Responsibilities of Medical Professionals Amidst Geopolitical Conflict.

The ethical responsibilities of healthcare professionals amidst geopolitical conflict, particularly regarding their impact on patient care and healthcare delivery, present a significant challenge, especially during current strife. With the rise of national and international discord and debate, and the close relationship between war and healthcare, healthcare organizations are increasingly pressured to comment, which can reflect societal engagement, but also pose demands for maintaining professionalism. This article discusses the need for healthcare practitioners to navigate their roles in advocacy without compromising patient care, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection, adherence to ethical standards, and effective communication.

Temporal change in minimum mortality temperature under changing climate: A multicountry multicommunity observational study spanning 1986-2015.

Background: The minimum mortality temperature (MMT) or MMT percentile (MMTP) is an indicator of population susceptibility to nonoptimum temperatures. MMT and MMTP change over time; however, the changing directions show region-wide heterogeneity. We examined the heterogeneity of temporal changes in MMT and MMTP across multiple communities and in multiple countries.

Cognitive assessment in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): a cognitive substudy of the multi-site clinical assessment of ME/CFS (MCAM).

Introduction: Patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) experience cognitive problems with attention, information processing speed, working memory, learning efficiency, and executive function. Commonly, patients report worsening of cognitive symptoms over time after physical and/or cognitive challenges. To determine, monitor, and manage longitudinal decrements in cognitive function after such exposures, it is important to be able to screen for cognitive dysfunction and changes over time in clinic and also remotely at home.

Pain Management During Intrauterine Device Insertion in Nulliparous Women: A Scoping Review.

This study investigates the various methods of pain management during the insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs) in nulliparous women. Currently, the only recommended method of pain management is 800 mg of ibuprofen taken one hour before insertion of the IUD. However, women continue to experience pain during the procedure.

Extended-duration work shifts among care workers: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: The available literature reviews of shift work among care workers are almost exclusively focused on 8-hour shifts and 12-hour shifts or 24-hour on-call shifts for physicians. We do not yet know the scope of evidence regarding extended-duration work shifts (defined as on-duty shifts of 16 or more hours per shift) in diverse healthcare settings, such as the impact on care workers and recipients of care. In this proposed scoping review, we aim to provide an overview of the current research regarding extended-duration work shifts among care workers in various healthcare settings.

Primary prevention in hospitals in 20 high-income countries in Europe - A case of not "Making Every Contact Count"?

This article provides a snapshot of primary prevention activities in hospitals in 20 European high-income countries, based on inputs from experts of the Observatory's Health Systems and Policies Monitor (HSPM) network using a structured questionnaire. We found that in the vast majority of countries (15), there are no systematic national policies on primary prevention in hospitals. Five countries (Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom) reported systematic primary prevention activities in hospitals, although in one of them (Cyprus) this was due to the fact that small hospitals in rural areas or less populated districts host providers of primary care.

Comparison of two metabolomics-platforms to discover biomarkers in critically ill patients from serum analysis.

Serum metabolome analysis is essential for identifying disease biomarkers and predicting patient outcomes in precision medicine. Thus, this study aims to compare Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in acquiring the serum metabolome of critically ill patients, associated with invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), and predicting death. Three groups of 8 patients were considered.

Missing appointments in Parkinson´s Disease: A longitudinal study on the pattern of attendance and its effects on motor and non-motor symptoms, quality of life and disability progression.

Background And Purpose: Parkinson's Disease (PD) requires regular therapeutic adjustments and ongoing outpatient clinic follow-up. Nevertheless, the impact of appointment non-attendance on PD patients concerning the different symptomatic dimensions of the condition remains uncertain. We compared the level of attendance of PD and Essential Tremor (ET) patients and assessed the value of attendance variables as predictors of progression in cognition, motor dysfunction, affect, disability and health-related quality of life in PD.

Survey of Bariatric Surgeon Calibration Tube Use in Sleeve Gastrectomy.

Purpose: The study objective was to identify variations in calibration tube use during sleeve gastrectomy and understand elements of ideal calibration tube performance.

Materials And Methods: A survey was distributed via email and social media to bariatric surgeons, who were asked to rate the performance of their current calibration tube and an ideal calibration tube for five technical milestones involving visualization, positioning, suction capability, and sleeve sizing. Data was analyzed using descriptive and bivariate analyses including chi-square, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.

Combination of gold nanoparticles with near-infrared light as an alternative approach for melanoma management.

Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer and recently approved drugs are often associated with resistance and significant adverse effects. Therefore, the design of more effective and safe options remains imperative. Photothermal therapy (PTT) using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) presents a promising and innovative approach.

Effectiveness of Gastric Cancer Endoscopic Screening in Intermediate-Risk Countries - Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Gastric Cancer (GC) is the fifth neoplasia with the highest incidence worldwide and the fourth with the highest mortality and its geographical distribution isn't homogeneous with high risk, intermediate-risk (IR) and low-risk areas. Advanced stage at diagnosis is related with high mortality of GC, but early detection greatly increases the chances of successful treatment. Upper endoscopy with biopsy is the gold-standard for diagnosis of GC.

Longitudinal transitions of the double burden of overweight and stunting from childhood to early adulthood in India, Peru, and Vietnam.

Background: Examining trajectories of undernutrition and overnutrition separately limits understanding of the double burden of malnutrition. We investigated transitions between normal, stunting, overweight and concurrent stunting and overweight (CSO) and associations with sociodemographic factors in children and adolescents.

Methods: We used data from the Young Lives cohort in India, Peru and Vietnam, which follow children 1-15 (N = 5413) and 8-22 years (N = 2225) over five rounds between 2002 and 2016.

Improving organisation to improve care: ERN ReCONNET organisational reference model for systemic sclerosis patients' care pathway.

Objective: To optimise the organisation of care and encourage the adoption of good clinical practices, the RarERN Path methodology was designed within ERN ReCONNET. The aim of our work was to report the application of RarERN Path on systemic sclerosis within the ERN ReCONNET centres, providing a feasible and flexible organisational reference model for optimising the systemic sclerosis care pathway in different countries.

Methods: RarERN Path is a six-phase methodology which enables the creation of a reference organisational model co-designed on the basis of the expertise of different stakeholders.

Predictive factors of long-term visual outcomes after primary Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK): retrospective study.

Purpose: To determine predictive factors of higher levels of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the long-term after primary Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK).

Methods: Retrospective, single-surgeon case series of 129 successful primary DMEK eyes without graft failure and with a minimum postoperative follow-up of 12 months. Mixed effect model for repeated measurements (MMRM) analysis was performed to determine recipient, donor, surgical and postoperative factors associated with BCVA ≤ 0.

The Need for Standardization of Continuous Glucose Monitoring Performance Evaluation: An Opinion by the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine Working Group on Continuous Glucose Monitoring.

Metrics derived from continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems are often discordant between systems. A major cause is that CGM systems are not standardized; they use various algorithms and calibration methods, leading to discordant CGM readings across systems. This discordance can be addressed by standardizing CGM performance assessments: If manufacturers aim their CGM systems at the same target, then CGM readings will align across systems.

DNA methylation biomarkers and myopia: a multi-omics study integrating GWAS, mQTL and eQTL data.

Background: This study aimed to identify DNA methylation biomarkers associated with myopia using summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR).

Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases was conducted up to March 27, 2024. SMR analyses were performed to integrate genome-wide association study (GWAS) with methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies.

Analysis of six consecutive waves of ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients: key findings and insights from a Portuguese population.

Identifying high-risk patients, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs), enhances treatment and reduces severe outcomes. Since the pandemic, numerous studies have examined COVID-19 patient profiles and factors linked to increased mortality. Despite six pandemic waves, to the best of our knowledge, there is no extensive comparative analysis of patients' characteristics across these waves in Portugal.

REM sleep behavior disorder: Relation between aggressiveness and emotions expressed in dream enactment and cognitive and anxiety/depression status.

Aggressiveness and negative emotions in dreams reports of patients with alfa-synucleinopathies have been associated with cognitive dysfunction. Observation of dream enactment episodes could be a more precise method to capture dream content in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Our objective was to assess the relation between aggressive and emotional dream enactment episodes in patients with RBD and cognition and depression/anxiety.

Public acceptance of coercive measures in Nigerian mental health care.

Background: For the first time, Nigeria has enacted a new mental health law that regulates the use of coercive measures in mental health care.

Aim: The study aimed to investigate the extent to which the Nigerian public accepts the use of coercive measures in the treatment of people with mental health conditions and to understand the impact of stigma and other sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 615 adult respondents from Nigeria's six geopolitical zones.