Quality of improvement

IMPORTANCE: Despite a growing population of survivors of lung cancer, there is limited understanding of the survivorship journey. Survivors of lung cancer experience unmet physical, social, emotional, and medical needs regardless of stage at diagnosis or treatment modalities. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of unmet needs with quality of life (QOL) and financial toxicity (FT) among survivors of lung cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This survey study was conducted at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center thoracic oncology clinics between December 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021, to assess needs (physical, social, emotional, and medical), QOL, and FT among survivors of lung cancer...

Vegetable cultivation under sewage irrigation is a common practice mostly in developing countries due to a lack of freshwater. Long-term usage provokes heavy metals accumulation in soil and ultimately hinders the growth and physiology of crop plants and deteriorates the quality of food. A study was performed to investigate the role of brassinosteroid (BRs) and silicon (Si) on lettuce, spinach, and cabbage under lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) contaminated sewage water. The experiment comprises three treatments (control, BRs, and Si) applied under a completely randomized design (CRD) in a growth chamber...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Over the last few decades, there have been remarkable strides in endoscopy and radiological imaging that have advanced gastroenterology. However, the management of neurogastroenterological disorders has lagged behind, in part handicapped by the use of catheter-based manometry that is both non-physiological and uncomfortable. The advent of capsule technology has been a game changer for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. RECENT FINDINGS: Here, we discuss several capsule devices that are available or under investigation...

Fatty acids and essential oils (EOs) are the primary variables that influence the quality of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.). Soil toxicity to cadmium (Cd) is the main environmental issue facing fennel, and priming methods like soil amendments and nanoparticles (NPs) are commonly utilized to deal with it. The goal of the current study was to examine the effects of biochar (BC) and selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) on fennel plants in Cd-contaminated soils. The pot experiment was conducted with Cd stress at 0, 10, and 20 mg kg-1 soil, BC at 5% (v/v), and foliar-spraying Se NPs at 40 mg L-1 as a factorial completely randomized design (CRD) at a greenhouse condition in 2022...

Rice straw burning annually (millions of tons) leads to greenhouse gas emissions, and an alternative solution is producing humic acid with high added-value. This study aimed to examine the influence of a microbial consortium and other additives (chicken manure, urea, olive mill waste, zeolite, and biochar) on the composting process of rice straw and the subsequent production of humic acid. Results showed that among the fungal species, Thermoascus aurantiacus exhibited the most prominent impact in expediting maturation and improving compost quality, and Bacillus subtilis was the most abundant bacterial species based on metagenomics analysis...

This study aims to examine the health effects of smog on different age groups in Gujranwala and its associated health effects. To achieve this, primary data was gathered through a questionnaire survey focused on health issues faced by elderly individuals during the smog season. The results of the survey revealed that older adults in Gujranwala are particularly vulnerable to a range of health problems during this period, including coughing, throat infections, irritated eyes, runny noses, shortness of breath, chest pain while breathing, wheezing, asthma, heart problems, and respiratory issues...

BACKGROUND: The Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) clinical practice guideline on cochlear implant (CI) treatment, which was updated in 2020, defined the entire process of CI care for the first time. In the present study, the feasibility and results of very early rehabilitation were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The intervention group (IG) comprised 54 patients in whom rehabilitation was initiated within 14 (maximally 28) days after implantation...

PURPOSE: We evaluated the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a standardized nurse delivered mobile phone intervention to improve adherence to antiretroviral treatment and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Feasibility and acceptability of the phone intervention was assessed with rates of eligibility, completed visits, and attritions. Intervention fidelity was assessed by checking recorded calls and feedback. Efficacy was assessed using a randomized controlled trial in which 120 women living with HIV and psychosocial vulnerabilities, were randomized to Treatment as Usual (TAU = 60) or TAU plus the mobile phone intervention (N = 60)...

Urban parks provide connectedness to nature as a health resilience environment for promoting health. Virtual reality can provide opportunities for urban citizens to be exposed to natural elements with health benefits. The purpose was to explore the effects of actual and virtual parks on the quality of life and physical activity of urban residents. The study design was a cluster trial. Participants were healthy adults aged 20-50 years, recruited from three college campuses, and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (n = 30, 32) and one control group (n = 30)...

Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent global disease, particularly impacting developed countries. With the world's aging population, HF's impact on the quantity and quality of life is expected to grow. This review aims to ascertain the frequency, characteristics, and properties of all patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) studied in HF patients. We searched Ovid/Medline and Web of Science for original articles about PROMs performed in adults with HF. Using pre-established quality criteria for measurement properties, an overall rating was assigned to evaluate and compare different instruments...

Albino tea cultivars have high economic value because their young leaves contain enhanced free amino acids that improve the quality and properties of tea. Zhonghuang 1 (ZH1) and Zhonghuang 2 (ZH2) are two such cultivars widely planted in China; however, the environmental factors and molecular mechanisms regulating their yellow-leaf phenotype remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that both ZH1 and ZH2 are light- and temperature-sensitive. Under natural sunlight and low-temperature conditions, their young shoots were yellow with decreased chlorophyll and an abnormal chloroplast ultrastructure...

Cocrystal screening and single-crystal growth remain the primary obstacles in the development of pharmaceutical cocrystals. Here, we present a new approach for cocrystal screening, microspacing in-air sublimation (MAS), to obtain new cocrystals and grow high-quality single crystals of cocrystals within tens of minutes. The method possesses the advantages of strong designable ability of devices, user-friendly control, and compatibility with materials, especially for the thermolabile molecules. A novel drug-drug cocrystal of favipiravir (FPV) with salicylamide (SAA) was first discovered by this method, which shows improved physiochemical properties...

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to enhance the accessibility and quality of mobility assistive technology (MAT) by investigating and bridging knowledge gaps between MAT providers and consumers with ambulatory limitations. DESIGN: A survey was conducted among MAT providers in the United States, consisting of sections on awareness, knowledge importance and desire, and knowledge sources. The responses were compared to data collected from consumers in a previous study. RESULTS: A total of 144 MAT providers participated, with 60% having received academic or professional training in relevant fields...

To determine the efficacy of the probiotic Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 (ES1) and postbiotic heat-treated Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 (HT-ES1) in improving symptom severity in adults with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 200 participants split into three groups was carried out. Two capsules of either ES1, HT-ES1 or placebo were administered orally, once daily, for 84 days (12 weeks). The primary outcome was change in total IBS-Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) score from baseline, compared to placebo...

Tumor spheroids are now intensively investigated toward preclinical and clinical applications, necessitating the establishment of accessible and cost-effective methods for routine operations. Without losing the advantage of organ-chip technologies, we developed a rocking system for facile formation and culture of tumor spheroids in hydrogel microwells of a suspended membrane under microfluidic conditions. While the rocking is controlled with a step motor, the microfluidic device is made of two plastic plates, allowing plugging directly syringe tubes with Luer connectors...

INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY: In Mongolia, pediatric anesthesia has advanced during the past 25 years through expanded, standardized education programs and international collaboration. Pediatric anesthesia is a recognized specialty, covering all surgical services, including cardiac and transplant, using physicians and nurses. TRAINING: The pediatric anesthesia fellowship is 6 months after 2 years of residency; pediatric nurse anesthesia training is 6 months...

PURPOSE: The present meta-analysis investigated the efficacy of anomia treatment in bilingual and multilingual persons with aphasia (BPWAs) by assessing the magnitudes of six anomia treatment outcomes. Three of the treatment outcomes pertained to the "trained language": improvement of trained words (treatment effect [TE]), within-language generalization of semantically related untrained words (WLG-Related), and within-language generalization of unrelated words (WLG-Unrelated). Three treatment outcomes were for the "untrained language": improvement of translations of the trained words (cross-language generalization of trained words [CLG-Tx]), cross-language generalization of semantically related untrained words (CLG-Related), and cross-language generalization of unrelated untrained words (CLG-Unrelated)...

INTRODUCTION: During intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in neurosurgery, brain electrodes are placed to record electrocorticography or to inject current for direct cortical stimulation. A low impedance electrode may improve signal quality. AREAS COVERED: We review here a brain electrode (WISE Cortical Strip, WCS®), where a thin polymer strip embeds platinum nanoparticles to create conductive electrode contacts. The low impedance contacts enable a high signal-to-noise ratio, allowing for better detection of small signals such as high-frequency oscillations (HFO)...

OBJECTIVES: The present study was conducted to evaluate the reproducibility of Lekholm and Zarb classification system (L&Z) for bone quality assessment of edentulous alveolar ridges and to investigate the potential of a data-driven approach for bone quality classification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six expert clinicians were asked to classify 110 CBCT cross-sections according to L&Z classification (T0). The same evaluation was repeated after one month with the images put in a different order (T1)...

INTRODUCTION: Gastroparesis is a chronic disorder characterized by decreased gastric emptying and presents with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain which impacts patients' quality of life greatly. The treatment modalities available for gastroparesis have been expanding over the past 2 decades. Currently there are multiple options available for gastroparesis albeit with only one FDA approved medication until June of 2021. AREAS COVERED: We review the different treatments available for gastroparesis and discuss the recently FDA approved intranasal formulation of metoclopramide...