Impact of frailty on outcomes after cardiac surgery.

Objective: The study objective was to evaluate whether increasing frailty, as measured by the Clinical Frailty Scale, was associated with an increased risk of hospital mortality for patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: A retrospective binational cohort study of 46,928 patients who underwent cardiac surgery in Australia and New Zealand was conducted. The primary exposure, frailty, was measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale.

Emotional scenes as context in emotional expression recognition: The role of emotion or valence match.

Emotion recognition is influenced by contextual information such as social category cues or background scenes. However, past studies yielded mixed findings regarding whether broad valence or specific emotion matches drive context effects and how multiple sources of contextual information may influence emotion recognition. To address these questions, participants were asked to categorize expressions on male and female faces posing happiness and anger and happiness and fear on pleasant and fearful backgrounds (Experiment 1, conducted in 2019), fearful and disgusted expressions on fear and disgust eliciting backgrounds (Experiment 2, conducted in 2022), and fearful and sad expressions on fear and sadness eliciting backgrounds (Experiment 3, conducted in 2022).

Shoulder Taps: Relationships Between a New Movement Screening Assessment with Body Composition and Physical Fitness in Law Enforcement Recruits.

The overhead squat, as part of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS), can analyze total- and lower-body mechanics. Shoulder taps, which incorporates a push-up position and challenges shoulder, trunk, and hip stability, may identify movement deficiencies indicated by multiple FMS actions which could be useful for law enforcement recruits. This study determined overhead squat and shoulder taps relationships, associations between these screens with body composition and fitness, and differences in body composition and fitness according to overhead squat/shoulder taps scores in recruits by sex.

Are Newer Drugs Better? An Analysis of Neonatal Pharmacological Treatments across Generations.

Introduction: We evaluated the relative effects of newer versus older medications for neonatal conditions and trends in margin of superiority across generations.

Materials And Methods: We assessed network meta-analyses (NMAs) on neonatal pharmacological interventions identified from MEDLINE, Cochrane, and PROSPERO. Interventions were chronologically arranged based on the earliest study and compared for their effects against placebo or no treatment and their immediate predecessor.

Spinal manipulation and mobilisation in paediatrics - an international evidence-based position statement for physiotherapists.

Introduction: An international taskforce of clinician-scientists was formed by specialty groups of World Physiotherapy - International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) & International Organisation of Physiotherapists in Paediatrics (IOPTP) - to develop evidence-based practice position statements directing physiotherapists clinical reasoning for the safe and effective use of spinal manipulation and mobilisation for paediatric populations (<18 years) with varied musculoskeletal or non-musculoskeletal conditions.

Method: A three-stage guideline process using validated methodology was completed: 1. Literature review stage (one scoping review, two reviews exploring psychometric properties); 2.

Impact of a prospective feedback loop aimed at reducing non-beneficial treatments in older people admitted to hospital and potentially nearing the end of life. A cluster stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To investigate if a prospective feedback loop that flags older patients at risk of death can reduce non-beneficial treatment at end of life.

Design: Prospective stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial with usual care and intervention phases.

Setting: Three large tertiary public hospitals in south-east Queensland, Australia.

Assistive tools for classifying neurological disorders using fMRI and deep learning: A guide and example.

Background: Deep-learning (DL) methods are rapidly changing the way researchers classify neurological disorders. For example, combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and DL has helped researchers identify functional biomarkers of neurological disorders (e.g.

A roadmap to understanding interoceptive awareness and post-traumatic stress disorder: a scoping review.

The concept of interoception has existed since the beginning of the 1900s. It is suggested that humans can observe feelings arising from the body that allows them to develop a sense of their emotional status and physical condition. The term interoceptive awareness appears to originate with clinicians working with individuals who had experienced trauma, in particular Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Supporting study registration to reduce research waste.

An estimated 82-89% of ecological research and 85% of medical research has limited or no value to the end user because of various inefficiencies. We argue that registration and registered reports can enhance the quality and impact of ecological research. Drawing on evidence from other fields, chiefly medicine, we support our claim that registration can reduce research waste.

AMP-RNNpro: a two-stage approach for identification of antimicrobials using probabilistic features.

Antimicrobials are molecules that prevent the formation of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. The necessity to detect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) using machine learning and deep learning arises from the need for efficiency to accelerate the discovery of AMPs, and contribute to developing effective antimicrobial therapies, especially in the face of increasing antibiotic resistance. This study introduced AMP-RNNpro based on Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), an innovative model for detecting AMPs, which was designed with eight feature encoding methods that are selected according to four criteria: amino acid compositional, grouped amino acid compositional, autocorrelation, and pseudo-amino acid compositional to represent the protein sequences for efficient identification of AMPs.

The impact of telehealth care on escalation to emergency care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: We compared the impact of accessing healthcare (1) by telehealth (via telephone or video) vs face-to-face; and (2) by telephone vs video telehealth care, on escalation to emergency care.

Methods: We searched Medline, Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL to 24 July 2023; and conducted a citation analysis on 19 September 2023. We included randomised controlled trials.

Relationships Between Physical Ability Test Performance and Fitness in Recruits From a Southeastern U.S. Police Department.

Lockie, RG, Orr, RM, Sanchez, KJ, Gonzales, SM, Viramontes, E, Kennedy, K, and Dawes, JJ. Relationships between physical ability test performance and fitness in recruits from a southeastern U.S.

Dietary intake and quality among adults with cystic fibrosis: A systematic review.

Aims: This systematic review aims to describe the dietary quality, dietary intake and related behaviours of adults diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in four databases (Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL); studies were included if they addressed dietary intake, diet quality or eating behaviours among adults (≥15 years) living with cystic fibrosis and were published from January 2000 to November 2022. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the risk of bias and quality of included studies.

Social Media Promotion of Health Tests With Potential for Overdiagnosis or Overuse: Protocol for a Content Analysis.

Background: In recent years, social media have emerged as important spaces for commercial marketing of health tests, which can be used for the screening and diagnosis of otherwise generally healthy people. However, little is known about how health tests are promoted on social media, whether the information provided is accurate and balanced, and if there is transparency around conflicts of interest.

Objective: This study aims to understand and quantify how social media is being used to discuss or promote health tests with the potential for overdiagnosis or overuse to generally healthy people.

Process evaluation of a data-driven quality improvement program within a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve coronary heart disease management in Australian primary care.

Background: This study evaluates primary care practices' engagement with various features of a quality improvement (QI) intervention for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) in four Australian states.

Methods: Twenty-seven practices participated in the QI intervention from November 2019 -November 2020. A combination of surveys, semi-structured interviews and other materials within the QUality improvement in primary care to prevent hospitalisations and improve Effectiveness and efficiency of care for people Living with heart disease (QUEL) study were used in the process evaluation.

Preoperative lifestyle modifications combined with a structured exercise protocol on patient outcomes following total knee replacement surgery: A systematic review.

Background: Medical guidelines recommend structured prehabilitation protocols consisting of lifestyle modifications and exercise to enhance post-operative outcomes for patients undergoing a total knee replacement (TKR). However, current research showing effectiveness is limited and has primarily focused on outcomes of exercise-based prehabilitation.

Objectives: To investigate whether a structured prehabilitation protocol consisting of exercise and lifestyle modifications improves physical function and patient-reported outcomes following TKR surgery compared with usual care.

Do the teaching, practice and assessment of clinical communication skills align?

Background: Evidence indicates that communication skills teaching learnt in the classroom are not often readily transferable to the assessment methods that are applied nor to the clinical environment. An observational study was conducted to objectively evaluate students' communication skills in different learning environments. The study sought to investigate the extent to which the communication skills demonstrated by students in classroom, clinical, and assessment settings align.

Investigating the effect of an online enhanced care program on the emotional and physical wellbeing of patients discharged from hospital with acute decompensated heart failure: Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial: Enhanced care program for heart failure.

Objective: Depression is highly prevalent and associated with increased hospitalisations and mortality among patients with heart failure (HF). This study will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an online wellbeing program for patients discharged from hospital with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in (i) improving emotional and physical wellbeing, and (ii) decreasing healthcare utilisation.

Methods: Two-arm randomised controlled trial.

Depressed mood as a transdiagnostic target relevant to anxiety and/or psychosis: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Depressed mood is a psychological state characterised by sadness or loss of interest in activities. Depressed mood is a highly prevalent symptom across major mental disorders. However, there is limited understanding of the burden and management of comorbid depressed mood across major mental disorders.

Near-death experiences after cardiac arrest: a scoping review.

Background: This scoping review aimed to characterise near-death experiences in the setting of cardiac arrest, a phenomenon that is poorly understood and may have clinical consequences.

Method: PubMed/MEDLINE was searched to 23 July 2023 for prospective studies describing near-death experiences in cardiac arrest. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were adhered to.