Death of human tumor endothelial cells in vitro through a probable calcium-associated mechanism induced by bevacizumab and detected via a novel method

We isolated three dimensional cell clusters from fresh human solid tumors and also isolated human neoplastic and normal lymphatic cells. Cells were cultured for 96 hours with and without bevacizumab and other agents. At concentrations of bevacizumab which completely removed VEGF from the culture medium, dead microvascular cells were detected through Fast Green/H&E staining as previously described. These peculiar staining characteristics suggested the involvement of calcium, and this was confirmed through staining with Alizarin red S. Using Alizarin staining as a marker for endothelial cell death permitted the use of public domain image analysis software which resulted in a sensitive and specific system for identifying active pharmaceuticals which target the tumor microvasculature at the same time direct antitumor cell effects are determined. Our results suggest an important role for calcium in endothelial cell death mediated by bevacizumab and other agents and further suggest that agents promoting calcium influx may potentiate the activity of antiangiogenic agents

FACTORS INFLUENCING ATTRITION OF NURSES IN ROYAL VICTORIA TEACHNG HOSPITAL, THE GAMBIA

Background: Human resources are the foundation of a health system and a key prerequisite for improving health outcomes. In recent years, there is a crisis in human resources for health in The Gambia due to high attrition rate of trained health care professionals. As employees leave an organization, they take with them much-needed skills and qualifications that they developed during their tenure. However, understanding the factors that satisfyor dissatisfy nurses can guide the development of interventions that can improve the working conditions and discourage attrition among them. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the factors influencing the attrition of nurses in the Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH).Methods: A descriptive study design was used and information was obtained through self –administered questionnaire from a simple randomly selected sample of 75 nurses. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 15 using descriptive and inferential statistics and the significant level was set at 0.05.Results: Findings from the study indicate that 24% of the respondents already left the hospital and 67% of those working with RVTH during the time of data collection reported that they had the intention to leave. Among those who left the hospital, most of them were trained midwives and had working experience of 10 years or more. The study respondents rated the hospital low in meeting their basic human needs. The main factors reported to be contributing to their attritions were low opportunity for promotion, management and financial problems, lack of self-esteem and self-actualization and low sense of love and belonging.Conclusion: The high rate of attrition among nurses in RVTH calls for urgent interventions that will include reviewing the remuneration of nurses and management reform that targets their human needs

RESEARCH NOTES AND APPLICATION REPORTS NITROGEN AND FLUORINE DATING OF MOUNDVILLE SKELETAL SAMPLES

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65569/1/j.1475-4754.1982.tb00645.x.pd

COMPARISON OF AGE ESTIMATES FROM VARIOUS HARD PARTS FOR REDFIN PERCH, Percafluviatilis, IN TASMANIA

Whole otoliths, sectioned otoliths, scales and vertebrae were used to select the most suitable for age determination of redfin perch, Percafluviatilis. Redfin perch were sampled from Trevallyn Lake and Brushy Lagoon using fyke nets, gillnets, electrofishing and rod and line angling. Age estimates were assessed for comparison between readings and among structures. One-wayANOVA of readability scores highlighted that sectioned otolith was the most obvious compare to other hard parts. Sectioned otoliths also showed the highest (93.9%) agreement between readings, followed by vertebrae (68.7), scales (38.8) and whole otoliths (29.9). Furthermore, there were no significantly different (p>0.05) between first and second readings from sectioned otolith and vertebrae but significantly different (p <0.05) to those from scales and whole otoliths. When sectioned otoliths’ ages were compared with other structures, vertebrae showed the highest (47.6%) agreement to those followed by scales (25.2%) and whole otoliths (20.4%). Age estimates from sectioned otoliths were significantly different (p<0.05) to the values obtained from vertebrae, scales and whole otoliths.This finding demonstrated that sectioned otoliths are the best hard part for age determination for redfin perch in Tasmania

THE EFFECT OF SERVICE FEATURES ON LOYALTY IN MEDIATION OF BNI TAPLUS UGM CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

The increasing number of banking companies are switching to work on the consumer market, resulting in higher competition between banks. This research was conducted to analyze and determine the effect of BNI Taplus service features on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty and the effect of BNI Taplus service features on customer loyalty mediated by customer satisfaction. The data were obtained by distributing surveys to several respondents. The sample consisted of 100 respondents. This research analysis test using path analysis with the SEM method. The results of this research analysis test found several things that service features did not have a significant effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty of BNI Taplus UGM Yogyakarta Branch. While customer satisfaction is able to mediate positively and significantly the effect of service features on customer loyalty at BNI Taplus UGM Yogyakarta Branch

Outpatient antibiotic prescription trends in the United States: A national cohort study

OBJECTIVETo characterize trends in outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in the United StatesDESIGNRetrospective ecological and temporal trend study evaluating outpatient antibiotic prescriptions from 2013 to 2015SETTINGNational administrative claims data from a pharmacy benefits manager PARTICIPANTS. Prescription pharmacy beneficiaries from Express Scripts Holding CompanyMEASUREMENTSAnnual and seasonal percent change in antibiotic prescriptionsRESULTSApproximately 98 million outpatient antibiotic prescriptions were filled by 39 million insurance beneficiaries during the 3-year study period. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were azithromycin, amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, ciprofloxacin, and cephalexin. No significant changes in individual or overall annual antibiotic prescribing rates were found during the study period. Significant seasonal variation was observed, with antibiotics being 42% more likely to be prescribed during February than September (peak-to-trough ratio [PTTR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39–1.61). Similar seasonal trends were found for azithromycin (PTTR, 2.46; 95% CI, 2.44–3.47), amoxicillin (PTTR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.42–1.89), and amoxicillin/clavulanate (PTTR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.68–2.29).CONCLUSIONSThis study demonstrates that annual national outpatient antibiotic prescribing practices remained unchanged during our study period. Furthermore, seasonal peaks in antibiotics generally used to treat viral upper respiratory tract infections remained unchanged during cold and influenza season. These results suggest that inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics remains widespread, despite the concurrent release of several guideline-based best practices intended to reduce inappropriate antibiotic consumption; however, further research linking national outpatient antibiotic prescriptions to associated medical conditions is needed to confirm these findings.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:584–589</jats:sec