Workplace experience of radiographers: impact of structural and interpersonal interventions

PURPOSE: Within the framework of organisational development, an assessment of the workplace experience of radiographers (RGs) was conducted. The aims of this study were to develop structural and interpersonal interventions and to prove their effectiveness and feasibility. METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of work-related factors, e.g. time management and communication, and two validated instruments (Workplace Analysis Questionnaire, Effort-Reward Imbalance Scale) was distributed to all RGs (n = 33) at baseline (T1). Interventions were implemented and a follow-up survey (T2) was performed 18 months after the initial assessment. RESULTS: At T1, areas with highest dissatisfaction were communication and time management for ambulant patients (bad/very bad, 57% each). The interventions addressed adaptation of work plans, coaching in developing interpersonal and team leadership skills, and regular team meetings. The follow-up survey (T2) showed significantly improved communication and cooperation within the team and improved qualification opportunities, whereas no significant changes could be identified in time management and in the workplace-related scales 'effort' expended at work and 'reward' received in return for the effort. CONCLUSION: Motivating workplace experience is important for high-level service quality and for attracting well-qualified radiographers to work at a place and to stay in the team for a longer period

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome in children: complement mutations and clinical characteristics

Item does not contain fulltextBACKGROUND: Mutations in complement factor H (CFH), factor I (CFI), factor B (CFB), thrombomodulin (THBD), C3 and membrane cofactor protein (MCP), and autoantibodies against factor H (alphaFH) with or without a homozygous deletion in CFH-related protein 1 and 3 (CFHR1/3) predispose development of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). METHODS: Different mutations in genes encoding complement proteins in 45 pediatric aHUS patients were retrospectively linked with clinical features, treatment, and outcome. RESULTS: In 47% of the study participants, potentially pathogenic genetic anomalies were found (5xCFH, 4xMCP, and 4xC3, 3xCFI, 2xCFB, 6xalphaFH, of which five had CFHR1/3); four patients carried combined genetic defects or a mutation, together with alphaFH. In the majority (87%), disease onset was preceeded by a triggering event; in 25% of cases diarrhea was the presenting symptom. More than 50% had normal serum C3 levels at presentation. Relapses were seen in half of the patients, and there was renal graft failure in all except one case following transplant. CONCLUSIONS: Performing adequate DNA analysis is essential for treatment and positive outcome in children with aHUS. The impact of intensive initial therapy and renal replacement therapy, as well as the high risk of recurrence of aHUS in renal transplant, warrants further understanding of the pathogenesis, which will lead to better treatment options.01 augustus 201

Elevated Non-Esterified Fatty Acid Concentrations during Bovine Oocyte Maturation Compromise Early Embryo Physiology

Elevated concentrations of serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), associated with maternal disorders such as obesity and type II diabetes, alter the ovarian follicular micro-environment and have been associated with subfertility arising from reduced oocyte developmental competence. We have asked whether elevated NEFA concentrations during oocyte maturation affect the development and physiology of zygotes formed from such oocytes, using the cow as a model. The zygotes were grown to blastocysts, which were evaluated for their quality in terms of cell number, apoptosis, expression of key genes, amino acid turnover and oxidative metabolism. Oocyte maturation under elevated NEFA concentrations resulted in blastocysts with significantly lower cell number, increased apoptotic cell ratio and altered mRNA abundance of DNMT3A, IGF2R and SLC2A1. In addition, the blastocysts displayed reduced oxygen, pyruvate and glucose consumption, up-regulated lactate consumption and higher amino acid metabolism. These data indicate that exposure of maturing oocytes to elevated NEFA concentrations has a negative impact on fertility not only through a reduction in oocyte developmental capacity but through compromised early embryo quality, viability and metabolism

Publisher Correction: The mutational impact of culturing human pluripotent and adult stem cells

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Clinical outcomes of DCD type V liver transplantation: donation after euthanasia

Introduction: Due to shortage of donor organs, physicians and surgeons are forced to accept livers from donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors. One special group of DCD organs are those obtained after euthanasia (DCD type V). To create more awareness on the possibility of organ donation after euthanasia, it is important to evaluate the results of transplantation with this type of graft. The aim of our study was to evaluate the outcome of DCD type V liver transplantation (LT) in the Netherlands and Belgium. Methods: All DCD type V LT performed until 2018 in all three Dutch LT centers and four out of six Belgian LT centers, were included in this study. Grafts that have been preserved with machine perfusion were excluded. Continuous data are expressed as median (IQR), categorical data as number (percentage). Results: Until 2018, 44 DCD type V LT have been performed. Five cases in which the liver was preserved by machine perfusion were excluded. Median age of donor and recipient was 51 years (42–58) and 56 years (48–64), respectively. A neurological disease was the most common underlying disease in donors requesting euthanasia, followed by psychiatric disorders. Median time between administration of the euthanatics and cold perfusion was 19 min (14–25). Peak AST and ALT levels in the recipients were 904 U/l (586–2,478) and 709 U/l (448– 1,841) respectively. One-, three- and five-year patient survival was 90%, 83% and 83%, respectively (figure 1). Five patients (13%) required a retransplantation, due to PNF (n = 1), HAT (n = 1) or post-transplant cholangiopathy (n = 3), the majority within the first year after the prior LT. Conclusion: Liver transplantations with grafts from donors who underwent euthanasia yield satisfying results during the relatively short follow up period that is currently available. Comparison of these results with DCD type III LT and donation after brain death (DBD) LT is currently ongoing

Ultrasound prediction of the partus datum in dogs

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Long-term expanding human airway organoids for disease modeling

Organoids are self-organizing 3D structures grown from stem cells that recapitulate essential aspects of organ structure and function. Here, we describe a method to establish long-term-expanding human airway organoids from broncho-alveolar resections or lavage material. The pseudostratified airway organoids consist of basal cells, functional multi-ciliated cells, mucus-producing secretory cells, and CC10-secreting club cells. Airway organoids derived from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients allow assessment of CFTR function in an organoid swelling assay. Organoids established from lung cancer resections and metastasis biopsies retain tumor histopathology as well as cancer gene mutations and are amenable to drug screening. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection recapitulates central disease features, dramatically increases organoid cell motility via the non-structural viral NS2 protein, and preferentially recruits neutrophils upon co-culturing. We conclude that human airway organoids represent versatile models for the in vitro study of hereditary, malignant, and infectious pulmonary disease

Fertigação do algodoeiro utilizando efluente doméstico tratado Fertigation of cotton with treated domestic sewage

Conduziu-se um experimento no Campus da Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido em Mossoró, RN, com o objetivo de avaliar o comportamento do algodoeiro (Gossypium hirsutum L. raça latifolium Hatch) cultivar 8H, quanto ao aspecto crescimento, quando irrigado com efluentes domésticos tratados. O delineamento experimental adotado foi o de blocos casualizados com parcelas subdivididas e sendo testadas, nas parcelas, as diluições do efluente doméstico [25% - T1, 50% - T2, 75% - T3 e 100% de água residuária- T4 e água de abastecimento + adubação mineral do solo - T5] em dois solos de texturas contrastantes (Latossolo Vermelho Amarelo - S1 e Cambissolo - S2). A irrigação com água residuária influenciou significativamente o crescimento das plantas de algodoeiro, em referência ao índice de velocidade de emergência, à percentagem de germinação à altura de plantas, ao diâmetro caulinar e número de folhas e à área foliar e massa seca de parte aérea, crescendo com o aumento da proporção de uso do efluente doméstico. Houve efeito positivo do acúmulo de nutrientes no solo aplicados via fertirrigação sobre as variáveis estudadas. A fertirrigação com efluente doméstico tratado pode substituir a adubação convencional do algodoeiro.<br>An experiment was conducted at the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-arid in Mossoró, RN with the aim of evaluating the behavior of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. race latifolium Hatch) 8H cultivar, in terms of growth when irrigated with treated domestic sewage. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with split plots and in plots were tested dilutions of wastewater [25% - T1, 50% - T2, 75% - T3 and 100% of wastewater - T4 and supply water with mineral fertilizer - T5] in two soils of contrasting textures. Irrigation with wastewater significantly influenced the growth of cotton plants, the rate of emergence, the germination percentage, plant height, stem diameter and leaf area, growing linearly until an optimal dose, as the proportion of use of domestic effluent. The positive effect of the accumulation of nutrient in soil applied by fertigation on the variables studied is also highlighted. The irrigation with treated wastewater can offset conventional fertilization of cotton