Bowel Stiffness Assessed by Shear-Wave Ultrasound Elastography Predicts Disease Behavior Progression in Patients With Crohn's Disease.

INTRODUCTION: There is a lack of reliable predictors of disease behavior progression in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Real-time shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a novel method for evaluating tissue stiffness. However, its value for assessing CD has not yet been investigated. We aimed to explore the value of SWE and other ultrasound parameters at diagnosis in predicting CD behavior progression. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data from patients with CD with the nonstenotic nonpenetrating disease (B1 phenotype based on the Montreal classification). All patients underwent intestinal ultrasound at baseline and were followed up. The end point was defined as disease behavior progression to stricturing (B2) or penetrating (B3) disease. Cox regression analysis was performed for the association between baseline characteristics and subsequent end points. In addition, a multivariate nomogram was established to predict the risk of disease behavior progression quantitatively. RESULTS: A total of 130 patients with CD with B1 phenotype were enrolled. Twenty-seven patients (20.8%) developed B2 or B3 disease, with a median follow-up of 33 months. Multivariate analysis identified that SWE was the only independent predictor of disease behavior progression (hazard ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.12, P = 0.001). A reverse of the HR appeared at the cutoff 12.75 kPa. The nomogram incorporating SWE and other clinical characteristics showed a good prediction performance (area under the curve = 0.792). DISCUSSION: Intestinal stiffness assessed using SWE is an independent predictor of disease behavior progression in patients with CD. Patients with CD with SWE >12.75 kPa at diagnosis are prone to progress toward stricturing or penetrating diseases.

The effects of introducing virtual reality communication simulation in students' learning in a fundamentals of nursing practicum: A pragmatic randomized control trials.

AIM: This study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a virtual reality communication simulation (VRCS) in teaching communication skills in fundamentals of nursing practicum. BACKGROUND: Effective communication skills are an integral part of the nursing profession and the foundation of high-quality nursing care. Effective communication not only addresses the needs of patients but is also necessary for maintaining patient safety. Many studies have reported the inadequacy of nursing students in communicating with patients. Nursing students often experience stress due to their lack of adequate skills to communicate effectively with patients and their family members. DESIGN: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial research with four within-subjects assessments (at the baseline (T0), 1st week (T1) and 3rd week (T2) of the clinical practice and 1 week after the end of the clinical practice (T3)) and between-subjects assessments. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-four nursing students at a university of Science and Technology in central Taiwan. METHODS: The students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 42) and a control group (n = 42). The experimental group received a VRCS, whereas the control group received the nurse-patient communication teaching video. The data were collected from April 2022 to August 2022. The Kalamazoo Essential Element Communication Checklist, Communication Self-Assessment Scale, Learning Satisfaction Questionnaire and Stress Scale for Nursing Students in Clinical Practice were used for data collection. RESULTS: At baseline, the control group had higher scores on communication ability and confidence compared with the experimental group (t = -3.91, p <.001; and t = -2.35, p =.021). In the first week of clinical practice, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores for communication ability compared with the control group (ß = 15.99, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 13.79, 18.18) and communication confidence and learning satisfaction compared with controls at T1, T2 and T3 of the clinical practice (all, p <.001). The clinical practice stress scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group at T1, T2 and T3 of the clinical practice (all, p <.05). CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed VRCS is acceptable and worthwhile for training nursing students to develop communication abilities. This study suggests that VRCS practice should be arranged as early as possible in fundamentals of nursing practice courses and before the fundamentals of nursing practicum so as to facilitate the learning of effective communication. Follow-up research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of virtual reality education in nursing practice.

[An Inconvenient Fact: Impact of EMI on Nursing Education].

With the internationalization of higher education, English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) has become one of the most significant global educational trends in the 21st century (Aizawa et al., 2023). Medium of instruction refers to the language used when teaching non-language academic/content subjects such as science (Lo & Lo, 2014). The aims of EMI include developing students' English professional expertise, expanding their knowledge of different academic disciplines, and preparing them to participate in the international community. EMI is used in many countries, including Taiwan, as an internationalization strategy in higher education (HE). In 2018, Taiwan's National Development Council proposed a blueprint for developing Taiwan into a bilingual nation by 2030, with related policies promoting the widespread use of English in HE. In 2021, Taiwan's Ministry of Education announced a new program on bilingual education for students to promote EMI courses in HE. However, in addition to English language proficiency, internationalization is essential to nursing education. Thus, it is also necessary to actively strengthen the international outlook and global village citizenship of Taiwan's nursing students. In both university and vocational nursing education, English education focuses mostly on English for Specific Purpose (ESP)-oriented English courses designed to help learners do well in their academic and professional preparations for their future careers (Saragih, 2014), while English for Academic Purposes (EAP) focuses on enabling learners to use English in their study and research activities (Flowerdew & Peacock, 2001; Hyland & Hamp-Lyons, 2002). EAP is concerned with using English in academic domains (Walkinshaw et al., 2017). In contrast to ESP and EAP, EMI, although also using English as a teaching tool and conveying academic knowledge in English, does not include improving English proficiency and abilities as a primary goal (Dearden & Macaro, 2016). The current global explosion of EMI in higher education is unprecedented (Aizawa et al., 2023), leading to EMI being described as an 'unstoppable train' from which EMI educators must safely ensure their students alight at their destination (Macaro, 2018). To reduce the challenges students face on their EMI journeys, educators must first understand the common challenges experienced by students. In this EMI educational scenario, educators experience how the change in the language of instruction impacts their teaching and their students' learning effect. From a pedagogical perspective, studies have confirmed that, in addition to teacher training support (Lauridsen, 2017; Sánchez-Pérez, 2020), HE should focus on providing more solid and diverse training courses that teach strategies for pronunciation and discourse, accommodate diversity in the classroom, and teach multicultural competencies (Orduna-Nocito & Sánchez-García, 2022). Therefore, for this column, we have invited authors with backgrounds in different disciplines to share their ESP and EMI teaching experiences, suggest the next steps beyond EMI, and offer insights into how to apply multimodal design in nursing education. After reading this column, we hope readers will be able to employ different levels of thinking to help the development of nursing education in Taiwan keep pace with the times and internationalization trends, prepare for EMI training, successfully face the challenges of EMI, and take EMI beyond the first step.

[Challenges of Globalization and English as a Medium of Instruction in Nursing Teaching and Learning].

Higher education is becoming increasingly internationalized, and English as a medium of instruction (EMI) for academic content has become commonplace in countries where English is not a native language. However, concerns are growing that the fast-growing trend of EMI lacks sufficient consideration of the related challenges with regard to implementation and impact. As a complex phenomenon, EMI requires increased awareness of its positive and negative implications for teachers and students. The attitudes and perspectives of teachers and students play a significant role in influencing the promotion and effectiveness of EMI teaching. Nevertheless, internationalization is essential for the advancement of nursing education. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the perspectives and challenges faced by teachers and students with regard to EMI and their readiness to embrace it. Therefore, in this article, we first define EMI and describe the reasons for its introduction and then discuss the challenges that teachers and students involved with EMI face in order to provide a reference for nursing education policymakers and academic institutions tasked with EMI development and implementation.

Factors influencing the effects of the mindfulness-based interventions of patients with substance abuse: A qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis.

Objective: This article aims to provide the experiences of mindfulness treatments from the perspectives of patients with a history of substance abuse. Data source: Peer-reviewed articles on 5 databases, namely, PubMed, PsychINFO, Medline, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library, between the year of 2000 and 2023. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Studies were included if they were published in the English language and reported on qualitative studies that directly engaged patients with experiences of substance abuse and mindfulness treatments. Data extraction: After our initial search, 5355 studies were reviewed by title and abstract, consequently, 10 studies were included. Data synthesis: Meta-ethnography were used in this study. Data were obtained from the quotations from participants and text under the heading "results" or "findings" from the included 10 studies. Results: Effective mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) influence recovery from substance abuse. Four themes were identified as factors influencing the MBI treatment effect. They were (1) engaging in mindfulness: entry and retention, (2) perceived benefits of MBIs, (3) implementation of treatment group and (4) maintenance of treatment effect. Conclusion: This article examines the scientific literature to date and presents the evidence on the factors that influentially impact the effect of MBIs in patients with substance abuse. The findings of this study should be helpful in guiding clinical practice, policy, and future research focused on the treatment effect of MBIs for person with substance use.

Mechanical confinement promotes heat resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma via SP1/IL4I1/AHR axis.

Mechanical stress can modulate the fate of cells in both physiological and extreme conditions. Recurrence of tumors after thermal ablation, a radical therapy for many cancers, indicates that some tumor cells can endure temperatures far beyond physiological ones. This unusual heat resistance with unknown mechanisms remains a key obstacle to fully realizing the clinical potential of thermal ablation. By developing a 3D bioprinting-based thermal ablation system, we demonstrate that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in this 3D model exhibit enhanced heat resistance as compared with cells on plates. Mechanistically, the activation of transcription factor SP1 under mechanical confinement enhances the transcription of Interleukin-4-Induced-1, which catalyzes tryptophan metabolites to activate the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), leading to heat resistance. Encouragingly, the AHR inhibitor prevents HCC recurrence after thermal ablation. These findings reveal a previously unknown role of mechanical confinement in heat resistance and provide a rationale for AHR inhibitors as neoadjuvant therapy.

The impacts of COVID-19 on the cruise industry based on an empirical study in China.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the entire cruise industry. This research aims to provide an understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on the cruise industry from various stakeholders and recommend corresponding post-COVID recovery strategies for building a sustainable cruise industry. By conducting 22 semi-structured interviews in Shanghai, China and analysing the interview data using content analysis, this research finds five aspects of the impacts that are worth discussing, namely social, health and well-being, regulatory, operational, and financial aspects. Key findings include the impacts of different stakeholders' opinions, the problems existing in the current cruise industry, and the potential for future improvement. Recommendations and recovery strategies are proposed to mitigate the negative impacts. This research not only explores the impact of COVID-19 on cruise tourism and fosters recommendations in the most fast-developing region (China) but also facilitates researchers and policymakers to understand the effects of the pandemic and proposes future risk mitigation strategies.

Experiences and coping behaviors of patients with psoriasis: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a complex, chronic, lifelong inflammatory skin disease characterized by the development of erythematous, indurated, scaly, pruritic, and often painful skin plaques, and it is currently incurable. It profoundly affects psychological wellbeing and social functioning and has significant associated co-morbidities. To improve clinical approaches, understanding of the experiences of patients with psoriasis is needed. OBJECTIVE: To explore the experiences and coping behaviors of patients with psoriasis. METHODS: A qualitative study approach was conducted. Through semi-structured interviews, 20 patients with psoriasis were recruited from general practices and specialist dermatology practices in a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed by content analysis. RESULTS: Three themes and nine subthemes were identified: (1) Symptoms distress: (a) trouble with scaling, (b) bothersome itching, and (c) complex pain experiences; (2) Psychological distress: (a) encountering discrimination and (b) feeling stigmatized; (3) Managing psoriasis: (a) coping with symptoms, (b) seeking alternative methods, (c) using biologic agents, and (d) changing thinking and coexisting with the disease. CONCLUSION: The experience of patients with psoriasis has significant negative impacts on their lives. The findings of this study can provide healthcare professionals with a reference for the care of patients with psoriasis.

The Application of Hyperspectral Imaging to the Measurement of Pressure Injury Area.

Wound size measurement is an important indicator of wound healing. Nurses measure wound size in terms of length × width in wound healing assessment, but it is easy to overestimate the extent of the wound due to irregularities around it. Using hyperspectral imaging (HIS) to measure the area of a pressure injury could provide more accurate data than manual measurement, ensure that the same tool is used for standardized assessment of wounds, and reduce the measurement time. This study was a pilot cross-sectional study, and a total of 30 patients with coccyx sacral pressure injuries were recruited to the rehabilitation ward after approval by the human subjects research committee. We used hyperspectral images to collect pressure injury images and machine learning (k-means) to automatically classify wound areas in combination with the length × width rule (LW rule) and image morphology algorithm for wound judgment and area calculation. The results calculated from the data were compared with the calculations made by the nursing staff using the length × width rule. The use of hyperspectral images, machine learning, the length × width rule (LW rule), and an image morphology algorithm to calculate the wound area yielded more accurate measurements than did nurses, effectively reduced the chance of human error, reduced the measurement time, and produced real-time data. HIS can be used by nursing staff to assess wounds with a standardized approach so as to ensure that proper wound care can be provided.

The Treatment Experience of Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescents from Healthcare Professionals' Perspective: A Qualitative Study.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric illness with a high mortality rate and a poor outcome. AN in adolescents can be difficult to treat. The prognosis of patients with AN depends highly on how early specialized AN treatment starts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare professionals in treating adolescents with AN. A qualitative study approach was conducted. Through semi-structured interviews, 16 healthcare professionals, including 10 nurses, 3 dieticians and 3 physicians from the paediatric ward at a university-affiliated medical centre in central Taiwan, shared their experiences. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed by content analysis. Five themes and ten subthemes were identified: 1. Building a trusting relationship first: (a) spending time to build trust with the client and (b) establishing a relationship with the client's parents; 2. The key to treatment success: (a) Clients' awareness of the illness and (b) parents' support for clients; 3. Consistency of team treatment goals: (a) maintaining stable vital signs and (b) achieving caloric intake; 4. Empowerment with knowledge about anorexia: (a) continuing education for healthcare professionals and (b) interdisciplinary collaborative care; and 5. Using different interaction strategies: (a) the hard approach and (b) the soft approach. In conclusion, the findings will provide important information for healthcare professionals to apply in monitoring the psychological and emotional states of adolescents with AN. The findings indicate that healthcare professionals should invite parents to participate in the treatment, support and guide them in their adolescent care, develop scales of family stress and support for AN in adolescents, develop interventions, and establish an early therapeutic alliance.

Virtual Screening and Testing of GSK-3 Inhibitors Using Human SH-SY5Y Cells Expressing Tau Folding Reporter and Mouse Hippocampal Primary Culture under Tau Cytotoxicity.

Glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) is an important serine/threonine kinase that implicates in multiple cellular processes and links with the neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, structure-based virtual screening was performed to search database for compounds targeting GSK-3ß from Enamine's screening collection. Of the top-ranked compounds, 7 primary hits underwent a luminescent kinase assay and a cell assay using human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells expressing Tau repeat domain (TauRD) with pro-aggregant mutation ΔK280. In the kinase assay for these 7 compounds, residual GSK-3ß activities ranged from 36.1% to 90.0% were detected at the IC50 of SB-216763. In the cell assay, only compounds VB-030 and VB-037 reduced Tau aggregation in SH-SY5Y cells expressing ΔK280 TauRD-DsRed folding reporter. In SH-SY5Y cells expressing ΔK280 TauRD, neither VB-030 nor VB-037 increased expression of GSK-3α Ser21 or GSK-3ß Ser9. Among extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT), mitogen-activated protein kinase 14 (P38) and mitogen-activated protein kinase 8 (JNK) which modulate Tau phosphorylation, VB-037 attenuated active phosphorylation of P38 Thr180/Tyr182, whereas VB-030 had no effect on the phosphorylation status of ERK, AKT, P38 or JNK. However, both VB-030 and VB-037 reduced endogenous Tau phosphorylation at Ser202, Thr231, Ser396 and Ser404 in neuronally differentiated SH-SY5Y expressing ΔK280 TauRD. In addition, VB-030 and VB-037 further improved neuronal survival and/or neurite length and branch in mouse hippocampal primary culture under Tau cytotoxicity. Overall, through inhibiting GSK-3ß kinase activity and/or p-P38 (Thr180/Tyr182), both compounds may serve as promising candidates to reduce Tau aggregation/cytotoxicity for AD treatment.

Performance and comparison of artificial intelligence and human experts in the detection and classification of colonic polyps.

OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to analyze the performance of different artificial intelligence (AI) models in endoscopic colonic polyp detection and classification and compare them with doctors with different experience. METHODS: We searched the studies on Colonoscopy, Colonic Polyps, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning published before May 2020 in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and the citation index of the conference proceedings. The quality of studies was assessed using the QUADAS-2 table of diagnostic test quality evaluation criteria. The random-effects model was calculated using Meta-DISC 1.4 and RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies were included for meta-analysis. Only one study (1/16) presented externally validated results. The area under the curve (AUC) of AI group, expert group and non-expert group for detection and classification of colonic polyps were 0.940, 0.918, and 0.871, respectively. AI group had slightly lower pooled specificity than the expert group (79% vs. 86%, P < 0.05), but the pooled sensitivity was higher than the expert group (88% vs. 80%, P < 0.05). While the non-experts had less pooled specificity in polyp recognition than the experts (81% vs. 86%, P < 0.05), and higher pooled sensitivity than the experts (85% vs. 80%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The performance of AI in polyp detection and classification is similar to that of human experts, with high sensitivity and moderate specificity. Different tasks may have an impact on the performance of deep learning models and human experts, especially in terms of sensitivity and specificity.

PD-1-mAb Plus Regimen in the First and Second Lines of Advanced and Unresectable Biliary Tract Carcinoma: A Real-World, Multicenter Retrospective Analysis.

Introduction: Advanced biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) has a poor prognosis and few treatment options. We compared the efficacy of the PD-1 monoclonal antibody (PD-1-mAb) combined regimens with the standard chemotherapy in the first-line and second-line treatment of advanced BTC. Methods: We retrospectively assessed the patients with advanced BTC, who received treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University and the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center. The patients were treated with PD-1-mAb combined regimens or standard chemotherapy at the first line or treated with PD-1-mAb combined regimens or systematic therapy at the second line. Further subgroup analyses were assessed to identify superior regimens. Results: This study included 210 patients. The first-line PD-1-mAb combination group (n = 83) achieved longer median PFS (mPFS) (7.3 vs 5.3 months, p=0.001) and median OS (mOS) (15.6 vs 11.4 months, p=0.002) than the first-line standard chemotherapy group (n=76). Similarly, the second-line PD-1-mAb combination group (n=50) yielded longer mPFS (6.1 vs 2.6 months, p<0.001) and mOS (11.7 vs 7.2 months, p=0.008) than the second-line systematic therapy group (n=51). Subgroup analyses showed that the PD-1-mAb combined with TKI group achieved better mPFS than the chemotherapy group whether in the first-line (HR = 0.468, p=0.005) or the second-line setting (HR = 0.45, p=0.009), but did not achieve superiority in mOS (both p>0.05). Compared with the chemotherapy group, the PD-1-mAb combined with chemotherapy group achieved longer mOS (HR = 0.53, p=0.023) in the first-line setting and longer mPFS in the second-line setting (HR = 0.54, p=0.044). Conclusion: The PD-1-mAb combination therapy is superior to the standard chemotherapy in advanced or unresectable BTC, whether as a first-line or second-line treatment. Among the combination therapy, both the PD-1-mAb combined with TKI and combined with standard chemotherapy were promising options for advanced BTC patients.

The Characteristics and Mortality of Chinese Herbal Medicine Users among Newly Diagnosed Inoperable Huge Hepatocellular Carcinoma (≥10 cm) Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study with Exploration of Core Herbs.

For patients with inoperable huge hepatocellular carcinoma (H-HCC, tumor size ≥10 cm), treatment options are limited. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of patients with H-HCC who use Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). Multi-institutional cohort data were obtained from the Chang Gung Research Database (CGRD) between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2018. All patients were followed up for 3 years or until the occurrence of death. Characteristics of CHM users and risk of all-cause mortality were assessed, and core CHMs with potential pharmacologic pathways were explored. Among 1618 patients, clinical features of CHM users (88) and nonusers (1530) were similar except for lower serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) and higher serum albumin levels in CHM users. CHM users had significantly higher 3 year overall survival rates (15.0% vs. 9.7%) and 3 year liver-specific survival rates (13.4% vs. 10.7%), about 3 months longer median survival time, and lower risk of all-cause mortality. Core CHMs were discovered from the prescriptions, including Hedyotis diffusa Willd combined with Scutellaria barbata D.Don, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge., Curcuma longa L., Rheum palmatum L., and Astragalus mongholicus Bunge. CHM use appears safe and is possibly beneficial for inoperable H-HCC patients; however, further clinical trials are still required.

The association between mortality and use of Chinese herbal medicine among incident stage IV esophageal cancer patients: A retrospective cohort study with core herbs exploration.

Esophageal cancer (EC) remains a leading cause of death worldwide and in Taiwan. The prognosis of advanced-stage EC is notably poor, and the treatment options are limited. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been widely used as a complementary treatment for cancer, yet the long-term effect of CHM in stage IV EC remains unclear. The multi-institutional cohort obtained from the Chang Gung research database (CGRD) was used to study the long-term outcome of CHM use among incident stage IV EC patients from 1 January 2002, to 31 December 2018. All patients were followed up to 5 years or the occurrence of death. The overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival rates were conducted using Kaplan-Meier estimation. Overlap weighing and landmark analysis were used to eliminate confounding and immortal time biases. Furthermore, we demonstrated the core CHMs for stage IV EC by using the Chinese herbal medicine network (CMN) analysis on prescriptions. Nine hundred eighty-five stage IV EC patients were analyzed, including 74 CHM users and 911 non-CHM users. We found the use of CHM was associated with a higher 5-year overall survival rate than CHM nonusers (the cumulative probability: 19.52% versus 6.04%, log-rank test: p < 0.001, and the p < 0.001 with overlap weighting). In addition, the overall median survival time was about 7 months longer among CHM users. Moreover, the lower 1-, 3-, 5-year disease-specific survival rates were higher among CHM users. Additionally, the risk of all-cause mortality was lower among CHM users when considering accessible demographic covariates (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.59, 95%CI: 0.39, 0.89, p = 0.011). Furthermore, the CMN analysis revealed that CHMs improved health while relieving tumor burden. For example, Hedyotis diffusa Willd . was the core CHM with an anti-cancer effect, while Fritillaria thunbergii Miq and Sevilla maindronide Rochebrune were used together to relieve cancer-related gastrointestinal discomfort. The use of CHM seems safe and possibly beneficial among stage IV EC patients with a higher 5-year OS. Further clinical trials on CHM were guaranteed to explore the role of CHM in managing stage IV EC patients.

Assessment of Hyperspectral Imaging in Pressure Injury Healing.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the blood oxygen concentrations (StO 2 ) of different stages of pressure injury (PI) tissue using hyperspectral images to serve as a guideline for the treatment and care of PIs. METHODS: This study used a prospective design. A total of 30 patients with sacral PIs were recruited from the rehabilitation ward of a teaching hospital. The authors used a hyperspectral detector to collect wound images and the Beer-Lambert law to estimate changes in tissue StO 2 in different stages of PI. RESULTS: The tissue StO 2 of healthy skin and that of stage 1 PI skin were similar, whereas the tissue StO 2 of the wound in stage 2 PIs was significantly higher than that of healthy skin and scabbed tissue (medians, 82.5%, 74.4%, and 68.3%; P < .05). In stage 3 PIs, StO 2 was highest in subcutaneous tissue and adipose tissue (82.5%) and lowest in peripheral scabs (68.35%). The tissue StO 2 was highest in subcutaneous tissue in stage 4 PIs, and this tissue was red in the hyperspectral spectrum. The scab-covered area of unstageable PIs had the lowest StO 2 of all PI tissue types (median, 44.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperspectral imaging provides physiologic information on wound microcirculation, which can enable better evaluation of healing status. Assessing tissue StO 2 data can provide a clinical index of wound healing.

Correlational Study of Emotional Stress, Pain, and the Presence of Inpatient Companions for Cancer Inpatients during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The outbreak of COVID-19 poses an immense global threat. Visitors to hospitalized patients during a pandemic might themselves be carriers, and so hospitals strictly control patients and inpatient companions. However, it is not easy for cancer patients to adjust the times of their medical treatment or to suspend treatment, and the impact of the pandemic on cancer inpatients and inpatient companions is relatively high. The objectives for this investigation are to study the correlations among emotional stress, pain, and the presence of inpatient companions in cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was a retrospective descriptive study. The participants were cancer inpatients and inpatient companions in a medical center in Taiwan. The data for this study were extracted from cross-platform structured and normalized electronic medical record databases. Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS version 22.0 were used for analysis of the data. In all, 75.15% of the cancer inpatients were accompanied by family, and the number of hospitalization days were 7.87 ± 10.77 days, decreasing year by year, with statistical significance of p < 0.001. The daily nursing hours were 12.94 ± 10.76, and the nursing hours decreased year by year, p < 0.001. There was no significant difference in gender among those who accompanied the patients, but there were statistical differences in the length of hospitalization, nursing hours, and pain scores between those with and without inpatient companions, with p < 0.001. The inpatient companions were mostly family members (78%). The findings of this study on cancer patient care and inpatient companions should serve as an important basis for the transformation and reform of the inpatient companion culture and for epidemic prevention care in hospitals.

Experiences of Participating in an Academic-Hospital Partnership Nursing Program: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Although 5-year colleges account for 41.7% of all nursing graduates in Taiwan, most of these graduates go on to university and earn a bachelor's degree. In 2015, four universities received approval from the Ministry of Education of Taiwan and started to enroll students in the academic-hospital partnership nursing program to guide nursing graduates from 5-year colleges into the nursing workplace. The effects of this program have never been examined, especially from the perspective of the students. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of students currently participating in the academic-hospital partnership nursing program. METHODS: A qualitative approach was used in this study. Twelve students were invited to participate in a focus group that met for five sessions over 3 years to understand the motivations for and experiences of participating in the academic-hospital partnership nursing program. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Six themes were identified: (a) incentives for participating in the academic-hospital partnership nursing program, (b) worries about making the wrong decision, (c) worries about future adaptation, (d) facing the real workplace, (e) confusion about role perception and benefits, and (f) administrator support. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of this study enhance the general understanding of nursing student experiences and the changes over time in the academic-hospital partnership nursing programs. Moreover, the findings may be used to help teachers and nursing administrators at healthcare institutes better support the needs of students at each program stage. In addition, the findings may serve as a reference for the government in refining the design of these programs in the future.

Experiences of Women Who Refuse Recall for Further Investigation of Abnormal Screening Mammography: A Qualitative Study.

Breast cancer has the highest incidence among all cancers for women in Taiwan. The current screening policy in Taiwan provides biennial mammogram tests for all women aged 45 to 69 years. A recommendation for further investigation is sent via post to women with a BI-RADS result of 0. The proportion of women who followed-up with a recall request for further investigation after an abnormal mammogram has been below 92.5% in recent years. Therefore, we aimed to explore the experiences of these women who refused recall for further investigation despite an abnormal mammogram. Purposive sampling was conducted on 13 women who refused recall for further examination of abnormal screening mammograms. Data collection included inductive, in-depth interviews or telephone interviews. A content analysis was applied. Three themes were identified: (1) negative screening experiences, (2) struggling with 'to go or not to go', and (3) rationalizing without a follow-up examination. The first theme included three subthemes: (1) pain of examination, (2) the inconvenience of medical treatment; waiting, and (3) dissatisfaction with having to pay for further examination. The second major theme included three subthemes: (1) perceiving one's susceptibility to breast cancer as very low, (2) questioning the accuracy of the results, and (3) procrastinating with a "head-in-the-sand" mentality. The third major theme included two subthemes: (1) fatalism and (2) paying attention to self-cultivation. In conclusion, the findings provide important information to healthcare providers involved in case management related to the actual living experiences of women with abnormal screening mammogram results and the additional education required to raise breast cancer awareness in the general public to achieve overall caring goals.

Longitudinal Bowel Behavior Assessed by Bowel Ultrasound to Predict Early Response to Anti-TNF Therapy in Patients With Crohn's Disease: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Early changes in bowel behavior during anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) induction therapy in Crohn's disease (CD) are relatively unknown. We determined (1) the onset of changes in bowel behavior in CD patients receiving anti-TNF therapy by ultrasound and (2) the feasibility of shear wave elastography (SWE) in predicting early response to anti-TNF therapy. METHODS: Consecutive ileal or ileocolonic CD patients programmed to initiate anti-TNF therapy were enrolled. Bowel ultrasound was performed at baseline and at weeks 2, 6, and 14. Changes in bowel wall thickness, Doppler signals of the bowel wall (Limberg score), and SWE values were compared using a linear mixed model. Early response to anti-TNF therapy was based on a composite strategy of clinical and colonoscopy assessment at week 14. RESULTS: Of the 30 patients enrolled in this study, 20 patients achieved a response to anti-TNF therapy at week 14. The bowel wall thickness and SWE value of the response group showed a significant downward trend compared with the nonresponse group (P = .003 and P = .011, respectively). Bowel wall thickness, the Limberg score, and SWE values were significantly reduced as early as week 2 compared with baseline (P < .001, P < .001, and P = .003, respectively) in the response group. Baseline SWE values (21.3 ± 8.7 kPa vs 15.3 ± 4.7 kPa; P = .022) and bowel wall thickness (8.5 ± 2.3 mm vs 6.9 ± 1.5 mm; P = .027) in the nonresponse group were significantly higher than in the response group. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggested that changes in bowel ultrasound behavior could be assessed as early as week 2 after starting anti-TNF therapy. Bowel ultrasound together with elasticity imaging could predict early response to anti-TNF therapy.

This pilot study suggested that changes in bowel ultrasound behavior could be assessed as early as 2 weeks after anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy in patients with Crohn's disease. Bowel ultrasound together with elasticity imaging could predict early response to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy.