Morphological characteristics of subaxial cervical pedicles and surrounding critical structures in patients with vertebral artery dominance - an anatomical study based on computed tomographic imaging.

Background: No study has assessed the feasibility and safety of cervical pedicle screw implantation in patients with vertebral artery dominance (VAD), a common vertebral artery (VA) variation which can increase VA injury (VAI) risk. This study was to assess morphological characteristics of the subaxial cervical pedicles and surrounding critical structures, and identify their correlations in patients with VAD.

Methods: Computed tomography arteriography scans of 152 patients were used for retrospectively measuring parameters including pedicle outer width (POW), the distance from the lateral pedicle border to the closest part of VA (DPVA), diameter of VA (DVA), area of VA (AVA), area of transverse foramen (ATF) and occupational ratio of transverse foramen (TF).

Interprofessional communication in medical simulation: findings from a scoping review and implications for academic medicine.

Background: Interprofessional communication is fundamental to the delivery of healthcare and can be taught in medical school and other health professional schools through interprofessional education (IPE) activities. Simulation centers have become a predominant location for simulation IPE activities with infrastructure able to support high fidelity activities in a controlled environment. In this secondary analysis of a scoping review conducted on simulation-based IPE, we describe the characteristics of previously reported simulation IPE activities involving undergraduate medical students in a simulation center focused on interprofessional communication.

A resource efficient and reliable standard setting method for OSCEs: Borderline regression method using standardized patients as sole raters in clinical case encounters with medical students.

Finding a reliable, practical and low-cost criterion-referenced standard setting method for performance-based assessments has proved challenging. The borderline regression method of standard setting for OSCEs has been shown to estimate reliable scores in studies using faculty as raters. Standardized patients (SPs) have been shown to be reliable OSCE raters but have not been evaluated as raters using this standard setting method.

Circadian Pharmacological Effects of Paeoniflorin on Mice With Urticaria-like Lesions.

Paeoniflorin (PF) is a monoterpene glucoside with various biological properties, and it suppresses allergic and inflammatory responses in a rat model of urticaria-like lesions (UL). In the present study, we treated OVA-induced mice presenting UL with PF at four circadian time points (ZT22, ZT04, ZT10, and ZT16) to determine the optimal administration time of PF. The pharmacological effects of PF were assessed by analyzing the scratching behavior; histopathological features; allergic responses such as immunoglobulin E (IgE), leukotriene B4 (LTB4), and histamine (HIS) release; inflammatory cell infiltration [mast cell tryptase (MCT) and eosinophil protein X (EPX)]; and mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12, IL-6, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and IL-4.

Artificial Intelligence Algorithm-Based MRI in Evaluating the Treatment Effect of Acute Cerebral Infarction.

The study is aimed at exploring the application of artificial intelligence algorithm-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction, expected to provide a reference for diagnosis and effect evaluation of acute cerebral infarction. In this study, 80 patients diagnosed with suspected acute cerebral infarction per were selected as the research subjects. MRI images were reconstructed by deep dictionary learning to improve their recognition ability.

Ubiquitination and degradation of MGMT by TRIM72 increases the sensitivity of uveal melanoma cells to Dacarbazine treatment.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults with high metastasis rates. The O6-methylguanine DNA methyl transferase (MGMT) is involved in chemoresistance of Dacarbazine (DTIC) treatment. Our previous study found that the combination of oncolytic adenovirus H101 and DTIC in the treatment of UM cells shows a synergistic antitumor effect mainly though down-regulation of MGMT.

AMBRA1 attenuates the proliferation of uveal melanoma cells.

Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary intraocular malignancy in adults with high metastasis rates. D-type cyclins (CCNDs) are central regulators of the cell division cycle and are among the most frequently deregulated therapeutic targets in human cancer. Recently, the E3 ligase adaptor, autophagy and beclin 1 regulator 1 (AMBRA1), was reported to regulate the stability of CCNDs, including CCND1, but its role in UVM has not been demonstrated.

Evaluation of clinical outcomes of patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) discharged from the emergency department.

Introduction: This study was performed to determine the clinical outcomes of patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19 discharged from the emergency department.

Methods: The present descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 400 patients discharged with a diagnosis of COVID-19 from the emergency departments of hospitals affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in the time period of 21 March-21 June, 2020. The disease characteristics and demographic data were collected by phone calls during the first, third, and fourth weeks using a researcher-made questionnaire.

Manifestations and mechanisms of central nervous system damage caused by SARS-CoV-2.

The global pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its threat to humans have drawn worldwide attention. The acute and long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 on the nervous system pose major public health challenges. Patients with SARS-CoV-2 present diverse symptoms of the central nervous system.

Evaluation of tumor microenvironmental immune regulation and prognostic in lung adenocarcinoma from the perspective of purinergic receptor P2Y13.

Tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) can serve as an important indicator to evaluate the prognosis and therapeutic response in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The identification of mutated genes that can affect the abundance of TICs and prognosis has practical implications. In the presented study, tumor microenvironment (TME) scoring was performed by the ESTIMATE scoring system on 598 RNA transcripts selected from the TCGA database to determine the proportions of immune cells and stromal cells.

Quantitative evaluation of upper urinary tract pump function in pigs with acute unilateral lower ureteral obstruction by 640-slice dynamic volume CT.

Background: It is a challenging problem to differentiate obstructive hydronephrosis from noninvasive evaluation of renal pelvis and ureteral motility in patients. The purpose of this study was to explore the value of 640-slice dynamic volume CT (DVCT) in the quantitative measurement of upper urinary tract (UUT) pump function after acute unilateral lower ureteral obstruction in pigs.

Methods: In this study, a perfusion pig model was constructed by constant pressure perfusion testing of the renal pelvis and left nephrostomy.

Electroacupuncture Enhance Therapeutic Efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation in Rats With Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Background: Previous studies have showed the beneficial effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) animal. Enhancement of the treatment efficacy of MSCs in ICH is essential, considering the diseases association with high rates of disability and mortality. Some auxiliary methods to enhance the beneficial efficacy of MSCs have been introduced.

Identifying and Addressing Statewide Nursing Simulation Needs.

A statewide simulation assessment was conducted in one southeastern state using the Program Assessment Survey for Simulation. Simulation coordinators from 22 prelicensure nursing programs were interviewed. The findings revealed several areas where faculty education was needed: theory, design, facilitation, debriefing, interprofessional education, and evaluation.

Telesimulation as a modality for neonatal resuscitation training.

: Telesimulation may allow simulationists to continue with essential simulation-based training programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, we investigated the feasibility of telesimulation for neonatal resuscitation training, assessed participants' attitudes towards telesimulation as well as its effect on neonatal resuscitation knowledge, and compared results between medical students and neonatal nurses. : For this prospective observational pilot study, medical students and neonatal nursing staff were recruited on a voluntary basis.

Engaging the community through a longitudinal, interprofessional, interinstitutional experiential learning collaboration.

Background Interprofessional education (IPE) and training in community settings is not commonly described in the literature. Studies primarily focus on clinical education of interprofessional teams in clinical practice and primary care. This is a description of a longitudinal, collaborative interinstitutional IPE project that engages community partners (CP) while delivering core IPE competencies.

Neutral polysaccharide from Panax notoginseng enhanced cyclophosphamide antitumor efficacy in hepatoma H22-bearing mice.

Background: Our previous studies demonstrated that the administration of crude Polysaccharide from Panax notoginseng (CPPN) can effectively prolong the lifespan of tumor-bearing mice via boosting the host immune system as well as weak cytotoxicity against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, Neutral Polysaccharide (NPPN) were further purified from crude polysaccharide isolated from panax notoginseng. The effects of NPPN on the immune function and hematopoietic function of mice with low immunity and myelosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX) were investigated.

Integrating Basic and Clinical Sciences Using Point-of-Care Renal Ultrasound for Preclerkship Education.

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a valuable asset in bedside clinical care. Undergraduate medical education is increasingly using POCUS as an adjunct tool for teaching anatomy, pathophysiology, and physical exam in an integrated manner. Many medical schools teach content in an organ systems-based format in the preclerkship years.

Potential role of intestinal microflora in disease progression among patients with different stages of Hepatitis B.

Background: Increasing evidence demonstrate that the gut microbiota is involved in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, and faecal microbiota transplantation is considered to be a promising new treatment option. However, there are no reports on the intestinal flora of asymptomatic HBV carriers using next-generation sequencing. This study intends to investigate the potential role of the intestinal microflora in predicting the progression of Hepatitis B patients in different non-cancerous stages.

Perceptions of managers regarding prerequisites for the development of professional competence of newly graduated nurses: A qualitative study.

Aim And Objectives: To describe perceptions of managers regarding prerequisites for professional competence development of newly graduated nurses following a 1-year residency programme.

Background: In general, managers are unsatisfied with the professional competence of newly graduated nurses. Therefore, they have been involved in residency programmes to support the nurses' transition from being nursing students to professional nurses.

Research progress and treatment strategies for anesthetic neurotoxicity.

Every year, a large number of infants and young children worldwide are administered general anesthesia. Whether general anesthesia adversely affects the intellectual development and cognitive function of children at a later date remains controversial. Many animal experiments have shown that general anesthetics can cause nerve damage during development, affect synaptic plasticity, and induce apoptosis, and finally affect learning and memory function in adulthood.

Self-assessed competence and need for further training among registered nurses in somatic hospital wards in Sweden: a cross-sectional survey.

Background: Professional competence and continuous professional development is essential for ensuring high quality and safe nursing care, and it might be important for motivating nurses to stay in the profession. Thus, there is a need to identify the developmental process of nursing competency. Assessment of competence and need for further training helps to identify areas for quality improvement, and to design interventions in order to facilitate continuous competence development in different work contexts.

Simulation-based training and assessment of mobile pre-hospital SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic teams in Styria, Austria.

The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Polymerase chain reaction testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the diagnostic gold standard of COVID-19. We have developed a simulation-based training program for mobile prehospital diagnostic teams in the province of Styria, Austria, and performed a prospective observational study on its applicability and effectivity.

Standardised patient encounters to improve quality of counselling for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Kenya: study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa are at high risk of HIV acquisition. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstration projects observe that AGYW uptake and adherence to PrEP during risk periods is suboptimal. Judgemental interactions with healthcare workers (HCW) and inadequate counselling can be barriers to PrEP use among AGYW.