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Aims: To report the outcomes of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) at Palmerston North Eye Clinic (PNEC) during 2020 and 2021, comparing time to treatment initiation based on nurse-injector availability and during COVID-19 restrictions.
Methods: Data were recorded from a prospective database for patients with nAMD at PNEC. Each patient's electronic health record was reviewed to ensure the accuracy of the database and to fill in missing data points. Statistics were done using Microsoft Excel and R.
Results: One hundred and fifty-six eyes were diagnosed with nAMD during the study. Mean time from referral triage to first injection was 13.08 days across the study period. Time to treatment initiation was not statistically different by level of COVID-19 restriction but there was a significant difference in first specialist appointment to injection interval when three nurse-injectors were available compared to four. The effect seemed most evident in subsequent months after reduced nurse-injector availability began.
Conclusions: Despite an increase in nAMD diagnoses each year, PNEC continues to meet national guidelines for interval from referral to treatment initiation through innovations in practice. As demand for intravitreal injections continues to increase, further resourcing and research into newer agents will be required to keep wait times compliant with guidelines.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.26635/6965.6597 | DOI Listing |
Wounds
August 2025
Solventum, Maplewood, MN, USA.
Background: Initially limited to inpatient use, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is now frequently used in community settings. However, complexities in wound management step-down strategies in the United Kingdom, including regional variations in referral processes, lack of consensus on funding criteria, and limited availability of NPWT units, have led to extended hospital length of stay (LOS) for patients ready for discharge but still needing NPWT. Single-use NPWT (sNPWT) can serve as a bridge between hospital and community NPWT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Biotechnol
September 2025
Faculty of Science, Department of Biotechnology and Food Technology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 17011, Doornfontein, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2028, South Africa.
Patulin (PAT), a mycotoxin produced primarily by Penicillium expansum, poses significant health risks and frequently contaminates apples and apple-derived products, often exceeding permissible safety limits. This study investigated the potential of orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (URA5) to degrade PAT in apple juice under controlled conditions. PAT degradation was assessed at initial concentrations of 100 µg/L and 250 µg/L, with enzymatic treatment using 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med
September 2025
Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Section of Surgery, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
Background: Antithrombotic treatment might affect bleeding symptoms, identification of bleeding source and treatment for patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. This study aims to investigate possible differences in initial bleeding symptoms, identified bleeding site and treatment of patients with or without antithrombotic medication admitted for gastrointestinal bleeding.
Methods: All consecutive adult patients primarily admitted for gastrointestinal bleeding at Skane University Hospital between 2018-01-01 and 2019-06-31, were included in this study.
Infect Dis Ther
September 2025
School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong SAR, China.
Introduction: The high mortality of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the need for safe and effective antiviral treatment. Small molecular antivirals (remdesivir, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir) and immunomodulators (baricitinib, tocilizumab) have been developed or repurposed to suppress viral replication and ameliorate cytokine storms, respectively. Despite U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Monit Assess
September 2025
Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Pollachi Main Road, Eachanari Post, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641021, India.
Synthetic dyes, such as Congo red (CR), pose serious threats to human health and aquatic ecosystems because of their carcinogenicity and resistance to degradation, necessitating the development of efficient and eco-friendly remediation strategies. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized via a green method using Ocimum sanctum (holy basil) leaf extract and applied for CR dye removal from aqueous solutions. The adsorption process was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) based on Box-Behnken design (BBD), evaluating the influence of key parameters including pH, AgNP dosage, initial dye concentration, contact time, and temperature.
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