Guides

This article aims to provide a guide that will help healthcare professionals and clinical researchers from all fields that deal with Kaplan-Meier curves. Survival analysis methods are among the most frequently used in the medical sciences and in clinical research. Overall survival, progression free survival, time to recurrence, or any other clinically relevant parameter represented by a Kaplan-Meier curve will be discussed. We will present a practical and straightforward interpretation of these curves, setting aside intricate mathematical considerations...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained atrial arrhythmia. Accurate detection of the timing and possibility of AF termination is vital for optimizing rhythm and rate control strategies. The present study evaluated whether the ventricular response (VR) in AF offers a distinctive electrocardiographic indicator for predicting AF termination. METHODS: Patients experiencing sustained paroxysmal AF for more than 3 h were observed using 24-h ambulatory Holter monitoring...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: Body mass index (BMI) is known to contribute to outcomes for patients with knee OA. Furthermore, BMI influences the protein expression of orthobiologic treatments like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT). We performed a secondary analysis of the association of BMI with PROs for patients with knee OA who received either PRP or MFAT injections. METHODS: Seventy-one patients with knee OA were randomized to receive a single ultrasound-guided injection of PRP or MFAT...

Despite evidence that elite-level cricket umpires are highly accurate in making leg-before-wicket (LBW) judgements, there is limited understanding as to how they make these judgements. In this study, we explored the explicit LBW decision-making expertise of elite-level cricket umpires ( N  = 10) via 10 individual semi-structured interviews. Using thematic analysis, we aimed to identify the sources of information that umpires incorporate into their decision-making process. Results indicated that umpires engage in intentional pre-delivery information-gathering to guide their expectations, and to set context-specific parameters as to what would constitute an LBW dismissal...

BACKGROUND: Phronesis is a way of knowing, implying wisdom, experiences, and reflections that guide our judgements. Phronesis, important for learning, is a neglected form of knowledge when applied to research. AIM: To examine how phronesis is conceptualised and practiced in three research projects. METHOD: Data from eight interviews with researchers involved in three research projects was generated. The interview material was analysed. A theoretical matrix of contemporary understanding of phronesis was applied to the material...

BACKGROUND: Typhoid fever is a common cause of febrile illness in low- and middle-income countries. While multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) has spread globally, fluoroquinolone resistance has mainly affected Asia. METHODS: Consecutively, 1038 blood cultures were obtained from patients of all age groups with fever and/or suspicion of serious systemic infection admitted at Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Zanzibar in 2015-2016. S. Typhi were analyzed with antimicrobial susceptibility testing and with short read (61 strains) and long read (9 strains) whole genome sequencing, including three S...

The ability of epithelial monolayers to self-organize into a dynamic polarized state, where cells migrate in a uniform direction, is essential for tissue regeneration, development, and tumor progression. However, the mechanisms governing long-range polar ordering of motility direction in biological tissues remain unclear. Here, we investigate the self-organizing behavior of quiescent epithelial monolayers that transit to a dynamic state with long-range polar order upon growth factor exposure. We demonstrate that the heightened self-propelled activity of monolayer cells leads to formation of vortex-antivortex pairs that undergo sequential annihilation, ultimately driving the spread of long-range polar order throughout the system...

An increasing number of measurement electrodes have been designed to satisfy the demand for high-resolution detection using galvanic logging technology in complex formations. The forward modeling response analysis of logging tools has important guiding significance in the design of galvanic logging tools. Based on a three-dimensional finite element numerical simulation method, we established a forward model of galvanic multi-electrodes in a complex formation. We also designed a symmetrical resistance network model of the formation with equivalent resistance between two electrodes...

It is significant to systematically quantify the propagation thresholds of meteorological drought to different levels of agricultural drought in karst areas, and revealit's the propagation driving mechanisms. This can guide early warning and fine management of agricultural drought. In this study,we selected Guizhou Province as an example. The standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and standardized soil moisture index (SSI) were used to characterize meteorological and agricultural drought...

Not all young children attend nurseries, childminders or other group settings before they start school, but many do. It is common for countries to set out a framework to guide practice for early years providers (such as nurseries) to follow. The conundrum regarding these frameworks for young children is that proving evidence of a causal link between early environments and later outcomes is very challenging scientifically. So how do governments choose what learning and development practices and goals to make mandatory for childcare providers? And is it realistic to expect early years providers to meet the legal requirements that these frameworks impose? We do not know which learning and development practices impact positively on later outcomes, and we certainly do not know if there is a one-size-fits-all approach for an early years framework that is guaranteed to work...

The COVID-19 pandemic was a socionatural disaster that unprecedentedly disrupted the daily lives of individuals, families, and communities. Prior research indicates that Black American men living in rural contexts, particularly in Southern parts of the United States of America, were disproportionately affected by the psychological and economic effects of the pandemic. Despite these disparities, few studies have examined the pandemic's impact on rural Black American men's social networks. This study aimed to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural Black American men's interpersonal relationships...

In this paper, a two-dimensional (2D) thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic (THMD) coupling analysis in the presence of a half-space medium is studied using Ezzat's fractional order generalized theory of thermoelasticity. Using normal mode analysis (NMA), the influence of the anisotropy of the thermal conduction coefficient, fractional derivatives, and frequency on the THMD response of anisotropy, fully saturated, and poroelastic subgrade is then analyzed with a time-harmonic load including mechanical load and thermal source subjected to the surface...

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) practitioners working in humanitarian contexts are at significant risk of mental health conditions, ultimately hindering the quality and sustainability of their work. Supportive supervision has shown to be effective in improving the wellbeing of MHPSS staff and volunteers and enhancing the effectiveness of MHPSS service delivery. Despite these proven benefits, there is a lack of standardised guidelines to inform supportive supervision within humanitarian contexts...

The short-term prediction of single well production can provide direct data support for timely guiding the optimization and adjustment of oil well production parameters and studying and judging oil well production conditions. In view of the coupling effect of complex factors on the daily output of a single well, a short-term prediction method based on a multi-agent hybrid model is proposed, and a short-term prediction process of single well output is constructed. First, CEEMDAN method is used to decompose and reconstruct the original data set, and the sliding window method is used to compose the data set with the obtained components...

BACKGROUND: Fetal two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is an emerging technique for assessing fetal cardiac function by measuring global longitudinal strain. Alterations in global longitudinal strain may serve as early indicator of pregnancy complications, making 2D-STE a potentially valuable tool for early detection. Early detection can facilitate timely interventions to reduce fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of performing 2D-STE at 16 weeks gestational age...

OBJECTIVES: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) stands as the most prevalent upper extremity entrapment neuropathy, with a multifaceted etiology encompassing various risk factors. This study aimed to investigate whether anthropometric measurements of the hand, grip strength, and pinch strength could serve as predictive indicators for CTS through machine learning techniques. METHODS: Enrollment encompassed patients exhibiting CTS symptoms (n = 56) and asymptomatic healthy controls (n = 56), with confirmation via electrophysiological assessments...

Urban regeneration programmes are interventions meant to enhance the wellbeing of residents in deprived areas, although empirical evidence reports mixed results. We evaluated the health impact of a participatory and neighbourhood-wide urban regeneration programme, Pla de Barris 2016-2020, in Barcelona. A pre-post with a comparison group study design. Using data from a cross-sectional survey performed in 2016 and 2021. The health outcomes analysed were mental health, alcohol and psychotropic drug use, perceived health status, physical activity and obesity...