Identifying High-Impact and Managing Low-Impact Assessment Practices.

Those in pharmacy education who are tasked with assessment may be overwhelmed by deadlines, data collection, and reporting, leaving little time to pause and examine the effectiveness of their efforts. However, assessment practices must be evaluated for their impact, including their ability to answer important questions, use resources effectively, and contribute to meaningful educational change. Often assessments are implemented, but then attention is diverted to another assessment before the data from the former assessment can be fully interpreted or used.

Major venous injury and large volume crystalloid resuscitation: A limb threatening combination.

Introduction: Major venous injury (MVI) affecting the lower extremity can result in subsequent amputation. The contribution of intraoperative resuscitation efforts on the need for amputation is not well defined. We hypothesized that intraoperative large volume crystalloid resuscitation (LVCR) increases the risk of amputation after MVI, while massive transfusion (MT) does not.

Soluble and Insoluble Yeast -Glucan Differentially Affect Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in Marathon Runners: A Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

In a previous study, consumption of a dairy beverage incorporating insoluble -glucan decreased upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) symptomatic days and severity in marathon runners. In this report, we extended our previous findings by presenting data on a dairy beverage containing soluble -glucan and URTI in marathon runners. Healthy adults running in the 2017 Austin Marathon consumed dairy beverages (250 mL/day) containing 250 mg of insoluble ( = 69) or soluble ( = 76) baker's yeast -glucan (Wellmune) or placebo ( = 133) for the 45 days before, day of, and 45 days after the marathon (91 days total).

No stone unturned: Nodule Net, an intervention to reduce loss to follow-up of lung nodules.

Objective: Inadequate lung nodule surveillance leads to diagnostic delays. We implemented a retrospective intervention program, Nodule Net, to improve surveillance in our hospital.

Methods: 9,224 Chest computed tomography (CT) scans between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016 were manually reviewed for lung nodules.

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis in nutrition research.

There exists an ever-increasing number of systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, in the field of nutrition. Concomitant with this increase is the increased use of such to guide future research as well as both practice and policy-based decisions. Given this increased production and consumption, a need exists to educate both producers and consumers of systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, on how to conduct and evaluate high-quality reviews of this nature in nutrition.

Obesity and cardiovascular outcomes: another look at a meta-analysis of Mendelian randomization studies.

This study used the inverse variance heterogeneity (IVhet) model to conduct a reanalysis of a recent meta-analysis that reported a positive association, based on the random-effects (RE) model, between obesity and the incidence of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease, but not all-cause stroke, in adults. Data emanated from a recent meta-analysis of five Mendelian randomization studies representing 881,692 adults. Results were pooled using the IVhet model and reported as OR's and 95% CI.

Strategies for the successful implementation of disinfecting port protectors to reduce CLABSI in a large tertiary care teaching hospital.

Disinfecting port protectors are a supplement to the central line-associated bloodstream infection prevention bundle as an optional recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite evidence of effectiveness, few centers have successfully reported systematic, sustained implementation of these devices. In this article, we discuss a successful implementation in a large tertiary care teaching hospital, using an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach.

A defective release of host defense peptides is present in canine atopic skin.

The use of dogs as animal model for human atopic dermatitis (AD) is well known. Striking similarities in the pathogenesis of AD have been demonstrated. Similar alteration of host defense peptides (HDP) have been identified in both species.

Leisure Time Physical Activity Reduces the Risk for Stroke in Adults: A Reanalysis of a Meta-Analysis Using the Inverse-Heterogeneity Model.

Objective: Apply more robust and additional analyses to a previous meta-analysis that reported statistically significant associations between leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and stroke.

Methods: A reanalysis of a previous meta-analysis that included nine prospective cohort studies representing 269,594 men and women 25-84 years of age and in which the association between LTPA and incident stroke was examined. Follow-up periods ranged from 7.

Preliminary evaluation of the , a FHIR-based approach for integrating health information exchange information directly into the clinical workflow.

Despite efforts aimed at improving the integration of clinical data from health information exchanges (HIE) and electronic health records (EHR), interoperability remains limited. Barriers due to inefficiencies and workflow interruptions make using HIE data during care delivery difficult. Capitalizing on the development of the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) specification, we designed and developed a Chest Pain Dashboard that integrates HIE data into EHRs.

Benign Anal Disease: Implementation of an Educational Program Across Specialties.

Background: Benign anal diseases, including hemorrhoids, fissures, abscesses, fistulas, and anal condylomata, affect 10%-15% of our population. Most patients seen by nonsurgical providers experience delayed treatment. We examined at our institution whether an educational session on anorectal diseases would benefit trainees from medical and surgical specialties.

Indirect Effects in Sequential Mediation Models: Evaluating Methods for Hypothesis Testing and Confidence Interval Formation.

Complex mediation models, such as a two-mediator sequential model, have become more prevalent in the literature. To test an indirect effect in a two-mediator model, we conducted a large-scale Monte Carlo simulation study of the Type I error, statistical power, and confidence interval coverage rates of 10 frequentist and Bayesian confidence/credible intervals (CIs) for normally and nonnormally distributed data. The simulation included never-studied methods and conditions (e.

Reducing cryoEM file storage using lossy image formats.

Recent advances in instrumentation and software for cryoEM have increased the applicability and utility of this method. High levels of automation and faster data acquisition rates require hard decisions to be made regarding data retention. Here we investigate the efficacy of data compression applied to aligned summed movie files.

A comparison of EMG output of four lower extremity muscles during selected yoga postures.

The purpose of this study was to use surface electromyography (EMG) analysis to examine the muscle activation of the anterior tibialis (TA), gastrocnemius (GA), rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles during several yoga poses: tree pose (Vrksashana), half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana) and warrior III (Virabadrasana) when compared to a rest pose (mountain pose). Ten healthy females with more than 3 months of continuous yoga experience who practiced at least 1.5 h per week were recruited.

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis in rheumatology: a gentle introduction for clinicians.

Given the plethora of studies today on the same topic, clinicians in rheumatology as well as others increasingly rely on systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, to aid in their evidence-based decision-making. However, given time constraints, staying up-to-date on current methods for conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well as interpreting the results of these reviews for application in clinical practice can be challenging. The purpose of this paper is to try and address this gap.

Comparison of Children's Double Dichotic Digits and SCAN-3 Competing Words Free Recall Scores.

Background: Practice guidelines do not specify which test recordings are best for assessing dichotic deficit or interaural asymmetry. Dichotic Digits and SCAN-3 Competing Words Free Recall are among the most widely used dichotic tests, but it is not known if the choice of test results in important differences in the identification of children with deficits or if they can be used interchangeably.

Purpose: To determine whether two commonly used dichotic tests, SCAN-3 Competing Words Free Recall (CW) and Musiek's Dichotic Digits (DD), agree on interaural asymmetry and dichotic deficit in children.

Cytogenetic, Genomic, and Functional Characterization of Pituitary Gonadotrope Cell Lines.

LT2 and T3-1 are important, widely studied cell line models for the pituitary gonadotropes that were generated by targeted tumorigenesis in transgenic mice. LT2 cells are more mature gonadotrope precursors than T3-1 cells. Microsatellite authentication patterns, chromosomal characteristics, and their intercellular variation have not been reported.

Outcomes in the radiosurgical management of metastatic spine disease.

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a common treatment option for patients with metastatic tumors of the spine. The optimal treatment-, tumor-, and patient-specific characteristics necessary to achieve durable outcomes remain less well understood given the heterogeneous nature of the patient population this modality typically serves. The objective of this analysis was to better understand the determinants underlying SBRT spine treatment outcomes.

Employment Trends for Doctor of Pharmacy Graduates of Research-Intensive Institutions, 2013-2017.

To determine the current state of employment for doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) graduates based on 5-year trends among graduates of research-intensive institutions and the Pharmacist Demand Index. Data from a cross-sectional survey of PharmD graduates from 10 research-intensive colleges of pharmacy conducted over a 5-year period were used to generate an overview of graduating students' experiences and the outcomes of their job searches. The average response rate of graduates of programs over the 5 years was 75.

Dichotic Listening Test-Retest Reliability in Children.

Purpose The objective of the study was to compare test-retest reliability of three dichotic listening tests: SCAN-3 Competing Words Test (Words; Keith, 2009a , 2009b ), Double Dichotic Digits Test (Digits; Musiek, 1983a ), and Bergen Dichotic Listening Test With Consonant-Vowel Syllables (Syllables; Hugdahl & Hammar, 1997 ). Method Sixty English-speaking children, 7-14 years old with normal hearing, had a single study visit during which each test was administered twice. Changes on retest were summarized by within-subject standard deviation ( S ), compared among tests, and compared with binomial model predictions.

Early Use of a Chest Trauma Protocol in Elderly Patients with Rib Fractures Improves Pulmonary Outcomes.

Rib fractures are among the most common injuries identified in blunt trauma patients. Morbidity increases with increasing age and increasing number of rib fractures. The use of noninvasive ventilation has been shown to be helpful as a rescue technique avoiding intubation in patients who have become hypoxemic but little data with regard to its use to prophylactically prevent worsening respiratory status are available.

Discussion of preoperative mammography in women undergoing reduction mammaplasty.

Purpose: Reduction mammaplasty is one of the most common procedures performed by plastic surgeons. Previous studies demonstrated that most plastic surgeons do not require preoperative mammography prior to reduction mammaplasty. The incidental discovery of malignant or high-risk lesions in breast reduction specimens may preclude the possibility of breast-conserving surgery.

Common language effect size for correlations.

The Pearson correlation coefficient can be translated to a common language effect size, which shows the probability of obtaining a certain value on one variable, given the value on the other variable. This common language effect size makes the size of a correlation coefficient understandable to laypeople. Three examples are provided to demonstrate the application of the common language effect size in interpreting Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple correlation coefficients.

Implementation of a medical coding curriculum for surgery residents.

Background: Medical coding knowledge is important for practice. We hypothesized that general surgery residents lack confidence in medical coding (MC) and that implementation of focused didactics would increase resident confidence and knowledge.

Methods: A MC curriculum was delivered to general surgery residents covering domains of the global procedural period (GPP), evaluation and management (E/M) coding, and hospital payment and quality metrics (HPQM).