Stroke, Ahead of Print. Stroke significantly impacts mortality and long-term disability, necessitating effective rehabilitation strategies to enhance recovery. This review examines the roles of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and fastigial nucleus stimulation (FNS) in facilitating ischemic stroke recovery through brain-body interactions. VNS enhances ischemic stroke recovery by reprogramming microglia from proinflammatory (M1) to neuroprotective (M2) phenotypes, reducing neuroinflammation and promoting tissue repair via neurotrophic factors. It has shown promise in clinically improving chronic upper limb deficits when combined with rehabilitation therapies. Conversely, FNS provides cerebellar-mediated neuroprotection by mainly mitigating excitotoxic damage and inflammatory responses independent of cerebral blood flow alterations, as evidenced by preclinical models of middle cerebral artery occlusion. By integrating VNS-driven immunomodulation with FNS-mediated excitotoxicity suppression, this review highlights their synergistic potential to improve rehabilitation outcomes for ischemic stroke survivors. Biomarker-guided protocols: VNS for cortical/subcortical ischemic deficits and FNS for cerebellar network recovery are advocated to address postischemic disability via anti-inflammatory rewiring, neuroplasticity enhancement, and cerebellar-thalamocortical circuit stabilization. Critical gaps remain in hemorrhagic stroke, where FNS’s excitotoxicity suppression may destabilize clots, necessitating subtype-specific safety validations.
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Development of core competency evaluation index system for informatics nurses in China: a Delphi study
Objective
To develop a scientific and systematic core competency evaluation index system for informatics nurses in China. The goal is to support their training, assessment and performance evaluation.
Methods
An initial set of evaluation indicators was created based on a review of existing literature and semi-structured interviews. From September to December 2023, the indicators were refined through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation. A total of 21 experts from 11 provinces in China completed the questionnaires.
Results
The response rate for both rounds of questionnaire surveys was 100.0%. The expert authority coefficient was 0.934. The coordination coefficient among experts was statistically significant (p
Burden of disease using disability adjusted life years in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: protocol of a systematic review
Introduction
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, changing demographic and epidemiological profiles have resulted in a diverse and shifting burden of disease (BoD). Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which combine years of life lost (YLL) due to premature mortality and years lived with disability (YLD), offer a valuable metric for assessing disease burden at the national level. While global burden of disease (GBD) estimates provide broad insights, national burden of disease (NBD) estimates offer country-specific data that can better inform tailored health policies and resource allocation. This systematic review protocol outlines our methodology for collating and analysing the NBD estimates in the MENA region using DALYs as the primary outcome measure.
Methods and analysis
This review will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We will systematically search PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and EMBASE for studies published from 1993 to 2024 that report national-level DALY estimates for diseases, injuries or risk factors in MENA countries. Eligible studies must report DALY estimates using national methodologies, while studies using exclusively GBD estimates will be excluded. Two independent reviewers will conduct title/abstract and full-text screening, data extraction and quality assessment using Standardised Reporting of Burden of Disease Studies (STROBOD), with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer when necessary.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethical approval is not required for this review as it involves analysis of previously published data. The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at relevant academic and policy forums.
Prospero Registration Number
PROSPERO CRD42024498688.
Randomised trial of home sleep apnoea testing compared to in-lab polysomnography for the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnoea in children: rationale and study protocol
Introduction
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) affects 1–5% of the paediatric population, including 55–90% of children with Down syndrome (DS), and has been associated with negative effects on neurocognitive development, cardiovascular health, immune development and quality of life. In-lab attended polysomnography (PSG) is currently the gold standard for the diagnosis of OSA in children, but it poses challenges due to the burden on families and limited testing facilities. Home sleep apnoea testing (HSAT), an unattended sleep test done at home, is an accepted alternative for adults but lacks sufficient evidence to be used clinically for the evaluation of OSA in children. HSAT may be especially beneficial for children with DS or others with sensory issues or those who struggle with sleeping in a laboratory setting overnight.
Methods and analysis
This single-centre trial compares HSAT to PSG for the diagnosis of OSA in children, including those with DS. The trial will enrol 317 children 5–12 years old, including approximately 100 with DS. The primary outcome is the diagnostic accuracy of HSAT compared with PSG for OSA evaluated through ROC. Secondary outcomes include the agreement between HSAT and PSG for therapeutic decision-making and comparison of preference and acceptability of HSAT versus PSG. This trial seeks to evaluate HSAT as an alternative diagnostic tool for paediatric OSA, potentially expanding testing options for clinicians and families.
Ethics and dissemination
This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (#21–0 19 533). Informed consent will be obtained from all participants, and no identifiable data will be reported.
Trial registration number
NCT05382754.
Evaluation of the outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) service in Malaysian public hospitals: a mixed-methods study protocol
Introduction
Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) is an innovative approach to manage infections that require extended courses of intravenous antibiotics by enabling patients to receive treatment in an outpatient setting. In Malaysia, there has yet to be a systematic evaluation of the OPAT service. This study aims to describe the safety, clinical indications and treatment outcomes of the OPAT service in Malaysia, assess patients’ satisfaction and experiences and determine the facilitators and barriers associated with the provision of the OPAT service in Malaysia.
Methods and analysis
A mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods will be employed for a comprehensive understanding of the provision of the OPAT service in Malaysian public hospitals. The study consists of four distinct parts: systematic review, retrospective cohort analysis of clinical outcomes, patients’ satisfaction survey and focus group discussions on providers’ experiences. A longitudinal analysis of the clinical outcomes (treatment success/failure, infection cure, adverse events, readmission and mortality) of the OPAT patients’ cohort will be conducted using descriptive and conclusive statistics, in addition to rates of patients’ satisfaction and evaluation of providers’ experiences.
Ethics and dissemination
This study is registered in the National Medical Research Register (NMRR ID-24-00941-2C8) and approved by the Medical Research and Ethics Committee, Ministry of Health Malaysia (Ref: 24-00941-2C8). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at one or more scientific conferences.
Mortality risk associated with clinical signs of possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) in young infants in Africa and Asia: protocol for a secondary pooled analysis
Introduction
The WHO’s Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) in young infants
The emerging economic evidence and methods used to evaluate clinical registries: a systematic scoping review protocol
Introduction
A clinical registry is a systematically collected database of health-specific information about a patient population. Clinical registries can be used for a variety of purposes including surveillance, monitoring of outcomes and patient care. The establishment and maintenance of clinical registries come with a significant cost. This scoping review aims to identify the methods used to economically evaluate clinical registries including their costs and benefits.
Methods
This systematic scoping review protocol has been developed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The final review will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. The electronic databases Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library and The Cumulative Index to Allied Health Literature(CINAHL) database will be searched. Relevant national organisation websites will be searched to identify empirical studies within grey literature. The inclusion criteria include studies that economically evaluate clinical registries and are published in the English language from inception to February 2025. Two reviewers will independently screen 100% of titles and abstracts and full texts of studies for inclusion. Data will be extracted from eligible studies prior to being assessed for quality using a multi-tool approach.
Ethics and dissemination
The findings of this review will be published in an international peer-reviewed journal. They are likely to be of interest to custodians of existing clinical registries and to those wishing to establish or evaluate clinical registries.
Keywords
Clinical registries, economic evaluation, costs, cost-effectiveness, health economics, registry based studies
Effect of transcranial magnetic stimulation on perioperative neurocognitive dysfunction: study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Introduction
Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PNDs), a common postoperative complication associated with anaesthesia and surgical procedures, are characterised by impairments in memory, attention, language comprehension and social functioning. Accumulating evidence from clinical studies indicates that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)—a non-invasive neuromodulatory modality capable of targeted cortical stimulation—may offer therapeutic promise for PND management. To comprehensively assess the intervention efficacy and safety parameters of TMS in mitigating postoperative cognitive decline, we propose conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Our findings aim to provide evidence-based insights into the neuroprotective potential of TMS for mitigating cognitive decline in surgical populations.
Methods and analysis
The investigation will implement a multifaceted search protocol encompassing international and Chinese scholarly resources. The search will be conducted in major databases, including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang Database and Chinese Scientific Journal Database from inception to 31 March 2025. To capture the latest research trends, ongoing trials will be simultaneously searched in the WHO International Clinical Trial Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov and the China Clinical Trial Registry. Grey literature will be supplemented through resources such as GreyNet International, OpenGrey and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria for this review are restricted to randomised controlled trials investigating the application of TMS as an intervention for PND. Primary endpoints comprise clinically confirmed incidence rates of postoperative delirium and delayed neurocognitive recovery. Two researchers will independently perform literature screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment. The risk of bias in included studies will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. Evidence certainty will be appraised through the GRADE framework with explicit justification for downgrading decisions. Meta-analysis will be conducted using STATA V.15.1 statistical software. The data synthesis process will incorporate standardised methodologies, including heterogeneity testing, sensitivity analysis and assessment of publication bias.
Ethics and dissemination
This study will not involve the collection of biometric information or medical privacy data throughout the research process, thus complying with the exemption criteria outlined in the ‘Measures for Ethical Review of Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects.’ The findings will adhere to academic standards and be submitted for publication in reputable international medical journals following a rigorous double-blind peer-review process.
Systematic review registration
The research protocol has been prospectively registered on the PROSPERO international prospective systematic review registration platform (registration number: CRD42025636978).
Self-administered dual-task training reduces balance deficits and falls among community-dwelling older adults: a multicentre parallel-group randomised controlled trial with economic evaluation protocol
Background
Falls are common causes of disability, reduced disability-adjusted life years and death in older adults. Balance deficits and cognitive impairment are common causes of falls. Dual-task training is a new strategy that can potentially improve balance and cognitive function, leading to decreased falls. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of self-administered dual-task (sDT) training to improve balance and prevent falls is not known. We developed sDT training combining physical and cognitive tasks to improve balance and reduce falls. The proposed randomised controlled trial (RCT) with economic evaluation is to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the sDT compared with self-administered single-task training (sST) in this population.
Methods and analysis
In this RCT, we will recruit 190 community-dwelling older adults with a history of at least one fall over the last 6 months from 11 elderly centres. The older adults will be randomly assigned to the sDT (n=95) and sST groups (n=95). Each group will be offered in six training workshops to teach the participants either sDT or sST depending on the group allocation. Each workshop will last an hour and will be held once every 2 weeks for 3 months. Besides, the participants will be instructed to repeat the exercises at home two times weekly for 3 months. Following the intervention phase, the participants will continue unsupervised home-based exercises for 6 months. Assessments will be performed before, after and 6 months after completing the intervention. A fall calendar and cost diary will be provided to each older adult to record the number of falls and fall-related costs during and after the intervention to assess fall incidence and cost-effectiveness. Effectiveness will be assessed using a negative binomial regression model following the intention-to-treat principle for falls and a linear mixed model for the additional measure and cost-effectiveness using a Markov model.
Ethics and dissemination
This study has ethical approval from the PolyU Institutional Review Board for conducting research on human subjects (Ref: HSEARS20210322005). The results will be disseminated through seminars for individuals and health practitioners, international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Trial registration number
NCT05533333.
Hiv, identificati 'codici' immunitari per sospensione cure
Capacità controllo infezione in pazienti trattati dall’infanzia
Hiv, identificati 'codici' immunitari per sospensione cure
Capacità controllo infezione in pazienti trattati dall’infanzia
Preserving Research Ethics Oversight Amid Decimation of the Research Enterprise
This Viewpoint examines how research ethics oversight, particularly by institutional review boards, has been affected by expansive federal staffing and budget cuts.
The Microbiome and Cancer: A Review
This review in the Translational Science series summarizes current evidence regarding the human microbiome and cancer, including how the microbiota in the gut and other anatomical locations affect cancer outcomes and response to cancer therapy.
Understanding disparities in access to and quality of surgical care for African, Caribbean and Black communities in high-income countries with universal healthcare: a scoping review protocol
Introduction
African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities experience disparities in health outcomes, with higher rates of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and stroke, and lower self-reported health status compared to their White counterparts. Barriers to timely access to healthcare services further exacerbate these inequities. Some studies link racialisation to surgical disparities and subpar surgical outcomes. However, the findings are diverse, and there is no synthesis of the evidence on disparities in surgical care for ACB patients in high-income countries with universal healthcare systems. The objective of the scoping review is to systematically describe, characterise and map the existing literature on disparities in the access to and quality of surgical care among ACB patients in high-income countries with universal healthcare systems, and to identify gaps in the literature on surgical access and quality of surgical care in ACB patients.
Methods and analysis
The scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and report according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The search strategy will be customised for each database (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, APA PsycINFO and Cochrane Library) using terms for ACB and surgery. Grey literature and references from included studies will be searched for additional sources, with no limitations on publication date or language. All study designs will be eligible. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts and full texts in duplicate for eligibility. One reviewer will chart data, with a second reviewer validating the data charted. The findings will be synthesised, quantitatively summarised using descriptive statistics and qualitatively analysed through thematic analysis.
Ethics and dissemination
Ethics approval is not required as the study utilises published data. The dissemination of the findings will inform future research and improve understanding of the surgical care experiences of ACB patients. Dissemination will target academics and healthcare professionals through publications, presentations and workshops.
Patient-Reported Incident Measure (PRIM) tools for reporting patient safety incidents: protocol for a scoping review
Introduction
Patient safety incidents during healthcare cause a high burden and mortality, but many go unreported. Involving patients and caregivers in the identification and reporting of safety incidents would add value to the current incident reporting systems used by health professionals. Identifying and analysing patient safety incidents is essential to prevent future events, allowing organisations to apply a learning-from-error approach and to implement improvement plans. Patient-Reported Incident Measures are tools for patients and caregivers to report safety issues related to their healthcare. In accordance with WHO’s patient safety taxonomy, the term patient safety incidents is used throughout this protocol to encompass events that do and do not reach the patient, including what are commonly referred to as near misses and adverse events. We aim to identify and describe the published literature about tools for patients or caregivers to report patient safety incidents in healthcare.
Methods and analysis
We will conduct a scoping review. We have developed inclusion criteria using the PCC (population, concept and context) format, where population includes adult patients or caregivers; concept refers to documents describing formal tools used to report patient safety incidents; and context includes any healthcare setting, such as hospitals or mental health centres, during or immediately after care. The scoping review will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Evidence sources include primary research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, conference abstracts, letters, guidelines, as well as policy documents, reports, blogs and websites, without language restriction. An initial database search in Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library from database inception up to June 2023 identified 4500 initial citations, of which 4103 were selected for evaluation after duplicates were removed. We will supplement the search by checking the reference lists of included studies for additional sources of evidence and an additional search in Google to identify non-peer-reviewed documents. This initial search will be updated before completing the review. We will use a self-created data collection form for data extraction and perform a narrative synthesis to integrate and summarise the review findings. We will describe the general characteristics of the tool: setting, scope, format, content, type of patient safety incident and severity, the moment of notification, relation to patient safety incident reporting and learning systems, development process, testing, validation, or piloting, among other characteristics. As a result of this scoping review, we intend to provide an index of patient/caregiver-reported safety notification tools and a list of descriptive or evaluation studies.
Ethics and dissemination
We will only use published data. Approval from the human research ethics committee is not required. The results of this scoping review will be submitted for publication in an international peer-reviewed journal and scientific meetings. Findings will also be disseminated through digital science platforms and academic social media.
Length of hospital stay and associated treatment costs for patients with susceptible and antibiotic-resistant Salmonella infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objectives
The global disease burden of Salmonella infections in 2017 included 135 900 deaths caused by Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi and 77 500 deaths caused by invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella, with increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) exacerbating morbidity, mortality and costs. The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis is to estimate the length of hospital stay and associated treatment costs for patients with susceptible and antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Typhi, Paratyphi and non-typhoidal Salmonella infections.
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources
We searched EMBASE, Medline/PubMed, Scopus, Hinari and LILACS databases for studies published between 1 January 2005 and 15 May 2024, with no language restrictions.
Eligibility criteria
We included 30 studies that reported the length of hospital stay or treatment costs for patients with susceptible or antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Typhi, Paratyphi and non-typhoidal Salmonella infections. We excluded studies with sample sizes of less than 30 patients, those focused on non-human subjects and those not reporting our outcomes of interest.
Data extraction and synthesis
Two reviewers independently screened studies and extracted data on the length of hospital stay and associated costs, with monetary values converted to 2019 USD. We aggregated data according to GDP per capita quantiles using a random-effects meta-analysis. We conducted a quality assessment using an adapted Joanna Briggs Institute tool.
Results
Patients with drug-resistant Salmonella infections had longer hospital stays, with an additional 0.5–2.2 days compared with drug-susceptible Salmonella infections. Based on our meta-analysis, the mean hospital stay for typhoidal Salmonella infections was 6.4 days (95% CI 4.9 to 7.8) for drug-susceptible cases and 8.4 days (95% CI 5.1 to 11.7) for resistant cases in the lowest income quartiles. While there were insufficient data to perform a pooled analysis, individual studies inferred that treatment costs for resistant typhoidal Salmonella infections were higher than for susceptible infections, and resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella infections had longer hospital stays and higher costs compared with susceptible infections. Data were scarce from high-Salmonella-burden countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.
Conclusions
Patients with antibiotic-resistant Salmonella infections experience a greater healthcare burden in terms of hospitalisation length and direct costs compared with those with susceptible infections. We highlight the economic burden of AMR in Salmonella infections and emphasise the need for preventive measures.