Polygenic Risk Scores and Hearing Loss Phenotypes in Children.

Importance: Monogenic causes of childhood hearing loss are well established, as are polygenic risk contributions to age-related hearing loss. However, an untested possibility is that polygenic risk scores (PRS) also contribute to childhood hearing loss of all severities, alongside environmental and/or monogenic causes.

Objective: To examine the association between a PRS for adult hearing loss and childhood hearing loss phenotypes.

From 'strong recommendation' to practice: A pre-test post-test study examining adherence to stroke guidelines for fever, hyperglycaemia, and swallowing (FeSS) management post-stroke.

Background: The Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) Trial demonstrated that assistance to implement protocols to manage Fever, hyperglycaemia (Sugar) and Swallowing (FeSS) post-stroke reduced death and disability. In 2017, a 'Strong Recommendation' for use of FeSS Protocols was included in the Australian Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management. We aimed to: i) compare adherence to FeSS Protocols pre- and post-guideline inclusion; ii) determine if adherence varied with prior participation in a treatment arm of a FeSS Intervention study, or receiving treatment in a stroke unit; and compare findings with our previous studies.

Clinical and Radiographic Features of Peri-Implant Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: A Retrospective Study.

Introduction: This study aimed to analyze the factors affecting the occurrence of peri-implant medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (PI-MRONJ) in patients using anti-resorptive drugs (ARDs) on different implant position, inclinations, and types of prosthesis.

Methods: The data of 75 patients with bone necrosis that progressed around the implant between 2018 and 2022 were retrospectively examined to identify the factors influencing PI-MRONJ. Data, including patient demographics (age, sex, smoking status, concomitant disease, time of ARD therapy, dose of ARDs, and parafunctional habits) and implant-specific information (type of prosthesis, angle of insertion), were extracted from medical and dental records.

Safety of Simultaneous vs Sequential mRNA COVID-19 and Inactivated Influenza Vaccines: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Limited randomized clinical trial data exist on the safety of simultaneous administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.

Objective: To compare the reactogenicity, safety, and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after simultaneous vs sequential receipt of messenger RNA (mRNA) COVID-19 vaccine and quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV4).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted between October 8, 2021, and June 14, 2023, at 3 US sites.

Cautionary lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Healthcare systems grappled with the dual responsibility of delivering COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals were challenged to provide both COVID-19 and non-COVID treatment. A survey questionnaire was designed and distributed via email to hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB-PMJAY), the world's largest National Health Insurance Scheme. Telephonic follow-ups were used to ensure participation in places with inadequate internet.

Engaging with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities to Promote Palliative Care That Exceeds Expectation.

Introduction: Given longstanding barriers that obstruct integrated palliative care, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, this article demonstrates a way to engage with Syrian, Bhutanese and African communities to learn about brilliant palliative care with and from members of these communities.

Methods: This study involved the methodology of POSH-VRE, which combines positive organisational scholarship in healthcare (POSH) with video-reflexive ethnography (VRE). Members of the Syrian, Bhutanese, and African communities (n = 14) participated in a focus group or an interview to consider understandings of palliative care; conceptualisations of a good death; how and why palliative care was typically enacted in their communities; the associated effects; as well as the relationship between culturally and linguistically diverse communities and public palliative care services.

Research in Psychiatry Medical Education through "MUST Enrich Grant": A Scoping Review.

Background: The Indian Teachers of Psychiatry (IToP) forum introduced a unique research grant scheme- IToP-MUST (Minds United Scholarship for Teachers) Enrich Research Grant- for conducting research in psychiatry education. This scoping review's objectives are to (a) assess the research areas and methodologies of MUST Enrich grant-supported research, (b) identify strengths and limitations of these research works, and (c) inform the researchers and funding agency concerning robust methodologies and study areas that can be considered in the future.

Methods: We included all MUST-funded original educational research projects from their inception (2020) to the present, which were either published or, although unpublished, available in the public domain.

Adherence to Guidelines and Federal Psychotropic Medication Labels for the Treatment of Medicaid-Insured Children With ADHD.

Objective: This study examined adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) medication labels when prescribing psychotropic medications to Medicaid-insured children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

TGFβ2-Driven Ferritin Degradation and Subsequent Ferroptosis Underlie Salivary Gland Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Conditions.

Despite the high incidence of dry mouth in postmenopausal women, its underlying mechanisms and therapeutic interventions remain underexplored. Using ovariectomized (OVX) mouse models, here this study identifies ferroptosis, an iron-dependent regulated cell death, as a central mechanism driving postmenopausal salivary gland (SG) dysfunction. In the OVX-SGs, TGFβ signaling pathway is enhanced with the aberrant TGFβ2 expression in SG mesenchymal cells.

Quality Control Circle Practices to Reduce Specimen Rejection Rates.

Background: Quality assurance in laboratory testing significantly impacts patient care. The pre-analytical phase is particularly error-prone, contributing to around 70% of laboratory errors. High specimen rejection rates can delay diagnosis and treatment, cause patient discomfort, and increase healthcare costs.

A Virtual Breakthrough Series Collaborative for Missed Test Results: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Missed test results, defined as test results not followed up within an appropriate time frame, are common and lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a quality improvement collaborative, the Virtual Breakthrough Series (VBTS), on the follow-up rate of 2 types of test results prone to being missed: chest imaging suspicious for lung cancer and laboratory findings suggestive of colorectal cancer.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This stepped-wedge cluster-randomized clinical trial was conducted between February 2020 and March 2022 at 12 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, with a predefined 3-cohort roll-out.

Stress Assessment in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Prospective Case-Control Study.

Background:  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disorder that is manageable but has no cure. Therefore, it is associated with parental stress, which is often not given importance. Early identification and holistic management of children with ASD are needed.

EAACI guidelines on the management of IgE-mediated food allergy.

This European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) guideline provides recommendations for the management of IgE-mediated food allergy and was developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach. Following the confirmation of IgE-mediated food allergy diagnosis, allergen avoidance and dietary advice (with support of a specialised dietitian, if possible) together with the provision of a written treatment plan, education on the recognition of allergic symptoms and prescription of medication including adrenaline using an auto-injector are essential. Patients with significant anxiety and requirement for coping strategies may benefit from support from a clinical psychologist.

Measuring health-related quality of life in a Chinese Mainland adolescent population: psychometric properties of the Mandarin Chinese self-reported KIDSCREEN-27 and KIDSCREEN-10 index.

Background: The self-reported KIDSCREEN questionnaires are ideal for capturing children's and adolescents' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and have gained worldwide popularity. Responding to demands for the concise nature of KIDSCREEN among Chinese Mainland researchers and practitioners, this study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mandarin Chinese self-reported KIDSCREEN-27 (KS-27) and KIDSCREEN-10 index (KS-10), which are short versions of the self-reported KIDSCREEN-52 (KS-52).

Methods: This study reanalyzed the validation dataset of the Mandarin Chinese self-reported KS-52.

Recommendations to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in decentralized clinical trials.

Decentralized clinical trials involving the use of digital tools to facilitate remote research are gaining momentum. Rapid advancements in digital technologies have supported the adoption of these trials. These innovations facilitate virtual interactions between clinical trial teams and participants by making it easier to collect, transfer and store electronic data.

Arvind Kumar Baronia: A Visionary Indian Academician in Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Arvind Kumar Baronia, an esteemed academician, devoted his professional life to laying the foundation of the specialty of critical care medicine (CCM) in India in the public sector. His vision and efforts to provide world-class clinical care to patients requiring intensive care units not only led to the establishment of the first standalone department of CCM in the public sector in India but also contributed significantly to formulating a well-structured training course for CCM as well as to get recognition of this specialty as a super-specialty branch of medicine in India.

Preclinical Investigation on the Effect of Collagen Matrix With Polydeoxyribonucleotide at Buccally Positioned Implants.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of collagen matrix with polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) at two concentrations on keratinized tissue (KT) regeneration for buccally positioned implants in canines.

Methods: Four implants were placed in the edentulous mandible of five dogs simultaneously with KT removal. The implants were positioned buccally with respect to the ridge crest.