A retrospective analysis of adverse events reported by Tunisian intensive care units' professionals.

Introduction: Adverse events (AEs) that occur in hospitals remain a challenge worldwide, and especially in intensive care units (ICUs) where they are more likely to occur. Monitoring of AEs can provide insight into the status and advances of patient safety. This study aimed to examine the AEs reported during the 20 months after the implementation of the AE reporting system.

Predictors of assertive behaviors among a sample of first-year Tunisian medical students.

Assertiveness is a constructive interpersonal behavior alternative to manipulation and aggression. Medical students (MSs) have daily interpersonal interactions with colleagues, patients and families. Yet, communication deficiencies due to hesitancy to speak-up assertively lead to adverse patient outcomes.

Patient safety culture as perceived by operating room professionals: a mixed-methods study.

Background: Routine assessments of patient safety culture within hospitals have been widely recommended to improve patient safety. Experts suggested that mixed-methods studies can help gain a deeper understanding of the concept. However, studies combining quantitative and qualitative approaches exploring patient safety culture are still lacking.

Predictors of evidence-based practice competency among Tunisian nursing students.

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an important competency of undergraduate nursing students which should be cultivated before graduation by increasing future healthcare providers' knowledge, skills and attitudes towards EBP. This study aimed to describe nursing students' competencies (attitudes, knowledge, skills) in Evidence-based practice (EBP) and to determine factors predicting EBP competency.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Higher School of Health Sciences and Techniques of Sousse (Tunisia) among 365 nursing students.

Effectiveness of an osteoporosis prevention educational program in Tunisian premenopausal women working in sedentary occupations: a quasi-experimental study.

Unlabelled: The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an osteoporosis prevention program on knowledge and perception of self-efficacy in adopting preventive osteoporosis behaviors in premenopausal women working in sedentary occupations. Results show the improvement in knowledge and self-efficacy was statistically significant respectively (p < 0.001) and (p = 0.

Assessing patient safety culture in 15 intensive care units: a mixed-methods study.

Background: Within hospitals, intensive care units (ICUs) are particularly high-risk areas for medical errors and adverse events that could occur due to the complexity of care and the patients' fragile medical conditions. Assessing patient safety culture (PSC) is essential to have a broad view on patient safety issues, to orientate future improvement actions and optimize quality of care and patient safety outcomes. This study aimed at assessing PSC in 15 Tunisian ICUs using mixed methods approach.

An Intervention to Optimize Attitudes Toward Adverse Events Reporting Among Tunisian Critical Care Nurses.

Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the impact of a combined-strategies intervention on ICUs nurses' attitudes toward AE reporting.

Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study from January to October 2020 which consisted of an intervention to improve attitudes toward incident reporting among nurses working in 10 intensive care units at a university hospital using the Reporting of Clinical Adverse Events Scale. The intervention consisted of a 2-hour educational presentation for nurse unit managers and a 30-minute in-units educational training for intensive care unit nurses, which encompassed technical aspects of reporting, the reporting process, a nonpunitive environment, and the importance of submitting reports.

Evaluation of the Impact of Intraoperative Distractions on Teamwork, Stress, and Workload.

Background: Within the operating rooms (ORs), distractions occur on a regular basis, which affect the surgical workflow and results in the interruption of urgent tasks. This study aimed to observe the occurrence of intraoperative distractions in Tunisian ORs and evaluate associations among distractions, teamwork, workload, and stress.

Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted in four different ORs (orthopedic, urology, emergency, and digestive surgery) of Sahloul University Hospital for a period of 3 mo in 2018.

NLRC5 promotes transcription of genes and Vγ9Vδ2 T cell-mediated killing.

BTN3A molecules-BTN3A1 in particular-emerged as important mediators of Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation by phosphoantigens. These metabolites can originate from infections, e.g.

Exploring patient safety culture in emergency departments: A Tunisian perspective.

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) are considered a high-risk environment because of the high frequency of adverse events that occur within. Measuring patient safety culture is an important step that assists healthcare facilities in planning actions to improve the quality of care provided to patients. This study aims to assess patient safety culture within EDs and to determine its associated factors.

Prevalence of burnout among health sciences students and determination of its associated factors.

Burnout is a major issue among healthcare students and a public health issue in general. Indeed, the consequences of student burnout are as complex as other mental distress factors, such as those concerned with smoking and alcohol consumption, or an unhealthy lifestyle.  This study aimed to determine the prevalence of burnout among health sciences students and to determine its associated factors.

Regulatory Factor X 7 and its Potential Link to Lymphoid Cancers.

Alterations in the Regulatory factor X 7 (RFX7) gene have recurrently been reported in lymphoid cancers. Uncharacterized until recently, this transcription factor regulates genes important for ciliogenesis and for limiting cellular metabolic activity. Here we discuss these observations and conjecture on the links between the reported functions of RFX7 and its potential role in lymphoid cancers, encouraging future studies in these directions.

Assessing patient safety culture in 18 Tunisian adult intensive care units and determination of its associated factors: A multi-center study.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess patient safety culture (PSC) in intensive care units (ICUs) and to determine the factors affecting it.

Materials And Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted from October to November 2017 among professionals practicing in the ICUs of the Tunisian center. After obtaining institutional ethics committee's approval and administrative authorizations, an anonymous paper-based questionnaire was distributed to the participants after obtaining their consent to take part in the study.

The transcription factor Rfx7 limits metabolism of NK cells and promotes their maintenance and immunity.

Regulatory factor X 7 (Rfx7) is an uncharacterized transcription factor belonging to a family involved in ciliogenesis and immunity. Here, we found that deletion of Rfx7 leads to a decrease in natural killer (NK) cell maintenance and immunity in vivo. Genomic approaches showed that Rfx7 coordinated a transcriptional network controlling cell metabolism.

Distinct DNA Methylation Profiles in Ovarian Tumors: Opportunities for Novel Biomarkers.

Aberrant methylation of multiple promoter CpG islands could be related to the biology of ovarian tumors and its determination could help to improve treatment strategies. DNA methylation profiling was performed using the Methylation Ligation-dependent Macroarray (MLM), an array-based analysis. Promoter regions of 41 genes were analyzed in 102 ovarian tumors and 17 normal ovarian samples.

Emerging Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I-Related Functions of NLRC5.

Recent evidence demonstrates a key role for the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family member NLRC5 (NLR family, CARD domain containing protein 5) in the transcriptional regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and related genes. Detailed information on NLRC5 target genes in various cell types and conditions is emerging. Thanks to its analogy to CIITA (class II major MHC transactivator), a NLR family member known for over 20 years to be the master regulator of MHC class II gene transcription, also the molecular mechanisms underlying NLRC5 function are being rapidly unraveled.

Impairment of both IRE1 expression and XBP1 activation is a hallmark of GCB DLBCL and contributes to tumor growth.

The endoplasmic reticulum kinase inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) and its downstream target X-box-binding protein 1 (XBP1) drive B-cell differentiation toward plasma cells and have been shown to contribute to multiple myeloma development; yet, little is known of the role of this pathway in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Here, we show that in the germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) DLBCL subtype, IRE1 expression is reduced to a level that prevents XBP1 activation. Gene expression profiles indicated that, in GCB DLBCL cancer samples, expression of messenger RNA was inversely correlated with the levels and activity of the epigenetic repressor, histone methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2).

Promoter methylation and downregulated expression of the gene in ovarian carcinoma.

is a gene involved in the development of mesodermal derivatives. As the ovaries and the female reproductive system are of mesodermal origin, the aim of the present study was to determine the methylation status of the gene promoter and the expression levels of in ovarian carcinoma, which is the most lethal and aggressive type of gynecological tumor, in order to determine the role of in the pathogenesis of ovarian carcinoma. This alteration could be used to predict tumor development, progression, recurrence and therapeutic effects.

DNA methylation profiling of esophageal adenocarcinoma using Methylation Ligation-dependent Macroarray (MLM).

Most types of cancer cells are characterized by aberrant methylation of promoter genes. In this study, we described a rapid, reproducible, and relatively inexpensive approach allowing the detection of multiple human methylated promoter genes from many tissue samples, without the need of bisulfite conversion. The Methylation Ligation-dependent Macroarray (MLM), an array-based analysis, was designed in order to measure methylation levels of 58 genes previously described as putative biomarkers of cancer.

NLRC5, a promising new entry in tumor immunology.

The recent use of T cell-based cancer immunotherapies, such as adoptive T-cell transfer and checkpoint blockade, yields increasing clinical benefit to patients with different cancer types. However, decrease of MHC class I expression is a common mechanism transformed cells take advantage of to evade CD8(+) T cell-mediated antitumor responses, negatively impacting on the outcome of immunotherapies. Hence, there is an urgent need to develop novel approaches to overcome this limitation.

NLRC5 exclusively transactivates MHC class I and related genes through a distinctive SXY module.

MHC class II (MHCII) genes are transactivated by the NOD-like receptor (NLR) family member CIITA, which is recruited to SXY enhancers of MHCII promoters via a DNA-binding "enhanceosome" complex. NLRC5, another NLR protein, was recently found to control transcription of MHC class I (MHCI) genes. However, detailed understanding of NLRC5's target gene specificity and mechanism of action remained lacking.

miR-34a expression, epigenetic regulation, and function in human placental diseases.

Preeclampsia (PE) is the major pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorder responsible for maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality that can be associated with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). PE and IUGR are thought to be due to a placental defect, occurring early during pregnancy. Several placental microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be deregulated in the context of placental diseases and could thus play a role in the pathophysiology of PE.

Why preeclampsia still exists?

Preeclampsia (PE) is a deadly gestational disease affecting up to 10% of women and specific of the human species. Preeclampsia is clearly multifactorial, but the existence of a genetic basis for this disease is now clearly established by the existence of familial cases, epidemiological studies and known predisposing gene polymorphisms. PE is very common despite the fact that Darwinian pressure should have rapidly eliminated or strongly minimized the frequency of predisposing alleles.

Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms collaborate to control SERPINA3 expression and its association with placental diseases.

SERPINA3 (Serpin peptidase inhibitor clade A member 3), also known as a1-antichymotrypsin, is a serine protease inhibitor involved in a wide range of biological processes. Recently, it has been shown to be up-regulated in human placental diseases in association with a hypomethylation of the 5' region of the gene. In the present study, we show that the promoter of SERPINA3 is transcriptionally activated by three transcription factors (TFs) (SP1, MZF1 and ZBTB7B), the level of induction being dependent on the rs1884082 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located inside the promoter, the T allele being consistently induced to a higher level than the G, with or without added TFs.