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Journal of Investigative Medicine High... 2022Infection of the thyroid gland with is rare. We report a case with disseminated coccidiomycosis involving thyroid gland as a thyroid nodule. Although historical autopsy...
Infection of the thyroid gland with is rare. We report a case with disseminated coccidiomycosis involving thyroid gland as a thyroid nodule. Although historical autopsy studies have indicated that coccidioidal involvement of the thyroid gland can infrequently occur as part of disseminated infection, to our knowledge, only less than 10 other cases have been reported. Optimal treatment duration and dosage of medication are uncertain in literature of this rare involvement of thyroid gland with coccidioidomycosis.
Topics: Coccidioides; Coccidioidomycosis; Humans
PubMed: 35426317
DOI: 10.1177/23247096221090840 -
Systematic Reviews Jul 2022Transparent reporting of rapid reviews enables appropriate use of research findings and dissemination strategies can strengthen uptake and impact for the targeted... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Transparent reporting of rapid reviews enables appropriate use of research findings and dissemination strategies can strengthen uptake and impact for the targeted knowledge users, including policy-makers and health system managers. The aim of this literature review was to understand reporting and dissemination approaches for rapid reviews and provide an overview in the context of health policy and systems research.
METHODS
A literature review and descriptive summary of the reporting and disseminating approaches for rapid reviews was conducted, focusing on available guidance and methods, considerations for engagement with knowledge users, and optimizing dissemination. MEDLINE, PubMed, Google scholar, as well as relevant websites and reference lists were searched from January 2017 to March 2021 to identify the relevant literature with no language restrictions. Content was abstracted and charted.
RESULTS
The literature review found limited guidance specific to rapid reviews. Building on the barriers and facilitators to systematic review use, we provide practical recommendations on different approaches and methods for reporting and disseminating expedited knowledge synthesis considering the needs of health policy and systems knowledge users. Reporting should balance comprehensive accounting of the research process and findings with what is "good enough" or sufficient to meet the requirements of the knowledge users, while considering the time and resources available to conduct a review. Typical approaches may be used when planning the dissemination of rapid review findings; such as peer-reviewed publications or symposia and clear and ongoing engagement with knowledge users in crafting the messages is essential so they are appropriately tailored to the target audience. Consideration should be given to providing different products for different audiences. Dissemination measures and bibliometrics are also useful to gauge impact and reach.
CONCLUSIONS
Limited guidance specific to the reporting and dissemination of rapid reviews is available. Although approaches to expedited synthesis for health policy and systems research vary, considerations for the reporting and dissemination of findings are pertinent to all.
Topics: Administrative Personnel; Health Policy; Humans; Research Report
PubMed: 35906679
DOI: 10.1186/s13643-022-01897-5 -
PloS One 2023Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) tools, such as HealthMap and PADI-web, monitor online news reports and other unofficial sources, with the primary aim to provide timely...
Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) tools, such as HealthMap and PADI-web, monitor online news reports and other unofficial sources, with the primary aim to provide timely information to users from health agencies on disease outbreaks occurring worldwide. In this work, we describe how outbreak-related information disseminates from a primary source, via a secondary source, to a definitive aggregator, an EBS tool, during the 2018/19 avian influenza season. We analysed 337 news items from the PADI-web and 115 news articles from HealthMap EBS tools reporting avian influenza outbreaks in birds worldwide between July 2018 and June 2019. We used the sources cited in the news to trace the path of each outbreak. We built a directed network with nodes representing the sources (characterised by type, specialisation, and geographical focus) and edges representing the flow of information. We calculated the degree as a centrality measure to determine the importance of the nodes in information dissemination. We analysed the role of the sources in early detection (detection of an event before its official notification) to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and late detection. A total of 23% and 43% of the avian influenza outbreaks detected by the PADI-web and HealthMap, respectively, were shared on time before their notification. For both tools, national and local veterinary authorities were the primary sources of early detection. The early detection component mainly relied on the dissemination of nationally acknowledged events by online news and press agencies, bypassing international reporting to the WAOH. WOAH was the major secondary source for late detection, occupying a central position between national authorities and disseminator sources, such as online news. PADI-web and HealthMap were highly complementary in terms of detected sources, explaining why 90% of the events were detected by only one of the tools. We show that current EBS tools can provide timely outbreak-related information and priority news sources to improve digital disease surveillance.
Topics: Animals; Influenza in Birds; Disease Outbreaks; Geography; Group Processes; Information Dissemination
PubMed: 37669265
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285341 -
BMJ Open Jan 2021The current COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for populational adherence to measures for the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases. However,...
Barriers and facilitators to populational adherence to prevention and control measures of COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases: a rapid qualitative evidence synthesis protocol.
INTRODUCTION
The current COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for populational adherence to measures for the prevention and control of respiratory infectious diseases. However, their effectiveness depends on the population's preventive behaviour, which may be divergent from public policies. Therefore, this study aims to summarise and evaluate the evidence on barriers and facilitators to populational adherence to prevention and control measures in COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
We will search on MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO for studies focusing on adults receiving protective behaviour recommendations to combat COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases. The searches will be carried out from database's inception to the present. We will include studies that use qualitative methods in their data collection and analysis and studies that use mixed methods if they include any qualitative methods of analysis. Studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish will be included. Two review authors will independently screen the studies for inclusion and extract data. We will assess the quality of the included studies using the Critical Skills Appraisal Programme tool. For the assessment of the confidence in the synthesised findings, we will use the GRADE-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research. Data analysis will be conducted using the best-fit framework approach based on adapted dimensions from the Health Belief Model and the Behaviour Change Wheel.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
This study will be conducted on published evidence, and thus, no ethical approval is required. The findings of this rapid qualitative evidence synthesis will be disseminated to academic audiences, health policy-makers and the general population. We will publish the results in peer-reviewed journals, present our findings in conferences, and disseminate results via social media. We also aim to present the research findings in plain language and disseminate the knowledge to the general population to increase public interest.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42020205750.
Topics: COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Communication Barriers; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Health Behavior; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Risk Behaviors; Humans; Qualitative Research; Research Design; SARS-CoV-2; Social Perception
PubMed: 33514584
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045529 -
Cancers Nov 2020Tissue biopsy is considered the gold standard when establishing a diagnosis of cancer. However, tissue biopsies of intraocular ophthalmic malignancies are hard to... (Review)
Review
Tissue biopsy is considered the gold standard when establishing a diagnosis of cancer. However, tissue biopsies of intraocular ophthalmic malignancies are hard to collect and are thought to be associated with a non-negligible risk of extraocular dissemination. Recently, the liquid biopsy (LB) has emerged as a viable, non-invasive, repeatable, and promising way of obtaining a diagnosis, prognosis, and theragnosis of patients with solid tumors. LB refers to blood, as well as any human liquid. The natural history of uveal melanoma (UM) and retinoblastoma (RB) are radically opposed. On the one hand, UM is known to disseminate through the bloodstream, and is, therefore, more accessible to systemic venous liquid biopsy. On the other hand, RB rarely disseminates hematogenous, and is, therefore, more accessible to local liquid biopsy by performing an anterior chamber puncture. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge concerning LB in UM, RB, conjunctival tumors, and choroidal metastases. We also develop the current limitations encountered, as well as the perspectives.
PubMed: 33172021
DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113284 -
BMJ Open Oct 2021Mechanisms explain implementation strategies work. Implementation research requires careful operationalisation and empirical study of the causal pathway(s) by which...
INTRODUCTION
Mechanisms explain implementation strategies work. Implementation research requires careful operationalisation and empirical study of the causal pathway(s) by which strategies effect change, and factors that may amplify or weaken their effects. Understanding mechanisms is critically important to replicate findings, learn from negative studies or adapt an implementation strategy developed in one setting to another. Without understanding implementation mechanisms, it is difficult to design strategies to produce expected effects across contexts, which may have disproportionate effects on settings in which priority populations receive care. This manuscript outlines the protocol for an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality-funded initiative to: (1) establish priorities for an agenda to guide research on implementation mechanisms in health and public health, and (2) disseminate the agenda to research, policy and practice audiences.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
A network of scientific experts will convene in 'Deep Dive' meetings across 3 years. A research agenda will be generated through analysis and synthesis of information from six sources: (1) systematic reviews, (2) network members' approaches to studying mechanisms, (3) new proposals presented in implementation proposal feedback sessions, (4) working group sessions conducted in a leading implementation research training institute, (5) breakout sessions at the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration's (SIRC) 2019 conference and (6) SIRC conference abstracts. Two members will extract mechanism-relevant text segments from each data source and a third member will generate statements as an input for concept mapping. Concept mapping will generate unique clusters of challenges, and the network will engage in a nominal group process to identify priorities for the research agenda.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
This initiative will yield an actionable research agenda to guide research to identify and test mechanisms of change for implementation strategies. The agenda will be disseminated via multiple channels to solicit feedback and promote rigorous research on implementation mechanisms.
Topics: Evidence-Based Practice; Health Services Research; Humans; Research Design
PubMed: 34663668
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-053474 -
Cell Reports Jun 2023Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection of macrophages relies on MCMV-encoded chemokine 2 (MCK2), while infection of fibroblasts occurs independently of MCK2. Recently,...
Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection of macrophages relies on MCMV-encoded chemokine 2 (MCK2), while infection of fibroblasts occurs independently of MCK2. Recently, MCMV infection of both cell types was found to be dependent on cell-expressed neuropilin 1. Using a CRISPR screen, we now identify that MCK2-dependent infection requires MHC class Ia/β-2-microglobulin (B2m) expression. Further analyses reveal that macrophages expressing MHC class Ia haplotypes H-2b and H-2d, but not H-2k, are susceptible to MCK2-dependent infection with MCMV. The importance of MHC class I expression for MCK2-dependent primary infection and viral dissemination is highlighted by experiments with B2m-deficient mice, which lack surface expression of MHC class I molecules. In those mice, intranasally administered MCK2-proficient MCMV mimics infection patterns of MCK2-deficient MCMV in wild-type mice: it does not infect alveolar macrophages and subsequently fails to disseminate into the salivary glands. Together, these data provide essential knowledge for understanding MCMV-induced pathogenesis, tissue targeting, and virus dissemination.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Muromegalovirus; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; Cytomegalovirus Infections; Macrophages; Salivary Glands; Mice, Inbred BALB C
PubMed: 37289588
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112597 -
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2020The current review aims to investigate the barriers to and facilitators of the adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in the Middle East and North Africa... (Review)
Review
The current review aims to investigate the barriers to and facilitators of the adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. English language studies published between January 2010 and May 2019 were searched on PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO. The barriers were categorized as clinician-related factors, such as lack of awareness of familiarity with the CPGs, and external factors, such as patients, guidelines, and environmental factors. The search identified 295 titles, out of which 15 were included. Environmental factors, specifically lack of time, resources, incentives, availability, and costs of treatment or diagnostic tests, training, and dissemination plans were the most commonly identified barriers. The familiarity with or awareness of healthcare professionals about the guideline, guideline characteristics, lack of agreement with the guidelines and preference in clinical judgment, physician self-efficacy, and motivation were reported to a lesser extent. Few studies reported on the compliance of facilitators with the guidelines including disseminating and advertising guideline materials, education and training on the guidelines, regulatory and financial incentives, and support from institutions. The review highlights that the studies on barriers to and facilitators of compliance with CPGs in the MENA region are limited in number and quality.
PubMed: 33333843
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare8040564 -
Journal of Medical Cases May 2021Nocardiosis is a rare infection in immunocompetent patients. is an uncommon cause of prostate abscesses and is responsible for only 1-2% of brain abscess. Hematogenous...
Nocardiosis is a rare infection in immunocompetent patients. is an uncommon cause of prostate abscesses and is responsible for only 1-2% of brain abscess. Hematogenous dissemination can occur, and presentation of abscesses in more than two locations is required to determine a disseminated nocardiosis. The microbiological diagnosis of this agent is still a challenge due to the complexity of its identification in regular laboratories. An early diagnosis and adequate treatment with effective antibiotics are critical for treating this entity. We report a case of a patient who presented with brain abscess with a previous medical history of prostate abscess to which evolved to disseminated nocardiosis.
PubMed: 34434458
DOI: 10.14740/jmc3673 -
Implementation Science : IS Mar 2020While there is an ample literature on the evaluation of knowledge translation interventions aimed at healthcare providers, managers, and policy-makers, there has been... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
While there is an ample literature on the evaluation of knowledge translation interventions aimed at healthcare providers, managers, and policy-makers, there has been less focus on patients and their informal caregivers. Further, no overview of the literature on dissemination strategies aimed at healthcare users and their caregivers has been conducted. The overview has two specific research questions: (1) to determine the most effective strategies that have been used to disseminate knowledge to healthcare recipients, and (2) to determine the barriers (and facilitators) to dissemination of knowledge to this group.
METHODS
This overview used systematic review methods and was conducted according to a pre-defined protocol. A comprehensive search of ten databases and five websites was conducted. Both published and unpublished reviews in English, Spanish, or Portuguese were included. A methodological quality assessment was conducted; low-quality reviews were excluded. A narrative synthesis was undertaken, informed by a matrix of strategy by outcome measure. The Health System Evidence taxonomy for "consumer targeted strategies" was used to separate strategies into one of six categories.
RESULTS
We identified 44 systematic reviews that describe the effective strategies to disseminate health knowledge to the public, patients, and caregivers. Some of these reviews also describe the most important barriers to the uptake of these effective strategies. When analyzing those strategies with the greatest potential to achieve behavioral changes, the majority of strategies with sufficient evidence of effectiveness were combined, frequent, and/or intense over time. Further, strategies focused on the patient, with tailored interventions, and those that seek to acquire skills and competencies were more effective in achieving these changes. In relation to barriers and facilitators, while the lack of health literacy or e-literacy could increase inequities, the benefits of social media were also emphasized, for example by widening access to health information for ethnic minorities and lower socioeconomic groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Those interventions that have been shown to be effective in improving knowledge uptake or health behaviors should be implemented in practice, programs, and policies-if not already implemented. When implementing strategies, decision-makers should consider the barriers and facilitators identified by this overview to ensure maximum effectiveness.
PROTOCOL REGISTRATION
PROSPERO: CRD42018093245.
Topics: Caregivers; Communication; Evidence-Based Medicine; Health Behavior; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Information Dissemination; Patients; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Translational Research, Biomedical
PubMed: 32131861
DOI: 10.1186/s13012-020-0974-3