Publications by authors named "Shirley L"

Research on the views and experiences of older LGBTQ+ adults accessing long-term care (LTC) identifies concerns of discrimination and identity loss. However, what the concept of psychological safety means to this population in LTC and later-life housing has been neglected. Understanding psychological safety could help ensure the needs of LGBTQ+ elders are understood and considered more appropriately in LTC planning and operation.

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  • - This study explored the impact of AI-assisted contouring on radiation oncologists' (ROs) efficiency and accuracy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), addressing a gap in previously concentrated research from high-income nations.
  • - Ninety-seven ROs were divided into groups using either manual or AI-assisted methods for contouring organs-at-risk (OARs) in two head-and-neck cancer cases, with teaching sessions evaluating their effects on contour quality and time.
  • - Findings showed that AI-assisted contouring improved contour quality for several OARs and significantly reduced contouring time, suggesting that it is a safe and effective method, although further clinical trials are needed to fully validate these results.
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Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore staff views about whether and how service users should be involved in the process of team formulation.

Design: This study used Q methodology to explore health care professionals' views about service user involvement in team formulation meetings.

Methods: Forty staff members with experience of attending team formulation meetings completed a Q Sort in which they ranked how much they agreed or disagreed with 58 statements about service user inclusion in team formulation.

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Objective: NICE guidelines recommend non-pharmacological interventions as the first-line approach for the management of behaviours that challenge. Recent work, however, highlights dissatisfaction with the lack of detailed guidance in the national guidelines regarding non-drug interventions. This study examines the views of practitioners regarding non-pharmacological treatments.

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Background: In Georgia, the paramedic's scope of practice prohibited the initiation of blood products. Due to the rural landscape in Georgia, one region's Regional Trauma Advisory Committee (RTAC) advocated expanding the scope of practice for Georgia's paramedics to allow them to initiate blood products in the prehospital environment. This study evaluated the safety and feasibility of allowing paramedics to initiate blood products for hemorrhaging patients utilizing a regionally established prehospital blood pilot program.

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Changes in eating behaviours, weight and mental health in older people may be related to psychological distress and indicate the presence of a diagnosable eating disorder, rather than 'anorexia of ageing'. Eating disorders in older people may be overlooked because signs and symptoms are assumed to be part of normal ageing. The role of nurses in the care of older people with eating disorders is likely to be detection, referral and support in accessing specialist intervention.

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Assessment of swine semen quality is important as it is used as an estimate of the fertility of an ejaculate. There are many methods to measure sperm morphology, concentration, and motility, however, some methods require expensive instrumentation or are not easy to use on-farm. A portable, low-cost, automated device could provide the potential to assess semen quality in field conditions.

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  • A study aimed to develop a tool to predict patients needing intensive care after cardiac catheterization for congenital heart disease, as no existing tools were available.
  • This involved analyzing data from over 2,000 cases and identifying key patient characteristics, like weight and recent cardiac interventions, that influence ICU admission risk.
  • The resulting prediction model was validated through statistical analysis, showing promising accuracy in forecasting post-procedure care requirements.
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Gender-affirming treatment is currently inaccessible for many transgender, gender diverse and non-binary minors in Australia, with significant implications for these minors' physical and mental wellbeing. Existing legal frameworks create obstacles to treatment by requiring that minors either be supported by their guardians or be able to apply to court, as well as having access to medical and psychological experts. Such requirements do not consider the lived realities, and disproportionate vulnerabilities, experienced by these minors.

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Background Advancements in the field, including novel procedures and multiple interventions, require an updated approach to accurately assess patient risk. This study aims to modernize patient hemodynamic and procedural risk classification through the creation of risk assessment tools to be used in congenital cardiac catheterization. Methods and Results Data were collected for all cases performed at sites participating in the C3PO (Congenital Cardiac Catheterization Project on Outcomes) multicenter registry.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the regular introduction of new technologies into interventional cardiac catheterization procedures, in this case new atrial septal defect (ASD) closure devices, while conducting a multi-center collaborative initiative to reduce radiation usage during all procedures. Data were collected prospectively by 8 C3PO institutions between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017 for ASD device closure procedures in the cardiac catheterization lab during a quality improvement (QI) initiative aimed at reducing patient radiation exposure. Radiation exposure was measured in dose area product per body weight (µGy*m/kg).

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Purpose: This study described associations between selected walk indices (WI) and walking and physical activity behaviors in rural and urban children.

Findings: WI were higher in urban environments, yet children from rural areas walked for transportation more than children from urban areas. There was a negative correlation between National WI scores and walking for transportation in urban areas, and between the Frank WI scores and walking for exercise in rural areas.

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Perinatal nutrition affects future milk production. The number of mammary epithelial cells affect milk production capacity. Therefore, it was hypothesized that the level of colostrum intake affects the proliferation rate and the total number of mammary epithelial cells in the gland.

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Background: Near infrared autofluorescence (NIRAF) detection has previously demonstrated significant potential for real-time parathyroid gland identification. However, the performance of a NIRAF detection device - PTeye® - remains to be evaluated relative to a surgeon's own ability to identify parathyroid glands.

Methods: Patients eligible for thyroidectomy and/or parathyroidectomy were enrolled under 6 endocrine surgeons at 3 high-volume institutions.

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Historically, sows have been induced to farrow using prostaglandin followed by an injection of oxytocin 24 h later. Benefits of induction can include decreased rate of stillbirths, dystocia, and postnatal mortality along with increasing the likelihood of farrowings being attended. Several studies have indicated that oxytocin administration may negatively impact fetal oxygen supply during parturition, potentially from umbilical cords breaking prior to birth, resulting in increased preweaning mortality.

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Existing protocols for full-length single-cell RNA sequencing produce libraries of high complexity (thousands of distinct genes) with outstanding sensitivity and specificity of transcript quantification. These full-length libraries have the advantage of allowing probing of transcript isoforms, are informative regarding single-nucleotide polymorphisms and allow assembly of the VDJ region of the T- and B-cell-receptor sequences. Since full-length protocols are mostly plate-based at present, they are also suited to profiling cell types where cell numbers are limiting, such as rare cell types during development.

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Radiation reduction in the pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory is well-suited for targeted quality improvement (QI) interventions. Transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure was chosen for this QI project based on a homogenous procedural population and inter-operator variability in radiation usage, with the aim to reduce radiation exposure during ASD device closure by 50% over 1 year. The aim for this project was defined and a Key Driver Diagram (KDD) was created with three domains for change: modification of procedural practice, reporting and monitoring/feedback, and team engagement.

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Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare but aggressive malignancy, and many prognostic factors that influence survival remain undefined. Individually, the GRAS (Grade, Resection status, Age, and Symptoms of hormone hypersecretion) parameters have demonstrated their prognostic value in ACC. This study aimed to assess the value of a cumulative GRAS score as a prognostic indicator after ACC resection.

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Background: F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) positive (PET+) cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs) have variable cancer risk in the literature. The benign call rate (BCR) of Afirma Gene Classifier (Gene Expression Classifier, GEC, or Genome Sequence Classifier, GSC) in (PET +) ITNs is unknown.

Methods: This is a retrospective study at our institution of all patients with (PET+) ITNs (Bethesda III/IV) from 1 January 2010 to 21 May 2019 who underwent Afirma testing and/or surgery or repeat FNA with benign cytology.

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Background: Despite the advances in treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), predicting prognosis remains a challenge. Immune cells in the tumor microenvironment may provide an insight to predicting recurrence. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the association of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) with recurrence in DTC and to identify serum cytokines that correlate with the presence of these immune cells in the tumor.

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Background: Community Health Representatives (CHRs) overcome health disparities in Native communities by delivering home care, health education, and community health promotion. The Navajo CHR Program partners with the non-profit Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment (COPE), to provide home-based outreach to Navajo clients living with diabetes. COPE has created an intervention (COPE intervention) focusing on multiple levels of improved care including trainings for CHRs on Motivational Interviewing and providing CHRs with culturally-appropriate education materials.

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  • The study analyzes the operative volumes of graduating chief residents (GCRs) in hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgeries over a 19-year period to assess training quality.
  • Between 2000 and 2018, a total of 411,383 HPB procedures were performed by GCRs, with consistent mean procedure numbers for liver, pancreas, and complex biliary surgeries each year.
  • The results indicate that most GCRs finish their training with a low number of HPB procedures, showing a trend of decreasing mean procedures per resident and increased variability among them.
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Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with limited data to guide the management of metastatic disease. The optimal treatment strategies and outcomes of patients with metastatic ACC remain areas of active interest. We retrospectively reviewed patients with ACC who were treated with systemic therapy between January 1997 and October 2016 at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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