Tag: nevin manimala

Mutat Res Genet Toxicol Environ Mutagen. 2023 May-Jun;888:503627. doi: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2023.503627. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

ABSTRACT

Toxicity assays, including genotoxicity assays, are important components of human safety assessments. The interpretation of the results of such assays depends on several factors, including validation of test performance, statistical analysis of the results, and, most importantly, scientific judgment concerning the relevance of the findings to human health risk under anticipated exposure conditions. Ideally, decisions should be made on the basis of studies that allow consideration of the exposure-response relationship of any observed genotoxic outcome and an estimate of the risks associated with expected human exposures. However, in practice, the available data are often limited; it may be necessary to make judgements on the basis of assays that provide only hazard information that is not related to human exposure levels; also, sometimes, decisions are based on studies with non-human (or even non-mammalian) cells that may respond differently than human systems. Too often, in such situations, decisions are based only on whether “statistical significance” has been achieved in a particular assay, rather than on an overall judgement about the weight of scientific evidence with regard to human risk. Among regulators and toxicologists, the concept of “statistical significance” has played an important role in decision-making. Toxicologists often rely on statistical evaluations based on nominal fixed thresholds (P-value = 0.05 or 0.01), but these are arbitrary values. Such “statistical significance” is merely one of many factors that should be taken into account before drawing final conclusions for risk assessment. Other factors are also very important, including adherence to test guidelines and Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs).

PMID:37188432 | DOI:10.1016/j.mrgentox.2023.503627

J Prof Nurs. 2023 May-Jun;46:92-101. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.005. Epub 2023 Mar 21.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The rapid transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic created additional stress and workload issues for nurse faculty. Burnout has been reported in nurse faculty who cite workplace factors that influence satisfaction and work-life balance as major contributing factors.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine life balance and professional quality of life among nurse faculty (N = 216) in 2021 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and to describe the challenges of delivering virtual learning experiences.

METHODS: A cross-sectional design was utilized to survey nurse faculty using the Life Balance Inventory and the Professional Quality of Life Scale. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated.

RESULTS: Nurse faculty reported an unbalanced life balance (median = 1.76), average compassion satisfaction (median = 40.00), average burnout (median = 24.00), and low secondary traumatic stress (median = 21.00). Narrative themes included (1) COVID-19 pandemic has made balance nearly impossible, (2) Intentional disconnection from work activities, (3) Challenging/changing priorities, (4) Promoting a healthy work environment, and (5) Moral distress and exhaustion.

DISCUSSION: Understanding the factors that influence nurse faculty delivery of virtual learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic may provide opportunities to improve nurse faculty work-life balance and professional quality of life.

PMID:37188429 | DOI:10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.005

J Prof Nurs. 2023 May-Jun;46:83-91. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.02.010. Epub 2023 Mar 17.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The rapid shift to virtual learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to high academic stress among health profession students. High academic stress was associated with impaired psychosocial well-being and decreased academic performance.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between academic stress, anxiety, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, academic performance, and the moderating effect of resourcefulness among undergraduate health profession students.

METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included undergraduate health profession students. The primary investigator distributed the study link to all students through the university’s Central Messaging Centre, Twitter account, and WhatsApp. The study variables were measured using the Student Life Stress Inventory, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 questionnaire, the Centre for Epidemiology Scale of Depression, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Resourcefulness Skills Scale. Pearson R correlation and linear regression analysis were utilized for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: Our sample included 94 undergraduate health profession students, 60 % of which were females with a mean age of 21, and the majority were nursing and medicine students. High academic stress, anxiety, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms, and resourcefulness were reported among 50.6 %, 43 %, 79.6 %, 60.2 %, and 60 % of the participants, respectively. However, no effect of resourcefulness was found on any of the study variables. Instead, academic stress and sleep disturbances were the strongest predictors of depressive symptoms regardless of the level of resourcefulness.

CONCLUSION: Adequate academic support during virtual learning and tools to early detect subtle signs of high academic stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance should be routinely utilized by educational institutions. In addition, incorporating sleep hygiene and resourcefulness training in health professions education is highly indicated.

PMID:37188428 | DOI:10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.02.010

J Prof Nurs. 2023 May-Jun;46:39-44. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.02.006. Epub 2023 Mar 1.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Academic resilience has been identified as a coping method for nursing students’ educational and practice challenges. Despite the importance of academic resilience, knowledge on how to enhance academic resilience is under-researched. To suggest suitable approaches, relationships between academic resilience and other constructs need to be appraised.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate predictors of academic resilience, examining its relationships with other essential constructs: self-compassion and moral perfectionism, in undergraduate nursing students in Iran.

DESIGN: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022.

PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 250 undergraduate nursing students at three universities in Iran participated in this study by completing self-report measures.

METHODS: Data collection tools were Nursing Student Academic Resilience Inventory, Moral Perfectionism scale, and Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of academic resilience were 57.57 ± 23.69; moral perfectionism 50.24 ± 9.97, and self-compassion 37.19 ± 5.02. Self-compassion had significantly related to moral perfectionism (r = 0.23, p < 0.001). Academic resilience had no statistically significant relationship with moral perfectionism (r = -0.05, p = 0.41) and self-compassion (r = -0.06, p = 0.35), but significantly affect age (r = 0.14, p = 0.03), Grade point average (r = 0.18, p < 0.001) and university of study (r = 0.56, p < 0.001). The grade point average and the university of the study predicted 33 % of the changes in academic resilience, and the greatest impact was related to the university (r = 0.56, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Adopting appropriate educational strategies and supporting the students will help improve nursing students’ academic resilience and performance. Promoting self-compassion will lead to the development of nursing students’ moral perfectionism.

PMID:37188420 | DOI:10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.02.006

J Prof Nurs. 2023 May-Jun;46:179-186. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.011. Epub 2023 Mar 30.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Nursing Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students can pursue diverse career opportunities within and outside of academia upon graduation. However, mentor-mentee models, competing demands, and limited resources can challenge students as they search for guidance in navigating career decisions. This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a project to support PhD nursing career development.

METHODS: A student-designed project was implemented over 4 weeks which aligned with four career trajectories that students identified. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative survey questions. Responses to open-ended questions and field notes were also examined.

RESULTS: Post-implementation survey data suggested that all participants found the sessions helpful and recommended providing the workshop annually. Students’ questions focused on three areas: job searches, job selection, and experiences once in a career trajectory. Workshop speakers’ discussions focused on important tasks and strategies and wisdom and personal reflections offered to PhD students.

DISCUSSION: Nursing PhD students are interested in diverse career trajectories beyond academia and valued an opportunity to explore these options outside of the traditional mentor-mentee relationship. Leveraging resources from schools of nursing and the broader collegiate environment is important in helping students to explore potential career trajectories.

PMID:37188408 | DOI:10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.011

J Rheumatol. 2023 May 15:jrheum.2022-1109. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.2022-1109. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Rheumatology research often involves correlated and clustered data. A common error when analyzing these data occurs when instead we treat these data as independent observations. This can lead to incorrect statistical inference. The data used is a subset of the study from Raheel (2017) consisting of 633 RA patients between 1988 and 2007. RA flare and number of swollen joints served as our binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. Generalized linear models (GLM) were fitted for each while adjusting for RF positivity and sex. Additionally, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) with random intercept and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) were used to model RA flare and number of swollen joints, respectively, to take additional correlation into account. The GLM’s β coefficients and their 95% confidence intervals are then compared to their mixed-effects equivalents. The β coefficients compared between methodologies are very similar. However, their standard errors increase when correlation is accounted for. As a result, if the additional correlations are not taken into consideration, the standard error can be underestimated. This results in an overestimated effect size, narrower confidence intervals, increased type I error and a smaller p-value, thus potentially producing misleading results. It is important to model the additional correlation that occurs in correlated data.

PMID:37188383 | DOI:10.3899/jrheum.2022-1109

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023 May 15:tpmd220363. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0363. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Vaccines are the most efficient and cost-effective tool to halt the transmission and prevention of COVID-19. The current study examined the willingness of parents to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. This was a cross-sectional study that used a questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model, previous history of COVID-19, willingness to accept, and willingness to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine. The questionnaire was administered among parents of children aged 5 to 11 years. Descriptive statistics, χ2 tests, and regression analysis were carried out for data analysis. A total of 474 respondents participated in this survey with a response rate of 67.7%. In our study, a majority of the respondents exhibited a willingness to accept the COVID-19 vaccine for their children (Definitely yes/Probably yes = 252, 53.2%); nevertheless, 229 (48.3%) respondents were unwilling to pay for it. More than three-quarters of the respondents were worried about the probability of COVID-19 infection in their children (n = 361, 76.2%) and were afraid of COVID-19-associated complications (n = 391, 82.5%). Likewise, most respondents showed their concerns regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine (n = 351, 74.1%), vaccine safety (n = 351, 74.1%), and the halal nature of the vaccine (n = 309, 65.2%). Respondents who were aged 40 to 50 years (odds ratio [OR]: 0.101, 95% CI: 0.38-0.268; P < 0.001), family income > 50,000 PKR (OR: 0.680, 95% CI: 0.321-1.442; P = 0.012), and location (OR: 0.324, 95% CI: 0.167-0.628; P = 0.001) were the factors that were likely to impact vaccine acceptance among parents. Education-based interventions are urgently required to improve COVID-19 vaccination acceptance among parents for their children.

PMID:37188339 | DOI:10.4269/ajtmh.22-0363

Appl Netw Sci. 2023;8(1):23. doi: 10.1007/s41109-023-00548-5. Epub 2023 May 11.

ABSTRACT

Protecting medical privacy can create obstacles in the analysis and distribution of healthcare graphs and statistical inferences accompanying them. We pose a graph simulation model which generates networks using degree and property augmentation and provide a flexible R package that allows users to create graphs that preserve vertex attribute relationships and approximating the retention of topological properties observed in the original graph (e.g., community structure). We illustrate our proposed algorithm using a case study based on Zachary’s karate network and a patient-sharing graph generated from Medicare claims data in 2019. In both cases, we find that community structure is preserved, and normalized root mean square error between cumulative distributions of the degrees across the generated and the original graphs is low (0.0508 and 0.0514 respectively).

PMID:37188323 | PMC:PMC10173245 | DOI:10.1007/s41109-023-00548-5

Emerg Med Int. 2023 May 5;2023:8150697. doi: 10.1155/2023/8150697. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to compare the results of professional technical and anthropometric anamnesis data with the transmission of external chest compressions performed by military firefighters at different execution times.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to evaluate the performance and perceived effort of the sequence of external chest compressions performed in two minutes, as well as the evolution of the technique over time.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive, correlational study involving adult firefighters who were members of a specific firefighter group, comprising a population of 105 individuals with a voluntary sample of 44 participants. The study used a Bayesian statistical approach to provide probabilistic expressions.

RESULTS: The participants had an average work experience of 17 years, an average age of 38.6 years, an average weight of 81.48 kilograms, an average height of 176 centimeters, and an average of 2.5 qualifications. The results indicated that the firefighters performed external chest compressions with excellent technique and a moderate level of perceived effort in a two-minute evaluation. The evaluation of the evolution of the technique over time showed that the participants were able to maintain high-quality compressions for an average of 6 minutes, with a maximum of 20 uninterrupted minutes.

CONCLUSION: The study underscores the critical role of professional firefighters in performing and maintaining high-quality external chest compressions, which has the potential to reduce morbidity and mortality in cases of cardiorespiratory arrest.

PMID:37188319 | PMC:PMC10181904 | DOI:10.1155/2023/8150697

Front Neurol. 2023 Apr 28;14:1167128. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1167128. eCollection 2023.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Some idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) cases experience repetitive systemic corticosteroid treatment, but studies focusing on repetitive systemic corticosteroid administration have not been reported. Thus, we investigated the clinical characteristics and usefulness of repetitive systemic corticosteroid treatment in ISSHL cases.

METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 103 patients who received corticosteroids only in our hospital (single-treatment group), and 46 patients who presented at our hospital after receiving corticosteroids in a nearby clinic and were subsequently treated with corticosteroids again in our hospital (repetitive-treatment group). Clinical backgrounds, hearing thresholds, and hearing prognosis were assessed.

RESULTS: The final hearing outcomes were not different between the two groups. Further, in the repetitive-treatment group, statistical differences were found between the good and poor prognosis groups in the number of days to start corticosteroid administration (p = 0.03), the dose of corticosteroid (p = 0.02), and the duration of corticosteroid administration (p = 0.02) at the previous facility. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant difference in the dose of corticosteroids administered by the previous clinic (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION: The repetitive systemic corticosteroid administration might play a supplementary role in hearing improvement, and initial sufficient corticosteroid administration would lead to good hearing outcomes in an early phase of ISSHL.

PMID:37188316 | PMC:PMC10175769 | DOI:10.3389/fneur.2023.1167128