Development and psychometric evaluation of the nursing instructors' clinical teaching performance inventory

Evaluation of nursing instructors' clinical teaching performance is a prerequisite to the quality assurance of nursing education. One of the most common procedures for this purpose is using student evaluations. This study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of Nursing Instructors' Clinical Teaching Performance Inventory (NICTPI). The primary items of the inventory were generated by reviewing the published literature and the existing questionnaires as well as consulting with the members of the Faculties Evaluation Committee of the study setting. Psychometric properties were assessed by calculating its content validity ratio and index, and test-retest correlation coefficient as well as conducting an exploratory factor analysis and an internal consistency assessment. The content validity ratios and indices of the items were respectively higher than 0.85 and 0.79. The final version of the inventory consisted of 25 items, and in the exploratory factor analysis, items were loaded on three factors which jointly accounting for 72.85 of the total variance. The test-retest correlation coefficient and the Cronbach's alpha of the inventory were 0.93 and 0.973, respectively. The results revealed that the developed inventory is an appropriate, valid, and reliable instrument for evaluating nursing instructors' clinical teaching performance

The effect of the timing of exposure to Campylobacter jejuni on the gut microbiome and inflammatory responses of broiler chickens

Background Campylobacters are an unwelcome member of the poultry gut microbiota in terms of food safety. The objective of this study was to compare the microbiota, inflammatory responses, and zootechnical parameters of broiler chickens not exposed to Campylobacter jejuni with those exposed either early at 6 days old or at the age commercial broiler chicken flocks are frequently observed to become colonized at 20 days old. Results Birds infected with Campylobacter at 20 days became cecal colonized within 2 days of exposure, whereas birds infected at 6 days of age did not show complete colonization of the sample cohort until 9 days post-infection. All birds sampled thereafter were colonized until the end of the study at 35 days (mean 6.1 log10 CFU per g of cecal contents). The cecal microbiota of birds infected with Campylobacter were significantly different to age-matched non-infected controls at 2 days post-infection but generally the composition of the cecal microbiota were more affected by bird age as the time post infection increased. The effects of Campylobacter colonization on the cecal microbiota were associated with reductions in the relative abundance of OTUs within the taxonomic family Lactobacillaceae and the Clostridium cluster XIVa. Specific members of the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae families exhibit transient shifts in microbial community populations dependent upon the age at which the birds become colonized by C. jejuni. Analysis of ileal and cecal chemokine/cytokine gene expression revealed increases in IL-6, IL-17A and Il-17F consistent with a Th17 response but the persistence of the response was dependent on the stage/time of C. jejuni colonization that coincide with significant reductions in the abundance of Clostridium cluster XIVa. Conclusions This study combines microbiome data, cytokine/chemokine gene expression with intestinal villus and crypt measurements to compare chickens colonized early or late in the rearing cycle to provide insights into the process and outcomes of Campylobacter colonization. Early colonization results in a transient growth rate reduction and pro-inflammatory response but persistent modification of the cecal microbiota. Late colonization produces pro-inflammatory responses with changes in the cecal microbiota that will endure in market ready chickens

Identification of stable QTLs for vegetative and reproductive traits in the microvine (Vitis vinifera L.) using the 18 K Infinium chip

UMR AGAP - équipe DAAV - Diversité, adaptation et amélioration de la vigne[b]Background[/b] [br/]The increasing temperature associated with climate change impacts grapevine phenology and development with critical effects on grape yield and composition. Plant breeding has the potential to deliver new cultivars with stable yield and quality under warmer climate conditions, but this requires the identification of stable genetic determinants. This study tested the potentialities of the microvine to boost genetics in grapevine. A mapping population of 129 microvines derived from Picovine x Ugni Blanc flb, was genotyped with the Illumina® 18 K SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) chip. Forty-three vegetative and reproductive traits were phenotyped outdoors over four cropping cycles, and a subset of 22 traits over two cropping cycles in growth rooms with two contrasted temperatures, in order to map stable QTLs (Quantitative Trait Loci). [br/][b]Results[/b] [br/]Ten stable QTLs for berry development and quality or leaf area were identified on the parental maps. A new major QTL explaining up to 44 % of total variance of berry weight was identified on chromosome 7 in Ugni Blanc flb, and co-localized with QTLs for seed number (up to 76 % total variance), major berry acids at green lag phase (up to 35 %), and other yield components (up to 25 %). In addition, a minor QTL for leaf area was found on chromosome 4 of the same parent. In contrast, only minor QTLs for berry acidity and leaf area could be found as moderately stable in Picovine. None of the transporters recently identified as mutated in low acidity apples or Cucurbits were included in the several hundreds of candidate genes underlying the above berry QTLs, which could be reduced to a few dozen candidate genes when a priori pertinent biological functions and organ specific expression were considered. [br/][b]Conclusions[/b] [br/]This study combining the use of microvine and a high throughput genotyping technology was innovative for grapevine genetics. It allowed the identification of 10 stable QTLs, including the first berry acidity QTLs reported so far in a Vitis vinifera intra-specific cross. Robustness of a set of QTLs was assessed with respect to temperature variatio

Differential modulation of immune response and cytokine profiles in the bursae and spleen of chickens infected with very virulent infectious bursal disease virus

Background: Very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV) induces immunosuppression and inflammation in young birds, which subsequently leads to high mortality. In addition, infectious bursal disease (IBD) is one of the leading causes of vaccine failure on farms. Therefore, understanding the immunopathogenesis of IBDV in both the spleen and the bursae could help effective vaccine development. However, previous studies only profiled the differential expression of a limited number of cytokines, in either the spleen or the bursae of Fabricius of IBDV-infected chickens. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo immunoregulatory effects of vvIBDV infection on macrophage-like cells, spleen and bursae of Fabricius. Results: The viral load was increased during the progression of the in vitro infection in the HD11 macrophage cell line and in vivo, but no significant difference was observed between the spleen and the bursae tissue. vvIBDV infection induced the expression of pro-inflammatory and Th1 cytokines, and chemokines from HD11 cells in a time- and dosage-dependent manner. Furthermore, alterations in the lymphocyte populations, cytokine and chemokine expression, were observed in the vvIBDV-infected spleens and bursae. A drastic rise was detected in numbers of macrophages and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the spleen, as early as 2 days post-infection (dpi). On 4 dpi, macrophage and T lymphocyte infiltration, associated with the peak expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the bursae tissues of infected chickens were observed. The majority of the significantly regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, in vvIBDV-infected spleens and bursae, were also detected in vvIBDV-infected HD11 cells. This cellular infiltration subsequently resulted in a sharp rise in nitric oxide (NO) and lipid peroxidation levels. Conclusion: This study suggests that macrophage may play an important role in regulating the early expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, first in the spleen and then in the bursae, the latter tissue undergoing macrophage infiltration at 4 dpi

Diabetic Foot Risk Factors in Patients with Diabetes at the

Background and Objectives Diabetic foot problems are one of the major causes of mortality and disability in diabetic patients. It is considered one of the costliest conditions for health care systems. This study is designed to identify diabetic foot risk factors in patients with diabetes mellitus at Kamkar Hospital diabetes clinic in Qom, Iran during 2006.MethodsThis study was performed on 140 diabetes mellitus patients at the Kamkar Hospital diabetic clinic. International working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) guidelines were used for physical exam of diabetic foot in these patients. The physical exam consisted of inspection of foot appearance for deformity, skin keratosis and ulcer, and neurological and arterial pulse exam of the lower extremities of these patients. Patients in this study were divided into four risk groups based on the IWGDF guidelines. ANOVA method was used for analysis and comparison of the results with P<0.05 considered as significant. ResultsMean age of the participants in this study was 52.4±11.2 years old from which 67.1% were female, 37.1% of patients were illiterate, and 10% were active smokers. Mean duration of diabetes in these patients was 8.9 years. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 29.4± 4.4 and HbA1C was 9.3 ± 1.9. Percentages of the patients with retinopathy and nephropathy were 33.6% and 17.7% respectively. 95% of the patients did not know the correct way of nail clipping, 95.5% were wearing uncomfortable shoes, and 14.3% of patients had history of foot ulcer. None of the them had any education about foot care. Physical examination with monofilament, ankle reflex and vibration perception were defected in 28.6%, 52.5%, and 32.1% of patients respectively. 37.7% of patients had a decreased lower extremity pulse that was not felt by touch. Based on the IWGDF classifications, 70% of the patients were in the higher-risk group for diabetic foot ulcer. In the high risk group, age, duration of diabetes, illiteracy was significantly increased (p values of 0.03, 0.001, and 0.02 respectively).ConclusionThe result of this study emphasizes importance of early detection of diabetic foot complications in diabetic patients and need for implementing preventive strategies, especially education, to decrease the burden of diabetic foot problems and to improve the quality of life for people with diabetes. Keywords: Diabetic foot; Diabetic Neuropathy; Foot care; Diabetes Mellitus

Changes in fruit yield and photosynthesis parameters in different olive cultivars (Olea europaea L.) under contrasting water regimes

The evergreen tree olive (Olea europaea L.) is the only species of the genus Olea that produces edible fruits with high ecological and economic value. This tree species has developed a series of physiochemical mechanisms to tolerate drought stress and grow under adverse climatic environments. One of these mechanisms is photosynthesis activities, so that as yet little information achieved about the relations between olive production and photosynthetic parameters under drought conditions. An experiment was carried out during two consecutive years (2015–2017) to study the response of 20 different olive tree cultivars (Olea europaea L.) to drought stress. Several parameters like net photosynthetic rate (PN), stomatal conductance (GS), transpiration rate (TE), photosynthetic pigments (total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid) and fruit yield were measured. The results of combined analysis of variance for fruit yield and other measured traits showed that year, drought treatment, cultivar main effects and their interactions were highly significant. The results indicated that drought stress reduced all traits, however GS (42.80%), PN (37.21%) and TE (37.17%) significantly affected by drought. Lower reduction in photosynthetic performance (PN, GS and TE) in the cultivar T7 compared to other olive cultivars allowed them to maintain better fruit yield. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified two PCs that accounted for 82.04 and 83.27% of the total variation in photosynthetic parameters under optimal and drought stress conditions, respectively. Taken together, mean comparison, relative changes due to drought and biplot analysis revealed that cultivars ‘T7’, ‘Roghani’, ‘Koroneiki’, ‘Korfolia’ and ‘Abou-satl’ displayed better response against drought stress. According to our results, one olive cultivar namely ‘T7’, could be used in olive breeding programs to improve new high yielding cultivars with drought tolerance for use in the drought-prone environments

A Servey on the prevalence rate of Linguatula serrata in stary dogs of the city of Urmia

Linguatla serrata is a zoonotic parasite which causes different forms of liguatulosis in humans, carnivores and ruminants. The most important way of human infection is injection of vegetables, fruits and water contaminated by parasite eggs and through nasal and oral secretions and feces of carnivorous especially stray dogs. Also, consumption of raw and under cook meat of sheep, goats, cattle and other herbivores is another risk factor in human infection by Linguatla serrata.  This study was conducted in order to determine the infection rate of dogs by Linguatla serrata in the city of Urmia. In the present study, 37 dogs including 22 male and 15 female animals from different parts of the city were studied. The frontal sinuses, nasal turbinates, brain cavity, nasopharynx and eustachian tubes were examined for adult Linguatla serrata. The recovered parasites were fixed in 10% formalin solution, cleared by lactophenol and stained with azocarmin. Thirty of the studied dogs (81.01%) were infected by Linguatla serrata. The results indicated that body weight, age, sex and geographical locations had no significant effect in the prevalence rate of the parasite. The number of parasites recovered from each dog ranged from 1 to 7 with an average of 2.93 in each dog. The length of the mature linguatula varied from 35-50 mm in females and 2-18 mm in males. The greatest number of parasites was found in the cranial part of the frontal sinus with 7 parasites

Do antioxidant vitamins have an anti-arrhythmic effect following cardiac surgery? A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) affects approximately 30% of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. While its pathogenesis is multifactorial, increasing evidence supports a role for oxidative stress in the electrophysiological remodelling associated with AF. Although prophylactic antioxidants appear to be a potentially attractive pharmacotherapy, there is still uncertainty regarding their efficacy. This study aims to provide a quantitative summary of the current evidence surrounding antioxidant vitamins and POAF prevention. METHODS: A systematic literature review identified five randomised controlled trials incorporating 567 patients (n = 284 antioxidant, n = 283 control). These were meta-analysed using random effects modelling. Heterogeneity, subgroup analysis, quality scoring and risk of bias were assessed. Primary endpoints were the incidence of POAF and all-cause arrhythmia. Secondary endpoints were length of stay in the intensive care unit (ITU) and length of hospital stay. RESULTS: Vitamins C and E significantly reduced the incidence of POAF (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.89) and all-cause arrhythmia (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.99) compared with controls. A significant reduction in both ITU stay (weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.44, 95% CI -0.70 to -0.17) and hospital stay (WMD -1.11, 95% CI -1.70 to -0.52) was also seen in the antioxidant group, without significant heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: The prophylactic use of vitamins C and E may significantly reduce the incidence of POAF and all-cause arrhythmia following cardiac surgery. However, the overall quality of current studies is poor and further research should focus on adequately powered randomised controlled trials that standardise AF reporting, antioxidant protocol and the use of concomitant agents. Cost analysis should be considered to establish the potential economic benefit of antioxidant vitamin prophylaxis in POAF