Publication date: Available online 26 May 2016
Source:Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research
Author(s): Claudia Bolognesi, Nina Holland
Pesticides are widely used around the world, and hundreds of millions of people are exposed annually in occupational and environmental settings. Numerous studies have demonstrated relationships between pesticide exposure and increased risk of cancers, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders, respiratory diseases and diabetes. Assessment of genotoxicity of pesticides and biomonitoring their effects in exposed populations is critical for a better regulation and protection, but it can be complicated because pesticides are often used as complex mixtures. The cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay in human lymphocytes (L-CBMN) is a validated method of assessment of DNA damage induced by clastogenic and aneuploidogenic mechanisms. The goal of this review is to provide an updated summary of publications on biomonitoring studies using this assay in people exposed to pesticides in different settings, and to identify gaps in knowledge, and future directions. A literature search was conducted through MedLine/PubMed and TOXLINE electronic databases up to December 2015. A total of 55 full-text articles, related to 49 studies, excluding reviews, were selected for in depth analysis, divided by the settings where exposures occurred, such as chemical plant workers, pesticide sprayers, floriculturists, agricultural workers and non-occupationally exposed groups. Majority of studies (36 out of 49) reported positive findings with L-CBMN assay. However, most of the studies of professional applicators that used single pesticide or few compounds in the framework of specific programs did not show significant increases in MN frequency. A decreased level of pesticide-induced genotoxicity was associated with the proper use of personal protection. In contrast, subjects working in greenhouses or during intensive spraying season and having acute exposure, showed consistent increases in MN frequency. Overall, this analysis confirmed that L-CBMN is an excellent tool for pesticide biomonitoring, and can validate the effects of educational and intervention programs on reducing exposure and genetic damage.
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Πέμπτη 26 Μαΐου 2016
The use of the lymphocyte cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay for monitoring pesticide-exposed populations
Segmental extra- and intracellular water distribution and muscle glycogen after 72-h carbohydrate loading using spectroscopic techniques
Body water content increases during carbohydrate loading because 2.7-4 g water binds each 1 g of glycogen. Bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) allows separate assessment of extra- and intracellular water (ECW and ICW, respectively) in the whole body and each body segment. However, BIS has not been shown to detect changes in body water induced by carbohydrate loading. Here, we aimed to investigate whether BIS had sufficient sensitivity to detect changes in body water content and to determine segmental water distribution after carbohydrate loading. Eight subjects consumed a high-carbohydrate diet containing 12 g carbohydrates/kg body mass/day for 72 h after glycogen-depletion cycling exercise. Changes in muscle glycogen concentration were measured by 13C-magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and total body water (TBW) was measured by deuterium dilution technique (TBWD2O). ICW and ECW in the whole body (wrist-to-ankle) and in each body segment (arm, trunk, and leg) were assessed by BIS. Muscle glycogen concentration (72.7 ± 10.0 to 169.4 ± 55.9 mmol/kg w.w., P < 0.001) and TBWD2O (39.3 ± 3.2 to 40.2 ± 3.0 L, P < 0.05) increased significantly 72 h after exercise compared with the baseline, respectively. Whole-body BIS showed significant increases in ICW (P < 0.05) but not in ECW. Segmental BIS showed significant increases in ICW in the legs (P < 0.05), but not in the arms or trunk. Our results suggest that increase in body water after carbohydrate loading can be detected by BIS and is caused by segment-specific increases in ICW.
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PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOTYPING OF PAEDIATRIC CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY DISEASES
Inert tracer gas washout (IGW) measurements detect increased ventilation inhomogeneity (VI) at chronic lung diseases. Their suitability for different diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), has already been shown. However, it is still unclear if physiological phenotypes based on different IGW variables can be defined independently of underlying disease. Eighty school age children, 20 with CF, 20 with PCD, 20 former preterms and 20 healthy children, performed nitrogen multiple breath washout, double-tracer gas (DTG) single breath washout and spirometry. Our primary outcome was the definition of physiological phenotypes based on IGW variables. We applied principal component analysis, hierarchical Ward`s clustering, and enrichment analysis to compare clinical characteristics between the clusters. IGW variables used for clustering were: lung clearance index (LCI), convection-dependent (Scond) and diffusion-convection-dependent variables (Sacin, carbon dioxide and DTG phase III slopes). Three main phenotypes were identified. Phenotype I (n=38) showed normal values in all IGW outcome variables. Phenotype II (n=21) was characterized by pronounced global and convection-dependent VI while diffusion-dependent VI was normal. Phenotype III (n=21) was characterized by increased global, diffusion- and convection-dependent VI. Enrichment analysis revealed an over-representation of healthy children and former preterms in phenotype I and of CF and PCD in phenotype II and III. Patients in phenotype III showed the highest proportion and frequency of exacerbations and hospitalization in the year prior to the measurement. IGW techniques allow identification of clinically meaningful, disease independent physiological clusters. Their predictive value of future disease outcomes remains to be determined.
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Exercise training reverses myocardial dysfunction induced by CaMKII{delta}C overexpression by restoring Ca2+-homeostasis
Aim: Several conditions of heart disease, including heart failure and diabetic cardiomyopathy are associated with up-regulation of cytosolic Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKIIC) activity. In the heart, CaMKIIC isoform targets several proteins involved in intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. We hypothesized that high intensity endurance training activates mechanisms that enable a rescue of dysfunctional cardiomyocyte Ca2+ handling and thereby ameliorate cardiac dysfunction despite continuous and chronic elevated levels of CaMKIIC. Methods: CaMKIIC transgenic (TG) and wild-type (WT) mice performed aerobic interval exercise training over 6 weeks. Cardiac function was measured by echocardiography in vivo, and cardiomyocyte shortening and intracellular Ca2+-handling in vitro. Results: TG mice had reduced global cardiac function, cardiomyocyte shortening (47% reduced compared to WT, P<0.01) and impaired Ca2+-homeostasis. Despite no change in the chronic elevated levels of CaMKIIC, exercise improved global cardiac function, restored cardiomyocyte shortening, and re-established Ca2+-homeostasis to values not different from WT. The key features to explain restored Ca2+-homeostasis after exercise training were increased ICaL density and flux by 79% and 85%, respectively (P<0.01), increased SERCa2a function by 50% (p<0.01) and reduced diastolic SR Ca2+-leak by 73% (P<0.01), compared to sedentary TG mice. Conclusion: Exercise training improves global cardiac function as well as cardiomyocyte function in the presence of a maintained high CaMKII activity. The main mechanisms of exercise-induced improvements in TG CaMKIIC mice are mediated via increased L-type Ca2+ channel currents, improved SR Ca2+-handling by restoration of SERCA2a function in addition to reduced diastolic SR Ca2+-leak.
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Comparison of High Intensity versus High Volume Resistance Training on the BDNF Response to Exercise
This study compared the acute and chronic response of circulating plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to high-intensity low-volume (HI) and low-intensity high volume (HV) resistance training. Twenty experienced resistance trained men (23.5±2.6 y, 1.79±0.05 m, 75.7±13.8 kg) volunteered for this study. Prior to the resistance training program (PRE), participants performed an acute bout of exercise using either the HI (3-5 reps 90% of one repetition maximum [1RM]) or HV (10-12 reps 70% 1RM) training paradigm. The acute exercise protocol was repeated following 7-weeks of training (POST). Blood samples were obtained at rest (BL), immediately- (IP), 30-min (30P) and 60-min (60P) post exercise at PRE and POST. A 3-way repeated measure ANOVA was used to analyze acute changes in BDNF concentrations during HI and HV resistance exercise at PRE and POST. No training x time x group interaction in BDNF was noted (p=0.994). Significant main effects for training (p=0.050) and time (p<0.001) in BDNF were observed. Significant elevations in BDNF concentrations were seen from BL at IP (p=0.001), 30P (p<0.001), and 60P (p<0.001) in both HI and HV combined during PRE and POST. BDNF concentrations were also observed to increase from PRE to POST when collapsed across groups and time. No significant group x training interaction (p=0.342), training (p=0.105), or group (p=0.238) effect were noted in the BDNF area under the curve response. Results indicate BDNF concentrations are increased after an acute bout of resistance exercise, regardless of training paradigm, and are further increased during a 7-week training program in experienced lifters.
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Inside EMS Pocast: New tool and course designed to train EMTs how to treat autistic patients
Download this podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud or via RSS feed
In this week's Inside EMS Podcast, Kimberly Stanford joins co-hosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson to discuss the tool and course she developed for the EMS career field. The training gives first responders an understanding of autism, how to identify it and to how to calm a patient down.
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Paramedics argue about making entry or waiting for the police
In this EMS novel excerpt one medic is willing to enter a dangerous scene because she doesn't want to see her husband, a cop, but her partner wants the opportunity for confrontation
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Paramedic who took the first National Registry test still on the job
Try this one-question pretest about paramedic Roger Swor:
Roger has been in EMS so long that …
- He used a LifePak 2.
- His National Registry number is only three digits.
- "Emergency!" was still on the air when he started.
- He couldn't become an EMT right away because there was no such thing in his state.
You're right if you picked A. You're also correct if you picked B, C or D.
If only the Registry were that easy — not that Swor needed any help when he took their inaugural paramedic exam in 1978. He got a 96.
"It wasn't as structured as it is now," Roger recalls. "The preceptors were sort of making it up as they went along because there was no syllabus. We had to take different modules at different hospitals."
Career correction
Swor's entry into EMS three years earlier was mostly due to some strident career counseling.
"I'd been a police officer since '72," the 64-year old native of Duluth, Minn. says. "My first wife told me to either plan on being single or quit being a cop. I ended up doing both."
Like so many of us who came of age in the 1970s, Swor was intrigued by the fast-paced, antiseptic view of EMS portrayed by the TV show "Emergency!"
He'd also noticed that ambulances responded to all the "good" calls. "That seemed a lot more exciting than writing traffic tickets," he says.
By 1977, Swor was a paramedic with Duluth's Gold Cross Ambulance, a 911 and inter-facility operator serving 250,000 residents of eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
He's been there ever since. Along the way, he's established skills review sessions to help colleagues prepare for practical testing.
"Supposedly, wisdom comes with experience," says Swor. "I figured maybe I could share some of that wisdom with new people who have a 'deer in the headlights' look when it comes to the real skills of their jobs.
"During the five years we've been doing these sessions, the first-time pass rate on practical exams has gone from 70 to 99 percent."
Medic and mentor
Swor cites patience and empathy as important traits for EMS educators.
"You have to relate to the people who are looking to tap into your experience and knowledge," he says. "Some skills evaluators come across like Marine drill instructors, which causes more stress and makes it even harder for students to remember what they're supposed to do.
"My way of teaching is to interact with students and redirect them if I see them going down the wrong path. I might say to them, 'What if we did it this way instead?'"
Swor doesn't limit his mentoring to the classroom. He monitors students' progress on the streets as well.
"When I see coworkers freeze, I tell them, 'I'm not going to ever let you fail on a call. If I see you doing something wrong, I'll help you retrace your steps and figure out how to do better next time.'
"Helping others makes my job easier, too, because I don't have to work as hard when people I'm with get comfortable doing what they're supposed to do."
One call at a time, one patient at a time
Swor says Hollywood's version of EMS is partly to blame for anxiety that many novices feel, both in the classroom and on the streets.
"Emergency shows like 'Chicago Fire' make everything seem so stressful and critical. Everybody's life is on the line all the time.
"You can't afford to think that way. Just remember your ABCs and focus on one call at a time, one patient at a time."
Paramedic Roger Swor greeting Vice President Al Gore
Swor offers an example from his own history to illustrate methodical prehospital care.
"I'd been a medic for about a year when we answered a call at two in the morning for a van full of cheerleaders that flipped over after getting broadsided by a Jeep. There were eight girls in there, some still belted upside down, some with broken hips and legs, some with back injuries.
"I didn't have any experience in multi-trauma, but I remember triaging without even knowing that's what I was doing. Just take the worst ones before the less bad ones. No one panicked; everyone survived."
Being methodical isn't always going to save lives, though.
"One morning in 1980 or '81," Swor says, "a mother was driving her two kids when their car stalled on the train tracks. She was able to get the four-month-old out of the back seat, but was still trying to undo the seatbelt of her two-year-old when the train hit.
"When we got there, I could see what was left of the car upside down next to the tracks, and in front of that, the mother, dead in a snowbank. I asked this big lumberjack on scene — the kind of guy you'd never mess with in a bar — if anyone else was involved. He just looked at me, never said a word, but opened the door of his truck and pointed to the dead four-month-old he'd found on the ground.
"The two-year-old was still in the car, squashed between the console and the front seat."
Swor says two rules he borrowed from another 1970s TV show, "M*A*S*H," help him deal with calls like that.
"Rule number one is people die. Rule number two is paramedics can't change rule number one.
"If you're going to do this job, you have to find a way to keep smiling. Don't get mad when an alarm comes in; bad feelings accumulate over the years and lead to burnout. Enjoy the calls you run. Try to learn from each of them."
Maybe the Registry should add that to their syllabus.
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Paramedic who took the first National Registry test still on the job
41-year EMS veteran from Minnesota credits two rules he learned from M*A*S*H for his career longevity
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How many hours make a paramedic or EMT shift?
Paramedic chiefs and EMS leaders need to set shift length based on call demand, available personnel, equipment supply and time on task
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Paramedic who took the first National Registry test still on the job
Try this one-question pretest about paramedic Roger Swor:
Roger has been in EMS so long that …
- He used a LifePak 2.
- His National Registry number is only three digits.
- "Emergency!" was still on the air when he started.
- He couldn't become an EMT right away because there was no such thing in his state.
You're right if you picked A. You're also correct if you picked B, C or D.
If only the Registry were that easy — not that Swor needed any help when he took their inaugural paramedic exam in 1978. He got a 96.
"It wasn't as structured as it is now," Roger recalls. "The preceptors were sort of making it up as they went along because there was no syllabus. We had to take different modules at different hospitals."
Career correction
Swor's entry into EMS three years earlier was mostly due to some strident career counseling.
"I'd been a police officer since '72," the 64-year old native of Duluth, Minn. says. "My first wife told me to either plan on being single or quit being a cop. I ended up doing both."
Like so many of us who came of age in the 1970s, Swor was intrigued by the fast-paced, antiseptic view of EMS portrayed by the TV show "Emergency!"
He'd also noticed that ambulances responded to all the "good" calls. "That seemed a lot more exciting than writing traffic tickets," he says.
By 1977, Swor was a paramedic with Duluth's Gold Cross Ambulance, a 911 and inter-facility operator serving 250,000 residents of eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin.
He's been there ever since. Along the way, he's established skills review sessions to help colleagues prepare for practical testing.
"Supposedly, wisdom comes with experience," says Swor. "I figured maybe I could share some of that wisdom with new people who have a 'deer in the headlights' look when it comes to the real skills of their jobs.
"During the five years we've been doing these sessions, the first-time pass rate on practical exams has gone from 70 to 99 percent."
Medic and mentor
Swor cites patience and empathy as important traits for EMS educators.
"You have to relate to the people who are looking to tap into your experience and knowledge," he says. "Some skills evaluators come across like Marine drill instructors, which causes more stress and makes it even harder for students to remember what they're supposed to do.
"My way of teaching is to interact with students and redirect them if I see them going down the wrong path. I might say to them, 'What if we did it this way instead"'"
Swor doesn't limit his mentoring to the classroom. He monitors students' progress on the streets as well.
"When I see coworkers freeze, I tell them, 'I'm not going to ever let you fail on a call. If I see you doing something wrong, I'll help you retrace your steps and figure out how to do better next time.'
"Helping others makes my job easier, too, because I don't have to work as hard when people I'm with get comfortable doing what they're supposed to do."
One call at a time, one patient at a time
Swor says Hollywood's version of EMS is partly to blame for anxiety that many novices feel, both in the classroom and on the streets.
"Emergency shows like 'Chicago Fire' make everything seem so stressful and critical. Everybody's life is on the line all the time.
"You can't afford to think that way. Just remember your ABCs and focus on one call at a time, one patient at a time."
Paramedic Roger Swor greeting Vice President Al Gore
Swor offers an example from his own history to illustrate methodical prehospital care.
"I'd been a medic for about a year when we answered a call at two in the morning for a van full of cheerleaders that flipped over after getting broadsided by a Jeep. There were eight girls in there, some still belted upside down, some with broken hips and legs, some with back injuries.
"I didn't have any experience in multi-trauma, but I remember triaging without even knowing that's what I was doing. Just take the worst ones before the less bad ones. No one panicked; everyone survived."
Being methodical isn't always going to save lives, though.
"One morning in 1980 or '81," Swor says, "a mother was driving her two kids when their car stalled on the train tracks. She was able to get the four-month-old out of the back seat, but was still trying to undo the seatbelt of her two-year-old when the train hit.
"When we got there, I could see what was left of the car upside down next to the tracks, and in front of that, the mother, dead in a snowbank. I asked this big lumberjack on scene — the kind of guy you'd never mess with in a bar — if anyone else was involved. He just looked at me, never said a word, but opened the door of his truck and pointed to the dead four-month-old he'd found on the ground.
"The two-year-old was still in the car, squashed between the console and the front seat."
Swor says two rules he borrowed from another 1970s TV show, "M*A*S*H," help him deal with calls like that.
"Rule number one is people die. Rule number two is paramedics can't change rule number one.
"If you're going to do this job, you have to find a way to keep smiling. Don't get mad when an alarm comes in; bad feelings accumulate over the years and lead to burnout. Enjoy the calls you run. Try to learn from each of them."
Maybe the Registry should add that to their syllabus.
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How many hours make a paramedic or EMT shift?
The length of shifts for EMS agencies varies widely across the United States. It is important for both the system and the provider that the shift length be appropriate.
Too many hours can potentially lead to fatigue-caused errors. Too few hours scheduled can result in system overload and a delay in service.
Similar to patients, every EMS system is unique. The length of shifts that work for one system may not work in others for a variety of reasons, including availability of qualified personnel, call demand, tradition and equipment supply.
Another influential factor is a unit's average Time on Task for a dispatched assignment. The average time it takes a unit, such as an ambulance staffed with two paramedics, to complete an assignment is exactly that, an average.
Some systems may see a TOT of under an hour while others may see it stretch to the four-hour mark. Multiplying your agencies TOT by the number of calls a unit needs to complete per shift, adding travel time at the beginning and end of the shift to posting locations or station assignments, and allowing time for the vehicle pre-check and restock will give an estimate of how long shifts should be.
One of the biggest causes of employee dissatisfaction in any field is not getting off their shift on time. This can be especially challenging in an EMS system that is receiving calls from patients with acute conditions. It is common for agencies to have a policy mandating a shift or tour extension automatically for up to three hours past a crew's scheduled off time.
Holding a crew over their scheduled off time puts a large imposition on the EMS provider in the ambulance. Mandated hours lead to poor morale, high turnover, trouble recruiting and can wreak havoc on a payroll budget.
Not all shifts are the same
Managers need to be flexible when scheduling in order to satisfy all parties while considering as many variables as possible. Here are some shift or tour options for every EMS manager to take into account when creating their agency's personnel schedule.
8-hour tour
The typical American works a 40 hours over a five-day work week. Unfortunately working in EMS can be described as anything but typical.
With this type of schedule, depending on the agency, anything past a tour's end time may be considered as overtime. This includes drives back to the garage and any restocking that may need to be done. This can be one of the hardest shift types to control labor costs.
9-hour/12-hour mixed model
This mixed model allows for quite a bit of flexibility. Providers are typically scheduled for four nine-hour tours or three 12-hour tours for a total of 36 scheduled hours.
This allows a bit of a cushion before a provider hits the 40-hour overtime mark in case they are mandated for the acute call. This model also enables providers to have an extra day or two away from the ambulance, improving their life and work balance in the process.
24-hour tour
Having providers work a full 24-hour shift places them squarely in OSHA's extended unusual work shift category. These shifts are typically found in rural areas with a low call volume that often allows the provider some needed downtime and rest while still being available to respond. Using 24-hour shifts in a system where rest periods are infeasible is a recipe for agency inefficiency and a risk management red flag.
Due to the nature of EMS work, these shifts may need to be used during states of emergency. If the agency plans to exercise that option, have a clear policy in place and embedded within your emergency plans so that providers can prepare as best they can for the excessively long work period.
The effects of fatigue and the negative impact it has on job performance have been well documented. While the onus of being well rested does lay with the provider, it is important to recognize that management plays a large role in empowering providers to do so.
36-hour/48-hour tour
The rare 36-hour/48-hour tour exists in rural locations with low call volume that offers copious amounts of downtime and a proper place for resting. Some locations that may use these shifts are rural communities, oil rigs, wilderness construction sites and remote islands.
Power cars
Busy urban systems that see a call volume peak in a short specific time period may find the power car model very effective. A crew scheduled as a power car will complete a set number of assignments or work their scheduled hours.
The crew comes off the road when either of those occurs and is compensated for their full shift. For example, if a power car that is scheduled for eight-hours or four trips is able to complete the four trips in five hours, they return to the garage and are compensated for the full eight hours.
Finding the right mix of tours can be both daunting and time consuming. Use scheduling software to make the task easier and more efficient for managers and a greater convenience for field providers.
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Emergency Medical Technician (825) - Highlands County Board of County Commissioners
HIGHLANDS COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Does not Discriminate on the Basis of Race, Color, National Origin, Sex, Religion, Age, or Disability in Employment or the Provision of Services. We are proud to be a drug free workplace. Screening tests for illegal drug use may be required as a condition of employment. Date: 5/26/2016 Department: Emergency Medical Service Title/(Status)/Job Code: Emergency ...
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An instructional design process based on expert knowledge for teaching students how mechanisms are explained
In biology and physiology courses, students face many difficulties when learning to explain mechanisms, a topic that is demanding due to the immense complexity and abstract nature of molecular and cellular mechanisms. To overcome these difficulties, we asked the following question: how does an instructor transform their understanding of biological mechanisms and other difficult-to-learn topics so that students can comprehend them? To address this question, we first reviewed a model of the components used by biologists to explain molecular and cellular mechanisms: the MACH model, with the components of methods (M), analogies (A), context (C), and how (H). Next, instructional materials were developed and the teaching activities were piloted with a physical MACH model. Students who used the MACH model to guide their explanations of mechanisms exhibited both improvements and some new difficulties. Third, a series of design-based research cycles was applied to bring the activities with an improved physical MACH model into biology and biochemistry courses. Finally, a useful rubric was developed to address prevalent student difficulties. Here, we present, for physiology and biology instructors, the knowledge and resources for explaining molecular and cellular mechanisms in undergraduate courses with an instructional design process aimed at realizing pedagogical content knowledge for teaching. Our four-stage process could be adapted to advance instruction with a range of models in the life sciences.
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Medics share in family’s joy of roadside newborn delivery
LOCKPORT, La. ― Two EMS providers responded to a call for a patient ready to deliver a baby, but when they arrived the newborn had just arrived.
Acadian Ambulance EMT Aslind Chouest and Paramedic Field Supervisor Stephanie Blanchard found Jamie Pitre, her three sons and mother on the side of the road May 22.
"It was a surreal moment to be a part of. Surrounded by her mother and three sons, the patient had a sense of calm and peace around her," said Chouest.
While Pitre and her newborn daughter were being assessed and prepared for transport to the hospital, Blanchard offered to let Pitre's mother cut the umbilical cord. She gladly accepted.
"As a medic, you see so much sadness and terrible things happen to people, that stay with you for a very long time," Chouest said. "This was a refreshing experience, and a great reminder as to why we love our jobs."
The two medics returned to visit the Pitre family hours later at the hospital, where many thanks were shared.
"We will remember this call for the rest of our lives," Blanchard said. "This is a day I will never forget."
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Apoptosis as the focus of an authentic research experience in a cell physiology laboratory
Curriculum-embedded independent research is a high-impact teaching practice that has been shown to increase student engagement and learning. This article describes a multiweek laboratory project for an upper-division undergraduate cell physiology laboratory using apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway as the overarching theme. Students did literature research on apoptotic agents that acted via the mitochondrial pathway. Compounds ranged from natural products such as curcumin to synthetic compounds such as etoposide. Groups of two to three students planned a series of experiments using one of three cultured cell lines that required them to 1) learn to culture cells; 2) determine treatment conditions, including apoptotic agent solubility and concentration ranges that had been reported in the literature; 3) choose two methods to validate/quantify apoptotic capacity of the reagent; and 4) attempt to "rescue" cells from undergoing apoptosis using one of several available compounds/methods. In essence, given some reagent and equipment constraints, students designed an independent experiment to highlight the effects of different apoptotic agents on cells in culture. Students presented their experimental designs as in a laboratory group meeting and their final findings as a classroom "symposium." This exercise can be adapted to many different types of laboratories with greater or lesser equipment and instrumentation constraints, incorporates several core cell physiology methods, and encourages key experimental design and critical thinking components of independent research.
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Brazilian actions to promote physiology learning and teaching in secondary and high schools
Members of the Education Committee of the Brazilian Society of Physiology have developed multiple outreach models to improve the appreciation of science and physiology at the precollege level. The members of this committee act in concert with important Brazilian governmental strategies to promote training of undergraduate students in the teaching environment of secondary and high schools. One of these governmental strategies, the Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciacão à Docência, a Brazilian public policy of teaching enhancement implemented by the Coordenacão de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) since 2007, represents a well-articulated public policy that can promote the partnership between University and Schools (7). Furthermore, the Program "Novos Talentos" (New Talents)/CAPES/Ministry of Education is another government initiative to bring together university and high-level technical training with the reality of Brazilian schools. Linked to the New Talents Program, in partnership with the British Council/Newton Fund, CAPES recently promoted the visit of some university professors that coordinate New Talents projects to formal and informal educational science spaces in the United Kingdom (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Brazil-United Kingdom International Cooperation Program) to qualify the actions developed in this area in Brazil, and one of us had the opportunity to participate with this.
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Explorations in statistics: statistical facets of reproducibility
Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This eleventh installment of Explorations in Statistics explores statistical facets of reproducibility. If we obtain an experimental result that is scientifically meaningful and statistically unusual, we would like to know that our result reflects a general biological phenomenon that another researcher could reproduce if (s)he repeated our experiment. But more often than not, we may learn this researcher cannot replicate our result. The National Institutes of Health and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology have created training modules and outlined strategies to help improve the reproducibility of research. These particular approaches are necessary, but they are not sufficient. The principles of hypothesis testing and estimation are inherent to the notion of reproducibility in science. If we want to improve the reproducibility of our research, then we need to rethink how we apply fundamental concepts of statistics to our science.
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Investigation and Treatment of Fusidic Acid Resistance Among Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcal Isolates from Egypt
Microbial Drug Resistance , Vol. 0, No. 0.
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Imaging of Brain Tumors with Copper-64 Chloride: Early Experience and Results
Cancer Biotherapy & Radiopharmaceuticals , Vol. 0, No. 0.
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Imaging of Brain Tumors with Copper-64 Chloride: Early Experience and Results
Cancer Biotherapy & Radiopharmaceuticals , Vol. 0, No. 0.
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Prognostic factors affecting overall survival in right colon cancer
2016-05-26T16-15-35Z
Source: Archives of Clinical and Experimental Surgery (ACES)
Mehmet Ince, Nail Ersoz, Mehmet Fatih Can, Gokhan Yagci, Sezai Demirbas, Ismail Hakki Ozerhan, Yusuf Peker.
Background: The prognosis of patients who have carcinoma of the colon is dependent on several factors that are clinical, pathological, and biological. Adequate lymph node staging in patients with colon cancer is important for determining prognosis and planning further treatment. We aimed to determine what factors might predict survival in patients with right colon cancer. Methods: Between 2007 and 2014, consecutive patients undergoing operation for adenocarcinoma of the right-sided colon were enrolled in this study. The following factors were analyzed with the Cox regression model: age, gender, localization of the tumor, recurrence, pTNM stage, removed and invaded lymph node status (MLN) and survival rate. Multivariate models were used to assess the adjusted effects and to explore the interaction between survival and other factors. Results: A total of 56 (38,1%) men and 91 (61,9%) women, mean age being 61,8 ± 15,9 years, were included. The mean survival time was 46,5 ± 43,2 months. The mean LN number was 18,8 ± 9,44; MLN number was 2,66 ± 5,13. Age, total LN, MLN number and postoperative stage were significant in the univariate analysis for survival. Independent predictors of survival in multivariate analysis were age (p=0,019), postoperative stage (p=0,039), and MLN (p=0,003). Conclusions: LN metastasis is a prognostic feature in patients by means of colon cancer. It could not be changed independent of a number of prognostic factors, such as age, but LN number was dependent on operation in right colon cancer surgery. LN yields have been linked to improved survival and its determination is reliant on both the surgeon and the pathologist.
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A Method by Which to Assess the Scalability of Field-Based Fitness Tests of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Among Schoolchildren
Abstract
Previous research has reported the validity and reliability of a range of field-based tests of children's cardiorespiratory fitness. These two criteria are critical in ensuring the integrity and credibility of data derived through such tests. However, the criterion of scalability has received little attention. Scalability determines the degree to which tests developed on small samples in controlled settings might demonstrate real-world value, and is of increasing interest to policymakers and practitioners. The present paper proposes a method by which the scalability of cardiorespiratory field-based tests suitable for school-aged children might be assessed. We developed an algorithm to estimate scalability based on a six-component model; delivery, evidence of operating at scale, effectiveness, costs, resource requirements and practical implementation. We tested the algorithm on data derived through a systematic review of research that has used relevant fitness tests. A total of 229 studies that had used field based cardiorespiratory fitness tests to measure children's fitness were identified. Initial analyses indicated that the 5-min run test did not meet accepted criteria for reliability, whilst the 6-min walk test likewise failed to meet the criteria for validity. Of the remainder, a total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria, 22 reporting the 20-m shuttle-run and seven the 1-mile walk/run. Using the scalability algorithm we demonstrate that the 20-m shuttle run test is substantially more scalable than the 1-mile walk/run test, with tests scoring 34/48 and 25/48, respectively. A comprehensive analysis of scalability was prohibited by the widespread non-reporting of data, for example, those relating to cost-effectiveness. Of all sufficiently valid and reliable candidate tests identified, using our algorithm the 20-m shuttle run test was identified as the most scalable. We hope that the algorithm will prove useful in the examination of scalability in either new data relating to existing tests or in data pertaining to new tests.
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Reply to: association of preoperative cardiovascular drugs with short-term mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting.
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Impact of disruptions on anaesthetic workflow during anaesthesia induction and patient positioning: A prospective study.
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