Detection of atrial fibrillation in primary care with radial pulse palpation, electronic blood pressure measurement and handheld single-lead electrocardiography: a diagnostic accuracy study.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of three tests-radial pulse palpation, an electronic blood pressure monitor and a handheld single-lead ECG device-for opportunistic screening for unknown atrial fibrillation (AF).

Design: We performed a diagnostic accuracy study in the intention-to-screen arm of a cluster randomised controlled trial aimed at opportunistic screening for AF in general practice. We performed radial pulse palpation, followed by electronic blood pressure measurement (WatchBP Home A) and handheld ECG (MyDiagnostick) in random order.

How is early spondyloarthritis defined in the literature? Results from a systematic review.

Aim: To identify all possible definitions of "early SpA" employed in the literature, including "early axial SpA (axSpA)" and "early peripheral SpA (pSpA)".

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library for studies that included any mention of "early SpA" or its subtypes. The proportion of studies including a definition was calculated, and the different definitions were assessed.

Shared decision-making in the Netherlands: Progress is made, but not for all. Time to become inclusive to patients.

Dutch initiatives targeting shared decision-making (SDM) are still growing, supported by the government, the Federation of Patients' Organisations, professional bodies and healthcare insurers. The large majority of patients prefers the SDM model. The Dutch are working hard to realise improvement in the application of SDM in daily clinical practice, resulting in glimpses of success with objectified improvement on observed behavior.

Comparison of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer in Randomized Clinical Trials and Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review.

Importance: When patient populations in randomized clinical trials deviate too much from the general population, it undermines the relevance for daily practice.

Objective: To investigate if patients with head and neck cancer in randomized clinical trials are representative of the clinically treated population.

Evidence Review: A systematic literature search was performed for randomized clinical trials on head and neck cancer evaluating an intervention to improve outcome with total sample size of 100 patients or greater and published between 2009 and 2019.

Understanding the risk perception of visceral leishmaniasis exposure and the acceptability of sandfly protection measures among migrant workers in the lowlands of Northwest Ethiopia: a health belief model perspective.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the leading cause of health concerns among Ethiopian migrant workers. Understanding risk perception and health-protective behavior are significant challenges in the prevention and eradication of the disease. As a result, studies are required to assess these important epidemiological factors, which will provide guidance on how to assist migrant workers in taking preventive measures against VL.

Authoritative parenting stimulates academic achievement, also partly via self-efficacy and intention towards getting good grades.

Background: The aim of this prospective study is to examine how parenting style relates to academic achievement of Lebanese adolescents and test the mediating effect of self-efficacy and intention towards getting good grades. Potential moderation by demographic factors (age, gender, school type, religion and parents' education) was also examined.

Methods: Students (n = 345) from private and public schools in Mount Lebanon and Beirut area, aged between 15 and 18, participated in a two-wave longitudinal study and completed a self-administered questionnaire based on the I-Change Model assessing socio-demographics (age, gender, school type, parents' education, family structure, religion), socio-cognitive factors (attitude, social norms, self-efficacy, intention), parenting styles and academic achievement.

Reported thresholds of self-motion perception are influenced by testing paradigm.

Background/objective: Different testing paradigms have been proposed to investigate perceptual self-motion thresholds. They can differ regarding the amount of possible motions that patients have to choose from. Objective of this study was to compare the two-option paradigm and twelve-option paradigm, to investigate whether reducing the choice options significantly influences the reported thresholds of self-motion perception of healthy subjects.

Quality of life of older adults and associated factors in Ghanaian urban slums: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: This study provides insight into the quality of life (QoL) of older adults living in urban slums in Ghana.

Design: The study employed a community-based, cross-sectional design to assess QoL among older adults in two slums between April and May 2020. QoL was assessed using the WHO Quality of Life-Brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire.

Chronic conditions and self-perceived health among older employees in relation to indicators of labour participation and retirement over time.

Background: A significant proportion of older employees leave the labour market early, amongst others via unemployment or disability benefits, implying that health might affect possibilities to extend working life.

Objective: This study 1) examined associations between chronic conditions (subtypes) and self-perceived health (SPH), independently, and indicators of labour participation and retirement over six-year follow-up among older employees, and 2) explored the impact of differences between prevalent and incident presence of chronic condition(s) in this relation.

Methods: Older workers (aged > 45 years) included in the Maastricht Cohort Study were studied (n = 1,763).

Assessing sexual practices and beliefs among university students in Khartoum, Sudan; a qualitative study.

University students in Sudan are more at risk of contracting HIV than the general population, due to a high rate of sexual activity and low uptake of preventive measures such as condoms. Hence, they are considered an important target for HIV prevention programmes. This study explored students` beliefs about abstinence and pre-marital sex.

Disappointing evaluation of a shared decision-making intervention for residents and orthopaedic surgeons.

Objective: To evaluate a shared decision-making (SDM) intervention in orthopaedic hip and knee osteoarthritis care.

Methods: Using a pre- post intervention design study, we tested an intervention, that included a decision aid for patients (ptDA) and a SDM training course for residents in training and orthopaedic surgeons. The theory of planned behaviour was used for intervention development.

Interaction of caregiver-expressed emotions and neuropsychiatric symptoms in persons with dementia: a longitudinal cohort study.

Objectives: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) have a major impact in persons with dementia (PwD). The interaction between the caregiver and the person with dementia may be related to the emergence of NPS. The concept of expressed emotion (EE) is used to capture this dyadic interaction.

State of the ART? Two New Tools for Risk Communication in Health Technology Assessments.

Purpose: Outcomes of health technology assessments (HTA) are uncertain, and decision-making is associated with a risk. This risk, consisting of the probability of making a wrong decision and its impact, is rarely considered in HTA. This hampers transparent and consistent risk assessment and management.

Increased Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Higher Efficacy Beliefs Are Associated with Better Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Study of High School Adolescents in Lebanon.

This longitudinal study aims to examine how changes in health behaviors and socio-cognitive factors influence the academic achievement of Lebanese adolescents over a period of 12 months. Adolescents ( = 563) from private and public schools in Mount Lebanon and the Beirut area, aged between 15 and 18, participated in a three-wave longitudinal study and completed a self-administered questionnaire assessing socio-demographics, health behaviors, socio-cognitive factors, parenting styles, and academic achievement. A linear mixed model was carried out to examine if changes in health behaviors and cognitive factors affect changes in academic achievement after 6 and 12 months from the baseline, adjusting for demographic variables and parenting style.

Effectiveness of a web-based computer-tailored intervention promoting physical activity for adults from Quebec City: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The primary objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 3-month web-based computer-tailored intervention on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in adults.

Methods: A total of 242 Canadian adults aged between 35 and 70 years were randomized to an experimental group receiving the intervention or a waiting list control group. The fully automated web-based computer-tailored physical activity intervention consists of seven 10- to 15-min sessions over an 8-week period.

Implementing radical cure diagnostics for malaria: user perspectives on G6PD testing in Bangladesh.

Background: The radical cure of Plasmodium vivax requires treatment with an 8-aminoquinoline drug, such as primaquine and tafenoquine, to eradicate liver hypnozoite stages, which can reactivate to cause relapsing infections. Safe treatment regimens require prior screening of patients for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency to avoid potential life-threatening drug induced haemolysis. Testing is rarely available in malaria endemic countries, but will be needed to support routine use of radical cure.

Frailty in relation to psycho-social factors in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A cross-sectional mixed qualitative-quantitative study.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) ≥55 years: (1) whether the occurrence of frailty as measured by the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI) increases with age (survey 1); and (2) to gain insight into which frailty characteristics (eg, loneliness) contribute to frailty (survey 2).

Methods: The GFI was assessed in 3 age groups (55-64/65-74/≥75-years), ensuring equal representation. GFI-subdomains that discriminated most between those classified as frail were further studied in a subset of patients using validated domain-specific questionnaires (eg Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS]) and semi-structured interviews.

Investigating colonization patterns of the infant gut microbiome during the introduction of solid food and weaning from breastmilk: A cohort study protocol.

The first exposures to microbes occur during infancy and it is suggested that this initial colonization influences the adult microbiota composition. Despite the important role that the gut microbiome may have in health outcomes later in life, the factors that influence its development during infancy and early childhood have not been characterized fully. Guidelines about the introduction of solid foods and cessation of breastfeeding, which is thought to have a significant role in the transition to a more adult-like microbiota, are not based on microbiome research.

The risk of community-acquired pneumonia in children using gastric acid suppressants.

Background: With the increased use of acid suppressants, significant potential complications such as community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are becoming more apparent. Paradoxically, in spite of an increased focus on potential complications, there is an increased use of acid suppressants in children and a lack of data specifically targeting the association between acid suppressants and CAP. Our main objective was to evaluate the risk of CAP in children using acid suppressants (proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and/or histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs)).

Extra-esophageal symptoms in individuals with and without erosive esophagitis: a case-control study in Albania.

Introduction: Erosive reflux esophagitis caused a large clinical spectrum of symptoms. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of extra-esophageal symptoms in individuals with and those without erosive esophagitis in Albania.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted at the Regional Hospital of Durres, the second main district in Albania, a transitional country in South Eastern Europe, including 248 patients with erosive esophagitis (aged 46.

Building a trusted framework for uncertainty assessment in rare diseases: suggestions for improvement (Response to "TRUST4RD: tool for reducing uncertainties in the evidence generation for specialised treatments for rare diseases").

The aim of this letter to the editor is to provide a comprehensive summary of uncertainty assessment in Health Technology Assessment, with a focus on transferability to the setting of rare diseases. The authors of "TRUST4RD: tool for reducing uncertainties in the evidence generation for specialised treatments for rare diseases" presented recommendations for reducing uncertainty in rare diseases. Their article is of great importance but unfortunately suffers from a lack of references to the wider uncertainty in Health Technology Assessment and research prioritisation literature and consequently fails to provide a trusted framework for decision-making in rare diseases.

Electrocoagulation for liver metastases.

Background: Primary liver tumours and liver metastases from colorectal carcinoma are two of the most common malignant tumours to affect the liver. The liver is second only to the lymph nodes as the most common site for metastatic disease. More than half of the people with metastatic liver disease will die from metastatic complications.