COVID-19 public health restrictions disrupted in-person arts participation, increasing risks of social isolation and reduced community access. Prior research shows that many people engaged in home-based arts and cultural activities during lockdown, supporting emotional regulation, a sense of belonging, and social connection; however, little is known about how these shifts affected community arts organizations that serve artists with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD), a population disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and longstanding inequities. We examined how community-based arts organizations adapted programming for artists with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic, including barriers and unanticipated outcomes relevant to equitable access and participation in community living. We conducted an online survey (n = 28) and semi-structured interviews (n = 25) with representatives of community-based creative organizations. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis characterized technology use and adaptation strategies, and findings were interpreted using the We-Making framework. Technology use primarily emphasized connection (96%) and access (96%), with comparatively less emphasis on inclusion (79%), visibility (63%), and creativity (45%). Four roles of technology were identified: (1) enabling social connection, (2) serving as a temporary and often suboptimal substitute for in-person engagement, (3) catalyzing innovation, and (4) driving pedagogical change. Rapid implementation created new pathways for participation while also exposing persistent access barriers and prompting reflection on equitable practice. Digital and hybrid adaptations supported continuity of engagement for some artists with IDD and created opportunities to reassess program design. These findings highlight community arts organizations as public health partners for inclusive, accessible approaches to social connection and wellbeing beyond the immediate responses to crises and recovery.

Pertussis is mainly caused by Bordetella pertussis. Currently, no reports exist on the incidence of B. pertussis infection or on its patterns of macrolide resistance among pediatric cases in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics and macrolide resistance patterns in pediatric pertussis.

We retrospectively collected data from 968 children with pertussis between February 2021 and January 2025. Demographic characteristics, disease trends, clinical features, and macrolide resistance among outpatients and inpatients were analyzed.

Most inpatients with pertussis were infants aged < 3 months, whereas most outpatients were school-aged children. Inpatients demonstrated significantly higher rates of leukocytosis, fever, co-infection, recent exposure to individuals with a cough, comorbid pneumonia, and macrolide use and experienced longer time from cough onset to confirmed diagnosis than did outpatients. The proportion of children who presented with spasmodic cough, violent coughing with facial flushing, inspiratory whoop, tachypnea, cyanosis, hypoxemia, and respiratory failure, as well as the average hospital stay, was significantly higher among children with severe pertussis than among those with common pertussis. Age younger than 3 months, being unvaccinated, co-infection, leukocytosis, lymphocytosis, spasmodic cough, facial flushing, inspiratory whoop, tachypnea, and cyanosis were risk factors for severe pertussis. Macrolides were the main antibiotics prescribed for children with pertussis. The detection rate of drug-resistant mutation sites was 77.52% in outpatients and 92.50% in inpatients.

It is necessary to enhance the vaccination of pertussis for special populations, including women in the later pregnancy stages and school-aged children. Children with pertussis who have risk factors should be monitored to identify severe cases. The empirical use of macrolides for pertussis treatment is effective in most cases; alternative agents should be considered if the response is suboptimal, especially when drug-resistant mutation sites are identified.

The Barthel Index-dyspnea (BI-d) is a respiratory disease-specific tool developed on the basis of the Barthel Index (BI), which provides a simple and quick way to measure the degree of dyspnea in activities of daily living (ADL). Dyspnea is one of the most common symptoms of pulmonary hypertension (PH). The objective of this study was to explore the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the BI-d in patients with PH.

A total of 73 PH patients were included in the study. Criterion validity was explored using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, 6-min walk test (6MWT), and London Chest Activities of Daily Living (LCADL) scale, while divergent validity was examined through correlations between the BI-d and BI.

The BI-d demonstrated strong correlations with the LCADL (r = 0.801) and mMRC (r = 0.775), and a moderately negative correlation with the 6MWD (r = -0.510), supporting criterion-related validity. A weak negative correlation with the BI (r = -0.289) supported divergent validity. The BI-d scores differed significantly across the mMRC grades and PH functional classes, confirming known-group validity. Reliability analyses showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.85) and excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94).

The Turkish version of the BI-d demonstrates high reliability and validity in PH. As a tool that integrates respiratory burden with activity-related functional performance, it provides a practical assessment of dyspnea-related impairment during ADL.

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) could be valuable to determine an appropriate therapeutic pressure for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) determined by DISE was regarded as equal to the conventional titrating pressure. There is no study comparing the DISE-titrating pressure and the home-based automatic CPAP (APAP) titrating pressure. This study compared the DISE-titrating pressure, conventional titrating pressure, and home-based APAP titrating pressure.

Retrospective comparative cohort study.

This study was conducted in a single medical center in Taiwan.

A total of 59 participants with OSA who had 3 titrating pressures determined by DISE, conventional titration and home-based APAP titration were analyzed.Interventions or Exposures:Therapeutic CPAP pressure was determined by 3 methods: DISE, conventional titration, and home-based APAP titration.

Home-based APAP titrating pressure was determined as 90% to 95% of APAP used at home for 2 weeks. The DISE-titrating pressure was determined manually based on direct visualization of upper airway patency during DISE examination. The conventional titrating pressure was determined manually under polysomnography (PSG) guidance in a sleep center. The correlation and difference between these 3 pressures were analyzed.

The home-based APAP titrating pressure, conventional titrating pressure, and DISE-titrating pressure were 8.8, 8.1, and 8.2 cmH₂O, respectively. Good reliability was observed in pairs between all 3 pressures. The DISE-titrating pressure and the conventional titrating pressure were lower than the home-based APAP titrating pressure. There was no difference between the DISE-titrating pressure and the conventional titrating pressure.

DISE could help provide a therapeutic CPAP pressure similar to the conventional titrating pressure in sleep center and APAP titrating pressure at home.

DISE could be a valuable alternative titrating method, especially in countries where PSG is expensive, time-consuming and difficult to access, and could facilitate earlier and more effective management of patients with OSA.

We investigated the opinions, attitudes and hesitancy concerning the vaccine against the COVID-19 virus among students at the university.

A descriptive cross-sectional study.

This is a cross-sectional and descriptive survey conducted at a university from October to November 2021. Being at least 18 years old until 28, regardless of gender, being a student in one of the six programs at FTMS, and agreeing to participate in this investigation and to respond to our questionnaire were the inclusion criteria for this study. The outcome measures were the percentage of people agreeing to be vaccinated, opinions, attitudes, and factors and reasons linked with vaccination reluctance toward COVID-19. The SPSS software was used to examine the data. ANOVA, t-test, and χ² were performed to evaluate descriptive statistics, while logistic regression was used to find acceptance-influencing variables. Two-tailed tests were run, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant.

Overall, of 242 participants, 74% were female, with a significant difference from males with a p = 0.02. About 66.1% of students identified the benefits and efficacy of controlling the disease, while 33.9% were not up to date on their vaccinations and thought that vaccinations could cause problems in the future. Students who did not want to be vaccinated were 27.7%. The results of this detailed study show skepticism concerning the COVID-19- vaccine among students of the university, even though the rate of vaccination resulted in 60.74%. All findings suggest that public education on the efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccine is important for the future widespread use of the vaccine.

In this study, we involved the public contribution to understand their opinions, attitudes, and hesitancy concerning the vaccination for COVID-19.

Pulmonary infections are common and potentially life-threatening in critically ill patients. Conventional microbiological tests (CMTs) often show limited sensitivity, particularly in the setting of prior antimicrobial exposure. Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) has emerged as an alternative approach for broad pathogen detection; however, data describing pathogen spectrum, mixed infection patterns, and diagnostic performance in critically ill populations remain limited.

This retrospective study included 217 critically ill patients with suspected pulmonary infection who underwent tNGS testing of respiratory specimens. Baseline clinical characteristics were summarized. The pathogen spectrum and mixed detection patterns identified by tNGS were analyzed, including mixed microbial codetection. Diagnostic performance of tNGS was compared with that of CMTs using clinical diagnosis as the reference standard. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, agreement indices, and McNemar's test were applied.

tNGS detected at least one microorganism in 208 of 217 patients, yielding a significantly higher overall detection rate than CMTs. A broad spectrum of bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens was identified, and mixed detections were common, frequently involving organisms from different pathogen categories. Co-occurrence network analysis highlighted recurrent patterns of mixed microbial detection in this cohort. Compared with CMTs, tNGS demonstrated substantially higher sensitivity and overall diagnostic accuracy, whereas conventional methods showed higher specificity.

tNGS provides a comprehensive overview of the pathogen spectrum and mixed detection patterns in critically ill patients with suspected pulmonary infection. Compared with CMTs, tNGS offers a markedly higher detection rate and sensitivity. However, careful clinical interpretation remains essential, particularly in the context of frequent mixed microbial detections, to ensure appropriate integration of sequencing results into clinical decision-making.

To comprehensively determine whether echocardiographic measures of right-sided cardiac performance can identify premature neonates at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

We systematically queried 4 electronic databases - PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science - from their respective launch dates through April 2025 to retrieve eligible studies examining whether echocardiographic markers of right-sided cardiac performance could anticipate bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature neonates. Study rigor was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, while the review was designed and reported in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance and the Cochrane Handbook. Pooled effect estimates were calculated in RevMan 5.3, whereas sensitivity analyses and Egger regression test were performed with Stata/SE 15.1.

Twelve studies were incorporated, involving 1316 preterm infants, with 414 of them diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Meta-analysis indicated that tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) (weighted mean difference [WMD] = -0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.12 to -0.04, P = .0002), myocardial performance index (MPI) (WMD = 0.05, 95% CI 0.02-0.08, P = .004), fractional area change (FAC) (WMD = -3.51, 95% CI -6.68 to -0.33, P = .03), pulmonary artery acceleration time (PAAT) (WMD = -6.54, 95% CI -10.71 to -2.37, P = .002), and PAAT to right ventricular ejection time ratio (PAAT/RVET) (WMD = -0.04, 95% CI -0.07 to -0.01, P = .005) can aid BPD prediction. Subgroup analyses showed that measurements obtained before 36 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA) had better predictive performance for TAPSE, MPI, and FAC than measurements obtained at 36 weeks' PMA. PAAT/RVET remained predictive of BPD both before 36 weeks' PMA and at 36 weeks' PMA. Among infants with birth weight ≥1000 g, MPI demonstrated better predictive performance for BPD. Sensitivity analyses (leave-one-out) showed that exclusion of individual studies had no meaningful effect on the summary estimates, supporting the stability of the results.

TAPSE, MPI, FAC, PAAT, and PAAT/RVET have predictive value for BPD in preterm infants.

With the increasing prevalence of asthma, the association between periodontitis and the increasing use of inhalers deserves attention. This study determines the association between asthma medication administration and periodontitis among Korean adults. In total, 1185 out of 72,751 individuals with asthma from the 2010 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a large healthcare dataset, were analyzed. Frequency analysis and chi-square tests were performed to identify the gender-based status of asthma medication in patients with asthma. The association of asthma medication status with periodontitis was evaluated using multivariable logistic regression analysis, and the gender-based correlation was confirmed through subgroup divisions. Taking asthma medication as needed exhibited an odds ratio (OR) > 1.5 in the overall population (OR = 1.54; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-2.30), and the OR for periodontitis risk among men with asthma was >2. Moreover, in the model controlling for all confounding factors, male patients with asthma who took asthma medication "when necessary" had a 2.10-fold (95% confidence interval = 1.06-4.19) increased prevalence of periodontitis compared to "No" medication controls. This study found a significant association between as-needed asthma medication use and a higher prevalence of periodontitis, particularly among men with asthma.

Numerous observational studies have suggested a potential shared genetic background between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and IgA vasculitis (IgAV). However, the causal relationship between these 2 conditions remains poorly understood. We performed large-scale two-sample and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses (MVMR) to examine whether there is a causal relationship between IBD and IgAV. We employed 4 distinct approaches, including MR-Egger, weighted median, random-effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW), and weighted mode, to conduct the MR analysis. The univariable MR analysis demonstrated that IBD and Crohn disease (CD) were associated with an increased risk of IgAV in the International Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06-1.28, PIVW = .001) for IBD and an OR of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01-1.24, PIVW = .016) for CD. Ulcerative colitis was associated with an increased risk of IgAV, which was considered suggestive after Bonferroni correction, with an OR of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.01-1.24, PIVW = .028). Consistent results were observed after adjusting for potential confounders (drug allergy and upper respiratory tract infection) in MVMR. IBD, ulcerative colitis, and CD were associated with an increased risk of IgAV, with an OR of 1.20 (95% CI: 1.08-1.34, PIVW = .001), 1.20 (95% CI: 1.07-1.35, PIVW = .002), and 1.13 (95% CI: 1.03-1.25, PIVW = .0012). Our study identifies a causal relationship between IBD and IgAV, particularly between CD and IgAV, suggesting that IBD is a potential precursor to IgAV rather than the converse. Further studies on the common mechanisms of these 2 diseases are needed.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening pulmonary vascular disease characterized by progressive obstructive remodeling of the small pulmonary arteries. Its pathophysiological core involves perivascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, abnormal vascular wall proliferation and in situ thrombosis, arising from interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. Recent studies have demonstrated the central role of chronic inflammation in the development and progression of PAH. E-selectin, an endothelial-specific adhesion molecule, plays a critical role in mediating the initial adhesion and migration of leukocytes and in triggering the inflammatory cascade. Clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that E-selectin levels are significantly elevated in both the circulation and local lung tissues of patients with PAH, and that these levels are positively correlated with disease severity. Although observational data have not yet directly established a causal relationship, the combination of its well-recognized proinflammatory properties suggests that E-selectin may function not only as an inflammatory marker but also as a potential key mediator driving pulmonary vascular inflammation and remodeling. This review systematically discusses the biological characteristics of E-selectin and its expression regulation in PAH, further explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which it contributes to vascular remodeling, and focuses on potential therapeutic strategies targeting E-selectin, with the aim of providing a new perspective for precision anti-inflammatory treatment in PAH.