Designing Evidence-based Simulation Scenarios for Clinical Practice.

Simulation-based education is a widely used teaching technique in healthcare education. Simulation can provide a rich learning environment for caregivers at all levels. Creating simulation-based scenarios is a systematic, evidence-based, learner-centered process that requires skill and expertise.

Administration of ketamine/xylazine increases severity of influenza (A/Puerto Rico/8/34) in mice.

The use of ketamine/xylazine for its anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressant properties could alter other medications and immune functions of the body. Thus, the current study explored how ketamine/xylazine affects the severity of influenza infection in BALB/c and C57Bl/6 mice, monitored for weight loss after intranasal inoculation with A/Puerto Rico/8/34 influenza virus. Mice were inoculated by using a micropipettor to insert 18 μL of control or a suspension of virus into each nostril and allowing the mouse to inhale the material.

Variations in Involvement: Motivating Bystanders to Care for Senior Citizens.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a senior service advertising campaign designed to increase volunteerism and financial donations among bystanders.

Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional mail survey was administered to 2,500 adults; 384 usable responses were obtained. Survey responses were analyzed by level of exposure and involvement in senior care.

Inherent bacterial DNA contamination of extraction and sequencing reagents may affect interpretation of microbiota in low bacterial biomass samples.

Background: The advent and use of highly sensitive molecular biology techniques to explore the microbiota and microbiome in environmental and tissue samples have detected the presence of contaminating microbial DNA within reagents. These microbial DNA contaminants may distort taxonomic distributions and relative frequencies in microbial datasets, as well as contribute to erroneous interpretations and identifications.

Results: We herein report on the occurrence of bacterial DNA contamination within commonly used DNA extraction kits and PCR reagents and the effect of these contaminates on data interpretation.

Analysis of potential factors allowing coexistence in a sexual/asexual minnow complex.

The northern redbelly dace (Chrosomus eos) and the finescale dace (C. neogaeus) have hybridized to produce an all-female, asexual hybrid (C. eos-neogaeus) that reproduces by sperm-limited parthenogenesis (gynogenesis).

Using gender-based analyses to understand physical inactivity among women in Yellowstone County, Montana.

Physical inactivity contributes to many health problems. Gender, the socially constructed roles and activities deemed appropriate for men and women, is an important factor in women's physical inactivity. To better understand how gender influences participation in leisure-time physical activity, a gender analysis was conducted using sex-disaggregated data from a county-wide health assessment phone survey and a qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts.

Behavior problems among cocaine exposed children: role of physiological regulation and parenting.

This study examined interrelations between prenatal cocaine exposure, child autonomic regulation, parenting behavior and child sex on parent-reported behavior problems at 36 months of age. We hypothesized that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at 13 months of age would mediate the relation between cocaine exposure and behavior problems. We also hypothesized that child sex, maternal negative affect, and maternal sensitivity observed at 13 months of age would moderate the relation between RSA and behavior problems.

Implementing evidence-based practice: walking the talk.

Russworm and Larrabee's (1999) six-step model for evidence-based practice (EBP) was used by 10 nursing teams to seek answers to clinical questions. These teams, primarily composed of staff nurses, participated in a health region-wide EBP program over 1 year. Overall, the model served as a useful mechanism for examining practice-derived questions.

Pharmacokinetics in children: history, considerations, and applications.

Crucial to safe pharmacological intervention in the pediatric population is a thorough understanding of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences in children as opposed to adults. This article discusses these differences and clarifies factors related to medication prescribing and administration techniques.