The Surgical Education Checklist as an Adjunct to Training in the Operating Theatre: The Surgeons' Experience.

Background: An important aspect of surgical training occurs within the operating theatre. However, access to learning opportunities in this environment has been compromised by issues including reduced working hours and the COVID pandemic. Every training opportunity that does exist, therefore, needs to be maximized.

Symptom burden among Northern Alberta radiotherapy patients with advanced cancer: mapping needs and gaps.

Introduction: Patients with advanced cancer often experience symptoms including pain, nausea, anorexia, fatigue, and depression. High symptom burden can be alleviated by multidisciplinary palliative care (PC) teams practicing symptom-directed management. Patients who are unable to access such services may be at higher risk of increased symptoms and poor outcomes.

Correction to: Police Academy Training, Performance, and Learning.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40617-018-00317-2.].

Police Academy Training, Performance, and Learning.

We conducted empirical analyses of training at 3 large regional police academies in the United States. We objectively examined the performance and learning of 3 classes, a total of 115 cadets, across 3 representative training approaches to defensive and control tactics. Experiment 1 examined the content and effects of single-session or block training across 8 weeks during the academy.

The impact of gardening on nutrition and physical health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Community gardening has been widely recognized as a multicomponent approach that has affected a broad range of health and well-being outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between community gardening and nutrition and physical health among adults. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted.

Evolution of the Radiation Therapist Role in a Multidisciplinary Palliative Radiation Oncology Clinic.

Background: Palliative radiation therapists (PRTs) have been integrated in varying capacities into outpatient palliative radiation therapy (RT) services across Canada for over 2 decades. At our institution, PRTs have developed an essential role over 11 years within a palliative radiation oncology (PRO) clinic that focuses on integrating symptom management with radiation oncology assessment for palliative RT. PRTs have had direct clinical, technical, research, and administrative involvement as the clinic evolved from a pilot in 2007 supporting one half-day per week to the current model of five full clinical days.

Personalising Prostate Radiotherapy in the Era of Precision Medicine: A Review.

Prostate cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian men. The introduction of routine screening and advanced treatment options have allowed for a decrease in prostate cancer-related mortality, but outcomes following treatment continue to vary widely. In addition, the overtreatment of indolent prostate cancers causes unnecessary treatment toxicities and burdens health care systems.

Perceptions of smoking cessation among Glasgow's Chinese community.

Introduction: Health related needs and services are stratified by ethnicity in UK. The Chinese community is Scotland's second-largest minority ethnic group but a relatively under-researched one. This study aimed to explore the views and experiences of smoking cessation and related services among Chinese community members in Glasgow and to inform them about smoking cessation interventions.

Hypoactive-hypoalert behaviour and thalamic hypometabolism due to intracranial hypotension.

A 47-year-old man presented with a 9-year history of a hypoalert hypoactive behaviour syndrome, caused by the deep brain swelling variant of spontaneous intracranial hypotension. Along with apathy with retained cognition, he had stable ataxia, impaired upgaze and episodes of central apnoea. MRI brain showed a sagging brainstem, pointed ventricles and reduced angle between the vein of Galen and the straight sinus, but no meningeal enhancement or subdural collections.

Representativeness of the participants in the smoking Cessation in Pregnancy Incentives Trial (CPIT): a cross-sectional study.

Background: The limited representativeness of trial samples may restrict external validity. The aim of this study was to ascertain the representativeness of the population enrolled in the Cessation in Pregnancy Incentives Trial (CPIT), a therapeutic exploratory study to examine the effectiveness of financial incentives for smoking cessation during pregnancy.

Methods: CPIT participants (n = 492) were compared with all self-reported smokers at maternity booking who did not participate in the trial (n = 1982).

An exploration of NHS staff views on tuberculosis service delivery in Scottish NHS boards.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial disease and major worldwide killer with an increased UK incidence rate. This study aimed to explore the views of National Health Service (NHS) staff on TB service delivery models of care in NHS boards across Scotland. Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 nurse specialists and five consultants in public health medicine (CPHM) across five Scottish NHS boards.

Evaluation of an activity monitor for the objective measurement of free-living physical activity in children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: To explore the use of an activity monitor (AM) to objectively characterize free-living physical activity (F-LPA) in children with mobility impairment resulting from cerebral palsy (CP).

Design: First, a validation study compared outcomes from the AM with video evidence. Second, multiday F-LPA was characterized.

An exploration of Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners' perceptions of Evidence Based Medicine.

Objectives: To explore understanding of Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) and use of evidence by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners, practising in Scotland.

Design: Qualitative study incorporating semi-structured interviewing of 12 TCM practitioners practising TCM in Scotland.

Setting: TCM practitioners' premises in an urban area of Scotland, UK.

Towards a definition: what does 'health promotion' mean to speech and language therapists?

Background: As UK healthcare moves towards the ideals of prevention and enablement, health promotion is more commonly cited as an area of practice. In comparison with its allied health profession peers, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, the speech and language therapy profession has little evidence to demonstrate that it has explored what its members understand health promotion to mean or how they describe their current and future practice in relation to it.

Aims: To explore how speech and language therapists define health promotion and how they describe their current and future practice in relation to it.

Validity of method to quantify transtibial amputees' free-living prosthetic wearing times and physical activity levels when using suction suspension sockets.

Prostheses are prescribed to restore the mobility of people with amputated lower limbs. Monitoring the prosthesis wearing times and physical activity of prosthesis users would provide invaluable information regarding rehabilitation progress and suitability of the prosthesis. The validation of a method to determine wearing times and physical activity state, as well as strides taken, of amputees wearing suction suspension sockets is reported.

Mutational profiling of sporadic versus toxin-associated brain cancer formation: initial findings using loss of heterozygosity profiling.

The role of environmental and occupational toxin exposure as a cause of or contributing factor for cancer development and progression is incompletely understood. A unique signature of specific mutational change to discriminate toxin-exposed from sporadic cancer is generally sought but not often encountered. We report an approach to better understand cancer causality based on the measurement of the cumulative DNA damage (via loss of heterozygosity) over a defined genomic region (chromosome 3) that is applicable to archival, fixative-treated tissue and cytology specimens of cancer.

Cultivation of a learning culture in general practice: an educational intervention.

Background: Increasing challenges are faced in primary care, including the increase in chronic disease and its management in the community. This paper describes an educational initiative developed to help local general practitioners (GPs) and primary care teams manage chronic conditions and address referral behaviour. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the initiative through the exploration of the experiences of the participants and providers.

The patellar tendon bar! Is it a necessary feature?

The purpose of this investigation was to vary the load on the patellar tendon bar and to study the subsequent effect this has on the pattern of the pressure distribution at the stump-socket interface. Ten male subjects from the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, UK participated in this study. Measuring systems utilising strain gauge and electrohydraulic technologies were designed, developed and constructed to enable pressure measurements to be conducted.

The development and psychometric evaluation of a safety climate measure for primary care.

Introduction: Building a safety culture is an important part of improving patient care. Measuring perceptions of safety climate among healthcare teams and organisations is a key element of this process. Existing measurement instruments are largely developed for secondary care settings in North America and many lack adequate psychometric testing.

The effect of textured insoles on gait patterns of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Somatosensory deficit is a common feature of MS. One method serving to combat impaired plantar sensation may be to provide enhanced sensory feedback from the sole of the foot by changing the characteristics of a shoe sole or surface. This study aimed to inspect the effect of textured insoles on gait patterns in a group of MS patients.

The potential for actigraphy to be used as an indicator of sitting discomfort.

Objective: A novel technique that uses actigraphy, the study of activity involving the use of body-mounted accelerometers, to detect the discomfort-related movements of a sitting individual has been proposed as a potential indicator of sitting discomfort, and the purpose of this study was to test its validity.

Background: Objective measurement of sitting discomfort has always been challenging for researchers. Electromyographic measurements, pressure mapping, and a wide range of other techniques have all been investigated with limited success.

The characterisation of gait patterns of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: There are relatively few reports describing gait patterns in multiple sclerosis (MS) and most are confined to the analysis of temporal distance parameters with some assessment of joint range of motion. The aim of this study was to perform a biomechanical characterisation of gait patterns among people with MS across a wide range of severity of ambulatory impairment.

Methods: Sixteen patients with MS were recruited for this study.

Psychological processes and histories associated with nonepileptic versus epileptic seizure presentations.

Nonepileptic seizures (NES) provide a clinical challenge as the mechanisms involved remain uncertain. The present study compares 27 participants with confirmed NES presentations with 39 individuals with epileptic seizure (ES) presentations only, on indices of psychopathology, trauma history, dissociative propensity, and attachment style. Psychopathology and dissociation were found to be significantly elevated in the NES group compared with the ES group.

An investigation of teaching staff members' and parents' views on the current state of adaptive seating technology and provision.

Purpose: It is recognized that for children with poor postural control, a comfortable adaptive seating system which provides them with the support needed to maintain a sitting position can be essential for raising their overall level of well being. The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of teaching staff members at special needs schools and of the parents of children who attended these schools on the provision and current technology of seating systems.

Method: Two similar questionnaires intended to elicit the views of teaching staff and the parents of children attending these schools were designed and distributed to these groups.

Melatonin and human reproduction: shedding light on the darkness hormone.

Melatonin, N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a molecule with diverse physiological functions. This neuro-hormone affects reproductive performance in a wide variety of species. In most animals, but not exclusively all, melatonin has an antigonadotrophic effect.