expowo: An R package for mining global plant diversity and distribution data.

Premise: Data on plant distribution and diversity from natural history collections and taxonomic databases are increasingly becoming available online as exemplified by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Plants of the World Online (POWO) database. This growing accumulation of biodiversity information requires an advance in bioinformatic tools for accessing and processing the massive data for use in downstream science. We present herein expowo, an open-source package that facilitates extracting and using botanical data from POWO.

RT-RPA as a dual tool for detection and phylogenetic analysis of epidemic arthritogenic alphaviruses.

Chikungunya (CHIKV), o'nyong-nyong (ONNV), and Mayaro (MAYV) viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes and known to cause a debilitating arthritogenic syndrome. These alphaviruses have emerged and re-emerged, leading to outbreaks in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, South America, and Africa. Despite their prevalence, there persists a critical gap in the availability of sensitive and virus-specific point-of-care (POC) diagnostics.

Ecuadorian healthcare professionals' perspectives on attributes of asthma care coordination: a qualitative study.

Objective: This study explored the attributes of asthma care coordination from the perspective of healthcare professionals at different levels of care in Ecuador.

Design: Qualitative descriptive study. The Integrated Health Networks Model was the theoretical framework of reference.

Understanding the health system drivers of delayed cancer diagnosis in public healthcare networks of Chile, Colombia and Ecuador: A qualitative study with health professionals, managers and policymakers.

Although the greatest delays in cancer diagnosis in Latin America occur in the provider interval little is known about the related factors. This study aims to analyze factors influencing access to cancer diagnosis -from initial contact with health services to confirmation- from institutional stakeholders' perspective in public healthcare networks of Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. A qualitative, descriptive-interpretative study was conducted in two networks per country, using semi-structured individual interviews (n = 118; 23 to 58, per country) with a criterion sample of health professionals and administrative personnel from primary care (PC) (n = 41) and secondary/tertiary care hospitals (n = 47), network managers and policymakers (n = 30).

Functional ovarian reserve in women with Sickle Cell disease: A systematic review.

With the improvement in survival and the reduction in morbidity related to sickle cell disease (SCD), aspects related to reproductive health are emerging as a priority in the care of affected people. We conducted a systematic review looking for evidence describing the functional ovarian reserve levels in women with sickle cell disease. To locate studies, a search was performed in electronic databases, in addition to preprint servers and reference lists of selected publications.

Lipoprotein(a) throughout life in women.

Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is a lipoprotein with multiple deleterious characteristics and is a recognized cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. The pro-atherogenic, pro-thrombotic, and pro-inflammatory features of Lp(a) are associated not only with atherosclerotic vascular disease but also with aortic valve calcification and all-cause mortality. One of the most interesting aspects of Lp(a) is that its level is determined by genetics in more than 90% of cases, with lifestyle habits having very little influence.

Patient reported outcomes and decision regret scores in redo-paraesophageal hernia repair.

Introduction: Recurrent paraesophageal hernia (PEH) repair presents significant technical challenges, with limited data weighing the benefit to the operative risk. This study aims to describe our experience with recurrent PEH repair, including long-term surgical and patient reported outcomes (PROs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of recurrent PEH repairs from June 2018-March 2023 using our institutional database.

Conditional cash transfers and mortality in people hospitalised with psychiatric disorders: A cohort study of the Brazilian Bolsa Família Programme.

Background: Psychiatric patients experience lower life expectancy compared to the general population. Conditional cash transfer programmes (CCTPs) have shown promise in reducing mortality rates, but their impact on psychiatric patients has been unclear. This study tests the association between being a Brazilian Bolsa Família Programme (BFP) recipient and the risk of mortality among people previously hospitalised with any psychiatric disorders.

Family Care Intervention Effect on the Family Support Needs of Residents in Nursing Homes: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Purpose: To assess the impact of a home care intervention on the family support needs of nursing home residents through a group clinical trial and blinded outcome assessment.

Method: A cluster randomized trial was conducted at two nursing homes in Zhengzhou. Each nursing home was randomized to either the intervention or control group.

Addressing the Human Experience of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Call to Transform Kidney Care.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), a long-term condition in which kidney function declines over time, is a growing global healthcare concern. CKD can have a major impact on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. Recent research by the International Society of Nephrology highlights that current treatment strategies and policies do not fully address patients' needs.

Systems of care that improve outcomes for people with hepatic encephalopathy.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a critical neuropsychiatric complication of liver cirrhosis with a significant impact on patient quality of life and survival. The global prevalence of cirrhosis and associated HE necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the condition and effective systems of care to optimize outcomes. This review addresses the epidemiology, classification, diagnosis, and management of HE, with an emphasis on systems of care that improve outcomes for people with HE.

CIDACS' efforts towards an inclusive and dialogic data governance in Brazil: a focused literature review.

The Centre for Data and Knowledge Integration for Health's (CIDACS) data governance efforts have primarily focused on legal, technical and operational procedures to provide high-quality linked administrative data for investigations on social determinants of health and the impact of social protection policies in low-income and vulnerable populations throughout Brazil. The Centre is moving towards an updated data governance model that incorporates the participation of, and consultation and dialogue with, data stakeholders, including groups covered by our linked data. To this end, this paper presents our procedures and challenges, outlining relevant considerations based on a focused literature review that aims to support the inclusion of societal participation in our revised data governance approach, which should be considered an ongoing process.

Femoral Vein Doppler for Guiding Ultrafiltration in End-Stage Renal Disease: A Novel Addition to Bedside Ultrasound.

• Doppler ultrasound of the abdominal veins enables bedside assessment of venous congestion. • Femoral vein Doppler can be a valuable tool to guide ultrafiltration in dialysis patients. • Femoral vein Doppler may aid in situations where hepatic vein waveform is chronically abnormal.

The Burden of Gastric Cancer in Northern Central America.

Gastric cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with nearly one million new cases diagnosed in 2020. There is marked variation in gastric cancer incidence globally, with highest incidence rates reported in the United Nations regions of Eastern Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Although the United States is considered a low-incidence country, gastric cancer presents an important cancer disparity, with higher incidence in minoritized populations, including immigrants from high-incidence regions.

Brain reserve in hepatic encephalopathy: Pathways of damage and preventive strategies through lifestyle and therapeutic interventions.

Brain reserve is an important concept to understand the variability of damage associated with brain-related diseases and includes the adaptation of cognitive processes to preserve brain function. A good cognitive reserve might delay the onset of clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative diseases as well as hepatic encephalopathy, improving the quality of life in patients with chronic liver diseases. By stimulating activities and maintaining overall health, individuals may be able to enhance their brain's resilience to age-related changes and pathology.

Real-world data on the clinical features, therapy patterns, and outcomes of older adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in Latin America: A study from the Grupo de Estudio Latinoamericano de Linfoproliferativos (GELL).

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of B-cell lymphoma, predominantly afflicting older adults. There remains a notable absence of data regarding DLBCL in older adults in Latin America.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 608 newly diagnosed Latin American patients with DLBCL aged ≥65 years.

Mortality patterns and recovery challenges in Millepora alcicornis after mass bleaching event on Northeast Brazilian reefs.

Coral reefs are suffering globally from the increased frequency and intensification of thermal anomalies, caused by anthropogenic climate change, leading to major mass bleaching events over the past three decades. Environmental factors, including temperature, geomorphology, interspecific competition, protection status and local settings, can modulate the severity of bleaching and the subsequent survival capacity of corals and hydrocorals after mass bleaching events. However, the complexity of environmental factors interacting over fine-scale spatial-temporal scales is still a major gap in understanding coral bleaching events of South Atlantic reefs.