Managing Advanced Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Degeneration in a Palliative Care Unit: Admission Triggers and Outcomes

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) are characterized by rapid deterioration and a fatal outcome. Objectives: Admission triggers, treatment efficacy, and care patterns. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with PSP/CBD admitted to an inpatient specialized palliative care service. Results: In 38 patients, there were 63 admissions for swallowing difficulties, falls, pain, impaired communication, cognitive/mood disturbances, respiratory symptoms, and infection. Mean length of stay was 11.6 days. Treatment response was variable. In 68%, of admission episodes there was stabilization or improvement, 75% were discharged home. In case of readmission, the mean interval has been 9.7 months. Time since diagnosis and admission triggers were not associated with outcome or death. Conclusion: Patients showed high symptom load contrasting with discharge rates and subsequent health care utilization. Brief multidisciplinary interventions might be helpful to preserve autonomy

A qualitative exploration of cultural safety in nursing from the perspectives of Advanced Practice Nurses : meaning, barriers, and prospects

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Spectral density of Barkhusen noise in FINEMET-type materials

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Lesson study in vocational education and training : the status quo in four European countries

This paper introduces the ERASMUS+ project LS4VET, which aims to develop a Lesson Study model for the VET sector with the goal to encourage innovation and change in vocational education by creating an open-online course to support collaborative professionalism for VET educators. The status quo of Lesson Study in the four partner countries Austria, Hungary, Malta, and the Netherlands is described and an outlook on the development of a Lesson Study model for VET is given.peer-reviewe

Non-coding RNAs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: New approaches for better diagnosis and therapy

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies with a 5-year survival rate less than 8%, which has remained unchanged over the last 50 years. Early detection is particularly difficult due to the lack of disease-specific symptoms and a reliable biomarker. Multimodality treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy (used sparingly) and surgery has become the standard of care for patients with PDAC. Carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA 19–9) is the most common diagnostic biomarker; however, it is not specific enough especially for asymptomatic patients. Non-coding RNAs are often deregulated in human malignancies and shown to be involved in cancer-related mechanisms such as cell growth, differentiation, and cell death. Several micro, long non-coding and circular RNAs have been reported to date which are involved in PDAC. Aim of this review is to discuss the roles and functions of non-coding RNAs in diagnosis and treatments of PDAC