Combined Thoracoscopic Surgical Stapling and Endobronchial Valve Placement For Lung Volume Reduction With Incomplete Lobar Fissures: An Experimental Pilot Animal Study.

Background: In patients with severe emphysema and complete fissures, bronchoscopic lung volume reduction with valves reduces target lobe volume providing improvement in respiratory symptoms, lung function, quality of life, and exercise capacity. It is estimated that up to 88% of patients with emphysema have at least 1 incomplete interlobar fissure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of creating a complete fissure with stapling via minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) followed by bronchoscopic valve placement to induce lobar collapse in a swine model.

A comparison of health professions student attitudes regarding tobacco curricula and interventionist roles.

Health care providers who feel prepared are more apt to assume tobacco interventionist roles; therefore, educational preparation is critical. A nonprobability sample of health professions students at an urban academic health center were asked to respond to a twenty-two-item survey eliciting demographic, behavioral, and tobacco-related attitudinal information. Frequency distributions were assessed with Pearson chi-square statistics.

A study of Maryland dental hygienists' perceptions regarding self-assessment.

Purpose: This research applied the Theory of Reasoned Action to study dental hygienists' perceptions about self-assessment (SA). This theory suggests that individuals are likely to exhibit a given behavior, i.e.

Dental hygiene self-assessment: a key to quality care.

Purpose: To help achieve the goal of delivering quality care to the public, this study applied the Theory of Reasoned Action to dental hygienists' self-assessment (appraisal of one's performance). This theory suggests that individuals are likely to exhibit a given behavior, i.e.

Oral health services in primary care nursing centers: opportunities for dental hygiene and nursing collaboration.

Purpose: The basic oral health needs of more than 100 million Americans are not being met, which places them at an increased risk for serious oral and systemic health consequences. Primary care nursing centers, a comparatively new method of health care delivery, provide health care screening, education, and referral services to person typically underserved in the traditional health care delivery system. Primary care nursing centers were surveyed to determine to what extent they provide oral health screening, education, and referral services for clients, and to identify factors that discourage and encourage the integration of these services.