Qualitative evaluation of a practice-based experience pilot program for master of pharmacy students in Scotland

Objective. To determine the views of pharmacists in central Scotland regarding experiential education for MPharm students. Methods. A thematic analysis was completed by Ms. Gillian Hendry and Dr. Sally Wiggins of interviews conducted with ten practicing pharmacists paired with first-year master of pharmacy (MPharm) students during the 2011-2012 academic year. Relevant comments from the interviews were manually sorted in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to bring similarly themed material together to facilitate the identification and naming of recurring themes and subthemes. Results. The pharmacists were unanimous in their opinion that experiential education was valuable for MPharm students and, in particular, that it helped students to develop self-confidence. The pharmacists derived personal satisfaction in developing mentor/mentee relationships with students. They also recognized the value that students provided to the workforce as well as the educational value to themselves in supervising students. The participants’ primary dissatisfaction was that the pharmacy workflow limited the time they could spend mentoring students. Conclusion. The results provide guidance to the academic community and the pharmacy practice community in the United Kingdom (UK) regarding the design and integration of experiential education courses in MPharm degree programs

Quantitative analysis of epithelial cells in urine from men with and without urethritis: implications for studying epithelial: pathogen interactions in vivo

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epithelial cells in first catch urine (FCU) specimens from 87 men with and without urethritis were quantified. Epithelial cells were broadly categorised into transitional and squamous populations using morphological characteristics and immunostaining with anti-pan leukocyte and anti-cytokeratin monoclonal antibodies.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The majority (77/87 = 89%) of samples contained both transitional (76/87 = 87%; range 1 × 10⁴– 6 × 10⁵, median 6 × 10⁴) and squamous (57/87 = 66%; range 1 × 10⁴– 8 × 10⁵, median 2 × 10⁴) epithelial cells. The number of transitional cells correlated with the number of squamous cells (Spearman's rho = 0.697 p < 0.001). Squamous, but not transitional, cell numbers correlated with leukocyte numbers (Spearman's rho = 0.216 p = 0.045 and rho = 0.171 and p = 0.113, respectively). However there was no significant difference in epithelial cell numbers between men with and without urethritis. Nevertheless, some men with urethritis had relatively high numbers of transitional cells in their FCU. Transitional cells were morphologically heterogeneous and appeared to display complex cytokeratin phenotypes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Further studies are required to explore the complexity of epithelial cell populations in urine. These would provide novel opportunities for studying cellular interactions of <it>C. trachomatis </it>in male urethral infections, about which little is currently known.</p

Methods for Improving Cancer Surveillance Data in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations

BACKGROUND. The misclassification of race decreases the accuracy of cancer incidence data for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) in some central cancer registries. This article describes the data sources and methods that were used to address this misclassification and to produce the cancer statistics used by most of the articles in this supplement. METHODS. Records from United States cancer registries were linked with Indian Health Service (IHS) records to identify AI/AN cases that were misclassified as non-AI/AN. Data were available from 47 registries that linked their data with IHS, met quality criteria, and agreed to participate. Analyses focused on cases among AI/AN residents in IHS Contract Health Service Delivery Area (CHSDA) counties in 33 states. Cancer incidence and stage data were compiled for non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) and AI/ANs across 6 IHS regions of the United States for 1999 through 2004. RESULTS. Misclassification of AI/AN race as nonnative in central cancer registries ranged from 85 individuals in Alaska (3.4%) to 5297 individuals in the Southern Plains (44.5%). Cancer incidence rates among AI/ANs for all cancers combined were lower than for NHWs, but incidence rates varied by geographic region for AI/ANs. Restricting the rate calculations to CHSDA counties generally resulted in higher rates than those obtained for all counties combined. CONCLUSIONS. The classification of race for AI/AN cases in cancer registries can be improved by linking records to the IHS and stratifying by CHSDA counties. Cancer in the AI/AN population is clarified further by describing incidence rates by geographic region. Improved cancer surveillance data for AI/AN communities should aid in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of more effective cancer control and should reduce health disparities in this population

Lifespan Differences in Cortico-Striatal Resting State Connectivity

Distinctive cortico-striatal circuits that serve motor and cognitive functions have been recently mapped based on resting state connectivity. It has been reported that age differences in cortico-striatal connectivity relate to cognitive declines in aging. Moreover, children in their early teens (i.e., youth) already show mature motor network patterns while their cognitive networks are still developing. In the current study, we examined age differences in the frontal-striatal ?cognitive? and ?motor? circuits in children and adolescence, young adults (YAs), and older adults (OAs). We predicted that the strength of the ?cognitive? frontal-striatal circuits would follow an inverted ?U? pattern across age; children and OAs would have weaker connectivity than YAs. However, we predicted that the ?motor? circuits would show less variation in connectivity strength across the lifespan. We found that most areas in both the ?cognitive? and ?motor? circuits showed higher connectivity in YAs than children and OAs, suggesting general inverted ?U?-shaped changes across the lifespan for both the cognitive and motor frontal-striatal networks.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140317/1/brain.2013.0155.pd

Resting state cortico-cerebellar functional connectivity networks: a comparison of anatomical and self-organizing map approaches.

The cerebellum plays a role in a wide variety of complex behaviors. In order to better understand the role of the cerebellum in human behavior, it is important to know how this structure interacts with cortical and other subcortical regions of the brain. To date, several studies have investigated the cerebellum using resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI; Krienen and Buckner, 2009; O'Reilly et al., 2010; Buckner et al., 2011). However, none of this work has taken an anatomically-driven lobular approach. Furthermore, though detailed maps of cerebral cortex and cerebellum networks have been proposed using different network solutions based on the cerebral cortex (Buckner et al., 2011), it remains unknown whether or not an anatomical lobular breakdown best encompasses the networks of the cerebellum. Here, we used fcMRI to create an anatomically-driven connectivity atlas of the cerebellar lobules. Timecourses were extracted from the lobules of the right hemisphere and vermis. We found distinct networks for the individual lobules with a clear division into "motor" and "non-motor" regions. We also used a self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm to parcellate the cerebellum. This allowed us to investigate redundancy and independence of the anatomically identified cerebellar networks. We found that while anatomical boundaries in the anterior cerebellum provide functional subdivisions of a larger motor grouping defined using our SOM algorithm, in the posterior cerebellum, the lobules were made up of sub-regions associated with distinct functional networks. Together, our results indicate that the lobular boundaries of the human cerebellum are not necessarily indicative of functional boundaries, though anatomical divisions can be useful. Additionally, driving the analyses from the cerebellum is key to determining the complete picture of functional connectivity within the structure

Volumetric imaging with homogenised excitation and static field at 9.4 T

Objectives: To overcome the challenges of B and RF excitation inhomogeneity at ultra-high field MRI, a workflow for volumetric B and flip-angle homogenisation was implemented on a human 9.4 T scanner. Materials and methods: Imaging was performed with a 9.4 T human MR scanner (Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany) using a 16-channel parallel transmission system. B- and B-mapping were done using a dual-echo GRE and transmit phase-encoded DREAM, respectively. B shims and a small-tip-angle-approximation kT-points pulse were calculated with an off-line routine and applied to acquire T- and T -weighted images with MPRAGE and 3D EPI, respectively. Results: Over six in vivo acquisitions, the B-distribution in a region-of-interest defined by a brain mask was reduced down to a full-width-half-maximum of 0.10\ua0±\ua00.01\ua0ppm (39\ua0±\ua02\ua0Hz). Utilising the kT-points pulses, the normalised RMSE of the excitation was decreased from CP-mode’s 30.5\ua0±\ua00.9 to 9.2\ua0±\ua00.7\ua0% with all B \ua0voids eliminated. The SNR inhomogeneities and contrast variations in the T- and T -weighted volumetric images were greatly reduced which led to successful tissue segmentation of the T-weighted image. Conclusion: A 15-minute B- and flip-angle homogenisation workflow, including the B- and B-map acquisitions, was successfully implemented and enabled us to reduce intensity and contrast variations as well as echo-planar image distortions in 9.4 T images

Cytoprotective Effect of Vitamin D on Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiac Toxicity in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Background: Doxorubicin (Dox) is a first-line treatment for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), but its use may be limited by its cardiotoxicity mediated by the production of reactive oxygen species. We evaluated whether vitamin D may prevent Dox-induced cardiotoxicity in a mouse TNBC model. Methods: Female Balb/c mice received rodent chow with vitamin D(3) (1500 IU/kg; vehicle) or chow supplemented with additional vitamin D(3) (total, 11,500 IU/kg). the mice were inoculated with TNBC tumors and treated with intraperitoneal Dox (6 or 10 mg/kg). Cardiac function was evaluated with transthoracic echocardiography. The cardiac tissue was evaluated with immunohistochemistry and immunoblot for levels of 4-hydroxynonenal, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), C-MYC, and dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) phosphorylation. Results: At 15 to 18 days, the mean ejection fraction, stroke volume, and fractional shortening were similar between the mice treated with vitamin D + Dox (10 mg/kg) vs. vehicle but significantly greater in mice treated with vitamin D + Dox (10 mg/kg) vs. Dox (10 mg/kg). Dox (10 mg/kg) increased the cardiac tissue levels of 4-hydroxynonenal, NQO1, C-MYC, and DRP1 phosphorylation at serine 616, but these increases were not observed with vitamin D + Dox (10 mg/kg). A decreased tumor volume was observed with Dox (10 mg/kg) and vitamin D + Dox (10 mg/kg). Conclusions: Vitamin D supplementation decreased Dox-induced cardiotoxicity by decreasing the reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial damage, and did not decrease the anticancer efficacy of Dox against TNBC

Possible origins of macroscopic left-right asymmetry in organisms

I consider the microscopic mechanisms by which a particular left-right (L/R) asymmetry is generated at the organism level from the microscopic handedness of cytoskeletal molecules. In light of a fundamental symmetry principle, the typical pattern-formation mechanisms of diffusion plus regulation cannot implement the "right-hand rule"; at the microscopic level, the cell's cytoskeleton of chiral filaments seems always to be involved, usually in collective states driven by polymerization forces or molecular motors. It seems particularly easy for handedness to emerge in a shear or rotation in the background of an effectively two-dimensional system, such as the cell membrane or a layer of cells, as this requires no pre-existing axis apart from the layer normal. I detail a scenario involving actin/myosin layers in snails and in C. elegans, and also one about the microtubule layer in plant cells. I also survey the other examples that I am aware of, such as the emergence of handedness such as the emergence of handedness in neurons, in eukaryote cell motility, and in non-flagellated bacteria.Comment: 42 pages, 6 figures, resubmitted to J. Stat. Phys. special issue. Major rewrite, rearranged sections/subsections, new Fig 3 + 6, new physics in Sec 2.4 and 3.4.1, added Sec 5 and subsections of Sec

Preventing Establishment: An Inventory of Introduced Plants in Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island, Galapagos

As part of an island-wide project to identify and eradicate potentially invasive plant species before they become established, a program of inventories is being carried out in the urban and agricultural zones of the four inhabited islands in Galapagos. This study reports the results of the inventory from Puerto Villamil, a coastal village representing the urban zone of Isabela Island. We visited all 1193 village properties to record the presence of the introduced plants. In addition, information was collected from half of the properties to determine evidence for potential invasiveness of the plant species. We recorded 261 vascular taxa, 13 of which were new records for Galapagos. Most of the species were intentionally grown (cultivated) (73.3%) and used principally as ornamentals. The most frequent taxa we encountered were Cocos nucifera (coconut tree) (22.1%) as a cultivated plant and Paspalum vaginatum (salt water couch) (13.2%) as a non cultivated plant. In addition 39 taxa were naturalized. On the basis of the invasiveness study, we recommend five species for eradication (Abutilon dianthum, Datura inoxia, Datura metel, Senna alata and Solanum capsicoides), one species for hybridization studies (Opuntia ficus-indica) and three species for control (Furcraea hexapetala, Leucaena leucocephala and Paspalum vaginatum)