Binational

BACKGROUND: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access is critical to public health and human dignity. People who inject drugs (PWID) experience stigma and structural violence that may limit WASH access. Few studies have assessed WASH access, insecurity, and inequities among PWID. We describe WASH access, social and geographic inequalities, and factors associated with WASH insecurity among PWID in the Tijuana-San Diego metropolitan area. METHODS: In this cross-sectional binational study, we interviewed PWID (age 18+) in 2020-2021 about WASH access and insecurity...

Introduction In critically ill patients undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), a positive fluid balance (FB) is associated with adverse outcomes. However, current FB management practices in CRRT patients are poorly understood. We aimed to study FB and its components in British and Australian CRRT patients to inform future trials. Methods We obtained detailed electronic health record data on all fluid-related variables during CRRT and hourly FB for the first seven days of treatment. Results We studied 1,616 patients from three tertiary ICUs in two countries...

OBJECTIVES: Periodontal diseases are a rather complex problem of modern dentistry and do not have only medical but also social significance. The objective of this study is to weigh the effect of a mixture of Thiotriazoline and L-arginine (1:4) on the parameters of the system of endogenous cytoprotection of blood and periodontal illness in rats with experimental chronic generalized periodontitis and substantiate further study of this blend. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study aimed to evaluate the impact of a combination of Thiotria-zoline and L-arginine (in a ratio of 1:4) on the parameters of the endogenous blood cytoprotection system and periodontium in rats with experimental chronic generalized periodontitis...

PURPOSE: A positive fluid balance (FB) is associated with harm in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). We aimed to understand how a positive balance develops in such patients. METHODS: Multinational, retrospective cohort study of critically ill patients with AKI not requiring renal replacement therapy. RESULTS: AKI occurred at a median of two days after admission in 7894 (17.3%) patients. Cumulative FB became progressively positive, peaking on day three despite only 848 (10...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the early outcomes and risk factors of paediatric patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation after cardiac surgery (post cardiotomy). METHODS: Retrospective binational cohort study from the Australia and New Zealand Congenital Outcomes Registry for Surgery database. All patients younger than 18 years of age who underwent a paediatric cardiac surgical procedure from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2021 and required post-cardiotomy extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the same hospital admission were included in the study...

Background: Concomitant glenohumeral pathologies may be present in patients with acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) dislocations. This study aims to record and compare the prevalence and treatment of CGP in cases with acute and chronic ACJ dislocations. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional binational, bicentric study included patients that underwent arthroscopically assisted stabilization for acute (group A) and chronic (group C) ACJ dislocations. Intraoperatively, CGPs and eventual treatments (debridement and reconstructive measures) were recorded...

Despite increasing awareness of genetic kidney disease prevalence, there is limited population-level information about long term outcomes of people with genetic kidney disease receiving kidney replacement therapy. This analysis included people who commenced kidney replacement therapy between 1989 and 2020 as recorded in the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant registry. Genetic kidney diseases were subclassified as majority and minority monogenic. Non-genetic kidney diseases were included as the comparator group...

RATIONALE: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common global respiratory virus increasingly recognized as a major pathogen in frail older adults and as a cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations. There is no single test for RSV in adults with acceptable diagnostic accuracy. Trials of RSV vaccines have recently shown excellent safety and efficacy against RSV in older adults; defining the frequency of RSV-related community infections and COPD exacerbations is important for vaccine deployment decisions...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study is to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) of the Cambridge hybrid closed-loop automated insulin delivery (AID) algorithm versus usual care for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: This multicenter, binational, parallel-controlled trial randomized 133 insulin pump using participants aged 6 to 18 years to either AID (n = 65) or usual care (n = 68) for 6 months. Both within-trial and lifetime cost-effectiveness were analyzed...

AIM: The optimal management of patients with clinical complete response after neoadjuvant treatment for rectal cancer is controversial. The aim of this study is to compare the morbidity between patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who have had a pathological complete response (pCR) or not after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME). The study hypothesis was that pCR may impact the surgical complication rate. METHOD: A retrospective cohort study was conducted of a prospectively maintained database in Australia and New Zealand, the Binational Colorectal Cancer Audit, that identified patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (<15 cm from anal verge) from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2019...

BACKGROUND: Some data suggest a higher incidence of diagnosis of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) among patients with a history of COVID-19 compared with uninfected patients. However, these studies had methodological shortcomings. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of COVID-19 on long-term risk for incident AIRD over various follow-up periods. DESIGN: Binational, longitudinal, propensity-matched cohort study. SETTING: Nationwide claims-based databases in South Korea (K-COV-N cohort) and Japan (JMDC cohort)...

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is an international and quintessential One Health problem. This paper synthesizes recent knowledge in One Health, binational RMSF concerns, and veterinary and human medical perspectives to this fatal, reemerging problem. RMSF, a life-threatening tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, emerged during the first decade of the 21st century in impoverished communities in the southwestern US and northern Mexico. Lack of an index of suspicion, delay in diagnosis, and delayed initiation of antibiotic treatment contribute to fatality...

A two decades-long epidemic of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in northern México reached the U.S. border city of Tijuana in 2021. Cases were near the city periphery in marginalized areas, some lacking infrastructure such as streets or utilities. We worked in the three census areas where human cases were reported and in 12 additional control Áreas Geoestadisticas Básicas. There were dogs, the primary tick host and Rickettsia rickettsii reservoir, in 76% of homes, with 2.2 owned dogs per home on average, approximately equal numbers of roaming dogs were seen, and 46...

Long-acting injectable HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI-PrEP) could help overcome multilevel challenges to HIV prevention for people who inject drugs (PWID), including those in the binational San Diego-Tijuana metroplex. Yet, general PrEP awareness and interest in LAI-PrEP remain underexplored among PWID. From 2020 to 2021, 562 HIV-negative PWID in San Diego and Tijuana completed surveys assessing general PrEP awareness and interest in oral and LAI-PrEP. Modified Poisson regression examined factors associated with general PrEP awareness...

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients who undergo gastroendoscopy and colonoscopy are at increased risk of peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis (PD peritonitis) following the procedure (defined as occurring within 7 days of intervention). As per current International Society for PD (ISPD) guidelines, antibiotic prophylaxis is currently recommended pre-colonoscopy in PD patients given the risk of post-colonoscopy PD peritonitis. The risk of PD peritonitis in patients undergoing capsule endoscopy (CE) is unknown...

OBJECTIVE: To describe current transfusion practices in intensive care units (ICUs) in Australia and New Zealand, compare them against national guidelines, and describe how viscoelastic haemostatic assays (VHAs) are used in guiding transfusion decisions. DESIGN SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective, multicentre, binational point-prevalence study. All adult patients admitted to participating ICUs on a single day in 2021. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Transfusion types, amounts, clinical reasons, and triggers; use of anti-platelet medications, anti-coagulation, and VHA...

BACKGROUND: The psychological toll on parents of a child receiving a cancer diagnosis is known to be high, but there is a knowledge gap regarding suicidal behavior among these parents. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of suicide attempt and death by suicide in relation to having a child with cancer. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We performed a binational population-based and sibling-controlled cohort study, including all parents with a child diagnosed with cancer in Denmark (1978 to 2016) or Sweden (1973 to 2014), 10 matched unexposed parents per exposed parent (population comparison), and unaffected full siblings of the exposed parents (sibling comparison)...

BACKGROUND: Patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention are often considered to be at a high bleeding risk (HBR). Drug-eluting stents have been shown to be superior to bare-metal stents in patients with HBR, even when patients were given abbreviated periods of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Short DAPT has not been evaluated with the EluNIR ridaforolimus-eluting stent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a shortened period of DAPT following implantation of the ridaforolimus-eluting stent in patients with HBR...

BACKGROUND: The gliding surface of total knee endoprostheses is exposed to high loads due to patient weight and activity. These implant components are typically manufactured from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). Crosslinking of UHMWPE by ionizing radiation results in higher wear resistance but induces the formation of free radicals which impair mechanical properties after contact with oxygen. Medium-crosslinked UHMWPE enriched with vitamin E (MXE) provides a balance between the parameters for a sustainable gliding surface, i...

Primary autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) causes the destruction of red blood cells and a subsequent pro-thrombotic state, potentially increasing the risk of ischaemic stroke. We investigated the risk of ischaemic stroke in patients with AIHA in a binational study. We used prospectively collected data from nationwide registers in Denmark and France to identify cohorts of patients with primary AIHA and age- and sex-matched general population comparators. We followed the patient and comparison cohorts for up to 5 years, with the first hospitalization of a stroke during follow-up as the main outcome...