Advances in lacrimal gland organoid development: Techniques and therapeutic applications.

The human lacrimal gland (LG), located above the outer orbital region within the frontal bone socket, is essential in maintaining eye surface health and lubrication. It is firmly anchored to the orbital periosteum by the connective tissue, and it is vital for protecting and lubricating the eye by secreting lacrimal fluid. Disruption in the production, composition, or secretion of lacrimal fluid can lead to dry eye syndrome, a condition characterized by ocular discomfort and potential eye surface damage.

Guillain Barré Syndrome Mimicking Brain Death: A Case Report.

Here, we present a case of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) that mimicked brain death. A 66-year-old lady with a medical history of breast cancer (now receiving hormone therapy), hypertension, and hypothyroidism, presented to the emergency department. The patient was admitted to the neuro ICU with absent brainstem and spinal cord responses, concerning for possible brain death.

Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) Classes in MASK-air Users.

Background And Objectives: The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines classify rhinitis as "intermittent" or "persistent" and "mild" or "moderate-severe". To assess ARIA classes in a real-world study in terms of phenotypic differences and their association with asthma.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional real-world study based on users of the MASK-air® app who reported data for at least 3 different months.

Integral cross section measurement of the F( γ, n)F reaction for 12-20 MeV bremsstrahlung photons.

F radioactive isotope is widely used in PET imaging for nuclear medicine. Medical linear accelerators producing high-flux bremsstrahlung beams up to 20 MeV are commonly used in radiation therapy. Hence, the production of F through photon-induced channels will reduce many of the intricacies in transportation and handling.

Cost-effectiveness of hearing aids in South Korea: a multistate Markov model analysis.

Objectives: This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of using hearing aids among individuals aged 50 and older with varying levels of hearing loss in South Korea.

Methods: A state-transition Markov model was employed to assess the cost-effectiveness of hearing aid utilization from a societal perspective. We simulated a cohort of patients aged 50, tracking their progression through normal, mild, moderate, and severe stages of hearing loss until death or age 80.

Yield of family screening for dilated cardiomyopathy: 10-year experience at a multidisciplinary cardiogenetic outpatient clinic.

Introduction: Current family screening approaches in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) depend on the presence or absence of a familial genetic variant, in which variant pathogenicity (i.e. benign or pathogenic) classification drives screening recommendations.

The impact of reduced skeletal muscle mass at stroke onset on 3-month functional outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Introduction: Sarcopenia, characterized by reduced skeletal muscle mass (RMM), is increasingly recognized as a significant factor influencing outcomes in various health conditions, including stroke. Although most studies focus on sarcopenia developing during stroke rehabilitation, the impact of sarcopenia present at the onset of acute ischemic stroke remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the effect of RMM at stroke onset on 3-month functional outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Cohort profile: a nationwide retrospective cohort of mortality in people living with HIV in the Republic of Korea, 1985-2020.

The increasing number of people living with HIV in Korea has prompted interest in using the national surveillance system as a database for studying their health. To investigate the relationships between sociodemographic and epidemiological characteristics and mortality rates, a nationwide retrospective cohort was formed by integrating surveillance data with the Cause of Death Statistics from Statistics Korea. This integration included incidence reports, epidemiological investigations, and death reports from the surveillance data, enriched with detailed mortality information from the Cause of Death data.

Prevalence of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in people living with HIV: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Given the chronic immune activation and inflammatory milieu associated with Long COVID and HIV, we assessed the prevalence of Long COVID in adults living with HIV; and investigated whether adults living with HIV were associated with increased chance of developing Long COVID compared to adults living without HIV.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched Medline, EMBASE, CINHAL, PubMed and CENTRAL from inception until June 14th, 2024, for observational studies that measured the prevalence of Long COVID in adults living with HIV and the odds of developing Long COVID following a SARS-CoV-2 infection in people living with HIV compared to people living without HIV. Reviews, case reports, randomised control trials and editorials were excluded.

Circulatory age-associated B cells: Their distinct transcriptomic characteristics and clinical significance in drug-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Age-associated B cells (ABCs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. However, the global gene expression and clinical significance of circulatory ABCs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain poorly understood. Here, single-cell RNA sequencing identified nine B cell subsets in peripheral blood of RA patients, including ABCs.

Measuring Scholarly Practice in Respiratory Therapists: The Development and Initial Validation of a Scholarly Practice Tool.

Introduction: Respiratory therapists (RTs) must apply competencies to address the health care needs of the public. Although all competencies are deemed essential, scholarly practice requires that professionals critically assess their practices, integrate evidence-based literature, and enhance the care they deliver to patients. Though scholarly practice is also associated with professional empowerment, role satisfaction, and improved patient care, it is rarely measured.

Recreational and Occupational Physical Activity and Risk of Adverse Events in Truncating Founder Variant Carriers.

Background: founder variants cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure and malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Exercise is typically regarded as a risk factor for disease expression although evidence is conflicting. Stratifying by type of exercise may discriminate low- from high-risk activities in these patients.

Gestational diabetes mellitus and linear growth in early childhood.

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common pregnancy complication with potential short- and long-term adverse consequences for both mothers and fetuses. It is unclear whether GDM affects linear growth in the offspring; research data are limited and inconsistent.

Methods: In a prospective birth cohort in Shanghai (n=2055 children; 369 born to mothers with GDM).

Cobuilding patient and public capacity in knowledge synthesis: designed and delivered by patient and public partners for patient and public partners.

Objectives: To describe the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research Evidence Alliance's cocreation and evaluation of two capacity building courses on knowledge synthesis for patient and public partners.

Study Design And Setting: Two 3-week courses were collaboratively designed by, with, and for patient and public partners on engagement in knowledge synthesis. The first course, offered virtually in 2021, focused on patient and public engagement in systematic reviews and rapid reviews.

Identification of differentially expressed miRNAs involved in vascular aging reveals pathways associated with the endocrine hormone regulation.

Vascular aging refers to a series of processes where the elasticity of blood vessels diminishes, leading to stiffening, and deposition of fat components on the vessel walls, causing inflammation. Cardiovascular diseases, such as stroke and hypertension, play significant roles in morbidity and mortality rates among the elderly population. In this study, the Reactive Hyperemia Index (RHI) was measured to assess vascular endothelial function and aging-induced pathogenesis of vascular diseases in Korean subjects.

Impact of a national dementia research consortium: The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).

The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was created by the Canadian federal government through its health research funding agency, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), in 2014, as a response to the G7 initiative to fight dementia. Two five-year funding cycles (2014-2019; 2019-2024) have occurred following peer review, and a third cycle (Phase 3) has just begun. A unique construct was mandated, consisting of 20 national teams in Phase I and 19 teams in Phase II (with research topics spanning from basic to clinical science to health resource systems) along with cross-cutting programs to support them.

Personal variation in patient-centered relevance Index based on individual characteristics and medical conditions among patients with diabetes Mellitus in Korea.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify patients at higher risk for regional disengagement from health services using the Patient-centered Relevance Index (P-RI).

Methods: This nationwide retrospective cohort study analyzed the relationship between the P-RI and individual patient characteristics, including medical conditions and healthcare utilization patterns. The National Health Insurance Service claims database was used to characterize healthcare utilization by 3,046,914 patients with DM from 2017 to 2020.

Intra-Articular Injection of Stem Cells for the Regeneration of Knee Joint Cartilage: a Therapeutic Option for Knee Osteoarthritis - a Narrative Review.

Current approaches to regulating osteoarthritis primarily focus on symptom management; however, these methods often have significant side effects and may not be suitable for long-term care. As an alternative to conventional treatments, injecting stem cells into knee joint cartilage is a promising option for repairing damaged cartilage. In this review, we outline the general procedure for stem cell treatment of knee joint cartilage regeneration, emphasizing the potential of intra-articular stem cell injections as a therapeutic option for osteoarthritis.

Comparing the contents of patient-reported outcome measures for fatigue: EORTC CAT Core, EORTC QLQ-C30, EORTC QLQ-FA12, FACIT, PRO-CTCAE, PROMIS, Brief Fatigue Inventory, Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and Piper Fatigue Scale.

Background: To assess fatigue in cancer patients, several patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are available that differ in content. To support the selection of suitable measures for specific applications and to evaluate possibilities of quantitative linking, the present study provides a content comparison of common fatigue measures, scales, and item banks. We included the EORTC CAT Core, EORTC QLQ-FA12, EORTC QLQ-C30, FACIT-F, PROMIS Fatigue (Cancer item bank v1.

Associations of linear growth and weight gain in the first 2 years with bone mass at 4 years of age in children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Objective: Growth faltering is widespread in many low- and middle-income countries, but its effects on childhood bone mass accrual are unknown. The objective of this study was to estimate associations between length (conditional length-for-age -scores, cLAZ) and weight (conditional weight-for-age -scores, cWAZ) gain in three age intervals (ages 0-6, 6-12 and 12-24 months) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-derived measures of bone mass (total body less head (TBLH) bone mineral content (BMC), areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone area) at 4 years of age.

Design: Associations between interval-specific growth parameters (cLAZ and cWAZ) and bone outcomes were estimated using linear regression models, adjusted for maternal, child and household characteristics.

Validation of machine learning-based risk stratification scores for patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aims: This study aimed to validate the machine learning-based Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) 3.0 score and PRAISE (Prediction of Adverse Events following an Acute Coronary Syndrome) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for predicting mortality.

Methods And Results: Data of consecutive patients with ACS treated with PCI in a tertiary centre in the Netherlands between 2014 and 2021 were used for external validation.