Involving Clinical Nurses in Evaluation of a Professional Practice Model: A Focus Group Research Study Approach.

As part of the Magnet® application process, chief nurse executives (CNEs) are challenged to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Professional Practice Model (PPM) and include clinical nurses in this process. A focus group approach is a way to meet dual goals of evaluating the PPM and involving clinical nurses in the research process. The article describes how a focus group approach can be used effectively to identify themes and highlight the role of the CNE.

The development of an improved streak tube for fusion diagnostics.

The fusion diagnostic community, including the National Ignition Facility, the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Megajoule in France, and others require optical recording instruments with precise time resolution covering a dynamic range of many orders of magnitude. In 2012, LLE, Photek, and Sydor Instruments embarked on the re-design of an improved streak tube for fusion diagnostics. As a baseline we started with the Photek ST-Y streak tube which is a member of the RCA design dating back to 1957, because the tube body can accommodate a 35 mm long photocathode, and consequently more fibre coupled diagnostic channels than smaller designs.

Effectiveness of standard of care protocol on patient satisfaction and perceived staff caring.

Background: Nurse caring has been linked to many clinical outcomes, including patient satisfaction, well-being, and healing. In addition, it is valued by nursing staff and viewed as being essential to clinical practice.

Objectives: The purpose of this program evaluation study was to determine the difference in patient satisfaction with overall nursing care and perceived nurse caring when a nursing staff standard of care protocol, which included caring activities, was implemented within a nursing department at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center.

In vitro metabolism of canagliflozin in human liver, kidney, intestine microsomes, and recombinant uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) and the effect of genetic variability of UGT enzymes on the pharmacokinetics of canagliflozin in humans.

O-glucuronidation is the major metabolic elimination pathway for canagliflozin. The objective was to identify enzymes and tissues involved in the formation of 2 major glucuronidated metabolites (M7 and M5) of canagliflozin and subsequently to assess the impact of genetic variations in these uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) on in vivo pharmacokinetics in humans. In vitro incubations with recombinant UGTs revealed involvement of UGT1A9 and UGT2B4 in the formation of M7 and M5, respectively.

SULT4A1 haplotype: conflicting results on its role as a biomarker of antipsychotic response.

Aim: Based on previous pharmacogenetic findings, we investigated the possible association between SULT4A1-1 haplotype and antipsychotic treatment response.

Materials & Methods: Using Mixed Model Repeated Measures, we tested the relationship between SULT4A1-1 status (+carrier, -noncarrier) and clinical improvement (in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score) among European ancestry patients treated with paliperidone extended release (n=937), paliperidone palmitate (n=990), risperidone (n=507) and olanzapine (n=381) in 12 schizophrenia, two schizoaffective disorder and three bipolar I disorder trials. SULT4A1-1 haplotype was determined using tagging SNP rs763120.