Evaluating the readability levels of medical infographic materials for public consumption.

Readability is an important element of any published material. In recent years, various health organisations have utilised infographics to communicate important medical information. Established guidelines for readability suggest levels should be targeted between a 4th and 6th grade education level (United States) in order to avoid disadvantaging individuals with lower literacy skills. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the readability levels of several published materials from the field of athletic training and demonstrate a model for evaluating readability levels in other medical and health professions.

Localized surface plasmon resonance shift of biosynthesized and functionalized quasi-spherical gold nanoparticle systems.

Rapid and more environment-friendly means of gold nanoparticle synthesis is necessary in many applications, as in ion detection. Leaf extracts have become effective and economical reducing agents for gold nanoparticle formation, however, effects of extract combinations have not been thoroughly investigated. With the exploitation of combined extract effects, gold nanoparticles were synthesized then functionalized and investigated to produce selected nanoparticle systems which are capable of detecting aqueous lead(ii) ions with minimum detection limits of 10-11 ppm. The measured localized surface plasmon resonance absorption peaks of the gold nanoparticles were 541-800 nm for the synthesis and 549 nm for the functionalization. The diameters of different gold nanoparticle systems were 17-37 nm. These were mostly quasi-spherical in morphology with some rod-, triangular-, and hexagonal plate-like particles. The biosynthesis used polyphenols and acids present in the extracts in the reduction of gold ions into gold nanoparticles, and in the nanoparticle capping and stabilization. Functionalization replaced the capping compounds with alliin, S-allylcysteine, allicin, and ajoene. Gold nanoparticle stability in aqueous systems was verified for two weeks up to five months. The investigations concluded the practicability of the gold nanoparticles in lead(ii) ion detection with selectivity initially verified for other divalent cations.

A simple drying solution that minimizes cracking during air-drying of polyacrylamide gels.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is a routine technique used in biochemistry. Air-drying is an economical method of gel preservation that does not require expensive equipment. Our laboratory uses drying frames from RPI, which recommends a drying solution of 20% ethanol and 10% glycerol. The solution performs well for gels up to 10% acrylamide and 0.75 mm thickness; however, crack formation may occur if nicks or bubbles are present. The literature shows various drying methods and combinations of alcohol (30-100%) and glycerol (5-35%), but still reports cracking problems. Tests were conducted to independently evaluate the effects of ethanol and glycerol concentration on gel cracking. Here we introduce a simple solution that does not require glycerol or modified frames to generate preserved, crack-free sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels.

Silybum marianum (milk thistle) in the management and prevention of hepatotoxicity in a patient undergoing reinduction therapy for acute myelogenous leukemia.

Hepatotoxicity has been observed with several chemotherapy agents and combination regimens. Conventional treatment methods often include supportive care or observation. We report a case of a patient with noted transaminitis presumed secondary to chemotherapy, which did not resolve with supportive care but was shown to respond to milk thistle. The patient had an immediate decrease in liver function tests and showed decreased elevation in levels upon treatment with subsequent chemotherapy regimens. This case demonstrates the potential efficacy of milk thistle as a unique hepatoprotective agent.

Necrotizing enterocolitis in the premature infant: neonatal nursing assessment, disease pathogenesis, and clinical presentation.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains one of the most catastrophic comorbidities associated with prematurity. In spite of extensive research, the disease remains unsolved. The aims of this article are to present the current state of the science on the pathogenesis of NEC, summarize the clinical presentation and severity staging of the disease, and highlight the nursing assessments required for early identification of NEC and ongoing care for infants diagnosed with this gastrointestinal disease. The distributions of systemic and intestinal clinical signs that are most sensitive to nursing assessment and associated with Bell Staging Criteria are presented. These descriptive data are representative of 117 cases of NEC diagnosed in low-gestational-age infants (<29 weeks' gestation). The data highlight the clinical signs most commonly observed in infants with NEC and thus provide NICU nurses an evidence-based guide for assessment and care of infants with NEC.

Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) role in the development of Latinx student leaders.

According to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) are defined as colleges, universities, or system/districts where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total enrollment. Due to the enrollment dependent nature of HSIs, an institution's designation may change over time. This article will include a discussion of how HSIs develop campus cultures that go beyond their designation to support the leader development of students.

Salvage therapy for acute myeloid leukemia with fludarabine, cytarabine, and idarubicin with or without gemtuzumab ozogamicin and with concurrent or sequential G-CSF.

The current salvage therapies for relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are unsatisfactory. Over the past 7 years, we have used two salvage regimens: fludarabine, cytarabine, and idarubicin with (FLAG-IM) or without gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) (9 mg/m(2) on Day 8) (FLAG-I) in relapsed/refractory AML. Three-quarters of patients also received concurrent G-CSF. Seventy-one patients were treated, 23 with FLAG-I and 48 with FLAG-IM. The median duration of follow-up was 30.6 months. The treatment groups were well balanced with median ages of 48 years (range 18-70) and 47 years (range 20-68), unfavorable cytogenetics in 57% and 35%, prior allogeneic stem cell transplant in 43% and 42%, and CR1 duration <1 year in 60% and 67%, respectively, for FLAG-I and FLAG-IM. The complete remission (CR) rate in the FLAG-I group was 39% with an additional 13% achieving a CRp [overall response rate (ORR) 52%]; the CR rate in the FLAG-IM group was 29% with an additional 27% achieving a CRp (ORR 56%). The median duration of response (DOR; 16.8 vs. 8.3 months), event-free survival (EFS; 7.4 vs. 4.1 months), and overall survival (OS; 8.8 vs. 5.0 months) trended to favor FLAG-I over FLAG-IM. The patients who received G-CSF concurrent with chemotherapy had superior overall response rate (ORR; 62% vs. 29%, P = 0.026), median EFS (6.2 vs. 3.4 months, P = 0.010), and OS (8.8 vs. 3.9 months, P = 0.004) when compared with those who sequentially received G-CSF and chemotherapy, regardless of chemotherapy regimen. The addition of GO, at this dose and schedule, to FLAG-I failed to improve the outcomes in patients with relapsed/refractory AML. The patients who received G-CSF concurrently with chemotherapy had improved outcomes. Am. J. Hematol., 2009. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Comorbidities, not age, impact outcomes in autologous stem cell transplant for relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is a widely applied treatment for advanced non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but few studies have analyzed the tolerability and outcomes in older patients compared with younger patients treated in a homogeneous manner. We retrospectively reviewed 152 consecutive patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) following BEAM conditioning (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) for NHL from January 2000 through August 2004 at our institution. We compared 59 patients age > or =60 years and 93 patients age <60 years. Supportive care was identical for all patients. The frequency of comorbidities was similar between both groups. CD34+ cell doses, days to neutrophil recovery, and days to platelet count >20,000/mm3 were similar in younger and older patients, although days to platelet count >50,000/mm3 were longer in the older patients (median 30.0 days versus 22.5 days, P = .01). Patients over the age of 60 were more likely to develop grade III/IV mucositis than their younger counterparts (37.7% versus17.4%, P = .0063). Otherwise, the frequency of other grade III/IV toxicities were similar between younger and older patients. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) was similar between older and younger patients (8.5% versus 5.4%, P = .45). Although age was not associated with TRM, the Charlson Comorbidity Index Score was significantly correlated with TRM (P = .03). Median disease-free survival was similar between older and younger patients (21.8 months versus 29.9 months, P = .93), as was overall survival (OS) (47.7 months versus 62.5 months, P = .20). After controlling for age, the Charlson Comorbidity Index Score influenced OS [P = .013]. Overall, our cohort of patients with NHL over the age of 60 who underwent ASCT following BEAM conditioning experienced toxicities and survival similar to their younger counterparts. Comorbidities significantly influenced TRM and OS in this retrospective cohort. Future study should focus on improving tolerability of conditioning and careful prospective evaluation of comorbidities and their association with outcomes.

Detection of malaria sporozoites expelled during mosquito sugar feeding.

Malaria is a severe disease of global importance transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. The ability to rapidly detect the presence of infectious mosquitoes able to transmit malaria is of vital importance for surveillance, control and elimination efforts. Current methods principally rely on large-scale mosquito collections followed by labour-intensive salivary gland dissections or enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) methods to detect sporozoites. Using forced salivation, we demonstrate here that Anopheles mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium expel sporozoites during sugar feeding. Expelled sporozoites can be detected on two sugar-soaked substrates, cotton wool and Whatman FTA cards, and sporozoite DNA is detectable using real-time PCR. These results demonstrate a simple and rapid methodology for detecting the presence of infectious mosquitoes with sporozoites and highlight potential laboratory applications for investigating mosquito-malaria interactions. Our results indicate that FTA cards could be used as a simple, effective and economical tool in enhancing field surveillance activities for malaria.

Influence of Systematic Incorporation of Conjugation-Break Spacers into Semi-Random Polymers on Mechanical and Electronic Properties.

An extensive family of semi-random polymers was prepared via Stille polycondensation with varying contents of alkyl spacers incorporated into the polymer backbone to serve as a break in conjugation. This family was investigated to determine the effect of alkyl spacer length and percent incorporation on the optical, electronic, and mechanical properties. The optical bandgap was found to steadily increase from 1.53 to 1.70 eV as the amount of spacer was increased from 10 mol percent to 40 mol percent while the length of the spacer had little to no effect. In space charge limited current (SCLC) carrier mobility measurements, hole mobility was found to decrease as the amount of spacer increased but was found to steadily increase as the length of the spacer was increased from 6 to 10 carbons. Mechanical properties were observed by film-on-elastomer and film-on-water measurements, with low elastic moduli and high ductility attributed both to the break in conjugation as well as the semi-random structure of the polymer backbone. Measurements of the mechanical properties using the buckling method revealed elastic moduli between 0.14 and 1.3 GPa, and several polymers, when bonded to an elastomeric substrate, could be stretched beyond 80% strain. These polymers were further tested as free-standing films by obtaining a pull test on the surface of water, where we obtained tensile moduli between 0.13 and 0.75 GPa. These results indicate that semi-random polymers with conjugation-break spacers are promising candidates for further study in flexible electronics.

It's in Your Hands: An Educational Initiative to Improve Parent/Family Hand Hygiene Compliance.

BACKGROUND: Health care-associated infections contribute to increased morbidity and mortality, increased resource use, higher costs, and extended hospitalizations. Proper hand hygiene (HH) is essential to health care-associated infection prevention. Low compliance among parents in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) was identified and prompted development of an HH initiative. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this quality improvement project was to improve parent HH practices with the ultimate goal of achieving 100% compliance with parent HH. METHODS: Between December 2011 and November 2014, our NICU Infection Prevention Committee developed and implemented the parent/family HH initiative entitled "It's in Your Hands" and created learning materials based on the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. Materials included information sheets, posters, stickers, and checklists. Audits, based on the World Health Organization's Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, were performed several times per week to monitor compliance. RESULTS: Before the intervention, only 71% (n = 1143) of all observed parents and family members performed proper HH. After the intervention, proper HH increased to 89% (n = 939). An average compliance of 89% was maintained throughout the intervention phase. DISCUSSION: This initiative led to sustained improvements in HH compliance among NICU parents. It has empowered parents to speak up and request proper HH from health care providers when interacting with their child. This initiative has been adopted as a hospital-wide standard of care.

Host, macrohabitat, and microhabitat specificity in the gill parasite Afrodiplozoon polycotyleus (Monogenea).

Studies on species of Monogenea have shown that these parasites often infect only a specific host species, genus, or family, and that they attach only to specific sites within hosts. Few studies, however, examine habitat specificity across host and habitat scales. In this study, we focused on host, macrohabitat, and microhabitat specificity in the monogenean diplozoon Afrodiplozoon polycotyleus, a gill parasite of African cyprinid fishes, Barbus spp. We first compared the occurrence of A. polycotyleus among 4 species of Barbus from a single location in the Mpanga River of western Uganda; Barbus neumayeri was the only species infected with the parasite. We then quantified parasite prevalence and mean abundance in B. neumayeri from a series of river and swamp sites in the same drainage, looking for environmental predictors of diplozoon prevalence and abundance over a broad habitat scale. The prevalence and mean abundance of A. polycotyleus on gills of B. neumayeri was highest in the hypoxic swamp habitat, followed by the intermittent stream sites, and faster flowing river sites. Parasite prevalence and mean abundance across habitats were negatively related to both water current and dissolved oxygen concentration. Within hosts, A. polycotyleus was strongly specific among hemibranchs in poorly oxygenated water and was found on arch 2, hemibranch 4 most frequently.

Tamoxifen decreases lipoprotein (a) in patients with breast cancer.

An elevated concentration of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a potent risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis. Recently, several hormonal agents including estrogen have been reported to decrease serum Lp(a) concentrations. We found that the antiestrogen tamoxifen also decreased Lp(a) concentrations approximately 40% in six patients with breast cancer, an effect that was achieved by 1 month of therapy and that was stable in five of six patients. If the Lp(a)-lowering effect of tamoxifen can be replicated in women without breast cancer, tamoxifen might be considered as an alternative to niacin for the treatment of elevated Lp(a) levels.

Practice of pediatric critical care medicine: results of the Future of Pediatric Education II survey of sections project.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the demographics and practice patterns of the current pediatric critical care workforce and to identify the key workforce issues that may affect the delivery of pediatric critical care services in the future. DESIGN: A questionnaire designed to analyze current pediatric critical care workforce demographics and future workforce trends. SUBJECTS: Pediatric critical care physicians from the United States were identified from the American Academy of Pediatrics Critical Care Section, from a list of physicians certified in pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) by the American Board of Pediatrics, and from a list of pediatrician members of the Society for Critical Care Medicine. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS: PCCM physicians were polled regarding board certification, practice characteristics, professional activities, referral patterns, patient profiles, competition, job satisfaction, and projected retirement age. MAIN RESULTS: A total of 805 PCCM physicians completed the survey. When grouped by age, 40% of the responding PCCM physicians were younger than 40 yrs, 49% were 40 to 49 yrs old, and only 11% were 50 yrs of age or older. The younger group had a higher percentage of female pediatricians than the older groups. For all age groups, the largest proportion of time was devoted to direct patient care time in pediatric critical care. This was especially true for the youngest age group that had the largest amount of patient care time devoted to critical care (43%). Time devoted to research was also significantly higher for the younger age group, although very few respondents reported that they have >50% of their time protected for research. For all age groups, those reporting increases in referral volume and referral complexity over the previous 12 months far outnumbered those reporting decreases. The majority of respondents reported being satisfied with their career choice. In general, respondents were more likely to report that too many rather than too few PCCM physicians were currently being trained. Approximately one third of respondents (34%) planned on leaving the field of critical care medicine before retiring from medicine completely. CONCLUSIONS: PCCM physicians were increasingly women and working for >65 hrs/wk, with a good level of job satisfaction. Competition from a variety of sources seems to affect the work of PCCM physicians. The relatively small percentage of time devoted to research, however, is a finding of great concern.

Comparative evaluation of single fixed dosing and weight-based dosing of rasburicase for tumor lysis syndrome.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate single fixed dosing versus weight-based dosing strategies for rasburicase to determine the minimum dose required to mitigate hyperuricemia in the treatment or prevention of tumor lysis syndrome. DESIGN: Retrospective medical record review SETTING: Academic medical center PATIENTS: A total of 373 patients with a diagnosis of a hematologic malignancy or solid tumor and who received at least one dose of rasburicase over a 6-year period between January 1, 2005, and February 18, 2011; 180 patients received single doses of 3 mg (38 patients), 6 mg (99 patients), or 7.5 mg (43 patients), and 193 patients received weight-based dosing. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Tumor lysis syndrome laboratory data were recorded at baseline and monitored up to 72 hours after initial rasburicase administration. Median baseline plasma uric acid levels were 6.85 mg/dl, 8.80 mg/dl, 8.00 mg/dl, and 9.20 mg/dl, respectively, in the 3-mg, 6-mg, 7.5-mg, and weight-based dosing groups. Treatment success was defined as a normalized plasma uric acid level (< 7.5 mg/dl) within 24 hours after receiving rasburicase. The mean weight-based dose was 0.16 mg/kg. Six rasburicase treatment failures occurred; two were in the 3-mg group, one was in the 6-mg group, and three were in the weight-based dosing group. At 24 hours after rasburicase administration, no statistically significant differences in treatment success were noted among groups (92.9% vs 97.6% vs 100.0% vs 98.0% in the 3-mg, 6-mg, 7.5-mg, and weight-based dosing groups, respectively, p=0.1238). CONCLUSION: The efficacy of all single fixed doses and weight-based dosing strategies evaluated in this study appear to be comparable in normalizing plasma uric acid levels within 24 hours of rasburicase administration. Although use of a 3-mg rasburicase dose may be the most cost-effective treatment strategy in managing hyperuricemia secondary to tumor lysis syndrome, the 6-mg dose resulted in lower sustained uric acid levels after rasburicase administration. Further analysis of patient specific factors contributing to the need for repeat rasburicase administration should be conducted in larger, prospective clinical trials.

Use of cytomegalovirus intravenous immune globulin for the adjunctive treatment of cytomegalovirus in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics and clinical outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients who received adjunctive cytomegalovirus intravenous immune globulin (CMV-IVIG) for probable or proven CMV disease. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Large, university-affiliated, tertiary-care medical center. PATIENTS: Thirty-five adult HSCT recipients who received at least one dose of CMV-IVIG for adjunctive treatment of probable or proven CMV disease between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2007. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: All-cause mortality at hospital discharge was the primary outcome. All patients received an allogeneic HSCT. Twenty-six patients (74%) had pneumonitis, nine (26%) had enteritis, and 29 (83%) had CMV viremia. All patients received concomitant antiviral therapy; 31 (89%) received ganciclovir, and 14 (40%) received foscarnet. All-cause mortality at hospital discharge was 49% (17 patients). Patient characteristics associated with mortality included requiring intubation for CMV pneumonia (11 [79%] of 14 nonsurvivors vs 3 (25%) of 12 survivors, p=0.016) and earlier disease onset after HSCT (median 48 days for nonsurvivors vs 106 days for survivors, p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, only requiring intubation for CMV pneumonia remained a significant risk factor for increased mortality. A low rate of adverse events was attributed to CMV-IVIG, with mild hypertension (two patients [6%]) and erythema and chills (one patient [3%]) being the most common. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate in our study population was similar to previous reports in the literature and may be somewhat lower than rates reported with antiviral monotherapy. Our analysis suggests that factors associated with mortality include the need for intubation and, possibly, earlier onset of CMV disease after HSCT. Treatment with CMV-IVIG appears to be well tolerated in HSCT recipients. These findings support further trials of CMV-IVIG efficacy in this setting.