How Should Treatment of Animals Beyond the Lab Factor Into Institutional Review?

Discussions of nonhuman research ethics tend to focus on what we owe nonhuman research subjects in laboratory settings only. But humans make critical decisions about these animals outside the lab, too, during breeding, transportation, and end-of-study protocols. This article reviews extra-lab risks and harms to nonhuman research subjects, focusing on the most commonly and intensively used animals like rodents and fishes, and argues that extra-lab risks and harms merit ethical consideration by researchers and institutional review.

Why Patient-Centered Built Environment Standards Matter More Than Numbers of Beds in Inpatient Psychiatry.

This article canvasses extant literature about values, evidence, and standards for inpatient psychiatry units' design. It then analyzes apparent trade-offs between quality of care and access to care using empirical and ethical lenses. From this analysis, the authors conclude that standards for the built environment of inpatient psychiatric care should align with patient-centeredness, even if a downstream consequence of implementing new patient-centered designs is a reduction in beds, although this secondary outcome is unlikely.

How Should We Improve How Medical and Veterinary Students Learn About Human and Nonhuman Animals?

This article presents 5 general points that every clinician should know about animals, health, and the environment, focusing on why animals matter for their own sakes, why animals matter for health and environmental threats, why health and environmental threats matter for animals, and how the medical and veterinary industries interact with animals. This article then offers practical advice about how to address these issues.

Effects of Clozapine on Neurocognitive Functions in Schizophrenia: A Naturalistic Comparison to Non-clozapine Antipsychotics.

Objective: While clozapine is recognized as the most effective antipsychotic for individuals with treatment-resistant schizophrenia, its effects on neurocognition remain unclear. This study aimed to compare the neurocognitive effects of clozapine treatment to those of non-clozapine antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia and to examine the role of anticholinergic burden on cognitive impairments.

Design: This was a naturalistic study.

What Art Museums Can Teach Today's Clinicians About How to Orient Themselves to Their Professions' Roles in the Holocaust.

As products of the Enlightenment and Western European civilization, museums must acknowledge their ties to colonialism, empire, White supremacy, and structural exclusion. Museum practices that facilitate visitors' reflection on legacies of oppression encourage social and cultural growth and express organizational commitment to ethics and justice. This article discusses how the Art Institute of Chicago has reckoned with its own colonial legacies to begin dismantling them.

Original Research: Arthritis-Related Functional Limitations and Inadequate Physical Activity Among Female Adult Cancer Survivors.

Background: The American Cancer Society (ACS) Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention recommend an adequate level of physical activity for cancer prevention and survivorship. Many adults have been diagnosed with arthritis, with a significantly higher rate in women. People with arthritis tend to be less physically active than those without arthritis, and are less likely to engage in moderate or vigorous activity.

Nurses on the Front Lines: Improving Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Across Health Care Settings.

: Nurses care for adolescents in a variety of settings, including communities, schools, and public health and acute care clinics, which affords them many opportunities to improve adolescents' sexual and reproductive health and reduce the rates of unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. To ensure that adolescents have access to sexual and reproductive health care (which includes both preventive counseling and treatment) in all nursing practice sites, nurses need to gain the knowledge and hone the skills required to deliver evidence-based counseling and services to adolescents and parents. Collectively, nurses can use their unique combination of knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on adolescent sexual and reproductive outcomes.

What's in a Guideline? Developing Collaborative and Sound Research Designs that Substantiate Best Practice Recommendations for Transgender Health Care.

Transgender medicine presents a particular challenge for the development of evidence-based guidelines, due to limitations in the available body of evidence as well as the exclusion of gender identity data from most public health surveillance activities. The guidelines that have been published are often based on expert opinion, small studies, and data gathered outside the US. The existence of guidelines, however, helps legitimate the need for gender-affirming medical and surgical interventions.

Hyperglycemic-inducing neoadjuvant agents used in treatment of solid tumors: a review of the literature.

Purpose/objectives: To review the literature regarding the development of hyperglycemia associated with neoadjuvant agents used in the treatment of solid tumor cancers.

Data Sources: Research articles were obtained from PubMed, CINAHL®, and Cochrane Reviews. The following search terms were used alone and in combination: diabetes, glycemic control, chemotherapy, androgen deprivation therapy, interferon-alpha, immunosuppressants, cancer, neoplasms, and hyperglycemia.

The impact of hyperglycemia on hematopoietic cell transplantation outcomes: an integrative review.

Problem Identification: Many patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for hematologic malignancies experience hyperglycemic events during treatment, leading to adverse outcomes. Understanding how hyperglycemia during the acute HCT treatment phase impacts outcomes is vital for preventing and mitigating adverse events. This integrative review evaluates the impact of hyperglycemia on adult patients undergoing HCT.

Associations between multiple chronic conditions and cancer-related fatigue: an integrative review.

Problem Identification: To summarize the current state of nursing knowledge related to the association of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with solid tumors during chemotherapy.

Literature Search: A systematic literature search of PubMed, CINAHL®, EMBASE, Cochrane, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for primary nursing research from January 2000 to June 2012 that examined the prevalence and/or severity of CRF with MCCs or a single comorbidity.Data Evaluation: The studies were appraised for the clarity and focus of the research question and the appropriateness of the method and research design.

Low cognitive ability and poor skill with numbers may prevent many from enrolling in Medicare supplemental coverage.

Because traditional Medicare leaves substantial gaps in coverage, many people obtain supplemental coverage to limit their exposure to out-of-pocket costs. However, some Medicare beneficiaries may not be well equipped to navigate the complex supplemental coverage landscape successfully because of their lower cognitive ability or numeracy--that is, the ability to work with numbers. We found that people in the lower third of the cognitive ability and numeracy distributions were at least eleven percentage points less likely than those in the upper third to enroll in a supplemental Medicare insurance plan.

The immediate antimicrobial effect of a toothbrush and miswak on cariogenic bacteria: a clinical study.

The aim of this study was to assess the antimicrobial activity of the miswak chewing stick (Salvadora persica) in vivo, especially on streptococcus mutans and lactobacilli. The study was conducted clinically using patients' saliva and measuring the effect of miswak (chewing stick), miswak extract, toothbrush, and normal saline on mutans and lactobacilli. Forty male subjects aged 20-45 years were included in the study; there were four groups of ten subjects each.

Oral hygiene practices, smoking habit, and self-perceived oral malodor among dental students.

The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of oral hygiene practices and halitosis among undergraduate students from King Saud University, College of Dentistry. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among all 481 students; 263 male and 218 female students. A questionnaire was developed to assess the self-reported perception of oral breath, awareness of bad breath, timing of bad breath, treatment received for bad breath, oral hygiene practices, caries and bleeding gums, dryness of the mouth, smoking and tea drinking habits, and tongue coating.