Advancing thyroid care: An accurate trustworthy diagnostics system with interpretable AI and hybrid machine learning techniques.

The worldwide prevalence of thyroid disease is on the rise, representing a chronic condition that significantly impacts global mortality rates. Machine learning (ML) approaches have demonstrated potential superiority in mitigating the occurrence of this disease by facilitating early detection and treatment. However, there is a growing demand among stakeholders and patients for reliable and credible explanations of the generated predictions in sensitive medical domains.

Quantifying Arm and Leg Movements in 3-Month-Old Infants Using Pose Estimation: Proof of Concept.

Background: Pose estimation (PE) has the promise to measure pediatric movement from a video recording. The purpose of this study was to quantify the accuracy of a PE model to detect arm and leg movements in 3-month-old infants with and without (TD, for typical development) complex congenital heart disease (CCHD).

Methods: Data from 12 3-month-old infants (N = 6 TD and N = 6 CCHD) were used to assess MediaPipe's full-body model.

Time Efficiency and Ergonomic Assessment of a Robotic Wheelchair Transfer System.

: Caregivers experience high rates of occupational injuries, especially during wheelchair transfers, which often result in back pain and musculoskeletal disorders due to the physical demands of lifting and repositioning. While mechanical floor lifts, the current standard, reduce back strain, they are time-consuming and require handling techniques that subject caregivers to prolonged and repeated non-neutral trunk postures, increasing the risk of long-term back injuries. : The aim was to assess the time efficiency and ergonomics of the powered personal transfer system (PPTS), a robotic transfer device designed for bed-to/from-wheelchair transfers.

Symptom Burden After Acute Pancreatitis and Its Correlation With Exocrine Pancreatic Function: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

Introduction: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and weight loss develop during and after acute pancreatitis (AP), but remain understudied. In this prospective, multicenter study, we aim to assess GI symptom burden and weight loss and their correlation with exocrine function up to 12 months post-AP.

Methods: GI symptom burden, anthropometrics, and exocrine pancreatic function were systematically measured in adults (≥18 years) with AP at predefined intervals: hospitalization (enrollment), 3 months, and 12 months post-AP.

Preoperative inspiratory muscle training improves lung function prior to elective heart valve surgery and reduces postoperative lung function impairment and pulmonary complications: a randomised trial.

Question: What is the effect of 3 days of preoperative inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on lung function prior to heart valve surgery and on postoperative lung function and pulmonary complications compared with sham and no IMT?

Design: A three-arm, multicentre, randomised controlled trial with concealed allocation, intention-to-treat analysis and blinded assessment of some outcomes.

Participants: This study included 228 adults scheduled for heart valve surgery.

Interventions: The IMT group received 3 days of IMT at 30% maximal inspiratory pressure, the sham IMT group received the same but at 10% maximal inspiratory pressure and the control group received no IMT.

Interdisciplinary rehabilitation for the transition out of homelessness with a traumatic brain injury.

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face higher rates of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is associated with greater unmet healthcare and social needs and increased difficulty transitioning out of homelessness. While efforts have emerged to address this TBI disparity via screening, staff training and case management, gaps exist in the delivery of evidence-based TBI rehabilitation to PEH. This case report describes the delivery of interdisciplinary TBI rehabilitation to a male patient experiencing homelessness within a US context.

Nursing Home Staff Perspectives of the Benefits and Challenges of Providing Dementia Care.

Objectives: To capture nursing home staff perspectives on the benefits and challenges related to caring for residents living with Alzheimer disease and other related dementias. These perspectives will inform the initial development of strategies to help with staff retention.

Design: A secondary qualitative analysis of semistructured interviews conducted with nursing home staff, which was embedded within a pragmatic clinical trial.

Key Stakeholders' Views on Salt Intake Reduction and Barriers and Facilitators to Reducing Salt Intake in Malaysian Schools: A Qualitative Study.

Excessive salt or sodium intake is strongly linked to increased blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to qualitatively explore the views of key stakeholders on salt intake reduction and barriers and facilitators to reducing salt intake in Malaysian schools. The stakeholders in this study were school administrators, food operators, and consumers.

Examining fundamental nursing textbooks for inclusivity and exclusivity content: A directed qualitative content analysis.

Background: Growing awareness of social inequities and injustices in education highlights the urgent need to address harmful mechanisms, policies, and norms within health education curricula and systems.

Purpose: This study examines inclusivity and exclusivity content in four fundamental nursing textbooks and contributes to the broader discourse on fostering equitable health education.

Methods: A Directed Qualitative Content Analysis on 32 chapters from four fundamental nursing textbooks was systematically conducted.

A descriptive analysis of sarcopenia markers in young adults with down syndrome.

Background: Most body composition research in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) has focused on overweight and obesity. Although limited research has shown muscle mass indexes and physical performance levels of adults with DS are similar to or lower than older adults with sarcopenia, there is still a large gap in the literature regarding sarcopenia.

Objective: This brief report provides a comprehensive descriptive analysis of sarcopenia and obesity markers in individuals with DS.

Association between the early or late onset of gestational diabetes mellitus with neonatal adverse outcomes: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The literature has been evolving to standardize gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) diagnosis and terminology. The significance of timing in diagnosing hyperglycemia during pregnancy is underlined by evidence that women diagnosed at 24 weeks of gestation or earlier are at a higher risk of developing postpartum prediabetes, but its association with adverse outcomes for the newborn is controversial. We aimed to investigate the association between early-onset GDM and adverse outcomes in newborns and neonates, comparing it with the late-onset GDM model.

Serious adverse events associated with conservative physical procedures directed towards the cervical spine: A systematic review.

Background: Previous reviews on serious adverse events (SAEs) following physical interventions involving the neck have focused on vascular SAEs or those related to cervical manipulation.

Objective: To review the evidence for all serious adverse events associated with any physical cervical procedures and describe SAE characteristics.

Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane, Web of Science and Index to Chiropractic Literature from inception to May 2023 for studies reporting characteristics of SAE following any neck intervention and patient demographics.

A comparative analysis of physical fitness characteristics and rugby-specific game skills of schoolboy players by playing standards: Implications for talent identification programs in resource-constrained settings.

Background: Rugby has not grown extensively in Africa compared to other continents, necessitating talent identification (TID) programs to recruit junior talent. However, it is unclear which physical characteristics and rugby-specific game skills to base the objective recruitment of potentially talented young players.

Objectives: This study profiled the physical fitness characteristics and rugby-specific game skills of schoolboy rugby players by playing standards to identify variables differentiating elite from sub-elite players from Under 16 (U16) to U19 age categories.

Occupational Therapists in Australia Vary in Their Knowledge, Skills and Clinical Practices to Meet the Health Needs of the LGBTQIA+ Community.

This study assessed the knowledge, skills, and practices of occupational therapists in Australia regarding the LGBTQIA+ community's health needs. A cross-sectional online survey gathered qualitative data from 130 occupational therapists practicing in Australia. Most participants were women (85%), with 7% identifying as LGBTQIA+.

Factors Associated With Return to Activity After Concussion Among Female Service Academy Members: Findings From the NCAA-DoD CARE Consortium.

Introduction: Service academy members are at high risk for concussions as a result of participation in both sports and military-specific training activities. Approximately 17% of active duty service members are female, and they face unique challenges in achieving timely recovery from concussions. Understanding the unique characteristics affecting return to unrestricted activity (RTA) among female service academy members is imperative for the ever-growing proportion of females across the U.

Up for the tackle? The pelvic floor and rugby. A review.

The pelvic floor and its associated disorders are a unique and often overlooked aspect of women's rugby. This review discusses relevant biopsychosocial considerations specific to the pelvic floor and rugby. Pelvic floor disorders can present at any time across the female lifespan but are more prevalent during pregnancy and postpartum.

Translation and validation of sleep questionnaires in Jordanian and Qatari athletes.

Purpose: To translate two prominent sleep questionnaires, the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire 10 (FOSQ-10) and the Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI), into Arabic.

Methods: The translations adhered to the established international criteria and underwent subsequent validation among 130 Arabic-speaking athletes from Jordan and Qatar. The validation process involved comparison against existing Arabic sleep questionnaires to ensure linguistic and cultural appropriateness.

Uncovering language deficits in focal epilepsy: Beyond the limits of noun naming and verbal fluency.

Background: A range of language impairments have been reported in people with epilepsy both pre- and post-surgically, however language is not routinely comprehensively assessed in epilepsy clinics. When language is assessed, this is typically as part of a broader neuropsychological battery of assessment, often limited to tests of noun naming and/or verbal fluency, despite evidence to suggest these tests are not sufficiently sensitive to detect the often-subtle deficits present in chronic focal epilepsy. Many areas of language function, including the production of connected speech, have also not been adequately explored in this population, and research relating to subjective report of language and communication difficulties is limited.

Exploring the social value and design preferences for a home-based dementia community program in Australia.

We study the monetary value and the relative importance of several program characteristics for an evidence-based intervention provided at home for people living with dementia and their carers in Australia. Using a discrete choice experiment, advised through an expert and consumer co-design approach, we consider the total number of sessions, the delivery mode, the primary outcome and focus of the program as well as its costs as attributes. Results from a representative sample of the Australian adult population show a high willingness to pay for the program overall, even greater than the actual costs.

Falls on an inpatient brain injury rehabilitation unit … What are the consequences?

Background and objectives Falls research has explored the characteristics of patients with a brain injury who experienced falls and the nature of these falls. However, the characteristics of falls with consequence have not yet been investigated. This study aimed to explore the consequences of patient falls in inpatient brain injury rehabilitation.