Health professionals learning qualitative research in their workplace: a focused ethnography

Background The interest for qualitative research methodology has expanded beyond theoretical academic research on medical education, gathering interest from all healthcare professionals. Qualitative research has potentials in exploring the social, emotional, psychological aspects of care and in broadening professionals\u2019 scientific competencies. Nonetheless, qualitative research has still not been embraced within formal and academic curricula for future professionals, preventing newer generations from appreciating the value of its epistemological and methodological aspects and from using it in the development and implementation of clinical research. The purpose of this study was to comprehend the attitudes of health professionals learning and conducting qualitative studies within a practical training program developed in their workplace. Methods The present work consisted of a focused ethnography, including 14 professionals during their one-year attendance training on qualitative research methodology. Strategies used for collecting data included participant observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. All the data were analyzed consistently with ethnographic indications. Results Analyses allowed us to evidence the educational, motivational, group-related and organizational factors influencing the attitudes and skill acquisition of healthcare professionals learning and conducting qualitative research within a practical training program developed in their workplace. Prior educational background was perceived as a sort of barrier. Nonetheless, the training boosted a change in attitude both in terms of appreciation of the research approach and trainees\u2019 emotional involvement with research participants. Doing a qualitative study in a multidisciplinary team raised in-group dynamics that hindered bringing the studies to conclusion. Trainees repeatedly lamented the difficulty in managing time to devote to research-related activities and questioned the feasibility of adopting this methodology for conducting research in their workplace. Conclusions Continual education training on the methodological aspects and practical implications of qualitative research may foster a renewed attitude towards one\u2019s professional education, while making inter-professional relationship issues emerge. Nonetheless, broadening the perspectives of professionals on their clinical practice by means of learning qualitative methodology may have an evident quality improvement return. Strategies for future qualitative research methodology hands-on training addressed to health professionals in continuing education are proposed

The next step in sustainable dining: the restaurant food waste map for the management of food waste

In recent years, out-of-home food waste is growing exponentially and therefore represents an important focus of attention, albeit little research has been done on this instance. A few researchers have developed frameworks to better explain wasteful behaviors away from home, however a comprehensive interpretation of the phenomenon giving indications for maps/guidelines for the foodservice managers has not been carried out. In this paper, as a result of a thematic literature review, the Restaurant Food Waste Map (RFWM) was designed to describe the phases in which the food waste phenomenon occurs, and to identify mitigation activities of food waste generation processes. The proposed map is aimed to describe three phases in which the food waste phenomenon occurs: (1) kitchen food preparation, (2) food service, and (3) clients' consumption. Moreover, the present map highlights the approaches that restaurants could take into consideration to better manage the food waste: (1) prevention, (2) reduction, and (3) reuse/redistribution of food waste. These approaches set out guidance on the preferred methods of dealing with food waste so as to minimize its impact on the environment and society. The present study provides literature knowledge about food waste management at the restaurant level, and highlights some practical implications. Further studies could explore and analyze out-of-home waste from both the client and business perspective according to the proposed RFWM, to target specific attitudes and behavioral changes, and to quantify the impacts of the suggested changes. Reducing food waste is a key sustainability challenge for the food service industry. Despite the significance of this issue, a comprehensive interpretation of the phenomenon giving indications for maps/guidelines for the foodservice managers has received limited attention in the literature. As a result of a thematic literature review, the RFWM was designed to describe the phases in which the food waste phenomenon occurs, and to identify mitigation activities of food waste generation processes with practice-driven initiatives an organized map has been developed. The proposed map is aimed to describe three phases in which the food waste phenomenon occurs: (1) kitchen food preparation, (2) food service, and (3) clients' consumption. Moreover, the present map highlights the approaches that restaurants could take into consideration to reduce food waste: (1) prevention, (2) reduction, and (3) reuse/redistribution of food waste. The present study provides literature knowledge about food waste management at the restaurant level, and highlights some practical implications. Further studies could explore and analyze out-of-home waste from both the client and business perspective according to the proposed RFWM, to target specific attitudes and behavioral changes, and to quantify the impacts of the suggested changes. The concepts discussed here could help practitioners to become more aware of the factors that drive the adoption of food waste management practices

Pivotal role of micro-CT technology in setting up an optimized lung fibrosis mouse model for drug screening

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with no curative pharmacological treatment. The most used animal model of IPF for anti-fibrotic drug screening is bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis. However, several issues have been reported: the balance among disease resolution, an appropriate time window for therapeutic intervention and animal welfare remain critical aspects yet to be fully elucidated. In this study, C57Bl/6 male mice were treated with BLM via oropharyngeal aspiration (OA) following either double or triple administration. The fibrosis progression was longitudinally assessed by micro-CT every 7 days for 4 weeks after BLM administration. Quantitative micro-CT measurements highlighted that triple BLM administration was the ideal dose regimen to provoke sustained lung fibrosis up to 28 days. These results were corroborated with lung histology and Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid cells. We have developed a mouse model with prolonged lung fibrosis enabling three weeks of a curative therapeutic window for the screening of putative anti-fibrotic drugs. Moreover, we have demonstrated the pivotal role of longitudinal micro-CT imaging in reducing the number of animals required per experiment in which each animal can be its own control. This approach permits a valuable decrease in costs and time to develop disease animal models

Indocyanine-enhanced mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis with hallmarks of progressive emphysema

The development of new drugs for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis strongly relies on preclinical experimentation, which requires the continuous improvement of animal models and integration with in vivo imaging data. Here, we investigated the lung distribution of bleomycin (BLM) associated with the indocyanine green (ICG) dye by fluorescence imaging. A long-lasting lung retention (up to 21 days) was observed upon oropharyngeal aspiration (OA) of either ICG or BLM þ ICG, with significantly more severe pulmonary fibrosis, accompanied by the progressive appearance of emphysema-like features, uniquely associated with the latter combination. More severe and persistent lung fibrosis, together with a progressive air space enlargement uniquely associated with the BLM þ ICG group, was confirmed by longitudinal micro-computed tomography (CT) and histological analyses. Multiple inflammation and fibrosis biomarkers were found to be increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of BLM- and BLM þ ICG-treated animals, but with a clear trend toward a much stronger increase in the latter group. Similarly, in vitro assays performed on macrophage and epithelial cell lines revealed a significantly more marked cytotoxicity in the case of BLM þ ICG-treated mice. Also unique to this group was the synergistic upregulation of apoptotic markers both in lung sections and cell lines. Although the exact mechanism underlying the more intense lung fibrosis phenotype with emphysema-like features induced by BLM þ ICG remains to be elucidated, we believe that this combination treatment, whose overall effects more closely resemble the human disease, represents a valuable alternative model for studying fibrosis development and for the identification of new antifibrotic compounds.</p

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new pyrimidine derivatives as anticancer agents

BACKGROUND: Anticancer drug resistance is a challenging phenomenon of growing concern which arises from alteration in drug targets. Despite the fast speed of new chemotherapeutic agent design, the increasing prevalence of this phenomenon requires further research and treatment development. Recently, we reported a new aminopyrimidine compound-namely RDS 344-as a potential innovative anticancer agent.METHODS: Herein, we report the design, synthesis, and anti-proliferative activity of new aminopyrimidine derivatives structurally related to RDS 3442 obtained by carrying out substitutions at position 6 of the pyrimidine core and/or on the 2-aniline ring of our hit. The ability to inhibit cell proliferation was evaluated on different types of tumors, glioblastoma, triple-negative breast cancer, oral squamous cell carcinomas and colon cancer plus on human dermal fibroblasts chosen as control of normal cells.RESULTS: The most interesting compound was the N-benzyl counterpart of RDS 3442, namely 2a, that induced a significant decrease in cell viability in all the tested tumor cell lines, with EC50s ranging from 4 and 8 muM, 4-13 times more active of hit.CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest a potential role for this class of molecules as promising tool for new approaches in treating cancers of different histotype

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P &lt; .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Online Impulse Buying and Cognitive Dissonance. Examining the Effect of Mood on Consumer Behaviour.

Consumers’ beliefs and attitudes towards online sales significantly influence buying behavior on the internet. However, the impact of these thoughts and beliefs on the decision to make an online purchase is not direct. It can be moderated by the emotions experienced while browsing an e-commerce website. Impulse buying in particular is influenced by a number of factors, for example how stimulating the e-shopping platform is, and how easy it is to click on the cart a certain product, for instance a smartphone. But what happens after an online impulse buy is made? Often the customer can regret the purchase and in the throes of anxiety, look for reasons to justify the choices made. Consumer behaviour scholars and pyschologists call this phenomenon cognitive dissonance, and certain individuals are more sensitive than others in developing this than others. This book offers a deep investigation around online impulse buying and subsequent cognitive dissonance. Specifically, the authors present a research case study of a group of millenials who are shopping for smartphones to study whether an initial positive state can reduce the onset of cognitive dissonance in consumers. Based on substantial research and a sample of 212 impulsive millennial buyers, the book provides a comprehensive, but simple and synthetic framework of impulse buying, cognitive dissonance and positive affect state, highlighting their relationships