Publications by authors named "Craven H"

Healthcare professionals experience negative behaviors such as incivility from various sources within the hospital environment. However, little is known regarding the experience of unlicensed assistive personnel with these behaviors. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the research team aimed to examine the presence, sources, and impact of negative behaviors among registered nurses and unlicensed assistive personnel within a US hospital.

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Plasmodium falciparum is the deadliest causative agent of human malaria. This parasite has historically developed resistance to most drugs, including the current frontline treatments, so new therapeutic targets are needed. Our previous work on guanine quadruplexes (G4s) in the parasite's DNA and RNA has highlighted their influence on parasite biology, and revealed G4 stabilising compounds as promising candidates for repositioning.

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Dialysis and kidney transplantation (Ktx) mitigate some of the physiological deficits in chronic kidney disease (CKD), but it remains to be determined if these mitigate microbial dysbiosis and the production of inflammatory microbial metabolites, which contribute significantly to the uraemic phenotype. We have investigated bacterial DNA signatures present in the circulation of CKD patients and those receiving a KTx. Our data are consistent with increasing dysbiosis as CKD progresses, with an accompanying increase in trimethylamine (TMA) producing pathobionts Pseudomonas and Bacillus.

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Importance: Extubation failure (EF) has been associated with worse outcomes in critically ill children. The relative efficacy of different modes of noninvasive respiratory support (NRS) to prevent EF is unknown.

Objective: To study the reported relative efficacy of different modes of NRS (high-flow nasal cannula [HFNC], continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP], and bilevel positive airway pressure [BiPAP]) compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT).

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Pediatric-specific ventilator liberation guidelines are lacking despite the many studies exploring elements of extubation readiness testing. The lack of clinical practice guidelines has led to significant and unnecessary variation in methods used to assess pediatric patients' readiness for extubation. Twenty-six international experts comprised a multiprofessional panel to establish pediatrics-specific ventilator liberation clinical practice guidelines, focusing on acutely hospitalized children receiving invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 24 hours.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study focuses on creating consistent definitions for important aspects of pediatric mechanical ventilation, which is essential for improving research and practices in this field.* ! -
  • A group of 26 experts conducted systematic reviews and reached consensus definitions through multiple voting rounds, establishing 16 key definitions related to ventilator liberation.* ! -
  • The final definitions achieved over 80% agreement among participants, addressing various areas including respiratory support types, ventilator duration, and criteria for successful liberation.* !
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Periextubation corticosteroids are commonly used in children to prevent upper airway obstruction (UAO). However, the best timing and dose combination of corticosteroids is unknown. To compare effectiveness of different corticosteroid regimens in preventing UAO and reintubation.

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Introduction: Resistant starch type-2 (RS2) can mitigate inflammation and oxidative stress in hemodialysis (HD) patients. However, there is still a lack of knowledge on the impact of the RS2 on the gut microbiota community in these patients. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the effects of enriched RS2 cookies on the gut microbiome in HD patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • Imbalanced nutrition can speed up aging, potentially influenced by the gut microbiota.
  • Analysis of blood samples revealed that older individuals had more harmful bacteria, while healthier people had beneficial bacteria that support well-being.
  • Lower socioeconomic status is linked to poorer diet and health, as indicated by lower levels of betaine, which could inform strategies for improving health through dietary changes.
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Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that currently affects over 250 million individuals worldwide. In the absence of an immunoprophylactic vaccine and the recognition that mono-chemotherapeutic control of schistosomiasis by praziquantel has limitations, new strategies for managing disease burden are urgently needed. A better understanding of schistosome biology could identify previously undocumented areas suitable for the development of novel interventions.

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The emergence of Cronobacter as an important potential pathogen for newborn children and its occurrence in powdered infant formulae has generated a need to develop new management practices for this food group. This includes reduction of the prevalence of Cronobacter in manufacturing environments which can be a source of Cronobacter. This study was performed to assess the suitability of qualitative and quantitative Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms indicator tests for the presence and prevalence of Cronobacter.

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Introduction: Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the US, and the survival rate improves drastically with early detection. It is important for medical students to understand screening options, and to be able to effectively discuss these options with their patients. While basic information about colon cancer screening is ubiquitous in US medical school curricula, no published curricula describe teaching students the nuances of negotiating this discussion with patients and tailoring screening to individual patients' needs.

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Introduction: Medical students have limited opportunities to learn about current genetic testing. This session provided exposure to different types of testing and the complex issues that physicians may encounter when counseling patients on proper testing and interpreting results.

Methods: We designed a 1-hour interactive lecture for second-year medical students.

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Background & Aims: Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may pursue complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). We conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis examining efficacy of CAM vs. placebo or sham in adults with IBS.

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Introduction: No published curricula exist to introduce medical students to drug-induced liver injury (DILI). However, DILI is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the US, and drug-drug interactions are tested on the USMLE Step 1.

Methods: We developed an independent study module to introduce students to DILI.

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Background: The domestic rabbit is a common pet species, but limited research exists on the health of pet rabbits. This study aimed to characterise common disorders of pet rabbits and reasons for mortality as recorded by veterinary practices in England.

Methods: This cross-sectional study covered anonymised clinical records of 6349 rabbits attending 107 primary veterinary care clinics.

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Because of the growing population of patients with serious illness, the demand for specialty palliative care exceeds the resources available. Nurses must be prepared to provide primary palliative care to fill the gap in the availability of specialized palliative care providers. However, meeting the educational needs of a vast number of practicing nurses poses a significant challenge.

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Epigenetic alterations, such as those linked to DNA methylation, may potentially provide molecular explanations for complications associated with altered gene expression in illnesses, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although both DNA hypo- and hypermethylation have been observed in the uremic milieu, this remains only a single aspect of the epigenetic landscape and, thus, of any biochemical dysregulation associated with CKD. Nevertheless, the role of uremia-promoting alterations on the epigenetic landscape regulating gene expression is still a novel and scarcely studied field.

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As the quality of patient care continues to improve, nursing professionals are continuously tasked with researching, implementing, and evaluating best practices. The practice of obtaining blood samples from paediatric patients, using a conventional three-way stopcock method, has been associated with peripheral arterial catheter intraluminal contamination and catheter-related bloodstream infections. A paediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU), in a large medical centre in the USA, set an objective to mitigate the risk of possible contamination by implementing the use of closed arterial lab sampling devices.

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Gastroparesis is defined by the presence of delayed gastric emptying without mechanical obstruction. Patients may present with severe discomfort that can mimic an acute abdomen including abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, bloating, fullness and early satiety. The prevalence of gastroparesis is estimated at 24 per 100 000 and women are more commonly affected than men.

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This study investigated the prevalence, seasonality, and species variety of enterococci present in raw milk factory silos and pasteurized milk in 3 dairying regions in Victoria, Australia, over a 1-yr period. Additionally, the growth ability of thermoduric enterococci isolated in this study (Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, E.

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The spore-forming bacterium Bacillus licheniformis is a common contaminant of milk and milk products. Strains of this species isolated from dairy products can be differentiated into three major groups, namely, G, F1, and F2, using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis; however, little is known about the genomic differences between these groups and the identity of the fragments that make up their RAPD profiles. In this work we obtained high-quality draft genomes of representative strains from each of the three RAPD groups (designated strain G-1, strain F1-1, and strain F2-1) and compared them to each other and to B.

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Background: High-resolution anorectal manometry (HRAM) is a relatively new method for collection and interpretation of data relevant to sphincteric function, and for the first time allows a global appreciation of the anorectum as a functional unit. Historically, traditional anal manometry has been plagued by lack of standardization and healthy volunteer data of variable quality. The aims of this study were: (i) to obtain normative data sets for traditional measures of anorectal function using HRAM in healthy subjects and; (ii) to qualitatively describe novel physiological phenomena, which may be of future relevance when this method is applied to patients.

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Due to their ubiquity in the environment and ability to survive heating processes, sporeforming bacteria are commonly found in foods. This can lead to product spoilage if spores are present in sufficient numbers and where storage conditions favour spore germination and growth. A rapid method to identify the major aerobic sporeforming groups in dairy products, including Bacillus licheniformis group, Bacillus subtilis group, Bacillus pumilus group, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus cereus group, Geobacillus species and Anoxybacillus flavithermus was devised.

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In dairy foods, the sporeformer Bacillus licheniformis can be the cause of spoilage or specification compliance issues. Currently used methods for genotyping B. licheniformis have limited discrimination with only 2 or 3 different subgroups being identified.

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