Equity evaluation of intensive care unit admission based on comorbidity in hospitalized patients with COVID-19: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) beds played a crucial role in reducing mortality rates of patients with severe COVID-19. The surge in the number of patients led to a shortage of ICU beds, which may have exacerbated inequity of healthcare utilization. However, most attention has been focused on the horizontal equity in healthcare utilization, where individuals with the same needs receive the same services.

Development and validation of a prediction model for mechanical ventilation based on comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Background: Timely recognition of respiratory failure and the need for mechanical ventilation is crucial in managing patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and reducing hospital mortality rate. A risk stratification tool could assist to avoid clinical deterioration of patients with COVID-19 and optimize allocation of scarce resources. Therefore, we aimed to develop a prediction model for early identification of patients with COVID-19 who may require mechanical ventilation.

Development and validation of a prediction model based on comorbidities to estimate the risk of in-hospital death in patients with COVID-19.

Background: Most existing prognostic models of COVID-19 require imaging manifestations and laboratory results as predictors, which are only available in the post-hospitalization period. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a prognostic model to assess the in-hospital death risk in COVID-19 patients using routinely available predictors at hospital admission.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with COVID-19 using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database in 2020.

Impact of Social Deprivation on Hospitalization and Intensive Care Unit Admission among COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately affected socially disadvantaged groups; however, the association between socioeconomic status and healthcare utilization among COVID-19 patients remains unclear. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between socioeconomic status and hospitalization and intensive care unit admission among COVID-19 patients.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials were searched for relevant literature (updated to Jun 2022).

10-Day and 14-day high-dose dual therapy for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori: A propensity score matching analysis.

Background: Inconsistent eradication rates for Helicobacter pylori have been reported worldwide with dual therapy, perhaps owing to the difference in dose administration and treatment duration. This retrospective study aimed to determine whether high-dose dual therapy (HDDT) with different regimens leads to different eradication rates. The study compares the efficacy and safety of HDDT 10-day vs 14-day and investigates the factors that might affect the eradication rates.

High dose PPI-amoxicillin dual therapy for the treatment of infection: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: resistance to amoxicillin remains rare in many regions. Proton pump inhibitor-amoxicillin-containing high dose dual therapy (HDDT) has been proposed to treat infection. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of PPI-amoxicillin HDDT for treatment of infection in comparison with other regimens.

Efficacy of modified esomeprazole-amoxicillin dual therapies for Helicobacter pylori infection: an open-label, randomized trial.

Objective: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori resistance to amoxicillin was less than 5% in most countries. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI)-amoxicillin dual therapy dosing four times daily (q.i.

Comparison of Polyethylene Glycol versus Lactulose Oral Solution for Bowel Preparation prior to Colonoscopy.

Objective: This study was conducted to compare a lactulose oral solution with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) formulation for colonoscopy preparation using the following metrics: quality of cleansing, colonoscopy outcomes, patient/physician satisfaction, and patient tolerability.

Methods: The enrolled patients were randomly divided into two groups and received a single 2 L dose of either PEG (PEG group) or lactulose (Lac group). The Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) was used for assessing the cleansing quality of the bowel preparations.

Eradication Efficacy of Modified Dual Therapy Compared with Bismuth-Containing Quadruple Therapy as a First-Line Treatment of Helicobacter pylori.

Objectives: This study assessed the effectiveness, adverse events, patient adherence, and costs of modified dual therapy compared with bismuth-containing quadruple therapy for treating Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese patients. We also sought to determine whether modified dual therapy could be used as an alternative first-line treatment for H. pylori infection.

Highly Crystalline Films of Organic Small Molecules with Alkyl Chains Fabricated by Weak Epitaxy Growth.

Because side-chain engineering of organic conjugated molecules has been widely utilized to tune organic solid-state optoelectronic properties, the achievement of their high-quality films is important for realizing high-performance devices. Here, highly crystalline films of an organic molecule with short alkyl chains, 5,8,15,18-tetrabutyl-5,8,15,18-tetrahydroindolo[3,2-a]indole[30,20:5,6]quinacridone (C4-IDQA), are fabricated by weak epitaxy growth, and highly oriented, large-area, and continuous films are obtained. Because of the soft matter properties, the C4-IDQA molecules can adjust themselves to realize commensurate epitaxy growth on the inducing layers and exhibited good lattice matching in the thin film phase.