bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessing user satisfaction and hospital pharmacy practice: application to an individualized dispensing system in a French military teaching hospital
Authors: Dussart Claude , Dussart Sophie , Almeras David , Camal Isabelle , Grelaud Gilles 
Published: March 2009

AbstractRationale and aims  Hospital pharmacy aims at optimizing pharmaceutical care practice. Classically, assessing patient's satisfaction is required. Same manner, for a service provider such as a hospital pharmacy, it is necessary to evaluate the satisfaction of its customers: physicians, nurses and pharmacy staff. The aim of this paper was to assess user satisfaction with an individualized dispensing system.Method  A survey including 14 close‐ended and 1 open‐ended questions was repeated at several years' distance in a French military teaching hospital. Questionnaires were administered anonymously to the different actors involved: physicians, nurses, pharmacy staff.Results  Fifty‐seven users of an individualized dispensing system (29 nurses, 18 physicians and 10 pharmacy staff) were included in the survey. At the level of the establishment, users' opinion about the system was positive. None of the dimensions studied concerning the pharmaceutical service was rated negatively. Overall user opinion about the computer system was the only parameter rated negatively. In total, most dimensions were judged satisfactory: confidence in the individualized dispensing system, time of delivery at the care unit, impact on cost control, quality of the presentation of unit doses and performance of respondents. The benefit for the patients was judged very satisfactory. The workload involved, the frequency and severity of errors, the serviceability of the information processing system and its impact on patient safety were judged fairly satisfactory. Finally, the quality of pharmaceutical information was rated average.Conclusions  An evaluation of a service or a practice should include an assessment of how well the service meets the needs of the user and how well the service is provided. A comprehensive, reliable and valid instrument for assessing user's satisfaction with individualized dispensing system is then available in our hospital. This paper demonstrated the interest of using simple and robust tools in professional practice.
Occupational therapy in emergency departments: Australian practice
Authors: Cusick Anne , Johnson Lucinda , Bissett Michelle 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Some emergency departments (EDs) in the UK, North America and Australia have provided occupational therapy (OT) services for over 10 years; however, little is known about practice patterns as previous literature has focussed on single programmes or the generic contribution of allied health multidisciplinary teams to ED throughput and safe discharge.Aim  To describe practice patterns of OT services in Australian EDs.Method  Of 129 Australian public hospital EDs, 41 were identified to have offered OT services in the past 5 years (32%). Using snowball sampling an investigator designed survey was sent to 51 occupational therapists who were identified to have worked in these EDs in the past 5 years.Findings  30 subjects (58% response rate) from 21 sites participated. Mean age 30.4, 29 females, one male and an average of 9‐year clinical experience. OT service was usually provided within multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary teams by full‐time employed staff and patients were overwhelmingly Australian Triage Scale level 4 or 5 and were over 65 years. Few standardized assessment or outcome measures were used. The OT role was consistently focussed on functional assessment and provision of interventions such as equipment prescription, patient education and referral to community and support services to ensure safe discharge or inform inpatient admission decisions.
Analysing the SF‐36 in population‐based research. A comparison of methods of statistical approaches using chronic pain as an example
Authors: Torrance Nicola , Smith Blair H. , Lee Amanda J. , Aucott Lorna , Cardy Amanda , Bennett Michael I. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  The Medical Outcomes Study 36 Item Short‐Form (SF‐36) questionnaire is one of the most widely used measures of health related quality of life in medical research, including studies on pain‐related conditions. Although scores in each of its eight domains rarely conform to a normal distribution, it is most widely analysed using simple parametric statistical techniques. Some have suggested a need for more complex or non‐parametric analytical approaches, and this quandary faces researchers recurrently when using the SF‐36. In this study of chronic pain, we compared results arising from the SF‐36 between three study sub‐samples, using conventional parametric, non‐parametric, bootstrapping and log transforming methods.Methods  Respondents to a postal survey conducted in Aberdeen, Leeds and London (n = 3002, response rate 52%) were categorized in three groups according to previously validated questionnaires: those with chronic pain of predominantly neuropathic origin (POPNO, n = 241), those with chronic pain (non‐POPNO, n = 1179), and those with no chronic pain (n = 1537). SF‐36 scores were compared between these groups, using: ANOVA and t‐tests; Kruskall–Wallis and Mann–Whitney U‐tests; bootstrapping methods; and log transformation with ANOVA.Results  There were highly significant differences between the three groups, with lower scores in all SF‐36 domains found those with chronic pain (P < 0.001). Those with chronic POPNO had lower scores in all domains than those with chronic pain (non‐POPNO) (P < 0.001). These results were the same after applying each statistical methodConclusions  In this study, the choice of statistical approach had no influence on the results. We conclude that the conventional approach, using straightforward parametric tests, is both simplest and the best for allowing comparison with other studies. We are likely to adopt this in future studies.
Management of urinary incontinence in general practice: data from the Second Dutch National Survey
Authors: Van Gerwen Maaike A.G. , Schellevis Francois G. , Lagro‐Janssen Antoine L.M. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractObjective  The aim of this study was to provide insight into the referral pattern of newly diagnosed patients with urinary incontinence in general practice and into the prescription of medication and incontinence pads by general practitioners (GPs). We also examined the influence of gender and age of patient/GP on these patterns.Methods  Data were obtained from the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice. We used registered new episodes for urinary incontinence of patients of 25 years and older in the year 2001 and examined the initial management.Results  Twelve per cent of the patients were referred to a physiotherapist, 2.4% to a gynaecologist and 2.9% to a urologist. Medication was prescribed to 9.8% and 12.7% received incontinence pads. The number of female patients referred decreased significantly after 60 years of age and the number of incontinence pads and medication prescribed was higher in this age patient group. Gender of the GP did not influence the prescription or referral rate. Male patients were significantly less frequently referred than female patients.Conclusion  The lower referral rate and higher prescription rate of incontinence pads and medication at older age indicate that GPs are not sufficiently aware of the benefits of pelvic floor muscle training and bladder training at older age.We did not find an influence of gender of the GP on management of urinary incontinence, unlike previous research. GPs were reluctant in prescribing medication, which is in agreement with national and international guidelines.
Pressure ulcer prevention in intensive care patients: guidelines and practice
Authors: Shahin Eman S. M. , Dassen Theo , Halfens Ruud J. G. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Pressure ulcers are a potential problem in intensive care patients, and their prevention is a major issue in nursing care. This study aims to assess the allocation of preventive measures for patients at risk for pressure ulcers in intensive care and the evidence of applied pressure ulcer preventive measures in intensive care settings in respect to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) and Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) guidelines for pressure ulcer prevention.Design  The design of this study was a cross‐sectional study (point prevalence).Setting  The study setting was intensive care units. The sample consisted of 169 patients – 60 patients from surgical wards, 59 from interdisciplinary wards and 50 from medical intensive care wards.Results  The study results revealed that pressure reducing devices like mattresses (alternating pressure air, low air loss and foam) are applied for 58 (36.5%) patients, and all of these patients are at risk for pressure ulcer development. Most patients receive more than one nursing intervention, especially patients at risk. Nursing interventions applied are skin inspection, massage with moisture cream, nutrition and mobility (81.8%, 80.5%, 68.6% and 56.6%) respectively. Moreover, all applied pressure ulcer preventive measures in this study are in line with the guidelines of the EPUAP and AHCPR except massage which is applied to 8.8% of all patients.Conclusions  The use of pressure reducing devices and nursing interventions in intensive care patients are in line with international pressure ulcer guidelines. Only massage, which is also being used, should be avoided according to the recommendation of national and international guidelines.
A longitudinal study of motivation and competence in children with Down syndrome: early childhood to early adolescence
Authors: Gilmore L. , Cuskelly M. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Motivation has been identified as an area of difficulty for children with Down syndrome. Although individual differences in mastery motivation are presumed to have implications for subsequent competence, few longitudinal studies have addressed the stability of motivation and the predictive validity of early measures for later academic achievement, especially in atypical populations.Method  The participants were 25 children with Down syndrome. Mastery motivation, operationalised as persistence, was measured in early childhood and adolescence using tasks and parent report. At the older age, preference for challenge, another aspect of mastery motivation, was also measured and the children completed assessments of academic competence.Results  There were significant concurrent correlations among measures of persistence at both ages, and early task persistence was associated with later persistence. Persistence in early childhood was related to academic competence in adolescence, even when the effects of cognitive ability at the younger age were controlled.Conclusions  For children with Down syndrome, persistence appears to be an individual characteristic that is relatively stable from early childhood to early adolescence. The finding that early mastery motivation is significant for later achievement has important implications for the focus of early interventions.
How employment support and social integration programmes are viewed by the intellectually disabled
Authors: Cramm J. M. , Finkenflügel H. , Kuijsten R. , Van Exel N. J. A. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Supported employment is intended to facilitate and promote participation and integration of intellectually disabled citizens in society. This study investigated their view of the programme.Methods  Q‐methodology was used. Eighteen respondents with a mild intellectual disability rank‐ordered 22 statements representing five main aspects of supported employment. The data were factor‐analysed to group respondents according to their views. Q‐methodology was a feasible approach that facilitated in‐depth conversations with respondents with a mild intellectual disability in a playful manner.Results  Two views on the impact of supported employment on social integration were observed: ‘work as participation’ and ‘work as structure’. The first placed greater value on participation, task variety, belonging, and feeling appreciated; the second placed greater value on working independently, clear working agreements, and friendly co‐workers. The views indicate two distinct approaches to effecting a positive relationship between supported employment and social integration.Conclusion  From the perspective of people with an intellectual disability supported employment contributes to self‐development and has a positive effect on well‐being, albeit in different ways for the individual groups.
Social support and intellectual disabilities: a comparison between social networks of adults with intellectual disability and those with physical disability
Authors: Lippold T. , Burns J. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractBackground  Social support has been identified as a major protective factor in preventing mental health problems and also as a major contributor to quality of life. People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have been identified as having limited social support structures. Interventions have been focused on promoting their social presence and integration. However, previous studies have shown that this does not always lead to the formation of social relationships. To date few studies have looked at how having an ID leads to impoverished social networks. This study aimed to do this by contrasting the social relationships of people with physical disabilities (PD) and people with ID.Methods  Two groups of participants were recruited; 30 people with mild ID and 17 people with PD. Social and functional support networks were assessed, in addition to life experiences. Between and within group differences were then explored statistically.Results  Adults with ID had more restricted social networks than PD, despite being involved in more activities. Social support for adults with ID was mainly provided by family and carers and few relationships with non‐disabled people were identified. In contrast adults with PD had larger social networks than had been reported in the mainstream literature and had a balance of relationships with disabled and non‐disabled people.Conclusions  The results suggest that there are additional processes attached to having an ID, which lead to continued impoverished lifestyles. The findings also endorse other work that suggests being physically integrated and engaged in a wide range of activities does not guarantee good social and emotional support.
Automated tracking of migrating cells in phase‐contrast video microscopy sequences using image registration
Authors: HAND A.J. , SUN T. , BARBER D.C. , HOSE D.R. , MACNEIL S. 
Published: March 2009

SummaryAnalysis ofin vitrocell motility is a useful tool for assessing cellular response to a range of factors. However, the majority of cell‐tracking systems available are designed primarily for use with fluorescently labelled images. In this paper, five commonly used tracking systems are examined for their performance compared with the use of a novel in‐house cell‐tracking system based on the principles of image registration and optical flow. Image registration is a tool commonly used in medical imaging to correct for the effects of patient motion during imaging procedures and works well on low‐contrast images, such as those found in bright‐field and phase‐contrast microscopy. The five cell‐tracking systems examined were Retrac, a manual tracking system used as the gold standard; CellTrack, a recently released freely downloadable software system that uses a combination of tracking methods; ImageJ, which is a freely available piece of software with a plug‐in for automated tracking (MTrack2) and Imaris and Volocity, both commercially available automated tracking systems. All systems were used to track migration of human epithelial cells over ten frames of a phase‐contrast time‐lapse microscopy sequence. This showed that the in‐house image‐registration system was the most effective of those tested when tracking non‐dividing epithelial cells in low‐contrast images, with a successful tracking rate of 95%. The performance of the tracking systems was also evaluated by tracking fluorescently labelled epithelial cells imaged with both phase‐contrast and confocal microscopy techniques. The results showed that using fluorescence microscopy instead of phase contrast does improve the tracking efficiency for each of the tested systems. For the in‐house software, this improvement was relatively small (<5% difference in tracking success rate), whereas much greater improvements in performance were seen when using fluorescence microscopy with Volocity and ImageJ.
Species‐wide phylogeography of North American mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus): cryptic glacial refugia and postglacial recolonization
Authors: LATCH EMILY K. , HEFFELFINGER JAMES R. , FIKE JENNIFER A. , RHODES Jr OLIN E. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractQuaternary climatic oscillations greatly influenced the present‐day population genetic structure of animals and plants. For species with high dispersal and reproductive potential, phylogeographic patterns resulting from historical processes can be cryptic, overshadowed by contemporary processes. Here we report a study of the phylogeography of Odocoileus hemionus, a large, vagile ungulate common throughout western North America. We examined sequence variation of mitochondrial DNA (control region and cytochrome b) within and among 70 natural populations across the entire range of the species. Among the 1766 individual animals surveyed, we recovered 496 haplotypes. Although fine‐scale phylogenetic structure was weakly resolved using phylogenetic methods, network analysis clearly revealed the presence of 12 distinct haplogroups. The spatial distribution of haplogroups showed a strong genetic discontinuity between the two morphological types of O. hemionus, mule deer and black‐tailed deer, east and west of the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. Within the mule deer lineage, we identified several haplogroups that expanded before or during the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting that mule deer persisted in multiple refugia south of the ice sheets. Patterns of genetic diversity within the black‐tailed deer lineage suggest a single refugium along the Pacific Northwest coast, and refute the hypothesis that black‐tailed deer persisted in one or more northern refugia. Our data suggest that black‐tailed deer recolonized areas in accordance with the pattern of glacial retreat, with initial recolonization northward along a coastal route and secondary recolonization inland.
Functional characteristics of apheresis‐derived platelets treated with ultraviolet light combined with either amotosalen‐HCl (S‐59) or riboflavin (vitamin B2) for pathogen‐reduction
Authors: Picker S. M. , Oustianskaia L. , Schneider V. , Gathof B. S. 
Published: March 2009

Background  To examine if different pathogen‐reduction technologies (PRTs) induce different degrees of platelet (PLT) storage lesion.Design  Twenty‐seven split triple‐dose apheresis PLTs were PRT treated using ultraviolet light with either riboflavin (M) or psoralen (I) or remained untreated (C). Samples taken on days (d) 0 to 8 were analysed for PLT count, blood gas (pH, pO2 and pCO2), metabolism (lactate, glucose, ATP content), in vitro function [swirling, hypotonic shock response (HSR) and aggregation], activation (p‐selectin expression) and cellular integrity (JC‐1 signal, annexin A5 release).Results  Platelet counts of all study groups remained unchanged during storage indicating that PRT treatment did not induce relevant cell lysis. Although M units demonstrated the highest values for HSR until d5, PRT treatment lowered all parameters examined with significant differences to untreated controls by d7 of storage. During final storage, M was significantly superior over I for HSR, aggregation with TRAP‐6 as agonist (collagen was similar), annexin A5 release and JC‐1 signal. Regarding blood gas and metabolic analysis, the most evident effect of PRT was an elevated glycolytic flux combined with higher acidity due to increased lactate accumulation. Most likely due to impaired O2 consumption, pH and ATP decreased more rapidly in I relative to C and M.Conclusion  Pathogen reduction technology‐treated PLTs remained comparable to untreated units throughout 7 days of storage. Mitochondria‐based oxidative respiration appeared up‐regulated after the riboflavin‐based PRT. Compared to the psoralen‐based PRT, this resulted in significantly better ATP maintenance and in vitro function during the last storage period (d7, d8).
Type‐I interferon receptor expression: Its circadian rhythm and downregulation after interferon‐α administration in peripheral blood cells from renal cancer patients
Authors: Shiba Masahiro , Nonomura Norio , Nakai Yasutomo , Nakayama Masashi , Takayama Hitoshi , Inoue Hitoshi , Tsujimura Akira , Nishimura Kazuo , Okuyama Akihiko 
Published: March 2009

Objectives:  To investigate the regulation of interferon‐α (IFN‐α) receptor expression in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after IFN‐α administration.Methods:  Blood sampling was carried out in eight patients with metastatic RCC and six healthy volunteers. Flow‐cytometric analysis using a monoclonal antibody against the active subunit of the type‐I IFN‐α receptor (IFNAR2) was carried out to examine the circadian rhythm of IFNAR2 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as well as its downregulation after IFN‐α administration.Results:  According to its circadian rhythm IFNAR2 in PBMC had a peak expression at night. Once IFN‐α is administered, IFNAR2 levels in PBMC showed downregulation within 48 h and recovered within another 48 h.Conclusions:  Our findings might support the establishment of an optimal schedule for IFN‐α administration.
Maternal complete heart block in pregnancy: Analysis of four cases and review of management
Authors: Suri Vanita , Keepanasseril Anish , Aggarwal Neelam , Vijayvergiya Rajesh , Chopra Seema , Rohilla Meenakshi 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAim:  Maternal complete heart block (CHB), which manifests for the first time during pregnancy and peurperium, poses a challenge to treating physicians. We present here four cases that were diagnosed during pregnancy and peurperium, and we discuss their management issues.Methods:  A retrospective analysis of a 3‐year period was carried out in a referral hospital in northern India. The course of pregnancy, disease and perinatal outcome in women with CHB diagnosed during pregnancy was studied.Results:  Of the four patients who presented with CHB, only one had a structural cardiac lesion (corrected transposition of great arteries). All of the women had an uneventful delivery. Two women were given prophylactic temporary pacing before labor and three women required subsequent permanent pacing. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) was present in two babies and preterm labor occurred in one patient. None of the neonates had any rhythm disturbances.Conclusion:  When a multidisciplinary approach is used, both maternal and neonatal outcomes are good. The incidence of IUGR and preterm birth may be on the increase; hence, clinical vigilance for these conditions is warranted.