Female Brain and Endocrinological Research-Veteran (FemBER-Vet) study: A study protocol for identifying endocrinological, lifestyle and psychosocial determinants of brain health outcomes in female veterans for future intervention success.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated a greater risk of dementia in female veterans compared to civilians; with the highest prevalence noted for former service women with a diagnosis of psychiatric (trauma, alcoholism, depression), and/or a physical health condition (brain injury, insomnia, diabetes). Such findings highlight the need for increased and early screening of medical and psychiatric conditions, and indeed dementia, in the female veteran population. Further, they call for a better understanding of the underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms that might confer heightened risk for female veterans, to tailor preventative and interventional strategies that support brain health across the lifespan.

Increasing access to pain care services to improve rural pain management: a realist review investigating factors affecting uptake, implementation, and sustainability.

Guideline-based care for chronic pain is challenging to deliver in rural settings. Evaluations of programs that increase access to pain care services in rural areas report variable outcomes. We conducted a realist review to gain a deep understanding of how and why such programs may, or may not, work.

Item-Level Analysis of Category Fluency Test Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Studies of Normal and Neurologically Abnormal Ageing.

While Category Fluency (CF) is widely used to help profile semantic memory, item-level scoring (ILS) approaches to this test have been proposed to obtain indices that are less influenced by non-semantic supportive functions. We systematically reviewed the literature to test the hypotheses that (1) compared with healthy adults, individuals with a clinical diagnosis suggestive of neurodegeneration generate words of lower semantic complexity; (2) compared with young adults, older adults generate words of higher semantic complexity. We searched six databases (date of search: 8 December 2023) for studies that relied on CF and ILS methods, in normal ageing and in age-associated neurodegeneration.

The association of congenital diaphragmatic hernia with scoliosis.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of scoliosis in patients who have undergone surgical repair of CDH and attempt to assess the aetiology of scoliosis in affected cases.

Methods: A prospectively collected database of patients with CDH treated in a single centre between 1997 and 2023 was reviewed. Cases with adequate records who continued to reside locally having survived beyond age 2 and > 2 years following CDH repair were included.

A systematic review to determine the effect of strategies to sustain chronic disease prevention interventions in clinical and community settings.

This review assessed the effect of strategies designed to sustain the delivery of evidenced based interventions (EBIs) which target behavioural risk factors linked to leading causes of chronic disease in clinical and community settings. Seven electronic databases were searched for randomised controlled studies published from earliest record to November 2022. Studies were included if they tested a strategy to sustain the delivery of an EBI within clinical or community settings.

Tracking Physical Activity and Nutrition Policies and Practices in Early Childhood Education and Care: Five Years Post-Implementation of a Provincial-Level Active Play Standard.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings are key for improving health behaviors, including physical activity (PA) and nutrition. In 2017, the province of British Columbia (BC) implemented a provincial-level Active Play policy supported by a capacity-building intervention. Significant improvements in all PA policies and practices and the majority of nutrition policies were observed post-implementation.

Children With Sydenham Chorea and Psychiatric Disorders Had Variable Long-Term Outcomes and Required Multidisciplinary Management.

Aim: Sydenham chorea (SC) is a globally significant, post-streptococcal, childhood neuropsychiatric condition that is rare in western Europe. This retrospective single-centre study focused on children with neuropsychiatric features of SC.

Methods: Participants were recruited from neuropsychiatry referrals to a regional paediatric neurology department in Glasgow, Scotland, from 2009 to 2012.

Evaluating Process and Outcomes of Public Involvement in Applied Health and Social Care Research: A Rapid Systematic Review.

Objective: Public Involvement (PI) in applied health and social care research has grown exponentially in the UK. This review aims to synthesise published UK evidence that evaluates the process and/or outcome(s) of PI in applied health and social care research to identify key contextual factors, effective strategies, outcomes and public partner experiences underpinning meaningful PI in research.

Methods: Following a pre-registered protocol, we systematically searched four databases and two key journals for studies conducted within the UK between January 2006 and July 2024.

The Nasogastric Tube for Adhesional Small Bowel Obstruction: An Analysis of Treatment Effect and Outcomes in a Tertiary Acute General Surgical Unit.

Background Nasogastric tubes (NGTs) have long been considered standard practice for the management of adhesional small bowel obstructions (ASBOs). However, the evidence to support the routine use of NGTs in ASBO is sparse. This study aims to review outcomes associated with NGT use in a large tertiary centre.

The efficacy of core decompression combined with regenerative therapy in early femoral head necrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis involving 954 subjects.

Background: The debate continues on whether combining core decompression (CD) with regenerative therapy provides a more effective treatment for early femoral head necrosis than CD alone. This systematic review and meta-analysis endeavored to assess its efficacy.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library through July 2024 for RCTs and cohort studies evaluating the impact of core decompression (CD) with regenerative therapy versus CD alone in early-stage osteonecrosis (ARCO I, II or IIIa or Ficat I or II) of the femoral head (ONFH).

AI predicting recurrence in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: systematic review with study strengths and weaknesses.

Background: Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) is notorious for its high recurrence rate of 70-80%, imposing a significant human burden and making it one of the costliest cancers to manage. Current prediction tools for NMIBC recurrence rely on scoring systems that often overestimate risk and lack accuracy. Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming oncological urology by leveraging molecular and clinical data to enhance predictive precision.

Survival status of women with cervical cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 2024.

Background: Despite the availability of vaccination and early treatment, cervical cancer remains a significant public health concern globally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to screening and treatment is often limited.

Methods: In this study, researchers conducted a survey of four international databases-Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Henare-along with Google Scholar to search for gray literature. The keywords used for searching the international databases included "Uterine Cervical Neoplasms [Mesh]," "Survival OR Survival Analysis OR Survival Rate," and "Sub-Saharan countries" (including the names of specific countries).

Understanding recurrent groin pain following periacetabular osteotomy: assessment of psoas tendon mechanics using discrete element analysis.

Recurrent groin pain following periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is a challenging problem. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the position and dynamics of the psoas tendon as a potential cause for recurrent groin pain following PAO. A total of 386 PAO procedures, performed between January 2013 and January 2020, were identified from a single surgeon series.

Robotic-assisted excision of left para-aortic paraganglioma: a novel approach.

Paragangliomas, a type of extra-adrenal tumour, albeit rare, are dangerous due to their high metastatic potential and risk of hypertensive crisis from massive catecholamine release. It typically presents with sympathetic overdrive symptoms such as diaphoresis, headache, and palpitation, accompanied by substantially high plasma metanephrines level and mass on contrasted computed tomography abdomen and pelvis, whilst some are found incidentally. In this report, we discuss a case of an extra-adrenal lesion located near susceptible major structures with extensive vascularisation, in a patient with near-death experience.

Data-driven discovery of associations between prescribed drugs and dementia risk: A systematic review.

Abstract: Recent clinical trials on slowing dementia progression have led to renewed focus on finding safer, more effective treatments. One approach to identify plausible candidates is to assess whether existing medications for other conditions may affect dementia risk. We conducted a systematic review to identify studies adopting a data-driven approach to investigate the association between a wide range of prescribed medications and dementia risk.

Assessing post-operative dietary intake in older adult hip fracture patients: An observational study protocol.

Fragility fractures of the hip are a common injury in England. Meeting post-operative resting energy expenditure (REE) needs are fundamental to recovery from trauma that with greater nutritional intake, post-operative complications and length of stay can be reduced. However, dietary intake can be overlooked when the goal is prompt surgery to reduce pain and lower the risks of mortality at 30 days and 1 year.

Characteristics of Quality Improvement Projects in Health Services: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Objective: Current QI reports within the literature frequently fail to provide enough information regarding interventions, and a significant number of publications do not mention the utilization of a guiding model or framework. The objective of this scoping review was to synthesize the characteristics of hospital-based QI interventions and assess their alignment with recommended quality goals.

Methods: This scoping review followed the JBI methodology for scoping reviews to synthesize existing literature on hospital-based QI interventions and reporting using the PRISMA Extension for scoping reviews.

Melatonin: A Review of the Evidence for Use in Hospital Settings.

New onset insomnia is often experienced by patients during hospitalization due to environmental disruptions, pain and increased patient care activities. Patient distress arising from poor sleep quality and quantity often results in the prescribing of hypnotics. Melatonin use in hospital settings is common and is increasingly used for off label indications including primary insomnia in those aged < 55 years, prevention of delirium and to facilitate benzodiazepine discontinuation.

Vitronectin regulates lung tissue remodeling and emphysema in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Vitronectin (VTN) is an important extracellular matrix protein in tissue remodeling, but its role in COPD is unknown. We show that VTN regulates tissue remodeling through urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) signaling pathway in COPD. In human COPD airways and bronchoepithelial cells and the airways of mice with cigarette smoke (CS)-induced experimental COPD, VTN protein was not changed, but downstream uPA signaling was altered (increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, uPAR) that induced collagen and airway remodeling.

Pilot study of a ketogenic diet in bipolar disorder: a process evaluation.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness, which requires new strategies for prevention and management. Recent evidence suggests that a ketogenic diet may be an effective intervention. This research aimed to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a ketogenic diet intervention for bipolar disorder, fidelity to its behavioural components and the experiences of the participants and research clinicians involved.

Regular versus as-needed treatments for mild asthma in children, adolescents, and adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are recommended treatment for mild asthma. We aimed to update the evidence on the efficacy and safety of ICS-containing regimens, leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA), and tiotropium relative to as-needed (AN) short-acting β2-agonists (SABA) in children (aged 6-11 years) and adolescents/adults.

Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of regular and AN treatment for mild asthma was conducted (CRD42022352384).

Community science as a potential tool to monitor animal demography and human-animal interactions.

Community science can provide crucial insights into population dynamics and demography. To date, its effectiveness for understanding human-wildlife interactions has not been tested. This is vital for designing effective wildlife management plans.

Early age of dog exposure is negatively associated with atopic dermatitis: A comprehensive analysis.

Background: Currently, whether exposure to pets is a protective factor for atopic dermatitis (AD) is controversial.

Objective: To investigate the association of pet exposure in early life with the incident AD.

Methods: This study was based on PRISMA.

Tracheostomy as a Management Option After Listing for Pediatric Cardiac Transplantation.

Background: Children with end-stage heart failure listed for cardiac transplantation may require mechanical ventilation and/or circulatory support whilst awaiting transplantation. A subgroup of these patients is unable to wean off mechanical ventilator support and undergo tracheostomy to enhance quality of life and allow de-escalation of intensive care. There is limited evidence of the use of tracheostomy associated with pediatric cardiac transplantation.