The Possibilities of Using Ultrasonically Activated Streams to Reduce the Risk of Foodborne Infection from Salad.

In this study, we investigated the effects of an ultrasonically activated stream (UAS) on the removal of microbial contaminants from spinach leaves. The microbial loads on samples cleaned with and without UAS were enumerated using the cell culture method and compared against unwashed samples on day 0 and day 6 after cleaning. The effects of UAS cleaning on leaf quality were also examined through both macroscopic and microscopic inspection, as well as measurement of the electrolyte leakage rate.

Evaluation of generational influences among 4th year pharmacy students and experiential preceptors.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence generational categories may have on commonalities among pharmacy students and their pharmacist preceptors during advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs).

Methods: Multiple-choice surveys aimed at evaluating generational characteristics were sent to pharmacy students and their preceptors during the first three APPEs. Questions focused on six key areas: preferred learning/teaching style, view of career/work, communication style, view of technology, life outlook, and personal characteristics.

Non-aureus Staphylococci Species in the Teat Canal and Milk in Four Commercial Swiss Dairy Herds.

Non-aureus staphylococci (NAS) are frequently found in milk samples as well as on the teat apex and in the teat canal and are known to be a cause of subclinical mastitis. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between NAS species colonizing the teat canal and those causing intramammary infection (IMI) in four commercial dairy herds. Teat canal swabs were obtained and thereafter milk samples were aseptically collected and evaluated for the presence of staphylococci using selective agar plates.

Effects of very high-frequency sound and ultrasound on humans. Part I: Adverse symptoms after exposure to audible very-high frequency sound.

Various adverse symptoms resulting from exposure to very high-frequency sound (VHFS) and ultrasound (US) have previously been reported. This study aimed to establish whether these symptoms are experienced under controlled laboratory conditions and are specific to VHFS/US. To do this, participants were exposed to VHFS/US (at frequencies between 13.

Public exposure to ultrasound and very high-frequency sound in air.

Recent work showing the presence of a new generation of ultrasound (US) sources in public places has reopened the debate about whether there are adverse effects of US on humans, and has identified weaknesses in standards and exposure guidelines. Systems that rely on very high-frequency sound (VHFS) and US include public-address voice-alarm (PAVA) systems (whose operational status is often monitored using tones at ∼20 kHz) and pest deterrents. In this study, sound pressure levels (SPLs) produced by 16 sources that were either publically available or installed in busy public spaces were measured.

Measurements of ultrasonic deterrents and an acoustically branded hairdryer: Ambiguities in guideline compliance.

Acoustic radiation from three commercial pest deterrents and two hair dryers were measured in an anechoic chamber. The deterrents were chosen because the frequency range at which they emit the most energy is either in the very high-frequency sound band (11.2-17.

Results of a Pharmacist Intervention on Weight Parameters and A1c Compared to Standard Patient Care.

Obesity is linked to many accompanying comorbidities and has a substantial effect on the cost of health care. Pharmacist are able to provide management and intervention for the treatment of these disease states. This study examined outcomes 12 months prior to pharmacist intervention and 6 months postintervention.

Impact of distance education via interactive videoconferencing on students' course performance and satisfaction.

The impact of distance education via interactive videoconferencing on pharmacy students' performance in a course was assessed after implementation of a distance campus. Students filled out a "Student Demographic Survey" and a "Precourse Knowledge Assessment" at the start of the course and a "Postcourse Knowledge Assessment" and a "Postcourse Student Perceptions Survey" at the end of the course. The primary end point, a comparison of course grades (%) between the main and distance campuses, was examined using the two-sample t-test.

Quarter- and cow-level risk factors for intramammary infection with coagulase-negative staphylococci species in Swiss dairy cows.

Bacteriological status, evaluation of udder symmetry, udder hygiene, and teat end scores of 92 dairy cows were assessed on 3 Swiss dairy farms in a longitudinal 1-yr study to determine risk factors for intramammary infection (IMI) with coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) species. Farm visits were performed monthly including sterile quarter milk sampling and udder evaluation of all lactating cows. Milk samples were evaluated for the presence of staphylococci using selective agar plates.

Using one-dimensional waveguide resonators to measure phase velocities in bubbly liquids.

Resonator techniques can be successfully used to extract effective medium properties from dispersive materials. However, in some cases the dispersion can cause modes to repeat. If repeated modes are not taken into account, the useful range of the resonator technique is limited.

Impulse scattering from clouds of acoustically coupled gas bubbles in fluids.

To calculate the impulse response of a bubble cloud in a compressible medium, a methodology is developed that incorporates multiple scattering effects between bubbles and coherent interactions of their individual scattered fields. This method is based on a perturbation theory, and provides for an approximate solution formulated by adding a perturbation to the mathematical description of a linear problem. The solution is defined as a power series, where the first term of the expansion corresponds to the solution of a linear uncoupled equation.

Treatment of dyslipidemia with statins by primary care providers in Veterans with and without chronic Hepatitis C.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the current use of statins in United States (US) veterans at W. G. Hefner Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA Salisbury) with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared to those without chronic HCV and to examine why statin use may be avoided in this population.

Digital micromirror device (DMD)-based 3D printing of poly(propylene fumarate) scaffolds.

Our recent investigations into the 3D printing of poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF), a linear polyester, using a DMD-based system brought us to a resin that used titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an ultraviolet (UV) filter for controlling cure depth. However, this material hindered the 3D printing process due to undesirable lateral or "dark" curing (i.e.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Well-Defined Poly(propylene fumarate) Oligomers and Their Use in 3D Printed Scaffolds.

A ring opening polymerization method for synthesizing oligomeric poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) provides a rapid, and scalable method of synthesizing PPF with well-defined molecular mass, molecular mass distribution (Đm), and viscosity properties suitable for 3D printing. These properties will also reduce the amount of solvent necessary to ensure sufficient flow of material during 3D printing. MALDI mass spectrometry precisely shows the end group fidelity, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) demonstrates narrow mass distributions (<1.

Prospective measurement of a problem-based learning course sequence.

Objective: To measure the effect, over time, of a 2-year problem-based learning (PBL) sequence on the skills, knowledge, and abilities it was designed to develop and enhance.

Design: At the start of each PBL semester, students were provided a "work sample" case with a main medical issue not previously covered in the curriculum. A standardized form containing 6 sections (hypotheses, learning issues to investigate, how hypotheses ruled in/out, primary-problem identification, plan, and goals of plan) was completed for each case.

The effects of mirtazapine on sleep in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Mirtazapine is a commonly used antidepressant with a well-known ability to produce sedation. At the same time, its sleep-promoting effects in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) are relatively unclear. The purpose of this article is to provide clinicians with a detailed review of mirtazapine's sleep effects in patients with MDD.

The efficacy and safety of newer anticonvulsants in patients with dementia.

Anticonvulsants are a class of medications that have received considerable interest as possible treatments in patients with behavioural disturbances in dementia. The role of these medications for such a use remains controversial. The current paper reviews the published evidence surrounding the safety and efficacy (i.

Valproic acid in dementia: does an optimal dose exist?

Valproic acid is widely used in the treatment of behavioral disturbances in patients with dementia; however, there is uncertainty about its dosing and studies have reported mixed findings. The current article examines published trials of valproic acid in the treatment of patients with dementia to identify whether an optimal dosing strategy exists. Secondarily, valproic acid dosing from published studies is compared with a real-world 5-year sample of valproic acid prescribing.

Antipsychotic polypharmacy among patients admitted to a geriatric psychiatry unit.

Objectives: This study describes the prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy in patients admitted to a geriatric psychiatry unit, compares polypharmacy by psychiatric diagnosis, explores predictors of polypharmacy, and examines changes in antipsychotic polypharmacy from baseline to discharge.

Methods: A retrospective examination was made of patients admitted to an inpatient geriatric psychiatry ward between 2006 and 2010. All patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or dementia prescribed a regularly scheduled antipsychotic for at least 1 month prior to admission were included.

A module on death and dying to develop empathy in student pharmacists.

Objective: To implement an integrated module on death and dying into a 15-week bioethics course and determine whether it increased student pharmacists' empathy.

Design: Students participated in a 5-week death and dying module that included presentation of the film Wit, an interactive lecture on hospice, and a lecture on the ethics of pain management.

Assessment: Fifty-six students completed the 30-item Balanced Emotional Empathy Scale (BEES) before and after completing the module and wrote a reflective essay.

The NC Tars Project: students leading the way to educate patients about proper use of antibiotics.

Objective: To describe a North Carolina Taking Antibiotic Resistance Seriously (NC Tars) project involving a student pharmacist coalition educating patients about appropriate use of antibiotics.

Setting: Charlotte, NC, metropolitan area in October 2008.

Practice Description: Student pharmacists from the Wingate University School of Pharmacy were educated on the importance of antibiotic safety and the threat of antibiotic resistance, and groups of students were assigned to local community pharmacies where they assessed patients' knowledge of antibiotic resistance.

Quetiapine for sleep in patients with dementia.

Objective: to examine the use of quetiapine for sleep in patients with dementia admitted to a geriatric psychiatry ward.

Design: retrospective cross-sectional study (January 2007 to December 2009).

Setting: geriatric psychiatric unit located near a metropolitan city in North Carolina.

Use of psychostimulants in patients with dementia.

Objective: To review the efficacy and safety of psychostimulants for negative behavioral symptoms (ie, apathy, excessive daytime sedation) and cognition in patients with dementia.

Data Sources: Literature was accessed through PubMed and MEDLINE (1966-June 2010), using the terms stimulant, psychostimulant, methylphenidate, dexmethylphenidate, amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine, modafinil, armodafinil, dementia, Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, mixed dementia, frontotemporal dementia, therapy, treatment, and therapeutic. Additional references identified from the initial search were reviewed.