Effectiveness and adverse effects of immersive technologies used for rehabilitation of patients with non-specific neck pain: a systematic review.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of immersive technologies in the rehabilitation of patients with non-specific neck pain and identify any potential side effects associated with their use.

Design: Systematic review.

Subjects/patients: Individuals with non-specific neck pain.

The impact of mobilization training time during the first postoperative week on the length of hospital stay in postoperative patients admitted to an intensive care unit.

Objective: To determine the impact of mobilization training time during the first postoperative week on the length of hospital stay for postoperative patients admitted to an intensive care unit.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Patients: Consecutive patients who underwent elective surgery and stayed in the intensive care unit of a university hospital for more than 48 h between July 2017 and August 2020 were enrolled.

Outcome measures in muscular dystrophy rehabilitation: an ICF content comparison approach to the most commonly used MD scales.

Introduction: Functioning is the reason to be of rehabilitation as it is essential to the lives of people who suffer from a disease. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can help in designing a functioning profile of a patient, identifying needs for rehabilitation plans and measuring the results of an intervention.

Objective: To identify the outcome measurement instruments reported in clinical studies in muscular dystrophies (MDs) and provide an ICF content analysis.

Metal Ion and Antibiotic Co-loaded Nanoparticles for Combating Methicillin-Rresistant -Induced Osteomyelitis.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) causes osteomyelitis (OM), which seriously threatens public health due to its antimicrobial resistance. To increase the sensitivity of antibiotics and eradicate intracellular bacteria, a Zn and vancomycin (Van) codelivered nanotherapeutic (named Man-Zn/Van NPs) was fabricated and characterized via mannose (Man) modification. Man-Zn/Van NPs exhibit significant inhibitory activity against extra- and intracellular MRSA and obviously decrease the minimum inhibitory concentration of Van.

Bipyramidal gold nanoparticles-assisted plasmonic photothermal therapy for ocular applications.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) play a key role in the field of nanomedicine due to their fascinating plasmonic properties as well as their great biocompatibility. An intriguing application is the use of plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) mediated by anisotropic AuNPs irradiated with a near-infrared (NIR) laser for treating ocular diseases in ophthalmology. For this purpose, bipyramidal-shaped AuNPs (BipyAu), which were surface-functionalized with three different organic ligands (citrate, polystyrene sulphonate (PSS), and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)), were synthesized.

Electroacupuncture improves cognitive impairment after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Objective: Cognitive impairment (CI) is highly prevalent in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) patients. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway plays a critical role in neuronal survival in a variety of central nervous system injuries. This study aimed to determine whether electroacupuncture (EA) at and LI20 ameliorates SAH-CI in a rat model and to examine whether it modulates the PI3K/AKT pathway by administering a PI3K inhibitor (LY294002) versus dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) vehicle.

Sepsis in Preterm Neonates Caused by Central Venous Catheter: A Case Report.

In recent years, infection has emerged as a main concern in the field of children's public health. This bacterium, known to be a pollutant, can be found in various settings such as hospital wards, equipment, breast milk, nutrient solution, and so on. With its high pathogenicity and toxicity, infection can lead to severe and life-threatening symptoms, particularly in premature infants.

Open surgical treatment for giant presacral tailgut cyst - a case report.

Tailgut cyst is an exceedingly rare congenital anomaly originating from embryonic remnants of the tailgut. Owing to its asymptomatic nature in the early stages, it is prone to clinical misdiagnosis. We present a case of a 55-year-old female with initial symptoms manifesting as sacrococcygeal pain.

Transabdominal laparoscopic excision of a giant retroperitoneal lymphangioma.

Retroperitoneal lymphangioma is exceptionally rare. We present a case of a 41-year-old asymptomatic patient with a large abdominal cystic mass detected on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan, initially suspected to be pseudomyxoma peritonei. Laparoscopic exploration revealed a 30 x 30 cm multilocular cystic tumour originating from the retroperitoneum.

Analysis of hollow visceral injuries admitted to a level one intensive care unit in South Africa.

Background: Bowel trauma, encompassing injuries to the small and large intestine, represents a significant medical challenge due to its potential for morbidity and mortality. Management of bowel injuries remains surgical, but multiple factors influence the outcome in these patients. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the high-risk features of hollow visceral trauma in the ICU setting and the corresponding mortality rates, shedding light on the critical factors that influence outcomes in these cases.

The epidemiological characteristics of major trauma in Pietersburg and Mankweng hospitals, Limpopo province.

Background: Data on trauma burden and outcome varies amongst the nine South African Provinces. In Limpopo Province there is a paucity of data which this study aimed to quantify and characterise the severe trauma burden in the province.

Methods: A retrospective chart review for all patients with injury severity score (ISS) > 16 over a 6-year period (Jan 2015-Dec 2020) at two central hospitals in Limpopo province.

Traumatic limb amputations in polytrauma ICU admissions.

Background: KwaZulu-Natal bears a significant trauma burden, with polytrauma patients often experiencing traumatic limb amputations. This study investigates traumatic limb amputations in the subgroup of severely injured polytrauma patients admitted to the trauma ICU in KwaZulu-Natal. This study aims to describe the management and outcomes of traumatic limb amputations in polytrauma patients at the trauma ICU.

The adapted Caprini score as a proxy forpostoperative venous thromboembolismprophylaxis: a tertiary hospital experience.

Background: Postoperative patients' risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) can be predicted using the adapted Caprini risk assessment model which informs administration of postoperative VTE prophylaxis. The study aimed to assess the appropriateness of postoperative VTE prophylaxis of patients according to the adapted Caprini scores and investigate whether a patient's HIV status influenced postoperative VTE prophylaxis administration.

Methods: This cohort study included patients who had elective or urgent surgery at a tertiary hospital, Bloemfontein.

Experience of a tertiary/quaternary unit with surgery for endocrine hypertension.

Background: Endocrine hypertension is believed to be underestimated worldwide especially in the developing countries. There is a scarcity of publications on endocrine hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to reflect the profile of patients with endocrine hypertension of adrenal/paraganglioma origin at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH).

Time to regional surgical care in rural South Africa.

Background: District hospitals in South Africa have limited surgical capacity and regional hospitals treat most essential surgical conditions. This study aimed to describe the pathway and time to regional hospital surgical care for persons with general surgery conditions (PSC) in South Africa.

Methods: This was a retrospective audit of all persons referred on the Vula Mobile App to the general surgery service at Worcester Regional Hospital (WRH) from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.

Outcomes of surgical patients in a tertiary ICU with incidental COVID-19 in comparison with COVID-19 naïve patients.

Background: COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, where it spread over a wide geographic area until it reached the status of a pandemic in 2020. We postulated that patients who were diagnosed with incidental COVID-19, and underwent surgery, did not have a worse outcome due to the COVID-19 virus compared to their counterparts who did not have the virus.

Methods: This retrospective study included surgical patients (COVID-19 incidentals and COVID-19 negatives) who were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at Tygerberg Academic Hospital between 1 May 2020 and 31 December 2021.

Defining the contribution of human error to adverse events in a surgical service.

Background: This study aimed to assess the contribution of human error to adverse events over 10 years in a single surgical department in South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective database analysis was undertaken to identify all adverse events, which were further assessed to identify which were error-associated.

Results: A total of 14 237 adverse events occurred between December 2012 and January 2023, of which 7 504 (52.

Nutrition in the critically ill in resource-limited settings/low- and middle-income countries.

Purpose Of Review: To share current concepts and provide an overview of the contextual issues and nutrition practices in critically ill patients in resource-limited settings (RLSs)/low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Most of the world's population reside in these settings which also carries the greatest burden of critical illness.

Recent Findings: There is a paucity of evidence on nutrition practice in critically ill patients in RLSs and international guidelines are largely based on evidence derived from high-income countries (HICs).

PMA1-containing extracellular vesicles of triggers immune responses and colitis progression.

() exhibits aberrant changes in patients with colitis, and it has been reported to dominate the colonic mucosal immune response. Here, we found that PMA1 expression was significantly increased in from patients with IBD compared to that in healthy controls. A Crispr-Cas9-based fungal strain editing system was then used to knock out PMA1 expression in .

Exosomes from Different Sources in Promoting Wound Healing.

Exosomes are nanoscale extracellular vesicles with various biological activities that can accelerate wound healing by regulating inflammatory responses, promoting cell proliferation and angiogenesis, and other mechanisms. Among them, plant and animal exosomes have demonstrated unique advantages due to their biological characteristics. Plant exosomes have gradually become a research hotspot due to their wide source, high biosafety, and low production cost, demonstrating significant pro-healing potential.

Forsythiaside A Ameliorates Inflammation by Regulating the Autophagy in Methotrexate-induced Intestinal Mucositis.

Background: Methotrexate (MTX) effectively eliminates cancerous cells but can also cause inflammation intestinal, known as mucositis. Forsythiaside A (FTA) from Forsythia suspensa has shown promise in relieving mucositis by targeting the NLRP3 pathways. Since NLRP3 inflammasome activation is negatively regulated by autophagy, this study explores how FTAmediated autophagy affects NLRP3 inflammasome in treating MTX-induced intestinal inflammation.

Safety and Efficacy of Transendocardial Stem Cells Therapy in Chronic Ischemic Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Introduction: Chronic ischemic heart failure is a major global health issue despite advancements in therapy. Stem cell (SC) therapy has emerged as a potential treatment, but its effectiveness remains uncertain. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the current evidence on SC therapy's efficacy.

Plasma Osteoprotegerin and Cognitive Impairment after Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Plasma osteoprotegerin (OPG) has been linked to poor prognosis following stroke, but its impact on post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is unknown. The purpose of our work was to analyze the relationship of OPG with PSCI.

Methods: Our study included 613 ischemic stroke subjects with plasma OPG levels.

Late Endovascular Treatment for Ischemic Stroke with Moderate to Large Infarct Volume is Associated with a Better Clinical Prognosis.

Objective: The concept of "time is brain" is crucial for the reperfusion therapy of ischemic stroke. However, the Infarct Growth Rate (IGR) varies among individuals, which is regarded as a more powerful factor than the time when determining infarct volume and its association with clinical outcomes. For stroke patients with a similar infarct volume, a longer time from stroke Onset to Imaging (OTI) correlates with a lower IGR, which may indicate a better prognosis.