This study aimed to investigate the incidence and characteristics of nursing-sensitive adverse events (NSAEs) in older adults (≥ 65 years) hospitalised with traumatic injuries, and to explore associations with frailty, demographic factors, injury characteristics and hospital-related factors.
NSAEs were identified through a retrospective medical record review of a prospectively collected cohort.
Patients ≥ 65 years admitted with physical trauma to a Swedish level I trauma centre between 2020 and 2024 were included. NSAEs were identified using a modified trigger tool chart review. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the incidence and characteristics of NSAEs in the whole cohort. Group differences, associations and predictors were examined using exact, non-parametric, or logistic regression methods.
A total of 270 trauma patients ≥ 65 years were included, of whom 25.6% had experienced at least one NSAE. The overall incidence was 38.2 events per 100 admissions, with hospital-acquired infections being the most common type of NSAE (16.7%), followed by overdistended bladder (6.3%) and pressure injuries (5.6%). Frailty and length of hospital stay were associated with an increased likelihood of NSAEs, with hospital length of stay emerging as the strongest predictor in multivariable analysis.
NSAEs are common among older trauma patients and are associated with frailty, injury characteristics and length of stay. Improving early risk identification and ensuring timely preventive nursing care may enhance patient safety in this vulnerable population.
The findings highlight the important role of nursing in the care of older trauma patients and the need for consistent delivery of fundamental nursing care. Strengthening clinical practices that support early identification of high-risk patients and the timely implementation of preventive interventions may improve patient safety and outcomes in this vulnerable population.
This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding NSAEs in older trauma patients, a population with increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes. The findings provide insights into the occurrence and risk factors of NSAEs in this group and highlight the importance of translating risk assessment into effective clinical action. These results may inform clinical practice and support the development of strategies to improve patient safety in trauma care for older adults.
This study was informed by the Standard Elements in Studies of Adverse Events and Medical Error (SESAME). The completed SESAME checklist is provided in the Supporting Information S1.
No patient or public contributions.
Parenting stress among clinical nurses has been associated with turnover-related outcomes. For many nurses, critical periods of career development and accumulated clinical responsibility overlap with reproductive and early parenting years. Features of nursing work may shape parenting stress through demands related to scheduling, workload, and limited flexibility.
Integrative literature review.
An integrative literature review was conducted following the methodological framework of Whittemore and Knafl. The final searches across three databases (CINAHL Complete, Medline, and Embase) were completed on May 14, 2026. Eligible articles were published in English, addressed parenting stress, and, when empirical, included nurses as a distinct population. Reporting followed PRISMA guidelines.
Eight articles met all inclusion criteria. Countries of origin included South Korea, Turkey, and China. Approximately 1667 nurse-parent participants were represented across the included studies. Main themes included as follows: (1) Work-Family Role Conflict and Parenting Stress, (2) Parenting Stress Across Career and Family Life Stages, (3) Parenting Stress and Nurse Workforce Outcomes, and (4) Organizational and Structural Contributors to Parenting Stress.
Parenting stress appears to be a relevant nursing workforce issue shaped by structural conditions of practice. The structure and demands of patient care may intensify parenting stress. Additional research is needed to examine the effects of parenting stress in clinical nurses and the implications for nurse retention.
Organizational and policy-level interventions (including family-friendly scheduling, accessible childcare, and structured peer support programs) may support workforce sustainability among nurse-parents.
Compression therapy is the evidence-based treatment for healing venous leg ulcers. However, it is not routinely applied in many UK hospitals. This paper explores hospital staff's' perspectives of venous leg ulcer care provision where compression therapy is not routinely applied. A semi-structured interview study was conducted with 11 participants, drawn from a larger study, who confirmed that their respective hospitals did not apply compression therapy to inpatients with venous leg ulcers. The interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings indicate that venous leg ulcer care in hospitals was de-prioritised, which, along with structural and organisational constraints, affected clinicians' engagement and focus on it in their hospitals. This de-prioritisation also led to a lack of formal leg ulcer training in hospitals. However, some clinicians showed remarkable empathy for patients derived from their clinical professionalism and deep understanding of their suffering. To help hospital clinicians and senior managers prioritise venous leg ulcer care, it is crucial to first understand their clinical practise priorities. Secondly, understanding how some hospitals implement compression therapy could be beneficial for those where it is not routine practise. Further research should focus on better understanding clinicians and senior managers' clinical priorities and the structural and organisational constraints in real-world settings, ideally in hospitals where compression therapy is a routine practise. Most importantly, the study highlighted key questions for hospital leaders and policymakers: consider fostering the established clinicians' empathy before it is too late.
by Sevilay Gülesen, Victoria Most, Clara T. Schoeder, Jens Meiler
Viruses such as coronaviruses or filoviruses use their surface glycoproteins (GPs) to attach to the host cell, triggering the fusion of the viral membrane with the endosome membrane. Epitopes on the viral GP are major targets for antibody-mediated recognition and neutralization. During the fusion process, the GP undergoes conformational changes triggered by fluctuations in environmental pH. Structural states are typically classified into three distinct conformations: prefusion, intermediate, and postfusion. These conformations serve as essential templates for prediction of conformational epitopes and structure-based vaccine design. Despite their importance, many viral GP structures remain absent from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Fortunately, recent breakthroughs in computational structure prediction have greatly enhanced the accuracy and accessibility of protein modeling. In this study, we utilized AlphaFold2-Multimer (AF2-M), version 2.3, to predict various GP structural conformations and observed that the overall frequency of predictions in the postfusion conformation is low. Therefore, we hypothesized that adapting the AF2-M protocol is necessary to enrich for specific conformations, thereby enabling the prediction of both pre- and postfusion conformations. AF2-M requires only the input sequence and internally generates multiple sequence alignments (MSAs) and optional templates before applying its pretrained model weights. We tested the use of template data to enrich pre- or postfusion conformations and demonstrated that our approach significantly increases the prediction frequency of class I fusion protein structures in both conformations, with the template dataset playing a crucial role in guiding modeling towards the intended state. Furthermore, we showed that the lack of correlation between pLDDT and TM-scores suggests that low pLDDT values may obscure the presence of valid alternative conformations.by Gunnhild Helmsdal, Marnar Fríðheim Kristiansen, Eyðbjørg Klemmentsen Gaard, Barbara Joensen Eysturoy, Pál Weihe, Eina Hansen Eliasen, Maria Skaalum Petersen
BackgroundSix years since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the newer variants of the virus continue to have long-term health effects.
ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to investigate persistent symptoms, cognitive impairment, and clinical and paraclinical predictors of long COVID in individuals infected during the Omicron wave.
MethodsWe conducted a clinical case-control study including participants with persistent symptoms up to 13 months after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection (long COVID or LC group) and antibody-verified never-infected controls (NI group).
ResultsA total symptom score based on a 24-item questionnaire was strongly associated with increased odds of long COVID (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.21, 95% CI 1.13–1.30, p Conclusions
One year after Omicron infection, a subset of people continue to experience a substantial symptom burden, particularly fatigue, cognitive impairment, and mental well-being, and a higher frequency of intercurrent infections.
by Agatha Ribeiro Kalthof, Nikolas Dresch Ferreira, Caio Mateus Silva, Iuri Cordeiro Valadão, Iguaracy Pinheiro de Sousa, Ester Riserio Matos Bertoldi, Vanessa Morais Lima, Lauro Thiago Turaca, Ana Beatriz Ruiz Afonso Barbosa, Miriam Helena Fonseca-Alaniz, Jean-Paul Concordet, Elida Adalgisa Neri, Jose E. Krieger
Generating mature human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) remains a major obstacle to accurate disease modeling and cardiac repair. As the transcription factor Irx3 is a key determinant of ventricular conduction system fate in mice, we hypothesized that suppressing IRX3 expression accelerates human working cardiomyocyte differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that depleting IRX3 enhances hiPSC-CM differentiation. IRX3-knockout (KO) hiPSCs generated a greater number of cardiomyocytes with elevated expression of TNNI1 and CX43. Notably, IRX3-KO cardiomyocytes exhibited improved electrophysiological properties, more uniform mitochondrial distribution, better sarcomere organization, and enhanced intercellular connectivity. We observed that IRX3 expression peaks during the early stages of cardiomyocyte differentiation, whereas IRX3-KO cardiac progenitors have increased expression of GATA4, NKX2–5, and TBX5, as well as enhanced cell proliferation. These integrative analyses indicate that IRX3 influences cardiomyocyte differentiation by modulating the gene regulatory networks driven by GATA4, NKX2–5, and TBX5, providing functional evidence linking gene regulatory networks to the structural and electrophysiological development of cardiomyocytes. Collectively, these findings identify IRX3 as a key regulator of early cardiac commitment and highlight the potential of IRX3 suppression to enhance the molecular and functional phenotype of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes.After resuscitation from out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), mechanical ventilation (MV) and respiratory management are fundamental to support patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and to minimise secondary brain injury. Best practices for MV and association with clinical outcomes in patients with OHCA remain unclear.
This protocol describes a pre-planned respiratory-focused series of sub-analyses within the Sedation, Temperature and Pressure after Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation (STEPCARE) trial, an ongoing interventional study evaluating 6-month mortality after randomisation in patients admitted to ICUs following OHCA. The primary aim is to describe real-world ventilator settings and gas-exchange targets during the first 72 hours after ICU admission in patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation after OHCA. Secondary aims include to estimate the incidence of respiratory complications during ICU stay (eg, ventilator-associated pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, barotrauma); and to explore the association between early ventilator settings/gas-exchange parameters and 6-month outcomes (mortality and neurological status). Exploratory aim is to characterise weaning and extubation practices, including timing and failure rates.
Eligible patients will include adult STEPCARE participants receiving invasive MV after return of spontaneous circulation with available respiratory data recorded within the STEPCARE database.
Data collected in the STEPCARE trial that will be analysed include patients’ prehospital characteristics; clinical examination at hospital admission and at ICU admission; ventilator settings and arterial blood gases recorded at predefined time points during ICU stay. In particular: MV setting (mode, tidal volume, positive end-expiratory pressure, fraction of inspired oxygen, tidal volume, mechanical power, plateau/driving pressures), gas-exchange values (arterial partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide, pH, arterial saturation of oxygen), timing of measurements and the occurrence/timing of respiratory complications and weaning outcomes.
The STEPCARE study has been approved by the regional ethics committee at Lund University (Dnr 2022-02425-01, Approved IRB on 2022-06-18) and by all ethics boards in the participating countries. No additional ethical approval is required for this predefined secondary analysis, as no further data collection or interventions will be performed. Findings will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and, where appropriate, conference abstracts and presentations. Patients and the public were not involved.
To examine whether exposure to anti-herpetic drugs (AHDs: acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir) is associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment initiation.
Population-based retrospective matched cohort study.
University Groningen community pharmacy database IADB.nl, covering approximately 125 Dutch pharmacies (1994–2024).
262 757 adults aged 50–80 years without prior dementia or AD treatment. Exposed individuals with antiherpetic prescriptions (n=23 887) were matched 1:10 to unexposed controls (n=238 870) by age, sex and calendar time.
AHDs: acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir.
Initiation of AD drug treatment, defined as at least two prescriptions for rivastigmine, donepezil, galantamine or memantine within 1 year. Cox proportional hazards models estimated HRs with 95% CIs, adjusted for comorbidities and medications. Analyses were stratified by period (1994–2018 vs 2019–2024) and drug type.
During follow-up, 2495 participants initiated AD treatment. The age of the participants was 65 (SD 9), and 59% were female. Any AHD exposure was associated with 90% reduced hazard of AD treatment (HR 0.09, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.13, p
AHD exposure was consistently associated with markedly lower risk of AD treatment initiation, with similar findings observed in recent years. These findings support the hypothesis that herpesvirus reactivation may contribute to AD pathogenesis and suggest antiviral therapy could have preventive implications. Confirmation through prospective studies and randomised trials is needed.
by Nadeen Al Awamry, Laura Seidelin, Alyssa Marino, Ethan Evans, Elizabeth Karam, Vishwa Kumar, Kristin E. Musselman, Anita Kaiser, José Zariffa
PurposeSpinal cord injury (SCI) impacts physical, emotional, and social well-being, contributing to decreased quality of life and increased healthcare burden. Surface electromyography (sEMG), a non-invasive tool for measuring muscle activity, has demonstrated potential as a biomarker for recovery in SCI research, yet remains underutilized in clinical practice. Understanding how physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) perceive the use of sEMG is necessary for integrating sEMG into post-SCI treatment and advancing personalized rehabilitation.
Materials and methodsA cross-sectional, qualitative descriptive design was employed. Ten participants (9 PTs and 1 OT) were recruited through convenience sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed inductively using a thematic analysis approach.
ResultsTwo major themes were identified: 1) Perceived value of the use of electrophysiology and sEMG data in clinical practice. Participants valued sEMG as an adjunct assessment tool for providing objective feedback after incomplete SCI and setting goals during treatment. 2) Barriers and facilitators to implementing sEMG. Key barriers highlighted include the lack of training and standardized protocols. Continued training, resources, and educational support were key facilitators.
ConclusionPTs and OTs perceive sEMG as a valuable tool in SCI rehabilitation, but desire education and standardized protocols to support its clinical integration.
To identify a correlation between unmet needs and HL levels in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS) and to evaluate how sociodemographic characteristics influence HL levels and unmet needs.
A cross-sectional study.
The study was conducted using a questionnaire including the HLS19-Q12 to assess HL and the Long-term Unmet Needs in Multiple Sclerosis tool, which evaluates five domains (neuropsychological, ambulation, physical, interpersonal relationship, and informational) and identifies whether needs are met or unmet and the desire for support.
Among the 116 participants included in the study, the overall HL level was sufficient. Mean scores across unmet needs domains were comparable. A significant difference in HL emerged in the informational domain, where participants reporting informational needs and a desire for support showed higher mean ranks. Although not significant, participants who acknowledged a need and expressed a desire for help showed higher mean ranks in HLS19-Q12 scores across several domains. No significant correlations were found between HL and unmet needs domains.
HL levels may enhance patients' ability to recognize and express needs without necessarily ensuring that these needs are met.
Routine assessment of both HL and unmet needs may help healthcare professionals identify patients who recognize problems but lack the structural support to address them.
The impact of HL on need recognition and communication, together with the complexity and interconnectedness of unmet needs, highlights the need for healthcare systems to implement organizational, systemic, and multidimensional interventions aimed at promoting HL and effectively addressing patients' needs. Such strategies may support better disease management and improve quality of life in pwMS.
This study was reported according to STROBE checklist.
None.
To assess the relationship between the structural position of individuals within their village network and symptoms of depression and postpartum depression, among men and women.
Community-based, observational, cross-sectional study.
176 villages in the Copan region of Honduras.
Village residents, comprising 25 605 adults surveyed in a census-based study; using data collected between October 2015 and December 2019.
Symptoms of depression and postpartum depression, among men and women.
Across all participants, 34.99% reported depression symptoms (40.50% for women and 27.62% for men). Among recent parents with a new child in the last 6 months, 28.89% reported postpartum depression symptoms (31.29% for women and 24.31% for men). Women with higher social intransitivity (ie, a greater proportion of friend-pairs among their friends that were not themselves connected) had higher odds of depression symptoms (OR=1.27, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.41), an association not found for men nor in postpartum parents. Because this coefficient is estimated on a 0–1 scale, it corresponds to approximately 2.4% higher odds of depression per 10 percentage-point increase in social intransitivity. In a signed-network decomposition that also included adversarial ties, only the proportion of incomplete/no-tie friend-pairs was associated with depression in women (OR=1.03, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.04), corresponding to approximately 3% higher odds of depression per 10 percentage-point increase.
We report that structural social network position and connectedness beyond dyadic ties, including the friendships and adversarial ties of a person’s friends, are associated with depression. These findings highlight the importance of linking psychological health to broader social connections in the context of face-to-face relationships.
Despite implementation of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), screening coverage for oral, breast and cervical cancers remains below 2%. Screening quality is inadequately addressed and delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation continue to persist. This multisite implementation research aims to improve district-level coverage and quality of screening, early diagnosis and timeliness of treatment initiation through a model co-developed within the NP-NCD context.
The study will be conducted in three phases across seven districts in diverse regions of India. In phase I (formative), the current status, barriers and facilitators of cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment initiation under NP-NCD will be assessed. In phase II (optimisation), a model (package of implementation strategies) will be co-developed and iteratively optimised with multistakeholder engagement at the subdistrict level to improve screening coverage and quality and strengthen the referral system for early diagnosis and treatment initiation. In phase III (scale-up and evaluation), the model will be implemented at the district level and evaluated for improvements in screening, early diagnosis and treatment initiation. A convergent mixed-methods design will be used, incorporating household surveys, facility assessments and stakeholder interviews. Implementation Research Logic Model will guide planning, execution and evaluation in the present study. Determinants of screening coverage and quality, early diagnosis and treatment initiation will be assessed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Implementation strategies for the model will be finalised using the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change framework. Implementation and service outcomes will be evaluated using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance framework.
Ethical approval has been obtained from all study sites. The study findings will be disseminated at the state, national and global levels through meetings and conferences and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
CTRI/2025/08/092672.
Patients on low-dose prednisolone may develop adrenal insufficiency causing reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and increased risk of adrenal crisis. This study examines whether supplemental hydrocortisone during mild to moderate stress improves HRQoL in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica/giant cell arteritis (PMR/GCA) with adrenal insufficiency on low-dose prednisolone.
A multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, clinical trial including patients with PMR/GCA receiving ongoing prednisolone ≤5 mg/day. Eligible patients undergo an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) test, and 250 patients with a stimulated cortisol
The study is approved by the Ethics Committee of the Capital Region of Denmark and the Danish Medicines Agency. Recruitment began June 2022. The last patient’s last visit is expected in 2026. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations.
EudraCT:2021-002528-18, CTIS:2024-518272-30-00, NCT05435781.
To prospectively assess pregnancy-related care sought and obstacles and stress experienced by newly pregnant people.
The ADAPT Study, a longitudinal cohort study, followed 2015 non-pregnant participants aged 15–34 years for a year. Those with confirmed incident pregnancies were followed through their pregnancies and for 3 years.
We recruited participants from 23 reproductive and primary care facilities located in five southwestern states with different sociopolitical reproductive health contexts (restrictive, Arizona and West Texas; protective, southeastern California, Nevada and New Mexico).
334 people reported a new pregnancy within 1 year of enrolment; 324 with outcome data are included in this analysis.
Types of pregnancy care sought (‘Have you looked into where or how you could get (prenatal care, abortion care or adoption services)?’) and care-seeking stress (‘How stressful was it to find (prenatal, abortion or adoption) care for this pregnancy?’).
Most participants (83%, 270/324) sought prenatal care; 43% (138/324) sought abortion care; and 5% (17/324) sought adoption services. Overall, 17%, 29% and 23%, respectively, reported that care-seeking was extremely/quite a bit stressful. Abortion care-seeking was associated with significantly more stress than seeking prenatal care in the ordinal (adjusted odds ratio (aOR 1.70, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.62) but not logistic (aOR 1.33, 95% CI 0.74 to 2.38) model. Adoption care-seeking stress did not differ from prenatal care-seeking stress in either model. Participants who experienced any type of abortion care-seeking obstacle and those recruited in a state with a restrictive policy environment (aOR 2.72, 95% CI 1.09 to 6.80) reported more care-seeking stress than their counterparts.
People who seek pregnancy care often experience some care-seeking stress, regardless of the type of care they seek. Findings point to the need to reduce the burden of the pregnancy care-seeking process across all types of pregnancy care.
Access to musculoskeletal healthcare services in Sub-Saharan Africa is inadequate. As osteoarthritis is the most prevalent chronic osteoarticular disease globally, it’s essential to understand its social and economic impact, as well as the determinants of inequities in access to healthcare services in Sub-Saharan Africa. The absence of systematised knowledge on this topic makes this review pertinent. However, due to data scarcity, assessing this burden is challenging. The objective of this scoping review is to map and summarise the available literature up to 2025 on the socioeconomic burden and health inequity determinants among the Sub-Saharan African population with osteoarthritis.
A predefined search strategy will be applied to MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, African Journals Online and African Index Medicus to incorporate articles relevant to adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis who are residents of sub-Saharan Africa. We will also include grey literature sources such as Google Scholar, Research Square, manuals, books, medical society websites, secondary databases, theses and dissertation repositories and conference proceedings. Study selection will be conducted in two stages by a pair of reviewers who will independently screen titles and abstracts according to the eligibility criteria, followed by a full-text review of the selected studies. The search period was from October 2025 to January 2026. Data extraction will be performed using a standardised charting form developed by the review team.
This scoping review maps evidence on OA-related socioeconomic impacts and healthcare inequities in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a secondary data analysis, ethical approval is not required. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals and academic conferences to clinicians and policymakers.
To identify subgroups with similar social determinants of health (SDOH) characteristics using latent class analysis (LCA) and examine their associations with physical and mental health, cognitive function and missed workdays at 3 and 6 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. We hypothesised that intersecting SDOH factors would differentially influence COVID-19-related health outcomes across subgroups.
Prospective cohort study from the Innovative Support for Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infections Registry (INSPIRE), with longitudinal data collection and cross-sectional analyses at baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-ups.
Multicentre registry across eight US academic medical centres (Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New Haven, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle).
Adults aged ≥18 years, fluent in English or Spanish, with self-reported acute COVID-19 symptoms and a confirmed positive SARS-CoV-2 test within 42 days before enrolment (9 December 2020 to 12 August 2022), and access to an internet-connected device. Exclusions included incarceration, inability to provide informed consent, lack of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or no internet access. Of 3791 eligible participants with complete baseline data, 2897 (76.4%) completed the 3-month follow-up and 2666 (70.3%) completed the 6-month follow-up; most were aged 18–49 years (74–75%), female (66–67%), white (86.6–87.5%) and non-Hispanic (86.6–87.5%).
Prespecified primary outcomes were physical and mental health (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29 V.2.1 T-scores for depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain interference, physical function and social participation), cognitive function (PROMIS Cognitive Function Short Form 8 T-scores) and missed workdays due to illness (binary: >1 week vs ≤1 week, from a single-item survey). All measures were self-reported and collected at baseline, 3 months and 6 months; no changes from protocol.
LCA identified a 4-class model as optimal (lowest Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) after evaluating 1–7 class models; significant demographic differences (2 p
In this US prospective cohort, SDOH-based subgroups showed persistent disparities in health outcomes post-SARS-CoV-2 infection. Findings highlight the urgent need for intersectional approaches to address systemic inequities in post-COVID-19 recovery.
In current practice, fluid volumes administered to children following kidney transplant vary widely. Up to 52% of children experience fluid overload-related complications. Current fluid guidelines are not evidence-based and the optimal amount of fluid for children after transplant is not known. The aim of Randomised multiple centre trial of conservative versus LIberal fluid adMInisTration for children receiving a kidney tranSplant (LIMITS) is to determine whether relative limitation of fluid volume administered to children receiving kidney transplants is superior to liberal fluid volume administration.
LIMITS is a pragmatic, open-label, UK-based, multicentre randomised controlled trial, with an internal pilot phase and integrated economic evaluation. A total of 140 children receiving kidney transplants will be randomised to receive either conservative postoperative fluid administration (maximum of 150 mL/m2/hour for no longer than 18 hours, followed by a fixed daily target of maximum 1.5 L/m2/day thereafter) versus the comparator of liberal postoperative fluid administration (fluid volume administered to replace urine output and insensible losses for at least 48 hours with target urine output >2 mL/kg/hour). The primary outcome is mean days at home in the first 30 days after kidney transplant. The primary outcome will be analysed using a mixed linear regression model adjusted for donor type (living vs deceased donor) and participant weight (
The trial received Health Research Authority approval on 20 August 2025 (REC reference: 25/EE/0161, IRAS project ID: 354370). Findings will be presented to academic groups via national and international conferences and peer-reviewed journals. The patient and public involvement group will play an important part in disseminating the study findings to the public domain.
Adult-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) is often misclassified as type 2 diabetes (T2D), resulting in delayed treatment, missed opportunities for referrals to specialists and increased risk of complications including diabetic ketoacidosis. An electronic medical record (EMR)-based algorithm—originally trained on a large national EMR dataset to identify likely misclassified adult-onset T1D cases—was tested and retrained on a health information exchange (HIE) dataset from HealthShare Exchange (HSX). Promising results were achieved on historical data, particularly when using the retrained algorithm. However, its prospective validation is essential to more reliably assess its clinical utility and real-world precision in flagging high-risk patients for clinician review.
This is a prospective, multicentre, non-interventional cohort study in two HSX-member healthcare organisations (HCOs) in southeastern Pennsylvania. At the onset of the study, all adult T2D patients are scored by the algorithm analysing HIE data on relevant predictors found in the 24-month lookback period. Patients meeting a prespecified score threshold estimated in retrospective testing to yield 10% recall will be presented to designated endocrinology or primary care providers for structured chart review, attribution confirmation and guideline-concordant follow-up (including autoantibody testing where appropriate). The primary endpoint is positive predictive value for confirmed adult-onset T1D among flagged patients. Secondary endpoints characterise operational cascade metrics (attribution, provider recommendation, test ordering/results and diagnosis updates) along with 95% CIs. Exploratory endpoints will assess provider adoption, interpretability and workflow integration via structured provider interviews.
This study was reviewed and approved by Advarra Institutional Review Board (protocol Pro00075945). The Institutional Review Board waived patient informed consent and granted a full waiver of HIPAA authorisation for patient records, while providers were required to provide written informed consent. HSX data were accessed and shared under its member-defined use cases. Findings will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Reporting will follow Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidance for cohort studies.