bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flight and echolocation evolved once in Chiroptera: comments on ‘The evolution of flight in bats: a novel hypothesis’
Authors: Gardner Nicholas M. , Dececchi T. Alexander
Published: February 2022

Anderson and Ruxton (Mammal Review, 2020) reviewed the evolution of powered flight and laryngeal echolocation in bats. They hypothesised that powered flight and laryngeal echolocation evolved in separate lineages of handwing gliders. We note that fossil, character evolution, and developmental evidence contradicts their hypothesis, and we test their handwing gliding model, finding it aerodynamically implausible. We conclude that the traditional view of bat evolution (that flight and laryngeal echolocation evolved in the common ancestor of all bats, with the latter being lost in pteropodids) is more plausible than the proposed novel hypothesis.
Acitretin: Could it be a new therapeutic player in the field of onychomycosis?
Authors: Nasr Mohamed , Abd‐Elhamid Nahla , Abd‐Allah Dina , Elkholy Basma
Published: February 2022

Background

Onychomycosis represents a therapeutic challenge. The complete cure rate with itraconazole pulse therapy remains unsatisfactory implying the need for an effective therapeutic regimen. Given the successful treatment of recurrent dermatophytosis with isotretinoin and itraconazole, we investigated the therapeutic use of acitretin in onychomycosis.

Aim

To evaluate and compare the efficacy of combined itraconazole and acitretin versus monotherapy with each in onychomycosis.

Patients and Methods

The study included 135 adult patients with finger‐ and/or toenail onychomycosis. They were equally subdivided into 3 groups: itraconazole pulse therapy, acitretin and combined itraconazole/acitretin therapy. The drugs were administered for 3 months. Evaluation of severity was done by onychomycosis severity index score. Potassium hydroxide microscopy and culture were performed at baseline and at the end of the study.

Results

Mycological and complete cure of onychomycosis was observed in 51.1% and 20% of the itraconazole group, 28.9% and 28.9% of the acitretin group, and 80% and 53.3% of the combined group. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in favour of the combined itraconazole/acitretin therapy (P ≤ .05).

Limitations

Small sample and short therapy duration.

Conclusions

Acitretin could be a powerful therapeutic player in the field of onychomycosis, with greater efficacy when combined with itraconazole.
The structure of analog representation
Authors: Lee Andrew Y. , Myers Joshua , Rabin Gabriel Oak
Published: February 2022

This paper develops a theory of analog representation. We first argue that the mark of the analog is to be found in the nature of a representational system's interpretation function, rather than in its vehicles or contents alone. We then develop therulebound structure theoryof analog representation, according to which analog systems use interpretive rules that map syntactic structural features onto semantic structural features. The theory involves three degree‐theoretic measures that capture three independent ways in which a system can be more or less analog. We explain how our theory improves upon prior accounts of analog representation, provides plausible diagnoses for novel challenge cases, extends to hybrid systems that are partially analog and partially symbolic, and accounts for some of the advantages and disadvantages of representing analogically versus symbolically.
Biological mechanisms underlying complications related to implant site preparation
Authors: Kotsakis Georgios A. , Romanos Georgios E.
Published: February 2022

Implant site preparation is a critical stage of implant surgery that may underpin various complications related to implant surgery. This review discusses the latest available scientific information on risk factors related to implant site preparation. The role of the drilling process in relation to the density of the available alveolar bone, the effects of insertion torque on peri‐implant osseous healing, and implant‐related variables such as macrodesign and implant‐abutment connection are all factors that can influence implant success. Novel information that links osteotomy characteristics (including methods to improve implant initial stability, the impact of drilling speed, and increase of the implant insertion torque modifying the bone‐implant interface) with the appropriate instrumentation techniques will be discussed, as well as interactions at the bone‐biomaterial interface that may lead to biologic complications mediated by implant dissolution products.
Complications in bone‐grafting procedures: Classification and management
Authors: Sanz‐Sánchez Ignacio , Sanz‐Martín Ignacio , Ortiz‐Vigón Alberto , Molina Ana , Sanz Mariano
Published: February 2022

Bone‐regenerative interventions aiming to restore deficient alveolar ridges, such as the use of block grafts or through the application of guided bone‐regeneration principles, have reported positive outcomes in the published scientific literature. These interventions, however, are invasive, and hence, intraoperative and/or postoperative complications may occur. The types of complications and their severity may vary from the exposure of the biomaterial (membrane or graft) to postsurgical infections, neurosensorial disturbances, occurrence of hemorrhage, and pain, etc. The aim of the present narrative review was to search the available scientific evidence concerning the incidence of these complications, their effect on treatment outcomes, their clinical management and, finally, strategies aimed at prevention. Exposure of the barrier membrane or the block graft is the most common complication associated with oral regenerative interventions. To manage these complications, depending on the extent of the exposure and the presence or absence of concomitant infections, therapeutic measures may vary, from the topical application of antiseptics to the removal of the barrier membrane or the block graft. Regardless of their treatment, the occurrence of these complications has been associated with patient selection, with compliant patients (eg, nonsmokers) having a lower reported incidence of complications. Similarly, surgical factors such as correct flap elevation and a tensionless closure are of obvious importance. Finally, to prevent the incidence of complications, it appears prudent to utilize whenever possible less invasive surgical interventions.
Safety on demand: Post‐hypnotic suggestions of safety reduce neural signals of reward sensitivity with long‐term beneficial effects
Authors: Böhmer Justin , Schmidt Barbara
Published: February 2022

Increased reward sensitivity has been proposed as an important transdiagnostic feature for a series of disorders, including addictive behaviors. Earlier studies suggest that a positive affective state characterized by the feeling of safety could reduce an individual’s reward sensitivity. A promising technique to establish a feeling of safety on demand is to utilize post‐hypnotic suggestions. We hypothesized that the feeling of safety elicited by post‐hypnotic suggestions reduces neural signals of reward sensitivity. To test our predictions, we hypnotized 24 highly suggestible participants, suggested them to feel safe and coupled this feeling of safety to a post‐hypnotic trigger that reactivates the feeling of safety outside the hypnotic state. Participants then played a risk game both in a safety condition using the post‐hypnotic safety trigger and in a control condition using a neutral trigger. Simultaneously, we recorded their EEG. Participants reported significantly higher ratings of safety in the safety condition compared to the control condition. Even several weeks after the main experimental session, the post‐hypnotic safety trigger still elicited a significantly stronger feeling of safety compared to the control condition. Moreover, the Reward Positivity (RewP) was significantly reduced in the safety condition. As the RewP amplitude has been proposed as a psychophysiological marker for reward sensitivity, we conclude that the suggestion of safety by post‐hypnotic suggestions turns participants into a quiescence motivational state that makes them less reward sensitive. Therefore, we discuss implications of the post‐hypnotic safety trigger for the treatment of disorders associated with increased reward sensitivity such as addictive behaviors.
Three‐dimensional elastic beam frames: Rigid joint conditions in variational and differential formulation
Authors: Berkolaiko Gregory , Ettehad Mahmood
Published: February 2022

We consider three‐dimensional elastic frames constructed out of Euler–Bernoulli beams and describe a simple process of generating joint conditions out of the geometric description of the frame. The corresponding differential operator is shown to be self‐adjoint. In the special case of planar frames, the operator decomposes into a direct sum of two operators, one coupling out‐of‐plane displacement to angular (torsional) displacement and the other coupling in‐plane displacement with axial displacement (compression). Detailed analysis of two examples is presented. We actively exploit the symmetry present in the examples and decompose the operator by restricting it onto reducing subspaces corresponding to irreducible representations of the symmetry group. These “quotient” operators are shown to capture particular oscillation modes of the frame.
A People's Abolition: How policed communities describe and enact liberatory futures
Authors: Chaudhary Mihir , Prowse Gwen , Weaver Vesla M.
Published: February 2022

Objective

We examine discourse from highly policed communities to understand how people employ ideas and practices in everyday life that resonate with abolitionism.

Methods

Using a civic infrastructure that connects people across cities, Portals, we draw from an archive of 415 dialogues centered on policing in five cities collected between 2016 and 2018. Using grounded theory, we identified and analyzed dialogues conveying an abolitionist perspective.

Results

This article identifies three abolitionist themes in the dialogues: (1) A broad critique of safety rhetoric and ideology that participants believe is deployed to sanctify and expand policing; (2) An argument for existing communal structures as critical anchors in the broader transformation of their neighborhoods away from policing and toward alternative systems of justice grounded in relationality and reciprocity; and (3) Material and cultural autonomy as essential to futurist visioning and, ultimately, police abolition. Beyond documenting an abolitionist politic across the full set of dialogues, we analyze three conversations in‐depth to locate these themes in their full conversational complexity.

Conclusion

The Portals dialogues expand our understanding of police abolition by grounding it in everyday conversation and in the people and places most impacted by policing.
Interleukin‐15 receptor subunit alpha regulates interleukin‐15 localization and protein expression in skeletal muscle cells
Authors: Yoshida Shino , Fujimoto Taku , Takahashi Toshimasa , Sugimoto Ken , Akasaka Hiroshi , Tanaka Minoru , Huang Yibin , Yasunobe Yukiko , Xie Keyu , Ohnishi Yuri , Minami Tomohiro , Takami Yoichi , Yamamoto Koichi , Rakugi Hiromi
Published: February 2022

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

How are the dynamics of interleukin (IL)‐15 and its receptors altered during the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes, and how is IL‐15 regulated?

What is the main finding and its importance?

The mRNA levels of IL‐15 and interleukin‐2 receptor subunits beta and gamma increase during skeletal muscle differentiation, whereas interleukin‐15 receptor subunit alpha (IL‐15RA) exhibits different kinetics. IL‐15RA regulates the localization and expression of IL‐15 at the protein level.

Interleukin‐15 (IL‐15) is a myokine in the interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) family that is generated in the skeletal muscle during exercise. The functional effect of IL‐15 involves muscle regeneration and metabolic regulation in skeletal muscle. Reports have indicated that interleukin‐15 receptor subunit alpha (IL‐15RA) acts by regulating IL‐15 localization in immune cells. However, the dynamics of IL‐15 and its receptors, which regulate the IL‐15 pathway in skeletal muscle differentiation, have not yet been clarified. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of IL‐15 regulation using a mouse skeletal muscle cell line, C2C12 cells. We found that the mRNA expression of IL‐15, interleukin‐2 receptor subunit beta (IL‐2RB; CD122) and interleukin‐2 receptor subunit gamma (IL‐2RG; CD132) increased, but that IL‐15RA exhibited different kinetics as differentiation progressed. We also found that IL‐15, mainly present in the cytosol, pre‐assembled with IL‐15RA in the cytosol and fused to the plasma membrane. Moreover, IL‐15RA increased IL‐15 protein levels. Our findings suggest that genes involved in the IL‐15 signalling complex are enhanced with the differentiation of myotubes and that IL‐15RA regulates the protein kinetics of IL‐15 signalling in skeletal muscle.
Feeding children with neurodisability: challenges and practicalities
Authors: Batra Akshay , Marino Luise V , Beattie R Mark
Published: February 2022

Nutritional management for children with neurodisability can be challenging and there are an increasing number of children at risk of malnutrition. Management involves healthcare professionals in community and hospital working together with the family with the aim of optimising nutrition and quality of life. Feeding difficulties can be the result of physical causes like lack of oromotor coordination, discomfort associated with reflux oesophagitis or gastrointestinal dysmotility. Non-physical causes include parental/professional views towards feeding, altered perception of pain and discomfort, extreme sensitivity to certain textures and rigidity of feeding schedule associated with artificial feeding. Estimating nutritional needs can be difficult and is affected by comorbidities including epilepsy and abnormal movements, severity of disability and mobility. Defining malnutrition is difficult as children with neurodisability reflect a wide spectrum with disparate growth patterns and body composition and auxology is less reliable and less reproducible. Management involves selecting the type and method of feeding best suited for the patient. As artificial feeding can place a significant burden of care any decision-making should be, as much as possible, in concurrence with the family. Symptom management sometimes requires pharmacological interventions, but polypharmacy is best avoided. The article aims to discuss the pathways of identifying children at risk of malnutrition and available management options with a strong emphasis on working as a clinical team with the child and family.
Interdisciplinary, internet-based trans health care (i²TransHealth): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Nieder Timo O. , Renner Janis , Zapf Antonia , Sehner Susanne , Hot Amra , König Hans-Helmut , Dams Judith , Grochtdreis Thomas , Briken Peer , Dekker Arne
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Living in an area with no or deficient structures for trans health care is disadvantageous for trans people. By providing an internet-based health care programme, i²TransHealth aims at reducing structural disadvantages for trans people living in areas lacking specialised care. The e-health intervention consists of video consultations and a 1:1 chat with a study therapist. Additionally, the i²TransHealth network cooperates with physicians, who especially offer crisis intervention close to the participants’ place of residence. The aim of this study is to evaluate the (cost-)effectiveness of the internet-based health care programme for trans people compared with a control (waiting) group. The following research questions will be examined with a sample of 163 trans people: Does a 4-month treatment with the i²TransHealth internet-based health care programme improve patient-reported health-outcomes? Is i²TransHealth cost-effective compared with standard care from a societal or health care payers’ perspective? Does the participation in and support by i²TransHealth lead to an increase of trans-related expertise in the physician network?

Methods and analysis

In a randomised controlled trial, the outcomes of an internet-based health care programme for trans people will be investigated. In the intervention group, participants are invited to use i²TransHealth for 4 months. Participants allocated to the control group will be able to start with their transition-related care after 4 months of study participation. The primary outcome measure is defined as the reduction of psychosomatic symptoms, as assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory-18, 4 months after using the i²TransHealth programme. Participants in both groups will undergo an assessment at baseline and 4 months after using i²TransHealth.

Ethics and dissemination

Positive ethical approval was obtained from the Hamburg Medical Association (PV7131). The results will be disseminated to service users and their families via media, to health care professionals via professional training and meetings and to researchers via conferences and publications.

Trial registration number

NCT04290286.

Protocol version

22 December 2021 (V.1.0)
Temporal shifts in HIV-related risk factors among cohorts of adolescent girls and young women enrolled in DREAMS programming: evidence from Kenya, Malawi and Zambia
Authors: Mathur Sanyukta , Heck Craig J , Patel Sangram Kishor , Okal Jerry , Chipeta Effie , Mwapasa Victor , Chimwaza Wanangwa , Musheke Maurice , Mahapatra Bidhubhusan , Pulerwitz Julie , Pilgrim Nanlesta
Published: February 2022

Objectives

To assess temporal shifts in HIV risk factors among adolescent girls (AG, aged 15–19 years) and young women (YW, aged 20–24 years) in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia.

Design

Prospective cohorts with two time points (Kenya: 2016/2017, 2018; Malawi: 2017, 2018; Zambia: 2016/2017, 2018)

Setting

Community-based programming.

Participants

1247 AG (Kenya: 389, Malawi: 371, Zambia: 487) and 1628 YW (Kenya: 347, Malawi: 883, Zambia: 398)

Intervention

Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS), a multisectoral approach to reduce AGYW’s HIV vulnerability by delivering a package of tailored, multilayered activities and services.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: HIV testing, sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptom experience, number of sexual partners, condom use (consistently, at last sex), transactional sex, experience of physical violence (from intimate partners) and sexual violence (from intimate partners and strangers/non-partners).

Results

Changes in HIV-related risk behaviours among DREAMS participants varied by age group and country. Among AG, HIV testing increased (Kenya and Zambia) and sexual violence from partners (in Kenya and Malawi) and non-partners (in Malawi) decreased. Among YW, HIV testing increased and STI experience decreased in Malawi; consistent condom use decreased in Kenya; transactional sex increased in Kenya and Zambia; and physical violence (in Malawi) and sexual violence from partners (in Kenya and Malawi) and non-partners (all three countries) decreased over time.

Conclusions

Improvements in HIV testing and reductions in experiences of sexual violence were coupled with variable shifts in HIV-related risk behaviours among DREAMS participants in Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. Additional consideration of AGYW’s risk circumstances during key life transitions may be needed to address the risk heterogeneity among AG and YW across different contexts.
Improving maternal and newborn health services in Northeast Nigeria through a government-led partnership of stakeholders: a quasi-experimental study
Authors: Willey Barbara , Umar Nasir , Beaumont Emma , Allen Elizabeth , Anyanti Jennifer , Bello Abubakar Bala , Bhattacharya Antoinette , Exley Josephine , Makowiecka Krystyna , Okolo Magdalene , Sani Rabi , Schellenberg Joanna , Spicer Neil , Usman Umar Adamu , Gana Ahmed Mohammed , Shuaibu Abdulrahman , Marchant Tanya
Published: February 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to quantify change in the coverage, quality and equity of essential maternal and newborn healthcare interventions in Gombe state, Northeast Nigeria, following a four year, government-led, maternal and newborn health intervention.

Design

Quasi-experimental plausibility study. Repeat cross-sectional household and linked health facility surveys were implemented in intervention and comparison areas.

Setting

Gombe state, Northeast Nigeria.

Participants

Each household survey included a sample of 1000 women aged 13–49 years with a live birth in the previous 12 months. Health facility surveys comprised a readiness assessment and birth attendant interview.

Interventions

Between 2016–2019 a complex package of evidence-based interventions was implemented to increase access, use and quality of maternal and newborn healthcare, spanning the six WHO health system building blocks.

Outcome measures

Eighteen indicators of maternal and newborn healthcare.

Results

Between 2016 and 2019, the coverage of all indicators improved in intervention areas, with the exception of postnatal and postpartum contacts, which remained below 15%. Greater improvements were observed in intervention than comparison areas for eight indicators, including coverage of at least one antenatal visit (71% (95% CI 62 to 68) to 88% (95% CI 82 to 93)), at least four antenatal visits (46% (95% CI 39 to 53) to 69% (95% CI 60 to 75)), facility birth (48% (95% CI 37 to 59) to 64% (95% CI 54 to 73)), administration of uterotonics (44% (95% CI 34 to 54) to 59% (95% CI 50 to 67)), delayed newborn bathing (44% (95% CI 36 to 52) to 62% (95% CI 52 to 71)) and clean cord care (42% (95% CI 34 to 49) to 73% (95% CI 66 to 79)). Wide-spread inequities persisted however; only at least one antenatal visit saw pro-poor improvement.

Conclusions

This intervention achieved improvements in life-saving behaviours for mothers and newborns, demonstrating that multipartner action, coordinated through government leadership, can shift the needle in the right direction, even in resource-constrained settings.
Access to community-based reproductive health services and incidence of low birthweight delivery among refugee and displaced mothers: a retrospective study in the Thailand-Myanmar border region
Authors: Perera Sudheesha , Maung Cynthia , Hla Sophia , Moo Moo Hsa , Than Lwin Saw , Bruck Catherine , Smith Terrence , Bakker Menno , Akhoon Cassim , Sarkar Indra Neil
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Over 2.4 million people have been displaced within the Thailand-Myanmar border region since 1988. The efficacy of community-driven health models within displaced populations is largely unstudied. Here, we examined the relationship between maternal healthcare access and delivery outcomes to evaluate the impact of community-provided health services for marginalised populations.

Setting

Study setting was the Thailand-Myanmar border region’s single largest provider of reproductive health services to displaced mothers.

Participants

All women who had a delivery (n=34 240) between 2008 and 2019 at the study clinic were included in the performed retrospective analyses.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Low birth weight was measured as the study outcome to understand the relationship between antenatal care access, family planning service utilisation, demographics and healthy deliveries.

Results

First trimester (OR=0.86; 95% CI=0.81 to 0.91) and second trimester (OR=0.86; 95% CI=0.83 to 0.90) antenatal care visits emerged as independent protective factors against low birthweight delivery, as did prior utilisation of family planning services (OR=0.82; 95% CI=0.73 to 0.92). Additionally, advanced maternal age (OR=1.36; 95% CI=1.21 to 1.52) and teenage pregnancy (OR=1.27, 95% CI=1.13 to 1.42) were notable risk factors, while maternal gravidity (OR=0.914; 95% CI=0.89 to 0.94) displayed a protective effect against low birth weight.

Conclusion

Access to community-delivered maternal health services is strongly associated with positive delivery outcomes among displaced mothers. This study calls for further inquiry into how to best engage migrant and refugee populations in their own reproductive healthcare, in order to develop resilient models of care for a growing displaced population globally.
Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of virtual group exercise for older adults delivered by trained volunteers: the ImPACt study protocol
Authors: Lim Stephen Eu Ruen , Meredith Samantha , Agnew Samantha , Clift Esther , Ibrahim Kinda , Roberts Helen
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Physical activity is important for healthy ageing. Despite strong evidence on the benefits of physical activity for health and well-being, physical inactivity remains a significant problem among older adults. This study aims to determine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing an online volunteer-led group exercise for older adults.

Methods

A quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach will be used in this study. A training programme will be developed to train volunteers to deliver online group exercises to older adults aged >65 years (n=30). The primary outcome is the feasibility of implementing the intervention. This will be assessed by the number of volunteers recruited, trained, and retained at the end of the study, and the number of exercise sessions delivered and completed by participants. Secondary outcomes include physical activity levels measured using the Community Health Model Activities Programme for Seniors questionnaire, Barthel Index, EQ-5D-5L as a measure of health-related quality of life, SARC-F to determine sarcopenia status, and PRIMSA-7 to determine frailty status. Outcomes will be measured at baseline and at 6 months.

Qualitative interviews will be conducted with volunteers(n=5), older adults (n=10) and family members (n=5) to explore their views on the intervention.

Analysis

Simple descriptive statistics will be used to describe participant characteristics, the feasibility of the study and the impact of the intervention on health outcomes. Parametric(t-test) or non-parametric(Mann-Whitney U test) statistics will be used to analyse continuous variables. χ2 test will be used for categorical variables. Qualitative data will be analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.

Ethics and dissemination

This study received ethical approval from the University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee and Research Integrity and Governance committee (ID: 52 967 .A1). Study findings will be made available to service users, voluntary organisations and other researchers who may be interested in implementing the intervention.

Trial registration number

NCT04672200.
The relationship between leader support, staff influence over decision making, work pressure and patient satisfaction: a cross-sectional analysis of NHS datasets in England
Authors: West Thomas H R , Daher Pascale , Dawson Jeremy F , Lyubovnikova Joanne , Buttigieg Sandra C , West Michael A
Published: February 2022

Objective

To explore the relationships between leader support, staff influence over decisions, work pressure and patient satisfaction.

Design

A cross-sectional study of large National Health Service (NHS) datasets in England in 2010.

Setting and participants

158 NHS acute hospital trusts in England (n=63 156) from all staff groups.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

Survey data measuring leader support, staff influence over decision making, staff work pressure and objective outcome data measuring patient satisfaction.

Results

Multilevel serial mediation analysis showed a significantly positive association between leader support and staff influence over decisions (B=0.74, SE=0.07, p<0.01). Furthermore, staff influence over decisions showed a negative association with staff work pressure (B=−0.84, SE=0.41, p<0.05) which in turn was negatively linked to patient satisfaction (B=−17.50, SE=4.34, p<0.01). Serial mediation showed a positive indirect effect of leader support on patient satisfaction via staff influence over decisions and work pressure (B=10.96, SE=5.55, p<0.05).

Conclusions and implications

Our results provide evidence that leader support influences patient satisfaction through shaping staff experience, particularly staff influence over decisions and work pressure. Patients’ care is dependent on the health, well-being, and effectiveness of the NHS workforce. That, in turn, is determined by the extent to which leaders are supportive in ensuring that work environments are managed in a way which protects the well-being of staff.
Communication education regarding patient safety for registered nurses in acute hospital settings: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Jang Haena , Lee Miseon , Lee Nam-Ju
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The importance of correct and timely communication continues to be emphasised in the area of patient safety. Nurses play a key role in communicating with a variety of healthcare personnel to deliver safe care for patients. Many attempts have been made to improve nursing professionals’ communication competencies regarding patient safety. However, the scope, method and effectiveness of communication education regarding patient safety for registered nurses have not been sufficiently reviewed. In order to understand the overall status of this field, a scoping review with a systematic framework is necessary. The objective of this study is to map the extent, range and nature of literature on communication education regarding patient safety for registered nurses in acute hospital settings and identify gaps to guide future research, policy and practice.

Methods and analysis

This study will be conducted in accordance with the methodology for scoping reviews developed by Arksey and O’Malley. To strengthen its rigour, the scoping review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. The overall review process will involve an independent review by two reviewers to select and analyse literature. The databases to be explored are MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and the Korean Medical Database (KMBASE). In addition, we will endeavour to include the grey literature through manual searches on patient safety-related websites. This review will target literature on communication programmes for patient safety provided to registered nurses in acute hospital settings and will include peer-reviewed literature in English and Korean since 2000, when research in the field of patient safety started to increase rapidly.

Ethics and dissemination

Since this study is a review of previous studies, no ethics approval is required. The findings of the study will be disseminated in a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
Assessing the impact of the national traffic safety campaign: a nationwide cohort study in Japan
Authors: Nakao Shunichiro , Katayama Yusuke , Kitamura Tetsuhisa , Hirose Tomoya , Tachino Jotaro , Ishida Kenichiro , Ojima Masahiro , Kiguchi Takeyuki , Umemura Yutaka , Noda Tomohiro , Matsuyama Tasuku , Kiyohara Kosuke , Nakagawa Yuko
Published: February 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to examine the difference in mortality from serious road traffic injuries during the National Traffic Safety Campaign compared with other periods and identify the common mechanisms of injury by age group in Japan.

Design

A retrospective review of Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB).

Setting

A total of 280 participating major emergency institutions across Japan.

Participants

Patients with road traffic injuries registered in JTDB between 2004 and 2018 were recruited in the study. We included patients injured by traffic crashes during the National Traffic Safety Campaigns and controls using a double control method. The National Traffic Safety Campaign comprises 10 consecutive days in spring and fall (20 days in each year), and controls was the same calendar days 2 weeks before and after the days in the National Traffic Safety Campaigns (40 days in each year) to control for weekday, seasonal and yearly trends.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome was the incidences of severe traffic injury.

Results

Among 126 857 patients recorded as road traffic injuries in JTDB, we identified 6181 patients (21 cases per day) with injuries occurring during the National Traffic Safety Campaigns and 12 382 controls (21 cases per day). The overall in-hospital mortality was 11.4%. We did not observe a significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the groups (11.8% vs 11.1%) with an adjusted OR of 1.05 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.16). The most common mechanism of injury in each age group was bicycle crash among children, motorcycle crash among adults and pedestrian among the elderly.

Conclusions

We found no change in the incidence of severe traffic injury or in-hospital mortality during the National Traffic Safety Campaign in Japan. Serious road trauma was high for bicycles among children, motorcycles among adults and pedestrian among the elderly.
Mobile health-based gamification intervention to increase physical activity participation among patients with coronary heart disease: study protocol of a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Xu Linqi , Li Jinwei , Zhang Xin , Pang Yue , Yu Tianzhuo , Lian Xiaoqian , Yu Tianyue , Zhu Lanyu , Tong Qian , Li Feng
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Despite proven benefits, physical activity participation remains low in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Scientific evidence suggests that mobile health (mHealth)-based gamification interventions could increase physical activity levels. However, several systematic reviews demonstrated that most gamification intervention designs do not appropriately leverage theories from health behaviour models, and empirical evidence on the efficacy of such interventions among patients with CHD is still emerging. This study embeds the principles of behavioural economics into a gamification intervention based on a smartphone app (WeChat applet) to explore whether a mHealth-based gamification intervention can improve participation in physical activity and other related physical and psychological outcomes in patients with CHD.

Methods

We propose a single-blinded three-arm randomised controlled trial with 108 patients with CHD, who will be randomly divided into three groups (Control group: WeChat applet+step goal setting; Individual group: WeChat applet+step goal setting+gamification; Team group: WeChat applet+step goal setting+gamification+collaboration). The interventions will last for 12 weeks and follow-up for 12 weeks. All patients will receive only WeChat applet-based step goal setting in the follow-up period. The primary outcome is physical activity participation, which includes a change in daily steps and self-reported physical activity from the baseline to 12 and 24 weeks, and the proportion of patient-days that step goals achieved in 12 and 24 weeks. The secondary outcomes include biomedical and lifestyle-related risk factors, intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, competence, autonomy and relatedness, social support and mental health and patients’ satisfaction, perceptions and intervention experience.

Ethics and dissemination

The Human Research Ethics Committee of the School of Nursing, Jilin University (HREC 2020122401) approved this. The results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.

Trial registration number

ChiCTR2100044879; Pre-results.
Information and communication technology-based interventions for suicide prevention implemented in clinical settings: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Shin Hwayeon Danielle , Zaheer Juveria , Rodak Terri , Torous John , Strudwick Gillian
Published: February 2022

Introduction

There is a surplus of information and communication technology (ICT)-based interventions for suicide prevention. However, it is unclear which of these ICT-based interventions for suicide prevention have been implemented in clinical settings. Furthermore, evidence shows that implementation strategies have often been mismatched to existing barriers. In response, the authors recognise the critical need for prospectively assessing the barriers and facilitators and then strategically developing implementation strategies. This review is part of a multiphase project to develop and test tailored implementation strategies for mobile app-based suicide prevention in clinical settings. The overall objective of this scoping review is to identify and characterise ICT-based interventions for all levels of suicide prevention in clinical settings. Additionally, this review will identify and characterise the barriers and facilitators to implementing these ICT-based interventions as well as reported measures and outcomes. The findings will directly inform the subsequent phase to maximise implementation and inform future efforts for implementing other types of ICT-based interventions related to suicide prevention in clinical settings.

Methods and analysis

This review will adhere to the methods described by the Joanna Briggs Institute for conducting scoping reviews. The reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping review checklist. The following databases will be searched: Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science and Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA). Two reviewers will independently screen the articles and extract data using a standardised data collection tool. Then, authors will characterise extracted data using frameworks, typology and taxonomies to address the proposed review questions.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval is not required for this scoping review. Authors will share the results in a peer-reviewed, open access publication and conference presentations. Furthermore, the findings will be shared with relevant health organisations through lay language summaries and informal presentations.
Association between patient activation, self-management behaviours and clinical outcomes in adults with diabetes or related metabolic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol
Authors: Mueller Julia , Ahern Amy L , Sharp Stephen J , Richards Rebecca , Birch Jack M , Davies Alan , Griffin Simon J
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Diabetes and related metabolic disorders such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a growing global issue. Equipping individuals with the necessary ‘knowledge, skills and confidence to self-manage their health’ (ie, patient activation (PAct)) may lead to improvements in health outcomes. It is unclear whether existing evidence allows us to assume a causal relationship. We aim to synthesise and critically appraise evidence on the relationship between PAct and self-management behaviours and clinical outcomes of people living with diabetes and related metabolic disorders.

Methods and analysis

The protocol is based on guidance on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols. We will search Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, PsycInfo, Web of Science and CINAHL using search terms related to PAct, diabetes, pre-diabetes, obesity and CVD. Any quantitative study design is eligible provided studies assess the association between PAct and clinical outcomes and/or self-management behaviours of diabetes and related metabolic disorders. Outcomes include behavioural (eg, diet) and clinical (eg, blood pressure) outcomes. Two reviewers will independently screen titles/abstracts and full texts and assess risk of bias using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials or the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomised Studies (RoBANS).

One reviewer will extract data, with independent checking by a second reviewer. We will critically assess the level of evidence available for assuming a causal association between PAct and outcomes. Data permitting, we will use the Hunter-Schmidt random-effects method to meta-analyse correlations across studies.

Ethics and dissemination

Ethical approval is not required. The review will be disseminated in the form of a peer-reviewed journal article, at conferences and other presentations. The findings of the review will be of interest to clinical commissioning groups, policymakers and intervention deliverers/developers.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42021230727.
What are the impacts of recent changes in UK core surgical training application on current and prospective applicants?
Authors: Chin Carven Yee Shean , Kwan Tsun Yu , Lim Hse Juinn , Li Chun Hei
Published: February 2022

Core Surgical Training (CST) is a 2-year UK training programme, designed to provide junior doctors interested in surgery with formal training and to introduce them to various surgical specialties. The selection process is divided into two stages. In the portfolio stage, applicants submit a score based on a published self-assessment guidance. Only candidates whose scores remain higher than the cut-off after verification will proceed to the interview stage. Finally, jobs are allocated according to the overall performance of both stages. Despite the rising number of applicants, the number of job vacancies remains largely similar. Hence, the intensity of competition has increased over the past few years. The competitive ratio increased from 2.8:1 in 2019 to 4.6:1 in 2021. Hence, several changes have been implemented in the CST application process, with the aim to combat this trend. The recurring changes in the CST application process have sparked considerable discussions among applicants. The effect of the changes on the current and prospective applicants is yet to be explored. This letter aims to highlight the changes and discuss the potential impacts. The CST application from 2020 to 2022 has been compared to identify the changes implemented throughout the years. Specific changes have been highlighted. The impact of changes in the CST application process on applicants has been divided into ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ sections. Recently, many specialties have shifted from portfolio-based assessment to Multiple Specialty Recruitment Assessments. In contrast, CST application preserves its emphasis on holistic assessment and academic excellence. However, the application process could be further refined for more impartial recruitment. This would ultimately help alleviate the challenging situation of staff shortage, increase the number of specialist doctors, reduce waiting time for elective surgeries and most importantly, provide better care for our patients in the NHS.
Thrombolysis of stroke mimics via telestroke
Authors: Lee Vivien H , Howell Ravyn , Yadav Randheer , Heaton Sharon , Wiles Karen L , Lakhani Sushil
Published: February 2022

Background

The rate of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IVtPA) administered to stroke mimics (SM) occurs in 24%–44% of telestroke series.

Methods

We reviewed 270 suspected acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients who were evaluated by telestroke and received IVtPA from 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2017 at our academic comprehensive stroke centre.

Results

Among 270 AIS patients who received IVtPA via telestroke, 64 (23.7%) were diagnosed with SM. Compared with patients who had a stroke, the SM group was younger (mean age 56.4 vs 68.2, p<0.0001), more likely to be female (60.9% vs 45.6%, p=0.0324) and had longer door-to-needle times (85.3 vs 69.9, p=0.0008). The most common SM diagnoses were migraine 26 (40.6%), conversion disorder 12 (18.8%), encephalopathy 7 (10.9%) and unmasking (9.4%). Among the SM, migraine and conversion disorder were younger compared with the other subgroups (p<0.001). Functional exam elements were noted more frequently in conversion disorder (66.7%) and migraine (34.6%), but rare in other diagnoses (p=0.006). Among the SM, 23 (35.9%) had a history of a prior similar episodes, and 15 (23.4%) had a history of more than 5 spells.

Conclusions

In our telestroke programme, 23.7% of those administered thrombolysis had a final diagnosis of SM.
Curing tachyonic tree-level syndrome in NMSSM light-singlet scenarios
Authors: Domingo Florian , Paßehr Sebastian
Published: February 2022

Models with an extended Higgs sector open up the phenomenological possibility of additional scalars, beyond the SM-like boson observed by the LHC, with mass at or below the electroweak scale. Such scenarios are in particular viable in the presence of electroweak-singlet spin-0 fields, as expected for instance in the context of the NMSSM. Given that the size of radiative corrections can substantially affect the Higgs potential, a negative squared mass at the tree level does not necessarily yield a tachyonic spectrum at the physical level, but only indicates a failure of the tree-level description for calculational purposes. We explain how to tackle this technical issue in the example of the NMSSM, in scenarios with light $$\mathcal {CP}$$
CP
-odd or $$\mathcal {CP}$$
CP
-even singlet-dominated states and show how loop corrections to the Higgs masses and decay widths can be derived with the regularized Lagrangian. We further explore how the same flexibility in the definition of tree-level parameters can be exploited to circumvent large deviations of the tree-level spectrum from the kinematical setup in Higgs decays, or to estimate the theoretical uncertainty associated with the discrepancy between tree-level and physical Higgs spectra. The latter is of particular relevance for the properties of the SM-like Higgs boson in supersymmetry-inspired models.
Multiple soft radiation at one-loop order and the emission of a soft quark–antiquark pair
Authors: Catani Stefano , Cieri Leandro
Published: February 2022

We consider the radiation of two or more soft partons in QCD hard-scattering at one-loop order. The corresponding scattering amplitude is singular, and the singular behaviour is controlled by a process-independent soft current. Using regularization in $$d=4 - 2\epsilon $$

d
=
4
-
2
ϵ

space-time dimensions, we explicitly evaluate the ultraviolet and infrared divergent ($$\epsilon $$
ϵ
-pole) terms of the one-loop soft current for emission of an arbitrary number of soft partons in a generic hard-scattering process. Then we consider the specific case of soft quark–antiquark ($$q{{\bar{q}}}$$

q

q

¯

) emission and we compute the one-loop current by including the finite terms. We find that the one-loop soft-$$q{{\bar{q}}}$$

q

q

¯

current exhibits a new type of transverse-momentum singularity, which has a quantum (absorptive) origin and a purely non-abelian character. At the squared amplitude (cross section) level, this transverse-momentum singularity produces contributions to multijet production processes in hadron collisions. The one-loop squared current also leads to charge asymmetry terms, which are a distinctive features of soft-$$q{{\bar{q}}}$$

q

q

¯

radiation. We also extend these results to the cases of QED and mixed QCD$$\times $$
×
QED radiative corrections for soft fermion–antifermion emission.
Deeply virtual Compton scattering at the EIC and LHeC: a comparison among saturation approaches
Authors: Bendova D. , Cepila J. , Gonçalves V. P. , Sena C. R.
Published: February 2022

The impact of nonlinear effects in the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) process that will be measured in future electron-hadron collisions is investigated. We present, for the first time, the predictions derived using the solution to the Balitsky–Kovchegov equation with the collinearly-improved kernel and including the impact-parameter dependence. We estimate the total cross section and t-distribution of the DVCS process in ep and eA collisions and demonstrate that $$d\sigma /dt$$

d
σ
/
d
t

is strongly dependent on the assumption for the impact-parameter dependence of the dipole-hadron scattering amplitude. Our results indicate that a future experimental analysis of this process will be useful to discriminate among different models for the saturation physics and, consequently, will allow us to constrain the description of QCD dynamics in parton densities.