Palliative Care Experiences Among Adults From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Background: Patients from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (URGs) in the United States (US) experience disparities in accessing palliative care (PC) at the end of life (EOL). Additionally, little effort has been made to understand their experiences with PC.

Objectives: To identify and synthesize existing literature on PC experiences among adults from URGs in nursing homes, community settings, and hospitals in the US.

Therapeutic effectiveness of keratinized mucosa augmentation for functioning dental implants: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to provide the latest updates on the therapeutic effectiveness of keratinized mucosa (KM) augmentation using autogenous soft tissue grafts for dental implants retaining prostheses.

Study Selection: A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted on autogenous soft tissue grafts to create and/or augment KM for functioning dental implants. Two investigators independently extracted data from the selected 11 clinical studies, including 290 participants, from the initially retrieved 573 publications.

Overcoming stagnant flow: A scoping review of vertical movement in the emergency department.

Objectives: Improving emergency department (ED) patient flow has plagued many hospitals worldwide. "Vertical" flow improves throughput by maximizing use of chairs and waiting areas instead of beds. This process, however, is inconsistently described in the literature.

Association between bisphosphonate use and stroke risk: a meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: Previous studies have suggested that bisphosphonates may reduce stroke risk. This meta-analysis, which included 21 studies with 741,274 participants, revealed that bisphosphonates might be associated with lower stroke risk. However, evidence derived from randomized controlled trials identified no statistically significant association.

Artificial intelligence CAD tools in trauma imaging: a scoping review from the American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER) AI/ML Expert Panel.

Background: AI/ML CAD tools can potentially improve outcomes in the high-stakes, high-volume model of trauma radiology. No prior scoping review has been undertaken to comprehensively assess tools in this subspecialty.

Purpose: To map the evolution and current state of trauma radiology CAD tools along key dimensions of technology readiness.

Autophagy and multivesicular body pathways cooperate to protect sulfur assimilation and chloroplast functions.

Autophagy and multivesicular bodies (MVBs) represent 2 closely related lysosomal/vacuolar degradation pathways. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), autophagy is stress-induced, with deficiency in autophagy causing strong defects in stress responses but limited effects on growth. LYST-INTERACTING PROTEIN 5 (LIP5) is a key regulator of stress-induced MVB biogenesis, and mutation of LIP5 also strongly compromises stress responses with little effect on growth in Arabidopsis.

Homocysteine is related to enlarged perivascular spaces in the brainstem in patients with isolated pontine infarction.

Background: Homocysteine is correlated with several imaging features of cerebral small vessel disease including white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, and enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS) in the basal ganglia. However, little is known about EPVS in the brainstem. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum total homocysteine (tHcy) and EPVS in the brainstem in patients with acute isolated pontine infarction.

Chloroplasts Protein Quality Control and Turnover: A Multitude of Mechanisms.

As the organelle of photosynthesis and other important metabolic pathways, chloroplasts contain up to 70% of leaf proteins with uniquely complex processes in synthesis, import, assembly, and turnover. Maintaining functional protein homeostasis in chloroplasts is vitally important for the fitness and survival of plants. Research over the past several decades has revealed a multitude of mechanisms that play important roles in chloroplast protein quality control and turnover under normal and stress conditions.

Prevalence and prognosis of increased pancreatic enzymes in patients with COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: The prevalence of increased pancreatic enzymes (elevated serum amylase and/or lipase) and its relationship to clinical outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection is not known.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant studies reporting prevalence and impact of increased pancreatic enzymes (defined as an elevation in amylase and/or lipase levels above the upper limit of normal [ULN] value) in COVID-19 was undertaken.

Results: A total of 36,496 patients from 21 studies were included for this meta-analysis.

Two ubiquitin-associated ER proteins interact with COPT copper transporters and modulate their accumulation.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contains an elaborate protein quality control network that promotes protein folding and prevents accumulation of misfolded proteins. Evolutionarily conserved UBIQUITIN-ASSOCIATED DOMAIN-CONTAINING PROTEIN 2 (UBAC2) is involved in ER-associated protein degradation in metazoans. We have previously reported that two close UBAC2 homologs from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) not only participate in selective autophagy of ER components but also interact with plant-specific PATHOGEN-ASSOCIATED MOLECULAR PATTERN (PAMP)-INDUCED COILED COIL (PICC) protein to increase the accumulation of POWDERY MILDEW-RESISTANT 4 callose synthase.

Delayed Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Alberta: A Framework for Analyzing Barriers to Diagnosis and Generating Evidence to Support Health System Changes Aimed at Reducing Time to Diagnosis.

The frequency of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis has decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health system planning is needed to address the backlog of undiagnosed patients. We developed a framework for analyzing barriers to diagnosis and estimating patient volumes under different system relaunch scenarios.

Effects of Proton Pump Inhibitors on Glycemic Control and Incident Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Context: Whether proton pump inhibitors (PPI) can improve glycemic control among individuals with diabetes or decrease the risk of incident diabetes in the general population is unclear.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of PPI therapy on glycemic control among individuals with diabetes and the risk of diabetes among those without diabetes.

Results: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.

Cargo Recognition and Function of Selective Autophagy Receptors in Plants.

Autophagy is a major quality control system for degradation of unwanted or damaged cytoplasmic components to promote cellular homeostasis. Although non-selective bulk degradation of cytoplasm by autophagy plays a role during cellular response to nutrient deprivation, the broad roles of autophagy are primarily mediated by selective clearance of specifically targeted components. Selective autophagy relies on cargo receptors that recognize targeted components and recruit them to autophagosomes through interaction with lapidated autophagy-related protein 8 (ATG8) family proteins anchored in the membrane of the forming autophagosomes.

Palliative Care for the Asian American Adult Population: A Scoping Review.

Background: The Asian American (AA) population is rapidly becoming one of the largest racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Despite this growth and advances in palliative care (PC) programs in the United States, the scope and nature of the literature regarding PC for AAs remains unclear. This review provides an overview of existing research on PC for AAs, identifies gaps in the research with recommendations for future research and delineates practice implications.

Progressive Changes in the Retinal Structure of Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Many optical coherence tomography (OCT) studies have reported alterations in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether retinal alterations are a biomarker for PD is still controversial.

Objective: To investigate potential correlations between PD and morphological changes in retina using OCT and to determine its usefulness as a biomarker of disease progression in PD.

PolicyMap: Mapping Social Determinants of Health.

PolicyMap is a mapping resource from The Reinvestment Fund that offers access to a range of demographic and health-related data, including chronic disease incidence, health care provider locations, food access, mass transit, and other social determinates of health. This column features a sample search and describes the types of outputs available with PolicyMap.

Pain Correlates with Sleep Disturbances in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Objectives: Both sleep disorders and pain decrease quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little is known about the relationship between objective sleep disturbances and pain in patients with PD. This study aimed to (1) examine the clinical characteristics of pain in PD patients and (2) explore the correlation between pain and sleep disturbances in PD patients.

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder Symptoms Correlate with Domains of Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) may be a risk factor for cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, little is known regarding the relation between the severity of RBD and the different domains of cognitive impairment. The aim of this study was: (1) to investigate the domains of cognitive impairment in patients with PD and RBD, and (2) to explore risk factors for PD-mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and the relationship between RBD severity and impairment in different cognitive domains in PD.

[Correlations between constipation and the axial symptoms, related motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease].

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients with constipation and explore the correlation between constipation and motor symptoms.

Methods: The demographic data of outpatients with PD in our hospital was collected. According to Rome Ⅲ criteria, we evaluated the status of constipation in PD patients.

Cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive programme for drug-resistant tuberculosis in China.

Objective: To investigate the cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive programme for drug-resistant tuberculosis launched in four sites in China in 2011.

Methods: In 2011-2012, we reviewed the records of 172 patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis who enrolled in the comprehensive programme and we collected relevant administrative data from hospitals and China's public health agency. For comparison, we examined a cohort of 81 patients who were treated for drug-resistant tuberculosis in 2006-2009.

Tumor-specific Th2 responses inhibit growth of CT26 colon-cancer cells in mice via converting intratumor regulatory T cells to Th9 cells.

The abnormality of immune regulation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cancer; the underlying mechanism has not been fully understood yet. This study aims to investigate the role of cancer specific T helper (Th)2 response in the inhibition of colon cancer (Cca) cell growth. The results showed that with Cca cell (CT26 cell) extracts as an antigen, the Cca-extract specific Th2 response was induced in the Cca-bearing mice.

Developing a library systematic review service: a case study.

Systematic review searching is a standard job responsibility for many health sciences librarians. The strategies a library uses to market its expertise may affect the number of researchers requesting librarian assistance as well as how researchers perceive librarians as systematic review collaborators. This article describes how one health sciences library developed, launched, and promoted its systematic review service to researchers on campus.