A Review of the Literature on Corruption in Healthcare Organizations

This paper provides a systematic and bibliometric review of 80 research articles on corruption in healthcare published in peer-reviewed journals between 2006 and 2017. Findings suggest that the number of studies has increased over time with a focus on low- and middle-income countries; academic researchers have published papers in a large variety of journals and have investigated different types of corruption with various methodologies. The interest is especially focused on low- and middle-income countries where corrupt behaviors are more common. The paper suggests future research directions to a dynamic research community to facilitate anticorruption actions by public authorities

Evidence for detrimental cross interactions between reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy cells

Here we have collected evidence suggesting that chronic changes in the NO homeostasis and the rise of reactive oxygen species bioavailability can contribute to cell dysfunction in Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) patients.We report that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), derived froma female LHON patient with bilateral reduced vision and carrying the pathogenic mutation 11778/ND4, display increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), as revealed by flow cytometry, fluorometric measurements of nitrite/nitrate, and 3-nitrotyrosine immunodetection. Moreover, viability assays with the tetrazolium dye MTT showed that lymphoblasts from the same patient are more sensitive to prolonged NO exposure, leading to cell death. Taken together these findings suggest that oxidative and nitrosative stress cooperatively play an important role in driving LHON pathology when excess NO remains available over time in the cell environment

Il ruolo degli stili di coping e dei fattori di stress sulla qualita di vita professionale tra gli operatori di una centrale operativa delle emergenze sanitarie: uno studio preliminare cross-sectional

INTRODUCTION: The professional quality of life (ProQOL) is a fundamental aspect of the care providers’ working life and plays an important role in monitoring their mental health status and wellbeing. The objective of this study is to explore the level of ProQOL among the Emergency Operating Center workers in the Italian context and to examine the role of both stressors and coping strategies. Health workers from an Italian 118 Emergency Operating Center participated into the research. METHODS: A preliminar y cross-sectional study has been performed RESULTS:. The survey’s response rate was 72.04% (n = 67). Results found that Stressors arepositively correlated with Burnout and Compassion Fatigue whereas Compassion Satisfaction has a positive correlation with the Task-oriented coping strategy and with the Emotion-oriented strategy. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, it is pivotal to implement strategies and solutions that can enhance the levels of satisfaction of Emergency Operating Center workers in order to improve patients care and organizational outcomes. Key words: Quality of life, Coping, Stressor, Emergency, Nurse.INTRODUZIONE: La qualità della vita professionale (ProQOL) è un aspetto fondamentale della vita lavorativa del personale che eroga assistenza sanitaria e gioca un ruolo importante nel monitorare il loro stato di salute mentale e fisico. L’obiettivo di questo studio è esplorare il livello di ProQOL tra gli operatori della salute di una Centrale operativa delle emergenze sanitarie nel contesto italiano ed esaminare il ruolo dei fattori di stress e delle strategie di Coping. I partecipanti alla ricerca sono operatori sanitari appartenenti alla Centrale Operativa delle emergenze sanitarie del 118. METODO: E’ stato effettuato uno studio preliminare di prevalenza. RISULTATI: Il tasso di risposta ai questionari è stato del 72,04% (n = 67). I risultati indicano che il Burnout e la Compassion Fatigue hanno un correlazione positiva con i fattori di stress mentre la Compassion Satisfaction ha mostrato un’associazione positiva con gli stili di coping Task-oriented ed Emotion-oriented. CONCLUSIONI: In conclusione è importante implementare strategie e soluzioni che possono innalzare i livelli di soddisfazione lavorativa degli operatori delle Centrali Operative di Emergenza per migliorare l’assistenza ai pazienti e i risultati manageriali. Parole chiave: Qualità della vita, Coping, Stressor, Emergenza, Infermiere.   © 202

Increased CD8+ T cell responses to apoptotic T cell-associated antigens in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Here, we evaluated the hypothesis that CD8(+) T cell responses to caspase-cleaved antigens derived from effector T cells undergoing apoptosis, may contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) immunopathology. METHODS: The percentage of autoreactive CD8(+) T effector cells specific for various apoptotic T cell-associated self-epitopes (apoptotic epitopes) were detected in the peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by both enzyme-linked immunospot and dextramers of class I molecules complexed with relevant apoptotic epitopes. Moreover, the capacity of dextramer(+) CD8(+) T cells to produce interferon (IFN)-γ and/or interleukin (IL)-17 in response to the relevant apoptotic epitopes was evaluated by the intracellular cytokine staining. Cross-presentation assay of apoptotic T cells by dendritic cells was also evaluated ex vivo. RESULTS: We found that polyfunctional (IFN-γ and/or IL-17 producing) autoreactive CD8(+) T cells specific for apoptotic epitopes were represented in MS patients with frequencies significantly higher than in healthy donors. These autoreactive CD8(+) T cells with a strong potential to produce IFN-γ or IL-17 in response to the relevant apoptotic epitopes were significantly accumulated in the CSF from the same patients. In addition, the frequencies of these autoreactive CD8(+) T cells correlated with the disease disability. Cross-presentation assay revealed that caspase-cleaved cellular proteins are required to activate apoptotic epitope-specific CD8(+) T cells ex vivo. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these data indicate that apoptotic epitope-specific CD8(+) T cells with strong inflammatory potential are recruited at the level of the inflammatory site, where they may be involved in MS immunopathology through the production of high levels of inflammatory cytokines