Marfan syndrome: Evolving organ manifestations—A 10‐year follow‐up study

The age‐dependent penetrance of organ manifestations in Marfan syndrome (MFS) is not known. The aims of this follow‐up study were to explore how clinical features change over a 10‐year period in the same Norwegian MFS cohort. In 2003–2004, we investigated 105 adults for all manifestations in the 1996 Ghent nosology. Ten years later, we performed follow‐up investigations of the survivors (n = 48) who consented. Forty‐six fulfilled the revised Ghent criteria. Median age: females 51 years, range 32–80 years; males 45 years, range 30–67 years. New aortic root dilatation was detected in patients up to 70 years. Ascending aortic pathology was diagnosed in 93 versus 72% at baseline. Sixty‐five percent had undergone aortic surgery compared to 39% at baseline. Pulmonary trunk mean diameter had increased significantly compared to baseline. From inclusion to follow‐up, two patients (three eyes) developed ectopia lentis, four developed dural ectasia, four developed scoliosis, three developed incisional or recurrent herniae, and 14 developed hindfoot deformity. No changes were found regarding protrusio acetabuli, spontaneous pneumothorax, or striae atrophicae. The study confirms that knowledge of incidence and progression of organ manifestations throughout life is important for diagnosis, treatment, and follow‐up of patients with verified or suspected MFS.     

New detection schemes in liquid chromatography

A micropolarimeter interfaced to a liquid chromatograph is shown to be suitable for selective monitoring of the optically-active components in complex samples. When an optically-active eluent is used, indirect determination of even optically-inactive materials is possible, down to the level of 10 ng of an injected component. If a second chromatogram is obtained using the racemic analogue of the optically-active eluent, quantitation can be achieved without standards and without prior analyte identification. This concept is also applicable to the refractive index detector, the absorption detector and the conductivity detector in the special case of ion chromatography, and the ultrasonic detector in gas chromatography.     

Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) 2022 Explanation and Elaboration: A Report of the ISPOR CHEERS II Good Practices Task Force

Health economic evaluations are comparative analyses of alternative courses of action in terms of their costs and consequences. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement, published in 2013, was created to ensure health economic evaluations are identifiable, interpretable, and useful for decision making. It was intended as guidance to help authors report accurately which health interventions were being compared and in what context, how the evaluation was undertaken, what the findings were, and other details that may aid readers and reviewers in interpretation and use of the study. The new CHEERS 2022 statement replaces the previous CHEERS reporting guidance. It reflects the need for guidance that can be more easily applied to all types of health economic evaluation, new methods and developments in the field, and the increased role of stakeholder involvement including patients and the public. It is also broadly applicable to any form of intervention intended to improve the health of individuals or the population, whether simple or complex, and without regard to context (such as healthcare, public health, education, and social care). This Explanation and Elaboration Report presents the new CHEERS 2022 28-item checklist with recommendations and explanation and examples for each item. The CHEERS 2022 statement is primarily intended for researchers reporting economic evaluations for peer-reviewed journals and the peer reviewers and editors assessing them for publication. Nevertheless, we anticipate familiarity with reporting requirements will be useful for analysts when planning studies. It may also be useful for health technology assessment bodies seeking guidance on reporting, given that there is an increasing emphasis on transparency in decision making.     

Plasma B Vitamers: Population Epidemiology and Parent-Child Concordance in Children and Adults

Scope: B vitamers are co-enzymes involved in key physiological processes including energy production, one-carbon, and macronutrient metabolism. Studies profiling B vitamers simultaneously in parent–child dyads are scarce. Profiling B vitamers in parent–child dyads enables an insightful determination of gene–environment contributions to their circulating concentrations. We aimed to characterise: (a) parent–child dyad concordance, (b) generation (children versus adults), (c) age (within the adult subgroup (age range 28–71 years)) and (d) sex differences in plasma B vitamer concentrations in the CheckPoint study of Australian children. Methods and Results: 1166 children (11 ± 0.5 years, 51% female) and 1324 parents (44 ± 5.1 years, 87% female) took part in a biomedical assessment of a population-derived longitudinal cohort study: The Growing Up in Australia’s Child Health CheckPoint. B vitamer levels were quantified by UHPLC/MS-MS. B vitamer levels were weakly concordant between parent–child pairs (10–31% of variability explained). All B vitamer concentrations exhibited generation-specificity, except for flavin mononucleotide (FMN). The levels of thiamine, pantothenic acid, and 4-pyridoxic acid were higher in male children, and those of pantothenic acid were higher in male adults compared to their female counterparts. Conclusion: Family, age, and sex contribute to variations in the concentrations of plasma B vitamers in Australian children and adults.     

The IHAT-GUT Iron Supplementation Trial in Rural Gambia: Barriers,Facilitators, and Benefits

Introduction: In most sub-Saharan African countries iron deficiency anaemia remains highly prevalent in children and this has not changed in the last 25 years. Supplementation with iron hydroxide adipate tartrate (IHAT) was being investigated in anaemic children in a phase two clinical trial (termed IHAT-GUT), conducted at the Medical Research Council Unit the Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) (abbreviated as MRCG hereof). This qualitative study aimed to explore the personal perceptions of the trial staff in relation to conducting a clinical trial in such settings in order to highlight the health system specific needs and strengths in the rural, resource-poor setting of the Upper River Region in the Gambia. Methods: Individual interviews (n = 17) were conducted with local trial staff of the IHAT-GUT trial. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Potential barriers and facilitators to conducting this clinical trial were identified at the patient, staff, and trial management levels. Several challenges, such as the rural location and cultural context, were identified but noted as not being long-term inhibitors. Participants believed the facilitators and benefits outnumbered the barriers, and included the impact on education and healthcare, the ambitious and knowledgeable locally recruited staff, and the local partnership. Conclusions: While facilitators and barriers were identified to conducting this clinical trial in a rural, resource-poor setting, the overall impact was perceived as beneficial, and this study is a useful example of community involvement and partnership for further health improvement programs. To effectively implement a nutrition intervention, the local health systems and context must be carefully considered through qualitative research beforehand.     

A Qualitative Study: Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to Nutrition Standard Adherence by In-home Childcare Providers

BackgroundThe Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) nutrition standards may present food purchasing, preparation, and feeding challenges for caregivers of young children.ObjectiveTo elucidate perceived barriers and facilitators faced by in-home childcare providers to following the CACFP food and beverage nutrition standards.DesignVirtual, semistructured individual interviews elicited perceptions from a cross section of low-income, in-home childcare providers in Michigan.Participants/settingsTwenty childcare providers of various races, ethnicity, urban and rural residence, and licensure status.AnalysisThematic coding analysis with NVivo (ver12.0) to organize and interpret data.ResultsFour primary barriers to adhering to the CACFP nutrition standards emerged including (1) noncompliant food preferences of children and providers; (2) higher cost and lower availability of CACFP-approved items; (3) celebrations and food rewards; (4) excessive time and effort needed to prepare foods and beverages, especially with dietary restrictions for some children. Ten perceived facilitators included (1) using nutrition education available through community organizations; (2) finding convenient and easy ways to prepare foods and beverages; (3) using CACFP and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children guidelines and funding; (4) increasing variety of foods and beverages by using a menu or recalling items recently served; (5) modeling eating healthful foods and encouraging sampling of new foods and beverages; (6) mixing preferred foods/beverages with less preferred; (7) using nutrition information available from social media and from peers; (8) allowing children to choose foods and beverages; (9) serving the same eligible food and beverages to all children; and (10) provider concern about impact of foods and beverages on children’s health and behavior.ConclusionsResults from this study can inform nutrition education from community organizations that occurs in tandem with CACFP sponsor organizations. In addition, they can be utilized to address state-level licensure regulations and quality improvement rating systems that include nutrition standards childcare providers are encouraged or required to follow.     

16例交锁髓内钉＋植骨治疗胫骨骨折不愈合的疗效观察

目的 :观察交锁髓内钉 植骨治疗胫骨骨折不愈合的临床疗效。方法 :本组胫骨骨折不愈合 16例 ,男 11例 ,女 5例 :年龄 19— 76岁 ,平均 34岁 ,全部采用开放置入交锁髓内钉 植骨治疗。结果 :经 11到 2 4个月 (平均 16 .5个月 )随访 ,15例胫骨骨不连愈合。结论 :交锁髓内钉 植骨治疗胫骨骨折不愈合具有 :1、合理的生物力学设计 ;2、抗骨折旋转及短缩功能 :3、对局部血运破坏小 ;4、植骨的成骨作用等促进骨愈合 ,值得推荐使用     

直立倾斜试验加硝酸甘油含化诊断血管迷走性晕厥的临床研究

目的评价硝酸甘油(NTG)含化加异丙肾上腺素倾斜试验(ITTT)诊断血管迷走性晕厥(VS)的价值.方法将72例VS患者和36例正常对照组随机均分成ITTT和ITTT+NTG组.结果ITTT+NTG组敏感性高于ITTT(93.1%和76%,P＜0.05)有显著性差异.结论ITTT+NTG含化是一种安全、耐受性好、敏感性高,特异性强的诊断VS的方法.     

重烧氧化镁粉的活性测定

新型无机骨粘粘剂磷酸镁水泥（MPC）的主要反应物－重烧MgO的活性与MPC的性能密切相关。本文用比表面积法、碘吸附法、物相分析法、动力学分析法对不同MgO的活性进行了表征,并考察了重烧MgO的活性对MPC材料凝结时间、30min抗压强度以及水化温升的影响。结果表明,比表面积法、碘吸附法、物相分析法不能用于重烧MgO粉活性的测定,而动力学分析用于表征重烧MgO粉的活性是可行和可靠的。     

A systematic review of reporting quality for anaesthetic interventions in randomised controlled trials

Interventions from randomised controlled trials can only be replicated if they are reported in sufficient detail. The results of trials can only be confidently interpreted if the delivery of the intervention was systematic and the protocol adhered to. We systematically reviewed trials of anaesthetic interventions published in 12 journals from January 2016 to September 2019. We assessed the detail with which interventions were reported, using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement for non-pharmacological treatments. We analysed 162 interventions reported by 78 trials in 18,675 participants. Detail sufficiently precise to replicate the intervention was reported for 111 (69%) interventions. Intervention standardisation was reported for 135 (83%) out of the 162 interventions, and protocol adherence was reported for 20 (12%) interventions. Sixty (77%) out of the 78 trials reported the administrative context in which interventions were delivered and 36 (46%) trials detailed the expertise of the practitioners. We conclude that bespoke reporting tools should be developed for anaesthetic interventions and interventions in other areas such as critical care.