Cork University Hospital (Irish: Ospidéal na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a large university teaching hospital in Wilton, Cork in Ireland. Its academic partner is University College Cork. It is the only Level 1 Trauma Centre in Ireland. It is a public hospital managed by the South/Southwest Hospital Group, a part of the Health Service Executive.
Background Fatigue, impaired sleep quality and daytime sleepiness, common in neurodegenerative and immune-mediated diseases, are debilitating and have serious societal and economic implications. Currently, measurement of these symptoms largely relies on self-reported questionnaires, which are burdensome for patients and lack sensitivity, granularity and reliability. Methods Building on a preceding feasibility study and qualification advice of the European Medicines Agency, the Clinical Observational Study of the European project Identifying Digital Endpoints to Assess FAtigue, Sleep and acTivities of daily living in Neurodegenerative disorders and Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IDEA-FAST) investigates the relationship between digital and clinical parameters of the target concepts of fatigue, reduced sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. Results Between 2022 and 2025, 2000 people are being recruited at 24 European sites – 500 with Parkinson's disease, 500 with inflammatory bowel disease, 200 with each of the following diseases: Huntington's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, primary Sjögren's syndrome and 200 healthy volunteers. Participants are followed over a 24-week period with four visits, each including a 1-week assessment phase at home using CE-certified digital health (including active and passive) technologies. The latter collect information on physical activity, physiology, cognition as well as social interaction and behaviour as core dimensions of the target concepts. Conclusion This study will help to develop reliable, valid and efficient digital endpoints of fatigue, impaired sleep quality and daytime sleepiness for use in future clinical studies and trials.
Background: Post-operative outcomes of cardiovascular surgery vary greatly among patients for a variety of reasons. While the specific reasons are often multifactorial and complex, certain machine learning methods are promising ways to both estimate mortality after surgery and elucidate important factors linked with mortality.Methods: Using the MIMIC-IV database, we identified 11,261 patients on the cardiovascular surgery unit. We estimated all-cause one-year mortality for each patient after their most recent operation. The dataset included patient demographics (including age, sex, and BMI), as well as the maximum and minimum common laboratory values measured prior to each surgery (including electrolytes, eGFR, and red cell distribution width).Results: Of the models tested, logistic regression outperformed all other approaches with respect to accuracy (p = 0.0075 with respect to a two-tailed t-test with the next strongest model). The model had an accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 85.07%, 82.89%, 85.19% respectively. Furthermore, features weighted heavily by the model are consistent with known predictors of mortality in the literature.Conclusion: Pre-operative laboratory values are effective predictors of all-cause one-year mortality post-cardiovascular surgery used in conjunction with machine learning. Renal function, red cell distribution width, leukocytosis, and erythrocyte indices appear to be important prognostic factors.
Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumour of the female reproductive tract. For decades, surgery has been the standard treatment for symptomatic fibroids. However, minimally invasive options such as Uterine Artery Embolisation (UAE) have now emerged as a less invasive, but equally effective treatment. Despite this, access to UAE remains uneven worldwide. This cross-section from ten countries representing all inhabited continents across the globe, highlights several challenges that still exist, despite the abundance of evidence to support the long-term quality of life improvements for women treated with UAE. This narrative review considers enabling factors as well as barriers to treatment in each region, putting forward local strategies to improve access to UAE moving forward.
PURPOSE:Those living beyond a cancer diagnosis experience unmet supportive care needs due to fragmented post-treatment pathways and limited integration of digital health tools. The Linking You to Support and Advice (LYSA) trial assessed the feasibility of a complex-intervention which incorporated a nurse- and dietitian-led multidisciplinary clinic and a digital platform for capturing and responding to electronic Patient-Reported Outcome (ePRO) data for women with early-stage breast and gynecologic cancer less than 12 months post-primary curative therapy. METHODS:The LYSA trial was an unblinded, randomized, controlled, feasibility trial co-designed with public and patient involvement, conducted across two cancer centers in Ireland. Participants were randomized to the experimental arm, receiving bi-monthly ePRO assessments and trigger-initiated responses to ePROs for 12 months; or the active comparator arm, receiving usual care. Primary feasibility outcomes included participant enrolment, ePRO survey completion, and healthcare professional engagement triggered by ePRO assessments. Secondary outcomes focused on symptom scores, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and patient satisfaction. A process evaluation explored factors affecting implementation. RESULTS:The trial met its three predefined feasibility outcomes: 200 participants were enrolled (84% breast, 16% gynecologic), >85% of baseline and endpoint surveys were completed, and >70% of participants in the experimental arm engaged in nurse and dietetic consultations following ePRO symptom triggers. The experimental arm demonstrated significant improvements in fatigue (p = 0.018), anxiety (p = 0.012), depression (p < 0.001) and HRQOL (p = 0.031) scores. The process evaluation indicated high levels of satisfaction with the intervention, with positive feedback on the multidisciplinary approach and responsive symptom management. CONCLUSIONS:LYSA demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of an ePRO-led survivorship approach, with potential HRQOL and symptom benefits, warranting a powered efficacy trial.
Incorporating synthetic and natural polymers with metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) can significantly alter electrical, optical, catalytic, antibacterial, mechanical, physical, and magnetic properties. In this study, nanocomposites (NCs) containing polyaniline (PANI), a conducting polymer, Chitosan (CS), a natural polymer, and ZnO metal NPs were synthesized using in situ chemical oxidative polymerisation technique. The multifunctional properties of these NCs, including antibacterial, photocatalytic, anticorrosive, and magnetic, were investigated. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of methylene blue dye (MBD) was evaluated under UV and sunlight and found to be higher in sunlight. The MBD degradation efficiency reached 74.57% in 6.4 h in UV light and 89.62% in 5.0 h in sunlight. The synthesized NCs exhibited a 'magnetic susceptibility' (chi) of 0.035, indicating paramagnetic behavior. The optical band gap of the NCs was 2.9 eV, lower than that of pure PANI (3.8 eV) and ZnO NPs (3.35 eV). The zone of inhibition (14.0 mm) was measured against S. aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria at a concentration of 4.5 mg/mL. The NCs demonstrated anticorrosive activity against mild steel in 1.0 M H2SO4, achieving an inhibition efficiency of 90.34% at 10 ppm. This study leads to the development of NCs with significant potential for water purification, environmental remediation, anticorrosive coatings, and applications requiring conductive and magnetic properties.
