Evaluating the readability, quality and reliability of online patient education materials on post-covid pain

Background. The use of the Internet to access healthcare-related information is increasing day by day. However, there are concerns regarding the reliability and comprehensibility of this information. This study aimed to investigate the readability, reliability, and quality of Internet-based patient educational materials (PEM) related to "post-COVID-19 pain.

An Assessment of the 100 Most Frequently Cited Articles Related to Bicuspid Aortic Valve in the Literature

BACKGROUND/AIMS Bicuspid aortic valve disease may cause both aortic stenosis and regurgitation; therefore, it manifests as different symptoms. Aortic stenosis in patients with bicuspid aortic valve exhibits ambiguous hemodynamic effects; moreover, it may remain asymptomatically until the effective orifice area is narrowed below 1.5-2 cm(2). In this study, we aimed to evaluate 100 articles related to bicuspid aortic valve that have been most frequently cited in the literature. MATERIAL and METHODS The study was performed using advanced mode of the search engine server Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science. For this purpose, the words TS=bicuspid or TI=bicuspid were reviewed. The search was carried out, and the 100 most cited articles were determined. The total and annual cite count for each article and information about the authors and the journals were determined via WOS and PubMed. RESULTS The mean cite count of the 100 most cited articles was found to be 238.10 +/- 227.48. The annual cite counts of the studies varied from 4 to 185, and the mean value was calculated as 20.93 +/- 25.25. The first 3 subjects were clinical BAV (41%), pathology of BAV (15%), and genetics of BAV (15%). There was no statistically significant difference between the continent of the corresponding author and overall and annual cite counts. In addition, no statistically significant difference was observed between the journal's continent and overall and annual cite counts (p>.05). CONCLUSION This study is the first in the literature to identify the 100 most cited articles related to BAV. The majority of these studies were based on clinical evaluation of BAV. We found an increase in the number of studies on percutaneous transcatheter interventions over the last 5 years

Needs of family members of patients admitted to a university hospital critical care unit, Izmir Turkey: comparison of nurse and family perceptions

WOS:000632623600005PubMed: 33828921Purpose:. This study aims to compare the perceptions of nurses and families on the needs of the relatives of the patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the ICU of a university hospital. The study comprised 213 critical care patients' relatives and 54 nurses working in the same ICU. Data were collected using the Turkish version of Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) and a questionnaire on the characteristics of the participants. The difference between the perceptions of families and nurses was analyzed using Student t-test. Results: CCFNI's assurance/proximity subscale mean scores ranked first among both patients and nurses. The item "To be assured the best care possible is being given to the patient" was the top priority for both groups. Mean assurance/proximity and information dimensions of relatives were significantly higher compared to nurses (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between the perception of patient relatives and nurses related to support and comfort dimensions (p < 0.05). Conclusion. The needs of the relatives of patients are underestimated by nurses. This inhibited the performance of ICU nurses in line with the holistic care approach. Educational objectives that include the needs of ICU patients' relatives should be incorporated into the undergraduate and in-service training of nurses. Policies should be established to create space and time for effective relative-nurse communication

Comparison of Two Different Enteral Nutrition Protocol in Critically Ill Patients

WOS: 000388699700011PubMed ID: 27909608Objective: In this study, two enteral nutrition protocols with different gastric residual volumes (GRVs) and different monitoring intervals were compared with respect to gastrointestinal intolerance findings in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Methods: The study was carried out prospectively in 60 patients in the anaesthesiology and reanimation ICU under mechanical ventilation support, who were scheduled to take enteral feeding. Patients were sequentially divided into two groups: Group 1, GRV threshold of 100 mL, and monitoring interval of 4 hours, and Group 2, GRV threshold of 200 mL, monitoring interval of 8 hours. To test the significant difference between the groups, Student's t test, chi-square text and Fisher exact test were used. Results: In Group 1, 3.3% vomiting, 6.6% diarrhoea was observed; in Group 2, 16.6% vomiting, 10% diarrhoea. In terms of total intolerance (vomiting and/or diarrhoea) of the two groups, the incidence was significantly higher in Group 2 (33.3%) than in Group 1 (10%) (p=0.02). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, a lower gastrointestinal intolerance rate was detected in the GRV threshold 100 mL, monitoring interval for 4 hours protocol (Group 1) than in GRV threshold 200 mL, monitoring interval for 8 hours protocol (Group 2); Group 1 may be preferred renovation

Allopurinol attenuates repeated traumatic brain injury in old rats: A preliminary report.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an overlooked cause of morbidity, which was shown to accelerate inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuronal cell loss and is associated with spatial learning and memory impairments and some psychiatric disturbances in older adults. However, there is no effective treatment in order to offer a favorable outcome encompassing a good recovery after TBI in older adults. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the histological and neurobehavioral effects of Allopurinol (ALL) in older rats that received repeated TBI (rTBI). For this purpose, a weight-drop rTBI model was used on old male Wistar rats. Rats received 5 repeated TBI/sham injuries 24 h apart and were treated with saline or Allopurinol 100 mg/kg, i.p. each time. They were randomly assigned to three groups: control group (no injury); rTBI group (received 5 rTBI and treated with saline); rTBI+ALL group (received 5 rTBI and treated with Allopurinol). Then, half of the animals from each group were sacrificed on day 6 and the remaining animals were assessed with Open field, Elevated plus maze and Morris Water Maze test. Basic neurological tasks were evaluated with neurological assessment protocol every other day until after the 19th day from the last injury. Brain sections were processed for neuronal cell count in the hip-pocampus (CA1), dentate gyrus (DG), and prefrontal cortex (PC). Also, an immunohistochemical assay was performed to determine NeuN, iNOS, and TNF alpha levels in the brain regions. The number of neurons was markedly reduced in CA1, GD, and PC in rats receiving saline compared to those receiving allopurinol treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis showed marked induction of iNOS and TNF alpha expression in the brain tissues which were reduced after allopurinol at 6 and 19 days post-injury. Also, ALL-treated rats demonstrated a remarkable induce in NeuN expression, indicating a reduction in rTBI-induced neuronal cell death. In neurobehavioral an-alyses, time spent in closed arms, in the corner of the open field, swimming latency, and distance were impaired in injured rats; however, all of them were significantly improved by allopurinol therapy. To sum up, this study demonstrated that ALL may mitigate rTBI-induced damage in aged rats, which suggests ALL as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of recurrent TBI