Key Characteristics of Rehabilitation Quality Improvement Publications: Scoping Review From 2010 to 2016

Objective

To characterize the peer-reviewed quality improvement (QI) literature in rehabilitation.

Tracking the Phylogeny of Seagrasses: Inferred from 18S rRNA Gene and Ancestral State Reconstruction of Morphological Data

Taxonomic challenges of seagrasses were met by using 18S ribosomal subunit of ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (18S rDNA) sequence data of 14 seagrass species from India and two temperate species from Germany. The phylogenetic trees presented are based on the 18S rDNA sequence analysis of 41 nucleotide sequences including sequences obtained in the present study as well as previously published sequences of freshwater and saltmarsh plants, and seagrasses for identifying the evolutionary lineage. The 18S rDNA data indicates independent origin of temperate and tropical seagrasses with the genus Halophila as the intermediate group for both the regions. Based on the complex morphological structures the Halophila group represents the basal form among seagrasses whereas Enhalus is considered to be the most recently originated seagrass species. In that context, the marine Hydrocharitaceae group of Enhalus, Thalassia and Halophila has been proposed to be separated into two groups such as Enhalus/Thalassia and Halophila subfamilies. Hence, the present systematic studies warrant a revised taxonomy for seagrasses, which better reflects the phylogenetic results obtained from molecular and conventional data.     

Respiratory oxygen uptake is associated with survival in a cohort of ventilated trauma and burn patients

Background

Little data is available in the literature about the role of end tidal oxygen in critically ill patients. We sought to identify the association between the level of respiratory oxygen and clinical outcomes in critically-ill ventilated trauma and burn patients.

Current concepts in the diagnosis,pathogenesis and management of nonarteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy

Nonarteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common acute optic neuropathy in patients over the age of 50 and is the second most common cause of permanent optic nerve-related visual loss in adults after glaucoma. Patients typically present with acute, painless, unilateral loss of vision associated with a variable visual field defect, a relative afferent pupillary defect, a swollen, hyperaemic optic disc, and one or more flame-shaped peripapillary retinal haemorrhages. The pathogenesis of this condition is unknown, but it occurs primarily in patients with structurally small optic discs that have little or no cup and a variety of underlying vascular disorders that may or may not be known at the time of visual loss. There is no consistently beneficial medical or surgical treatment for the condition, but there are now animal models that allow testing of various potential therapies. About 40% of patients experience spontaneous improvement in visual acuity. Patients in whom NAION occurs in one eye have a 15–19% risk of developing a similar event in the opposite eye over the subsequent 5 years.     

PicSafe Medi: a clinical photography app review

Medical photographs are used in many clinical settings; however, there are significant risks associated with using the camera feature on mobile devices, namely, breaches of security. PicSafe Medi is an app that allows healthcare professionals to take clinical photographs using smart devices whilst addressing the concerns of patient confidentiality. We review the app to assess its functionality in a UK clinical setting, taking into account UK guidelines such as those offered by the General Medical Council, UK legislation, the Institute of Medical Illustrators and the Department of Health.