Continuing to evolve: opportunities to share technology enhancements with health sciences library peers through the Virtual Projects Section.

Beginning in 2012, the Virtual Projects section of the Journal of the Medical Library Association has provided an opportunity for library leaders and technology experts to share with others how new technologies are being adopted by health sciences libraries. From educational purposes to online tools that enhance library services or access to resources, the Virtual Projects section brings technology use examples to the forefront. Virtual Projects highlighted in this year's section include new ways to use virtual reality for library instruction, podcasting to share important health care messages with the Latino Community, enhancing findability by using options in a library management system, and developing a research profiling system. After a hiatus due to publishing changes in 2022, 2023 will bring some major changes for the section. The new publication issue for future Virtual Projects sections will be January and the call for submissions and Virtual Projects deadline will now take place in June and July.

The impact of added mass placement on metabolic and temporal-spatial characteristics of transfemoral prosthetic gait.

BACKGROUND: Despite prosthetic technology advancements, individuals with transfemoral amputation have compromised temporal-spatial gait parameters and high metabolic requirements for ambulation. It is unclear how adding mass at different locations on a transfemoral prosthesis might affect these outcomes. Research question Does walking with mass added at different locations on a transfemoral prosthesis affect temporal-spatial gait parameters and metabolic requirements compared to walking with no additional mass? METHODS: Fourteen participants with unilateral transfemoral amputations took part. A 1.8 kg mass was added to their prostheses in three locations: Knee, just proximal to the prosthetic knee; Shank, mid-shank on the prosthesis; or Ankle, just proximal to the prosthetic foot. Temporal-spatial gait parameters were collected as participants walked over a GAITRite® walkway and metabolic data were collected during treadmill walking for each of these conditions and with no mass added, the None condition. Separate linear mixed effects models were created and post-hoc tests to compare with the control condition of None were performed with a significance level of 0.05. RESULTS: Overground self-selected walking speed for Ankle was significantly slower than for None (p < 0.05) (None: 1.16 ± 0.24; Knee: 1.15 ± 0.19; Shank: 1.14 ± 0.24; Ankle 0.99 ± 0.20 m/s). Compared to None, Ankle showed significantly increased oxygen consumption during treadmill walking (p < 0.05) (None: 13.82 ± 2.98; Knee: 13.83 ± 2.82; Shank: 14.30 ± 2.89; Ankle 14.56 ± 2.99 ml O2/kg/min). Other metabolic outcomes (power, cost of transport, oxygen cost) showed similar trends. Knee and Shank did not have significant negative effects on any metabolic or temporal-spatial parameters, as compared to None (p > 0.05). Significance Results suggest that additional mass located mid-shank or further proximal on a transfemoral prosthesis may not have negative temporal-spatial or metabolic consequences. Clinicians, researchers, and designers may be able to utilize heavier components, as long as the center of mass is not further distal than mid-shank, without adversely affecting gait parameters or metabolic requirements.

Sex and region-specific effects of variable stress on microglia morphology.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common and debilitating mood disorder that is more prevalent in women than men. In humans, PET imaging of microglia activation is currently being explored as a potential biomarker of MDD and suicidal ideation. Stress is a trigger for many mood disorders, including MDD. Microglial changes in morphology and activation state in response to stress has been reported in various brain regions, but most studies only examined male subjects. Here we report changes in microglia morphology in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and subregions of the hippocampus (HPC) in both male and female mice following variable stress of 6 or 28 days in duration. Our data demonstrate that after 6 days of stress, microglia in the female NAc and dentate gyrus have a reduction in homeostatic associated morphology and an increase in primed microglia. After 28 days some of these sex specific stress effects were still present in microglia within the NAc but not the dentate gyrus. There were no effects of stress in either sex at either timepoint in CA1. In female mice, anti-inflammatory activation of microglia using rosiglitazone promoted sociability behavior after 6 days of stress. Furthermore, both drug and stress have impact on microglia morphology and activation state in the NAc. These data suggest that microglia morphology and activation state are altered by 6 days of variable stress in a region-specific manner and may contribute to, or potentially compensate for, the onset of stress susceptibility rather than impacting long term exposure to stress.

A prospective cohort evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of the chest X-ray for the detection of lung cancer in symptomatic adults.

BACKGROUND: The accuracy of the chest x-ray (CXR) in the identification of lung cancer amongst symptomatic individuals is uncertain. PURPOSE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of the CXR for the detection of non-small cell carcinomas (NSCLC) and all primary intrathoracic malignancies. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of consecutive CXR reports obtained within a primary care open access initiative. Eligibility criteria were symptoms specified by National Institute for Clinical Excellence as indicative of possible lung cancer and age over 50-yrs. A positive test was a CXR which led directly or indirectly to investigation with CT. The reference standards were malignancies observed within a one- or two-year post-test period. RESULTS: 8,948 CXR outcomes were evaluated. 496 positive studies led to a diagnosis of 101 patients with primary intrathoracic malignancy including 80 with NSCLC. Within two-years, a cumulative total of 168 patients with primary intrathoracic malignancies including 133 NSCLC were observed. The sensitivity and specificity for NSCLC were 76% (95 %CI 68-84) and 95% (95 %CI 95-96) within 1-year and 60% (95 %CI 52-69) and 95% (95 %CI 95-96) within 2-years. The 2-yr positive and negative likelihood ratios were 12.8 and 0.4. The results did not differ for NSCLC compared to all primary malignancies. Within this symptomatic population a negative test reduced the 2-year risk of lung cancer to 0.8%. CONCLUSIONS: A positive test strongly increases the probability of malignancy whereas a negative test does not conclusively exclude the disease. The findings allow the risk of malignancy following a negative test to be estimated.

From enhanced collaborations to space advancements: technologies to bring libraries (and librarians) full circle and into the future.

Since the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) Virtual Projects section was first announced in 2012, the virtual projects featured in the JMLA have expanded or improved library spaces, services, collaborations, connections, and future directions. Virtual projects selected by the JMLA Virtual Projects Section Advisory Committee have been both practical and responsive to library and patron needs and illustrate ways that librarians are leading their communities and services in new directions. Virtual projects highlighted in this year's section demonstrate innovative adaptations of technology into the modern medical library that strengthen collaborative commitments and clinical and research partnerships. They also illustrate how technologies support the idea of "library as place" by providing spaces for users to explore new technologies, as well as tools for space and service planning. This year's virtual projects fully embrace changes in learning, research patterns, technologies, and the role of the health sciences librarian and the library.

Preliminary Analysis of a Modified Screening Tool to Increase the Frequency of Palliative Care Consults.

PURPOSE: Palliative care interventions have been shown to improve patient quality of life but the benefit may be less if interventions occur late in the patient's disease process. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether an objective screening tool could improve the frequency and timeliness of palliative care consultation. METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental design with 2 geographically separate medical intensive care units (MICUs), the control MICU continued existing consultation practice and the intervention MICU implemented a screening tool with each new admission. Any item checked on the screening tool triggered a palliative care consult within 24 hours of admission to the MICU. RESULTS: A total of 223 MICU admissions were evaluated: 156 patients in the control group and 67 patients in the intervention group. More consults were generated in the intervention group (22.39%) compared to the control group (7.05%; P < .001). The median time to consultation was lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (1 day vs 2 days; P < .01). CONCLUSION: Implementing a simple, objective screening tool increased palliative consultation rates and decreased median time to palliative consultation in our institution's MICU.

Genome Sequences of 19 Novel Erwinia amylovora Bacteriophages.

Erwinia amylovora is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating disease affecting some plants of the Rosaceae family. We isolated bacteriophages from samples collected from infected apple and pear trees along the Wasatch Front in Utah. We announce 19 high-quality complete genome sequences of E. amylovora bacteriophages.

Seeing the Big Picture: Sustaining Success in Liaison Services.

While the liaison program at the Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences has existed for more than 15 years, it has yet to be fully evaluated. This article seeks to evaluate the scope and impact of the program at a broad level using quantitative and qualitative data. Descriptive statistics to summarize liaison activity were collected for the fiscal years 2012-2016. In addition, liaisons and users were surveyed to gain insight into the effectiveness and the perception of the program. Program statistics show that users' engagement with liaisons is high and growing. Qualitative data reveals that while better methods are needed to assess the extent of the program's impact, users appreciate the value that liaisons bring by supporting the educational and research missions of various programs.

Educational technologies in health sciences libraries: teaching technology skills.

As technology rapidly changes, libraries remain go-to points for education and technology skill development. In academic health sciences libraries, trends suggest librarians provide more training on technology topics than ever before. While education and training have always been roles for librarians, providing technology training on new mobile devices and emerging systems requires class creation and training capabilities that are new to many librarians. To appeal to their users, many health sciences librarians are interested in developing technology-based classes. This column explores the question: what skills are necessary for developing and teaching technology in an academic health sciences library setting?