Trauma contributes to the greatest loss of disability-adjusted life-years for adolescents and young adults worldwide. In the context of global abdominal trauma, the trauma laparotomy is the most commonly performed operation. Variation likely exists in how these patients are managed and their subsequent outcomes, yet very little global data on the topic currently exists. The objective of the GOAL-Trauma study is to evaluate both patient and injury factors for those undergoing trauma laparotomy, their clinical management and postoperative outcomes.

We describe a planned prospective multicentre observational cohort study of patients undergoing trauma laparotomy. We will include patients of all ages who present to hospital with a blunt or penetrating injury and undergo a trauma laparotomy within 5 days of presentation to the treating centre. The study will collect system, patient, process and outcome data, following patients up until 30 days postoperatively (or until discharge or death, whichever is first). Our sample size calculation suggests we will need to recruit 552 patients from approximately 150 recruiting centres.

The GOAL-Trauma study will provide a global snapshot of the current management and outcomes for patients undergoing a trauma laparotomy. It will also provide insight into the variation seen in the time delays for receiving care, the disease and patient factors present, and patient outcomes. For current standards of trauma care to be improved worldwide, a greater understanding of the current state of trauma laparotomy care is paramount if appropriate interventions and targets are to be identified and implemented.

Triglyceride (TG), triglyceride-glucose index (TyG), body mass index (BMI), TyG-BMI and triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein ratio (TG/HDL) have been reported to be reliable predictors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, there are few studies on potential predictors of non-alcoholic fatty pancreas disease (NAFPD). Our aim was to evaluate these and other parameters for predicting NAFPD.

Cross-sectional study design.

Physical examination centre of a tertiary hospital in China.

This study involved 1774 subjects who underwent physical examinations from January 2016 to September 2016.

From each subject, data were collected for 13 basic physical examination and blood biochemical parameters: age, weight, height, BMI, TyG, TyG-BMI, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, TG, fasting plasma glucose, TG/HDL and uric acid. NAFPD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. A logistic regression model with a restricted cubic spline was used to evaluate the relationship between each parameter and NAFPD. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to calculate the area under the curve for each parameter.

HDL was negatively correlated with NAFPD, height was almost uncorrelated with NAFPD and the remaining 11 parameters were positively correlated with NAFPD. ROC curve showed that weight-related parameters (weight, BMI and TyG-BMI) and TG-related parameters (TyG, TG and TG/HDL) had high predictive values for the identification of NAFPD. The combinations of multiple parameters had a better prediction effect than a single parameter. All the predictive effects did not differ by sex.

Weight-related and TG-related parameters are good predictors of NAFPD in all populations. BMI showed the greatest predictive potential. Multiparameter combinations appear to be a good way to predict NAFPD.

Personalised Exercise-Rehabilitation FOR people with Multiple long-term conditions (PERFORM) is a research programme that seeks to develop and evaluate a comprehensive exercise-based rehabilitation intervention designed for people with multimorbidity, the presence of multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs). This paper describes the protocol for a randomised trial to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the PERFORM intervention, study design and processes.

A multicentre, parallel two-group randomised trial with individual 2:1 allocation to the PERFORM exercise-based intervention plus usual care (intervention) or usual care alone (control). The primary outcome of this feasibility trial will be to assess whether prespecified progression criteria (recruitment, retention, intervention adherence) are met to progress to the full randomised trial. The trial will be conducted across three UK sites and 60 people with MLTCs, defined as two or more LTCs, with at least one having evidence of the beneficial effect of exercise. The PERFORM intervention comprises an 8-week (twice a week for 6 weeks and once a week for 2 weeks) supervised rehabilitation programme of personalised exercise training and self-management education delivered by trained healthcare professionals followed by two maintenance sessions. Trial participants will be recruited over a 4.5-month period, and outcomes assessed at baseline (prerandomisation) and 3 months postrandomisation and include health-related quality of life, psychological well-being, symptom burden, frailty, exercise capacity, physical activity, sleep, cognition and serious adverse events. A mixed-methods process evaluation will assess acceptability, feasibility and fidelity of intervention delivery and feasibility of trial processes. An economic evaluation will assess the feasibility of data collection and estimate the costs of the PERFORM intervention.

The trial has been given favourable opinion by the West Midlands, Edgbaston Research Ethics Service (Ref: 23/WM/0057). Participants will be asked to give full, written consent to take part by trained researchers. Findings will be disseminated via journals, presentations and targeted communications to clinicians, commissioners, service users and patients and the public.

ISRCTN68786622.

2.0 (16 May 2023).

This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of admission D-dimer levels for in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 and acute ischaemic stroke.

Cohort (prospective).

Tertiary referral hospital in the capital city of Indonesia conducted from June to December 2021.

60 patients with acute ischaemic stroke and COVID-19 were included. Patients were classified into D-dimer groups (low and high) according to a 2 110 ng/mL cut-off value, determined via receiver operating characteristic analysis.

The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality, with admission D-dimer levels as the major predictor. Secondary outcomes included associations between other demographic and clinical variables and the admission D-dimer value. Kaplan-Meier method was used to carry out survival analysis, with univariable and multivariable Cox regression performed to assess the association of D-dimer levels and other confounding variables (including demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters) with in-hospital mortality.

The findings demonstrated an association between elevated admission D-dimer levels (≥2 110 ng/mL) and an increased likelihood of death during hospitalisation. The adjusted HR was 14.054 (95% CI 1.710 to 115.519; p=0.014), demonstrating an increase in mortality risk after accounting for confounders such as age and diabetes history. Other significant predictors of mortality included a history of diabetes and increased white blood cell count.

Admission D-dimer levels may be a useful predictive indicator for the likelihood of death during hospitalisation in individuals with COVID-19 and acute ischaemic stroke.

Providing comprehensible information is essential to the process of valid informed consent. Recruitment materials designed by sponsoring institutions in English-speaking, high-income countries are commonly translated for use in global health studies in other countries; however, key concepts are often missed, misunderstood or ‘lost in translation’. The aim of this study was to explore the language barriers to informed consent, focusing on the challenges of translating recruitment materials for maternal health studies into Zambian languages.

We used a qualitative approach, which incorporated a multistakeholder workshop (11 participants), in-depth interviews with researchers and translators (8 participants) and two community-based focus groups with volunteers from community advisory boards (20 participants). Content analysis was used to identify terms commonly occurring in recruitment materials prior to the workshop. The framework analysis approach was used to analyse interview data, and a simple inductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse focus group data.

The study was based in Lusaka, Zambia.

The workshop highlighted difficulties in translating research terms and pregnancy-specific terms, as well as widespread concern that current templates are too long, use overly formal language and are designed with little input from local teams. Framework analysis of in-depth interviews identified barriers to participant understanding relating to design and development of recruitment materials, language, local context and communication styles. Focus group participants confirmed these findings and suggested potential solutions to ensure the language and content of recruitment materials can be better understood.

Our findings demonstrate that the way in which recruitment materials are currently designed, translated and disseminated may not enable potential trial participants to fully understand the information provided. Instead of using overly complex institutional templates, recruitment materials should be created through an iterative and interactive process that provides truly comprehensible information in a format appropriate for its intended participants.

Globally, guideline-recommended antenatal care for smoking cessation is not routinely delivered by antenatal care providers. Implementation strategies have been shown to improve the delivery of clinical practices across a variety of clinical services but there is an absence of evidence in applying such strategies to support improvements to antenatal care for smoking cessation in pregnancy. This study aims to determine the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of implementation strategies in increasing the routine provision of recommended antenatal care for smoking cessation in public maternity services.

A non-randomised stepped-wedge cluster-controlled trial will be conducted in maternity services across three health sectors in New South Wales, Australia. Implementation strategies including guidelines and procedures, reminders and prompts, leadership support, champions, training and monitoring and feedback will be delivered sequentially to each sector over 4 months. Primary outcome measures will be the proportion of: (1) pregnant women who report receiving a carbon monoxide breath test; (2) smokers or recent quitters who report receiving quit/relapse advice; and (3) smokers who report offer of help to quit smoking (Quitline referral or nicotine replacement therapy). Outcomes will be measured via cross-sectional telephone surveys with a random sample of women who attend antenatal appointments each week. Economic analyses will be undertaken to assess the cost effectiveness of the implementation intervention. Process measures including acceptability, adoption, fidelity and reach will be reported.

Ethics approval was obtained through the Hunter New England Human Research Ethics Committee (16/11/16/4.07; 16/10/19/5.15) and the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council (1236/16). Trial findings will be disseminated to health policy-makers and health services to inform best practice processes for effective guideline implementation. Findings will also be disseminated at scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals.

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry—ACTRN12622001010785.

This study aimed to examine the distribution of daily salt intake across the hypertension care cascade and assess the proportional distribution of these care cascade categories across various salt consumption level.

A population-based national cross-sectional study.

Data from the Bangladesh STEPS 2018 survey were used, encompassing both urban and rural strata within all eight divisions. National estimates were generated from weighted data.

A diverse population of 6754 men and women aged 18–69 years was included in the study.

Daily salt consumption was estimated using the spot urine sodium concentration following Tanaka equation. Distribution of salt intake among different categories of hypertension care cascade, including hypertensives, aware of hypertension status, on treatment and under control, was assessed.

Individuals with hypertension consume more salt on average (9.18 g/day, 95% CI 9.02 to 9.33) than those without hypertension (8.95 g/day, 95% CI 8.84 to 9.05) (p

Individuals with hypertension consume significantly more salt than those without, with no significant variations in salt intake based on aware, treated and controlled hypertension. Adhering to WHO salt intake guidelines aids better blood pressure management. By addressing salt consumption across hypertension care cascade, substantial progress can be made in better blood pressure control.

Preoperative anxiety and depression symptoms among older surgical patients are associated with poor postoperative outcomes, yet evidence-based interventions for anxiety and depression have not been applied within this setting. We present a protocol for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in three surgical cohorts: cardiac, oncological and orthopaedic, investigating whether a perioperative mental health intervention, with psychological and pharmacological components, reduces perioperative symptoms of depression and anxiety in older surgical patients.

Adults ≥60 years undergoing cardiac, orthopaedic or oncological surgery will be enrolled in one of three-linked type 1 hybrid effectiveness/implementation RCTs that will be conducted in tandem with similar methods. In each trial, 100 participants will be randomised to a remotely delivered perioperative behavioural treatment incorporating principles of behavioural activation, compassion and care coordination, and medication optimisation, or enhanced usual care with mental health-related resources for this population. The primary outcome is change in depression and anxiety symptoms assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-Anxiety Depression Scale from baseline to 3 months post surgery. Other outcomes include quality of life, delirium, length of stay, falls, rehospitalisation, pain and implementation outcomes, including study and intervention reach, acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness, and patient experience with the intervention.

The trials have received ethics approval from the Washington University School of Medicine Institutional Review Board. Informed consent is required for participation in the trials. The results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, presented at clinical research conferences and disseminated via the Center for Perioperative Mental Health website.

NCT05575128, NCT05685511, NCT05697835, pre-results.

Preventing readmission to hospital after giving birth is a key priority, as rates have been rising along with associated costs. There are many contributing factors to readmission, and some are thought to be preventable. Nurse and midwife understaffing has been linked to deficits in care quality. This study explores the relationship between staffing levels and readmission rates in maternity settings.

We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study using routinely collected individual patient data in three maternity services in England from 2015 to 2020. Data on admissions, discharges and case-mix were extracted from hospital administration systems. Staffing and workload were calculated in Hours Per Patient day per shift in the first two 12-hour shifts of the index (birth) admission. Postpartum readmissions and staffing exposures for all birthing admissions were entered into a hierarchical multivariable logistic regression model to estimate the odds of readmission when staffing was below the mean level for the maternity service.

64 250 maternal admissions resulted in birth and 2903 mothers were readmitted within 30 days of discharge (4.5%). Absolute levels of staffing ranged between 2.3 and 4.1 individuals per midwife in the three services. Below average midwifery staffing was associated with higher rates of postpartum readmissions within 7 days of discharge (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.108, 95% CI 1.003 to 1.223). The effect was smaller and not statistically significant for readmissions within 30 days of discharge (aOR 1.080, 95% CI 0.994 to 1.174). Below average maternity assistant staffing was associated with lower rates of postpartum readmissions (7 days, aOR 0.957, 95% CI 0.867 to 1.057; 30 days aOR 0.965, 95% CI 0.887 to 1.049, both not statistically significant).

We found evidence that lower than expected midwifery staffing levels is associated with more postpartum readmissions. The nature of the relationship requires further investigation including examining potential mediating factors and reasons for readmission in maternity populations.

Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) is a highly successful public health programme that uses biochemical and other assays to screen for severe but treatable childhood-onset conditions. Introducing genomic sequencing into NBS programmes increases the range of detectable conditions but raises practical and ethical issues. Evidence from prospectively ascertained cohorts is required to guide policy and future implementation. This study aims to develop, implement and evaluate a genomic NBS (gNBS) pilot programme.

The BabyScreen+ study will pilot gNBS in three phases. In the preimplementation phase, study materials, including education resources, decision support and data collection tools, will be designed. Focus groups and key informant interviews will also be undertaken to inform delivery of the study and future gNBS programmes. During the implementation phase, we will prospectively recruit birth parents in Victoria, Australia, to screen 1000 newborns for over 600 severe, treatable, childhood-onset conditions. Clinically accredited whole genome sequencing will be performed following standard NBS using the same sample. High chance results will be returned by genetic healthcare professionals, with follow-on genetic and other confirmatory testing and referral to specialist services as required. The postimplementation phase will evaluate the feasibility of gNBS as the primary aim, and assess ethical, implementation, psychosocial and health economic factors to inform future service delivery.

This project received ethics approval from the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne Research Ethics Committee: HREC/91500/RCHM-2023, HREC/90929/RCHM-2022 and HREC/91392/RCHM-2022. Findings will be disseminated to policy-makers, and through peer-reviewed journals and conferences.

HIV drug resistance (DR) is a growing threat to the durability of current and future HIV treatment success. DR testing (DRT) technologies are very expensive and specialised, relying on centralised laboratories in most low and middle-income countries. Modelling for laboratory network with point-of-care (POC) DRT assays to minimise turnaround time (TAT), is urgently needed to meet the growing demand.

We developed a model with user-friendly interface using integer programming and queueing theory to improve the DRT system in Kisumu County, Kenya. We estimated DRT demand based on both current and idealised scenarios and evaluated a centralised laboratory-only network and an optimised POC DRT network. A one-way sensitivity analysis of key user inputs was conducted.

In a centralised laboratory-only network, the mean TAT ranged from 8.52 to 8.55 working days, and the system could not handle a demand proportion exceeding 1.6%. In contrast, the mean TAT for POC DRT network ranged from 1.13 to 2.11 working days, with demand proportion up to 4.8%. Sensitivity analyses showed that expanding DRT hubs reduces mean TAT substantially while increasing the processing rate at national labs had minimal effect. For instance, doubling the current service rate at national labs reduced the mean TAT by only 0.0%–1.9% in various tested scenarios, whereas doubling the current service rate at DRT hubs reduced the mean TAT by 37.5%–49.8%. In addition, faster batching modes and transportation were important factors influencing the mean TAT.

Our model offers decision-makers an informed framework for improving the DRT system using POC in Kenya. POC DRT networks substantially reduce mean TAT and can handle a higher demand proportion than a centralised laboratory-only network, especially for children and pregnant women living with HIV, where there is an immediate push to use DRT results for patient case management.

Endovascular thrombectomy is the recommended treatment for acute ischaemic stroke, but the optimal blood pressure management strategy during the procedure under general anaesthesia remains controversial. In this study protocol, we propose an intraoperative intensive blood pressure range (110–140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure) based on a retrospective analysis and extensive literature review. By comparing the outcomes of patients who had an acute ischaemic stroke undergoing mechanical thrombectomy under general anaesthesia with standard blood pressure management (140–180 mm Hg systolic blood pressure) versus intensive blood pressure management, we aim to determine the impact of intraoperative intensive blood pressure management strategy on patient prognosis.