Investigating the Effect of Personality Traits and Academic Self-efficacies on Malpractice Tendencies in Health College Students.

BACKGROUND: Prevention of malpractice is crucial for health care professionals since it could lead to morbidity and mortality. Personality traits of students, being health care professional candidates affect their academic self-efficacies and malpractice tendencies. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of personality traits and academic self-efficacies of midwifery and nursing students on their malpractice tendencies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted with a total of 437 midwifery and nursing students studying at two universities between May and September 2019. The form of sociodemographic characteristics, Eysenck Personality Inventory, Academic Self-efficacy Scale, and Malpractice Tendency Scale were used to collect the data. RESULTS: In the malpractice tendency scale, the students had the lowest score from patient monitoring and equipment safety subscale (x¯ = 40.59 ± 5.41) and the highest score from the communication subscale (x¯ = 22.78 ± 3.01). In the personality inventory, they were found to have the lowest score from the psychoticism subscale and the highest score from the extraversion subscale. Their academic self-efficacy mean score was 14.69 ± 3 0.49. Academic self-efficacy score was higher in the 1st year compared to the 4th year (P < 0.05). A negative correlation was found between neuroticism and extraversion subscales and academic self-efficacy (P < 0.01). A negative correlation was found between malpractice tendency and academic self-efficacy (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: It was observed that neuroticism and extraversion personality traits in students were found to be associated with low academic self-efficacy and increasing malpractice tendencies. Investigation of academic self-efficacy and malpractice tendencies of the students in accordance with their personality traits would contribute to the improvement, arrangement, and updating of educational curricula.

Evaluation of treatment adherence and illness perception in cardiology patients.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the cardiology patients' illness perception on their medication adherence will guide in the development of training and consultancy strategies. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was conducted with 110 patients who were followed up in the cardiology clinics of a university hospital. The study included patients over the age of 18 years, who agreed to participate in the study and were diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease at least six months before. The data were collected using a patient information form questioning the subjects such as the patients' age, gender, marital status and economic condition, the Illness Perception Questionnaire and the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. RESULTS: The results showed that 72.7% (n=80) of the group had forgotten to take their medicine, 38.2% (n=42) had a trouble remembering to take their medicine, 29.1% (n=32) stopped taking their medicine when they felt good and 32.7% (n=36) stopped taking their medicine because they sometimes felt bad after taking their medicine. It was determined that there was no statistically significant correlation between Morisky Medication Adherence Scale scores and Illness Perception Questionnaire subscale scores (P >0.05). It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the educational backgrounds, in terms of the personal control subscale mean scores (P=0.003; P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Patients try to explain their disease in the light of their personal experiences, knowledge, values, beliefs, and needs. Illness perception which is among the most important factors providing treatment adherence is an important factor affecting many areas from the person's psychological adaptation to the course of disease. Illness perception and treatment adherence are affected by educational level.

Advances in tribological testing of artificial joint biomaterials using multidirectional pin-on-disk testers.

The introduction of numerous formulations of Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which is widely used as a bearing material in orthopedic implants, necessitated screening of bearing couples to identify promising iterations for expensive joint simulations. Pin-on-disk (POD) testers capable of multidirectional sliding can correctly rank formulations of UHMWPE with respect to their predictive in vivo wear behavior. However, there are still uncertainties regarding POD test parameters for facilitating clinically relevant wear mechanisms of UHMWPE. Studies on the development of POD testing were briefly summarized. We systematically reviewed wear rate data of UHMWPE generated by POD testers. To determine if POD testing was capable of correctly ranking bearings and if test parameters outlined in ASTM F732 enabled differentiation between wear behavior of various formulations, mean wear rates of non-irradiated, conventional (25-50kGy) and highly crosslinked (≥90kGy) UHMWPE were grouped and compared. The mean wear rates of non-irradiated, conventional and highly crosslinked UHMWPEs were 7.03, 5.39 and 0.67mm(3)/MC. Based on studies that complied with the guidelines of ASTM F732, the mean wear rates of non-irradiated, conventional and highly crosslinked UHMWPEs were 0.32, 0.21 and 0.04mm(3)/km, respectively. In both sets of results, the mean wear rate of highly crosslinked UHMPWE was smaller than both conventional and non-irradiated UHMWPEs (p<0.05). Thus, POD testers can compare highly crosslinked and conventional UHMWPEs despite different test parameters. Narrowing the allowable range for standardized test parameters could improve sensitivity of multi-axial testers in correctly ranking materials.

Evaluation of friction properties of hydrogels based on a biphasic cartilage model.

Characterizing hydrogels using a biphasic cartilage model, which can predict their behavior based on structural properties, such as permeability and aggregate modulus, may be useful for comparing active lubrication modes of cartilage and hydrogels for the design of articular cartilage implants. The effects of interstitial fluid pressurization, inherent matrix viscoelasticity and tension-compression nonlinearity on mechanical properties of the biphasic material were evaluated by linear biphasic (KLM), biphasic poroviscoelastic (BPVE) and linear biphasic with anisotropy cartilage models, respectively. The BPVE model yielded the lowest root mean square error and highest coefficient of determination when predicting confined and unconfined compression stress-relaxation response of hydrogels (n=15): 0.220±0.316MPa and 0.93±0.08; and 0.017±0.008MPa and 0.98±0.01 respectively. Since the differences in error between models were not statistically significant, the simplest model we considered, KLM model, was sufficient to predict the mechanical response of this family of hydrogels. The coefficient of friction (COF) of a hydrogel-ceramic articulation was measured at varying loads and pressures to explore the full range of lubrication behavior of hydrogel. Material parameters obtained by biphasic models correlated with COF. Based on the linear biphasic model, COF correlated positively with aggregate modulus (spearman's rho=0.5; p<0.001) and velocity (rho=0.3; p<0.001), and negatively with permeability (rho=-0.3; p<0.001) and load (rho=-0.6; p<0.001). Negative correlation of COF with load and positive correlation with velocity indicated that hydrogel-ceramic articulation was separated by a fluid film. These results together suggested that interstitial fluid pressurization was dominant in the viscoelasticity and lubrication properties of this biphasic material.

Tribological evaluation of hydrogel articulations for joint arthroplasty applications.

Characterizing the wear behavior of hydrogel articulations is problematic and a standardized method has not yet been developed. The aims of this study were to evaluate the wear resistance of hydrogel-on-hydrogel articulations and to assess the suitability of a submerged measurement technique as a practical and non-destructive method in quantifying their wear rates. Five hydrogel bearings were tested for 5 million cycles using a pin-on-disk tester. As the test progressed, the coefficient of friction increased (Spearman's rho=0.76; p<0.001) while the surfaces of the pins were burnished (Spearman's rho=-0.31; p<0.001) and those of the disks got rougher (Spearman's rho=0.19; p<0.01). Environmental scanning electron microscopy analysis showed no evidence of gross wear and revealed similar surface morphology between contacting and non-contacting regions of specimens. These results support the finding of low wear, which were -1.4±8.3 and 6.6±35.3mm(3)/MC based on submerged and wet weights, respectively. Pins displayed higher wear than disks based on submerged weights. This was anticipated since surfaces of pins were constantly under load and cross-shear while only a portion of the disk in contact with the pin was loaded at a given time. Wet weights, on the other hand, indicated higher wear for disks than pins. In addition, submerged weights yielded a lower standard error of the mean in wear rates than wet weights, 3.7 and 14.6mm(3)/MC, respectively. These results indicated that submerged weights were more suitable than wet weights in quantifying wear of hydrogels in spite of unwanted effects of swelling.

Cloning and identification of regulatory sequences of the human thrombin receptor gene.

Thrombin, via activation of vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell thrombin receptors, modulates vascular wall healing. To understand the mechanisms that regulate human thrombin receptor (HTR) expression, we cloned and characterized the HTR gene. The HTR gene consists of Exon I, which contains the 5'-regulatory region and 85 nucleotides of coding sequence; a approximately 15-kb intron; and Exon II, which contains the remainder of the coding sequence and the entire 3'-untranslated region. Multiple transcription initiation sites were identified by S1 mapping and ribonuclease protection assay. DNA sequence analysis indicated the presence of two SP-1-AP-2 consensus binding sequences, near or within the transcription initiation sites, and consensus binding sequences for numerous regulatory proteins that potentially modulate HTR expression. Functional analysis of the HTR promoter was performed by transfecting human microvascular endothelial cells with HTR promoter region-luciferase constructs. The highest level of expression was obtained with a 0.7-kb promoter sequence and was progressively less with fragments of 0.54, 1.16, 1.6, and approximately3.2 kb. The data presented in this report provide a foundation for further characterization of the HTR gene and the mechanisms that regulate its expression within the blood vessel wall.

Role of the thrombin receptor in restenosis and atherosclerosis.

Thrombus generation is central to thrombosis at vascular lesion sites, including post-PCTA acute reocclusion and chronic restenosis. Thrombin stimulates platelet activation, monocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis, and endothelial production of prothrombotic factors. The varied physiologic effects of thrombin are due to the widespread presence of thrombin receptors in many cell types. The receptor is uniquely activated: thrombin binds to the receptor at the thrombin anion-binding exosite, the receptor ligand ("tethered ligand") apparently being a sequence of 6 amino acids (SFLLRN). Thus, peptides corresponding to the sequence of the tethered ligand can stimulate almost all functions of native thrombin itself. Several intracellular signaling pathways have been identified as important in the restenosis process: the G protein-related pathway, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) mediator pathway, and tyrosine kinase activation pathway. In situ hybridization has demonstrated an increase in thrombin receptor mRNA throughout the period of neointimal and vascular lesion development. The mechanism of this increase is unknown, but may be mediated by multiple inflammatory modulators. Several strategies have been tested in animal models for inhibiting thrombin: (1) Hirudin not only prevents thrombin from cleaving fibrinogen, but also prevents thrombin receptor activation. (2) Thrombin receptor antagonist peptides block platelet aggregation effects of thrombin. (3) Mono- and polyclonal antibodies inhibit thrombin receptor activation. (4) Antisense oligonucleotides block thrombin receptor expression.