Implementation of a data-driven quality improvement program in primary care for patients with coronary heart disease: a mixed methods evaluation of acceptability, satisfaction, barriers and enablers.

Background The study aimed to understand the acceptability, satisfaction, uptake, utility and feasibility of a quality improvement (QI) intervention to improve care for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in Australian primary care practices and identify barriers and enablers, including the impact of COVID-19. Methods Within the QUality improvement for Effectiveness of care for people Living with heart disease (QUEL) study, 26 Australian primary care practices, supported by five Primary Health Networks (PHN) participated in a 1-year QI intervention (November 2019 - November 2020). Data were collected from practices and PHNs staff via surveys and semi-structured interviews.

Eliciting Preferences for the Uptake of Smoking Cessation Apps: Discrete Choice Experiment.

Background: If the most evidence-based and effective smoking cessation apps are not selected by smokers wanting to quit, their potential to support cessation is limited.

Objective: This study sought to determine the attributes that influence smoking cessation app uptake and understand their relative importance to support future efforts to present evidence-based apps more effectively to maximize uptake.

Methods: Adult smokers from the United Kingdom were invited to participate in a discrete choice experiment.

Mycotoxin exposure through the consumption of processed cereal food for children (< 5 years old) from rural households of Oshana, a region of Namibia.

Mycotoxin exposure from contaminated food is a significant global health issue, particularly among vulnerable children. Given limited data on mycotoxin exposure among Namibian children, this study investigated mycotoxin types and levels in foods, evaluated dietary mycotoxin exposure from processed cereal foods in children under age five from rural households in Oshana region, Namibia. Mycotoxins in cereal-based food samples (n = 162) (mahangu flour (n = 35), sorghum flour (n = 13), mahangu thin/thick porridge (n = 54), oshikundu (n = 56), and omungome (n = 4)) were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Buparlisib and Paclitaxel in Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Immunogenomic Biomarkers of Efficacy from the BERIL-1 Study.

Background: BERIL-1 was a randomized phase 2 study that studied paclitaxel with either buparlisib, a pan-class I PIK3 inhibitor, or placebo in patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). Considering the therapeutic paradigm shift with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) now approved in the first-line setting, we present an updated immunogenomic analysis of patients enrolled in BERIL-1, including patients with immune-infiltrated tumors.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify biomarkers predictive of treatment efficacy in the context of the post-ICI therapeutic landscape.

Blockchain-enabled digital twin system for brain stroke prediction.

A digital twin is a virtual model of a real-world system that updates in real-time. In healthcare, digital twins are gaining popularity for monitoring activities like diet, physical activity, and sleep. However, their application in predicting serious conditions such as heart attacks, brain strokes and cancers remains under investigation, with current research showing limited accuracy in such predictions.

Ketamine Infusion for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Treatment: A Narrative Review.

Purpose Of Review: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a neuropathic pain disorder characterized by pain disproportionate to the inciting event that is constant for an extended duration. Numerous treatment options for this condition have been explored with unsatisfactory results in many cases. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist typically used as an anesthetic and analgesic, presents a promising potential treatment for CRPS in patients who fail to respond to traditional therapies.

Analysis of macular retinal thickness in polyarteritis nodosa using spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

Purpose: To identify the macular retinal layer thickness changes in polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) patients without pathological findings appearing in color fundus photography (CFP), and to investigate the correlations with disease durations.

Methods: A total of 24 PAN patients who had been for 3 years or more and underwent SD-OCT were recruited from the UK Biobank, with exclusions for diabetes, eye disease, or abnormal CFP findings. Only the right eyes were included, with each PAN patient paired one-to-one with a control matched for age, sex, and ethnicity.

Health-related quality of life following cranioplasty: a cross-sectional cohort study - Cranio-PRO.

Cranioplasty is an operation that aims to repair a defect in the skull. Indications commonly include Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), tumours, and infections. It carries a high rate of postoperative morbidity.

A method for mimicking tumour tissue in brain ex-vivo ultrasound for research application and clinical training.

Background: Intraoperative ultrasound is becoming a common tool in neurosurgery. However, effective simulation methods are limited. Current, commercial, and homemade phantoms lack replication of anatomical correctness and texture complexity of brain and tumour tissue in ultrasound images.

The burden of illness of the organ manifestations of systemic sclerosis: a pragmatic, targeted review.

Objectives: This structured, targeted literature review aimed to assess the mortality, humanistic and economic burden of eight organ manifestations which are commonly experienced by systemic sclerosis patients.

Methods: Identification of relevant literature was carried out by searching in Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE, PubMed, and NHS Economic Evaluation Database in August 2023. Studies reporting original data on patients with systemic sclerosis with at least one of eight organ manifestations (interstitial lung disease and/or pulmonary hypertension, skin, peripheral vascular, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiac or renal involvement) published within the last 15 years were included.

De novo root regeneration from leaf explant: a mechanistic review of key factors behind cell fate transition.

De novo root regeneration (DNRR) involves activation of special cells after wounding, along with the converter cells, reactive oxygen species, ethylene, and jasmonic acid, also playing key roles. An updated DNRR model is presented here with gene regulatory networks. Root formation after tissue injury is a type of plant regeneration known as de novo root regeneration (DNRR).

[New systemic treatment approach for primary lymphoma of the orbit and the ocular adnexa].

Background: Orbital lymphomas are the most frequently occurring malignant tumor entities in this region. They are less frequently also localized in the ocular adnexa and show a high entity-specific heterogeneity regarding the treatment and prognosis.

Objective: This article gives an overview of the heterogeneity of symptoms of orbital lymphoma and lymphoma of the ocular adnexa and focuses on new systemic options for treatment of this disease.

A community-based intervention (the Omama Project) improves neurodevelopment in impoverished 2-year-old Roma children: a quasi-experimental observational study.

Unlabelled: High rates of childhood neurodisability are reported among the Roma, Europe's largest ethnic minority community. Interventions targeting early child development (ECD) during the first 2 years of life can improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in vulnerable children; however, evidence from Roma preschoolers is scarce. In a quasi-experimental observational study, we compared neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 2 years, measured on the INTERGROWTH-21st Project Neurodevelopmental Assessment (INTER-NDA), between Roma children receiving a community-based ECD intervention (RI, n = 98), and age- and sex-matched Roma and non-Roma children (RC, n = 99 and NRC, n = 54, respectively) who did not receive the intervention in Eastern Slovakia.

Validity and Inter-Device Reliability of an Artificial Intelligence App for Real-Time Assessment of 505 Change of Direction Tests.

The present study aimed to explore the validity and inter-device reliability of a novel artificial intelligence app (Asstrapp) for real-time measurement of the traditional (tra505) and modified-505 (mod505) change of direction (COD) tests. Twenty-five male Sports Science students (age, 23.5 ± 3.

Dual-responsive micromotor pill for targeted retention in the intestines .

There has been considerable interest in the recent advances in synthetic micro/nanomotors in diverse biofluids due to their potential biomedical applications. However, the propulsion of existing micro/nanomotor platforms for delivery in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is inefficient. Herein, we present a magnetically and chemically actuated micromotor-tableted pill that can be actively retained in the GI tract .

Detection and quantification of ergothioneine in human serum using surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS).

Ergothioneine (ERG) is a natural sulfur-containing amino acid found in many organisms, including humans. It accumulates at high concentrations in red blood cells and is distributed to various organs, including the brain. ERG has numerous health benefits and antioxidant capabilities, and it has been linked to various human physiological processes, such as anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anti-aging effects.

Exploration of potential-limited protocols to prevent inefficiencies in Li-O batteries during charge.

Metal-air batteries are promising energy storage systems with high specific energy density and low dependence on critical materials. However, their development is hindered by slow kinetics, low roundtrip efficiency, deficient capacity recovery, and limited lifetime. This work explores the effect of cycling protocols on the lifetime of Li-O cells, and the interplay between electrolyte composition and the upper cut-off voltage during charge.

Optimizing automated photo identification for population assessments.

Several legal acts mandate that management agencies regularly assess biological populations. For species with distinct markings, these assessments can be conducted noninvasively via capture-recapture and photographic identification (photo-ID), which involves processing considerable quantities of photographic data. To ease this burden, agencies increasingly rely on automated identification (ID) algorithms.