Assessing the effectiveness of virtual reality to promote empathy for patients through a mixed-methods study.

Objective: To describe the implementation and outcomes of EmpathyVR, an immersive experience using virtual reality (VR) to promote empathy for patients with physical limitations due to chronic diseases.

Methods: First-year student pharmacists participated in a learning experience that incorporated VR and stiff gloves to simulate physical limitations associated with color-blindness and arthritis, respectively. Students completed pre- and post-intervention surveys that included the Kiersma-Chen Empathy Scale and measures of immersion, user enjoyment, perceived usefulness for learning, and adverse effects of the experience.

Investigation of the chemical composition of antibacterial Psidium guajava extract and partitions against foodborne pathogens.

P. guajava was partitioned into aqueous and ethyl acetate fractions and studied for its antibacterial chemical constituents. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of the aqueous and ethyl acetate partitions against Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus were found to be 0.

Bioactive Natural Products Identification Using Automation of Molecular Networking Software.

Secondary metabolites from natural sources are promising starting points for discovering and developing drug prototypes and new drugs, as many current treatments for numerous diseases are directly or indirectly related to such compounds. Recent advances in bioinformatics tools and molecular networking methods have made it possible to identify novel bioactive compounds. In this study, a workflow combining network-based methods for identifying bioactive compounds found in natural products was streamlined by innovating an automated bioinformatics software.

Implementation of an automated grading tool for phonetic transcription training.

Clinical phonetic transcription is regarded as a highly specialised skill requiring hours of practice for mastery. Although this skill is a critical part of students' clinical preparation to become speech-language pathologists, students often report feeling unprepared to apply the skill in clinical practice. Previous studies suggest that increased opportunities for practice and timely feedback on transcriptions are needed in order to develop skill confidence.

Veterinary Education's Role in the Opioid Epidemic: Integration of an Online Safe Opioid Prescribing Course into the Core Curriculum.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the opioid epidemic has worsened. Opioid-related deaths continue to rise, and many of these deaths can be traced to a prescription opioid. Because veterinarians prescribe opioids, many organizations and federal agencies have called for increased veterinary education on the topic.