A surge in female condom distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gauteng province, South Africa by Cyril Bernsah Fonka, Nicola Christofides

“…Conclusion Gauteng province witnessed a substantial surge in female condom distribution during COVID-19 in 2020, with a disproportionate district variation in demand. …”
Get full text

Knowledge of and Adherence to Anaemia Prevention Strategies among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care Facilities in Juaboso District in Western-North Region, Ghana by Prince Kubi Appiah, Daniel Nkuah, Duut Abdulai Bonchel

“…The commonest source of anaemia is nutritional deficiency of iron with evidence suggesting that up to 90% of maternal anaemia may be due to inadequate consumption of dietary iron; however, there are other causes which include worm infestation, HIV infection, and genetic disorders. …”
Get full text

A Rare Case of Mosaic 3pter and 5pter Deletion-Duplication with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dyskinesia by Luna Bajracharya, Meena Lall, Sunita Bijarnia-Mahay, Praveen Kumar, Imran Mushtaq, Pushpa Saviour, Preeti Paliwal, Anju Joshi, Shruti Agarwal, Praveen Suman

“…Introduction. There is evidence that neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with chromosomal abnormalities. …”
Get full text

Temperature, violent crime, climate change, and vulnerability factors in 44 United States cities by Seulkee Heo, Hayon Michelle Choi, Jesse D. Berman, Michelle L. Bell

“…Most previous studies considered temporal intervals of months to years and assumed linear associations. Evidence is needed on daily impacts of temperature on crime, applying non-linear models across different locations. …”
Get full text

Functional differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells into neuron-like cells exhibiting electrophysiological activity by B. Pardo-Rodríguez, A. M. Baraibar, I. Manero-Roig, J. Luzuriaga, J. Salvador-Moya, Y. Polo, R. Basanta-Torres, F. Unda, S. Mato, Gaskon Ibarretxe, Jose Ramon Pineda

“…Conclusion Our study demonstrates that hDPSCs can be differentiated to neuronal-like cells that display functional excitability and thus evidence the potential of these easily accessible human stem cells for nerve tissue engineering. …”
Get full text

uN2CpolyG-mediated p65 nuclear sequestration suppresses the NF-κB-NLRP3 pathway in neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease by Yu Shen, Kaiyan Jiang, Dandan Tan, Min Zhu, Yusen Qiu, Pencheng Huang, Wenquan Zou, Jianwen Deng, Zhaoxia Wang, Ying Xiong, Daojun Hong

“…Abstract Background Neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is genetically linked to CGG repeat expansion in the 5’-untranslated region of the NOTCH2NLC gene, with nascent polyglycine-containing protein (uN2CpolyG) identified as a primary pathogenic factor. Emerging clinical evidence suggests that inflammation contributes to NIID pathogenesis, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. …”
Get full text

Features and predictive value of 6-min walk test outcomes in interstitial lung disease: an observation study using wearable monitors by Jiaying Li, Xiaobing Wu, Xiaoyan Li, Miaozhen Deng, Xinyin Liang, Huiqun Wei

“…We found significant differences in 6MWD (F=2.44, p=0.033), SpO2 change (F=2.58, p=0.025), HR at 0 min (F=2.87, p=0.014), HR at end of 6 min (F=2.58, p=0.025) and HR zenith (F=2.64, p=0.022) between the subtypes of ILD.Conclusion This observation provided an important evidence regarding oxygen titration. It is better to maintain SpO2 above 88% for 4 min instead of 3 min. …”
Get full text

Timely access to specialist outpatient care: can applying systems thinking unblock our waiting lists? by Sue McAvoy, Agnes Toth-Peter, Ninad Jagdish, Bao Hoang Nguyen, Allison Arnott, Lisa Nissen

“…Waiting too long to access SOP can have a detrimental effect on people’s health outcomes. …”
Get full text

Burden of micronutrient deficiency among patients with type 2 diabetes: systematic review and meta-analysis by Sanjay Kalra, Shiv Dutt Gupta, Daya Krishan Mangal, Diksha Gautam, Anuj Kumar Pandey, Nida Shaikh, Himanshu Tolani, Yeshwanth Sonnathi, Kamlesh Chand Sharma, Jagdish Prasad, Rajeev Tewari, Fahmina Anwar

“…The aim of the study is to resolve conflicting evidence from previous studies that mainly focused on one specific micronutrient.Methods The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines and the Cochrane Handbook. …”
Get full text

Temporal trends, associated risk factors and longitudinal cardiovascular outcomes of body roundness among middle-aged and older Chinese adults: from the China Health and Retirement... by Ying-Yuan Gan, Yun-Dan Luo, Lu Zhai, Rong-Rui Huo, Xia Dai, Qian Liao

“…The body roundness index (BRI), which includes waist circumference, offers a more accurate measure of visceral and total body fat. However, despite evidence of BRI's effectiveness in predicting obesity-related diseases, national-level data, especially from non-Western populations like China, remain limited.MethodsThis study utilized data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a large, nationally representative cohort of Chinese adults, to examine the temporal trends of BRI, identify associated risk factors, and investigate the longitudinal associations between BRI and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. …”
Get full text

Mapping provider and consumer voices using the AACTT framework: a focus group study of advance care planning by Lisa Guccione, Stephanie Best, Sonia Fullerton, Sanchia Aranda, Jill J. Francis

“…Abstract Background The provision of healthcare is complex. When evidence-practice gaps are identified, interventions to improve practice across multi-level systems are required. …”
Get full text

A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study Investigating the Causal Relationship Between Ankylosing Spondylitis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease by Pan D, Dai X, Li P, Xue L

“…In reverse MR analysis, no causal effect between COPD and AS was found among the datasets.Conclusion: Our research provided partial evidence to support the viewpoint that AS may increase the prevalence of COPD. …”
Get full text

Implementing the Copenhagen Adductor Exercise and Nordic Hamstring Exercise in West African Academy Soccer Players: An Intervention Study by Matthew D DeLang, Lasse Ishøi, Maren Nielsen Hole, Prince Wilson, Michael Segbefia, Kristian Thorborg

“…Secondary interventions therefore should include higher exercise volume or load to improve longitudinal adductor and hamstring strength. # Level of Evidence Level III (Cohort Study)…”
Get full text

Medio-Lateral Hamstring Muscle Activity in Unilateral vs. Bilateral Strength Exercises in Female Team Handball Players – A Cross-Sectional Study by Brian Sørensen, Per Aagaard, Lasse Malchow-Møller, Mette Kreutzfeldt Zebis, Jesper Bencke

“…Kettlebell swing and both deadlift exercises were superior in activating ST over BF, favoring these exercises in the prevention of non-contact ACL injury in female athletes, which should be evaluated in future intervention studies. # Level of evidence 3…”
Get full text

The palmitoyl-CoA ligase Fum16 is part of a Fusarium verticillioides fumonisin subcluster involved in self-protection by Fabio Gherlone, Katarina Jojić, Ying Huang, Sandra Hoefgen, Vito Valiante, Slavica Janevska

“…Using homologous and heterologous expression systems, in F. verticillioides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively, we provide evidence that both contribute to protection against FB1. …”
Get full text

Continuous overnight monitoring of body temperature during embryo transfer cycles as a proxy for establishing progesterone fluctuations by comparison with P4 blood progesterone res... by T.G. Knowles, J.A. García-Velasco, M. Toribio, N. Garrido, A.I. Barrio Pedraza, C. Colomé Rakosnik, A. Salazar Vera, R. Milnes

“…Conclusions The results provide extremely strong evidence of a linear relationship between LnP4 and Smooth Temperature (ST) measured the day before blood sampling (Z = 15.6, p < 0.0001, 2 sided). …”
Get full text

Validity and Reliability of Dynamic and Functional Balance Tests in People Aged 19-54: A Systematic Review by Kim J Lesch, Sanni Tuomisto, Heikki O Tikkanen, Mika Venojärvi

“…This review equips healthcare professionals with valuable insights into optimal balance assessment methods for the healthy, 19 to 54 aged population. # Levels of evidence Level 3…”
Get full text

Association of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) Polymorphisms with Asthma Risk: A Meta-Analysis by Fenfang Zou, Jianpeng Zhang, Guoan Xiang, Hongbin Jiao, Hongmei Gao

“…Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the stability of our results, and publication bias was not evident. The present meta-analysis suggests that MMP-9 Arg668Gln, rs17577 polymorphism may be the risk factor for asthma susceptibility.…”
Get full text

Determinants of tobacco use transitions in smoker nursing students in Catalonia: A prospective longitudinal study by Kenza Laroussy, Esteve Fernández, Yolanda Castellano, Marcela Fu, Antoni Baena, Ariadna Feliu, Armando Peruga, Mercè Margalef, Olena Tigova, Jordi Galimany, Montserrat Puig, Carmen Moreno, Albert Bueno, Antonio López, Judith Roca, Judith Saura, Cristina Martínez

“…Conclusions Nursing students who smoked experienced diverse transitions in tobacco use patterns over time. Evidence-based tobacco use preventive and cessation interventions are needed to tackle tobacco use among future nurses.…”
Get full text

A systematic review of impact of person-centred interventions for serious physical illness in terms of outcomes and costs by Richard Harding, Sridhar Venkatapuram, Alessandra Giusti, Ruwayda Petrus, Liz Gwyther, Lindsay Farrant, I Petersen, Amelia Cook, Kennedy Bashan Nkhoma

“…Focusing on delivery, we aimed to review and evaluate the evidence from interventions that aimed to deliver PCC for people with serious physical illness and identify models of PCC interventions.Methods Systematic review of literature using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. …”
Get full text