Effects of Scalable, Wordless, Short, Animated Storytelling Videos on Flu Vaccine Hesitancy in China: Nationwide, Single-Blind, Parallel-Group, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Low influenza vaccination rates in China pose a serious public health threat. The vaccination prevents infection, but widespread vaccine hesitancy remains a significant barrier. Short, animated storytelling videos may help by conveying health messages in an engaging, culturally neutral format that transcends literacy barriers.

Circumferential pulmonary vein isolation with adjunctive linear ablation vs. circumferential pulmonary vein isolation alone for long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation: a randomized pilot study.

Aims: This prospective randomized controlled trial investigated the comparative efficacy and safety of circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) combined with modified linear ablation (CPVI-MLA) vs. standalone CPVI in patients with long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation (LSPAF).

Methods And Results: In this single-centre pilot trial, 134 LSPAF patients were randomized to the CPVI-MLA (n = 67) or CPVI-only (n = 67) groups.

Fair allocation strategies for opioid settlements.

Multi-billion-dollar opioid settlement agreements have been reached with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors to address their liability in contributing to the opioid epidemic in the United States. These agreements stipulate that within the state, the settlement funds must be directly allocated to local government (e.g.

The impact of left atrial voltage abnormality on ablation outcomes in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and its pre-procedural predictors: an observational retrospective study.

Background: Left atrial (LA) localized voltage abnormality displayed by electro-anatomic mapping (EAM) has been established as a surrogate marker of atrial fibrosis (AF) which predicts post-ablation recurrence. This study investigates preoperative predictors of LA voltage abnormalities and assesses their impact on atrial fibrillation recurrence following catheter ablation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).

Results: Forty-four (25.

Predicting Missed Appointments in Primary Care: A Personalized Machine Learning Approach.

Purpose: Factors influencing missed appointments are complex and difficult to anticipate and intervene against. To optimize appointment adherence, we aimed to use personalized machine learning and big data analytics to predict the risk of and contributing factors for no-shows and late cancellations in primary care practices.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study leveraging geolinked clinical, care utilization, socioeconomic, and climate data from 15 family medicine clinics at a regional academic health center in Pennsylvania from January 2019 to June 2023.

Burden of chronic respiratory diseases and their attributable risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2021: Results from the global burden of disease study 2021.

Background: Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) remain a substantial global public health challenge, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize trends in CRD burden across various populations by examining differences by sex, age, and sociodemographic index (SDI).

Methods: We performed a systematic analysis using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study, covering the period from 1990 to 2021 across 204 countries and territories.

Comparative analysis of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage versus lumbar puncture effectiveness in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from ruptured intracranial aneurysms causes significant morbidity and mortality. Although prophylactic lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) management is widely used, the relative benefits of continuous lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage compared to intermittent lumbar puncture remain undefined. This study compared clinical outcomes between these two approaches in patients with aneurysmal SAH.

Advances in astrocytes in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) represents a subtype of stroke with a high incidence of morbidity and mortality. Astrocytes, the most abundant cell type in the central nervous system, play a pivotal role in brain injury and recovery following aSAH. They participate in synaptic remodelling, blood-brain barrier injury and the activation of the glial-mesenchymal-cervical lymphatic system.

Optimizing hypertension management in China: care cascade insights and individual determinants from a national survey.

Objectives: Hypertension is common in China, and its prevalence has been increasing. However, it remains inadequately controlled. This study examined patterns of patient attrition across the stages of hypertension management in the general population and their variations across subpopulations, and assessed the role of individual-level determinants of hypertension management.

Texture Analysis of SPECT-MPI Provides Prognostic Value in Improving Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Response.

Background: Texture analysis (TA) is a powerful tool for extracting quantitative information, assessing myocardial heterogeneity, evaluating therapeutic efficacy, and predicting outcomes in heart disease. This study investigated whether TA based on gated single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT MPI) can enhance the prediction of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

Methods: A total of 165 patients who underwent gated SPECT MPI and received CRT were enrolled in the study.

Predicting cardiac resynchronization therapy response: development and validation of a single photon emission computed tomography-based nomogram.

Background: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an effective treatment for patients with drug-refractory heart failure. However, more than thirty percent of patients do not benefit from CRT. This study aimed to develop and validate a novel model based on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) phase analysis features to predict CRT response.

A chip-integrated comb-based microwave oscillator.

Low-noise microwave oscillators are cornerstones for wireless communication, radar and clocks. The employment and optimization of optical frequency combs have enabled photonic microwave synthesizers with unrivalled noise performance and bandwidth breaking the bottleneck of those electronic counterparts. Emerging interest is to use chip-based Kerr frequency combs, namely microcombs.

Effect of state e-cigarette tax policies on the transitions of youth tobacco/nicotine use patterns in the USA: evidence from national longitudinal data.

Introduction: Several US states have implemented regulations, including e-cigarette taxes, primarily to reduce e-cigarette use among youth and young adults. Although several studies have examined e-cigarette tax regulations, studies assessing the impact of e-cigarette taxes on the transitions of tobacco/nicotine use patterns are largely absent from the extant literature.

Methods: We included 9774 participants aged 12-17 years at baseline from waves 1 to 4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.

Distribution Patterns of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Triggers and Catheter Ablation Success Rates.

Objective: Investigate the distribution of triggers in paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) patients and assess the efficacy of circumferential pulmonary vein isolationI (CPVI) combined with non-pulmonary veins (PV) trigger ablation over 1 year.

Methods: This prospective study included 130 PAF patients undergoing initial catheter ablation. A standardized protocol was applied before CPVI, followed by ablation targeting non-PV triggers.

Prediction of Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation After Radiofrequency Ablation by Frailty.

Background: Previous studies have shown that frailty increases the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). However, little is known about the association between frailty and the recurrence of AF after radiofrequency ablation. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between frailty and the recurrence in patients with AF who had undergone radiofrequency ablation.

Characterizing patients at higher cardiovascular risk for prescribed stimulants: Learning from health records data with predictive analytics and data mining techniques.

Objective: Given the significantly increased number of individuals prescribed stimulants in the past decade, there has been growing concern regarding the risk of cardiovascular events among adults on stimulant therapy. We aimed to quantify the added risk of cardiovascular events by prescription stimulant use and characterize patients who were adversely affected.

Methods: Using electronic health records of adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder from TriNetX Research Network in 2010-2020, we developed and compared different machine learning models to predict one-year cardiovascular risk based on individual's prescription stimulant use, demographics, and comorbidities for four separate age groups.

The Role of Flavonoids from Aurantii Fructus Immaturus in the Alleviation of Allergic Asthma: Theoretical and Practical Insights.

Flavonoids derived from plants in the citrus family can have an alleviating effect on allergic asthma. The aim of this study was to provide insights into the mechanisms by which these compounds exert their effects on allergic asthma by combining theoretical and practical approaches. Aurantii Fructus Immaturus flavonoids (AFIFs) were obtained by solvent extraction and were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Adding Insult to Injury: When Atrial Fibrillation Encounters Left Bundle Branch Block.

Background: It is not uncommon that atrial fibrillation (AF) coexists with left bundle branch block (LBBB). Whether LBBB is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in AF patients remains undetermined. This study aims to investigate the impact of LBBB on the AF-related outcomes in non-valvular AF patients.

Functional dependency and cardiometabolic multimorbidity in older people: pooled analysis of individual-level data from 20 countries.

Background: The impact of cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) on functional dependency (FD) is well established, but the temporal effect of FD on CMM and its mechanisms remain underexplored.

Design: A multicohort study pooled data from three international cohorts.

Setting: Data were sourced from the Health and Retirement Study (USA), the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (China) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in 18 European countries.

Cooperation of covalent bonds and coordinative bonds stabilizing the Si-binder-Cu interfaces for extending lifespan of silicon anodes.

Binders provide a straightforward and efficient strategy to mitigate the significant challenge of volume expansion in silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries. To improve the cycle life of silicon anodes, a cross-linked binder carboxymethyl cellulose-phytic acid-pyrrole (CMC-DP) is designed and synthesized using carboxymethyl cellulose, phytic acid, and pyrrole. The numerous hydroxyl groups in phytic acid provide abundant binding sites for the formation of hydrogen and ester bonds.

Creating a robust coordinated data and policy framework for addressing substance use issues in the United States.

The ongoing opioid epidemic has been met with the inadequate use of data-informed approaches to respond to the crisis. Although data relevant to opioid and substance use do exist and have been utilized for research in the literature and practice, they have not been prepared for cross-sector coordination and for providing practical intelligence to inform policy planning directly. In this article, we share our views on how data can better serve the purposes of informing policy and planning to maximize population health and safety benefits.

The acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines in Rwanda: a cross-sectional study.

The first reported case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Rwanda occurred on March 14 2020. By the end of July 2024, a total of 133,518 individuals had tested positive for the infection, resulting in 1,468 deaths and 132,039 had fully recovered. The success of COVID-19 elimination in Rwanda hinges on the public's level of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccination.