52 research outputs found
Pathways: a fertility preservation patient decision aid website for women with cancer â implementation feasibility and adaptations for women from the LGBTQ+ community
https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp21/1249/thumbnail.jp
Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Pain in Interprofessional Education: A Multifaceted Dilemma
Purpose: To evaluate entry-level physical and occupational therapy student attitudes and beliefs toward treating a person with pain, at various levels of their didactic learning.
Description: Across health professions, pain education varies considerably with its curricula of pain definitions, management principles, and interprofessional collaboration. The result of this discord has led to a broad range of behaviors and attitudes among health professions and their students, which can ultimately affect a personâs participation in society. Literature supports the importance of a curriculum that addresses studentsâ attitudes and beliefs toward treating people in pain in an attempt to preclude the formation of negative attitudes during clinical practice.
Summary of Use: A modified open-ended sentence stem format was used to gather the qualitative data of 241 graduate students enrolled in occupational and physical therapy entry-level programs to assess their knowledge and attitudes toward pain. Students completed a questionnaire including two open-ended sentence stems. Verbatim transcripts of the studentsâ responses were thematically analyzed by five-blinded faculty, who constructed nine themes that reflected studentsâ responses. Interrater reliability was strong with an average of 89.4% agreement rating (range 68.1-97.6%). Analysis of the responses to the first stem, âPeople in pain areâŠâ yielded four themes: 1) negative mood sate (suffering/unhappy); 2) negative trait or characteristic (wimpy/uncooperative); 3) needy; and 4) having real problems. The percentages of the studentsâ attitudes reflected in each theme were 28.8%, 5.1%, 42.7%, 23.4% respectively. Responses were dominated by themes related to a negative mood state and being needy. Negative attitudes toward treatment of persons in pain have been shown to contribute to disparities in pain care. Analysis of responses to the second stem question, âWorking with patients in pain will be âŠâ yielded five themes: 1) intellectually stimulating; 2) worthwhile/rewarding; 3) unpleasant/difficult; 4) challenging/complex; and 5) routine in practice. The frequency of responses were 8.3%, 33%, 19.8%, 38.9%, and 12.6% respectively and were dominated by themes suggesting that working with people in pain will be challenging yet rewarding.
Importance to Member: Despite the frequency of pain problems in society, pain and the treatment of people in pain have not been major components of healthcare education. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) provides a guideline for knowledge of pain management for entry-level physical and occupational therapists. Knowing what preconceived attitudes and beliefs students have in treating persons with pain can help drive the development of a pain curriculum that is both academically inclusive and behaviorally influential. As educators, we have the opportunity to address this multifaceted dilemma to meet the IASP guidelines and bridge the gap between interprofessional pain education and the optimal treatment of those in pain
Effect of Pritelivir Compared With Valacyclovir on Genital HSV-2 Shedding in Patients With Frequent Recurrences A Randomized Clinical Trial
Importance Current therapy of herpes infections relies on nucleoside analogues. Pritelivir is a well-tolerated novel herpes simplex virus (HSV) helicase-primase inhibitor that reduced genital shedding and lesions.
Objective To compare the efficacy of pritelivir with valacyclovir for suppression of genital HSV-2 infection.
Design, Setting, and Participants A phase 2, randomized, double-blind, crossover clinical trial at clinical research centers in 4 US cities (October 2012-July 2013) compared daily oral doses of 100 mg of pritelivir with 500 mg of valacyclovir. The planned sample size was 98 adults, allowing for detection of a 50% reduction in viral shedding between the study treatments. Healthy adults with 4 to 9 annual genital HSV-2 recurrences were eligible. Ninety-one participants were randomized: 45 to receive pritelivir and 46 to receive valacyclovir first when the US Food and Drug Administration placed the trial on clinical hold based on findings in a concurrent nonclinical toxicity study, and the sponsor terminated the study.
Interventions Participants took the first drug for 28 days followed by 28 days of washout before taking the second drug for 28 days. Throughout treatment, the participants collected genital swabs 4 times daily for testing by HSV polymerase chain reaction assays.
Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was within-participant genital HSV shedding while receiving pritelivir compared with valacyclovir. Secondary end points included the quantity of HSV in positive swabs and the frequency of genital lesions and shedding episodes.
Results Of the 91 randomized participants (median age, 48 years; 57 women [63%]), 56 had completed both treatment periods at the time of the studyâs termination. In intent-to-treat analyses, HSV shedding was detected in 2.4% (173 of 7276 ) of swabs during pritelivir treatment compared with 5.3% (392 of 7453) during valacyclovir treatment (relative risk [RR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.82; Pâ=â.01). In swabs with HSV, the mean quantity of HSV was 3.2 log10 copies/mL during pritelivir treatment vs 3.7 log10 copies/mL during valacyclovir treatment (difference, â0.1; 95% CI, â0.6 to 0.5; Pâ=â.83). Genital lesions were present on 1.9% of days in the pritelivir group vs 3.9% in the valacyclovir group (RR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.17-0.96; Pâ=â.04). The frequency of shedding episodes did not differ by group, with 1.3 per person-month for pritelivir and 1.6 per person-month for valacyclovir (RR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.52 to 1.22; Pâ=â.29). Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 62.3% of participants in the pritelivir group and 69.2% of participants in the valacyclovir group.
Conclusions and Relevance Among adults with frequently recurring genital HSV-2, the use of pritelivir compared with valacyclovir resulted in a lower percentage of swabs with HSV detection over 28 days. Further research is needed to assess longer-term efficacy and safety
Therapeutic Vaccine for Genital Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Infection: Findings from a Randomized Trial
Background.
Genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection causes recurrent lesions and frequent viral shedding. GEN-003 is a candidate therapeutic vaccine containing HSV-2 gD2âTMR and ICP4.2, and Matrix-M2 adjuvant.
Methods.
Persons with genital herpes were randomized into 3 dose cohorts to receive 3 intramuscular doses 21 days apart of 10 ”g, 30 ”g, or 100 ”g of GEN-003, antigens without adjuvant, or placebo. Participants obtained genital swab specimens twice daily for HSV-2 detection and monitored genital lesions for 28-day periods at baseline and at intervals after the last dose.
Results.
One hundred and thirty-four persons received all 3 doses. Reactogenicity was associated with adjuvant but not with antigen dose or dose number. No serious adverse events were attributed to GEN-003. Compared with baseline, genital HSV-2 shedding rates immediately after dosing were reduced with GEN-003 (from 13.4% to 6.4% for 30 Όg [P < .001] and from 15.0% to 10.3% for 100 ”g [P < .001]). Lesion rates were also significantly (P < .01) reduced immediately following immunization with 30 ”g or 100 ”g of GEN-003. GEN-003 elicited increases in antigen binding, virus neutralizing antibody, and T-cell responses.
Conclusions.
GEN-003 had an acceptable safety profile and stimulated humoral and cellular immune responses. GEN-003 at doses of 30 ”g and 100 ”g reduced genital HSV shedding and lesion rates
From the NIH: Proceedings of a Workshop on the Importance of Self-Obtained Vaginal Specimens for Detection of Sexually Transmitted Infections
On June 27, 2006, the NIH conducted a workshop to review published data and current field practices supporting the use of self-obtained vaginal swabs (SOVs) as specimens for diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The workshop also explored the design of studies that could support FDA clearance of SOVs for STI testing, particularly for specimens collected in nonclinical settings including patientsâ homes. This report summarizes the workshop findings and recommendations. Participants concluded that self-obtained vaginal swabs are well accepted by women of all ages and that SOVs perform as well as or better than other specimen types for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae detection using transcription-mediated amplification. In addition, workshop participants recommended the validation of SOV testing by public health practitioners and manufacturers of STI diagnostic tests to expedite incorporation of SOVs as a diagnostic option in clinical and nonclinical settings for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae testing. Similarly, SOVs should be explored for use in the diagnosis of other sexually transmitted pathogens
Catching Element Formation In The Act
Gamma-ray astronomy explores the most energetic photons in nature to address
some of the most pressing puzzles in contemporary astrophysics. It encompasses
a wide range of objects and phenomena: stars, supernovae, novae, neutron stars,
stellar-mass black holes, nucleosynthesis, the interstellar medium, cosmic rays
and relativistic-particle acceleration, and the evolution of galaxies. MeV
gamma-rays provide a unique probe of nuclear processes in astronomy, directly
measuring radioactive decay, nuclear de-excitation, and positron annihilation.
The substantial information carried by gamma-ray photons allows us to see
deeper into these objects, the bulk of the power is often emitted at gamma-ray
energies, and radioactivity provides a natural physical clock that adds unique
information. New science will be driven by time-domain population studies at
gamma-ray energies. This science is enabled by next-generation gamma-ray
instruments with one to two orders of magnitude better sensitivity, larger sky
coverage, and faster cadence than all previous gamma-ray instruments. This
transformative capability permits: (a) the accurate identification of the
gamma-ray emitting objects and correlations with observations taken at other
wavelengths and with other messengers; (b) construction of new gamma-ray maps
of the Milky Way and other nearby galaxies where extended regions are
distinguished from point sources; and (c) considerable serendipitous science of
scarce events -- nearby neutron star mergers, for example. Advances in
technology push the performance of new gamma-ray instruments to address a wide
set of astrophysical questions.Comment: 14 pages including 3 figure
Arizona\u27s Vulnerable Populations
Arizonaâs vulnerable populations are struggling on a daily basis but usually do so in silence, undetected by traditional radar and rankings, often unaware themselves of their high risk for being pushed or pulled into a full crisis. Ineligible for financial assistance under strict eligibility guidelines, they donât qualify as poor because vulnerable populations are not yet in full crisis. To be clear, this report is not about the âpoor,â at least not in the limited sense of the word. It is about our underemployed wage earners, our single-parent households, our deployed or returning military members, our under-educated and unskilled workforce, our debt-ridden neighbors, our uninsured friends, our family members with no savings for an emergency, much less retirement
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome
The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers âŒ99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of âŒ1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead
How analysis of data from alpha-amylase catalysed starch digestibility performed in vitro contributes to an understanding of rates and extent of digestion starchy foods
Ingestion of different foods containing identical amounts of starch can result in very different postprandial rises in blood glucose and insulin concentrations. Limitation of the early rises in blood glucose and insulin levels seems to be beneficial to human health in the long term. Many studies of starch digestion in vitro are made to understand the molecular basis for differences in digestion rates in vivo to enable prediction of likely rates of digestion of particular starchy foods. Michaelis-Menten kinetics of starch digestibility provides estimates of available (digestible) substrate as starch samples are hydrothermally treated. Combined with studies of starch structure using calorimetry and FTIR spectroscopy, key features influencing rates of amylolysis were identified. Measurement of product formation during prolonged incubations of starch with α-amylase produces digestibility curves. Use of logarithm of slope (LOS) plots to analyse the curves by 1st order kinetics gave values for digestibility rate constants and the total digestible starch, Câ. An important conclusion is that contrary to many reports in the literature, cooked starches do not contain distinct fractions of rapidly and slowly digested material. These kinetic approaches have also been used in studies of plan-tencapsulated starch to understand how cell walls influence access of amylase to starch
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