Tools for Screening and Measuring Anxiety Among Women Living with HIV of Reproductive Age: A Scoping Review.

Emerging evidence suggests that women living with HIV (WLWH) may experience higher rates of anxiety than men living with HIV and women living without HIV. To date, relatively little knowledge exists on valid anxiety screening and diagnostic tools and how they are used among WLWH, specifically WLWH of reproductive age. Thus, the purpose of this scoping review was to describe what is known in the published literature about anxiety among WLWH and the tools used to measure and screen for anxiety in clinical and research contexts. The Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework was used to guide a scoping review of published articles in PsycINFO, Scopus, Sociological Abstracts, and PubMed databases. Twenty-one measures of anxiety were used across the 52 articles identified in the search. Most measures used were self-report. Inconsistencies in standardized screening tools and cutoff scores were observed across studies. Further, measures to assess anxiety varied among studies focused on WLWH. Based on the results from this review, there is a need for consistent, valid measures of anxiety to advance research and clinical practice to support the well-being of WLWH.

Examining the Impact of Structured, Reflective Prebriefing on Student Performance During Simulation.

ABSTRACT: Little is known about the impact of prebriefing on students' experiences of learning with simulation. This mixed-methods study evaluated the impact of prebriefing activities on nursing students' satisfaction, confidence, and performance of nursing skills during a simulation. Findings revealed students who experienced a structured, more robust prebriefing had improved performance during the simulation and reported higher levels of confidence and satisfaction in learning compared to a group that experienced a standard prebriefing. Findings are significant to the profession, they support the incorporation of structured, reflective prebriefing activities in simulation-based experiences.

Quantitative analysis of spherical microbubble cavity array formation in thermally cured polydimethylsiloxane for use in cell sorting applications.

Microbubbles are spherical cavities formed in thermally cured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using the gas expansion molding technique. Microbubble cavity arrays are generated by casting PDMS over a silicon wafer mold containing arrays of deep etched pits. To be useful in various high throughput cell culture and sorting applications it is imperative that uniform micron-sized cavities can be formed over large areas (in(2)). This paper provides an in-depth quantitative analysis of the fabrication parameters that effect the microbubble cavity formation efficiency and size. These include (1) the hydrophobic coating of the mold, (2) the mold pit dimensions, (3) the spatial arrangement of the pit openings, (4) the curing temperature of PDMS pre-polymer, (5) PDMS thickness, and (6) the presence and composition of residual gas in the PDMS pre-polymer mixture. Results suggest that the principles of heterogeneous nucleation and gas diffusion govern microbubble cavity formation, and that surface tension prevents detachment of the vapor bubble that forms in the PDMS over the pit. Paramerters are defined that enable the fabrication of large format arrays with uniform cavity size over 6 in(2) with a coefficient-of-variation <10 %. The architecture of the microbubble cavity is uniquely advantageous for cell culture. Large format arrays provide a highly versatile system that can be adapted for use in various high-throughput cell sorting applications. Herein, we demonstrate the use of microbubble cavity arrays to dissect the cellular heterogeneity that exists in a tumorigenic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line at the single cell level.

Characterization of cell seeding and specific capture of B cells in microbubble well arrays.

Development of micro-well array systems for use in high-throughput screening of rare cells requires a detailed understanding of the factors that impact the specific capture of cells in wells and the distribution statistics of the number of cells deposited into wells. In this study we investigate the development of microbubble (MB) well array technology for sorting antigen-specific B-cells. Using Poisson statistics we delineate the important role that the fractional area of MB well opening and the cell seeding density have on determining cell seeding distribution in wells. The unique architecture of the MB well hinders captured cells from escaping the well and provides a unique microenvironmental niche that enables media changes as needed for extended cell culture. Using cell lines and primary B and T cells isolated from human peripheral blood we demonstrate the use of affinity capture agents coated in the MB wells to enrich for the selective capture of B cells. Important differences were noted in the efficacy of bovine serum albumin to block the nonspecific adsorption of primary cells relative to cell lines as well as the efficacy of the capture coatings using mixed primary B and T cells samples. These results emphasize the importance of using primary cells in technology development and suggest the need to utilize B cell capture agents that are insensitive to cell activation.