A peer mentoring initiative developed to engage and mentor peers to decrease OSCE anxiety and encourage strong health assessment techniques

This study examined if participating in a student-led mentoring initiative assisted first year nursing students with their anxiety on Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCEs). Previous research has identified that OSCEs can be stressful for learners (Clarke, McDonald & Rainey, 2012; Rushforth, 2007). Peer mentors however have been shown to help decrease anxiety, increase confidence and help students gain feedback (Stone et al., 2013; Giordana, & Wedin, 2010). However, limited research exists to determine if mentoring initiatives help mitigate the anxiety nursing students feel when being tested on their health assessment skills using OSCEs. As a result, a comparative design was used to examine perceived anxiety between nursing students who participated in the mentoring initiative (SOOA) and those who did not. All first-year nursing students were provided with the opportunity to voluntarily participate in SOOA.  At the end of the school semester, prior to final OSCEs, all first year students were asked to complete a paper and pencil survey. The survey included standard demographic questions along with questions about participation in SOOA. In addition, a 40-item Likert scale was included which assessed subsets of anxiety and self-efficacy. The anxiety scale was adapted from Hodapp and Bensen’s and included items from the Revised Test Anxiety (RTA) scale, and the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G). Quantitative data analysis using student surveys were utilized to determine if any differences in anxiety level or self-efficacy exist between students based on their level of participation in SOOA. Students who attended SOOA frequently (defined as 10 or more times) reported the lowest worry and emotionality scores regarding their OSCE examinations compared with students who only attended SOOA occasionally. With the increasing use of OSCE examinations in education and related anxiety, mentoring initiatives such as SOOA should be considered as an approach to decrease anxiety amongst first year nursing students

Inclusion of the I in LGBTI: A systematic review of cultural competence curriculum for healthcare professionals

The word/label Intersex is an umbrella term for individuals who are born with sex characteristics that do not typically fall into male or female categories. Individuals who are intersex make up about 1-4% of the United States population today and are identified within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community. Many people who are intersex identify as transgender, which relates to the social process of gender change, as they develop into adults. The lack of appropriately trained healthcare providers who understand the developmental specturm of people who are intersex, often result in challenges that may affect the their socio-emotional development of individuals who identify as such. Intersex individuals often experience poor health outcomes due to provider stigma and bias, and lack of education within the curriculum for healthcare professionals. This systematic review analyzes 18 sources that were published between 2014 to 2021 with primary research locations in the United States and Europe. The methods included searching various databases, assessing articles, utilizing keywords, screening abstracts, and creating inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two reviewers were utilized to assess and identify primary themes throughout each article and the systematic review overall. The studies reviewed primarily focused on patient-centered care for intersex individuals and implementation trials of LGBTI focused education within clinical and social settings. Brief findings include: the need for culturally competent care in healthcare settings, the effectiveness of LGBTI training for healthcare workers, assessment of health professional’s attitudes toward intersex individuals, and the relationships between intersex health outcomes and education standards among healthcare professionals

Development of In Vitro Assays for Advancing Radioimmunotherapy against Brain Tumors

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor. Due to high resistance to treatment, local invasion, and a high risk of recurrence, GBM patient prognoses are often dismal, with median survival around 15 months. The current standard of care is threefold: surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ). However, patient survival has only marginally improved. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is a fourth modality under clinical trials and aims at combining immunotherapeutic agents with radiotherapy. Here, we develop in vitro assays for the rapid evaluation of RIT strategies. Using a standard cell irradiator and an Electric Cell Impedance Sensor, we quantify cell migration following the combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy with TMZ and RIT with durvalumab, a PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor. We measure cell survival using a cloud-based clonogenic assay. Irradiated T98G and U87 GBM cells migrate significantly (p < 0.05) more than untreated cells in the first 20–40 h post-treatment. Addition of TMZ increases migration rates for T98G at 20 Gy (p < 0.01). Neither TMZ nor durvalumab significantly change cell survival in 21 days post-treatment. Interestingly, durvalumab abolishes the enhanced migration effect, indicating possible potency against local invasion. These results provide parameters for the rapid supplementary evaluation of RIT against brain tumors

Aldehyde Trapping by ADX-102 Is Protective against Cigarette Smoke and Alcohol Mediated Lung Cell Injury

Most individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorders smoke cigarettes. Large concentrations of malondialdehyde and acetaldehyde are found in lungs co-exposed to cigarette smoke and alcohol. Aldehydes directly injure lungs and form aldehyde protein adducts, impacting epithelial functions. Recently, 2-(3-Amino-6-chloroquinolin-2-yl)propan-2-ol (ADX-102) was developed as an aldehyde-trapping drug. We hypothesized that aldehyde-trapping compounds are protective against lung injury derived from cigarette smoke and alcohol co-exposure. To test this hypothesis, we pretreated mouse ciliated tracheal epithelial cells with 0–100 µM of ADX-102 followed by co-exposure to 5% cigarette smoke extract and 50 mM of ethanol. Pretreatment with ADX-102 dose-dependently protected against smoke and alcohol induced cilia-slowing, decreases in bronchial epithelial cell wound repair, decreases in epithelial monolayer resistance, and the formation of MAA adducts. ADX-102 concentrations up to 100 µM showed no cellular toxicity. As protein kinase C (PKC) activation is a known mechanism for slowing cilia and wound repair, we examined the effects of ADX-102 on smoke and alcohol induced PKC epsilon activity. ADX-102 prevented early (3 h) activation and late (24 h) autodownregulation of PKC epsilon in response to smoke and alcohol. These data suggest that reactive aldehydes generated from cigarette smoke and alcohol metabolism may be potential targets for therapeutic intervention to reduce lung injury

Targeting Mast Cells in Allergic Disease: Current Therapies and Drug Repurposing

The incidence of allergic disease has grown tremendously in the past three generations. While current treatments are effective for some, there is considerable unmet need. Mast cells are critical effectors of allergic inflammation. Their secreted mediators and the receptors for these mediators have long been the target of allergy therapy. Recent drugs have moved a step earlier in mast cell activation, blocking IgE, IL-4, and IL-13 interactions with their receptors. In this review, we summarize the latest therapies targeting mast cells as well as new drugs in clinical trials. In addition, we offer support for repurposing FDA-approved drugs to target mast cells in new ways. With a multitude of highly selective drugs available for cancer, autoimmunity, and metabolic disorders, drug repurposing offers optimism for the future of allergy therapy

Microfluidic Microcirculation Mimetic for Exploring Biophysical Mechanisms of Chemotherapy-Induced Metastasis

There is rapidly emerging evidence from pre-clinical studies, patient samples and patient subpopulations that certain chemotherapeutics inadvertently produce prometastatic effects. Prior to this, we showed that doxorubicin and daunorubicin stiffen cells before causing cell death, predisposing the cells to clogging and extravasation, the latter being a step in metastasis. Here, we investigate which other anti-cancer drugs might have similar prometastatic effects by altering the biophysical properties of cells. We treated myelogenous (K562) leukemic cancer cells with the drugs nocodazole and hydroxyurea and then measured their mechanical properties using a microfluidic microcirculation mimetic (MMM) device, which mimics aspects of blood circulation and enables the measurement of cell mechanical properties via transit times through the device. We also quantified the morphological properties of cells to explore biophysical mechanisms underlying the MMM results. Results from MMM measurements show that nocodazole- and hydroxyurea-treated K562 cells exhibit significantly altered transit times. Nocodazole caused a significant (p < 0.01) increase in transit times, implying a stiffening of cells. This work shows the feasibility of using an MMM to explore possible biophysical mechanisms that might contribute to chemotherapy-induced metastasis. Our work also suggests cell mechanics as a therapeutic target for much needed antimetastatic strategies in general