Accelerating problem-solving capacities of sub-national public health professionals: an evaluation of a digital immunization training intervention.

Background: This article reports an evaluation of the Immunization Training Challenge Hackathons (ITCH), invented by The Geneva Learning Foundation (TGLF) for national and sub-national immunization staff who strive to develop the knowledge and capacity of others to improve immunization program performance. ITCH, a fully-digital program focused on networked collaborative problem-solving between peers, provided an "opt-in" activity for learners in the Teach to Reach (T2R) Accelerator Program designed to improve training effectiveness in the immunization sphere.

Methods: Conducted by a team from the University of Georgia, this mixed method evaluation consisted of thematic analysis of recorded sessions and open-ended comments; and statistical analyses of application and follow-up survey data.

Building sustainable community partnerships into the structure of new academic public health schools and programs.

We describe and assess how the College of Public Health at the University of Georgia, established in 2005, has developed formal institutional mechanisms to facilitate community-university partnerships that serve the needs of communities and the university. The College developed these partnerships as part of its founding; therefore, the University of Georgia model may serve as an important model for other new public health programs. One important lesson is the need to develop financial and organizational mechanisms that ensure stability over time.

Meta-analysis of first trimester Down syndrome screening studies: free beta-human chorionic gonadotropin significantly outperforms intact human chorionic gonadotropin in a multimarker protocol.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare free beta and intact human chorionic gonadotropin in first trimester screening with pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and nuchal translucency.

Study Design: A Monte Carlo simulation trial was conducted based on a literature review of the PUBMED database (1966 to November 2005).

Results: In younger patients (< 35 years), detection of Down syndrome increased by 4, 5, 6, and 7 percentage points when free beta was added to pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and nuchal translucency compared with 0, 0, 2, and 4 percentage points for intact human chorionic gonadotropin at 9-12 weeks' gestation, respectively.

Principles of screening.

Screening and diagnostic testing are sequentially-oriented procedures for progressively analyzing risk. Screening is broadly based and aimed at identifying those at high risk of a disease or condition. Diagnostic testing is designed to more definitively answer the question of whether or not a person has a disease or condition.

A rapid platelet function assay used to regulate platelet transfusion prophylaxis following cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.

Subsequent to cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), patients are at risk of postoperative bleeding caused by acquired defects associated with the procedure. As such, many patients receive prophylactic blood product transfusion. The effectiveness of measuring platelet function using a near-patient platelet function analyzer for the purpose of regulating platelet transfusion and potentially modulating other blood products including fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and cryoprecipitate (CRYO) transfusion was evaluated prospectively in patients undergoing CPB.

Electrophoretic measurement of lipoprotein(a) cholesterol in plasma with and without ultracentrifugation: comparison with an immunoturbidimetric lipoprotein(a) method.

Objectives: Elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a significant risk factor for vascular disease. Standardization of Lp(a) mass measurement is complicated by the heterogeneity of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]. We investigated whether Lp(a) cholesterol measurement, which is not influenced by apo(a) size, is a viable alternative to measuring Lp(a) mass.

A wireless diabetes management and communication system.

Current diabetes management requires the collection of a large volume of data by the patient for analysis by his or her provider. There are numerous practical and technical barriers to doing this effectively and efficiently. In addition, the calculation of the correct insulin dose is complex because it requires considering anticipated carbohydrate consumption and exercise in addition to the current blood glucose level.