Background: The Joint Commission defines a sentinel event as "surgery or other invasive procedure performed at the wrong site, on the wrong patient, or that is the wrong (unintended) procedure for a patient regardless of the type of procedure or the magnitude of the outcome." At our institution, we observed a low but consistent rate of incorrect surgical line placement for pediatric patients with cancer.
Study Design: Following quality improvement methodology and using the resources available on a large academic medical campus we designed and implemented a new multi-factorial process to schedule and place surgical central lines for pediatric patients with cancer.
Introduction: Safety and quality improvement are essential to clinical practice in radiation therapy as planning and treatment increase in complexity and sophistication. An incident learning system (ILS) is a safety and quality improvement tool that can aid risk mitigation to improve patient safety and quality of care. The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of implementing a new e-ILS, Learning In Radiation ONcology (LIRON), on reporting and safety culture within a local health district (LHD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtein capsids are a widespread form of compartmentalisation in nature. Icosahedral symmetry is ubiquitous in capsids derived from spherical viruses, as this geometry maximises the internal volume that can be enclosed within. Despite the strong preference for icosahedral symmetry, we show that simple point mutations in a virus-like capsid can drive the assembly of novel symmetry-reduced structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Historically, kinematic measures have been compared across injured and non-injured groups of runners, failing to take into account variability in kinematic patterns that exist independent of injury, and resulting in false positives. Research led by gait patterns and not pre-defined injury status is called for, to better understand running-related injury (RRI) aetiology and within- and between-group variability.
Objectives: Synthesise evidence for the existence of distinct kinematic sub-groups across a population of injured and healthy runners and assess between-group variability in kinematics, demographics and injury incidence.
This study examined the mechanism of effect of the WHO Caregiver Skills Training (CST) through secondary analysis of a pilot RCT conducted in community settings. Participants were 86 caregivers (77% mothers) of children with ASD (78% male, mean age: 44.8 months) randomized to CST (n = 43) or treatment as usual (n = 43).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Gene Ther Insights
November 2022
Demand for gene therapies capable of treating previously inaccessible targets has risen precipitously in the past decade. Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are the preferred vector for gene delivery because of their favorable safety profile and tissue tropism, but they have significant manufacturing challenges, with end-to-end yields as low as 10-30%. To combat these low yields, we developed IsoTagAAV, a novel purification technology for AAV that is a departure from the chromatographic paradigm in downstream processing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMuscle fiber type, fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), enzyme activities (citrate synthase (CS), 3-hydroxyacetyl Co A dehydrogenase (3HAD), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and phosphofructokinase (PFK)) and glycogen content were analyzed in the M. iliotibialis cranialis (ITC), M. iliotibialis lateralis, M.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough current antiretroviral therapy (ART) has increased life expectancy, a cure for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains elusive due to the persistence of the virus in tissue reservoirs. In the present study, we sought to elucidate the relationship between antiretrovirals (ARVs) and viral expression in the spleen. We performed mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) of 6 different ARVs, RNAscope hybridization of viral RNA, and immunohistochemistry of three different fibrosis markers in the spleens of 8 uninfected and 10 reverse transcriptase simian-human immunodeficiency virus (RT-SHIV)-infected rhesus macaques (infected for 6 weeks) that had been dosed for 10 days with combination ART.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: HIV reservoirs and infected cells may persist in tissues with low concentrations of antiretrovirals (ARVs). Traditional pharmacology methods cannot assess variability in ARV concentrations within morphologically complex tissues, such as lymph nodes (LNs). We evaluated the distribution of six ARVs into LNs and the proximity of these ARVs to CD4 T cells and cell-associated RT-SHIV viral RNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Radiation therapy has a highly complex pathway and uses detailed quality assurance protocols and incident learning systems (ILSs) to mitigate risk; however, errors can still occur. The safety culture (SC) in a department influences its commitment and effectiveness in maintaining patient safety.
Methods: Perceptions of SC and knowledge and understanding of ILSs and their use were evaluated for radiation oncology staff across Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).
Protein cages are a common architectural motif used by living organisms to compartmentalize and control biochemical reactions. While engineered protein cages have featured in the construction of nanoreactors and synthetic organelles, relatively little is known about the underlying molecular parameters that govern stability and flux through their pores. In this work, we systematically designed 24 variants of the encapsulin cage, featuring pores of different sizes and charges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent clinical successes have propelled recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors (rAAV) to the center stage for human gene therapy applications. However, the exploding demand for high titers of highly pure rAAV vectors for clinical applications and market needs remains hindered by challenges met at the manufacturing stage. The production of rAAV by transfection in suspension cells remains one of the most commonly used production platforms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This longitudinal study assessed continuity and stability of productive language (vocabulary and grammar) and discourse features (turn-taking; asking and responding to questions) during mother-child play.
Method: Parent-child language use in 119 Spanish-speaking, Mexican immigrant mothers and their children at two ages ( = 2.5 and 3.
Introduction: Radiation oncology patient pathways are complex. This complexity creates risk and potential for error to occur. Comprehensive safety and quality management programmes have been developed alongside the use of incident learning systems (ILSs) to mitigate risks and errors reaching patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in very young children with significant cognitive impairment is difficult to diagnose, depriving them of the earliest opportunities for autism-specific intervention. This study delineated specific symptoms in this group, compared to symptoms in children with Global Developmental Delay (GDD) and in ASD with milder developmental delays.: Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Edition, Toddler Module revealed symptoms in three groups of toddlers, with mean ages of 17-20 months: (1) ASD and cognitive/language functioning below the 12-month level (ASD-MA < 12 mos; = 28), (2) GDD ( = 27), and (3) ASD and cognitive/language functioning at or above the 12-month level (ASD-MA ≥ 12 mos; = 29).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParents of children with ASD (N = 86; mean age 44.8 months; 67 boys) were randomized to either WHO Caregiver Skills Training (CST) delivered in public health settings in Italy or enhanced treatment-as-usual. Primary blinded outcomes were 3-months post-intervention change scores of autism severity and engagement during caregiver-child interaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To examine the effect of a brief Enhanced training using the information-motivation-behavior (IMB) change model on improving providers' surveillance rates and accuracy of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) detection.
Method: Toddlers (n = 5,672) were screened for ASD during their pediatric well-child visits. Pediatric providers (n = 120) were randomized to receive Enhanced (incorporating components of the IMB model) or Control training.
Metabolic pathways are commonly organized by sequestration into discrete cellular compartments. Compartments prevent unfavorable interactions with other pathways and provide local environments conducive to the activity of encapsulated enzymes. Such compartments are also useful synthetic biology tools for examining enzyme/pathway behavior and for metabolic engineering.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: For some people the appearance of their hands is as important as function. Upper limb scarring can cause some patients distress. Skin camouflage is an intervention that can be used to reduce the visual impact of a scar but there is limited published evidence for its use for hand scarring.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterindividual immune variability is driven predominantly by environmental factors, including exposure to chronic infectious agents such as cytomegalovirus (CMV). We investigated the effects of rhesus CMV (RhCMV) on composition and function of the immune system in young macaques. Within months of infection, RhCMV was associated with impressive changes in antigen presenting cells, T cells, and NK cells-and marked expansion of innate-memory CD8+ T cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cultural value of (respect) is central to Latine parenting. Yet, how respeto manifests in the interactions of Latine parents and their young children remains unexamined. Low-income Mexican immigrant Spanish-speaking mothers and their 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis longitudinal study documents the key role of early joint engagement in the language and early literacy development of Mexican-American children from low-income households. This rapidly growing population often faces challenges as sequential Spanish-English language learners. Videos of 121 mothers and their 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiagnosticians report that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is immediately apparent in some, but not all, children ultimately diagnosed. Clinicians' initial diagnostic impressions have implications for ASD early detection, yet the literature raises questions about their accuracy. This study explores diagnostic impressions of ASD specialists made within the first 5 minutes of meeting a young child and investigates factors associated with the match between initial impressions and final diagnoses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo date, joint attention skill assessments have focused on children's responses to multimodal bids (RJA) and their initiation of bids (IJA) to multimodal spectacles. Here we gain a systematic view of auditory joint attention skills using a novel assessment that measures both auditory and multimodal RJA and IJA. In Study 1, 47 typically developing (TD) children were tested 5 times from 12 to 30 months to document auditory joint attention skill development.
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