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The problem of “Digital Hoarding” has been studied in a workplace context but less so in relation to personal use digital data. In this study, we examine the relationship between scores on a measure of Digital Hoarding and the digital behaviors associated with personal technology. One hundred and sixty-seven participants completed the Digital Hoarding Questionnaire (DHQ) to assess digital hoarding tendencies. Participants indicated their main storage device for personal use digital data and thought about this when completing a new measure – the Digital Behaviors for Personal use Questionnaire (DBPUQ) designed to capture information item management behaviors and affective responses to digital information items. Higher scores on the DHQ correlated with difficulty finding information items, attachment and distress at potential loss of information items. Participants’ choice of personal device was not associated with DHQ scores, information item management behaviors, affective responses or total information items stored. This work provides a first step toward a better understanding of personal use digital data hoarding. We discuss the implications of digital hoarding of personal use data with respect to increased feelings of anxiety, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and sustainability concerns. Understanding digital hoarding in a personal use data context is foundational for developing design solutions and behavioral interventions aimed at reducing digital data overload. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology to enable and support learning and teaching is widespread in university settings. One consequence of such technology use is the accumulation of large volumes of digital data. The acquisition of, and failure to, discard digital content can lead to digital clutter. The potential negative consequences of digital clutter have been examined mainly within a workplace context. Far less is known about how university students manage their academic digital data and whether they have strategies to deal with excessive digital clutter. Eighteen undergraduate students took part in a one-to-one or group-based interview to discuss their digital data management strategies including accumulation and deletion behaviours. Thematic analysis led to three themes: (1) Digital data accumulation across the student journey, (2) Reactive and evolving digital data management strategies and (3) Data overload: Anxiety, loss of productivity and feeling overwhelmed. The findings capture the complexity of feelings students have about different types of digital technology and the strategies they use to manage increasingly large volumes of digital data. Findings are discussed in relation to the need for better support and guidance for students around the use of digital technology to manage their data during their time at university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Assess the efficacy and safety of valproic acid (VPA) for delirium and agitation in the intensive care unit (ICU) as compared to the use of other antipsychotics. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients treated for delirium and agitation in the ICU. Patients were included if they had a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale ≥2 and Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU positive. Patients were split into two groups based on their VPA exposure. The primary outcome was delirium free days. Secondary outcomes included agitation free days, ICU length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation duration, and mortality. Results: One hundred eight patients were included, 49 patients in the VPA group and 59 patients in the control group. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome (difference −.15, 95% CI: 0.63-.93, P =.70). There were no significant differences in agitation-free days, mortality, mechanical ventilation duration, or ICU LOS. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that VPA is associated with similar delirium and agitation-free days compared to other non-VPA medications, with some adverse effects. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate the routine use of VPA in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Blood flow restriction (BFR) is a rehabilitation tool which may introduce a constraint, similar to muscle fatigue, that challenge patients' sensorimotor system during balance exercises. The purpose of our study was to examine whether adding BFR to dynamic balance exercises produced a decrease in balance performance and an increase in ratings of perceived exertion and instability in individuals with chronic ankle instability (CAI) compared with dynamic balance exercises without BFR. Designs: Crossover design. Methods: Our sample included N = 25 young adults with a history of CAI. Participants completed 2 laboratory visits. At each visit, participants completed 4 sets (30×-15×-15×-15×) of dynamic balance exercises, performed similar to the modified star excursion balance test (SEBT), once with BFR and once with control (no BFR) conditions. We measured composite SEBT scores at baseline and during the final repetitions of each set of balance exercise (sets 1–4). We also measured ratings of perceived exertion and instability following each balance exercise set. Results: We observed no difference in composite SEBT scores between conditions at baseline; however, composite SEBT scores were significantly lower during all balance exercises sets 1 to 4 with the BFR condition compared with control. During the BFR condition, composite SEBT scores were significantly lower during all balance exercise sets compared with baseline. During the control condition, composite SEBT scores did not significantly change between baseline and each balance exercise set. Ratings of perceived exertion and instability scores were significantly greater in the BFR group compared with the control group during all balance exercise sets. Conclusions: Individuals with CAI demonstrated lower composite SEBT scores and greater perceived instability and exertion during dynamic balance exercise with BFR compared to without BFR. BFR introduced a novel muscle fatigue constraint during dynamic balance exercises in individuals with CAI. Additional research is needed to determine if adding BFR to balance training could improve clinical outcomes in CAI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are commonly treated in the emergency department (ED), and unfortunately, resistance to first-line agents is increasing. Objectives To characterize treatment of pyelonephritis in a nationally representative sample of ED patients and to identify patient- and treatment-specific factors associated with receiving initial inactive antibiotics. Methods We conducted a multicentre, observational cohort study utilizing the Emergency Medicine PHARMacotherapy Research NETwork (EMPHARM-NET), comprising 15 geographically diverse US EDs. All patients ≥18 years of age with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis between 2018 and 2020 were included. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who received initial inactive empirical antibiotic therapy and to identify predictive factors of inactive antibiotic therapy. Results Of the 3714 patients evaluated, 223 had culture-positive pyelonephritis. Median patient age was 50.1 years and patients were mostly female (78.3%). Overall, 40.4% of patients received an IV antibiotic, most commonly ceftriaxone (86.7%). The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were cefalexin (31.8%), ciprofloxacin (14.3%), cefdinir (13.5%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (12.6%). Overall, 10.3% of patients received initial inactive therapy. After adjustment in a multivariable analysis, long-acting IV antibiotic was predictive of inactive therapy (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07–0.83). Conclusions In our prospective, multicentre observational study, we found that only 40.4% of patients with pyelonephritis received empirical IV antibiotics in the ED, contributing to inactive therapy. Receipt of long-acting IV antibiotics was independently associated with a decreased rate of initial inactive therapy. This reinforces guideline recommendations to administer long-acting IV antibiotics empirically in the ED upon suspicion of pyelonephritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients were included if they had a Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) >= 2, were Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU) positive and received antipsychotic medications during their ICU stay. B Introduction: b Delirium and agitation are common occurrences in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). B Methods: b This was a retrospective cohort study of patients treated for delirium and agitation admitted to the medical ICU and surgical/trauma ICUs at Denver Health Medical Center from January 1, 2016 to October 1, 2020. [Extracted from the article]