Sociodemographic and Economic Correlates of Dialysis Vintage in a Resource Challenged Setting: A Four-Year Prospective Study in Southwest Nigeria.

Background: Dialysis vintage is largely dependent on the effectiveness of the delivered dose coupled with the extent of patient compliance with the prescribed treatment regimen. This study assessed the determinants and correlates of dialysis vintage. : This was a 4-year prospective, observational study.

Prevalence and perception of disrespect and abuse during childbirth in public healthcare facilities in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: There is increasing awareness of disrespect and abuse (DAA) during childbirth. Globally, DAA during delivery is a common cause of suffering and violation of the human rights of birthing mothers. Respectful maternal care is necessary to improve the quality of care and uptake of institutional delivery services to reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

Perception of Learning Environment Among Undergraduate Medical Students at University of Jos Using Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale.

Background: The learning environment (LE) plays a crucial role in the performance and training of medical students. Different tools have been used to assess the LE with various conclusions. However, the John Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) which is a relatively newer scale is more specific, less cumbersome to administer, and has a wider scope.

Genetic Modifiers in Sickle Cell Disease Leg Ulcers: Unveiling the Pathways associated with the development and, or progression of Leg Ulcers - A Scoping Review Protocol.

This scoping review aims to assess the literature on genetic modifiers of leg ulcers in sickle cell disease, evaluating available evidence, methodologies, and research gaps. A major morbidity in sickle cell disease is the development of leg ulcers. This clinical syndrome of SCD leg ulcers (SLU) has continued to be an enigma due to its multifactorial evolution, dearth of promising guidelines on treatment, and generally unsatisfactory response to treatment.

High implantation of a balloon-expandable valve above the left ventricular outflow calcification improves the prosthetic valve function without increasing complications: a case series.

Background: The initial outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement in patients with left ventricular outflow tract calcification are poor. Furthermore, balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement is associated with an increased risk of annular rupture, and self-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement is associated with worse post-operative residual paravalvular leakage grades. Therefore, developing an optimal method for transcatheter aortic valve replacement for patients with left ventricular outflow tract calcification is desirable.

Assessing response to stressful emotions: a controlled crossover study using pupillometry.

Background: Fear and horror induce autonomic protective responses, acting as "survival intelligence." Pupillometry is an innovative method that captures real-time autonomic nervous system reactions to stress.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of pupillometry to assess the acute response to a passive real-life stressor-viewing a truthful war scene.

BCOR abnormalities in endometrial stromal sarcoma.

Endometrial stromal tumors (ESTs) are uncommon mesenchymal tumors of the reproductive system associated with heterogeneous histomolecular features. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ESTs are classified into benign endometrial stromal nodules (BESN) and endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESSs), which are further divided into low-grade and high-grade subtypes. High-grade ESS is frequently associated with YWHAE-NUTM2 gene fusions, while a newly recognized subtype with BCOR rearrangements, including fusions, alterations, and internal tandem duplications (ITDs), has recently been incorporated into the molecular classification of ESS.

Glaucoma Detection and Feature Identification via GPT-4V Fundus Image Analysis.

Purpose: The aim is to assess GPT-4V's (OpenAI) diagnostic accuracy and its capability to identify glaucoma-related features compared to expert evaluations.

Design: Evaluation of multimodal large language models for reviewing fundus images in glaucoma.

Subjects: A total of 300 fundus images from 3 public datasets (ACRIMA, ORIGA, and RIM-One v3) that included 139 glaucomatous and 161 nonglaucomatous cases were analyzed.

Analysis of thyroid autoantibodies and the risk of insulin depletion after the clinical onset of acute-onset type 1 diabetes in Japanese patients: the TIDE-J study.

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes is often accompanied by autoimmune thyroid disease. We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of Japanese patients with acute-onset type 1 diabetes and thyroid autoantibodies, focusing on decreased endogenous insulin secretion.

Materials And Methods: We examined 80 patients with acute-onset type 1 diabetes, classifying them into two groups with and without thyroid autoantibodies and compared the clinical characteristics of the two groups.

Protective effect of CK2 against endoplasmic reticulum stress in pancreatic β cells.

Unlabelled: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress due to obesity or systemic insulin resistance is an important pathogenic factor that could lead to pancreatic β-cell failure. We have previously reported that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) is highly induced by ER stress in pancreatic β cells. Moreover, its accumulation hampers the response of these cells to ER stress by inhibiting the induction of the molecular chaperone 78 kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP78).

Effects of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy on weight loss and metabolic improvement in subjects aged 65 years or older: a subanalysis of J-SMART study.

Aim: To investigate the effect of weight loss and metabolic improvement after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) in older adults aged 65 years or over compared with younger adults in a retrospective analysis.

Methods: The J-SMART study database of 322 Japanese individuals with body mass index (BMI) ≥32 kg/m who underwent LSG between 2011 and 2014 at 10 centers accredited by the Japanese Society for Treatment of Obesity were analyzed. The subjects were classified into two groups: ≥65 age group (range, 65-76 years; n = 25) and <65 age group (range, 22-64 years; n = 297).

Practice guideline: Statement regarding treatment for suspected slowly progressive type 1 diabetes (SPIDDM; probable) cases (English Version).

Insulin treatment should be introduced in patients with slowly progressive type 1 diabetes (SPIDDM; definite), according to the revised diagnostic criteria of SPIDDM (2023). In contrast, SPIDDM (probable) patients are in a non-insulin-dependent state; therefore, a more flexible treatment can be considered, although sulfonylurea agents should be avoided. Insulin treatment has been shown to maintain endogenous insulin secretion capacity in SPIDDM (probable); however, this does not mean that all SPIDDM (probable) patients should use insulin from the early phase.

Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form for assessing physical activity in Japanese adults with type 1 diabetes.

Objective: To examine the validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF) against an objective method for assessing physical activity (PA) in Japanese adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 126 adults with T1D (aged 20-74 years). The participants wore a triaxial accelerometer for 7 consecutive days and completed the IPAQ-SF (a recall survey for the last 7 days) on the day following the 7-day accelerometer period.

C-reactive protein and association with disease severity in hospitalized adult patients with Lassa fever in Nigeria.

Objectives: Lassa fever (LF) poses a significant health burden in West Africa. The pathophysiology of LF and determinants of clinical spectrum of disease remain poorly understood. We performed a study to understand the correlation of blood inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP), with LF disease severity.

Mindray CL-900i assay: An effective assay for hepatitis B surface antigen screening with superior specificity.

Objectives: The chemiluminescence immunoassay automated Abbott ARCHITECT hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) screening assay is globally recognized for its superior sensitivity but notably low specificity. This mandates positive results confirmation by another confirmatory assay, such as the widely used Abbott ARCHITECT HBsAg neutralizing assay. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the new chemiluminescence immunoassay, Mindray CL-900i HBsAg screening assay in comparison to the ARCHITECT neutralizing/confirmatory assay.

Cost savings of reducing opioid prescribing for the treatment of people with low back pain in general practice: a modelling study.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Contrary to clinical guidelines, opioids are frequently prescribed early in the management of LBP in primary care, leading to potential harm and downstream healthcare costs. The objective of this study was to model the one-year impacts of strategies that reduce opioid prescribing for low back pain (LBP) in primary care on healthcare costs and overdose deaths Australia-wide and explore the potential for such strategies to be cost-neutral.

Hepatitis C Virus Seroprevalence, Incidence, and Screening Patterns in Ontario Preexposure Prophylaxis Users.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as a sexually transmitted infection in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). We estimated the seroprevalence and incidence of HCV infection and examined patterns of HCV testing among GBM using human immunodeficiency virus preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Ontario PrEP Cohort Study (ON-PrEP), a prospective cohort of PrEP users from 10 Ontario clinics.

Impact of Policy Changes Expanding Access to Direct-Acting Antivirals on Hepatitis C Virus-Related Hospitalizations in People With HIV: A Population-Based Study.

Background: The burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hospitalizations is substantial, particularly among people with HIV and HCV. In Ontario, Canada, use of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) increased following policies removing fibrosis-stage restrictions and approving of pangenotypic agents in 2017 and 2018, respectively. We examined the impact of expanded DAA access on HCV-related hospitalizations in people with HIV.

Evidence update on the cancer risk of vaping e-cigarettes: A systematic review.

Introduction: There is substantial interest in the association of vaping e-cigarettes with the risk of cancer. We analyzed this risk in different populations by updating the Kings College London (KCL) review to include the period between July 2021 and December 2023.

Methods: We searched six databases and included peer-reviewed human, animal, and cell/ original studies examining the association between e-cigarettes and cancer risk, but we excluded qualitative studies.

Comparison of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike following Omicron infection or Omicron BA.4/5 vaccination in kidney transplant recipients.

Background: The emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants challenges immunity, particularly among immunocompromised kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). To address this, vaccines have been adjusted to circulating variants. Despite intensive vaccination efforts, SARS-CoV-2 infections surged among KTRs during the Omicron wave, enabling a direct comparison of variant-specific immunity following-vaccination against Omicron BA.

Maternal seafood intake, dietary contaminant exposure, and risk of juvenile idiopathic arthritis: exploring gene-environment interactions.

Objectives: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) originates from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. We investigated the association between seafood intake and dietary contaminant exposure during pregnancy and JIA risk, to identify sex differences and gene-environment interactions.

Methods: We used the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), a population-based prospective pregnancy cohort (1999-2008).

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and of seasonal variations on the innate immune inflammatory response.

Introduction: The innate immune response is an important first checkpoint in the evolution of an infection. Although adaptive immunity is generally considered the immune component that retains antigenic memory, innate immune responses can also be affected by previous stimulations. This study evaluated the impact of vaccination on innate cell activation by TLR7/8 agonist R848, as well as seasonal variations.

The PerioGene North study reveals that periodontal inflammation and advanced jawbone loss in periodontitis associate with serum gingipain antibodies but not with systemic autoimmunity.

Introduction: Periodontitis is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). One hypothesis posits that this connection arises from the formation of autoantibodies against citrullinated proteins (ACPA) in inflamed gums, possibly triggered by . We previously demonstrated an increased antibody response to arginine gingipains (anti-Rgp IgG), not only in individuals with severe periodontitis compared to controls, but in RA versus controls, with an association to ACPA.

Antibacterial activity of 1 % Roselle flower nano-emulsion extract (Hibiscus sabdariffa) against peri-implantitis-related bacteria on orthodontic mini-implants: An in vitro study.

Objective: The orthodontic mini-implant (OMI) failure often occurs due to the accumulation of peri-implantitis bacteria surrounding it, which results in a stable, resistant form of absolute skeletal anchorage during orthodontic treatment. Administering doxycycline may be the solution, but long-term side effects result in antibiotic resistance. Roselle flowers (Hibiscus sabdariffa) possess beneficial active phytochemical substances, which may have potential as an OMI peri-implantitis alternative therapy.