Disability Outcomes at 12 Months, Between Conservative Treatment and Surgical Decompression.

BACKGROUND This prospective study included 179 patients with degenerative stenosis of the lumbosacral spine and aimed to evaluate the outcomes of conservative treatment and surgical decompression on quality of life and disability over 12 months. MATERIAL AND METHODS The surgery group consisted of 96 patients with degenerative stenosis of the lumbosacral spine who qualified for surgical decompression, while the conservative-treatment group included 83 patients who qualified for conservative treatment. We used the Satisfaction with Life Scale questionnaire, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) questionnaire, the Visual Analog Scale to assess the severity of pain, the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire to assess the degree of disability, and the Sexual Satisfaction Scale at 0, 1, 6, and 12 months after treatment.

A Lightweight Remote Sensing Payload for Wildfire Detection and Fire Radiative Power Measurements.

Small uncrewed aerial systems (sUASs) have the potential to serve as ideal platforms for high spatial and temporal resolution wildfire measurements to complement aircraft and satellite observations, but typically have very limited payload capacity. Recognizing the need for improved data from wildfire management and smoke forecasting communities and the potential advantages of sUAS platforms, the Nighttime Fire Observations eXperiment (NightFOX) project was funded by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop a suite of miniaturized, relatively low-cost scientific instruments for wildfire-related measurements that would satisfy the size, weight and power constraints of a sUAS payload. Here we report on a remote sensing system developed under the NightFOX project that consists of three optical instruments with five individual sensors for wildfire mapping and fire radiative power measurement and a GPS-aided inertial navigation system module for aircraft position and attitude determination.

Evaluation of the Reduction of Skin Hyperpigmentation Changes under the Influence of a Preparation Containing Kojic Acid Using Hyperspectral Imaging-Preliminary Study.

: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effects of using a preparation containing kojic acid on skin hyperpigmentation using hyperspectral imaging, which enables a quantitative assessment of the effect of the preparation used on the reduction of skin discoloration. : Preliminary studies were carried out on 12 patients with post-acne skin. A hyperspectral camera with a spectral range of 400-1000 nm was used to image skin hyperpigmentation before and after the application of 3% kojic acid.

A new high parallel-field spectrometer at TRIUMF's β-NMR facility.

A new high field spectrometer has been built to extend the capabilities of the β-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (β-NMR) facility at TRIUMF. This new beamline extension allows β-NMR spectroscopy to be performed with fields up to 200 mT parallel to a sample's surface (perpendicular to the ion beam), allowing depth-resolved studies of local electromagnetic fields with spin polarized probes at a much higher applied magnetic field than previously available in this configuration. The primary motivation and application is to allow studies of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) materials close to the critical fields of Nb metal, which is extensively used to fabricate SRF cavities.

Presentation, Diagnosis, and Management of Lower Back Pain Associated with Spinal Stenosis: A Narrative Review.

Lower back pain (LBP) is an extremely common symptom experienced by people of all ages and is also one of the most frequent causes of disability worldwide. This article aims to review the presentation, diagnosis, and management of lower back pain associated with spinal stenosis. The paper we prepared was classified as a "literature narrative review.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections at a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

The incidence of healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections in a pediatric hospital decreased from 1.6 /1,000 patient-days in 2019 to 0.2 /1,000 patient-days in 2020 (P < .

Diagnostic yield of screening for SARS-CoV-2 among patients admitted to hospital for alternate diagnoses: an observational cohort study.

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic yield of screening patients for SARS-CoV-2 who were admitted with a diagnosis unrelated to COVID-19 and to identify risk factors for positive tests.

Design: Cohort from the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network registry.

Setting: 30 acute care hospitals across Canada.

Magnesium(II)-ATP Complexes in 1-Ethyl-3-Methylimidazolium Acetate Solutions Characterized by Mg β-Radiation-Detected NMR Spectroscopy.

The complexation of Mg with adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) is omnipresent in biochemical energy conversion, but is difficult to interrogate directly. Here we use the spin- β-emitter Mg to study Mg -ATP complexation in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EMIM-Ac) solutions using β-radiation-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (β-NMR). We demonstrate that (nuclear) spin-polarized Mg, following ion-implantation from an accelerator beamline into EMIM-Ac, binds to ATP within its radioactive lifetime before depolarizing.

A β-NMR study of the depth, temperature, and molecular-weight dependence of secondary dynamics in polystyrene: Entropy-enthalpy compensation and dynamic gradients near the free surface.

We investigated the depth, temperature, and molecular-weight (MW) dependence of the γ-relaxation in polystyrene glasses using implanted Li and β-detected nuclear magnetic resonance. Measurements were performed on thin films with MW ranging from 1.1 to 641 kg/mol.

OPINIONS OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS ON ART THERAPY IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR FUNCTIONING.

Objective: The aim: Our work aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of art on children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) up to the age of 18 and to disseminate knowledge about its use as a part of therapy.

Patients And Methods: Materials and methods: The authors created an anonymous online questionnaire addressed to parents and legal guardians of children and adolescents with and without ASD. The studied population comprised 190 subjects, of which 108 were a control group (children and adolescents without ASD) and 82 - a study group (children and adolescents with ASD).

Determinants of primary healthcare patients' dissatisfaction with the quality of provided medical services.

Introduction: The quality of medical services and health care are complex problems with a number of various definitions, conceptual approaches, measurement tools and techniques. The most important influence on quality in primary health care has the (immaterial) human factor, the relationship between patient and doctor, medical personnel and the primary health care institution, and the skill to use new technologies to improve quality in health care.

Objective: The aim of the study is to discover the determinants of primary health care patients' dissatisfaction with the quality of medical services.

Development of the Canadian COVID-19 Emergency Department Rapid Response Network population-based registry: a methodology study.

Background: Emergency physicians lack high-quality evidence for many diagnostic and treatment decisions made for patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our objective is to describe the methods used to collect and ensure the data quality of a multicentre registry of patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Methods: This methodology study describes a population-based registry that has been enrolling consecutive patients presenting to the emergency department with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 since Mar.

The functions of securities law: An expert survey of legislative intent in Poland.

Under the conventional view, securities law is intended to protect ordinary (retail) investors. However, some scholars from the school of Law & Economics (L&E), guided by considerations of economic efficiency, claim instead that the principal function of securities law is to reduce transaction costs and risk to professionals. This paper examines those claims empirically.

Using affinity analysis in diagnosing the needs of patients as regards e-Health.

Introduction: E-Health tools allow a medical facility to set a given patient's data in order using ICT techniques, and the patient to use those techniques when contacting a given organisation.

Material And Methods: Secondary statistical data was used in the research. The study was carried out among primary health care patients.

Perturbed Angular Correlation as a Tool to Study Precursors for Radiopharmaceuticals.

One of the key components of radiopharmaceuticals for targeting imaging and therapy is a stable bifunctional chelating system to attach radionuclides to selective delivery systems. After-effects of radioactive decay can cause the release of a radioactive isotope from its chelation agent. Perturbed angular correlation (PAC) of γ-rays has become a unique technique to study the behavior of complexes formed between a chelating agent and radionuclide (in real time) over a relevant range of concentrations (10 M).

Optimal Body Fat Percentage Cut-Off Values in Predicting the Obesity-Related Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study.

Background: Reliable obesity assessment is essential in evaluating the risk of cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs). Non-availability of clearly defined cut-offs for body fat percentage (BF%), as well as a widespread application of surrogate measures for obesity assessment, may result in incorrect prediction of cardio-metabolic risk.

Purpose: The study aimed to determine optimal cut-off points for BF%, with a view of predicting the CRFs related to obesity.

Bi-Arrhenius Diffusion and Surface Trapping of ^{8}Li^{+} in Rutile TiO_{2}.

We report measurements of the diffusion rate of isolated ion-implanted ^{8}Li^{+} within ∼120  nm of the surface of oriented single-crystal rutile TiO_{2} using a radiotracer technique. The α particles from the ^{8}Li decay provide a sensitive monitor of the distance from the surface and how the depth profile of ^{8}Li evolves with time. The main findings are that the implanted Li^{+} diffuses and traps at the (001) surface.

Effect of Social Factors on Surgical Outcomes in Cervical Disc Disease.

Background: Daily clinical practice shows us how diametrically different surgical outcomes can occur in particular groups of patients sharing the same diagnosis and being subjected to the same treatment. Patient-reported outcomes appear to be significantly influenced by social factors and patients' emotional status. Data on such variables were collated and analyzed statistically with the aim of confirming our clinical observations.

Spine duplication or split notochord syndrome - case report and literature review.

Spine duplication is a rare condition, with various extents and severe additional anomalies. The goal of this study was to describe a unique case of a boy with split notochord syndrome who was followed up from birth until maturity. Physical examination at birth showed defects of the abdominal wall and cloacal exstrophy with visible urether outlets.

Direct observation of Mg complexes in ionic liquid solutions by Mg β-NMR spectroscopy.

NMR spectra of Mg2+ ions in ionic liquids were recorded using a highly sensitive variant of NMR spectroscopy known as β-NMR. The β-NMR spectra of MgCl2 in EMIM-Ac and EMIM-DCA compare favourably with conventional NMR, and exhibit linewidths of ∼3 ppm, allowing for discrimination of species with oxygen and nitrogen coordination.

Prospective Evaluation of Point-of-Care Ultrasound at a Remote, Multi-Day Music Festival.

Unlabelled: IntroductionPoint-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) has become an important diagnostic tool for hospital-based clinicians. This study assesses the role of POCUS at Pemberton Music Festival 2016 (Pemberton, British Columbia [BC], Canada), a remote mass gathering where physicians face limited resources, complex disposition decisions, and a dynamic clinical environment.

Objectives: This study prospectively evaluated the impact of POCUS on patient diagnosis, management, and disposition based on the self-report of the study physicians.

Analysis of changes in cervical spinal curvature and intervertebral disk space height following ACDF surgery in a group of 100 patients followed up for 12 months.

We analysed 100 patients following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with interbody stabilisation with PEEK cages. Radiographs obtained preoperatively and during the 12-month follow-up were compared to track changes in overall and local cervical lordosis and disk space height. Subsidence was defined as cage migration ≥ 3 mm into the adjacent endplates.

Prevalence of Petrosquamosal Sinus and Its Clinical Significance: Radiologic Study and Meta-analysis.

Objective: The petrosquamosal sinus (PSS) is clinically important as it represents a potential hemorrhagic hazard during neurosurgical procedures. This double-approach radiologic study and meta-analysis aimed to assess the imaging characteristics of the PSS on computed tomography (CT) and systematically analyze its prevalence to improve imaging accuracy and assist in neurosurgical management.

Methods: The retrospective radiologic study included CT scans of 388 patients aged 18 years or older.