To investigate the risk factors for primary non-central malposition of peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) tip in neonates admitted to the neonatal surgical department, compare the malposition rates across different insertion sites in disease types, and explore whether different diseases affect PICC tip malposition.

A retrospective case–control study conducted in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement.

A 3A women’s and children’s hospital in South China (Guangdong Province).

A total of 558 neonates aged ≤28 days who underwent PICC insertion between January 2019 and November 2024 were enrolled. Neonates with congenital circulatory system malformations, incomplete clinical data and death or treatment withdrawal before tip positioning were excluded.

The primary outcome was the incidence of primary non-central PICC tip malposition confirmed by X-ray or ultrasound within 24 h after insertion. Secondary outcomes included comparison of primary non-central PICC tip malposition rates across different insertion sites and comparison of primary PICC tip malposition rates by insertion sites across different disease groups.

558 neonates were included in this study, including 460 cases with PICC tip in place and 98 with PICC tip malposition. In binary logistic regression analysis, the PICC insertion site was considered an independent risk factor (OR 2.908, 95% CI 1.748, 4.840, p

Medical staff can choose appropriate upper or lower limb veins for PICC insertion without worrying about the impact of abdominal diseases or thoracic diseases on non-central PICC tip malposition. PICC insertion via the head and neck veins should be performed with caution in neonates, as these sites carry a high risk of primary non-central tip malposition compared with other insertion sites.

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) is a cornerstone device-based treatment for patients with heart failure with ventricular dyssynchrony. However, approximately 30–40% of recipients fail to achieve clinical response. Despite extensive research, validated prediction tools grounded in high-level evidence and readily applicable in clinical practice remain lacking. This study protocol describes the development and real-world validation of a simplified clinical scoring model for CRT response derived from systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study will develop a CRT response prediction model via meta-analysis and preliminarily validates it in a single-centre retrospective cohort. Initially, systematic searches of multiple databases up to 31 January 2026 and meta-analysis will synthesise effect estimates for candidate predictors, creating an evidence-based foundation that conceptually functions as a ‘training dataset’. Predictor selection and prioritisation will be guided by study frequency, effect magnitude and clinical accessibility, with factor weights derived directly from pooled random-effects meta-analytic estimates. Log relative risks will be converted to integer scores to establish a series of nested prediction models. Model performance will then be comprehensively assessed in an independent ‘validation dataset’ comprising a single-centre cohort from Xinjiang Medical University, evaluating discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve), calibration (calibration plots and Hosmer-Lemeshow test) and clinical utility (decision curve analysis). The final scoring system will be identified through comparative model evaluation guided by parsimony principles.

This meta-analysis exclusively uses published, de-identified data and therefore does not require ethical approval. The validation cohort employs retrospectively anonymised patient data in strict adherence to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University (Approval No.: K202403-48-2503A-Y1). As this constitutes a retrospective analysis of existing data, individual informed consent will be waived. Comprehensive measures to protect participant privacy and ensure data integrity will be implemented throughout all research procedures. The findings will be presented at academic gatherings or published in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals.

CRD42024572313

This study aims to explore the history of prior abortions and the factors influencing them among young women seeking abortion services in Foshan, Guangdong, China.

This is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of young women seeking abortion care.

Gynaecological outpatient clinics at the Department of Gynaecology, Foshan Women and Children Hospital Affiliated to Guangdong Medical University, Foshan, Guangdong, China, between 2013 and 2023.

A total of 7361 young women aged 12–25 years seeking abortion services.

Data on abortion history, sociodemographic factors, contraceptive use and postabortion contraceptive choices were collected and analysed, with special emphasis on the incidence of repeat abortions and the factors associated with them.

Of the 7361 participants, 34.2% reported at least one previous abortion, underscoring a notable public health concern. The mean age of the participants was 22.30 years (SD=2.13). Women with a history of abortion were significantly older than those without (22.57 vs 22.08 years, p

This study underscores the need for targeted interventions to address the multifaceted factors leading to repeat abortions among young women in China. The results offer valuable insights for improving reproductive health outcomes in this vulnerable population and highlight the importance of expanding access to contraceptive education and services in China.

The prolonged survival of lung cancer patients is accompanied by an increasing incidence of leptomeningeal metastases (LM). Patients with LM have a poor prognosis, significantly impacting their quality of life and overall survival. Recent studies have shown that while intrathecal pemetrexed (IP) can improve symptoms and confer a survival benefit in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with LM, drug resistance remains a significant challenge. As for systemic therapy, intravenous bevacizumab combined with chemotherapy has demonstrated clinical benefits in NSCLC patients. However, clinical data on intrathecal bevacizumab remain scarce. Therefore, this study aims to preliminarily explore the efficacy and safety of intrathecal pemetrexed and bevacizumab in the treatment of NSCLC patients with LM.

This is a single-centre, single-arm, prospective, investigator-initiated phase Ia clinical trial sponsored by Shanghai Chest Hospital, involving patients with advanced NSCLC and LM. Participants will be enrolled and allocated into two predefined cohorts. Cohort A: six participants will receive IP monotherapy for safety exploration. Cohort B: participants will receive intrathecal pemetrexed and bevacizumab. Pemetrexed will be administered at a fixed dose, while the dosage exploration for bevacizumab will employ a combination of a 3+3 design and an accelerated titration design (ATD). The primary endpoint is the safety and the secondary endpoint is the overall survival (OS).

This study protocol (Version 1.1, dated 8 October 2024) was approved by the Ethics Commission of Shanghai Chest Hospital (IS24103) on 23 October 2024. Trial results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

NCT06663306, ClinicalTrials.gov.

To evaluate the effect of lobeglitazone on renal disease progression in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using longitudinal real-world data.

Retrospective cohort study.

Hospital-based Common Data Model database.

A total of 14 712 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus who visited the Diabetes Center of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital between 2013 and 2019 were identified. A 1:2 propensity score matching was performed to compare patients treated with lobeglitazone plus metformin with those receiving metformin monotherapy, sulfonylurea plus metformin, or a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitor plus metformin.

Treatment with lobeglitazone plus metformin compared with metformin monotherapy, sulfonylurea plus metformin or DPP4 inhibitor plus metformin.

Renal progression, defined as initiation of renal replacement therapy, a sustained ≥30% decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) from baseline, or doubling of serum creatinine with a concurrent eGFR ≤45 mL/min/1.73 m².

The HR of renal progression was 0.84 (95% CI 0.58 to 1.21) in the lobeglitazone plus metformin compared with metformin monotherapy, 1.00 (95% CI 0.79 to 1.27) compared with sulfonylurea plus metformin group, 1.10 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.44) compared with DPP4 inhibitor plus metformin group after adjusting for multiple variables. Subgroup analyses demonstrated significant interactions by sex in the comparison with metformin monotherapy (P for interaction=0.0179) and by glycaemic control in the comparisons with sulfonylurea plus metformin (P for interaction=0.0161) and DPP4 inhibitor plus metformin (P for interaction=0.0006), suggesting potential heterogeneity in treatment effects.

Lobeglitazone showed renal outcomes comparable to those of other antidiabetic medications, with a possible heterogeneity in treatment effects according to sex and glycaemic control.

To assess the levels of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) toward skin cancer prevention among Malaysian adults and to examine differences in KAP across socio-demographic groups.

Cross-sectional online survey.

Community-based study conducted in Malaysia using social media recruitment.

A total of 386 adults aged ≥18 years residing in Malaysia. Most participants were young adults (86.3%), female (55.4%) and of Chinese ethnicity (65.5%). Healthcare professionals were excluded.

Primary outcomes were levels of knowledge, attitude and preventive practices toward skin cancer, measured using the validated KAP-SC-Q (Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Skin Cancer Questionnaire) and categorised as poor, moderate or good. Secondary outcomes included differences in KAP across socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, analysed using independent t-tests and ² tests.

Over half of participants demonstrated poor knowledge of skin cancer (56.0%) and the vast majority showed inadequate preventive practices (84.2%), while attitudes toward skin cancer were predominantly positive (62.4%). Significant differences in mean KAP scores and categorical levels were observed across several socio-demographic variables. Participants with tertiary education had higher knowledge (14.32 vs 12.61) and attitude scores (20.01 vs 15.95; p

Malaysian adults exhibited limited knowledge and very poor preventive practices toward skin cancer despite generally positive attitudes. These findings highlight substantial gaps between awareness and behaviour and support the need for targeted public health interventions to correct misconceptions, improve risk perception especially in high-risk groups and promote effective ultraviolet protection behaviours.

International guidelines on breast cancer (BC) screening have differing recommendations leading to uncertainty on best practices for primary care providers. The purpose of this study was to create a Canadian best practices document on BC health and screening for primary healthcare providers through multidisciplinary consensus using Nominal Group Technique and Delphi method.

A 9-member multidisciplinary expert group and a patient advocate participated in the consensus methods and voting. Experts included those involved in BC management and two primary care physicians. Twenty-nine experts across BC disciplines participated in external review.

Two study objectives included (1) building consensus on key ‘best practice’ behaviours related to BC-related health and screening and (2) building consensus on specific definitions related to BC screening.

The final consensus document consists of 65 statements grouped in five categories with companion resources to support uptake of all best practices. Categories include identification and work-up for diagnostic imaging, risk factors and identifying individuals eligible for high-risk screening, shared decision-making, decisions and referrals for BC screening and screening outcomes. Special areas of focus were shared decision-making, age to initiate screening, and BC screening in special populations.

We created a comprehensive consensus document distilling the latest evidence to provide practical Canadian consensus-based advice on specific ‘best practice behaviours’ related to BC health and screening to serve as a resource for providers.

This study aimed to investigate the self-management experiences of individuals living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through the lens of the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation-Behaviour model to inform the design of personalised self-management interventions.

A phenomenological method, common in qualitative research, was used. Data were collected using semistructured in-depth interviews. Data collection and analysis were conducted concurrently, guided by the principle of reaching data saturation. The data were evaluated using thematic analysis.

The study was conducted in a quiet, private setting, either a classroom or consultation room, free from external disturbances.

Between March and September 2023, 15 individuals diagnosed with SLE who met the inclusion criteria participated in the in-depth interviews.

A total of 15 patients were interviewed, and 3 themes and 9 subthemes regarding self-management experiences were extracted: (1) Capability level: Deficiency in disease knowledge and insufficient self-management skills; (2) Motivation level: Lack of self-management awareness, perceived benefits and risks, uncertainty about disease progression and appearance-related anxiety; (3) Opportunity level: Family understanding and support, social support and environmental facilitation.

SLE patients’ self-management behaviours are influenced by both personal experiences and external environments. Healthcare professionals should enhance health education, deliver individualised guidance, strengthen patients’ self-management awareness and psychological positivity, optimise medical resource allocation, and bolster social support to improve patients’self-management capabilities.

The aim of this study was to explore the application of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in patients undergoing gynaecological surgery. This investigation included an analysis of the postoperative recovery curve and the factors that influenced the number of postoperative recovery days. This study also aimed to further investigate the impact of various factors on health economics.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in the Fourth Ward of the General Gynaecology Centre of the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. A total of 1000 patients who had undergone elective benign gynaecological surgery between July 2021 and December 2022 were included. Demographic, perioperative and other relevant data were collected, and a visual analogue scale (VAS) survey was conducted using the European Five-Dimensional Health Scale (EQ-5D). The factors that influenced the number of postoperative recovery days were analysed using a multivariate linear regression analysis. Additionally, patients who had undergone laparoscopic myomectomy, laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy, laparoscopic total hysterectomy, abdominal myomectomy and abdominal total hysterectomy were grouped based on whether their ERAS implementation rate was ≥70%. Our goal was to evaluate the health economic value of the diagnosis-related group (DRG) payments from multiple perspectives and provide actionable recommendations for health insurance bureaus, hospitals and patients from a multi-dimensional perspective.

ERAS completion rates for measures such as avoiding preoperative sedation and early postoperative ambulation exceeded 95%, whereas rates for chewing gum and intraoperative temperature monitoring were

An analysis of the relationship between hospital costs and different ERAS measures, insurance types and disease types showed that seven measures could reduce hospital costs without negatively affecting the patient recovery speed, and five measures could slightly increase hospital costs. In addition, hospitalisation cost differences based on various insurance types and disease categories were statistically significant (p

The postoperative recovery speed was accelerated, the recovery time was shortened and the patient’s quality of life was enhanced during gynaecological surgery due to the implementation of ERAS practices. Increasing the ERAS completion rate can significantly reduce patient average hospitalisation costs. Additionally, variations in medical insurance, disease categories and specific ERAS measures influenced these costs. Therefore, hospitals that are unable to fully implement all ERAS measures must prioritise those that promote recovery. In addition, hospitals should adopt flexible strategies to minimise costs, thereby achieving mutual benefits for patients and hospitals. These findings establish a foundation for the implementation of a simplified ERAS version. It has been observed through the perspective of DRG implementation in China that payment standards exceed the average hospitalisation costs associated with specific surgical procedures. This result suggests that DRG implementation can benefit both patients and hospitals. These study results will serve as a valuable reference for decision-making by health insurance bureaus, hospitals and patients.

Current evidence is unclear due to methodological limitations. We bridge critical knowledge gaps by quantifying the longitudinal changes in movement behaviours and their correlates from early childhood through adolescence.

Longitudinal observational cohort study.

General healthy child and adolescent sample in Singapore.

Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes study participants.

We used wrist-worn accelerometry and proxy-reported data to examine movement behaviours (sleep, inactivity, light physical activity (PA; LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and screen-viewing) at ages 5.5, 8, 10 and 12 years and the sociodemographic and maternal lifestyle-related correlates using linear regression models with generalised estimating equations.

Among 837 children, sleep, LPA and MVPA declined by 3% (from 9.1 to 8.8 hours/day), 24% (from 5.8 to 4.4 hours/day) and 44% (from 71.3 to 40.1 min/day), respectively, while inactivity and screen viewing increased by 26% (from 8.0 to 10.1 hours/day) and 155% (from 1.8 to 4.6 hours/day), respectively, from ages 5.5 to 12 years. The greatest annual increase in inactivity (0.6 hour/annum) and screen-viewing (0.8 hour/annum) and decrease in LPA (0.3 hour/annum) and MVPA (10.4 min/annum) occurred from ages 8 to 10 years. Girls of Malay ethnicity and lower socioeconomic status, and whose mothers had less favourable movement behaviours, had significantly less sleep, higher inactivity and screen-viewing and/or lower PA. Maternal PA levels and/or sitting time were associated with children’s sleep, inactivity and MVPA up to age 8 years, while maternal sitting and screen-viewing behaviours were associated with children’s screen-viewing at all ages.

Using contemporaneous datasets relevant to the present day, we confirmed that children become less physically active and have longer screen-viewing as they transition into adolescence and highlighted characteristics to be prioritised in future interventions.

To examine end-of-life knowledge, attitudes and behaviours associated with hospice care preference in community-dwelling older adults from Shanghai, China.

This was a cross-sectional study recruiting community-dwelling older adults from Shanghai. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression models were conducted to identify associated factors.

Seven community health service centres in Shanghai, China.

A total of 404 community-dwelling older adults.

Participants were asked to provide their hospice care preference (‘If you were to become critically ill with limited life expectancy, would you choose hospice care?’) and related reasons. To evaluate knowledge, attitudes and planning behaviours related to end-of-life issues, a structured questionnaire was developed through a multistep process. Demographic and clinical characteristics were also collected.

Nearly two-thirds of participants (65.8%) reported awareness of hospice care. Most of the participants (81.2%) reported they would choose hospice care at the end-of-life stage. Bivariate analyses showed that marital status, living status, education background and disposable personal income were significantly associated with hospice care preference. After controlling for confounding variables, the logistic regression analysis suggested the significant effects of knowledge level of hospice care (β=0.318, 95% CI (1.156 to 1.636), p

The Chinese older adults’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards end-of-life issues in metropolitan areas has been changing. Their preference towards hospice care provides a good foundation for the utilisation of hospice care in the future. Community-based educational interventions should target demographic characteristics such as being unmarried, living alone and having lower levels of education and income among older adults to enhance their knowledge and family communication about hospice care.

In-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is associated with high mortality and serious neurological sequelae. Although medical alert systems have evolved, the ability of these systems to influence changes in IHCA incidence and aetiology remains limited.

Retrospective observational cohort study.

A single tertiary hospital in South Korea, covering tertiary care levels.

A total of 1994 adult patients (≥18 years) who experienced 2121 episodes of IHCA between January 2011 and December 2019. Patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, those aged ≤18 years and those with do-not-resuscitate orders were excluded. The mean age of patients was 63.0 years (SD, 14.6); 64.1% were male.

Not applicable.

The incidence and temporal trends of IHCA were stratified by aetiology (cardiac vs non-cardiac). Additional analyses examined changes in arrhythmic versus non-arrhythmic causes over time using Poisson regression.

Cardiac arrhythmia was the most common cause of IHCA (314 of 2121, 14.8%; incidence: 0.42/1000 admissions), including ventricular tachycardia (n=86), ventricular fibrillation (n=87) and Torsades de Pointes (n=79). Respiratory failure was the second most common cause (266 of 2121, 12.5%; incidence: 0.36/1000 admissions). The incidence of IHCA due to respiratory failure in 2011 was 0.63/1000 admissions, which decreased to 0.20/1000 admissions by 2019 (β=0.883, 95% CI 0.842 to 0.926, p for trend 0.007; Poisson p

IHCA causes have shown significant temporal shifts. Arrhythmia has become the leading cause of IHCA, with incidences remaining stable, whereas a marked decrease has been observed in respiratory-related IHCA. Therefore, enhanced in-hospital cardiac monitoring systems are required for early detection.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) associated with an underlying connective tissue disease (CTD), also known as a systemic autoimmune rheumatic disease or SARD, are chronic conditions with a tendency to progress. CTD-ILDs are increasingly diagnosed and pose an important global health challenge. This systematic review aims to provide an overarching evaluation of their epidemiology and disease burden in Asia. In this review, the term CTD-ILD will be used to denote all major forms of ILD arising in the context of a SARD.

This systematic review will adhere to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, including a flow diagram to depict the process by four independent reviewers that will assess titles and abstracts against the following predetermined criteria. A systematic review of the literature search published from 2000 to 2024 will be conducted using five electronic databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. Publications that meet the inclusion criteria of this review will be subjected to a full-text review to extract relevant data. Collated data will be analysed and organised into categories based on the expected outcome and objectives. The quality of published evidence, including heterogeneity across studies, will be checked against PRISMA checklists and assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Ethics approval is not applicable for this study since no original data will be collected. The findings of this review will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication in a scientific journal and conference communications, with the aim of contributing insights to the field by identifying research gaps and informing clinical practice.

The protocol of this systematic review is registered with the National Medical & Research Register (ID-24–03600-GUB) and International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO (CRD420251037095).

This study aims to examine the longitudinal relationship between fear of disease recurrence and depressive symptoms in elderly patients who have experienced postoperative adjacent vertebral refractures, as well as in their spouses, using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) to assess both individual and mutual psychological influences.

A prospective longitudinal study in China.

A total of 230 osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) and their spouses were selected by convenience sampling method.

Simplified fear disease Progression Scale and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire were used at admission (T1), before discharge (T2) and 1 month after discharge (T3), respectively. Equivalence test and cross-lagged analysis of APIM were used for statistical examination.

A total of 224 valid questionnaires were collected in this study, yielding an effective recovery rate of 97.31%. Across the measurement stages, both patients and their spouses exhibited a decreasing trend in scores for fear of disease recurrence and depressive symptoms. The subjective effect analysis revealed that, in elderly patients with postoperative adjacent vertebral refracture, fear of disease recurrence significantly and positively predicted depressive symptoms at the subsequent stage (T1->T2: β=0.18, T2->T3: β=0.17, pT2: β=0.16, T2->T3: β=0.17, pT2: β=0.21, T2->T3: β=0.20, pT2: β=0.20, pT3: β=0.18, pT2: β=0.21, T2->T3: β=0.20, pT2: β=0.17, T2->T3: β=0.16, all p

It is recommended that medical staff prioritise the assessment and management of fear of disease recurrence and depressive symptoms in elderly patients with OVCF and their spouses, and strategically leverage the mutual influence between them to minimise depressive symptom levels as much as possible.

This study aimed to compare the predictive performance of novel adiposity indices (a body shape index (ABSI) and visceral adiposity index (VAI)) with traditional anthropometrics (body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)) for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in urban China. Secondary objectives included evaluating composite indices derived from principal component analysis (PCA) and evaluating optimised risk stratification strategies.

A community-based cross-sectional study.

Urban and rural communities in Nanjing, China, from 2020 to 2023.

38 427 adults aged 35–79 years, recruited via stratified sampling. Individuals aged 79 years, who were pregnant or had severe illness or cognitive impairment were excluded.

The primary outcome was a CVD high-risk status (defined by Chinese guidelines). Secondary outcomes included detection rates, area under the curve (AUC), ORs and multicollinearity diagnostics.

Among participants, 23.3% (n=8905) were classified as high risk for CVD. In this study, WHtR demonstrated the greatest discriminative power (AUC=0.826, 95% CI 0.819 to 0.832), followed by a PCA-derived composite obesity index (COI; AUC=0.822). ABSI showed a clear risk gradient, with a 38.5% detection rate in the high-risk group (ABSI≥0.085), and VAI exhibited a modest but statistically significant effect (OR=1.026, p=0.001). Severe multicollinearity among traditional indices (variance inflation factor >40) was mitigated by COI. Combined models (eg, COI+ABSI+ VAI) achieved comparable AUC (0.825) with improved parsimony (AIC=17 4010.34). Age, hypertension and dyslipidaemia were key covariates (ORs=1.15–3.88, p

WHtR and composite indices (eg, COI) appeared to perform better than other indicators in predicting CVD risk, whereas ABSI and VAI enhance stratification in specific subgroups. Implementing WHtR-based screening in primary care, supplemented by composite indices and novel markers for high-risk individuals, may help optimise prevention strategies in urbanising Chinese populations.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) constitutes a growing public health challenge. Consequently, the exploration of modifiable risk factors is essential for advancing AF prevention and management. While obstructive sleep apnoea is established as a risk factor for AF recurrence following catheter ablation, and its treatment with continuous positive airway pressure therapy reduces recurrence rates, the influence of non-sleep apnoea-related sleep indicators remains unclear. This systematic review aims to elucidate the association between these non-sleep apnoea-related sleep indicators and AF recurrence to inform optimised management strategies.

A comprehensive search will be performed in databases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database and Wanfang Data, covering publications from database inception to 27 August 2024. Study selection will be performed independently by two reviewers using predefined eligibility criteria, with the screening process documented in a referred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis-compliant flow diagram. Data will be extracted using standardised forms and risk of bias of included studies will be assessed with the Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies-of Interventions tool. Non-sleep apnoea-related sleep indicators, including sleep duration, sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, REM (Rapid Eye Movement)/NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement), etc, serve as exposure factors. The primary outcome is defined as AF recurrence, whereas the secondary outcome comprises quality of life measures among AF patients. Should sufficient data be available, a meta-analysis will be performed using appropriate statistical methods; otherwise, a narrative synthesis will be conducted.

This study uses publicly available data, so ethical approval is not required. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scholarly platforms to inform clinical practice and future research.

CRD42024607124.

Flexible ureteroscopy has advanced modern stone management; however, lower pole renal stones remain a challenge due to suboptimal ureteroscope deflection and navigation using conventional flexible and navigable suction ureteral access sheaths (FANS). The SCULPT trial is designed to assess whether the novel steerable FANS—which enables active controlled deflection—can improve the success rate of lower pole access during flexible ureteroscopy.

This multicentre, prospective, single-blinded, randomised controlled superiority trial will recruit 400 adult patients (aged 18–75 years) with solitary lower pole renal stones ≤2 cm diagnosed by CT from 20 high-volume urological centres in China. Participants will be randomised 1:1 to undergo flexible ureteroscopy with either steerable or conventional FANS. The primary outcome is the success rate of navigating into the lower pole calyx (defined as successful direct stone visualisation, laser lithotripsy and aspiration without adjunct use). Secondary outcomes include immediate and 1 month stone-free rates, operative time, complication profiles (graded by Clavien–Dindo), instrument damage rates, quality-of-life assessments and cost analysis. Statistical analysis will be performed using appropriate tests for continuous and categorical data, with their significance set by prespecified superiority margins.

The study protocol has been designed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and ICH-GCP guidelines. Ethical approval was centrally granted by the Institutional Review Board of The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University and adopted by all participating centres following local feasibility review. The trial results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication and presentation at international conferences.

NCT06898216.

Hospital patients are at an increased risk of falls, which are a significant safety concern within healthcare settings.¹ Understanding how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced fall risks is essential for identifying key factors that could inform future fall prevention strategies.² This scoping review aims to explore the barriers and challenges associated with preventing inpatient falls in the context of the post-COVID-19 environment.

The methodology for this scoping review follows the framework established by Arksey and O’Malley. A comprehensive literature search will be conducted using specific keywords to identify relevant published studies. Searches will be performed across selected electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, ProQuest and Web of Science, covering publications from 2014 to 2024. This review will focus on a global perspective. Two authors will independently screen titles and abstracts to identify potential studies for inclusion. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria will be retrieved for full-text review, and their references will be assessed for relevance using the same criteria. The PRISMA flow diagram will guide the review process. Data will be extracted, analysed and charted according to categories from the selected publications.

This scoping review will provide a comprehensive overview of the barriers and challenges in preventing inpatient falls in the post-pandemic context. The findings will be disseminated through submission for publication in a scientific journal.

This scoping review protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (OSF) available at https://osf.io/.

Falls are highly prevalent among individuals with dementia, largely due to the cognitive and physical impairments associated with the condition. Understanding the barriers and challenges to fall prevention in community-dwelling individuals with dementia is essential for developing tailored strategies that address their unique risks. Despite the existing evidence on fall prevention in older adults, few reviews specifically examine the obstacles faced by persons with dementia and their caregivers in community settings. This scoping review, therefore, aims to map the barriers and challenges to preventing falls among community-dwelling individuals with dementia.

This review will follow Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework and be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses—Extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. Six electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus and Embase) will be searched for relevant studies published between 2014 and 2024. Grey literature sources, including dissertations and conference proceedings, will also be included. Data will be charted and synthesised thematically to provide an overview of barriers and contextual factors influencing fall prevention. The study commenced in August 2025 and is expected to be completed by February 2026.

As this review involves the analysis of existing literature, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and summaries tailored for healthcare providers and caregiver groups.

The protocol is registered with the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/gnw47/(dataset).

Herpes zoster (HZ) vaccinations effectively prevent HZ and may decrease dementia, but HZ vaccine uptake remains poor in China. Rapid verbal persuasion is an innovative intervention, in which physicians offered brief advice to encourage individuals to accept vaccination. This study aims to tailor this intervention to promote HZ vaccination among older adults.

The proposed study will be a two-arm randomised controlled trial and conducted across four community health centres in Shenzhen, China. A total of 388 participants aged 50 and above will be recruited and assigned to either the intervention arm or the standard-care arm. The primary outcome will be first-dose uptake, recorded within 3 weeks after intervention. The primary outcome will be calculated for each arm and compared using ² test.

This trial has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Southern Medical University (Ethical Approval (2024) No. 90). Our findings will be disseminated to patients, healthcare providers and stakeholders through outreach activities and published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as presented in scientific conferences to inform future research or evidence-based practices for public health promotion.

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No. ChiCTR2500100798). Registered on 15 April 2025.