The experience and attitudes of long-term care workers with teaching and learning modalities for the delivery of continuing professional development activities: a mixed-methods study.

Aim: to develop a better understanding of the attitudes and experiences of healthcare workers and managers with face-to-face, online asynchronous (pre-recorded), and online synchronous (live) modalities for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) working in the Long-Term Care (LTC) sector.

Background: The recent global pandemic significantly interrupted the delivery and organisation of education and training for healthcare professionals internationally. As a result of the restrictions, healthcare professionals' access to CPD was limited, consequentially education and training activities were mostly delivered online.

Spatial predictors of immunotherapy response in triple-negative breast cancer.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) benefits some patients with triple-negative breast cancer, but what distinguishes responders from non-responders is unclear. Because ICB targets cell-cell interactions, we investigated the impact of multicellular spatial organization on response, and explored how ICB remodels the tumour microenvironment. We show that cell phenotype, activation state and spatial location are intimately linked, influence ICB effect and differ in sensitive versus resistant tumours early on-treatment.

Pregnancy Curriculum: Advocating for a Healthier Pregnancy in General Surgery Residency.

Introduction: With an increasing number of women entering surgical careers, pregnancy amongst surgical residents is anecdotally rising. There is no single resource to inform expectant surgical residents of potential occupational risks, or to help them optimize workplace safety during and after pregnancy. The aim of this initiative is to provide surgical residents with an overview of residency occupational risks applicable to maternal-fetal health, propose systemic and situational modifications, and to empower pregnant residents to better plan and advocate for a healthy pregnancy.

The Acute Effect of Tissue Flossing on Pain, Function, and Perception of Movement: A Pilot Study.

Tissue flossing (TF) is a novel device that has been shown to cause peripheral compression and concurrent change in joint range of motion, perception of mobility and muscular performance. However, the effect of tissue flossing on pain, perception of mobility and function at the elbow joint has not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the acute effect of TF on pain and upper extremity functional performance in subjects with musculoskeletal-related complaints of pain surrounding the elbow joint.

A dynamic model of the intestinal epithelium integrates multiple sources of preclinical data and enables clinical translation of drug-induced toxicity.

We have built a quantitative systems toxicology modeling framework focused on the early prediction of oncotherapeutic-induced clinical intestinal adverse effects. The model describes stem and progenitor cell dynamics in the small intestinal epithelium and integrates heterogeneous epithelial-related processes, such as transcriptional profiles, citrulline kinetics, and probability of diarrhea. We fitted a mouse-specific version of the model to quantify doxorubicin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced toxicity, which included pharmacokinetics and 5-FU metabolism and assumed that both drugs led to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in stem cells and proliferative progenitors.

Nephrectomy for xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis-a not-so-simple solution.

Background: Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis (XGP) is a rare chronic inflammatory condition of the kidney, associated with high patient morbidity, often requiring targeted antibiotic therapy and surgical removal of the affected kidney.

Aim: We report the outcomes of patients undergoing nephrectomy for XGP in our institution over a 12-year period.

Methods: Following ethical approval, a retrospective review of histological samples of renal tissue demonstrating features of XGP from June 2010 to 2022 was conducted.

Plasma AGE and Oxidation Products, Renal Function, and Preeclampsia in Pregnant Women with Type 1 Diabetes: A Prospective Observational Study.

Aims: We aimed to determine whether plasma advanced glycation end products or oxidation products (AGE/oxidation-P) predict altered renal function and/or preeclampsia (PE) in pregnant women with type 1 diabetes.

Methods: Prospectively, using a nested case-control design, we studied 47 pregnant women with type 1 diabetes, of whom 23 developed PE and 24 did not. Nineteen nondiabetic, normotensive pregnant women provided reference values.

Sixteen-year trends in fruit consumption and related socioeconomic inequalities among adolescents in Western European countries.

Purpose: To investigate time trends in daily fruit consumption among Western European adolescents and in related socioeconomic inequalities.

Methods: We used nationally representative data from 18 countries participating in five rounds (2002 to 2018) of the cross-sectional "Health Behaviour in School-aged Children" (HBSC) survey (n = 458,973). The questionnaire, standardised across countries and rounds, was self-administered at school by 11-, 13- and 15-year-old adolescents.

Efficiency of dosing software using Bayesian forecasting in achieving target antibiotic exposures in critically ill patients, a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Broad-spectrum antibiotics such as beta-lactams and vancomycin are frequently used to treat critically ill patients, however, a significant number do not achieve target exposures. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) combined with Bayesian forecasting dosing software may improve target attainment in these patients. This study aims to describe the efficiency of dosing software for achieving target exposures of selected beta-lactam antibiotics and vancomycin in critically ill patients.

Intentionality of Self-Generated Thought: Contributions of Mind Wandering to Creativity.

Studies suggest that internally oriented cognitive processes are central to creativity. Here, we distinguish between intentional and unintentional forms of mind wandering and explore their behavioral and neural correlates. We used a sample of 155 healthy adults from the mind-brain-body dataset, all of whom completed resting-state fMRI scans and trait-level measures of mind wandering.

Repair of Impacted Thermoplastic Composite Laminates Using Induction Welding.

The lack of well-developed repair techniques limits the use of thermoplastic composites in commercial aircraft, although trends show increased adoption of composite materials. In this study, high-performance thermoplastic composites, viz., carbon fibre (CF) reinforced Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) and Polyether ether ketone (PEEK), were subjected to low-velocity impact tests at 20 J.

The Influence of Personality Type on Patient Outcome Measures and Therapeutic Alliance in Patients with Low Back Pain.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) has been shown to have various biological, psychological, and social factors that affect prognosis. However, it is unclear how personality may influence self-reported outcome measures and therapeutic alliance (TA).

Methods: Eysenck's personality inventory was used to assess personality, while the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), Global Rating of Change (GROC), and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) measured patient progress and relationship strength.

Survival and modelled cancer antigen-125 ELIMination rate constant K score in ovarian cancer patients in first-line before poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor era: A Gynaecologic Cancer Intergroup meta-analysis.

Background: In patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the modelled CA-125 ELIMination rate constant K (KELIM) is an early indicator of the tumour intrinsic chemosensitivity. We assessed the prognostic and surrogate values of KELIM with respect to those of surgery outcome (based on post-operative residual lesions) in the Gynaecologic Cancer Intergroup (GCIG) individual patient data meta-analysis MAOV (Meta-Analysis in OVarian cancer) built before the emergence of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors.

Methods: The dataset was split into learning and validation cohorts (ratio 1:2).

Association of Circulating Plasma Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 5 (Sfrp5) Levels with Cardiac Function.

Secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5) is a novel anti-inflammatory adipokine that may play a role in cardiovascular development and disease. However, there is yet to be a comprehensive investigation into whether circulating SFRP5 can be a biomarker for cardiac function. Plasma SFRP5 levels were measured via ELISA in 262 patients admitted to a cardiology unit.

Methods for making and observing model lipid droplets.

The mechanisms by which the lipid droplet (LD) membrane is remodeled in concert with the activation of lipolysis incorporate a complex interplay of proteins, phospholipids, and neutral lipids. Model LDs (mLDs) provide an isolated, purified system for testing the mechanisms by which the droplet composition, size, shape, and tension affects triglyceride metabolism. Described here are methods of making and testing mLDs ranging from 0.

Four-color fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy with one laser and one camera.

The diffusion and reorganization of phospholipids and membrane-associated proteins are fundamental for cellular function. Fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy (FCCS) measures diffusion and molecular interactions at nanomolar concentration in biological systems. We have developed an economical method to simultaneously monitor diffusion and complexation with the use of super-continuum laser and spectral deconvolution from a single detector.

Improving Resident Hospital Discharge Communication by Changing Electronic Health Record Templates to Enhance Primary Care Provider Satisfaction.

Background And Objectives: Despite use of standardized electronic health record templates, the structure of discharge summaries may hinder communication from inpatient settings to primary care providers (PCPs). We developed an enhanced electronic discharge summary template to improve PCP satisfaction with written discharge summaries targeting diagnoses, medication reconciliation, laboratory test results, specialist follow-up, and recommendations.

Methods: Resident template usage was measured using statistical process control charts.

Novel Genomic Risk Stratification Model for Primary Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) in the Adjuvant Therapy Era.

Purpose: Traditional risk stratification schemes in gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) were defined in the pre-imatinib era and rely solely on clinicopathologic metrics. We hypothesize that genomic-based risk stratification is prognostically relevant in the current era of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapeutics.

Experimental Design: Comprehensive mutational and copy-number profiling using MSK-IMPACT was performed.

Impacts of the COVID-19 Public Health Crisis on Caring for Sex-Trafficked Persons.

Background: Sex trafficking of persons, a pervasive public health issue disproportionately affecting the most marginalized within society, often leads to health as well as social consequences. Social service provision to meet the resulting needs is critical, however, little is known about the current pandemic's impact on providers' capacity to deliver requisite care.

Method: To examine social service providers' perspectives of care provision for domestically sex-trafficked persons in Ontario, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 providers and analyzed these using Braun and Clarke's analytic framework.

Investigation of the "Surgical Cuts CO Laser Therapy Technique" to Treat Minor Burn Scar Contractures in Children.

Fractional carbon dioxide (CO) laser therapy has been shown to improve scar contractures following burns. However, the benefits of using other CO laser techniques to treat burn scar contractures are relatively unknown. This pilot study investigated a CO laser technique in which a series of perpendicular "surgical cuts" were created along the contracture.

Video-Based Educational Interventions for Patients With Chronic Illnesses: Systematic Review.

Background: With rising time constraints, health care professionals increasingly depend on technology to provide health advice and teach patients how to manage chronic disease. The effectiveness of video-based tools in improving knowledge, health behaviors, disease severity, and health care use for patients with major chronic illnesses is not well understood.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the current literature regarding the efficacy of video-based educational tools for patients in improving process and outcome measures across several chronic illnesses.