16 research outputs found
Determinants of seasonal influenza vaccination in pregnant women in Valencia, Spain
Background: In most countries the coverage of seasonal influenza vaccination in pregnant women is low. We investigated the acceptance, reasons for rejection and professional involvement related to vaccine information in pregnant women in Valencia, Spain. Methods: Observational retrospective study in 200 pregnant women, 100 vaccinated and 100 unvaccinated, were interviewed during the 2014/2015 vaccination campaign. Electronic medical records, immunization registry and telephone interviews were used to determine reasons for vaccination and immunization rejection. Results: 40.5% of pregnant women in the health department were vaccinated. The midwife was identified as source of information for 89% of women. The vaccine was rejected due to low perceptions of risk of influenza infection (23%), lack of information (19%), considering the vaccine as superfluous (16%), close proximity of delivery date (13%) and fear of side effects (12%). Conclusion: Pregnant women in Spain declined to be vaccinated due to under-estimation of the risk of contracting or being harmed by influenza, and lack of information. Interventions aiming to optimize vaccination coverage should include information addressing the safety and effectiveness of the current vaccine together with improved professional training and motivation
Medical students’ preparedness for professional activities in early clerkships
Background Sufficient preparedness is important for transitions to workplace
participation and learning in clinical settings. This study aims to analyse
medical students’ preparedness for early clerkships using a three-dimensional,
socio-cognitive, theory-based model of preparedness anchored in specific
professional activities and their supervision level. Methods Medical students
from a competency-based undergraduate curriculum were surveyed about
preparedness for 21 professional activities and level of perceived supervision
during their early clerkships via an online questionnaire. Preparedness was
operationalized by the three dimensions of confidence to carry out clerkship
activities, being prepared through university teaching and coping with failure
by seeking support. Factors influencing preparedness and perceived stress as
outcomes were analysed through step-wise regression. Results Professional
activities carried out by the students (n = 147; 19.0%) and their supervision
levels varied. While most students reported high confidence to perform the
tasks, the activity-specific analysis revealed important gaps in preparation
through university teaching. Students regularly searched for support in case
of difficulty. One quarter of the variance of each preparedness dimension was
explained by self-efficacy, supervision quality, amount of prior clerkship
experience and nature of professional activities. Preparedness contributed to
predicting perceived stress. Conclusions The applied three-dimensional concept
of preparedness and the task-specific approach provided a detailed and
meaningful view on medical students’ workplace participation and experiences
in early clerkships
Medical student changes in self-regulated learning during the transition to the clinical environment
A dominant-negative mutation in the TRESK potassium channel is linked to familial migraine with aura.
Migraine with aura is a common, debilitating, recurrent headache disorder associated with transient and reversible focal neurological symptoms. A role has been suggested for the two-pore domain (K2P) potassium channel, TWIK-related spinal cord potassium channel (TRESK, encoded by KCNK18), in pain pathways and general anaesthesia. We therefore examined whether TRESK is involved in migraine by screening the KCNK18 gene in subjects diagnosed with migraine. Here we report a frameshift mutation, F139WfsX24, which segregates perfectly with typical migraine with aura in a large pedigree. We also identified prominent TRESK expression in migraine-salient areas such as the trigeminal ganglion. Functional characterization of this mutation demonstrates that it causes a complete loss of TRESK function and that the mutant subunit suppresses wild-type channel function through a dominant-negative effect, thus explaining the dominant penetrance of this allele. These results therefore support a role for TRESK in the pathogenesis of typical migraine with aura and further support the role of this channel as a potential therapeutic target
Drivers of peak sales for pharmaceutical brands
Peak-sales metrics, Brand growth, Econometric models, Market entry, Pharmaceutical marketing, C23, C51, L65, M31,