Impact of no publicly accessible prenatal education programming on patients and their care providers: a descriptive qualitative study in Nova Scotia, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: Patients in Nova Scotia do not have access to public prenatal education programming. This study aimed to explore whether care providers find patients are uninformed or misinformed, and the impact of that on patients and their care providers with a focus on clinical outcomes, time, resources and informed decision-making. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 care providers around Halifax and Cape Breton. An interview guide (supplemental) of open-ended questions was used for consistency. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed to describe the contents of the interviews. Each interview was audio-taped and transcribed verbatim by an interdependent transcriber. Transcripts were analysed using established techniques in qualitative descriptive research including coding, grouping, detailing and comparing the data using NVivo V.12 software. A co-coder (SS) independently coded two interviews for inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: The study revealed six themes: (1) concern for a significant population of Nova Scotians experiencing pregnancy, birth and postpartum uninformed and misinformed, (2) consequences for patients who are uninformed and misinformed, (3) more time and resources spent on care for patients who are uninformed or misinformed, (4) patients and their care providers need a publicly available education programme, particularly vulnerable populations, (5) emphasis on programme quality and disappointment with the programme previously been in place and (6) recommendations for an effective prenatal education programme for Nova Scotians. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows care providers believe a public prenatal education programme could improve health literacy in Nova Scotia. Patients are seeking health education, but it is not accessible to all and being uninformed or misinformed negatively impacts patients' experiences and outcomes. This study revealed excess time and resources are being spent on individualised prenatal education by care providers with high individual and system-wide cost and explored the complicated process of providing patient-centred care for people who are uninformed or misinformed.

Factors associated with pneumococcal vaccine uptake among vulnerable older adults in the United States primary care setting.

Pneumococcal vaccine uptake targets set by Healthy People 2020 were not met by 2019 among vulnerable United States populations, yet research suggests progress can be made in primary care settings. This study assessed factors associated with having gotten a pneumococcal vaccine among vulnerable adults aged 50 and older. This study used the 2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey nationally representative dataset. Eligible individuals were aged 50-64 with an 'at risk' health condition or ≥65 years and had a primary care provider as their usual source of care (N = 3,760). Binary logistic regression was used to test factors (identified from literature) for a significant association with getting the pneumococcal vaccine. Factors with significant associations were entered into an adjusted multivariable logistic regression model to generate the odds of endorsing a factor given that the respondent got the vaccine. Collinearity among variables was examined with an unacceptable threshold of 0.8 correlation. A significance threshold of 0.05 was used. Those who got the pneumococcal vaccine had 16.7 (p < 0.001), 16.0 (p < 0.001) and 11.0 times (p < 0.001) higher odds of having also gotten the influenza vaccine, the herpes zoster vaccine and a colonoscopy respectively. They had 3.86 times (p = 0.009) higher odds of having diabetes mellitus, 0.036 times (p = 0.019) higher odds of having visited their doctors three times in 2018 and 8.4 times (p = 0.009) higher odds of having seen their doctor within the last year. Concordance statistic for model fit was 0.936. There was a negative association between pneumococcal vaccination and going to three doctor office visits in 2018 vs only once. The strongest positive associations were found between pneumococcal vaccination and getting the herpes zoster vaccine, influenza vaccine and getting a colonoscopy. These results suggest that those who choose to get the pneumococcal vaccine may have higher odds of also getting other vaccines or specific preventative screenings.

Student Pharmacists' Perspectives of In-Person versus Virtual Research Poster Presentations.

This study assessed the preferences of fourth-year student pharmacists for an in-person versus virtual pharmacy research poster session. An electronic survey was administered to all fourth-year student pharmacists enrolled in a research project course in Fall 2021 (n = 132). Six items explored students' opinions towards research posters using a five-point agreement scale. Twelve items explored students' preferences for either research poster format. Students also indicated their overall preference for an in-person or virtual research poster session. Data were analyzed descriptively. A total of 63 fourth-year student pharmacists completed the questionnaire. The median agreement score was four out of five, indicating favorable attitudes towards the importance of research posters in pharmacy curriculum. Most students said they would enjoy research posters more, and would be more able to present at, participate in and ensure that all can participate in poster sessions if the poster sessions were virtual as opposed to in-person. Most (76.2%) students indicated a preference for virtual rather than in-person research poster sessions. In conclusion, the study results suggest that student pharmacists prefer virtual rather than in-person poster sessions. Further research is recommended to explore the comparative effectiveness of these poster formats to achieve learning outcomes in varying university pharmacy programs.

Validation Assessment of a Pain Interference Questionnaire among Student Pharmacists.

Validation studies of pain interference instruments used among student pharmacists are rare yet essential for understanding their appropriate use and interpretation in pharmacy education and practice. This study conducted validation and reliability assessments of a five-item Pain Interference Scale previously administered to student pharmacists. Construct validity was assessed using Rasch analysis. Unidimensionality was measured using: point-biserial measure correlations; percent of raw variance explained by items; difference between expected; variance modeled by items; and Rasch model fit. To assess scale functioning, response frequency distribution, observed average and sample expected logit distribution, Andrich logit distribution, item separation, and item reliability were assessed. Visual examination of the Item-Person Map determined content validity. Items explained 64.2% of data raw variance. The difference between raw variance modeled and observed was 0.6. Point-biserial measure correlations were >0.77. Item mean-square infits were 0.7-1.3 while outfit measures were 0.72-1.16. There were >10 responses per response category, response frequency and Andrich thresholds progressively advanced, and observed average and sample expected logits advanced monotonically, Andrich logits = -2.33-1.69, item separation = 2.61, and item reliability = 0.87. Item probability curves indicated response categories were minimally yet adequately distinct. Cronbach's alpha = 0.93. The Item-Person Map had a ceiling effect indicating content gaps. In conclusion, the pain interference instrument has acceptable construct validity yet contains content gaps. Additional difficult items should be added to the instrument to better capture pain interference among student pharmacists.

Janus or Hydra: The Many Faces of T Helper Cells in the Human Tumour Microenvironment.

CD4+ T helper (TH) cells are key regulators in the tumour immune microenvironment (TIME), mediating the adaptive immunological response towards cancer, mainly through the activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. After antigen recognition and proper co-stimulation, naïve TH cells are activated, undergo clonal expansion, and release cytokines that will define the differentiation of a specific effector TH cell subtype. These different subtypes have different functions, which can mediate both anti- and pro-tumour immunological responses. Here, we present the dual role of TH cells restraining or promoting the tumour, the factors controlling their homing and differentiation in the TIME, their influence on immunotherapy, and their use as prognostic indicators.

Map kinase and PKC signaling pathways modulate NGF-mediated apoE transcription.

The present study assessed the mechanisms by which nerve growth factor (NGF) increased the level of apolipoprotein E (apoE) in PC12 cells. NGF (50ng/mL) significantly increased apoE protein levels following 72h of treatment. Similarly NGF increased luciferase activity in cells transfected with a luciferase reporter construct containing a 500bp fragment of the apoE promoter, indicating NGF-induced apoE expression is regulated, at least in part, at the level of transcription. The non-selective nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(É·)-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME; 20mM) did not attenuate the NGF-mediated increase in luciferase activity, while the inducible NOS inhibitor s-methylisothiourea (S-MIU; 2mM) partially attenuated this action of NGF. Inhibition of MAP kinase activation with 50µM U0126 or pre-treatment with the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide 1 (BIS-1; 10µM) prevented the NGF-mediated activation of the apoE promoter. Pre-treatment with the phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitor U73122 (5µM) partially inhibited the NGF-induced increase in luciferase activity while the Akt inhibitor LY294002 (10µM) had no effect. These data suggest NGF-induced apoE transcription requires MAP kinase and PKC activation and that these TrkA signaling pathways may be modulated by NO.

Interactions between microglia and T cells in multiple sclerosis pathobiology.

Brain-resident microglia and T lymphocytes recruited into the central nervous system both play important roles in the neuropathology of multiple sclerosis. The microglia and recruited T cells are in close proximity in lesions of multiple sclerosis and in animal models, suggesting their potential for interactions. In support, microglia and T cells express a number of molecules that permit their engagement. Here we describe the interactions between T cells and microglia and the myriad responses that can result. These interactions include antigen presentation by microglia to activate T cells, the T cell activation of microglia, their progressive stimulation of one another, and the production of injurious or neurotrophic outcomes in their vicinity. Important considerations for the future include the nature of the T helper cell subsets and the M1 and M2 polarized nature of microglia, as the interactions between different subsets likely result in particular functions and outcomes. That T cells and microglia are in proximity and that they interact in lesions in the central nervous system implicate them as modifiers of pathobiology in multiple sclerosis.