Refinement and Validation of a New Patient-Reported Experience Measure for Hearing Loss (My Hearing PREM).

Context: Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) generate insights into daily challenges experienced when living with a chronic condition and experiences of care. There are no validated PREMs to measure the experience of hearing loss.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed tool, 'My Hearing PREM', designed to assess the experience of living with hearing loss and receiving audiology care.

Cold-induced fibrosis and metabolic remodeling in the turtle (Trachemys scripta) ventricle.

Aim: Cardiac fibrosis contributes to systolic and diastolic dysfunction and can disrupt electrical pathways in the heart. There are currently no therapies that prevent or reverse fibrosis in human cardiac disease. However, animals like freshwater turtles undergo seasonal remodeling of their hearts, demonstrating the plasticity of fibrotic remodeling.

Understanding decision-making in autistic children and adolescents: Insights from deliberative processes and behavioral economic paradigms.

Prior research has shown conflicting findings on decision-making differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals. To address this issue, we applied the Ultimatum and Dictator Games to examine explicit measures (probability of endorsing monetary offers) and implicit measures (response times) associated with decision-making behaviors. By analyzing response times, we aimed to determine whether decisions were intuitive (rapid) or deliberative (slower) reasoning processes.

Engineering Rubisco condensation in chloroplasts to manipulate plant photosynthesis.

Although Rubisco is the most abundant enzyme globally, it is inefficient for carbon fixation because of its low turnover rate and limited ability to distinguish CO and O, especially under high O conditions. To address these limitations, phytoplankton, including cyanobacteria and algae, have evolved CO-concentrating mechanisms (CCM) that involve compartmentalizing Rubisco within specific structures, such as carboxysomes in cyanobacteria or pyrenoids in algae. Engineering plant chloroplasts to establish similar structures for compartmentalizing Rubisco has attracted increasing interest for improving photosynthesis and carbon assimilation in crop plants.

Domestic water hardness, genetic risk, and distinct phenotypes of cardiovascular disease.

Aims: The study aimed to investigate the association between domestic water hardness and the incidence of AF and the interaction effects between water hardness and genetic susceptibility to incident AF risk. As a secondary objective, its associations with incident heart failure (HF), coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke were measured.

Methods: The UK Biobank is a prospective cohort study comprising over 500,000 participants recruited in the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010, aged 37 to 73 years.

The efficacy of vector-proof accommodation for the protection of livestock against Culicoides biting midges.

Background: Bluetongue virus serotype 3 emerged in northern Europe and the UK for the first time in 2023, causing significant losses of domestic ruminants. Vector-proof accommodation is considered a potential control measure to reduce host-vector contact, but this has not been investigated in northern Europe. This study investigates the efficacy of vector-proof accommodation to protect livestock from Culicoides biting midges in the UK.

Proteomic signatures of type 2 diabetes predict the incidence of coronary heart disease.

Emerging evidence reveals a complex association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and coronary heart disease (CHD), which share common risk factors and biological pathways. This study aims to identify the shared proteomic signatures of T2D and CHD, as well as whether the shared proteins predict incident CHD in T2D patients, and to develop predictive models. Utilizing data from 53,014 UK Biobank participants and 2923 plasma proteins, we identified 488 proteins associated with T2D, of which 125 proteins were also associated with CHD.

Exploring the use of health technology in community-based midwifery care - an interview study.

Background: New portable health technologies may offer solutions to challenges in current maternity care, but little is known about their current usage, existing problems, or areas of unmet needs.

Purpose: To better understand the use of health technology in community midwifery care in the UK.

Methods: Midwives with current or recent experience working in community settings were recruited using social media.

Effectiveness of UK-based support interventions and services aimed at adults who have experienced or used domestic and sexual violence and abuse: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Domestic and sexual violence and abuse (DSVA) is prevalent and harmful. There are a range of support services and interventions available to those affected by it, but evidence of their effectiveness is uncertain. We synthesised evidence on the effectiveness of UK-based interventions and services for DSVA.

Hemorrhage risk associated with triple antithrombotic therapy: a focused real-world pharmacovigilance disproportional analysis study.

Background: Triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT), combining dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with oral anticoagulants, is commonly used in patients requiring long-term anticoagulation following acute coronary syndrome or percutaneous coronary intervention. However, TAT may increase the risk of hemorrhage. There is a dearth of data regarding the risks of bleeding with various oral anticoagulants in TAT in comparison with DAPT and individual anticoagulants and antiplatelets due to which we carried out the present study examining the real-world pharmacovigilance data.

There is no reliable evidence that providing authors with customized article templates including items from reporting guidelines improves completeness of reporting: the GoodReports randomized trial (GRReaT).

Background: Although medical journals endorse reporting guidelines, authors often struggle to find and use the right one for their study type and topic. The UK EQUATOR Centre developed the GoodReports website to direct authors to appropriate guidance. Pilot data suggested that authors did not improve their manuscripts when advised to use a particular reporting guideline by GoodReports.

Spin excitations in nanographene-based antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 Heisenberg chains.

Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains exhibit two distinct types of excitation spectrum: gapped for integer-spin chains and gapless for half-integer-spin chains. However, in finite-length half-integer-spin chains, quantization induces a gap, requiring precise control over sufficiently long chains to study its evolution. Here we create length-controlled spin-1/2 Heisenberg chains by covalently linking Olympicenes-Olympic-ring-shaped magnetic nanographenes.

Pre-frailty is associated with higher risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease: a large prospective cohort study.

To investigate the prospective association of frailty status, especially the early stage, with the long-term risk of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in a large prospective cohort. We included participants who were free of GERD and cancer at baseline and use of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from the UK Biobank (UKB). Frailty status was assessed using Fried phenotype including five items (weight loss, exhaustion, low grip strength, low physical activity, slow walking pace) and classified as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail.

British airborne dentists during the Battle of Arnhem, September 1944.

This year gone marks the eightieth anniversary of Operation Market Garden; the biggest airborne operation in military history, which took place in September 1944 in occupied Holland. Unfortunately, the operation was a failure. The last objective - the bridge at Arnhem - could not be reached.

Dental therapists could be a player in United Kingdom HPV vaccination uptake.

This opinion piece highlights the potential role dental therapists could play in human papillomavirus vaccination to increase the vaccine coverage in the United Kingdom.

Genome-wide association studies of dairy cattle resistance to digital dermatitis recorded at four distinct lactation stages.

Digital dermatitis (DD) is an endemic infectious hoof disease causing lameness in dairy cattle. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic profile of DD development using phenotypic and genotypic data on 2192 Holstein cows. The feet of each cow were clinically examined four times: pre-calving, shortly after calving, near peak of milk production, and in late lactation.

Meta-analysis of heat-induced changes in cardiac function from over 400 laboratory-based heat exposure studies.

Heat waves are associated with increased fatalities from adverse cardiovascular events attributed to the negative effects of heat on cardiac function. However, scientific understanding of acute cardiac adjustments to heat has come primarily from laboratory experiments employing insulated and encapsulated heating modalities, most commonly water-perfused suits. We evaluated whether findings from those studies reflect cardiac responses during more natural exposures to hot ambient conditions simulated in climate-controlled chambers by synthesizing the findings from over 400 laboratory-based heat exposure studies (6858 participant-exposures) published between 1961-2024.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Biologics: Current Practice, Challenges and Opportunities - a Workshop Report.

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) for dose modification of biologics has the potential to improve patient outcomes. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) hosted the first US-based public workshop on TDM of biologics with contributions from a broad array of interested parties including healthcare providers, clinical pharmacologists, test developers, bioanalysis and immunogenicity scientists, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) experts and regulators. The key insight was that despite a body of evidence to support TDM in certain therapeutic areas, there remain substantial challenges to widespread clinical implementation.

Comparison of hook plates vs. locking plates for Neer type IIB fractures of lateral end clavicle: A systematic review.

Purpose: Surgical management of the lateral end of clavicle fractures has been a challenge for orthopedic surgeons considering the high rate of non-union. There has been no right and wrong answer to these types of fractures and many methods discussed in the literature, but the 2 most used bony procedures are hook plate and locking plate with or without the use of supplementary soft tissue procedures. The available evidence, in this case, is scarce with questionable reliability.

Fungal arthritis.

Fungal arthritis is a rare infection with a global distribution that affects neonates, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, resulting in severe outcomes. It presents a challenge for healthcare professionals due to its rarity, lack of characteristic features, and difficulty isolating and identifying responsible organisms. Studies on their pathophysiology and treatment have been limited, and evidence-based treatment options are lacking.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Treated With Carfilzomib, Dexamethasone, and Daratumumab Versus Carfilzomib and Dexamethasone: An Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes From the Phase 3 CANDOR Trial.

Background: In the phase 3 CANDOR trial (NCT03158688), daratumumab added to carfilzomib and dexamethasone (KdD) significantly prolonged progression-free survival relative to carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) alone in previously treated patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).

Materials And Methods: We present a post hoc analysis of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-item module (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EORTC QLQ Myeloma 20-item module (EORTC QLQ-MY20) patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures from the CANDOR trial.

Results: Median (range) duration of observation for PROs was 18.

HOW TO REPORT OUTCOMES IN CLINICAL DENTAL RESEARCH.

Outcomes, also known as endpoints, are a critical component in clinical research evaluating the effects of healthcare interventions. The validity of a clinical study depends on the appropriate selection and usage of outcomes. Therefore, complete, accurate, and transparent reporting of outcomes is essential for the critical appraisal of a study's methods and findings.

DENTAL PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES UPDATE 2024.

As the medical field develops rapidly towards evidence-based, personalized and intelligent care, patient-reported outcomes (PRO) related research is becoming increasingly refined in terms of coverage, precision and practicability. In order to help improve the quality and quantity of patient-centered evidence in dentistry and to further promote the wide and standard use of dental patient-reported outcomes (dPROs) and dental patient-reported outcome measures (dPROMs), the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice has put together this Special Issue, the fourth of a series entitled Dental Patient-Reported Outcomes Update. A total of 7 solicited articles are included in this issue.

Factors influencing digital health competence among healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Improving healthcare professionals' digital health competence is critical to providing safer care. However, there is still a lack of empirical studies exploring the factors influencing healthcare professionals' digital health competence, even though significant investments have been made to advance digitalisation of healthcare globally.

Aim: This study aimed to identify the key characteristics influencing healthcare professionals' digital health competence.

Use of multimedia shared decision-making aids (EATING program) for improving advance care planning engagement among community-dwelling older adults with chronic diseases: A cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: Discussing advance care planning (ACP) preferences for nasogastric tube (NG) insertion remains challenging among older adults. Multimedia decision-making aids have demonstrated potential to enhance understanding and support informed decision-making.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of the EATING program (multimedia decision-making aids + traditional educational module) compared to usual care (traditional educational module alone) in improving ACP readiness on NG insertion for community older adults with chronic illness.