RESUMEN
Background: Pharmacy board certification provides pharmacists with formal recognition of their careers and their involvement in direct and comprehensive patient care. Credentialing as a board-certified pharmacist demonstrates that the pharmacist has specialized expertise and is able to provide advanced level patient care in a specific pharmacy practice specialty. There is currently not a community pharmacy board certification available in the United States. With the expanding role and clinical expectations of community pharmacists nationwide, perspectives regarding the utility of a community pharmacy specialty board certification are necessary. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with demographic and perception questions (5-point Likert scale) was distributed electronically via Qualtrics. A random sample of pharmacists registered in Rhode Island, Ohio, and Nebraska were selected and surveyed. Results: 53 survey responses were collected. There was a statistically significant difference in board certification history (P = .001) and history of post-graduate training (P < .001) between community pharmacists and non-community pharmacists. Community pharmacists were more likely to simultaneously see community pharmacists as general practitioners (P = .030) and as pharmacy practice specialists (P = .001). Non-community pharmacists were more likely to be familiar with current maintenance requirements for pharmacy board certifications (P < .001) and to feel that a board certification is an appropriate indicator of experience in a pharmacy specialty area (P = .016). Conclusion: Views regarding community pharmacy and board certification differed between community and non-community pharmacists. There was not a statistically significant difference in the perceived value of community pharmacy board certification between community and non-community pharmacist.
RESUMEN
Long-term multi-functional imaging and analysis of live cells require streamlined, functional coordination of various hardware and software platforms. However, manual control of various equipment produced by different manufacturers is labor-intensive and time-consuming, potentially decreasing the accuracy, reproducibility, and quality of acquired data. Therefore, an all-in-one and user-programmable system that enables automatic, multi-functional, and long-term image acquisition and is compatible with most fluorescent microscopy platforms can benefit the scientific community. This paper introduces the complete operating protocols of utilizing a novel integrated software system that consists of (1) a home-built software program, titled "Automatic Multi-functional Integration Program (AMFIP)," which enables automatic multi-channel imaging acquisition, and (2) a suite of quantitative imaging analysis and cell traction computation packages. This integrated system is applied to reveal the previously unknown relationship between the spatial-temporal distribution of mechano-sensitive Yes-associated protein (YAP) and the cell mechanics, including cell spreading and traction, in CRISPR/Cas9-engineered human normal cells (B2B) and lung cancer cells (PC9). Leveraging this system's capability of multi-channel control and readout, the result shows: (1) B2B normal cells and PC9 cancer cells show a distinct relationship between YAP expression, traction, and cell dynamics during cell spreading and migration processes; and (2) PC9 cancer cells apply noticeable peri-nuclear forces on substrates. In summary, this paper presents a detailed stepwise protocol on how to utilize an integrated user-programmable system that enables automatic multi-functional imaging and analysis to elucidate YAP mechano-sensitivity. These tools open the possibility for detailed explorations of multifaceted signaling dynamics in the context of cell physiology and pathology.
