Quality Research

Microplastics in pediatric asthma: Clinical associations with disease severity

Background Respiratory exposure to microplastics (MPs) is increasingly recognized as a potential contributor to chronic airway disease, but the MPs burden in children with asthma and its relationship to disease remain poorly defined. Methods In this cross-sectional study, sputum...

Extended dispensing intervals for pancreatic enzyme extract without access destabilisation: a national retrospective study evaluating supply resilience during policy changes and medicine shortages in Australia

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe national trends in pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) dispensing in Australia and assess changes following the introduction of 60-day prescription dispensing, in the context of medicine shortages and market changes. METHODS: Public...

Stakeholders’ perspectives on ethical compensation for research participants in clinical research: a qualitative study in Ghana

Compensation for research participants in clinical trials is a critical yet ethically complex issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Ghana. This study explores diverse stakeholder perspectives on appropriate compensation levels and types in clinical tr...

Assessing acuity in pediatric emergency department triage: performance of a large language model

Pediatric triage performance varies across emergency departments (ED), contributing to ongoing challenges in pediatric emergency care. There is growing interest in using large language models (LLMs) to support more consistent triage decision-making in children. We evaluated an LL...

Multi-scale evapotranspiration and evaporative stress as indicators of vegetation health and drought response – an application in central Missouri, USA

Satellite estimates of evapotranspiration (ET) based on thermal infrared retrievals of land-surface temperature enable monitoring of vegetation water use and health/stress at sub-field to global scales. The information content of these products varies with pixel size, reflecting...