Research Infinity - All Articles

Biomedical

How Should Surveillance Systems Account for Concurrent Intravascular Catheters?

The risk of central venous catheter (CVC)-associated bloodstream infections has decreased dramatically.1 The same may not be true for infections associated with short-term peripheral venous catheters.2 The effects of future preventive efforts should be measured using data derived from evidence-based surveillance programs. Dube et al3 describe a multicenter, retrospective cohort study that assessed...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Challenges in Predicting Lyme Disease Risk

The article discusses the challenges in predicting Lyme disease risk due to incomplete and inconsistent data. Although Lyme disease incidence is increasing, accurate prediction models are hindered by gaps in tick distribution, infection prevalence, and human disease surveillance. The authors emphasize the need for more accurate and standardized data, particularly regarding the presence of infected...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Managing Uncertainty in Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease

The study focuses on the emotional challenges faced by parents dealing with a prenatal congenital heart disease (CHD) diagnosis, particularly the uncertainty surrounding the condition’s severity and long-term impacts. It suggests integrating palliative care techniques to help pediatric cardiologists support families better. Key recommendations include using more positive terminology like “hear...
Posted 5 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Limitations of Meta-analyses of Studies With High Heterogeneity

Sabitova et al have performed an important service in compiling and summarizing 2 decades of studies on job burnout and satisfaction among physicians and dentists in middle-income countries and a few low-income countries. The authors followed a standard approach to performing a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze studies that assessed job-related morale among physicians and dentists wor...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

The Uncertain Science of Predicting Death

The study by Seow et al. explores the development of a patient-oriented prognostic tool to help patients with cancer understand their mortality and disease trajectory. It aims to improve end-of-life (EOL) care by empowering patients to make informed decisions aligned with their goals. The study highlights the importance of prognosis awareness, functional decline, and symptom monitoring in improvin...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Tobacco Use in High-Risk Populations

The study by Akhtar and colleagues highlights the high rate of tobacco use (over 90%) among rural individuals who inject drugs, revealing the ongoing smoking epidemic in high-risk populations. Tobacco use is linked to social stressors like Medicaid insurance and homelessness. The study suggests that smoking cessation interventions have not effectively reached this group, and advocates for integrat...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Electronic Fetal Monitoring—Imperfect but Opportunities for Improvement

Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has limitations in detecting fetal hypoxia and acidemia, and clinicians often do not act on abnormal readings. Recent studies suggest that improving clinician training, refining monitoring algorithms, and establishing standardized protocols can help prevent neonatal encephalopathy. Despite its flaws, EFM presents opportunities to enhance neonatal outcomes through ...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Do Patients Care What Their X-rays Look Like?

The study by Chung et al. shows that radiographic parameters of distal radius fractures have little association with patient-reported and objective functional outcomes. This suggests that surgeons should focus more on low-risk, effective interventions for returning patients to function rather than stressing precise anatomical restoration. Surgical procedures may still be necessary for severely dis...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Pregnancy and Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

The study highlights pregnancy's role in increasing the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), especially within the first 12 weeks postpartum. Key risk factors include chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia. Treatment strategies focus on blood pressure control, the use of low-dose aspirin for high-risk women, and managing coagulation issues. Timely diagnosis and neuroim...
Posted 5 months ago

Biomedical

Physician Networks and the Complex Contagion of Clinical Treatment

One of the greatest challenges in contemporary research on quality of care is to understand unexplained regional variation in physicians’ use of new medical treatments. Keating et al1 offer valuable new insight into this problem by studying physicians’ uptake of the biological cancer therapy bevacizumab. To identify the sources of variation, Keating et al1 developed a compelling new approach. ...
Posted 5 months ago