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  • Kjeldsen Nicolaisen posted an update 1 week, 1 day ago

    This letter demonstrates the need to implement strategies to incorporate inclusion health into the curriculum and the approaches described are applicable to diverse health professions and settings. Copyright © 2019 Broderick J et al.Background The Myopia Outcome Study of Atropine in Children (MOSAIC) aims to explore the efficacy, safety, acceptability and mechanisms of action of 0.01% unpreserved atropine for myopia control in a European population. Methods MOSAIC is an investigator-led, double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial (RCT) investigating the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of action of 0.01% atropine for managing progression of myopia. During Phase 1 of the trial, 250 children aged 6-16 years with progressive myopia instil eye drops once nightly in both eyes from randomisation to month 24. No treatment is given during Phase 2 from month 24 to 36 (washout period) for those participants initially randomised to the intervention arm (n=167), during which any potential rebound effects on cessation of treatment will be monitored. All participants initially assigned to the placebo (n=83) crossover to the intervention arm of the study for Phase 2, and from month 24 to 36, instil 0.01% atropine eye drops in both eyes once nightly. Further treatment and monitoring beyond 36 months is planned (Phase 3) and will be designed dependent on the outcomes of Phase 1. Results The primary outcome measure is cycloplegic spherical equivalent refractive error progression at 24 months. Secondary outcome measures include axial length change as well as the rebound, safety and acceptability profile of 0.01% atropine. Additional analyses will include the mechanisms of action of 0.01% atropine for myopia control. Conclusions The generalisability of results from previous clinical trials investigating atropine for myopia control is limited by the predominantly Asian ethnicity of previous study populations. MOSAIC is the first RCT to explore the efficacy, safety and mechanisms of action of unpreserved 0.01% atropine in a predominantly White population. Trial registration ISRCTN ISRCTN36732601 (04/10/2017), EudraCTdatabase 2016-003340-37 (03/07/2018). Copyright © 2019 McCrann S et al.Background Childhood obesity prevention interventions delivered by health professionals during the first 1,000 days show some evidence of effectiveness, particularly in relation to behavioural outcomes. External validity refers to how generalisable interventions are to populations or settings beyond those in the original study. The degree to which external validity elements are reported in such studies is unclear however. This systematic review aimed to determine the extent to which childhood obesity interventions delivered by health professionals during the first 1,000 days report on elements that can be used to inform generalizability across settings and populations. Methods Eligible studies meeting study inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified through a systematic review of 11 databases and three trial registers. An assessment tool based on the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework was used to assess the external validity of included studies. It comprised fhood obesity prevention interventions. Important gaps in external validity reporting were identified that could facilitate decisions around the translation and scale-up of interventions from research to practice. Registration PROSPERO CRD42016050793 03/11/16. Copyright © 2019 Hennessy M et al.Introduction Improving end-of-life (EOL) care is a priority worldwide as this population experiences poor outcomes and accounts disproportionately for costs. In clinical practice, physician judgement is the core method of identifying EOL care needs but has important limitations. Machine learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence advancing capacity to identify patterns and make predictions using large datasets.  ML approaches have the potential to improve clinical decision-making and policy design, but there has been no systematic assembly of current evidence. Methods We conducted a rapid review, searching systematically seven databases from inception to December 31st, 2018 EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, WOS, SCOPUS and ECONLIT.  We included peer-reviewed studies that used ML approaches on routine data to improve palliative and EOL care for adults.  Our specified outcomes were survival, quality of life (QoL), place of death, costs, and receipt of high-intensity treatment near end of lifth individual preferences and ethical challenges. Copyright © 2019 Storick V et al.Background Issues with questionnaire completion introduce bias and limit examinations in trials. Improving communication with participants about trial processes, such as outcome and questionnaire development, may improve questionnaire completion and response rates. Providing information about the involvement of stakeholders in the development of core outcome sets (COS) measured in trials may improve responding by tapping into subjective norms and behaviour change mechanisms. The aim of this Study Within a Trial (SWAT) is to examine if questionnaire response rates and participants’ attitudes towards questionnaire completion are impacted by providing information about COS use in a trial of a complex intervention. Methods This is a randomised, single-blinded, parallel group intervention SWAT, embedded within a feasibility trial of an infant feeding intervention to prevent childhood obesity. The SWAT intervention consisting of a brief written description and explanation about the development and use of a COS of the Northern Ireland Hub for Trials Methodology Research SWAT Repository ( SWAT57). Copyright © 2019 Griffin C et al.Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is highly endemic in Nigeria. The primary objective of this study is to describe the knowledge, self-reported vaccination status, and intention of healthcare workers to receive hepatitis B vaccine at a tertiary referral center in conflict-ravaged northeastern Nigeria. Methods This was cross-sectional analytical study among medical practitioners, nurses, laboratory workers, health attendants, pharmacists, and radiographers working at Federal Medical Center Nguru, Yobe State. Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. Data were obtained using questionnaires and entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, cleaned and analyzed using JMP Pro software. Results Of the 182 participants, we found that 151 (82.97%), 81 (44.51%), 85 (46.70%), and 33 (18.13%) had good knowledge of HBV, good knowledge of hepatitis B vaccine, were vaccinated against HBV by the least dose, and had a complete hepatitis B vaccination status, respectively. DNA Repair inhibitor The lack of availability of the vaccine was the main reason for not receiving the vaccine among the unvaccinated 36/91 (39.56%), followed by not knowing where to access the vaccine 19/91 (20.88%). Conclusion The study highlights the need for strategies to ensure the availability of hepatitis B vaccine in conflict settings and need for vaccinology training given the suboptimal level of awareness and uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine among the healthcare workers. © The Author(s), 2020.Programmable cell adhesion with DNA hybridization is a promising approach for fabricating various tissue architectures without sophisticated instrumentation. However, little is known about how this artificial interaction influences the binding of cell adhesion proteins, E-cadherin. In this work, we designed a planar and fluid lipid membrane displaying E-cadherin and/or single-strand DNA with well-defined densities. Visualization of cells on membranes by fluorescence and interference microscopy revealed cell adhesion to be a two-step process artificial adhesion by DNA hybridization within a few minutes followed by biological adhesion via cadherin-cadherin binding within hours. Furthermore, we discovered that DNA hybridization can substantially facilitate E-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion. The promotive effect is probably due to the enforced binding between E-cadherin molecules in geometrical confinement between two membranes. Our in vitro model of cell adhesion can potentially be used to design functional synthetic molecules that can regulate cell adhesion via cell adhesion proteins for tissue engineering. © Author(s).Ground penetrating radar (GPR) investigations have the potential to non-destructively detect buried or hidden targets and are therefore often used in forensic research. This study presents a particular application of GPR methods to search for a missing person in a specific subsurface environment a natural cave. The search for missing people in Italy is a problematic and delicate task that needs improvement. Results of this study highlight not only the ability to detect both hollow and forensic targets, but also precisely locate and define their geometries. Moreover, GPR findings efficiently focus archaeological excavation and body recovery in an exact area and help to minimise time digging in erroneous places. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Academy of Forensic Science.Forensic odontology frequently plays a significant role in identification of the victims of multi-fatality disasters, but not in all. It depends on adequate dental remains surviving the disaster and on the availability of dental records to be successful. This paper describes current practice in the techniques of identification in forensic odontology and outlines recent advances that are moving into the mainstream.Key PointsForensic odontology plays a key role in mass disaster victim identification (DVI) when good-quality antemortem (AM) dental records are available.Images including radiographs, computerized tomography (CT) data and three-dimensional (3D) scan data are considered more reliable AM records than written dental charts and odontograms.Interpretation, transcription and comparison of dental datasets are complex processes that should be undertaken only by trained dental professionals.The future of forensic odontology DVI techniques is likely to include the use of 3D datasets for comparison. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Academy of Forensic Science.Video abstract Watch the video on Vimeo. © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Academy of Forensic Science.A 65-year-old man was followed up after undergoing Hartmann’s operation for the treatment of obstructive colon cancer 1 year earlier. He presented with bloody stool and underwent examination, including lower gastrointestinal endoscopy, and he was diagnosed with rectal cancer. Since he had a history of multiple abdominal surgeries, including Hartmann’s operation, severe pelvic adhesions were expected. Thus, in consideration of surgical safety and curability, transanal total mesorectal excision (Ta-TME) was performed. The duration of the surgery was 3 h, and there was minimal blood loss. Histopathological findings did not reveal remnants of cancer in the resected margin, and the patient was discharged on hospital day 7. Rectal cancer has a higher rate of local recurrence than colon cancer. To prevent local recurrence, ensuring a rectal circumferential resection margin (CRM) with TME is essential, which is, however, challenging in obese patients and in those with giant tumors, contracted pelvis, prostatic hypertrophy, etc.