NURSES’ PERCEIVED FAMILIARITY WITH DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

A major disaster, either natural or man-made, resulting in a large number of deaths and casualties, is hard to predict. Hence, preparing for, and responding to, a disaster is a public health priority that must be addressed, often in situations with constrained resources. The aim of this study was to assess nurses’ familiarity with disaster preparedness. A cross-sectional design was used. One hundred and thirty nurses were recruited using simple random sampling. Data was collected between December 2013 and February 2014 using a self-administered questionnaire. Pearson Chi Square analyses were used to determine the association between socio-demographic data and nurses’ perceived familiarity with disaster preparedness. A p value of ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The majority of the nurses were female (80%). Less than half were from the intensive care unit (30%). More than half were unfamiliar with disaster preparedness (62.3%). Among the socio-demographic factors, nurses’ workplace area was associated with perceived disaster preparedness

Evaluation of Steroid Hormones and their Receptors in Development and Progression of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Steroid hormones and their receptors have important roles in normal kidney biology, and alterations in their expression and function help explain the differences in development of kidney diseases, such as nephrotic syndrome and chronic kidney disease. The distinct gender difference in incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with males having almost twice the incidence as females globally, also suggests a role for sex hormones or their receptors in RCC development and progression. There was a peak in interest in evaluating the roles of androgen and estrogen receptors in RCC pathogenesis in the late 20th century, with some positive outcomes for RCC therapy that targeted estrogen receptors, especially for metastatic disease. Since that time, however, there have been few studies that look at use of steroid hormone modulators for RCC, especially in the light of new therapies such as the tyrosine kinase inhibitors and new immune therapies, which are having some success for treatment of metastatic RCC. This review summarises past and current literature and attempts to stimulate renewed interest in research into the steroid hormones and their receptors, which might be used to effect, for example, in combination with the other newer targeted therapies for RCC

Rapidly enlarging renal tumor during pregnancy: diagnostic and management dilemma

oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/6Urological tumors diagnosed during pregnancy are rare. However, the incidence seems to be increasing largely due to advancements in modern imaging techniques and improved antenatal care. The diagnosis and management of renal tumors during pregnancy poses a dilemma to clinicians. This case report highlights the challenges in managing a large chromophobe renal cell carcinoma in a young primigravida patient. Proper antenatal assessment, a multidisciplinary team approach and appropriate discussion with patient are important determinants to achieve the best clinical outcomes for both the mother and the baby.

Differences in the reliability of fair value hierarchy measurements: A cross country study

7th International Conference of the Japanese Accounting Review 2017, Kobe, Japan, 2017 January 7; Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics (JCAE) Doctoral Consortium and Annual Symposium, Taipei, Taiwan, 2017 January 4-6; The 29th Australasian Finance and Banking Conference, Sydney, Australia, 2016 December 14-16; The 2017 Asia Pacific University-Industry Engagement Conference, Adelaide, Australia, 2017 February 15-17</p

A Rare Case of Solitary Kidney Metastasis Following Primary Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Laryngeal cancer is the 14th most common malignancy worldwide, and its common subtype squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is highly associated with tobacco use and long-term alcohol consumption. The incidence of distant metastasis from a primary laryngeal cancer has been reported to be very low, between 6.5% and 8.5%, according to published tumour registry data. Distant metastases of laryngeal SCC most commonly involve the lung, liver, bone and mediastinum, seldom involving the kidney. Renal metastasis has been well established in many other cancers such as lymphoma, lung, breast and gastric carcinoma. This report discusses the rare case of a solitary renal metastasis following a primary laryngeal SCC

Viral load and sequence analysis reveal the symptom severity, diversity, and transmission clusters of Rhinovirus infections

Background:Rhinovirus (RV) is one of the main viral etiologic agents of acute respiratory illnesses. Despite the heightened disease burden caused by RV, the viral factors that increase the severity of RV infection, the transmission pattern, and seasonality of RV infections remain unclear. Methods: An observational study was conducted among 3935 patients presenting with acute upper respiratory illnesses in the ambulatory settings between 2012 and 2014. Results: The VP4/VP2 gene was genotyped from all 976 RV-positive specimens, where the predominance of RV-A (49%) was observed, followed by RV-C (38%) and RV-B (13%). A significant regression in median nasopharyngeal viral load (VL) (P < .001) was observed, from 883 viral copies/µL at 1-2 days after symptom onset to 312 viral copies/µL at 3-4 days and 158 viral copies/µL at 5-7 days, before declining to 35 viral copies/µL at ≥8 days. In comparison with RV-A (median VL, 217 copies/µL) and RV-B (median VL, 275 copies/µL), RV-C-infected subjects produced higher VL (505 copies/µL; P < .001). Importantly, higher RV VL (median, 348 copies/µL) was associated with more severe respiratory symptoms (Total Symptom Severity Score ≥17, P = .017). A total of 83 phylogenetic-based transmission clusters were identified in the population. It was observed that the relative humidity was the strongest environmental predictor of RV seasonality in the tropical climate. Conclusions: Our findings underline the role of VL in increasing disease severity attributed to RV-C infection, and unravel the factors that fuel the population transmission dynamics of R

Factors associated with nursing home placement of all patients admitted for inpatient rehabilitation in Singapore community hospitals from 1996 to 2005: A disease stratified analysis

10.1371/journal.pone.0082697PLoS ONE812-POLN