by Badrul Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff, Muhammad Ikmal Hazli, Norlelawati Mohamad, Muhamad Karbela Reza Ramlan, Nik Kamarul Arif Bin Nik Kamrulzaman, Mohamed Razzan Rameez, Mohamad Azwan Aziz
IntroductionThis study aims to determine the clinical outcomes of a new technique of cartilage repair surgery, using calcified cartilage zone debridement coupled with Hyalofast and bone marrow aspirate concentrate, in terms of pain and functional outcomes.
MethodsThis was a retrospective case series in 19 patients with cartilage injuries, ICRS 3 and 4. Using arthroscopic examination, cartilage defects were identified and debrided. Then, the calcified cartilage zone was identified and scrapped, until punctate bleeding occurred. Hyalofast was fixed into the defect and bone marrow aspirate concentrate was injected into the Hyalofast. Patients were followed up at baseline, 1, 6, and 18 months post-operative, using visual analog scale, KOOS, IKDC, and Lysholm Score.
ResultsThe mean age was 45.33 ± 9.68 years, with the mean cartilage defects of 10.21 ± 11.10 X 9.43 ± 10.85 mm2. Among the cohort, seven patients (36.8%) underwent three chondral repair procedures, five (26.4%) received two procedures, and the remaining seven (36.8%) were treated with a single procedure. In the KOOS subscale, there was a steady improvement; symptoms (mean difference: −23.87, CI: −43.97 – −3.77, p-value = 0.015), pain (mean difference: −28.39, CI: −43.94 – −12.83, p-value = 0.001), activity of daily living (mean difference: −26.23, CI: −40.95 – −10.14, p-value = 0.001), and sports subscale (mean difference: −57.36, CI: −80.76 – −33.97, p-value Conclusion
The calcified cartilage zone debridement technique served as a novel technique to preserve subchondral plate allowing better outcomes for cartilage repair.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a serious public health problem since it is linked to loss of muscular function and independence, especially in older adults. In this study, the researchers have proposed a randomised controlled trial with a three-arm study strategy to explore the effectiveness of an oral nutritional supplementation containing hydroxymethylbutyrate and undenatured type-II collagen combined with exercise training (ET) on the OA-related symptoms and biomarkers among adults with knee OA.
Adults with knee OA aged between 50 years and 75 years will be invited to participate in the study and thereafter will be randomly assigned to either one of three groups: oral nutrition supplementation+ET, ET or usual care. The primary outcomes include changes in OA-related symptoms and biomarkers. The secondary outcomes include changes in body composition, blood profiles, physical fitness, quality of life, dietary intake, disability, psychology status and morphological changes of the knee.
Ethics approval was granted by the Medical Research Ethics Committee of the National University of Malaysia (reference number JEP-2024–264). Findings of this study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed presentations at scientific conferences as well as open access publications.
Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is generally known as secondhand smoke. Assessing the magnitude of children’s exposure to ETS from early infancy is essential for public health and research endeavours. Urinary cotinine is now widely recognised as the primary indicator for assessing exposure to ETS across all age groups. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to synthesise all the published evidence on the urinary cotinine cut-off concentrations used to categorise children under 5 years as being exposed to ETS.
We will conduct a systematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. A comprehensive search will be conducted from various databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Cochrane Library. This search will be performed from the earliest published articles up to the latest available studies until February 2025. We will include all the experimental and observational studies, such as cohort, case–control and cross-sectional, that measure urinary cotinine concentrations in children under 5 years old. Data extraction will be conducted using a standardised data extraction form, and the study quality will be evaluated according to the guidelines specified by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The extracted data will be pooled and combined for meta-analysis. Two reviewers will independently screen, select and assess the quality of the included study. The result will be tabulated in a table of characteristics of the included study, which consists of the cut-off cotinine concentrations, analytical technique, method referred, study design, study area and respondents’ characteristics.
Ethics approval is not required as this is a review of collected published data. Findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations, as well as with key stakeholders, health policymakers and healthcare professionals.
CRD42024556969.
International eHealth strategies incorporate the adoption of electronic health records to enhance the delivery of integrated healthcare and improve patient outcomes. Nurses’ acceptance of electronic health records is crucial for their successful implementation.
To synthesise evidence from empirical studies to explore the nurses' perceptions of facilitators and barriers and the influence of moderating factors on their acceptance of electronic health records.
A convergent integrated mixed-method systematic review following the JBI methodology.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Medline [EBSCO], ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar and Open Grey were searched on 28 March 2023 for primary research studies published between 2018 and 2023.
Studies were screened by two independent reviewers adhering to predetermined inclusion criteria. A convergent integrated synthesis was conducted and deductive analysis was framed by The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model.
Thirteen studies were included and appraised using the mixed-method appraisal tool. Facilitators of nurses' acceptance of electronic health records included increased efficiency, improved access to information, management support and training. Nurses identified increased documentation burden, threats to patient confidentiality, difficult navigation and inadequate IT support and training as barriers to their acceptance. The influence of moderators on nurses' acceptance of electronic health records remains unclear.
This review provides insights into nurses' perceptions of factors influencing electronic health record acceptance. Addressing these issues during adoption and further exploring the impact of moderators can improve acceptance and minimise unintended consequences.
Nurse leaders are key in empowering nurses to accept electronic health records. The nursing profession must participate in all phases of electronic health record design and implementation to ensure that they complement nursing practice.
PRISMA 2020 Statement.
This is a review of primary research.
by Unwaniah Abdull Rahim, Marami Mustapa, Nik Noorul Shakira Mohamed Shakrin, Armania Nurdin, Nursiati Mohamad Taridi, Yasmin Anum Mohd Yusof, Mariam Firdhaus Mad Nordin, Nur Aishah Che Roos
Cervical cancer ranked fourth most common malignancy among women worldwide despite the establishment of vaccination programmes. This systematic review evaluates the anti-cancer properties of turmeric and ginger bioactive compounds, specifically curcumin, 6/10-gingerol, and 6/10-shogaol, and their combination in cervical cancer through in-vitro and in-vivo models. A comprehensive electronic search was performed using Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus from inception until the second week of June 2024 for studies published in English. Only studies investigating the effects of curcumin, gingerol, shogaol, and/or their combination in human cervical cancer cell lines and/or rodent animal models implanted with cervical cancer xenografts were included. Altogether, 27 studies were included in this review. The evidence gathered indicated that curcumin, 6/10-gingerol and 6-shogaol exert their anticancer action through modulation of cell signalling pathways, including AMPK, WNT, PI3K/AKT, and NF‐κB pathway, and mediators including Bax/Bcl2, TNF‐α, EGFR, COX‐2, caspases‐3, ‐9, p53, and pRb. However, the synergistic effect of these bioactive compounds is not known due to lack of evidence. In conclusion, curcumin, 6/10-gingerols, and 6-shogaols hold promise as therapeutic agents for cervical cancer. Yet, further research is essential to understand their combined efficacy, emphasising the need for additional studies exploring the synergistic anticancer effects of these bioactive compounds. Additional factors to explore include long-term effects and susceptibility of chemoresistant cervical cancer cells towards curcumin, shogaols, and gingerols.Sleep is a fundamental prerequisite for physical and mental health. Poor quality of sleep is common among post-cardiac surgery patients and leads to serious health conditions.
To conduct a systematic review that investigates the effectiveness of eye masks, earplugs and deep-breathing exercise on sleep quality among post-cardiac surgery patients.
A systematic review of interventional studies was established to meet the PRISMA guidelines.
PRISMA guidelines were used to assess the findings of 11 selected studies that met the inclusion criteria, published between 2007 and 2023 across four databases: CINAHL, JDNR, MEDLINE and PubMed. The search was conducted on 23 November 2023.
The 11 most eligible studies were analysed. All of them were interventional, encompassing a total of 787 participants. Randomised controlled trials were the most common design. Interventions included eye masks, earplugs and deep-breathing exercises. The Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire was the most used assessment scale. Most of the reviewed studies found that the use of non-pharmacological interventions (eye masks, earplugs and deep-breathing exercise) significantly improves the quality of sleep. These interventions were also found to have potentially positive effects on reducing pain and delirium experienced by patients after undergoing cardiac surgery.
Non-pharmacological interventions (eye masks, earplugs and deep-breathing exercise) were found to be cost-effective interventions that could be easily applied in the clinical setting and are effective in improving the quality of sleep among patients after cardiac surgery.
To synthesise evidence from studies that explored the impact of electronic and self-rostering systems to schedule staff on healthcare organisations and healthcare workers.
Mixed-method systematic review.
Studies were screened by two independent reviewers and data were extracted using standardised data extraction tables. The quality of studies was assessed, and parallel-results convergent synthesis was conducted.
Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and PsycARTICLES were searched on January 3, 2023.
Eighteen studies were included (10 quantitative descriptive studies, seven non-randomised studies and one qualitative study). Studies examined two rostering interventions including self-rostering (n = 12) and electronic rostering (n = 6). It was found that the implementation of electronic and self-rostering systems for staff scheduling impacted positively on both, healthcare workers and healthcare organisations. Benefits included enhanced roster efficiency, staff satisfaction, greater control and empowerment, improved work-life balance, higher staff retention and reduced turnover, decreased absence rates and enhanced healthcare efficiency. However, self-rostering was found to be less equitable than fixed rostering, was associated with increased overtime, and correlated with a higher frequency of staff requests for shift changes.
The impact of electronic and self-rostering systems to schedule staff on healthcare organisations and healthcare workers’ outcomes was predominantly positive. Further randomised controlled trials and longitudinal studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term impact of various rostering systems, including electronic and self-rostering systems.
Rostering is a multifaceted responsibility for healthcare administrators, impacting patient care quality, workforce planning and healthcare expenditure.
Given that healthcare staffing costs constitute a substantial portion of global healthcare expenditure, efficient and strategic resource management, inclusive of healthcare staff rostering, is imperative.
The 27-item Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist.
No Patient or Public Contribution.