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INTRODUCTION: Accreditation of medical education programs can be observed from different perspectives. Regulatory/accreditation agencies consider it vital to assure a certain level of quality. Other stakeholders may perceive the accreditation process as a negative experience, draining resources, and efforts. Although accreditation may improve the program's governance and administration, its direct or indirect impact on students must be further investigated. This study explores the relationship between the occurrence of accreditation site visits and student satisfaction rates at Avalon University School of Medicine. METHODS: A comparison study was conducted with retrospective satisfaction data from two accreditation cycles at AUSOM. We used the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP) student surveys for data collection, and data from 2017, 2019, and 2022 were used. The response rate was 70% (n = 71), 72% (n = 47), and 60% (n = 56) for basic science students and 80% (n = 111), 82% (n = 115), and 70% (n = 76) for clinical students in 2017, 2019, and 2022, respectively. The survey for basic sciences students included 37 questions/items, and the survey for clinical students included 39 questions/items. The responses for the questionnaire were on the five-point Likert scale. The retrospective data were evaluated using the unpaired Wilcoxon-rank sum test. RESULTS: The ratings for the basic science students' survey increased from 2017 to 2019 (first accreditation cycle) only for 11 items/questions and they were increased from 2019 to 2022 for all items/questions. The ratings for clinical science students' surveys increased from 2017 to 2019 (the first accreditation cycle) for all items/questions with a statistically significant p-value. They increased for 28 questions/items from 2019 to 2022, and two items (availability and adequacy of career counseling) showed statistically significant p-values. CONCLUSIONS: The pre-accreditation preparation and the self-evaluation process while correcting the program's deficiencies are essential triggers for the quality improvement process associated with accreditation.
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Though contact networks are important for describing the dynamics for disease transmission and intervention applications, individual animal contact and barriers between animal populations, such as fences, are not often utilized in the construction of these models. The objective of this study was to use contact network analysis to quantify contacts within two confined pens of feedlot cattle and the shared "fenceline" area between the pens at varying temporal resolutions and contact duration to better inform the construction of network-based disease transmission models for cattle within confined-housing systems. Two neighboring pens of feedlot steers were tagged with Real-Time Location System (RTLS) tags. Within-pen contacts were defined with a spatial threshold (SpTh) of 0.71â¯m and a minimum contact duration (MCD) of either 10â¯seconds (10â¯s), 30â¯seconds (30â¯s), or 60â¯seconds (60â¯s). For the fenceline network location readings were included within an area extending from 1â¯m on either side of the shared fence. "Fenceline" contacts could only occur between a steer from each pen. Static, undirected, weighted contact networks for within-pen networks and the between-pen network were generated for the full study duration and for daily (24-h), 6-h period, and hourly networks to better assess network heterogeneity. For the full study duration network, the two within-pen networks were densely homogenous. The within-pen networks showed more heterogeneity when smaller timescales (6-h period and hourly) were applied. When contacts were defined with a MCD of 30â¯s or 60â¯s, the total number of contacts seen in each network decreased, indicating that most of the contacts observed in our networks may have been transient passing contacts. Cosine similarity was moderate and stable across days for within pen networks. Of the 90 total tagged steers between the two pens, 86 steers (46 steers from Pen 2 and 40 steers from Pen 3) produced at least one contact across the shared fenceline. The total network density for the network created across the shared fenceline between the two pens was 17%, with few contacts at shorter timescales and for MCD of 30â¯s or 60â¯s. Overall, the contact networks created here from high-resolution spatial and temporal contact observation data provide estimates for a contact network within commercial US feedlot pens and the contact network created between two neighboring pens of cattle. These networks can be used to better inform pathogen transmission models on social contact networks.
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Animal Husbandry , Housing, Animal , Animals , Cattle/physiology , Male , Animal Husbandry/methods , Cattle Diseases/transmission , Cattle Diseases/prevention & control , Time FactorsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Accurate measurement of health status is essential to assess veterans' needs and the effects of interventions directed at improving veterans' well-being. We conducted a systematic review to identify instruments that measure subjective health status, considering four components (ie, physical, mental, social or spiritual well-being). METHODS: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, we searched CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, JSTOR, ERIC, Social Sciences Abstracts and ProQuest in June 2021 for studies reporting on the development or evaluation of instruments measuring subjective health among outpatient populations. We assessed risk of bias with the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments tool and engaged three veteran partners to independently assess the clarity and applicability of identified instruments. RESULTS: Of 5863 abstracts screened, we identified 45 eligible articles that reported health-related instruments in the following categories: general health (n=19), mental health (n=7), physical health (n=8), social health (n=3) and spiritual health (n=8). We found evidence for adequate internal consistency for 39 instruments (87%) and good test-retest reliability for 24 (53%) instruments. Of these, our veteran partners identified five instruments for the measurement of subjective health (Military to Civilian Questionnaire (M2C-Q), Veterans RAND 36-Item Health Survey (VR-36), Short Form 36, Abbreviated World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and Sleep Health Scale) as clear and very applicable to veterans. Of the two instruments developed and validated among veterans, the 16-item M2C-Q considered most components of health (mental, social and spiritual). Of the three instruments not validated among veterans, only the 26-item WHOQOL-BREF considered all four components of health. CONCLUSION: We identified 45 health measurement instruments of which, among those reporting adequate psychometric properties and endorsed by our veteran partners, 2 instruments showed the most promise for measurement of subjective health. The M2C-Q, which requires augmentation to capture physical health (eg, the physical component score of the VR-36), and the WHOQOL-BREF, which requires validation among veterans.
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Developmental control of gene expression critically depends on distal cis-regulatory elements including enhancers which interact with promoters to activate gene expression. To date no global experiments have been conducted that identify their cell type and cell stage-specific activity within one developmental pathway and in a chromatin context. Here, we describe a high-throughput method that identifies thousands of differentially active cis-elements able to stimulate a minimal promoter at five stages of hematopoietic progenitor development from embryonic stem (ES) cells, which can be adapted to any ES cell derived cell type. We show that blood cell-specific gene expression is controlled by the concerted action of thousands of differentiation stage-specific sets of cis-elements which respond to cytokine signals terminating at signalling responsive transcription factors. Our work provides an important resource for studies of hematopoietic specification and highlights the mechanisms of how and where extrinsic signals program a cell type-specific chromatin landscape driving hematopoietic differentiation.
Subject(s)
Chromatin , Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid , Chromatin/genetics , Cell Differentiation/genetics , Transcription Factors/genetics , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics , Enhancer Elements, Genetic/geneticsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A drawback in the treatment of chronic Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is the long time required to achieve complete loss of serological reactivity, the standard for determining treatment efficacy. METHODS: Antibody-secreting cells and memory B cells specific for Trypanosoma cruzi and their degree of differentiation were evaluated in adult and pediatric study participants with chronic Chagas disease before and after etiological treatment. RESULTS: T. cruzi-specific antibody-secreting cells disappeared from the circulation in benznidazole or nifurtimox-treated participants with declining parasite-specific antibody levels after treatment, whereas B cells in most participants with unaltered antibody levels were low before treatment and did not change after treatment. The timing of the decay in parasite-specific antibody-secreting B cells was similar to that in parasite-specific antibodies, as measured by a Luminex-based assay, but preceded the decay in antibody levels detected by conventional serology. The phenotype of total B cells returned to a noninfection profile after successful treatment. CONCLUSIONS: T. cruzi-specific antibodies in the circulation of chronically T. cruzi-infected study participants likely derive from both antigen-driven plasmablasts, which disappear after successful treatment, and long-lived plasma cells, which persist and account for the low frequency and long course to complete seronegative conversion in successfully treated participants.
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Chagas Disease , Nitroimidazoles , Trypanocidal Agents , Trypanosoma cruzi , Humans , Trypanosoma cruzi/genetics , Chagas Disease/drug therapy , Nitroimidazoles/therapeutic use , Treatment Outcome , B-Lymphocytes , Nifurtimox/therapeutic use , Persistent Infection , Trypanocidal Agents/therapeutic use , Chronic DiseaseABSTRACT
The Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Airfield is the coalition role 3 facility for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization-led Operation RESOLUTE SUPPORT in northern Afghanistan. The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 presented the challenges of limiting viral transmission, disease force protection, specific protection of healthcare workers and management of patients with COVID-19, all while continuing to provide high-quality care for battlefield trauma. The estimated COVID-19 threat led to the introduction of enhanced force protection measures across the Combined Joint Operations Area-Afghanistan. Surveillance testing of high-risk groups at coalition locations was established. Non-essential movements were restricted and quarantine periods instigated. Protection of healthcare workers and patients was improved with enhanced personal protective equipment as well as structural, procedural and personnel changes across the role 3 facility in order to limit viral exposure and transmission. This occurred in a resource-limited environment without degrading overall clinical capability.
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COVID-19 , Humans , Afghanistan , Pandemics/prevention & control , Personal Protective EquipmentABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In 2019 daily liquid methadone and sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone were primary opioid agonist treatments for correctional centres in New South Wales, Australia. However, both had significant potential for diversion to other patients, and their daily administration was resource intensive. An alternative treatment in the form of subcutaneous depot buprenorphine became a viable option following a safety trial in 2020 - the UNLOC-T study. Depot preparation demonstrated advantages over current treatments as more difficult to divert and requiring fewer administrations. This paper reports the results of economic modelling of staffing costs in medication administration comparing depot buprenorphine, methadone, and sublingual buprenorphine provision in UNLOC-T trial facilities. METHODS: The costing study adopted a micro-costing approach involving the synthesis of cost data from the UNLOC-T clinical trial as well as data collected from Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network records. Labour and materials data were collected during site observations and interviews. Costs were calculated from two payer perspectives: a) the New South Wales (state) government which funds custodial and health services; and b) the Australian Commonwealth government, which pays for medications. The analysis compared the monthly-per-patient cost for each of the three medications in trial-site facilities during July 2019. This was followed by simulation of depot buprenorphine implementation across the study population. Costs associated with medical assessment and reviews were excluded. RESULTS: The monthly-per-patient New South Wales government service costs of depot buprenorphine, methadone and sublingual buprenorphine were: $151, $379 and $1,529 respectively while Commonwealth government medication costs were $434, $80 and $525. The implementation simulation found that service costs of depot buprenorphine declined as patients transitioned from weekly to monthly administration. Costs of treatment using the other medications increased as patient numbers decreased alongside fixed costs. At 12 months, monthly-per-patient service costs for depot buprenorphine, methadone and sublingual buprenorphine-which would be completely phased out by month 13-were $92, $530 and $2,162 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Depot buprenorphine was consistently the least costly of the treatment options. Future modelling could allow for dynamic patient populations and downstream impacts for participants and the state health system. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12618000942257 . Registered 4 June 2018.
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Buprenorphine , Opioid-Related Disorders , Humans , Buprenorphine/therapeutic use , Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use , Opioid-Related Disorders/drug therapy , New South Wales , Australia , Methadone/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Changes in feeding behavior and intake have been used to predict the onset of bovine respiratory disease in individual animals but have not been applied to cohort-level data. Correctly identifying high morbidity cohorts of cattle early in the feeding period could facilitate the administration of interventions to improve health and economic outcomes. The study objective was to determine the ability of feed delivery data from the first 15 days of feed to predict total feeding period morbidity. Data consisted of 518 cohorts (10 feedlots, 56,796 animals) of cattle of varying sex, age, arrival weight, and arrival time of year over a 2-year period. Overall cohort-level morbidity was classified into high (≥15% total morbidity) or low categories with 18.5% of cohorts having high morbidity. Five predictive models (advanced perceptron, decision forest, logistic regression, neural network, and boosted decision tree) were created to predict overall morbidity given cattle characteristics at arrival and feeding characteristics from the first 15 days. The dataset was split into training and testing subsets (75% and 25% of original, respectively), stratified by the outcome of interest. Predictive models were generated in Microsoft Azure using the training set and overall predictive performance was evaluated using the testing set. Performance in the testing set (n = 130) was measured based on final accuracy, sensitivity (Sn, the ability to accurately detect high morbidity cohorts), and specificity (Sp, the ability to accurately detect low morbidity cohorts). The decision forest had the highest Sp (97%) with the greatest ability to accurately identify low morbidity lots (103 of 106 identified correctly), but this model had low Sn (33%). The logistic regression and neural network had similar Sn (both 63%) and Sp (69% and 72%, respectively) with the best ability to correctly identify high morbidity cohorts (15 of 24 correctly identified). Predictor variables with the greatest importance in the predictive models included percent change in feed delivery between days and 4-day moving averages. The most frequent variable with a high level of importance among models was the percent change in feed delivered from d 2 to 3 after arrival. In conclusion, feed delivery data during the first 15 days on feed was a significant predictor of total cohort-level morbidity over the entire feeding period with changes in feed delivery providing important information.
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1,1'-Carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) provides a platform to generate high molecular weight polyurethanes from industrially relevant diols and diamines. CDI, which is described in the literature for its use in amidation and functionalization reactions, enables the production of well-defined and stable polyurethane precursors, thus eliminating the need for isocyanates. Herein, the functionalization of 1,4-butanediol with CDI yields an electrophilic biscarbamate, bis-carbonylimidazolide (BCI), which is suitable for further step-growth polymerization in the presence of amines. Elevated reaction temperatures enable the solvent-, catalyst-, and isocyanate-free polycondensation reaction between the BCI monomer and various diamines. The thermoplastic polyurethanes produced from this reaction demonstrate high thermal stability, tunable glass transition temperatures based on incorporation of flexible polyether segments, and mechanically ductile thin films. CDI functionalized diols will allow the preparation of diverse polyurethanes without the use of isocyanate-containing monomers.
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Isocyanates , Polyurethanes , Catalysis , Imidazoles , PolymerizationABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Tunneled central venous catheter infection (TCVCi) is a common complication that often necessitates removal of the TCVC and replacement by a further TCVC. Theoretically, insertion of an early - cannulation graft (ecAVG) early after TCVC infection is possible but not widely practiced with concerns over safety and infection in the ecAVG. With 8 years of ecAVG experience, the aim of this study was to compare the outcomes following TCVC infection, comparing replacement with TCVC (TCVCr) versus immediate ecAVG (ecAVGr). DESIGN: Retrospective comparison of 2 cohorts, who underwent replacement of an infected TCVC either by an early cannulation graft (nâ¯=â¯18) or by a further central catheter (nâ¯=â¯39). METHODS: Data were abstracted from a prospectively completed electronic patient record and collected on patient demographics, TCVC insertion, duration and infection, including culture proven bacteriaemia and subsequent access interventions. RESULTS: Eighteen of 299 patients identified from 2012 to 2020 had an ecAVG implanted as treatment for a TCVCi. In a 1-year time-period (January 1, 2015-December 31, 2015) out of 222 TCVC inserted, 39 were as a replacement following a TCVCi. No patient with an ecAVGr developed an immediate infection, nor complication from the procedure. The rate of subsequent vascular access infection was significantly more frequent for those with a TCVCr than with an ecAVGr (0.6 vs. 0.1/patient/1000 HD days, P< 0.000). The number of further TCVC required was significantly higher in the TCVCr group (7.1 vs. 0.4/patient/1000 HD days, P= 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: An ecAVG early following a TCVC infection is safe, reduces the incidence of subsequent infectious complications and reduces the number of TCVC required, with a better functional patency.
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Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical , Catheter-Related Infections/prevention & control , Catheterization, Central Venous/adverse effects , Catheterization , Catheters, Indwelling/adverse effects , Central Venous Catheters/adverse effects , Renal Dialysis , Aged , Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical/adverse effects , Catheter-Related Infections/diagnosis , Catheter-Related Infections/microbiology , Catheterization, Central Venous/instrumentation , Device Removal , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Reinfection , Retrospective Studies , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , Time Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Diabetes is a known risk factor for mortality in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Our objective was to identify prevalence of hyperglycaemia in COVID-19 patients with and without prior diabetes and quantify its association with COVID-19 disease course. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This observational cohort study included all consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to John H Stroger Jr. Hospital, Chicago, IL from March 15, 2020 to May 3, 2020 and followed till May 15, 2020. The primary outcome was hospital mortality, and the studied predictor was hyperglycaemia [any blood glucose ≥7.78 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) during hospitalization]. RESULTS: Of the 403 COVID-19 patients studied, 51 (12.7%) died; 335 (83.1%) were discharged while 17 (4%) were still in hospital. Hyperglycaemia occurred in 228 (56.6%) patients; 83 of these hyperglycaemic patients (36.4%) had no prior history of diabetes. Compared to the reference group no-diabetes/no-hyperglycaemia patients the no-diabetes/hyperglycaemia patients showed higher mortality [1.8% versus 20.5%, adjusted odds ratio 21.94 (95% confidence interval 4.04-119.0), P < 0.001]; improved prediction of death (P = 0.01) and faster progression to death (P < 0.01). Hyperglycaemia within the first 24 and 48 h was also significantly associated with mortality (odds ratio 2.15 and 3.31, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperglycaemia without prior diabetes was common (20.6% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients) and was associated with an increased risk of and faster progression to death. Development of hyperglycaemia in COVID-19 patients who do not have diabetes is an early indicator of progressive disease.
Subject(s)
Blood Glucose/analysis , COVID-19/mortality , Hyperglycemia/mortality , Adult , Aged , COVID-19/blood , Female , Hospital Mortality , Hospitalization , Humans , Hyperglycemia/blood , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Machine learning (ML) provides novel and powerful ways of accurately and efficiently recognizing complex patterns, emulating nonlinear dynamics, and predicting the spatio-temporal evolution of weather and climate processes. Off-the-shelf ML models, however, do not necessarily obey the fundamental governing laws of physical systems, nor do they generalize well to scenarios on which they have not been trained. We survey systematic approaches to incorporating physics and domain knowledge into ML models and distill these approaches into broad categories. Through 10 case studies, we show how these approaches have been used successfully for emulating, downscaling, and forecasting weather and climate processes. The accomplishments of these studies include greater physical consistency, reduced training time, improved data efficiency, and better generalization. Finally, we synthesize the lessons learned and identify scientific, diagnostic, computational, and resource challenges for developing truly robust and reliable physics-informed ML models for weather and climate processes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Machine learning for weather and climate modelling'.
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BACKGROUND: Infection is the second highest cause of mortality in end-stage renal disease, with a significant proportion relating to haemodialysis (HD) vascular access-related infection (VARI). AIM: To report the rate and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of all-source bloodstream infections (BSIs) by vascular access type in a Scottish HD cohort. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was undertaken of data on adult patients attending seven HD units during 2017. Total HD days for each vascular access type were calculated. BSIs were analysed with rates expressed per 1000 HD days. AMR was verified using health board microbiology databases. FINDINGS: Excluding contaminant organisms, there was an overall BSI rate of 0.57 per 1000 HD days. The highest all-source and vascular access-related infection (VARI) BSI rates per 1000 HD days were in the non-tunnelled central venous catheter (CVC) group (3.11 and 2.07 respectively), followed by tunnelled CVC (1.10 and 0.67), arteriovenous graft (0.51 and 0.31), and finally arteriovenous fistula (0.29 and 0.02). The non-VARI BSI rates were lowest in the arteriovenous graft group. Staphylococci comprised the majority of events, with Staphylococcus aureus implicated in 29%. Gram-negative BSIs were prevalent, particularly in CVC groups, and associated with higher mortality. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. aureus and carbapenem resistance were relatively low. MDR Gram-negatives were high compared with the Scottish population. CONCLUSION: Arteriovenous fistula access is confirmed as having lowest all-source and VARI BSI rates, and arteriovenous graft access the lowest non-VARI BSI rates. Staphylococci remain the prevailing genus; however, the contributions of Gram-negative BSIs, the higher mortality, and proportion of MDR organisms in this group are notable.
Subject(s)
Bacteremia , Catheter-Related Infections , Renal Dialysis , Sepsis , Adult , Arteriovenous Fistula , Bacteremia/epidemiology , Catheter-Related Infections/epidemiology , Central Venous Catheters , Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Scotland/epidemiology , Sepsis/epidemiology , Staphylococcus aureus , Vascular GraftingABSTRACT
The extraction, transport, and consumption of hydrocarbons occur daily worldwide and can lead to environmental pollution and significant incidents of wildlife mortality. This review of literature and publicly available databases from 1970 to 2018 summarises records on oil spill incidents, sources of spills, and reported effects on wildlife. During this time period, millions of tonnes of oil were released from over 1700 acute oil spills, with only 312 (18%) reporting wildlife effects. The most numerous reported spill source was shipping. From this review, there are obvious global gaps in reporting of oil spills and recording of effects on wildlife. We recommend there is a global need for increased consistency of reporting and availability of data of oil spills, and wildlife impacts. This information is critical to preparedness and response procedures for industry (shipping and oil) and governments.
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Petroleum Pollution , Environmental Pollution , Industry , ShipsABSTRACT
The rapid evolution of novel, costly therapies for neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) warrants formal high-quality cost-effectiveness evaluation. Costs of individual investigations and therapies are high; and examples are presented. We aimed to review the last ten years of standalone health economic evaluations in NEN. Comparing to published standards, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), NHS Economic Evaluation Database and the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Database were searched for health economic evaluations (HEEs) in NEN published between 2010 and October 2019. Of 12 economic evaluations, 11 considered exclusively pharmacological treatment (3 studies of SSAs, 7 studies of sunitinib, everolimus and/or 177Lu-DOTATATE and 1 study of telotristat ethyl) and 1 compared surgery with intraarterial therapy. 7 studies of pharmacological treatment had placebo or best supportive care as the only comparator. There remains a paucity of economic evaluations in NEN with the majority industry funded. Most HEEs reviewed did not meet published health economic criteria used to assess quality. Lack of cost data collected from patient populations remains a significant factor in HEEs where clinical expert opinion is still often substituted. Further research utilizing high-quality effectiveness data and rigorous applied health economic analysis is needed.
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Neuroendocrine Tumors , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Humans , Neuroendocrine Tumors/therapy , Positron-Emission Tomography , Radionuclide Imaging , Technology Assessment, BiomedicalABSTRACT
Purpose. The first statewide teledentistry (TD) Summit in North Carolina (NC) was convened by the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill in 2018. The purpose of this analysis is to compare Summit participants' understanding of TD, its benefits, challenges, solutions and the role of dental hygienists, pre- and post-Summit.Methods. Summit invitees included leaders in related policy, education, advocacy, legislation, technology and UNC dental hygiene and dental students. Descriptive analyses and exact McNemar's matched pair tests compared proportions of participants' responses to pre- and post-Summit surveys.Results. Response rates were pre-Summit 75.3% (n= 58) and post-Summit 70.1% (n= 47); matched pre-post survey pairs (n=42). Pre-Summit respondents reported their primary role in administration (48.0%), teaching and mentoring (21.0%), patient care (12.0%) or as a student (19.0%). Among respondents, overall self-reported TD knowledge increased from 38.1% to 92.9%, p< 0.001. Their reported extent TD should be developed in NC increased from 78.6% to 95.2%, p = 0.07; the extent hygienists should have a role in TD services increased from 83.3% to 88.1%, p = 0.73. The most frequently mentioned challenge was state practice acts requiring direct supervision of dental hygienists, limiting their TD use in community settings, which increased in the pre- to post-surveys from 33.3% to 59.5% respectively, p = 0.01.Conclusion. Among attendees at the statewide TD Summit, self-reported knowledge was high and attitudes favorable for moving forward with TD in NC. However, state dental practice act barriers restricting dental hygienist participation in TD was the first challenge respondents thought needed to be addressed.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Dental Hygienists , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , North Carolina , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Polyurea elastomers are utilized for a myriad of applications ranging from coatings and foams to dielectric materials for capacitors and actuators. However, current synthetic methods for polyureas rely on highly reactive isocyanates, solvents, and catalysts, which collectively pose serious safety considerations. This report details the synthesis and characterization of melt processible, poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO)-based segmented polyurea elastomers utilizing an isocyanate-, solvent-, and catalyst-free approach. Dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry suggested microphase separation between the hard and soft segments. Tensile analysis revealed high strain at break for all segmented copolymers between 340 and 770%, and tunable modulus between 0.76 and 29.5 MPa. Dielectric spectroscopy revealed that the composition containing 20 wt% hard segment offered the highest permittivity at 10.6 (1 kHz, 300 K) of the segmented copolymers, indicating potential as a dielectric elastomer.
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OBJECTIVE: To quantify geographic variation in the use of lymphadenectomy and/or external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for endometrial cancer in England. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of population-based data. SETTING: English cancer registry data, linked to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hospital episodes statistics data. POPULATION: Twenty-two thousand four hundred and eighty-three women with endometrial cancer presenting without clinical or radiological evidence of distant metastatic spread, diagnosed in England from 2013 to 2016. METHODS: Proportions of patients receiving lymphadenectomy and/or EBRT were compared across 19 Cancer Alliances, to identify variations in clinical practice. Two separate logistic regression models assessed the impact on variation of adjustment for tumour and patient characteristics. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Receipt of lymphadenectomy, receipt of EBRT. RESULTS: There was substantial variation by Cancer Alliance in the adjusted proportion of women with endometrial cancer receiving lymphadenectomy (range 5% [95% CI 4-6%] to 48% [95% CI 45-52%]) and EBRT (range 10% [95% CI 7-12%] to 31% [95% CI 28-33%]), after adjusting for variation in pathological grade, age, comorbidities, deprivation, ethnic group and (EBRT only) FIGO stage. Different approaches to clinical practice were identified; (i) one Cancer Alliance had significantly higher than average lymphadenectomy and significantly lower than average EBRT use, (ii) three had high use of both lymphadenectomy and EBRT, (iii) one had low lymphadenectomy use and high EBRT use, and (iv) three had low use of both lymphadenectomy and EBRT. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphadenectomy is probably used to triage for EBRT when lymphadenectomy use is high and EBRT use is low. This is probably a result of variation in local endometrial cancer management guidelines, suggesting that UK recommendations should be clarified. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: There is geographic variation in England in the use of lymphadenectomy and radiotherapy to treat endometrial cancer.