Building a Prevention Clinic at the Northport VA to Improve Pneumonia Vaccination Numbers.

Introduction: Pneumonia vaccination rates have increased to >60% over the last 20 years. At the Long Island, New York, Northport VA Hospital, pneumonia vaccination data from 2021 showed a vaccination rate of 68.55%.

Improving hepatitis B screening and vaccination rates in a veterans affairs resident-based primary care clinic.

Introduction: In 2022, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) updated its recommendation regarding hepatitis B vaccination and advised vaccination for all adults aged 19-59 regardless of risk factors and those 60 years and older with risk factors. Adults 60 years and older without known risk factors may also be vaccinated. Our project aimed to spread awareness of the updated hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination guideline and improve HBV vaccination rates among veterans in a resident-based primary care clinic.

Implementing a Financial Decision-Making Scale in APS Financial Exploitation Investigations: Use of the PARIHS Conceptual Framework.

Background And Objectives: Adult protective services (APS) agencies investigate cases of financial exploitation, and a critical aspect of such investigations is often the assessment of decision-making abilities. This study examined APS workers' implementation of a 10-item financial decision-making screening tool, the Financial Decision Tracker (FDT), across a 34-month period: pre-COVID-19, throughout COVID-19 restrictions, and for 1 year following the restrictions.

Research Design And Methods: Using the Promoting Action in Research Implementation in the Health Services implementation science conceptual framework, we examined aspects of context, facilitation, and evidence to determine how well APS workers were trained, certified, and skilled in using the FDT.

Beer Potomania: Why Initial Fluid Resuscitation May Be Harmful.

Beer potomania is one of the less common causes of hyponatremia that we encounter. Patients usually have a recent history of binge drinking along with poor diet. The low solute content in alcoholic beverages limits daily urine output, and ingestion of extra fluid will cause dilutional hyponatremia as a result.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Impacts Burnout Syndrome Differently Among Multiprofessional Critical Care Clinicians-A Longitudinal Survey Study.

Objectives: To determine the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 on burnout syndrome in the multiprofessional ICU team and to identify factors associated with burnout syndrome.

Design: Longitudinal, cross-sectional survey.

Setting: All adult ICUs within an academic health system.

Initiation, dropout, and outcome from evidence-based psychotherapies in a VA PTSD outpatient clinic.

Trauma-focused, evidence-based psychotherapies (TF-EBPs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been widely promoted in the Veterans Health Administration to provide access to state-of-the-art treatments, but dropout rates may affect the impact of TF-EBPs. The current study summarizes findings from a program evaluation of 67 veterans assigned to trauma-focused treatment in a Veterans Affairs outpatient PTSD clinic. Outcomes of interest include attendance rates, dropout rates and patterns, treatment paths, changes in self-reported symptoms, and clinician ratings.

ENU mutagenesis in mice identifies candidate genes for hypogonadism.

Genome-wide mutagenesis was performed in mice to identify candidate genes for male infertility, for which the predominant causes remain idiopathic. Mice were mutagenized using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), bred, and screened for phenotypes associated with the male urogenital system. Fifteen heritable lines were isolated and chromosomal loci were assigned using low-density genome-wide SNP arrays.

Evaluating the clinical efficacy of a primary care-focused, nurse-led, consultation liaison model for perinatal mental health.

In Australia, perinatal mental illness is common, although poorly identified and treated. Improved perinatal mental health depends on service provision models that reflect a focus on promotion, prevention, and early intervention, while facilitating improved referral pathways between primary health and specialist mental health services. In 2008, a contemporary community-based model of mental health service provision was developed as an alternative to the pre-existing hospital-based service model.

A missense mutation in LRR8 of RXFP2 is associated with cryptorchidism.

Using genome-wide mutagenesis with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU), a mouse mutant with cryptorchidism was identified. Genome mapping and exon sequencing identified a novel missense mutation (D294G) in Relaxin/insulin-like family peptide receptor 2 (Rxfp2). The mutation impaired testicular descent and resulted in decreased testis weight in Rxfp2 ( DG/DG ) mice compared to Rxfp2 (+/DG ) and Rxfp2 (+/+) mice.

Identification of chemically diverse Chk1 inhibitors by receptor-based virtual screening.

Inhibition of the Chk1 kinase by small molecules is of great therapeutic interest for oncology and in understanding the cellular regulation of the G2/M checkpoint. We report how computational docking of a large electronic catalogue of compounds to an X-ray structure of the Chk1 ATP-binding site allowed prioritisation of a small subset of these compounds for assay. This led to the discovery of 10 novel Chk1 inhibitors, distributed among nine new and clearly different chemical scaffolds.

The whole truth: comparative analysis of diaphragmatic hernia repair using 4-ply vs 8-ply small intestinal submucosa in a growing animal model.

Background: Diaphragmatic reconstruction remains a challenging problem. There is limited information concerning the use of small intestinal submucosa (SIS) in congenital diaphragmatic hernia repair. A canine model was used to evaluate the use of a SIS patch in diaphragmatic reconstruction.

Identification of a buried pocket for potent and selective inhibition of Chk1: prediction and verification.

Inhibition of the Chk1 kinase by small molecules binding to its active site is a strategy of great therapeutic interest for oncology. We report how computational modelling predicted the binding mode of ligands of special interest to the Chk1 ATP site, for representatives of an indazole series and debromohymenialdisine. These binding modes were subsequently confirmed by X-ray crystallography.

Structure-based design of novel Chk1 inhibitors: insights into hydrogen bonding and protein-ligand affinity.

We report the discovery, synthesis, and crystallographic binding mode of novel furanopyrimidine and pyrrolopyrimidine inhibitors of the Chk1 kinase, an oncology target. These inhibitors are synthetically tractable and inhibit Chk1 by competing for its ATP site. A chronological account allows an objective comparison of modeled compound docking modes to the subsequently obtained crystal structures.

Comparison of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder among three Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

The objective of the present study was to compare three specialized treatment programs for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in different Veterans Affairs medical centers, in terms of the format of therapeutic services and the medications prescribed for PTSD. Chart review methods were used to examine medical records for 50 patients from each facility over a 6-month period. Results indicated that the medications prescribed were fairly consistent across sites, although they were not always consistent with treatment recommendations.

Intravenous catheter training system: computer-based education versus traditional learning methods.

Background: Virtual reality simulators allow trainees to practice techniques without consequences, reduce potential risk associated with training, minimize animal use, and help to develop standards and optimize procedures. Current intravenous (IV) catheter placement training methods utilize plastic arms, however, the lack of variability can diminish the educational stimulus for the student. This study compares the effectiveness of an interactive, multimedia, virtual reality computer IV catheter simulator with a traditional laboratory experience of teaching IV venipuncture skills to both nursing and medical students.

Acetylcholine-secreting cells improve age-induced memory deficits.

The present study examined whether aged rats with naturally occurring cognitive deficits in spatial learning and memory would benefit from local chronic supplementation of acetylcholine. Aged impaired and aged unimpaired rats were pretested in the water maze to characterize the extent of age-induced cognitive impairment. Groups were matched for extent of deficits.