Comparative assessment of a virtual performance measure with self-report and performance-based outcomes in patients with hip osteoarthritis.

Background: The purposes of this study were to examine the reliability and factorial and convergent validity of a virtual performance measure (VPM) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip joint and to compare the known-group validity of the VPM with traditional self-report and performance-based outcomes.

Methods: The VPM score was based on the results of 10 videos showing increasing difficulty in performing specific functional tasks. Patients were requested to choose the video that best reflected their own level of function.

[Internal heat acupuncture therapy for 44 cases knee osteoarthritis of early to middle stages].

Objective: To observe the clinical effect of internal heat acupuncture therapy for knee osteoarthritis of early to middle stages, and explore its influence on cartilage thickness.

Methods: A total of 44 patients with knee osteoarthritis of early to middle stages were treated with internal heat acupuncture therapy at points (most of them are located at the subpatellar fat pad, both sides of the patellar ligament, the tendon of the quadriceps and the attachment of the medial and lateral collateral ligaments), once a week, a total of 4 weeks of treatment. Before and after treatment, after 3 months of treatment completion (in the follow-up), the visual analogue scale (VAS) score, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) score, frequency of 30-second chair stand test (30sCST), cartilage thickness of femoral intercondylar and knee joint ultrasound score were compared, and the clinical effect was evaluated.

The Influence of Aging on Hip Abductor Muscle Torque, Power, Velocity and the Association With Lower Limb Physical Function.

Background And Purpose: Muscle strength, power, and mass decline with aging, leading to functional loss highly correlated with balance and falls in older adults. Lower limb muscle function is critical for fall prevention in older adults, and hip abductor force and rapid force development have been shown to be important during stepping tasks. However, it remains unclear whether hip abductor muscle function changes with aging.

Development of an Active Cerebrovascular Autoregulation Model Using Representation Learning: A Proof of Concept Study With Experimental Data.

Background And Objectives: It remains a challenge to monitor cerebrovascular autoregulation (CA) reliably and dynamically in an intensive care unit. The objective was to build a proof-of-concept active CA model exploiting advances in representation learning and the full complexity of the arterial blood pressure (ABP) and intracranial pressure (ICP) signal and outperform the pressure reactivity index (PRx).

Methods: A porcine cranial window CA data set (n = 20) was used.

Do Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Have an (In)Adequate Level of Physical Activity? A Latent Class Analysis Approach.

Introduction: Regular physical activity (PA) has a beneficial effect on joint pain, stiffness, strength, flexibility, and aerobic capacity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of PA in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and to identify potential barriers to this activity.

Material And Methods: The study involved 132 patients with RA.

Fracture Resistance of Chairside CAD/CAM Lithium Disilicate Partial and Full Coverage Crowns and Veneers for Maxillary Canines.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the fracture resistance of chairside computer assisted design and computer assisted manufacturing (CAD-CAM) lithium disilicate partial and full-coverage crowns and veneers for maxillary canines.

Methods And Materials: Forty-eight restorations for maxillary right canines (12 per group) were designed as follows: (1) partial crown with finish line in the upper middle third; (2) partial crown with finish line in the lower middle third; (3) traditional labial veneer; and (4) traditional full-coverage crown. Restorations were fabricated out of lithium disilicate (Amber Mill, Hassbio) using a chairside CAD-CAM system (Cerec Dentsply Sirona).

Factors and Strategies Influencing Chemotherapy Safety Among Oncology Nurses: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

The purpose of this research is to describe the factors affecting hazardous chemotherapy exposure and strategies to foster chemotherapy safety among oncology nurses. Fifteen oncology nurses and 5 oncology nurse managers were recruited from 2 medical centers in the Midwest United States through convenience purposive sampling. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed.

Tumor burden with AFP improves survival prediction for TACE-treated patients with HCC: An international observational study.

Background & Aims: Current prognostic models for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are not extensively validated and widely accepted. We aimed to develop and validate a continuous model incorporating tumor burden and biology for individual survival prediction and risk stratification.

Methods: Overall, 4,377 treatment-naive candidates for whom TACE was recommended, from 39 centers in five countries, were enrolled and divided into training, internal validation, and two external validation datasets.

Effectiveness of dynamic neuromuscular stabilization training on strength, endurance, and flexibility in adults with intellectual disabilities, a randomized controlled trial.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often exhibit lower levels of physical fitness compared to the general population, including reduced strength, endurance, flexibility, and coordination. Dynamic neuromuscular stabilization (DNS) training can potentially improve the performance of adults with ID caused by weak motor skills due to a lack of desirable nerve growth during childhood and before puberty. Also, DNS training proposed to improve physical fitness in this population, but the effectiveness and durability of DNS training on specific fitness components have not been well-established.

Establishing bio-logging data collections as dynamic archives of animal life on Earth.

Rapid growth in bio-logging-the use of animal-borne electronic tags to document the movements, behaviour, physiology and environments of wildlife-offers opportunities to mitigate biodiversity threats and expand digital natural history archives. Here we present a vision to achieve such benefits by accounting for the heterogeneity inherent to bio-logging data and the concerns of those who collect and use them. First, we can enable data integration through standard vocabularies, transfer protocols and aggregation protocols, and drive their wide adoption.

Association of 30-s Sit-to-Stand Power Test Outcome With Body Balance in Physically Active Older Adults.

Amount of serial sitting and standing movements has been employed in clinical and research settings to assess legs' muscular strength. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to test the correlation between the 30-s sit-to-stand power test (30STSp) outcome and body balance in older adults. We evaluated physically active male and female (n = 51) individuals with an age range of 60-80 years (M = 69.

Grating-based x-ray dark-field mammography: Assessing complementary imaging information in simple cystic lesions and typical fibroadenoma.

Background: A significant proportion of false positive recalls of mammography-screened women is due to benign breast cysts and simple fibroadenomas. These lesions appear mammographically as smooth-shaped dense masses and require the recalling of women for a breast ultrasound to obtain complementary imaging information. They can be identified safely by ultrasound with no need for further assessment or treatment.

Self /other recognition and distinction in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A pilot study using a double mirror paradigm.

Background: Abnormalities in body perception in patients affected by anorexia nervosa have been widely studied, but without explicit reference to their relationship to others and the social processes involved. Yet, there are a several arguments supporting impairments in interpersonal relationships in these patients. Notably, some evidence suggests that self/other distinction (SOD), the ability to distinguish one's own body, actions and mental representations from those of others could be impaired.

Common Iliac Vein Injury Due to a Rectal Impalement Wound Treated Conservatively.

BACKGROUND Iliac vein injuries usually require surgical intervention due to their high mortality rates. Although conservative management may be applicable in some cases of blunt trauma, the suitability of this approach for treating penetrating injuries remains underexplored. CASE REPORT A 51-year-old man sustained a common iliac vein injury following rectal impalement in a collapsing chair.

Exome Sequencing in the Diagnostic Pathway for Suspected Rare Genetic Diseases: Does the Order of Testing Affect its Cost-Effectiveness?

Background: Patients with suspected rare diseases often experience lengthy and uncertain diagnostic pathways. This study aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of exome sequencing (ES) in different positions in the diagnostic pathway for patients suspected of having a rare genetic disease.

Methods: Data collected retrospectively from 305 patients suspected of having a rare genetic disease (RGD), who received clinical-grade ES and participated in the Canadian multicentre Care4Rare-SOLVE study, informed a discrete event simulation of the diagnostic pathway.

Intravascular Imaging-Guided Versus Angiography-Guided Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in the United States.

Background: The role of Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) is still unclear in patients with STEMI undergoing PCI in the current second-generation DES era.

Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the trends and outcomes of IVUS-guided PCI in patients with STEMI.

Methods: We used the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from 2016 to 2021.

Activity of CDK4/6 inhibitors and parameters affecting survival in elderly patients in age-subgroups: Turkish Oncology Group (TOG) retrospective study.

Highly selective inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6is) have emerged as a standart of care for first- and second-line therapies in combination with endocrine therapy (ET) for HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. It has been reported that combination therapy is more effective than ET alone and is safe in elderly patients as well as young patients. Nevertheless, elderly and very old patients with HR+/HER2-MBC treated with CDK4/6 inhibitor (CDK4/6i) combinations are relatively underrepresented in randomized controlled trials.

An HRP-integrated CRISPR/Cas12a biosensor towards chair-side diagnosis for Porphyromonas gingivalis.

Rapid diagnostic tools for Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), the primary microorganism responsible for the development of periodontitis, particularly those designed for chair-side applications, could provide substantial health benefits to patients. To address this issue, we developed a CRISPR/Cas12a-based rapid Pg detection method. Dual-gRNA and hairpin reporter strategies were employed to enhance CRISPR/Cas12a reaction efficiency.

Clinical, biochemical and molecular characteristics of classic homocystinuria in Saudi Arabia and the impact of newborn screening on prevention of the complications: A tertiary center experience.

Background: Classic homocystinuria (HCU) is a rare inborn metabolic disease that is generally asymptomatic at birth. If untreated, it can cause a wide range of complications including intellectual disability, lens dislocation, and thromboembolism. This study aimed to describe the natural history and the molecular findings of patients with HCU, and to assess the importance of early diagnosis.

Predicting Persistent Reduced Physical Performance in Adults 65+ in Emergency Departments: A Temporal Validation.

Background And Purpose: Targeted interventions to maintain physical performance in older adults are important. We aimed to validate an existing 4-item prediction model and, if necessary, develop a new model for early identification of adults aged 65+ with persistent reduced physical performance.

Methods: A temporal validation study on adults aged 65+ admitted to the emergency department for medical reasons and who performed ≤8 repetitions in the 30-second chair-stand test (30s-CST) within the first 48 hours of admission.

Is diagnostics of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo with a mechanical rotation chair superior to traditional manual diagnostics? A randomized controlled crossover study.

Background: Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo. While various techniques and technologies have improved BPPV diagnostics and treatment, optimizing BPPV healthcare pathways requires a comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic modalities across diverse clinical settings.

Objective: To compare traditional manual BPPV diagnostics (MD) with diagnostics done with the aid of a mechanical rotation chair (MRC) when using videonystagmography goggles with both modalities.

Association of burnout and working environment conditions in respiratory care professionals in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Burnout is a pervasive issue in healthcare, and it impacts both the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and the quality of patient care. This study examines factors associated with burnout and working environment among respiratory therapists in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from respiratory therapists.