COVID-19 vaccination in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccine is recommended in Peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients, but a paucity of data is available regarding vaccine-related adverse effects among PD patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a single center between October and November 2021. PD patients were provided with the online survey link to participate in the study. RESULTS: A total of 107 PD patients responded to the survey (55%: male, 79%: Chinese, 40%: > 65 years old). Of these, 95% received the COVID-19 vaccine (77% received two doses and 22% received three doses). Most participants (91%) received Pfizer vaccine. The main source of vaccine information was from the government (48%). The most common reason to receive and refuse vaccines were the perception of the seriousness of COVID-19 infection (63%) and concern about vaccine safety (60%), respectively. After the first dose, 25% of patients developed one or more vaccine-related adverse effects. Common local adverse effect was pain at the injection site (21%), and systemic adverse effects were muscle pain (15%), fatigue (13%). Similar adverse effects were observed with subsequent doses. None of them required hospitalization for vaccine-related adverse effects. Female patients had a higher risk of developing adverse effects than male patients after the first dose (odds ratio: 3.37; 95% confidence interval: 1.25 - 9.08). No such difference was observed in the subsequent dose. Age, race, employment status and history of drug allergy were not associated with the risk of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 vaccine was well-tolerated by most PD patients, but few experienced non-severe adverse effects. All PD patients should be vaccinated against SAR-COV-2 infection.

Impact of Cryotherapy on Sensory, Motor, and Autonomic Neuropathy in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Paclitaxel: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Introduction: We conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of cryotherapy in preventing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in patients with early breast cancer receiving neo/adjuvant weekly paclitaxel. Methods: Patients were recruited from the National Cancer Centre Singapore and randomized (1:1) to receive either cryotherapy or usual care. Cryotherapy was applied as frozen gloves and socks on all extremities from 15 min before paclitaxel until 15 min post-infusion every cycle. Efficacy was measured by patient-reported outcomes (Patient Neurotoxicity Questionnaire [PNQ] and EORTC QLQ-CIPN20) and electrophysiological assessments. The primary endpoint was PNQ severity at 2 weeks after 12 cycles of weekly paclitaxel. Results: A total of 46 patients were recruited, of which 8 dropped out before paclitaxel treatment, leaving 38 evaluable. There was no significant difference in PNQ severity between cryotherapy and usual care at 2 weeks after paclitaxel treatment (sensory: p = 0.721; motor: p = 1.000). A benefit was observed at 3 months post-paclitaxel based on PNQ (sensory: 14.3 vs. 41.2%, p = 0.078; motor: 0 vs. 29.4%, p = 0.012) and CIPN20 (sensory: ß = -3.6, 95%CI = -10.5-3.4, p = 0.308; motor: ß = -7.3, 95%CI = -14.6-0, p = 0.051). Additionally, cryotherapy subjects have lower CIPN20 autonomic score (ß = -5.84, 95%CI = -11.15 to -0.524, p = 0.031) and higher sympathetic skin response hand amplitudes (ß = 0.544, 95%CI = 0.108-0.98, p = 0.014), suggesting possible autonomic benefits from cryotherapy. Temporary interruption with cryotherapy occurred in 80.9% of the subjects due to cold intolerance. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence that cryotherapy prevents sensory neuropathy which may be due to the high rates of cryotherapy interruption in this study. The autonomic benefits of cryotherapy should be further investigated with appropriate outcome measures. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03429972.

Gender Creative or Transgender Youth and Advanced Nursing Practice.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) defines gender dysphoria as "Discomfort or distress that is caused by a discrepancy between a person's gender identity and that person's sex assigned at birth (and the associated gender role and/or primary and secondary sex characteristics)" (WPATH, 2016). Gender creative (GC) and transgender (TG) youth are at high risk for severe mental health disparities if they don't receive competent and timely gender transitioning care. Although awareness and early care of TG youth in specialty clinics is improving and increasing, there is still much effort that is required to eliminate barriers to care at many levels and thus improve outcomes. Nurses, particularly advanced practice nurses, are poised to lead the way in creating safe, inclusive, family centered spaces for TG and GC children, youth and their families as well as acting as vital mentors for other nurses. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the increasing prevalence of GC and TG youth, the significance of inclusive care for GC and TG youth, treatment guidelines, and the impact parents and advanced practice nurses can have on the journey of these youth as they explore and find their place on the gender spectrum.

Poor adherence to anticoagulation guidelines in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation treated in a tertiary cardiology unit.

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a well-known cause of strokes and all major society guidelines recommend oral anticoagulants (OAC) such as vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for patients with concomitant risk factors to prevent them. However, compliance with these guidelines is historically poor. This study aims to evaluate the adherence to CHADS2 (congestive heart failure, hypertension,age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus and prior stroke or transient ischaemic attack) guidelines, explore reasons and evaluate outcomes for non-adherence in a tertiary cardiology unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of patients admitted into a tertiary cardiology unit from January to March 2010. RESULTS: Of 1826 unique cardiac patients screened, 163 (8.9%) of them had non-valvular AF or atrial flutter. Their mean age was 69.8 years and 58.9% were men. Of the 54 patients on warfarin with documented international normalised ratio (INR), only 22 (40.7%) of them had an INR within the therapeutic range (INR less than two in 22 (40.7%) and greater than three in 10 (18.5%)). Of the 119 patients with CHADS2 greater than or equal to two, only 46 (38.7%) were discharged with warfarin. Among the remaining 73 (61.3%) patients, the most common reasons for not prescribing warfarin include history of bleeding (n=24, 32.9%), no reason documented (n=17, 23.3%) and patient preference (n=12, 19.2%). On follow-up, patients on warfarin were found to have better survival outcomes (mean 1522±41 days) as compared with (mean 1255±63 days) in patients not on OAC (p value=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Few patients who require anticoagulation receive it in accordance with the guidelines even in a tertiary cardiology unit. There are many impediments to the effective use of VKA for stroke prevention among patients with AF.