The Impact of Nursing Education on Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Prevention Bundle to Reduce Incidence of Infection: A Quality Improvement Project.

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a health care-acquired infection that leads to poor patient outcomes, increased length of hospital stay, exhaustion of health care resources, and unnecessary increases in health care costs.

Objectives: This project was designed to educate registered nurses on the importance of an evidence-based VAP prevention bundle that reduces the overall incidence of VAP infections.

Methods: Patients (N = 146) were enrolled in this quasi-experimental project that took place in a 14-bed neuro trauma surgical burn intensive care unit (ICU) at a level 1 trauma center.

Antecedents to Sexual Harassment of Women in Selected Male-Dominated Occupations: A Systematic Review.

Background: Approximately 50% of women in all workplaces experience sexual harassment. Women who work in male-dominated occupations may be more susceptible to sexual harassment than those who work in non-male-dominated occupations. Research on factors contributing to workplace sexual harassment in male-dominated occupations is limited.

Assessing the Impact of Chemical Algae Management Strategies on Anurans and Aquatic Communities.

Pond management with chemical and biological agents that reduce overgrowth of algae is an important means of maintaining water quality in residential ponds, yet the effects on nontarget species are not fully understood. We assessed the impact of Aquashade (a common nontoxic pond dye) and copper sulfate (a toxic algaecide) on American toad (Anaxyrus americanus), northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens), and Cope's gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) metamorphosis in outdoor mesocosm experiments. We also evaluated the relative impact of tadpole grazing versus chemical treatment on phytoplankton and periphyton abundance.

Benefit sharing: Why inclusive provenance metadata matter.

Fair and equitable benefit sharing of genetic resources is an expectation of the Nagoya Protocol. Although the Nagoya Protocol does not yet formally apply to Digital Sequence Information ("DSI"), discussions are currently underway regarding to include such data through ongoing Convention on Biological Diversity ("CBD") negotiations. While Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities ("IPLC") expect the value generated from genomic data to be subject to benefit sharing arrangements, a range of views are currently being expressed by Nation States, IPLC and other stakeholders.

Head Computed Tomography Versus Maxillofacial Computed Tomography: An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Facial Imaging in the Detection of Facial Fractures.

Background: In an initial trauma evaluation, computed tomography of the head (CTH) is performed to assess for life-threatening intracranial injury. Given the high incidence of concomitant facial injuries, many facial fractures are diagnosed incidentally during this evaluation. Although maxillofacial CT (CTMF) is widely accepted as the most sensitive method for evaluating facial fractures, it is often excluded from the initial survey.

A Phase II study of neoadjuvant axitinib for reducing the extent of venous tumour thrombus in clear cell renal cell cancer with venous invasion (NAXIVA).

Background: Surgery for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with venous tumour thrombus (VTT) extension into the renal vein (RV) and/or inferior vena cava (IVC) has high peri-surgical morbidity/mortality. NAXIVA assessed the response of VTT to axitinib, a potent tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Methods: NAXIVA was a single-arm, multi-centre, Phase 2 study.

To Tailor or Not to Tailor: An Investigation of Narrative Tailoring for Health Communication.

One possible way of enhancing the effectiveness of health narratives is by using tailoring. However, evidence of the effectiveness of narrative tailoring is mixed. Some studies have found tailoring to be effective, while others have found no difference between tailored and non-tailored stories.

Measuring Problematic Internet Use, Internet Gaming Disorder, and Social Media Addiction in Young Adults: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

Background: Digital technology use is nearly ubiquitous among young adults; this use provides both benefits and risks. The risks of technology use include maladaptive technology use or technology addiction. Several conceptualizations of these addictions have emerged, each with its own assessment tools.

The relationship among BSN students' employment, educational, and health-related characteristics and semester grades: A multi-site study.

Background: While many nursing students work during clinical semesters, little is known about employment characteristics and relationships among employment, academic success and other variables.

Purpose: To describe the demographic, educational, and health-related characteristics of clinical nursing students and the relationships among employment, semester grades and other characteristics.

Method: Descriptive, correlational.

The Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on Patients Undergoing Breast Reduction Surgery.

Metabolic syndrome affects 35% of individuals in the USA and has been correlated with increased complications following certain surgical procedures. There has been an increase of 11% in breast reduction procedures from 2016 to 2017 making it the seventh most common reconstructive procedure in the USA. Previous studies have identified an increase in demand for breast reduction among obese patients with BMI ≥ 30 but have not defined the role of metabolic syndrome in surgical outcomes.

Improving Participants' Experience in the Online Survey Process.

Health care professionals frequently participate in surveys. Increased technology supports low-budget online surveys as a common method for collecting information. Decreased interaction with the surveyor, a lack of trust in the survey process, and time constraints often reduce response rates.

Mitochondrial oxidative stress impairs contractile function but paradoxically increases muscle mass via fibre branching.

Background: Excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) and muscle weakness occur in parallel in multiple pathological conditions. However, the causative role of skeletal muscle mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) on neuromuscular junction (NMJ) morphology and function and muscle weakness has not been directly investigated.

Methods: We generated mice lacking skeletal muscle-specific manganese-superoxide dismutase (mSod2KO) to increase mtROS using a cre-Lox approach driven by human skeletal actin.

Oxidative stress-induced dysregulation of excitation-contraction coupling contributes to muscle weakness.

Background: We have previously shown that the deletion of the superoxide scavenger, CuZn superoxide dismutase, in mice (Sod1 mice) results in increased oxidative stress and an accelerated loss of skeletal muscle mass and force that mirror the changes seen in old control mice. The goal of this study is to define the effect of oxidative stress and ageing on muscle weakness and the Excitation Contraction (EC) coupling machinery in age-matched adult (8-10 months) wild-type (WT) and Sod1 mice in comparison with old (25-28 months) WT mice.

Methods: In vitro contractile assays were used to measure muscle contractile parameters.

Lifelong reduction in complex IV induces tissue-specific metabolic effects but does not reduce lifespan or healthspan in mice.

Loss of SURF1, a Complex IV assembly protein, was reported to increase lifespan in mice despite dramatically lower cytochrome oxidase (COX) activity. Consistent with this, our previous studies found advantageous changes in metabolism (reduced adiposity, increased insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial biogenesis) in Surf1 mice. The lack of deleterious phenotypes in Surf1 mice is contrary to the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to aging.

Safety and Biosimilarity of iorLeukoCIM Compared to Neupogen Based on Toxicity, Pharmacodynamic, and Pharmacokinetic Studies in the Sprague-Dawley Rat.

This study examined the safety, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic similarity of the human recombinant filgrastim products iorLeukoCIM and Neupogen following a 28-day repeated subcutaneous dose administration in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats with a 14-day recovery period. Safety profiling was based on clinical observations, clinical pathology, and pathology findings for control rats dosed with vehicle and rats dosed either with 15, 75, and 150 μg/kg of iorLeukoCIM or with 150 μg/kg of Neupogen. The major adverse treatment-related clinical finding was mild to severe swelling of the hock-joint (tarsal joint) and hind limb, alone or accompanied with lameness which was more prominent in males and which had a similar frequency of occurrence for both iorLeukoCIM and Neupogen.

The BIG 2.04 MRC/EORTC SUPREMO Trial: pathology quality assurance of a large phase 3 randomised international clinical trial of postmastectomy radiotherapy in intermediate-risk breast cancer.

Introduction: SUPREMO is a phase 3 randomised trial evaluating radiotherapy post-mastectomy for intermediate-risk breast cancer. 1688 patients were enrolled from 16 countries between 2006 and 2013. We report the results of central pathology review carried out for quality assurance.

Brain structure in autism: a voxel-based morphometry analysis of the Autism Brain Imaging Database Exchange (ABIDE).

Increased brain volume is a consistent finding in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD); however, the regional specificity and developmental course of abnormal brain structure are less clear. Small sample sizes, particularly among voxel-based morphometry (VBM) investigations, likely contribute to this difficulty. Recently established large-scale neuroimaging data repositories have helped clarify the neuroanatomy of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and may prove useful in ASD.

Safety and biosimilarity of ior(®) EPOCIM compared with Eprex(®) based on toxicologic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacokinetic studies in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

This study examined the safety, pharmacodynamic (PD), and pharmacokinetic (PK) biosimilarity of the human recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) products ior(®) EPOCIM and Eprex(®) following a 28-day repeated intravenous dose administration in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats with a 14-day recovery period. Safety profiling was based on clinical observations, clinical pathology, and pathology findings for control rats dosed with vehicle and rats dosed either with 30, 300, and 600 I.U.

Plasma chemistry in peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus): Reference values and physiological variations of importance for interpretation.

Reference values (inner limits of the percentiles P(2.5) and P(97.5) are given with a probability of 95%) for 21 plasma chemical variables were established in 79 peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus).

Guard cell apoplastic photosynthate accumulation corresponds to a phloem-loading mechanism.

Apoplastic phloem loaders have an apoplastic step in the movement of the translocated sugar, prototypically sucrose, from the mesophyll to the companion cell-sieve tube element complex. In these plants, leaf apoplastic sucrose becomes concentrated in the guard cell wall to nominally 150 mM by transpiration during the photoperiod. This concentration of external sucrose is sufficient to diminish stomatal aperture size in an isolated system and to regulate expression of certain genes.

Re-engineering primary epithelial cells from rhesus monkey parotid glands for use in developing an artificial salivary gland.

There is no satisfactory conventional treatment for patients who experience irreversible salivary gland damage after therapeutic radiation for head and neck cancer or because of Sjögren's syndrome. Additionally, if most parenchyma is lost, these patients also are not candidates for evolving gene transfer strategies. To help such patients, several years ago we began to develop an artificial salivary gland.

Modifying the proliferative state of target cells to control DNA expression and identifying cell types transfected in vivo.

Although the majority of current gene transfer techniques have focused on increasing the ability of the DNA to enter the cell, it is possible that changing the proliferative and migratory state of cells will influence the cells ability to take up and express plasmid DNA. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that growth factors (basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF)) used to alter the proliferative and migratory state of cells can alter plasmid DNA uptake and expression. In vitro studies indicate that enhancing cell proliferation with growth factor exposure enhances plasmid DNA uptake and expression.

Resolution-dependent estimates of multiple sclerosis lesion loads.

Background: Changes in brain lesion loads assessed with magnetic resonance imaging obtained at 1.5 Telsa (T) are used as a measure of disease evolution in natural history studies and treatment trials of multiple sclerosis.

Methods: A comparison was made between the total lesion volume and individual lesions observed on 1.

Long-term in vivo gene expression via delivery of PEI-DNA condensates from porous polymer scaffolds.

Nonviral delivery vectors are attractive for gene therapy approaches in tissue engineering, but suffer from low transfection efficiency and short-term gene expression. We hypothesized that the sustained delivery of poly(ethylenimine) (PEI)-condensed DNA from three-dimensional biodegradable scaffolds that encourage cell infiltration could greatly enhance gene expression. To test this hypothesis, a PEI-condensed plasmid encoding beta-galactosidase was incorporated into porous poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLG) scaffolds, using a gas foaming process.