Boss competence and worker well-being

Nearly all workers have a supervisor or ‘boss’. Yet little is known about how bosses influence the quality of employees’ lives. This study is a cautious attempt to provide new formal evidence. First, it is shown that a boss’s technical competence is the single strongest predictor of a worker’s job satisfaction. Second, it is demonstrated in longitudinal data -- after controlling for fixed effects -- that even if a worker stays in the same job and workplace a rise in the competence of a supervisor is associated with an improvement in the worker’s well-being. Third, a variety of robustness checks, including tentative instrumental-variable results, are reported. These findings, which draw on US and British data, contribute to an emerging literature on the role of expert leaders in organizations. Finally, the paper discusses potential weaknesses of existing evidence and necessary future research

Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Supported by Third-Party Donor Cells: Rationale, Results, and Applications

AbstractLow incidence of graft-versus-host disease provides the major rational for pursuing umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cell transplantation (SCT). Considerable evidence also suggests a lower rate of recurrence after UCB SCT than after transplantation from adult donors. Recent advances in understanding of the human fetal immune development provide a rational underpinning for these clinical outcomes. The fetal immune system is geared toward maintaining tolerance to foreign antigens, particularly to the maternal antigens to which it is exposed throughout gestation. To this purpose it is dominated by a unique population of peripheral T regulatory cells that actively maintain tolerance. This and other features of the UCB lymphoid system explains the low incidence of graft-versus-host disease and superior outcomes of UCB SCT with noninherited maternal antigen–matched grafts. At the same time, highly sensitized maternal microchimeric cells are frequently detected in UCB and likely contribute to superior graft-versus-leukemia effects and low rates of disease recurrence in inherited paternal antigen–matched UCB recipients. However, historically erratic and slow hematopoietic recovery after UCB SCT leads to increased early morbidity and mortality, excessive hospitalization, and increased costs. This has held up the widespread utilization of UCB SCT in adults. Here we summarize recent data on UCB SCT with an emphasis on studies of co-infusion of adult CD34 selected hematopoietic stem cells with UCB SCT. This procedure, through transient engraftment of adult hematopoietic stem cells, largely overcomes the problem of delayed engraftment. It also results in predictable engraftment of a UCB with the desired characteristics. We also briefly discuss unresolved issues and possible future applications of this technology

The assimilation and retention of carbon in upland heath plant communities typical of contrasting management regimes : a 13C tracer study

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study design of a phase 3 randomized open label multicenter study to evaluate ruxolitinib over bat in patients with corticosteroid refractory chronic graft vs host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation reach 3

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Survivorship care for older adults with cancer: U13 conference report

Older adult cancer survivors currently account for almost 60% of all cancer survivors. The number of older cancer survivors will continue to increase as the population ages and as patients’ live longer after a cancer diagnosis. As part of cancer center accreditation, the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer® (CoC) has placed great importance on survivorship care planning. While the CoC has set standards for general survivorship care, there is sparse evidence on how to best care for older adult cancer survivors. Concern exists among the medical community that survivorship care plans could increase paperwork without improving outcomes. Given the diverse and unique needs of older adult cancer survivors, the inter-professional team provides a structure and process for survivorship care built around the particular needs of older adults. The Cancer and Aging Research Group (CARG), in partnership with the NIA/NCI, held a U13 conference in May 2015 in part to discuss survivorship care for older adults with cancer. This report discusses four themes that emerged from one section of the conference: (1) survivorship care is a process that continually evolves to meet the needs of older adults; (2) older adult cancer survivors have unique needs and care plans should be tailored to meet these needs; (3) the inter-professional team is ideally suited to structure survivorship care of older adults; (4) patient advocacy must be encouraged throughout the cancer care continuum. As evidence based survivorship practices develop, the unique needs of older adults need to be given substantial attention

Milling plant and soil material in plastic tubes over-estimates carbon and under-estimates nitrogen concentrations

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Mechanisms of Unexplained Anemia in the Nursing Home

To characterize anemia in elderly nursing home residents. Design : Prospective multiinstitutional cohort study. Setting : Five nursing homes. Participants : From retrospective analysis, residents found to be anemic using chart review were prospectively randomized. Of the 81 residents enrolled, 60 were anemic. Measurements : Chart review for medical history and factors related to treatment or history of anemia, extensive laboratory evaluation for causes of anemia, and classification of anemia by two hematologists. Results : Among the 60 anemic residents, the causes of anemia were idiopathic (n=27), iron-deficiency (n=14), anemia associated with chronic disease (n=8), anemia of renal insufficiency (n=6), and other (n=5). The eryrthropoietin (EPO) response to anemia was lower in residents with idiopathic anemia (IA) than in those with iron-deficiency anemia, and this correlated with renal function as estimated using calculated creatinine clearance. In this elderly population, advancing age was not correlated with lower EPO response. Conclusion : IA is common in nursing home residents. A lower EPO response contributes to the high prevalence of anemia in this setting and may be due, in part, to occult renal dysfunction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65745/1/j.1532-5415.2004.52116.x.pd

Comparison of Group-based Outpatient Physiotherapy With Usual Care After Total Knee Replacement: a Feasibility Study For a Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial comparing group-based outpatient physiotherapy with usual care in patients following total knee replacement. Design: A feasibility study for a randomized controlled trial. Setting: One secondary-care hospital orthopaedic centre, Bristol, UK. Participants: A total of 46 participants undergoing primary total knee replacement. Interventions: The intervention group were offered six group-based exercise sessions after surgery. The usual care group received standard postoperative care. Participants were not blinded to group allocation. Outcome measures: Feasibility was assessed by recruitment, reasons for non-participation, attendance, and completion rates of study questionnaires that included the Lower Extremity Functional Scale and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score. Results: Recruitment rate was 37%. Five patients withdrew or were no longer eligible to participate. Intervention attendance was high (73%) and 84% of group participants reported they were ‘very satisfied’ with the exercises. Return of study questionnaires at six months was lower in the usual care (75%) than in the intervention group (100%). Mean (standard deviation) Lower Extremity Functional Scale scores at six months were 45.0 (20.8) in the usual care and 57.8 (15.2) in the intervention groups. Conclusion: Recruitment and retention of participants in this feasibility study was good. Group-based physiotherapy was acceptable to participants. Questionnaire return rates were lower in the usual care group, but might be enhanced by telephone follow-up. The Lower Extremity Functional Scale had high responsiveness and completion rates. Using this outcome measure, 256 participants would be required in a full-scale randomized controlled trial