Private ICT-Activities and Emotions at Work – A Swedish Diary Study

The boundaries between the work and non-work spheres have been challenged through the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT). Individuals may easily engage in non-work (family and private) matters at work and during working hours. Prior research on emotions at work tends to understand all emotions at work as work related. By studying non-work matters managed through ICT in a diary study, we suggest that emotions at work are triggered both by work and non-work matters. Our research shows that these emotions can be both positive and negative and may come from actual engagement in private matters, or as a response to a need or a demand to address a private matter. Since emotions affect work performance, for example, we suggest that HR and managers take the causes of workplace emotions into consideration when addressing issues related to emotions at work

Toward Equity in Guided Pathways Reforms: Lessons from Californias Career Advancement Academies

Community colleges across California are now investigating and planning Guided Pathways reforms with the goals of improving equity on their campuses and increasing the number of students completing degrees, certificates, and transfers. Some especially helpful lessons for improving equity as part of this reform effort may come from more than 30 California colleges that implemented Career Advancement Academies (CAAs).The CAAs, which were funded by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office from 2007 to 2017, aimed to reach and serve students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education. They were shown to improve persistence in college and completion of system-recognized certificates and degrees among underrepresented students. This brief distills insights from that experience, aligns them with the Guided Pathways reform framework, and highlights CAA approaches that practitioners can incorporate into their reforms

Apparent Half-Lives of Hepta- to Decabrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Human Serum as Determined in Occupationally Exposed Workers

The aim of the present study was to model apparent serum half-lives of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) with 7–10 bromine substituents. Workers with occupational exposure to PBDEs have elevated serum levels of PBDEs, but these substances are also found in the general population and are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. The calculations were based on exposure assessments of rubber workers (manufactured flame-retarded rubber compound) and electronics dismantlers who donated blood during a period with no work-related exposures to PBDEs, and referents without any known occupational exposure (clerks, cleaners, and abattoir workers). The workers had previously been found to have elevated levels of high- and medium-brominated diphenyl ethers compared with the referent populations. We performed nonlinear mixed-effects modeling of kinetics, using data from previous and present chemical analyses. The calculated apparent half-life for decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) was 15 days (95% confidence interval, 11–18 days). The three nona-BDEs and four octa-BDE congeners were found to have half-lives of 18–39 and 37–91 days, respectively. BDE-209 has a short half-life in human blood. Because BDE-209 is commonly present in humans in general, the results of this study imply that humans must be more or less continuously exposed to BDE-209 to sustain the serum concentrations observed. BDE-209 is more readily transformed and/or eliminated than are lower brominated diphenyl ether congeners, and human health risk must be assessed accordingly

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Bioaccumulative Hydroxylated PBDE Metabolites in Young Humans from Managua, Nicaragua

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a young urban population in a developing country, with focus on potentially highly exposed children working informally as scrap scavengers at a large municipal waste disposal site. We also set out to investigate whether hydroxylated metabolites, which not hitherto have been found retained in humans, could be detected. METHODS: We assessed PBDEs in pooled serum samples obtained in 2002 from children 11-15 years of age, working and sometimes also living at the municipal waste disposal site in Managua, and in nonworking urban children. The influence of fish consumption was evaluated in the children and in groups of women 15-44 years of age who differed markedly in their fish consumption. Hydroxylated PBDEs were assessed as their methoxylated derivates. The chemical analyses were performed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, using authentic reference substances. RESULTS: The children living and working at the waste disposal site showed very high levels of medium brominated diphenyl ethers. The levels observed in the referent children were comparable to contemporary observations in the United States. The exposure pattern was consistent with dust being the dominating source. The children with the highest PBDE levels also had the highest levels of hydroxylated metabolites. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpectedly, very high levels of PBDEs were found in children from an urban area in a developing country. Also, for the first time, hydroxylated PBDE metabolites were found to bioaccumulate in human serum

Guidelines for the Advancement of Electronic Health Records

The Guidelines have been proposed for the development of electronic health records (EHR) that must meet the needs of all relevant stakeholders. The system of electronic health records should contribute to the improvement of health services to healthcare users, support the daily work of health professionals and enable continuous improvement of quality at all levels of the health care system. The following concepts are defined: electronic health record, electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic personal health record (EpHR); Any health care user should have one EHR, one EpHR, and multiple EMRs. The parts of the EHR, i.e., the EMR and EpHR, should not be physically kept in the same place, but must be interconnected in case of need (via the health care user unique identification and authentication rules). All EMRs contain data collected by health professionals in health facilities (primary health care, polyclinics, hospitals, public health institutes, etc.). This data can be entered directly or transmitted from medical devices. The EpHR contains data collected and maintained by the health care user. They can be recorded directly or transmitted from a medical device. Data in the EHR may be made available to authorized persons only. Data protection in the EHR should be ensured in three ways: technically, regulatory and through codes of ethics, in line with international initiatives (certification, EU regulations, standards, etc.). The EHR and its components should be used for both primary and secondary purposes. The primary use of the data relates to the individual (diagnosis, therapy, vaccination, etc.). The secondary use relates to population groups (reporting on the health status of the population, the quality of health care, the effects of preventive activities, funding, and research, etc.). The EHR data (structured or not) should be defined by health care professional associations. The ICT experts need to offer optimal technological solutions. The EHR development strategy, as well as supervision (medical, legal, technical, and ethical aspects, as well as standardization) should be entrusted to the institution at the national level, i.e., the Central eHealth Authority. EHR (EMR and EpHR) should be developed in stages, step by step, depending on current knowledge, technology, and material resources

Declaration on eHealth - 10 years later

Deklaracija o e-zdravlju, projekt Odbora za e-zdravlje Akademije medicinskih znanosti Hrvatske (AMZH), objavljena je 2011. godine na mrežnim stranicama Akademije medicinskih znanosti Hrvatske. Uz manje izmjene, tekst Deklaracije na hrvatskom jeziku dostupan je na mrežnim stranicama Akademije medicinskih znanosti Hrvatske i, na engleskom jeziku, u Biltenu Hrvatskog društva za medicinsku informatiku te na društvenoj mreži ResearchGate.net. Da bi se vidjelo što se dogodilo s Deklaracijom nakon 10 godina provelo se je vrednovanje prema OECD-ovom modelu „ulog-odgovor-ishod-učinak“, i to kroz direktne posljedice, tj. službene dokumente koji u potpunosti preuzimaju pojedine njezine navode, i kroz činjenice realizirane nakon objave Deklaracije a koje su u skladu s navodima u njoj. U radu je opisan svaki korak (ulog, odgovor, ishod, učinak). Glavni ishodi su navedeni u tablici s nazivima dokumenata i citata koji potvrđuju usklađenost s navodima Deklaracije. Što se tiče učinka, pet je navoda iz Deklaracije postiglo zamjetljiv učinak, impakt u zdravstvenom sustavu. Iako još nije realizirano u potpunosti (npr. nemaju sve bolnice zadovoljavajući sustav koji se uklapa u centralni zdravstveni informacijski sustav; zdravstveni portal za komunikaciju s građanima postoji ali je otvoreno pitanje koliko ga građana koristi; certifikacija se provodi prema određenim kriterijima i protokolima ali nije u potpunosti usklađena s kriterijima EuroRec-a; medicinsko/zdravstveno informatičko obrazovanje postoji ali nije ujednačeno na svim medicinskim/zdravstvenim obrazovnim ustanovama – ni sadržajno, niti mjestom u obrazovnom kurikulu), postoji niz ishoda koji su usklađeni s Deklaracijom i međunarodnim stremljenjima i koji su na putu da postanu zamjetljiv učinak Deklaracije. Treba uzeti u obzir da i međunarodno gledajući nema konačnog i zadovoljavajućeg rješenja i da još treba i vremena i napora da bi se realizirao digitalizirani zdravstveni sustav u nacionalnim okvirima ali i međunarodno.Declaration on eHealth (Declaration), the project of the eHealth Committee of the Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), was published in 2011 on the website of CAMS. With minor changes, the text of the Declaration in Croatian is available on the website of the CAMS and, in English, in the Bulletin of the Croatian Society for Medical Informatics (CroSMI) and on the social network ResearchGate.net. To find out what happened to the Declaration after 10 years, an evaluation was carried out according to the OECD\u27s input-output-outcome-impact model, (a) through direct consequences, i.e., official documents quoting some of Declaration’s statements, and b) through facts being in line with the Declaration, occurred after the Declaration was published. The paper describes input, output, outcome, and impact as the steps in evaluation. The main outcomes are listed in the table, then titles of documents, as well as quotations confirming compliance with statements in the Declaration. Considering the effect, five statements in the Declaration have achieved a noticeable effect in the Croatian eHealth. Although not yet fully implemented (like, some hospitals have not yet implemented the system compatible with the central health information system; there is the health portal for communication with citizens, but it is unknown how many citizens use them for now; criteria and protocols for the certification process have been defined, but certification is not entirely in accordance with EuroRec criteria; medical / health informatics issue (MHI) for future healthcare professionals exists, but differently in different teaching programs, even for the same type and level of educational institutions). There are several outcomes in accordance with Declaration and international trends, which could be considered as the effect of the Declaration. Finally, there is no complete and satisfactory solution for eHealth even internationally. Thus, it takes more time and effort to fully achieve the digitalized health system at the national and international level

The translocations t(6;18;11)(q24;q21;q21) and t(11;14;18)(q21;q32;q21) lead to a fusion of the API2 and MALT1 genes and occur in MALT lymphomas

So far, only one variant translocation of the t(11;18)(q21;q21), the t(11;12;18) (q21;q13;q21), has been reported. We herein describe two new variant translocations, the t(6;18;11)(q24;q21;q21) and the t(11;14;18)(q21;q32;q21), occurring in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. In both cases, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed the presence of an 5′API2-3′MALT1 fusion product, encoded on the derivative chromosome 11. Exon 7 of API2 was fused with exon 5 of MALT1 in the t(11;14;18) and with exon 8 of MALT1 in the t(6;18;11). FISH revealed the involvement of the immunoglobulin locus in the t(11;14;18). Rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE)-PCR to detect the involved partner gene on 6q showed exclusively wild-type API2 and MALT1 sequences

GUIDELINES FOR THE ADVANCEMENTS OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

U radu je opisan pravac djelovanja u izgradnji sustava elektroničkih zdravstvenih zapisa koji će zadovoljiti potrebe svih dionika zdravstvene zaštite, podržati zdravstveno-profesionalni rad i omogućiti kontinuirano unaprjeđivanje kvalitete na svim razinama i u svim segmentima zdravstvene zaštite te na taj način doprinijeti očuvanju i poboljšanju zdravlja svih korisnika zdravstvene zaštite.Defi nirani su pojmovi: • elektronički zdravstveni zapis (EZZ) i njegovi dijelovi • elektronički medicinski zapis (EMZ) • elektronički osobni zdravstveni zapis (EoZZ) pri čemu svaki korisnik zdravstvene zaštite ima jedan EZZ, jedan EoZZ i više EMZ-ova. Pojedini dijelovi EZZ-a ne moraju biti fizički na istom mjestu, ali se moraju moći povezati preko identifi kacijskog atributa korisnika zdravstvene zaštite i određenih pravila autentifi kacije. Pojedini EMZ sadrži podatke koji se prikupljaju na zdravstvenim radilištima (PZZ, SKZZ, bolnice, javnozdravstvena radilišta i sl.), a prikupljaju ih zdravstveni profesionalci, direktnim upisom ili prijenosom iz uređaja koji te podatke proizvode. EoZZ sadrži podatke koje prikuplja i s njima raspolaže korisnik zdravstvene zaštite. Ti se podatci unose direktno ili prenose iz uređaja koji te podatke proizvode. Podatci iz EZZ-a moraju biti dostupni isključivo ovlaštenim osobama. Propisima treba defi nirati pojam ovlaštene osobe. Zaštitu podataka u EZZ-u treba osiguravati tehnički, propisima i etičkim kodeksima, usklađeno s međunarodnim inicijativama (certifi kacija, EU uredbe, norme i sl). EZZ i njegovi dijelovi moraju udovoljiti i primarnoj i sekundarnoj uporabi, pri čemu se primarna uporaba odnosi na pojedinca (dijagnostika, terapija, cijepljenje, zdravstvena njega i sl.), a sekundarna na skupine, tj. populaciju u skrbi, unaprjeđenje kvalitete rada u zdravstvu, učinke preventivnih aktivnosti, fi nanciranje i istraživanja. Sadržaj i oblik podataka u EZZ-u trebaju defi nirati stručne udruge zdravstvenih profesija, a IKT profesionalci iznalaziti primjerena tehnološka rješenja. Strategiju i izgradnju EZZ-a kao i nadzor sa svih aspekata treba povjeriti krovnoj instituciji koja djeluje na nacionalnoj razini. Unaprjeđivanje EZZ-a treba se odvijati u fazama, u skladu s postojećim znanjima, tehnološkim novinama i materijalnim mogućnostima.The course of action to build electronic health records able to meet health stakeholder needs is described. The electronic health record system should contribute to improvement of service for all healthcare users by supporting daily work of healthcare professionals and enabling continuous quality improvement at all healthcare levels. The electronic health record (EHR), electronic medical record (EMR) and electronic personal health record (EpHR) have been defi ned; every healthcare user should have one EHR, one EpHR and several EMRs. The EHR parts, i.e. EMRs and EpHR, should not be kept at the same place physically, but they must be linked together (by use of identifi cation attributes of the healthcare user and certain authentication rules). Particular EMRs contain data collected at healthcare settings (primary healthcare, specialistconsultant health care, hospitals, public health settings, etc.) by health professionals. These data can be entered directly or by transfer from medical devices producing them. The EpHR contains data collected and maintained by the healthcare user. They can be entered directly or transmitted from the devices producing them. The EHR data should be made accessible to authorized persons only. Data protection in EHR should be provided through technical, regulatory and ethical codes, in line with international initiatives (certifi cation, EU regulations, standards, etc.). The EHR and its components should be used for both primary and secondary purpose. Primary use of EHR data refers to individual subjects (diagnosis, therapy, vaccination, etc.). Secondary use refers to population groups (reporting health status of the population, quality of healthcare, effects of preventive activities, funding, and research). The EHR data (structured or not) should be defi ned by associations of health professionals. The ICT professionals should be able to fi nd appropriate technological solutions. The EHR development strategy, as well as surveillance (medical, legal, technical and ethical points of view, as well as standardization) should be delegated to an institution at the national level. The EHR (EMR and EpHR) should be deployed in phases, step by step, depending on the current knowledge, technology, and material resources

Stability and change in health behaviours as predictors for disability pension: a prospective cohort study of Swedish twins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Stability or changes of health behaviours have not been studied in association with incidence of disability pension (DP). The aims were to (1) investigate if stability or changes in health behaviours predict DP due to musculoskeletal diagnosis (MSD), (2) to evaluate if an association exists for DP in general, and (3) after taking familial confounding into account.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study sample was 16,713 like-sexed twin individuals born in Sweden between 1935-1958 (6195 complete twin pairs) who had participated in two surveys 25 years apart, were alive, and not pensioned at the time of the latest survey. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to assess the associations (hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI)) between stability and change in health behaviours (physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, body mass index (BMI)), and number of pain locations collected at two time points 25 years apart and the incidence of DP until 2008.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>During the follow-up, 1843 (11%) individuals were granted DP with 747 of these due to MSD. A higher proportion of women were granted DP than men. Increase in BMI and stable use of tobacco products were predictors for DP due to MSD (HR 1.21-1.48) and DP in general (HR 1.10-1.41). The stability in the frequency of physical activity and increased frequency of physical activity were protective factors for DP due to MSD only when accounting for familial confounding. However, the number of pain locations (stability, increase, or decrease) was the strongest predictor for future DP due to MSD (HR 3.69, CI 2.99-4.56) and DP in general (HR 2.15, CI 1.92-2.42). In discordant pair analysis, the HRs for pain were lower, indicating potential familial confounding.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Health behaviours in adulthood, including an increase in pain locations were associated with the incidence of DP. The association between physical activity and DP was especially related to adulthood choices or habits, i.e., the individual decision about frequency of exercising. Thus, it is important to e.g. increase public awareness of the potential beneficial effects of exercise throughout life to avoid permanent exclusion from the labour market for medical reasons.</p

HIV-Neutralizing Activity of Cationic Polypeptides in Cervicovaginal Secretions of Women in HIV-Serodiscordant Relationships

HIV exposed seronegative (HESN) women represent the population most in need of a prophylactic antiviral strategy. Mucosal cationic polypeptides can potentially be regulated for this purpose and we here aimed to determine their endogenous expression and HIV neutralizing activity in genital secretions of women at risk of HIV infection.Cervicovaginal secretions (CVS) of Kenyan women in HIV-serodiscordant relationships (HESN, n = 164; HIV seropositive, n = 60) and low-risk controls (n = 72) were assessed for the cationic polypeptides HNP1–3, LL-37 and SLPI by ELISA and for HIV neutralizing activity by a PBMC-based assay using an HIV primary isolate. Median levels of HNP1–3 and LL-37 in CVS were similar across study groups. Neither HSV-2 serostatus, nor presence of bacterial vaginosis, correlated with levels of HNP1–3 or LL-37 in the HESN women. However, an association with their partner's viral load was observed. High viral load (>10,000 HIV RNA copies/ml plasma) correlated with higher levels of HNP1–3 and LL-37 (p = 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). SLPI was most abundant in the low-risk group and did not correlate with male partner's viral load in the HESN women. HIV neutralizing activity was found in CVS of all study groups. In experimental studies, selective depletion of cationic polypeptides from CVS rendered the remaining CVS fraction non-neutralizing, whereas the cationic polypeptide fraction retained the activity. Furthermore, recombinant HNP1–3 and LL-37 could induce neutralizing activity when added to CVS lacking intrinsic activity.These findings show that CVS from HESN, low-risk, and HIV seropositive women contain HIV neutralizing activity. Although several innate immune proteins, including HNP1–3 and LL-37, contribute to this activity these molecules can also have inflammatory properties. This balance is influenced by hormonal and environmental factors and in the present HIV serodiscordant couple cohort study we show that a partner's viral load is associated with levels of such molecules