A pilot program at the worksite to reduce adverse self-medication behaviors

A Next Generation Personal Education Program (PEP-NG) that captures self-reported medication behaviors and delivers a tailored educational intervention on a touchscreen interface was piloted with 11 adults with hypertension, aged 45–60 years, in a worksite setting. A time series design with multiple institution of treatment (four visits over three months) was employed. Blood pressure (BP), self-medication behaviors, self-efficacy, and knowledge for avoiding adverse self-medication behaviors were assessed at each of four visits. Satisfaction was assessed once at visit 4. Measures pre-PEP (visit 1) to visit 4 were compared with paired t-tests. The adverse self-medication behavior risk score decreased significantly from visit 1 to visit 4 (p < 0.05) with a medium effect size. Both knowledge and self-efficacy for avoiding adverse self-medication behaviors increased significantly (p < 0.05) with large effect sizes. All six participants not at BP goal (<140/90 mmHg) on visit 1 were at goal by visit 4. User satisfaction was high as assessed by both quantitative measures and qualitative interviews. These positive results suggest the PEP could play a central role in worksite wellness programs aimed at workers with hypertension

Active Shooter Preparedness Among Dental Hygiene Students

Purpose: Active shooter incidents (ASIs) occurring in dental hygiene academic settings present unique challenges and research examining institutional preparation of dental hygiene students for such incidents is lacking. The purpose of this pilot project was to examine the perceived preparedness, confidence, and awareness of dental hygiene students regarding ASIs. Methods: A validated 24-item electronic survey was distributed to dental hygiene students (n=68) at one institution to measure their preparedness, confidence, and awareness regarding ASIs. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations were used for data analysis. Results: Fifty-seven dental hygiene students completed the survey for a response rate of 84%. Many participants felt slightly prepared (n=26, 45.6%) or not prepared (n=15, 26.3%) to respond to an ASI in the classroom. Most were slightly confident (n=26, 45.6%) or not confident (n=16, 26.3%) in helping to control the classroom during an ASI. Over half (n=32, 56.1%) were not certain if their institution provided active shooter trainings and were not certain if drills occurred (n=25,43.8%). Perceived preparedness was positively correlated with confidence in helping to control an ASI in the classroom (r(56)=.616, p=.000). Positive correlations were also identified with perceived preparedness to respond in a lab or clinic with the assumption that ASIs are taken seriously at their institution (r(56)=.375, p=.004). Conclusion: A general lack of preparedness and confidence for responding to ASIs may exist among dental hygiene students along with a lack of awareness regarding trainings and drills. Educational institutions should implement best practices for preparing dental hygiene students for ASIs

Landscape of somatic single nucleotide variants and indels in colorectal cancer and impact on survival

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a biologically heterogeneous disease. To characterize its mutational profile, we conduct targeted sequencing of 205 genes for 2,105 CRC cases with survival data. Our data shows several findings in addition to enhancing the existing knowledge of CRC. We identify PRKCI, SPZ1, MUTYH, MAP2K4, FETUB, and TGFBR2 as additional genes significantly mutated in CRC. We find that among hypermutated tumors, an increased mutation burden is associated with improved CRC-specific survival (HR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.21-0.82). Mutations in TP53 are associated with poorer CRC-specific survival, which is most pronounced in cases carrying TP53 mutations with predicted 0% transcriptional activity (HR=1.53, 95% CI: 1.21-1.94). Furthermore, we observe differences in mutational frequency of several genes and pathways by tumor location, stage, and sex. Overall, this large study provides deep insights into somatic mutations in CRC, and their potential relationships with survival and tumor features. Large scale sequencing study is of paramount importance to unravel the heterogeneity of colorectal cancer. Here, the authors sequenced 205 cancer genes in more than 2000 tumours and identified additional mutated driver genes, determined that mutational burden and specific mutations in TP53 are associated with survival odds

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Impacts of Plastics on the Marine Environment

The current state of plastic in the marine environment is reviewed, including estimates, potential implications, and future solutions. An artwork accompanies the poster to highlight the potential consequences of this environmental disaster on the human race

Public risk perceptions associated with Asian carp introduction and corresponding response actions

Biological invasion pathways are strongly influenced by human behavior. This research aimed to build new understanding about public perceptions and expectations for possible management responses that might be used after detection of Asian carp in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Although the species are as yet unestablished, our research worked to inform communication that could be publicly responsive in the event of an invasion. Our objectives were to: 1) determine public risk perceptions associated with Asian carp; 2) determine public risk perceptions associated with different types of management responses to an Asian carp invasion; and 3) identify types of risk-related information and communication that would influence community support for different types of eradication or control approaches. Objectives were achieved by using a two-phase approach. Phase one utilized an online, voluntary, self-administered survey with 2788 responses received from a convenience sample of Laurentian Great Lakes Basin residents. Phase two included three "Thinkshops" of fishing and boating stakeholders in southern Michigan. Across all hypothetical Asian carp invasion scenarios, the application of rotenone to a large area was the most frequently selected management response. When impacts from Asian carp and their management were discussed, study participants supported framing risks in terms of environment and economy. Insights herein provide new evidence that can help narrow the gap between how invasion risks are perceived and responded to by natural resource managers to reduce social conflicts over, and potentially address, invasive species threats more rapidly.Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

GoSoapBox in public health tertiary education: A student response system for improving learning experiences and outcomes

Most pedagogical literature has generated “how to” approaches regarding the use of student response systems (SRS). There are currently no systematic reviews on the effectiveness of SRS, for its capacity to enhance critical thinking, and achieve sustained learning outcomes. This paper addresses this current gap in knowledge. Our teaching team introduced “<i>GoSoapBox</i>” (an interactive online SRS tool) in an undergraduate Sociology and Public Health subject, as a mechanism for discussing controversial topics, such as sexuality, gender, economics, religion, and politics, to allow students to interact with each other and to generate discussions and debates during lectures. Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (SLT) was applied to investigate the effectiveness of <i>GoSoapBox</i> for improving learning experiences. We produced a theoretical model via an iterative analytical process between SLT and our data. This model has implications for all academics considering the use of SRS to improve the learning experiences of their students