American Society of Hematology 2020 guidelines for sickle cell disease: transfusion support.

Background: Red cell transfusions remain a mainstay of therapy for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), but pose significant clinical challenges. Guidance for specific indications and administration of transfusion, as well as screening, prevention, and management of alloimmunization, delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions (DHTRs), and iron overload may improve outcomes.

Objective: Our objective was to develop evidence-based guidelines to support patients, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals in their decisions about transfusion support for SCD and the management of transfusion-related complications.

Motivational Strategies to Prevent Frailty in Older Adults with Diabetes: A Focused Review.

The prevalence of diabetes among Americans aged 65 years and older is greater than 25%. Medical expenditures for persons with diabetes are more than twice as high as those for patients without diabetes. Diabetes in older adults often times coexists with frailty, resulting in reduced quality of life and increased health-care use.

Inertial sensor-based measures of gait symmetry and repeatability in people with unilateral lower limb amputation.

Background: People with lower limb amputation often walk with asymmetrical gait patterns potentially leading to long-term health problems, ultimately affecting their quality of life. The ability to discreetly detect and quantify the movement of bilateral thighs and shanks using wearable sensor technology can provide additional insight into how a person walks with a lower limb prosthesis. This study investigated segmental symmetry and segmental repeatability of people with unilateral lower limb amputation, examining performance of the prosthetic and intact limbs.

End points for sickle cell disease clinical trials: patient-reported outcomes, pain, and the brain.

To address the global burden of sickle cell disease (SCD) and the need for novel therapies, the American Society of Hematology partnered with the US Food and Drug Administration to engage the work of 7 panels of clinicians, investigators, and patients to develop consensus recommendations for clinical trial end points. The panels conducted their work through literature reviews, assessment of available evidence, and expert judgment focusing on end points related to: patient-reported outcomes (PROs), pain (non-PROs), the brain, end-organ considerations, biomarkers, measurement of cure, and low-resource settings. This article presents the findings and recommendations of the PROs, pain, and brain panels, as well as relevant findings and recommendations from the biomarkers panel.

Population-based methods for estimating the number of men who have sex with men: a systematic review.

The objective of this systematic review was to summarise population-based methods (i.e. methods that used representative data from populations) for estimating the population size of men who have sex with men (MSM), a high-risk group for HIV and other sexually transmissible infections (STIs).

Correction to: Role of empathy in the perception of medical errors in patient encounters: a preliminary study.

In the original publication of this article [1], an author name was misspelled.

Lower Extremity Biomechanics Are Altered Across Maturation in Sport-Specialized Female Adolescent Athletes.

Sport specialization is a growing trend in youth athletes and may contribute to increased injury risk. The neuromuscular deficits that often manifest during maturation in young, female athletes may be exacerbated in athletes who specialize in a single sport. The purpose of this study was to investigate if sport specialization is associated with increased lower extremity biomechanical deficits pre- to post-puberty in adolescent female athletes.

Role of empathy in the perception of medical errors in patient encounters: a preliminary study.

Objective: Healthcare professionals' empathy have been empirically demonstrated to decrease the risk of medical errors. Medical errors affect patient's outcomes and healthcare providers' well-being. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between patients' perception of healthcare providers' empathy, their intention to adhere to treatment, and their perception of medical errors made.

Acute Illnesses, Use of Health Services, and Changes in Medication Among Parents After Infant or Child Death.

Background: The death of an infant or child has been described as the most stressful life event, but few reports exist on the effects on parents' physical health in the year after the death.

Objective: To examine acute illnesses, use of health services, and medication changes among parents from 3 racial/ethnic groups 1 to 13 months after the death of an infant or child in the neonatal intensive care unit or pediatric intensive care unit.

Methods: In a longitudinal study, 96 parents (41% black, 32% Hispanic, 27% white) of deceased infants or children were recruited from 4 children's hospitals and death records.

Black, White, and Hispanic Children's Health and Function 2-13 Months After Sibling Intensive Care Unit Death.

Objective: To describe children's anxiety, depression, behaviors, and school performance at 2-13 months after sibling neonatal/pediatric intensive care unit (NICU/PICU) or emergency department (ED) death and compare these outcomes by child age, sex, race/ethnicity, whether the child saw their sibling in the NICU/PICU/ED, and attended the sibling's funeral.

Study Design: Children in 71 families were recruited for this longitudinal study from 4 children's hospitals and 14 other Florida hospitals. Children rated anxiety (Spence Children's Anxiety Scale) and depression (Children's Depression Inventory); parents rated child behaviors (Child Behavior Checklist) and reported school performance (detentions, suspensions, requested parent-teacher meetings) at 2, 4, 6, and 13 months post-sibling death.

A short report: parents HPV vaccine knowledge in rural South Florida.

An exploratory pilot descriptive research study was conducted in the rural counties of Hendry and Glades Florida exploring parental knowledge and hesitancy of HPV vaccination. Participants included parents/caregivers with children ages 9 to 13; using quantitative methods, we evaluated knowledge, feelings, and beliefs toward HPV vaccination including vaccination prevalence and correlates among participating parents/caregivers. Our measures included the Parental HPV Survey with a Cronbach's alpha of .

Research in Academia: Creating and Maintaining High Performance Research Teams.

As universities strive to raise their academic rank through the quality and quantity of scholarship in order to maintain their competitive edge and funding sources, faculty face pressure to increase number of publications and externally funded research (or project proposals). There are many challenges that make it difficult for faculty to meet a university's research demand, such as increased work load in academia, teaching large-size classes of students, and other strict university deadlines related to book ordering, scheduling classes, posting grades, etc. Faculty work group conflicts, faculty incivility, and dwindling grant/research funding add to faculty stress.

Biomechanical and Functional Outcomes After Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction: A Pilot Study.

Background: Previous studies have acknowledged the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) as the primary stabilizer of the patella, preventing lateral displacement. MPFL reconstruction (MPFL-R) restores stability and functionality to the patellofemoral joint and has emerged as a preferred treatment option for recurrent lateral patellar instability.

Purpose: To objectively measure biomechanical characteristics of athletes cleared for return to sport after MPFL-R compared with healthy controls.

Differences between flexion and extension synergy-driven coupling at the elbow, wrist, and fingers of individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke.

Objective: The flexion and extension synergies were quantified at the paretic elbow, forearm, wrist, and finger joints within the same group of participants for the first time. Differences in synergy expression at each of the four joints were examined, as were the ways these differences varied across the joints.

Methods: Twelve post-stroke individuals with chronic moderate-to-severe hemiparesis and six age-matched controls participated.

Classification of Mild Stroke: A Mapping Review.

Persons with mild stroke experience motor and cognitive impairments that negatively affect their health and quality of life. To address these deficits, it is essential for clinicians and researchers to precisely identify mild stroke survivors. Despite the fact that half of all strokes are categorized as mild, no standards exist on what constitutes a "mild" stroke.

The Potential of Information Technology to Navigate Caregiving Systems: Perspectives from Dementia Caregivers.

Technologies designed to support caregivers of adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/RD) have been developing at an increasingly rapid pace. However, little remains known about caregivers' perspectives on how technologies can and should help them navigate larger service systems they interact with to engage in caregiving. This study involved in-depth interviews and a beta test of an AD/RD caregiver app to learn more about how they currently use technologies and how potential technological features and functions can best meet their needs.

Assessing the predictive accuracy of oral glucose effectiveness index using a calibration model.

Purpose: Current reference methods for measuring glucose effectiveness (GE) are the somatostatin pancreatic glucose clamp and minimal model analysis of frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT), both of which are laborious and not feasible in large epidemiological studies. Consequently, surrogate indices derived from an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to measure GE (oGE) have been proposed and used in many studies. However, the predictive accuracy of these surrogates has not been formally validated.

The Journey to Accreditation of a Nurse Residency Program.

The purpose of this article is to describe the process from inception to accreditation of a post-baccalaureate nurse residency program between a VA Healthcare center and a university school of nursing so that other nurse educators can benefit from its development. Establishing a nurse residency program bridges the gap between education and practice and provides support to graduate nurses entering the workforce.

Use of Mueller matrix colposcopy in the characterization of cervical collagen anisotropy.

Annually, about 15 million preterm infants are born in the world. Of these, due to complications resulting from their premature birth, about 1 million would die before the age of five. Since the high incidence of preterm birth (PTB) is partially due to the lack of effective diagnostic modalities, methodologies are needed to determine risk of PTB.

A summative evaluation of productivity and accomplishments of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program participants.

From 2008 to 2017, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program inspired, developed, and supported cohorts of next generation national leaders in academic nursing through career development awards. With support from mentors, scholars in the program created individual development plans focused on scholarship, teaching, service, and leadership. The curriculum of the scholar development program combined goals and objectives related to leadership development, enhancement of nursing education skills, and focused programs of research and scholarship.

Muscle activation in suspension training: a systematic review.

Suspension training is an adjunct to traditional strength and conditioning. The effect of added instability on muscle activation during traditional exercises is unclear and depends on the exercise and type of instability. The purpose of this review was to compare the activations of different muscles in suspension training exercises and their traditional counterparts.

Students' Perception of Peer and Faculty Debriefing Facilitators Following Simulation- Based Education.

Context: Debriefing (discussion led by a facilitator) in simulation-based education enhances dual learning for facilitators and students. Debriefing guides students to critically reflect on their performance in a simulation setting, thus allowing improvement in cognitive and clinical skills. Research has examined the effectiveness of simulation-based education on knowledge, skills, and confidence; however, less research has examined students' perception of debriefing.

Sociocultural factors influencing infant-feeding choices among African immigrant women living with HIV: A synthesis of the literature.

Background And Purpose: The World Health Organizations (WHO) strategy is to eliminate pediatric HIV. HIV prevention guidelines in high-income countries recommend mothers living with HIV avoid breastfeeding. Yet, breastfeeding is promoted as the normal and unequalled method of feeding infants.

Gender Differences in Psychosocial and Physical Outcomes in Haitian Amputees.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the gender differences in psychosocial and physical outcomes in users of lower-extremity prostheses who became amputees after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Method: We enrolled 140 unilateral amputees in this cross-sectional study in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Trained staff administered the assessments by reading the questions aloud to participants.