Comparative Effectiveness of Step-up Therapies in Children with Asthma Prescribed Inhaled Corticosteroids : A Historical Cohort Study

This work was supported by the Respiratory Effectiveness Group. Acknowledgments We thank the Respiratory Effectiveness Group for funding this work, Annie Burden for assistance with statistics, and Simon Van Rysewyk and Lisa Law for assistance with medical writing.Peer reviewedPostprin

Estimation of effective vaccination rate for pertussis in New Zealand as a case study

In some cases vaccination is unreliable. For example vaccination against pertussis has comparatively high level of primary and secondary failures. To evaluate efficiency of vaccination we introduce the idea of effective vaccination rate and suggest an approach to estimate it. We consider pertussis in New Zealand as a case study. The results indicate that the level of immunity failure for pertussis is considerably higher than was anticipated

What are the qualitative experiences of people affected by kidney failure receiving haemodialysis?

Background: People affected by kidney failure receiving haemodialysis experience complexity within their health condition unlike any other chronic illness or condition. Kidney failure impacts the individual in all areas of their life including relationships and activities of daily living. Objective: To conduct a meta‐aggregation of studies about the lived experiences of people with kidney failure receiving haemodialysis. Design: Using PRISMA Guidelines, six databases (CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus) were comprehensively searched using keywords and subject headings from January 1990 to October 2021. Articles were assessed according to prespecified eligibility criteria. Data extraction and quality appraisal was conducted. A meta‐aggregation of qualitative findings was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for meta‐aggregation. Results: Of the 9409 articles screened, 55 studies were included. This represented a total of 188 findings across 45 categories representing a range of unmet supportive care needs. The meta‐aggregation identified 11 synthesised findings broadly related to psychological/emotional needs, physical needs, social needs, interpersonal/intimacy needs, patient‐clinician communication needs, family related needs, health system/information needs, spiritual needs, daily living needs, practical needs and daily living needs. Conclusions: This meta‐aggregation has identified that people affected by kidney failure can experience a range of unmet supportive care needs. It was evident that living with kidney failure and receiving haemodialysis impacted a person's sense of self, introduced practical needs and other complex needs which were not being addressed in existing services. This review has highlighted important implications for clinical practice and future research directions

Recovery practices in Division 1 collegiate athletes in North America

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd Objectives: Establish current practice and attitudes towards recovery in a group of Division-1 Collegiate athletes from North America. Design: A 16-item questionnaire was administered via custom software in an electronic format. Participants: 152 student athletes from a Division-1 Collegiate school across 3 sports (Basketball, American Football, Soccer). Main outcome measures: The approaches and attitudes to recovery in both training and competition. Results: Sleep, cold water immersion (CWI) and nutrition were perceived to be the most effective modalities (88, 84 and 80% of the sample believed them to have a benefit respectively). Over half the sample did not believe in using compression for recovery. With regard to actual usage, CWI was the most used recovery modality and matched by athletes believing in, and using, the approach (65%). Only 24% of student athletes believed in, and used, sleep as a recovery modality despite it being rated and perceived as the most effective. Conclusions: Collectively, there is a discrepancy between perception and use of recovery modalities in Collegiate athletes

Experiences of sexual well-being interventions in males affected by genitourinary cancers and their partners: an integrative systematic review.

Sexual well-being has been identified as an unmet supportive care need among many individuals with genitourinary (GU) cancers. Little is known about the experiences of using sexual well-being interventions among men and their partners. This review was reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and followed a systematic review protocol. Data extraction and methodological quality appraisal were performed, and a narrative synthesis was conducted. A total of 21 publications (reporting on 18 studies) were included: six randomised control trials, seven cross-sectional studies, three qualitative studies, and five mixed methods studies. Sexual well-being interventions comprised medical/pharmacological and psychological support, including counselling and group discussion facilitation. The interventions were delivered using various modes: face-to-face, web-based/online, or telephone. Several themes emerged and included broadly: (1) communication with patient/partner and healthcare professionals, (2) educational and informational needs, and (3) timing and/or delivery of the interventions. Sexual well-being concerns for men and their partners were evident from diagnosis and into survivorship. Participants benefited from interventions but many articulated difficulties with initiating the topic due to embarrassment and limited access to interventions in cancer services. Noteworthy, all studies were only representative of men diagnosed with prostate cancer, underscoring a significant gap in other GU cancer patient groups where sexual dysfunction is a prominent consequence of treatment. This systematic review provides valuable new insights to inform future models of sexual well-being recovery interventions for patients and partners with prostate cancer, but further research is urgently needed in other GU cancer populations

Mortality due to trauma in cats attending veterinary practices in central and south-east England

Objectives: To identify important demographic and spatial factors associated with the risk of trauma and, more specifically, road traffic accident‐related mortality, relative to other diagnoses in cats. Methods: A sample of 2738 cats with mortality data derived from the VetCompass primary‐care veterinary database was selected for detailed study. Generalised linear models investigated risk factors for mortality due to trauma and due to road traffic accidents versus other causes

Clinical updates on the effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) exercise in people diagnosed with cancer. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study is to provide an updated critical evaluation on the effectiveness of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on health outcomes among cancer survivors. A systematic search was conducted using databases CINAHL and Medline (via EBSCOhost platform), Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Randomised, controlled, exercise trials involving cancer survivors were eligible. Data on the effects of HIIT among individuals diagnosed with cancer at any stage were included. Risk of bias was assessed with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Standardised mean differences (SMD) were calculated to compare differences between exercise and usual care. Meta-analyses (including subgroup analyses) were undertaken on the primary outcome of interest, which was aerobic fitness. Secondary outcomes were fatigue, quality of life, physical function, muscle strength, pain, anxiety, depression, upper-body strength, lower-body strength, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Thirty-five trials from forty-seven publications were included, with intervention durations ranging between four to 18 weeks. Breast cancer participants were represented in the highest number of trials (n=13, 37%). Significant effects in favour of HIIT exercise for improving aerobic fitness, quality of life, pain and diastolic blood pressure were observed (SMD range: 0.25–0.58, all p<0.01). Participation in HIIT exercise was associated with higher retention and improvements in aerobic fitness, quality of life, pain and diastolic blood pressure. The present results provide updated contemporary evidence for clinicians (e.g., exercise physiologists and physiotherapists) to prescribe HIIT exercise for cancer survivors to improve health before, during and following treatment