Comparison of three radio-frequency discharge modes on the treatment of breast cancer cells in vitro

Non-thermal plasmas (NTPs) are known for their ability to induce thermal-free cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. However, as the variety of NTP devices increases, comparison of their cytotoxic effect becomes increasingly essential. In this work, we compare the cytotoxicity of three different radio-frequency NTPs. MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cells are treated in suspension in DMEM culture medium by the effluents of a single radiofrequency (RF) discharge device operating in three modes, namely the and modes of the capacitively coupled radio-frequency (CCRF) discharge and a RF plasma jet mode. All three discharge modes reduce the proliferative capacity of MDA-MB-231 cells, but the treatment time required to reach the same efficacy is more than ten times longer using the and the modes than using the jet mode. In all cases, using the appropriate treatment time, cells exhibit an impaired proliferation and eventually start to show signs of cell death (about 48 h after treatment). The three discharge modes also induce nuclear DNA damages. Plasma-produced H2O2 was not found to contribute to the cytotoxicity of the treatment. Furthermore, short-lived reactive species (gas phase or liquid phase species with a lifetime below 1 s) are expected to play a dominant role over the long-lived reactive species in the anti-cancer effect of all three discharge modes

What difference might retractions make? An estimate of the potential epistemic cost of retractions on meta-analyses

The extent to which a retraction might require revising previous scientific estimates and beliefs – which we define as the epistemic cost – is unknown. We collected a sample of 229 meta-analyses published between 2013 and 2016 that had cited a retracted study, assessed whether this study was included in the meta-analytic estimate and, if so, re-calculated the summary effect size without it. The majority (68% of N = 229) of retractions had occurred at least one year prior to the publication of the citing meta-analysis. In 53% of these avoidable citations, the retracted study was cited as a candidate for inclusion, and only in 34% of these meta-analyses (13% of total) the study was explicitly excluded because it had been retracted. Meta-analyses that included retracted studies were published in journals with significantly lower impact factor. Summary estimates without the retracted study were lower than the original if the retraction was due to issues with data or results and higher otherwise, but the effect was small. We conclude that meta-analyses have a problematically high probability of citing retracted articles and of including them in their pooled summaries, but the overall epistemic cost is contained

Decreasing Perioperative Medication Errors with Standardized Labeling Education

BACKGROUND: Medication errors are prevalent within the perioperative setting (Wahr et al., 2017). The anesthesia provider is the sole professional in charge of the medication process in the operating room, which results in fewer safety checks than in other healthcare settings (Nanji et al., 2016). LOCAL PROBLEM: The proposed scholarly project aimed to reduce medication errors at an academic medical center in the Southeast using an educational module focused on standardized narcotic syringe labeling. The participants were anesthesia providers in the operating room at the project site. METHODS: The Evidence-Based Practice Improvement model was used to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of the scholarly project. INTERVENTIONS: The project team used an education module created by the Phase I team and disseminated the module to the project participants in three Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. The outcomes of the project were assessed by counting properly labeled fentanyl and hydromorphone syringes pre-and post-intervention. RESULTS: Data was analyzed and evaluated through the International Business Machines Corporation’s Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 29 software application using Chi-Square tests to evaluate for statistical significance. Statistically significant improvements in standardized narcotic syringe labeling were found after implementation. Results showed statistically significant increases in patient and fentanyl concentration labeling compliance. Statistically significant increases in hydromorphone patient labeling compliance also occurred. There was no change in hydromorphone concentration labeling because the syringes were prefilled. CONCLUSION: Improving standardized narcotic syringe labeling led to a reduction in medication errors. Recommendations for sustainability include continued surveillance of syringe labeling compliance by the pharmacy department, including the educational module as a yearly education requirement, and continued communication of compliance rates with anesthesia providers

Improving the FAIRness of Australia’s grains research sector data

Across Australia’s arable landscapes, thousands of crop trials have been conducted to improve the profitability and sustainability of Australian grain production. Although there have been significant steps to make knowledge gained from trials available to users, there is the potential to further support the development of next generation data models and knowledge products by integrating trials from disparatei sources by adhering to FAIR principles of data management. That is, making data: findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. This research explores whether Online Farm Trials increase the FAIRness of agricultural grains trial datasets through a comparison of the trial data capture and handling practices of organisations whose datasets are not discoverable through Online Farm Trials (OFT) (N = 50) with the FAIRness of the datasets discoverable through OFT. The findings demonstrate that OFT is helping to make the results of Australia’s grains trials more FAIR to the users of trial data, and suggests a number of improvements to the FAIRness of trial datasets, foremost through the use of machine-readable metadata

Phospholipase C and myosin light chain kinase inhibition define a common step in actin regulation during cytokinesis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂) is required for successful completion of cytokinesis. In addition, both PIP₂and phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) have been localized to the cleavage furrow of dividing mammalian cells. PLC hydrolyzes PIP₂to yield diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol trisphosphate (IP₃), which in turn induces calcium (Ca²⁺⁾release from the ER. Several studies suggest PIP₂must be hydrolyzed continuously for continued cleavage furrow ingression. The majority of these studies employ the N-substituted maleimide U73122 as an inhibitor of PLC. However, the specificity of U73122 is unclear, as its active group closely resembles the non-specific alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). In addition, the pathway by which PIP₂regulates cytokinesis remains to be elucidated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we compared the effects of U73122 and the structurally unrelated PLC inhibitor ET-18-OCH₃(edelfosine) on cytokinesis in crane-fly and <it>Drosophila </it>spermatocytes. Our data show that the effects of U73122 are indeed via PLC because U73122 and ET-18-OCH₃produced similar effects on cell morphology and actin cytoskeleton organization that were distinct from those caused by NEM. Furthermore, treatment with the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor ML-7 caused cleavage furrow regression and loss of both F-actin and phosphorylated myosin regulatory light chain from the contractile ring in a manner similar to treatment with U73122 and ET-18-OCH₃.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have used multiple inhibitors to examine the roles of PLC and MLCK, a predicted downstream target of PLC regulation, in cytokinesis. Our results are consistent with a model in which PIP₂hydrolysis acts via Ca²⁺to activate myosin via MLCK and thereby control actin dynamics during constriction of the contractile ring.</p

Assessing Attitudes toward Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Adolescent Smoking Cessation

The objective was to ascertain attitudes toward nicotine replacement therapy for adolescent tobacco cessation. The authors created a 17-item survey consisting of demographics, quantitative, and qualitative items which was distributed to middle and high school students in North Central Florida. The authors assessed associations and conducted discriminant analyses to compare results by age. One-hundred ninety-eight students completed the survey (57.6% female, 61.6% white). When asked to select the best way to help teens stop using tobacco, combination of methods was most frequently selected (31.6%), followed by “Cold Turkey” (19.5%), e-cigarettes (16.8%), NRT (14.7%), Counseling (10.5%), and Alternative Therapies (6.8%). Qualitative data from students revealed misconceptions toward tobacco use, but an overall awareness that tobacco is a harmful. High school students were more likely than middle school students to agree that nicotine is harmful and e-cigarettes or chewing tobacco are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Discriminant analyses were inconclusive. These data highlight misconceptions regarding tobacco use and nicotine that might play a role in attitudes toward NRT for adolescent tobacco cessation. Whereas high school students might be more likely to agree nicotine is harmful, their decreased perception of harm of alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes or chewing tobacco could be problematic. Further research in this area remains a priority

Silent and suffering : a pilot study exploring gaps between theory and practice in pain management for people with severe dementia in residential aged care facilities

Background: Pain is common in older people, particularly those in residential aged care facilities (RACF) and those with dementia. However, despite 20 years of discourse on pain and dementia, pain is still undetected or misinterpreted in people with dementia in residential aged care facilities, particularly those with communication difficulties. Methods: A topical survey typology with semistructured interviews was used to gather attitudes and experiences of staff from 15 RACF across Northern Sydney Local Health District. Results: While pain is proactively assessed and pain charts are used in RACF, this is more often regulatory-driven than patient-driven (eg, prior to accreditation). Identification of pain and need for pain relief was ill defined and poorly understood. Both pharmacological and non-¬pharmacological regimes were used, but in an ad hoc, variable and unsystematic manner, with patient, staff, and attitudinal obstacles between the experience of pain and its relief. Conclusion: A laborious “pain communication chain” exists between the experience of pain and its relief for people with severe dementia within RACF. Given the salience of pain for older people with dementia, we recommend early, proactive consideration and management of pain in the approach to behaviors of concern. Individualized pain measures for such residents; empowerment of nursing staff as “needs interpreters”; collaborative partnerships with common care goals between patients where possible; RACF staff, doctors, and family carers; and more meaningful use of pain charts to map response to stepped pain protocols may be useful strate¬gies to explore in clinical settings

Novice Counselors’ Conceptualizations and Experiences of Therapeutic Relationships

This qualitative study investigated three novice counselors’ experiences and characterizations of therapeutic relationships. Thematic analyses of interviews and diaries revealed six common themes: (a) the centrality of supervision and training experiences to navigating interpersonal experiences with clients; (b) anxiety about counselors’ roles in therapeutic relationships; (c) the perception of the therapeutic relationship as less directive than outside (lay) helping relationships; (d) experimentation with different interpersonal styles; (e)awareness of countertransference; and, (f) impact of therapeutic relationships on outside relationships. Findings expand upon the therapeutic relationship as a focal point for the training and supervision of novice counselors

Lineage dynamics of murine pancreatic development at single-cell resolution.

Organogenesis requires the complex interactions of multiple cell lineages that coordinate their expansion, differentiation, and maturation over time. Here, we profile the cell types within the epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of the murine pancreas across developmental time using a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, and genetic lineage tracing. We identify previously underappreciated cellular heterogeneity of the developing mesenchyme and reconstruct potential lineage relationships among the pancreatic mesothelium and mesenchymal cell types. Within the epithelium, we find a previously undescribed endocrine progenitor population, as well as an analogous population in both human fetal tissue and human embryonic stem cells differentiating toward a pancreatic beta cell fate. Further, we identify candidate transcriptional regulators along the differentiation trajectory of this population toward the alpha or beta cell lineages. This work establishes a roadmap of pancreatic development and demonstrates the broad utility of this approach for understanding lineage dynamics in developing organs