Sex and Gender Considerations in Orthopaedic Research: Existing Barriers, What's Needed by Institutions and Research Departments, and How to Guide Junior Investigators and Faculty.

JBJS convened a symposium to discuss the reporting of sex and gender in research studies as an imperative to improve research methods and results to benefit all patients. Barriers to improved reporting include a lack of societal and cultural acceptance of its need; a lack of education regarding appropriate terminology and appropriate statistical methods and efficient study designs; a need for increased research funding to support larger group sizes; unknown concordance of cell and animal models with humans to reflect biologic variables such as sex; and a lack of understanding of key considerations of gender, race, and other social determinants of health and how these factors intersect. Attention to developing and disseminating best-practice statistical methods and to educating investigators (at all career levels), reviewers, funders, editors, and staff in their proper implementation will aid reporting.

Intestinal oxygen utilisation and cellular adaptation during intestinal ischaemia-reperfusion injury.

The gastrointestinal tract can be deranged by ailments including sepsis, trauma and haemorrhage. Ischaemic injury provokes a common constellation of microscopic and macroscopic changes that, together with the paradoxical exacerbation of cellular dysfunction and death following restoration of blood flow, are collectively known as ischaemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Although much of the gastrointestinal tract is normally hypoxemic, intestinal IRI results when there is inadequate oxygen availability due to poor supply (pathological hypoxia) or abnormal tissue oxygen use and metabolism (dysoxia).

Established and emerging roles for pharmacy in operating theatres: a scoping review.

Background: Pharmacy services at surgical pre-assessment clinics and on inpatient wards are well-documented, but services to theatre appear comparatively under-developed. High-risk and high-cost medicines are used routinely in theatre; pharmacists are well-qualified to optimise their use and improve patient care.

Aim: To determine the range, extent and nature of pharmacy services to theatre internationally, and to describe any reported outcomes of these services.

The clinical significance and burden of thyroid nodules discovered incidentally.

Background: The majority of thyroid nodules are benign; however current guidelines suggest that thyroid incidentalomas should be appropriately evaluated to rule out malignancy.

Aims: This study aims to determine the incidence of thyroid incidentalomas and the likelihood that they harbour sinister pathology in the largest Irish cohort studied to-date.

Methods: A retrospective observational chart review was conducted using data from July 2018 to December 2018 using the Radiology Database in use at Cork University Hospital.

Effect of concentric exercise-induced fatigue on proprioception, motor control and performance of the upper limb in handball players.

Background: The last phases of a competitive game are when shoulder injuries most commonly happen, and fatigue is thought to be a major contributing factor, perhaps because of reduced proprioception and motor control. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of concentric fatigue on proprioception, motor control, and performance of the upper limb in handball players.

Methods: Forty-six right-handed handball players (all males, age 26.

Analyzing the impact of socioeconomic indicators on gender inequality in Sri Lanka: A machine learning-based approach.

This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of gender inequality in Sri Lanka, focusing on the relationship between key socioeconomic factors and the Gender Inequality Index (GII) from 1990 to 2022. By applying machine learning techniques, including Decision Trees and Ensemble methods, the study investigates the influence of economic indicators such as GDP per capita, government expenditure, government revenue, and unemployment rates on gender disparities. The analysis reveals that higher GDP and government revenues are associated with reduced gender inequality, while greater unemployment rates exacerbate disparities.

Cardiovascular-Liver-Metabolic Health: Recommendations in Screening, Diagnosis, and Management of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Cardiovascular Disease via Modified Delphi Approach.

There is a new awareness of the widespread nature of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and its connection to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This has catalyzed collaboration between cardiologists, hepatologists, endocrinologists, and the wider multidisciplinary team to address the need for earlier identification of those with MASLD who are at increased risk for CVD. The overlap in the pathophysiologic processes and parallel prevalence of CVD, metabolic syndrome, and MASLD highlight the multisystem consequences of poor cardiovascular-liver-metabolic health.

Shared Genetic Links Between Sleep, Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Conditions: A Genome-Wide and Pathway-Based Polygenic Score Analysis.

Genetic correlations have been reported between chronotype and both autism (AUT) and schizophrenia (SCZ), as well as between insomnia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder (BP), schizophrenia (SCZ) and major depression (MDD). Our study aimed to investigate these shared genetic variations using genome-wide and pathway-based polygenic score analyses. We computed polygenic scores using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of ADHD (N = 225,534), AUT (N = 46,350), BP (N = 353,899), MDD (N = 500,199) and SCZ (N = 160,779).

Sensitivity of bulk electrical impedance spectroscopy (bio-capacitance) probes to cell and culture properties: Study on CHO cell cultures.

Bulk electrical impedance spectroscopy (bio-capacitance) probes, hold significant promise for real-time cell monitoring in bioprocesses. Focusing on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, we present a sensitivity analysis framework to assess the impact of cell and culture properties on the complex permittivity spectrum, ε, and its associated parameters, permittivity increment, Δε, critical frequency, f, and Cole-Cole parameter, α, measured by bio-capacitance probes. Our sensitivity analysis showed that Δε is highly sensitive to cell size and concentration, making it suitable for estimating biovolume during the exponential growth phase, whereas f provides information about cumulative changes in cell size, membrane permittivity, and cytoplasm conductivity during the transition to death phase.

Use of conjoint analysis to weight biosecurity practices on pasture-based dairy farms to develop a novel audit tool-BioscoreDairy.

Risk assessments are important tools to identify deficits in biosecurity management practices. A major strength of some existing tools is that they facilitate cross-country comparisons. However, a weakness is their failure to account for unique intra-national farming enterprise structures such as, for example, pasture-based dairying.

The impact of exposure to green or bluespace on dietary intake and food choices among adults-A systematic literature review.

Extensive research has shown that spending time in natural greenspaces has a positive impact on health. However, there is limited evidence regarding potential factors that may influence these effects. This review aimed to assess the strength of the evidence and potential impact of exposure to green and bluespaces on dietary outcomes in adults.

The hidden crisis: Health impacts of tobacco and nicotine products on Indian women.

Tobacco use among women in India is becoming a critical public health issue. Once viewed predominantly as a male habit, tobacco consumption among Indian women has seen a rising trend. This shift is driven by factors such as evolving societal norms, aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry, and increasing urbanization.

Candidemia chronicles: Retrospective analysis of candidemia epidemiology, species distribution, and antifungal susceptibility patterns in Bahrain.

Background: Invasive fungal infections, particularly candidemia, pose significant clinical challenges globally. Understanding local epidemiology, species distribution, and antifungal susceptibility patterns is crucial for effective management despite regional variations.

Aim: To investigate the epidemiology, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility patterns, and associated risk factors of candidemia among patients in Bahrain from 2021 to 2023.

Primary thyroid B-cell lymphoma: molecular insights into its clonal evolution and relapse.

Primary thyroid lymphomas comprise largely extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (EMZL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), followed by follicular lymphoma (FL). They commonly develop from a background of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), where dysregulated immune responses trigger autoreactive infiltrates and drive clonal B-cell evolution. To understand how these lymphomas and their relapse evolve, we investigated 10 cases by mutation profiling, including five with metachronous lymphomas [primary lymphoma (EMZL = 4, DLBCL = 1) with local relapse (EMZL = 3, DLBCL = 2)], one composite EMZL and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive DLBCL, and four lymphomas (EMZL = 3, FL = 1) with prior or subsequent biopsy showing HT.

Hepatocellular carcinoma: updates on epidemiology, surveillance, diagnosis and treatment.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global burden, ranking as the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. HCC due to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or C virus (HCV) infection has decreased due to universal vaccination for HBV and effective antiviral therapy for both HBV and HCV, but HCC related to metabolic dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is increasing. Biannual liver ultrasonography and serum α-fetoprotein are the primary surveillance tools for early HCC detection among high-risk patients (e.

Educator-To-Student Sexual Harassment in UK and Irish Secondary Schools: A Qualitative Analysis.

The current study examines the way sexual harassment, a specific facet of educator sexual misconduct, is experienced by secondary school students. The qualitative component of an online survey was completed by participants aged 18+ who had attended secondary school in Ireland ( = 85) or the UK ( = 74), and who were recruited to participate via social media. Participants were asked to describe the incident of educator-student sexual harassment they experienced that had the greatest effect on them.

Access to Care and the Hispanic Paradox Among Hispanic Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: Despite the disproportionate impact of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on Hispanic patients, reported outcomes are limited, particularly among subpopulations. Our study aimed to evaluate outcomes in access to care and survival among racial and ethnic Hispanic subpopulations.

Methods: The National Cancer Database was then utilized to identify patients diagnosed with HCC between 2004 and 2020.

How to … Build a Peer Reviewer Community in Health Professions Education.

Peer review is the cornerstone of academic publishing that upholds the quality and integrity of scholarly work. However, there is an ever-growing struggle to recruit peer reviewers, termed the 'peer review crisis', driven by a shrinking academic workforce and increased workload. Additionally, there is a notable lack of standardised training for peer reviewers which poses a challenge in maintaining high-quality reviews.

The Role of Neutrophils in Allergic Disease.

Neutrophils are short-lived cells of the innate immune system and represent 50-70% of the circulating leucocytes. Their primary role is antimicrobial defence which they accomplish through rapid migration to sites of inflammation followed by phagocytosis, degranulation and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETosis). While previously considered terminally-differentiated cells, they have been shown to have great adaptability and to play a role in conditions ranging from cancer to autoimmunity.

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Background: Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance in Ireland and globally. It is most likely to be used in adolescence, a period of biopsychosocial vulnerability to maladaptive behaviours. This study aims to investigate the risk and protective factors for cannabis use among adolescents.

Experience and attitudes in relation to telepsychiatry use among non-consultant doctors.

Introduction: In order to minimise physical interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, telepsychiatry became a key part of clinical practice for many psychiatrists.

Methods: This study involved an exploratory, cross-sectional, opt-in online survey circulated to non-consultant doctors in psychiatry working in Ireland. It assessed experience and attitudes in relation to telepsychiatry use.

Radiographers' knowledge, clinical expertise and application of pain management strategies in the radiology department - results from a qualitative focus group.

Background: Radiographers are frequently involved in imaging patients in pain thus requiring a heightened awareness and focus on this crucial issue.

Purpose: To explore the challenges radiographers encounter when imaging patients in pain and to identify strategies that could be implemented to improve overall patient-centered care.

Methods: A qualitative research study with a single focus group (FG) was conducted using six radiographers working within Irish hospitals.