Interprofessional Post-Graduate Training Model for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Trainees.

Context: People living with serious illness and their care partners rely on team-based specialty hospice and palliative care (HPC) in order to achieve high quality end of life outcomes. In HPC, physician and nurse practitioner (NP) scope of practice has significant overlap so training together may offer benefits to clinicians and patients.

Objectives: Assessment of clinical competencies in a post-graduate training program consisting of NPs and physicians training and learning side-by-side.

Quantitative Feedback Referencing for Improved Kinetic Fitting of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Measurements.

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) has matured as a technique for studying local electrochemical processes. The feedback mode is most commonly used for extracting quantitative kinetic information. However, approaching individual regions of interest, as is commonly done, does not take full advantage of the spatial resolution that SECM has to offer.

Validating Whole Slide Imaging Systems for Diagnostic Purposes in Pathology.

Context.—: The original guideline, "Validating Whole Slide Imaging for Diagnostic Purposes in Pathology," was published in 2013 and included 12 guideline statements. The College of American Pathologists convened an expert panel to update the guideline following standards established by the National Academies of Medicine for developing trustworthy clinical practice guidelines.

Super-resolution Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy.

To achieve super-resolution scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), we must overcome the theoretical limitation associated with noncontact electrochemical imaging of surface-generated species. This is the requirement for mass transfer to the electrode, which gives rise to the diffusional broadening of surface features. In this work, a procedure is developed for overcoming this limitation and thus generating "super-resolved" images using point spread function (PSF)-based deconvolution, where the point conductor plays the same role as the point emitter in optical imaging.

National Society for Histotechnology and Digital Pathology Association Online Self-Paced Digital Pathology Certificate of Completion Program.

The field of digital pathology has rapidly expanded within the last few years with increasing adoption and growth in popularity. As digital pathology matures, it is apparent that we need well-trained individuals to manage our whole-slide imaging systems. This editorial introduces the joint National Society for Histotechnology and Digital Pathology Association online self-paced digital pathology certificate program which was launched in May 2018 that was established to meet this demand.

Evaluating the Use of Edge Detection in Extracting Feature Size from Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Images.

The edge of a reactive or topographical feature is hard to estimate from feedback-based scanning electrochemical microscopy due to diffusional blurring, but is crucial to determining the accurate size and shape of these features. In this work, numerical simulations are used to demonstrate that the inflection point in a 1D line scan corresponds well to the true feature edge. This approach is then applied in 2D using the Canny algorithm to experimental images of two model substrates and a biological sample.

Simultaneous Electrochemical and Emission Monitoring of Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence through Instrument Hyphenation.

One of the long-standing challenges to performing electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) research is the need for dedicated instrumentation or highly customized cells to achieve reproducibility. This manuscript describes an approach to designing ECL systems through the hyphenation of existing laboratory instruments, which provide innate time correlation of electrochemical and emission data. This design methodology lowers the entry barrier required to obtaining reproducible ECL measurements and provides flexibility in the scope of applications.

Evaluation of T cell infiltration in matched biopsy and nephrectomy samples in renal cell carcinoma.

T cell infiltration in tumors has been investigated as a biomarker of response to checkpoint inhibitors. Neo-adjuvant studies in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) may provide a unique opportunity to compare T cell infiltration in a pretreatment renal mass biopsy to a posttreatment nephrectomy specimen, and thus evaluate the effects of immune checkpoint inhibitors. However, there are no data regarding the association of T cell infiltration in matched biopsy and nephrectomy samples without intervening treatment.

Altered Spatial Resolution of Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy Induced by Multifunctional Dual-Barrel Microelectrodes.

The nonuniform diffusion profile to the edge of many multifunctional microelectrodes has the potential to give rise to distortions in its imaging capability, reducing the spatial accuracy of the techniques they are used in. In this work, numerical simulations are used to predict these distortions for dual-barrel electrodes used in the combined feedback/generation-collection mode of scanning electrochemical microscopy imaging a model substrate. The sensitivity of this distortion to tip-substrate distance, electrolyte composition, and size and shape of a reactive substrate feature are discussed.

What happens during early outpatient palliative care consultations for persons with newly diagnosed advanced cancer? A qualitative analysis of provider documentation.

Background: Early outpatient palliative care consultations are recommended by clinical oncology guidelines globally. Despite these recommendations, it is unclear which components should be included in these encounters.

Aim: Describe the evaluation and treatment recommendations made in early outpatient palliative care consultations.

Acceptability and Impact of a Required Palliative Care Rotation with Prerotation and Postrotation Observed Simulated Clinical Experience during Internal Medicine Residency Training on Primary Palliative Communication Skills.

Background: Improving communication training for primary palliative care using a required palliative care rotation for internal medicine (IM) residents has not been assessed.

Objective: To assess skills acquisition and acceptability for IM residents not selecting an elective.

Design: A consecutive, single-arm cohort underwent preobjective structured clinical examination (OSCE) with learner-centric feedback, two weeks of clinical experience, and finally a post-OSCE to crystallize learner-centric take home points.

Adaptation by the collecting duct to an exogenous acid load is blunted by deletion of the proton-sensing receptor GPR4.

We previously reported that the deletion of the pH sensor GPR4 causes a non-gap metabolic acidosis and defective net acid excretion (NAE) in the GPR4 knockout mouse (GPR4-/-) (Sun X, Yang LV, Tiegs BC, Arend LJ, McGraw DW, Penn RB, and Petrovic S. J Am Soc Nephrol 21: 1745-1755, 2010). Since the major regulatory site of NAE in the kidney is the collecting duct (CD), we examined acid-base transport proteins in intercalated cells (ICs) of the CD and found comparable mRNA expression of kidney anion exchanger 1 (kAE1), pendrin, and the a4 subunit of H(+)-ATPase in GPR4-/- vs.

Medical management of a patent urachus in a southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) calf.

A female southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) calf presented with a patent urachus at 5 days of age. It was immobilized for examination and medical treatment was elected over surgical repair. Systemic antibiotics and topical treatment of the site by cleaning with chlorhexidine solution were followed by silver nitrate cautery.

Developing successful models of cancer palliative care services.

Objectives: This article describes successful institutionally based programs for providing high-quality palliative care to persons with cancer and their family members. Challenges and opportunities for program development are also described.

Data Sources: Published literature from 2000 to present describing concurrent oncology palliative care clinical trials, standards, and guidelines were reviewed.

Case cancellations on the day of surgery: an investigation in an Australian paediatric hospital.

Background: This study investigates case cancellations on the intended day of surgery (DOS) at a paediatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The hospital in Melbourne treats over 32 000 inpatients annually and handles both elective and emergency cases.

Methods: The data for this paper were collected over a period of 12 months, from June 2004 to June 2005.

Medication kits for managing symptomatic emergencies in the home: a survey of common hospice practice.

Introduction: Alleviation of symptoms associated with advanced illness and dying is a fundamental goal and core principle of palliative care. Little research exists regarding hospice programs' practices for prescribing, dispensing, and utilizing medication kits in the home for management of uncontrolled symptoms.

Methods: We conducted a telephone survey of all 22 agencies in New Hampshire providing home hospice care.