Development and evaluation of an educational game to support pharmacy students.

Introduction: United Kingdom pharmacy students need to efficiently navigate the British National Formulary (BNF), a standard medicines reference source. "Pharmacy Challenge" is a web-based prototype game based on the BNF. This research aimed to evaluate the game in terms of design, content, and impact on students' performance and confidence.

Creating a Theoretically Grounded, Gamified Health App: Lessons From Developing the Cigbreak Smoking Cessation Mobile Phone Game.

Background: Gaming techniques are increasingly recognized as effective methods for changing behavior and increasing user engagement with mobile phone apps. The rapid uptake of mobile phone games provides an unprecedented opportunity to reach large numbers of people and to influence a wide range of health-related behaviors. However, digital interventions are still nascent in the field of health care, and optimum gamified methods of achieving health behavior change are still being investigated.

The regulation of trophoblast migration across endothelial cells by low shear stress: consequences for vascular remodelling in pregnancy.

Aims: In early human pregnancy placental trophoblasts migrate along uterine spiral arteries (SAs) and remodel these vessels into wide-bore conduits in a process essential for successful pregnancy. Until 10-12 weeks gestation trophoblasts plug spiral arteries, resulting in slow, high-resistance blood flow. This work examined the consequences of these low shear stress conditions on trophoblast migration, adhesion molecule expression, and attraction to chemotactic factors.

A computerized photographic assessment of the relationship between skeletal discrepancy and mandibular outline asymmetry.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mandibular outline asymmetry and skeletal discrepancy in a sample of orthodontic patients (33 females, 33 males) aged from 8 to 19 years. Skeletal discrepancy was assessed in both the anteroposterior and vertical planes, using standard cephalometric analyses. All were photographed under standardized conditions and the photographs were then digitized for analysis using a computerized system to assess differences in four variables (area, perimeter, compactness and moment-ratio) between the right and left sides of the mandibular outline.

The use of anthropometric proportion indices in the measurement of facial attractiveness.

This study used anthropometric data in the form of Farkas' proportion indices in order to quantify facial attractiveness, and to relate measured change through surgery, to clinical judgement. Standardized photographs of 15 orthognathic patients were used in album form and rated by 10 experienced clinicians: album 1 for facial attractiveness (before surgery) and album 2 for improvement in facial attractiveness (before and after surgery). Twenty-five proportion indices were selected and linear measurements recorded from the pre- and post-surgical photographs.

Outcome measurement in the correction of mandibular asymmetry.

This study related clinical assessments of the severity of mandibular asymmetry with computerized measurements, obtained by digitizing mandibular outlines from standardized facial photographs. Four ratios were calculated: area (size), compactness (shape), perimeter (length of outline), and moment (center of area). When comparing clinical severity with computer assessment, significant correlations were observed; those for area and compactness were the highest.

Comparison of radiographic and photographic measurement of mandibular asymmetry.

This study compared measurement of mandibular asymmetry by digitization of mandibular outlines from standardized facial photographs and posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs. Four ratios were used in calculating asymmetry: area (relative size of right and left mandibular segments), perimeter or length of outlines, compactness (shape), and moment. The records of 28 patients with varying degrees of asymmetry were used.

Mandibular outline assessment in three groups of orthodontic patients.

The feasibility of using computer-based parameters for quantifying mandibular asymmetry was investigated. Four methods of calculating asymmetry were used, based on the digitized facial photographs of three groups of patients: those with no observable asymmetry, a group with mild asymmetry, and a group presenting for orthognathic surgery. Three of the methods involved right/left difference ratios, namely, area, perimeter length, and compactness.