A thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) is often considered a precursor to an acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD), a life-threatening condition requiring immediate surgical intervention. While both conditions share histopathological similarities, less is known about their overlap in clinical cardiovascular risk factors. This study aimed to map the cardiovascular disease burden in patients with ATAAD and compare it with patients with TAA.

A multicentre retrospective study.

The data were collected from electronic health records of two academic hospitals located in the Netherlands.

Patients who were treated surgically for ATAAD or TAA between 2000 and 2022 were eligible. This study included 731 patients with ATAAD and 480 patients with TAA.

Hypertension was equally prevalent in both groups (50.9% vs 50.6%, p=0.921). Diabetes was uncommon (3.3% vs 6.7%, p=0.638). Hyperlipidaemia (9.6% vs 20.0%, p=0.001) and peripheral arterial disease (8.8% vs 22.7%, p

This study suggests distinct cardiovascular risk profiles in patients with ATAAD and patients with TAA, highlighting the importance of tailored treatment strategies for aortic disease. Further research is needed to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these differences and their impact on thoracic aortopathy.

The mental health of people living with HIV (PLWH) is a growing concern globally, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where there is limited access to mental healthcare, with evidence showing high levels of depression, anxiety and neurocognitive disorders among this population. While Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) can impede HIV care and promote adverse health outcomes, there is limited literature on MHDs among PLWH. This scoping review will explore the existing literature on the burden and factors associated with MHDs among adults living with HIV in SSA.

Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework will guide the search of this scoping review. Relevant original research articles published in English from 1 January 2000 to 31 May 2025 on MHDs among PLWH in SSA will be identified through searches in the African Index Medicus, African Journal Online, PubMed and Embase databases. Four independent reviewers, working in pairs (one reviewer and one verifier), will screen the titles, abstracts and later the full texts, adopting the population, concept and context framework. Other coauthors will serve as tiebreakers whenever there is disagreement on the eligibility. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews flowchart will be presented. We will perform a narrative synthesis to report our findings.

This scoping review protocol does not require ethical approval, as it relies solely on publicly available existing data and does not involve human participants. We will disseminate the findings from this review through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at local and international conferences.

The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/8ymqu).

To assess the relation of exposure to cement dust and heavy metal (aluminium, cadmium and lead) exposures to pulmonary function among male cement plant workers. The study also aimed to evaluate dose–response relationships and prevalence and severity of respiratory symptoms among exposure categories compared with a control group.

Cross-sectional study.

Secondary-level occupational health clinic in Ankara, Türkiye.

461 male non-smoking cement plant employees were included in total. Participants were categorised into packaging (n=101), milling (n=162) and office unexposed workers (n=198). Inclusion criteria were more than 70% work history in the cement industry and exclusion of pre-existing respiratory disease and missing data from the participants.

Not applicable.

Pulmonary function tests (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and peak expiratory flow (PEF)) and urinary, cadmium and blood lead concentrations were measured. Lung function impairment was the primary outcome measure; secondary outcomes included metal exposure—pulmonary measure correlations.

Significant negative correlations existed between FEV1 and urine aluminium (r=–0.622, p

Occupational cement dust and heavy metal exposure is closely linked to impaired pulmonary function in cement plant employees, particularly those who work in higher exposure jobs. The implications are robust endorsement of targeted monitoring and preventive interventions. Long-term longitudinal research is necessary to identify long-term outcome and efficacy of exposure reduction approaches.