The positive impact of a telemedicine education program on healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada.

Context The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health care service and delivery has been profound. In addition to shifting and expanding clinical responsibilities, rapidly evolving information and guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for healthcare workers (HCWs) to synthesize and translate COVID-19 information into practice. Objective The objectives of this study are 1) to examine the impact of a telemedicine education program on HCW's self-efficacy and satisfaction and 2) to explore HCWs' experience in the program and context of practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Positive impact of a telemedicine education program on practicing health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada: A mixed methods study of an Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) program.

Introduction: In addition to shifting and expanding clinical responsibilities, rapidly evolving information and guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for health care workers (HCW) to synthesise and translate COVID-19 information into practice. This study evaluated whether a COVID-19-specific telemedicine education program (ECHO COVID) would impact health care workers' self-efficacy and satisfaction in the management of patients with COVID-19.

Methods: A prospective mixed methods parallel-design study was conducted among ECHO COVID participants using pre-post questionnaires and a focus group discussion.

A Qualitative Investigation Into Faith and LGBTQ Identities in a Nonclinical Sample of Readers of the Dear Abby Column: The Dear Abby Project.

To better understand the relationship between faith and LGBTQ+ identity, we conducted a qualitative analysis of 86 respondents to a general question posed through the Dear Abby column. Responses were anonymized and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Analysis revealed six themes, reflecting a diversity of lived experience from community rejection to acceptance, and self-rejection to feelings of acceptance by God.

Feasibility and Limitations of Proning Protocol for Nonintubated Patients With COVID-19.

Proning awake patients with COVID-19 is associated with lower mortality and intubation rates. However, these studies also demonstrate low participation rates and tolerance of awake proning. In this study, we attempt to understand barriers to proning.

Intensive and app-delivered occupational therapy to improve upper extremity function in early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: a pilot two-arm trial.

Objective: SSc reduces upper extremity function and performance of everyday activities; however, there are few evidence-based rehabilitation interventions. This study examined short and longer-term effects of two occupational therapy interventions on hand disability.

Methods: Participants with diffuse cutaneous SSc were randomized to one of two 18-week interventions: Intensive group, receiving eight weekly in-person occupational therapy sessions with App-delivered home exercises, or App Alone group.

Collagen IV dysfunction in glomerular basement membrane diseases. III. A functional framework for α345 hexamer assembly.

We identified a genetic variant, an 8-residue appendage, of the α345 hexamer of collagen IV present in patients with glomerular basement membrane diseases, Goodpasture's disease and Alport syndrome, and determined the long-awaited crystal structure of the hexamer. We sought to elucidate how variants cause glomerular basement membrane disease by exploring the mechanism of the hexamer assembly. Chloride ions induced in vitro hexamer assembly in a composition-specific manner in the presence of equimolar concentrations of α3, α4, and α5 NC1 monomers.

Development of a Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Protocol to Examine Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Outcomes in Systemic Sclerosis.

Objectives: This study developed a musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) protocol to evaluate rehabilitation outcomes in systemic sclerosis.

Materials & Methods: Three MSUS methods (grey scale, Doppler, strain elastography) and two acquisition techniques (long versus short axis; transducer on skin versus floating on gel) were examined in the forearm before and after rehabilitation treatment. For grey-scale, tissue thickness measures, intra- and inter-rater reliability were calculated (ICCs), and paired t-tests examined differences among techniques.

Assessment of metal contamination in Arabian/Persian Gulf fish: A review.

Metal contamination in fish is a concern worldwide, including in the Arabian/Persian Gulf region. This review summarizes the findings from 55 papers about metal concentrations in Gulf fish. Metal concentrations in muscle tissue were screened against the most recent maximum allowable levels (MALs) for fish in international commerce.

Cardiac arrhythmia considerations of hormone cancer therapies.

Breast and prostate cancers are among the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Oestradiol and progesterone are major drivers for breast cancer proliferation, and androgens for prostate cancer. Endocrine therapies are drugs that interfere with hormone-activated pathways to slow cancer progression.

Occupational Therapy Treatment to Improve Upper Extremity Function in Individuals with Early Systemic Sclerosis: A Pilot Study.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and preliminary effects of occupational therapy to improve upper extremity function in patients with early systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma) who have upper extremity contractures.

Methods: A single-group pilot clinical rehabilitation trial was conducted at the University of Michigan Scleroderma Center. Patients with SSc and ≥1 upper extremity contracture (n = 21) participated in a total of 8 weekly in-person occupational therapy sessions.

Cardiovascular care of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) on tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy.

Cardiovascular (CV) health has emerged as an important consideration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) because of improved prognosis. Indeed, the success of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has increased the focus on survivorship and late toxicity in oncological care. Survivorship issues in this population include CV disease prevention, given its prevalence in the general population.

Loss of the melanocortin-4 receptor in mice causes dilated cardiomyopathy.

Haploinsufficiency of the melanocortin-4 receptor, the most common monogenetic obesity syndrome in humans, is associated with a reduction in autonomic tone, bradycardia, and incidence of obesity-associated hypertension. Thus, it has been assumed that melanocortin obesity syndrome may be protective with respect to obesity-associated cardiovascular disease. We show here that absence of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) in mice causes dilated cardiomyopathy, characterized by reduced contractility and increased left ventricular diameter.

Pathogen reduction co-benefits of nutrient best management practices.

Background: Many of the practices currently underway to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads entering the Chesapeake Bay have also been observed to support reduction of disease-causing pathogen loadings. We quantify how implementation of these practices, proposed to meet the nutrient and sediment caps prescribed by the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), could reduce pathogen loadings and provide public health co-benefits within the Chesapeake Bay system.

Methods: We used published data on the pathogen reduction potential of management practices and baseline fecal coliform loadings estimated as part of prior modeling to estimate the reduction in pathogen loadings to the mainstem Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay attributable to practices implemented as part of the TMDL.

The Growing Regulation of Conversion Therapy.

Conversion therapies are any treatments, including individual talk therapy, behavioral (e.g. aversive stimuli), group therapy or milieu (e.

Towards Advancing Knowledge Translation of AAC Outcomes Research for Children and Youth with Complex Communication Needs.

The production of new knowledge in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) requires effective processes to leverage the different perspectives of researchers and knowledge users and improve prospects for utilization in clinical settings. This article describes the motivation, planning, process, and outcomes for a novel knowledge translation workshop designed to influence future directions for AAC outcomes research for children with complex communication needs. Invited knowledge users from 20 pediatric AAC clinics and researchers engaged in the collaborative development of research questions using a framework designed for the AAC field.

Site-specific inheritance of basal cell carcinoma.

We report a 21-year-old white woman who developed a large basal cell carcinoma (BCC) on her left upper vermilion border. Her mother and maternal grandmother both had a history of BCCs occurring in the same location. No documented BCC-related genetic disorder was suspected.

Motherhood in women with serious mental illness.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of motherhood among inpatient females at a large state psychiatric hospital in suburban New York, as well as develop an understanding of the characteristics and needs of this unique population. Data on motherhood status was gathered from October 2010 through April 2011 via medical records. Data on custody status, frequency of contacts with children, and effect of mental illness on parenting was assessed through patient surveys and focus groups.

Recovery as the new medical model for psychiatry.

Treatment grounded in recovery principles is often viewed as not being based on the "medical model." In this Open Forum the author asserts that recovery from mental illness is entirely compatible with concepts of recovery from medical illness and with new approaches to medical treatment. Three ways of conceptualizing recovery are defined: clinical recovery, illness management, and personal recovery.

A day in the life of a public psychiatry fellow.

Now in its 29th year, the Public Psychiatry Fellowship of the New York Psychiatric Institute at Columbia Medical Center selects 10 fellows per year for its 1-year program (1). This award-winning fellowship trains future leaders for the public mental health sector. The curriculum (2) employs a combination of a didactic seminar series, management-problem-focused presentations by guest speakers, field trips, and supervision by fellowship faculty to instill the values and skills required for practice and leadership in the public sector.

The role of the psychiatrist as advocate.

There are a number of ways in which a psychiatrist or other mental health professional can advocate for mental health issues. The author uses her own involvement in the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP) as a way to illustrate the advocacy role. Challenges and accomplishments with respect to that role and the organization's work are discussed.

Comparison of lipids of sea urchin egg ghosts prepared before and after fertilization.

Lipids from surface ghosts, prepared from sea urchin eggs before and after fertilization, differ in the relative proportions of neutral and polar lipids. Percents of triglyceride and phosphatidyl serine or inositol increase while percent phosphatidyl choline decrease after fertilization. Fatty acids from GLC of lipid fractions (triglycerides, free fatty acids, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline, and phosphatidyl serine or inositol) are characteristic for each fraction, and differ quantitatively in ghosts before and after fertilization.