1, 2, 3, Stop the Bleed: Analysis of a Bleeding Control Educational Course

Hemorrhaging, or uncontrolled bleeding, accounts for 40% of preventable deaths in the United States that occur after a traumatic injury. The Stop the Bleed campaign was launched in 2015 by the White House National Security Council to educate the public about methods to control and stop bleeding as well as empower individuals to take action if a traumatic accident occurs. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the “Stop the Bleed” bleeding control course to increase knowledge about the topic as well as increase confidence to take action and use the techniques that were taught during the course appropriately. Data was collected via a cross sectional pre-post survey design. At baseline, the participants were asked basic knowledge questions about bleeding control and techniques to use as well as how confident they felt using those skills. After being presented the bleeding control material and practicing the techniques in the hands-on portion of the course, the participants were asked to complete a post-test with similar questions to that of the pre-test. De-identified responses were collected to analyze the changes in the overall knowledge scores and overall confidence scores with the use of the paired-t statistical test on SPSS. The participants (N=32) were employees within the Thomas Jefferson University Campus Security department. The overall score for the knowledge-based questions were analyzed from pre to post and showed that the changes were statistically significant (8.163,

Exploring the Link Between Customer Care and Brand Reputation in the Age of Social Media

Consumers are more empowered than ever to share their customer care experiences. Through the use of social media and new communications tools and technologies, messages can be sent more widely than ever before. This research study examined the links between social media, customer satisfaction, brand reputation and customer loyalty. The Society for NewCommunications Research designed the research to examine how customer care influences brand reputation given the widespread adoption of social media. Objectives of the research included:To assess the extent to which consumers research and review companies' products/services online prior to making purchase decisionsTo assess the influence of social media on user opinions as they relate to the customer care experienceTo determine what types of online resources and social media are considered the most valuable sources of information about the customer care experienceTo assess the extent to which consumers are influenced by their own customer care experiences and how they think sharing that information online influences how others view products and brands

Early-onset neonatal sepsis: Still room for improvement in procalcitonin diagnostic accuracy studies

To perform a systematic review assessing accuracy and completeness of diagnostic studies of procalcitonin (PCT) for early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) using the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) initiative.EONS, diagnosed during the first 3 days of life, remains a common and serious problem. Increased PCT is a potentially useful diagnostic marker of EONS, but reports in the literature are contradictory. There are several possible explanations for the divergent results including the quality of studies reporting the clinical usefulness of PCT in ruling in or ruling out EONS.We systematically reviewed PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases up to October 1, 2014. Studies were eligible for inclusion in our review if they provided measures of PCT accuracy for diagnosing EONS. A data extraction form based on the STARD checklist and adapted for neonates with EONS was used to appraise the quality of the reporting of included studies.We found 18 articles (1998-2014) fulfilling our eligibility criteria which were included in the final analysis. Overall, the results of our analysis showed that the quality of studies reporting diagnostic accuracy of PCT for EONS was suboptimal leaving ample room for improvement. Information on key elements of design, analysis, and interpretation of test accuracy were frequently missing.Authors should be aware of the STARD criteria before starting a study in this field. We welcome stricter adherence to this guideline. Well-reported studies with appropriate designs will provide more reliable information to guide decisions on the use and interpretations of PCT test results in the management of neonates with EONS

Reviews

Alan Clarke, Designing Computer‐Based Learning Materials, Aldershot: Gower, 2001. ISBN: 0–566–08320–5. Hardback, xviii+196 pages, £45.00

Oncogenes and human cancer

The first demonstrations that cancer could have an infectious nature was by Ellerman and Bang (1) ~ who showed that leukemia in chickens was transmissible with cell-free extracts and by Rous (2), who found in a similar fashion that naturally occurring chicken sarcomas were transmissible. Although they were able to show that these cell-free extracts contained a transmissible agent~ the idea that this induced cancer was received by the scientific world at that time with great skepticism. The interest in oncogenic viruses was strongly enhanced in the early 60's by the isolation of mammalian tumor viruses and the general acceptance that at least some of these viruses were tumorigenic. The discovery of the reverse transcriptase enzyme in RNA tumor viruses (3,4), gave a logical explanation for how these viruses became integrated in the chromosomes of eukaryotic cells. Taxonomically, oncogenic viruses are members of diverse families. DNA viruses (herpes-, adeno- and papovaviruses) as well as many members of the retrovirus family (containing RNA such as the type C RNA viruses) are capable of inducing tumors. For the retroviruses two different routes to become transforming (oncogenic) have become clear. The majority of these viruses (the acute type C RNA transforming viruses) 11 acquire11 certain genetic sequences (oncogenes) from their host, which are necessary to initiate and maintain the malignant transformation of the cell by the virus. Other retroviruses integrate their genome nearby oncogenic sequences in the chromosome of their host. Independent of the exact mechanism, these viruses share the capability of inducing tumorigenesis by triggering the transcription of certain sequences, and it is the proteins encoded by these sequences which are necessary to maintain the neoplastic phenotype of the infected cell The accumulating number of independent isolates of tumorigenic retroviruses induced in the mid-70's a worldwide search for these viruses in humans. Only very recently the isolation of a human tumor T-cell leukemia retrovirus (HTLV) was reported (5,6). Another approach was initiated in the beginning of the 80's, with the finding that the acquired sequences of retroviruses are strongly conserved among species. In general, the cellular homologs of these sequences were easily detectable and could be studied in more detail by molecular cloning, using the oncogenic acquired sequences of retroviruses as probes. This approach seems to be very fruitful and will be discussed in more detail below. Although the oncogenic potential of the acquired sequences in a number of these viruses in vertebrates is well estabished, the involvement of their human cellular homologs in human tumorigenesis has been and will be a rich source for discussion. However, at the moment they provide us the best available model for the induction of human cancer at the molecular leve

Influential Article Review - Creation and validation of the Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices

This paper examines education. We present insights from a highly influential paper. Here are the highlights from this paper: The Ravens Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) is a widely used measure of general intelligence (g), both across settings and cultures. Due to its lengthy 40-min administration time, several researchers have developed short-form scales, yet these forms typically yield a significantly lower reliability. This article describes the creation of an 18-item short form (APM-18) and its validation in three samples of Southwestern U.S. university students (total N = 633). The APM-18 shows similar psychometric properties to both the previously published 36-item long form and 12-item short form, but retains a reliability estimate closer to the original APM. This, plus the shorter administration time (25 min) relative to the complete APM (40-60 min), makes it useful for time-constrained or mass-testing situations. For our overseas readers, we then present the insights from this paper in Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German

Impact of automation: measurement of performance, workload and behaviour in a complex control environment

This paper describes an experiment that was undertaken to compare three levels of automation in rail signalling; a high level in which an automated agent set routes for trains using timetable information, a medium level in which trains were routed along pre-defined paths, and a low level where the operator (signaller) was responsible for the movement of all trains. These levels are described in terms of a Rail Automation Model based on previous automation theory (Parasuraman et al., 2000). Performance, subjective workload, and signaller activity were measured for each level of automation running under both normal operating conditions and abnormal, or disrupted, conditions. The results indicate that perceived workload, during both normal and disrupted phases of the experiment, decreased as the level of automation increased and performance was most consistent (i.e. showed the least variation between participants) with the highest level of automation. The results give a strong case in favour of automation, particularly in terms of demonstrating the potential for automation to reduce workload, but also suggest much benefit can achieved from a mid-level of automation potentially at a lower cost and complexity

Bcr is a substrate for Transglutaminase 2 cross-linking activity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Breakpoint cluster region (Bcr) is a multi-domain protein that contains a C-terminal GTPase activating protein (GAP) domain for Rac. Transglutaminase 2 (TG2) regulates Bcr by direct binding to its GAP domain. Since TG2 has transglutaminase activity that has been implicated in the response to extreme stress, we investigated if Bcr can also act as a substrate for TG2.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We here report that activation of TG2 by calcium caused the formation of covalently cross-linked Bcr. Abr, a protein related to Bcr but lacking its N-terminal oligomerization domain, was not cross-linked by TG2 even though it forms a complex with it. A Bcr mutant missing the first 62 amino acid residues remained monomeric in the presence of activated TG2, showing that this specific domain is necessary for the cross-linking reaction. Calcium influx induced by a calcium ionophore in primary human endothelial cells caused cross-linking of endogenous Bcr, which was inhibited by the TG2 inhibitor cystamine. Treatment of cells with cobalt chloride, a hypoxia-mimetic that causes cellular stress, also generated high molecular weight Bcr complexes. Cross-linked Bcr protein appeared in the TritonX-100-insoluble cell fraction and further accumulated in cells treated with a proteasome inhibitor.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Bcr thus represents both an interacting partner under non-stressed conditions and a target of transglutaminase activity for TG2 during extreme stress.</p