Background: Errors of omissions affect the quality of nursing care in hospitals. The Missed Nursing Care Model explains that the reasons for missed care are linked with 1) demand for patient care, 2) labor resource allocation, 3) material resource allocation, and 4) relationship and communication factors. Scientific evidence points to a lack of adequate nursing staffing as the most important factor triggering missed care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFecal incontinence, although not life-threatening, has a high impact on the economy and patient quality of life. So far, available treatments are based on both surgical and nonsurgical approaches. These can range from changes in diet, to bowel training, or sacral nerve stimulation, but none of which provides a long-term solution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTissue engineering approaches within the muscle context represent a promising emerging field to address the current therapeutic challenges related with multiple pathological conditions affecting the muscle compartments, either skeletal muscle or smooth muscle, responsible for involuntary and voluntary contraction, respectively. In this review, several features and parameters involved in the bioprocessing of muscle cells are addressed. The cell isolation process is depicted, depending on the type of tissue (smooth or skeletal muscle), followed by the description of the challenges involving the use of adult donor tissue and the strategies to overcome the hurdles of reaching relevant cell numbers towards a clinical application.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere are increasing discussions on theory dynamics in nursing research. We aimed at mapping the theoretical publication output by nursing researchers from the European German-speaking area. We conducted a focused mapping review and synthesis, focusing on nursing journals articles with a theory-related aim.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProblem: Missed Nursing Care (MNC) is an error of omission which occurs when a necessary nursing intervention is not initiated, is not completed, or when it is delayed. The MNC model explains this problem and describes four antecedents that can lead to MNC: (1) demand for patient care, (2) available human resources, (3) material resources, and (4) and relationship and communication factors.
Aims: This study aims to test the relationship between the theoretical antecedents of MNC and their impact on MNC.
Using the TRAPD method to translate the revised MISSCARE Survey from English into German: Revised MISSCARE-Austria Questionnaire translations in German-speaking nursing science rely on methods using first- and back-translation techniques despite increasing criticism. In contrast, the TRAPD method is recognized as best practice in intercultural social research. However, experience with the application of this method in German-speaking nursing science is lacking.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer is a complex and heterogeneous pathology, characterized by a variety of histological and molecular phenotypes. The majority of the breast cancers express the estrogen receptor alpha (ER), which plays a pivotal role in the pathobiology of the disease and are therefore classified as ER-positive (ER). In fact, targeting of the ER signaling pathway is the main therapeutic strategy for ER breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Antibodies revolutionized cancer treatment over the past decades. Despite their successfully application, there are still challenges to overcome to improve efficacy, such as the heterogeneous distribution of antibodies within tumors. Tumor microenvironment features, such as the distribution of tumor and other cell types and the composition of the extracellular matrix may work together to hinder antibodies from reaching the target tumor cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Estrogen receptor α (ERα) signaling is a defining and driving event in most breast cancers; ERα is detected in malignant epithelial cells of 75% of all breast cancers (classified as ER-positive breast cancer) and, in these cases, ERα targeting is the main therapeutic strategy. However, the biological determinants of ERα heterogeneity and the mechanisms underlying therapeutic resistance are still elusive, hampered by the challenges in developing experimental models recapitulative of intra-tumoral heterogeneity and in which ERα signaling is sustained. Ex vivo cultures of human breast cancer tissue have been proposed to retain the original tissue architecture, epithelial and stromal cell components and ERα.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are strong candidates for the development of systemic and targeted drug delivery applications. Their size is a determinant property since it defines the NP-cell interactions, drug loading capacity, and release kinetics. Herein, poly(d,l-lactic acid) (PDLA) NPs were produced by the nanoprecipitation method, in which the influence of type and concentration of surfactant as well as PDLA concentration were assessed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality and impact of thoracentesis on sleep in patients with a large pleural effusion.
Methods: Patients with large unilateral pleural effusion were evaluated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire and dyspnea Borg scale. Full polysomnography (PSG) was performed on the night before and 36 h after thoracentesis.
Background: Impairment in pulmonary capacity due to pleural effusion compromises daily activity. Removal of fluid improves symptoms, but the impact, especially on exercise capacity, has not been determined.
Methods: Twenty-five patients with unilateral pleural effusion documented by chest radiograph were included.