Somatic inactivating PTPRJ mutations and dysregulated pathways identified in canine malignant melanoma by integrated comparative genomic analysis.

Canine malignant melanoma, a significant cause of mortality in domestic dogs, is a powerful comparative model for human melanoma, but little is known about its genetic etiology. We mapped the genomic landscape of canine melanoma through multi-platform analysis of 37 tumors (31 mucosal, 3 acral, 2 cutaneous, and 1 uveal) and 17 matching constitutional samples including long- and short-insert whole genome sequencing, RNA sequencing, array comparative genomic hybridization, single nucleotide polymorphism array, and targeted Sanger sequencing analyses. We identified novel predominantly truncating mutations in the putative tumor suppressor gene PTPRJ in 19% of cases.

Psychometric Testing of the Self-Efficacy for Interdisciplinary Plans of Care Scale.

Computerized interdisciplinary plans of care have revitalized nurse-centric care plans into dynamic and meaningful electronic documents. To maximize the benefits of these documents, it is important to understand healthcare professionals' attitudes, specifically their confidence, for making computerized interdisciplinary care plans useful and meaningful documents. The purpose of the study was to test the psychometric properties of the Self-Efficacy for Interdisciplinary Plans of Care instrument intended to measure healthcare professionals' self-efficacy for using such documents.

Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Practice Tutorial for Nurses: A Useful Tool and Some Lessons Learned.

Although evidence-based practice (EBP) and research is important to hospitals and nursing staff interested in achieving Magnet status, a more important purpose is the improvement of patient care. As the nursing staff of UConn Health and its John Dempsey Hospital began its initial assessment prior to embarking on the journey for Magnet status, staff nurses were found to lack skills in searching vetted sources of EBP literature and appraising the results of a search. To address this need, a librarian at UConn Health, in collaboration with the hospital's Nursing Research steering committee, developed an online, self-paced EBP tutorial.