Flourishing: positive emotion regulation strategies of pharmacy students.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether flourishing students use different emotion regulation strategies from moderately mentally healthy and languishing students. METHODS: Registered pharmacy students (779) at the North-West University in South Africa completed the emotion regulation profile and Mental Health Continuum - Short Form. The data were analysed using a latent class analysis in Mplus 7.31. KEY FINDINGS: Three latent classes were revealed comprising languishing (14.2%), moderately mentally healthy (47.5%) and flourishing students (38.3%). Students who flourished were more likely to use adaptive positive emotion regulation strategies (savouring the moment, behavioural display, capitalising). Students who languished were inclined to use maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (inattention, fault finding, external attribution). CONCLUSION: Flourishing students increase or maintain their positive emotions and refrain from decreasing their positive emotions.

Antecedents of basic psychological need satisfaction of pharmacy students: The role of peers, family, lecturers and workload.

BACKGROUND: Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a model to improve pharmacy students' well-being or functioning in their study context. According to SDT, students need a context that satisfies their needs for autonomy, relatedness and competence in order to function optimally. Contextual factors that could have an impact on a student's functioning are lecturers, family, peers and workload. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether there is a difference between the contributions family, lecturers, peers and workload make towards the satisfaction of pharmacy students' basic psychological needs within a university context. METHODS: An electronic survey was administered amongst students registered with the North-West University's School of Pharmacy. Registered pharmacy students, 779, completed said electronic survey comprised of a questionnaire on demographics, BMPN (Balanced Measure of Psychological Needs) and self-developed ANPNS (Antecedents of Psychological Need-satisfaction Scale). Data derived from the afore-going was analysed with the aid of structural equation modelling (SEM). RESULTS: Structural equation modelling explained 46%, 25% and 30% respectively of the total group's variances in autonomy, competence and relatedness satisfaction, and 26% of the variance in psychological need frustration. Peers and family played a significant role in the satisfaction of students' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence, whilst workload seemingly hampered satisfaction with regards to relatedness and autonomy. Workload contributed towards frustration with regards to psychological need satisfaction. The role played by lecturers in satisfying pharmacy students' need for autonomy, relatedness and competence will also be highlighted. CONCLUSIONS: This study added to the body of knowledge regarding contextual factors and the impact those factors have on pharmacy students' need satisfaction by illustrating that not all factors (family, lecturers, peers and workload) can be considered equal. Lecturers ought to recognise the important role family and peers play in the emotional and mental wellbeing of students and utilise those factors in their teaching. SYNOPSIS: The mechanism of basic psychological need satisfaction as described in Self-determination theory provide insight into pharmacy students' optimal functioning. Hence the influence of contextual factors, (lecturers, peers, family and workload) on the need satisfaction was investigated by means of a survey. The structural model explained 46%, 25% and 30% of the variances in autonomy, competence and relatedness satisfaction and 26% of the variance in psychological need frustration. Family and Peer support contributed the most to the variance explained of the variables. Lecturers should acknowledge this important role of family and peers and utilise this premise when they design learning encounters.

Perforated peptic ulcer disease: a review of history and treatment.

BACKGROUND: In the last one hundred years much has been written on peptic ulcer disease and the treatment options for one of its most common complications: perforation. The reason for reviewing the literature was evaluating most common ideas on how to treat perforated peptic ulcers (PPU) in general, opinions on conservative treatment and surgical treatment and summarizing ideas about necessary pre-, per- and postoperative proceedings. METHOD: All relevant articles found by Medline, Ovid and PubMed search were used. RESULTS: A hundred articles written between 1929 and 2009 were reviewed. Of these, 9 were about the history of treatment, 7 about conservative treatment, and 26 were about the surgical procedure of which 8 were addressing laparoscopic correction. Overall there is no consensus, but some advice is given. For conservative treatment there are only a few indications. Use of an omental patch is recommended, irrigation and drainage are not. Laparoscopic correction of PPU as well as for definitive ulcer surgery has many advantages. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for PPU is still a subject of debate despite more than an era of published expertise, indicating the need for establishing guidelines.

Laparoscopic correction of perforated peptic ulcer: first choice? A review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Perforated peptic ulcer (PPU), despite antiulcer medication and Helicobacter eradication, is still the most common indication for emergency gastric surgery associated with high morbidity and mortality. Outcome might be improved by performing this procedure laparoscopically, but there is no consensus on whether the benefits of laparoscopic closure of perforated peptic ulcer outweigh the disadvantages such as prolonged surgery time and greater expense. METHODS: An electronic literature search was done by using PubMed and EMBASE databases. Relevant papers written between January 1989 and May 2009 were selected and scored according to Effective Public Health Practice Project guidelines. RESULTS: Data were extracted from 56 papers, as summarized in Tables 1-7. The overall conversion rate for laparoscopic correction of perforated peptic ulcer was 12.4%, with main reason for conversion being the diameter of perforation. Patients presenting with PPU were predominantly men (79%), with an average age of 48 years. One-third had a history of peptic ulcer disease, and one-fifth took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Only 7% presented with shock at admission. There seems to be no consensus on the perfect setup for surgery and/or operating technique. In the laparoscopic groups, operating time was significant longer and incidence of recurrent leakage at the repair site was higher. Nonetheless there was significant less postoperative pain, lower morbidity, less mortality, and shorter hospital stay. CONCLUSION: There are good arguments that laparoscopic correction of PPU should be first treatment of choice. A Boey score of 3, age over 70 years, and symptoms persisting longer than 24 h are associated with higher morbidity and mortality and should be considered contraindications for laparoscopic intervention.

Randomized clinical trial of laparoscopic versus open repair of the perforated peptic ulcer: the LAMA Trial.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic surgery has become popular during the last decade, mainly because it is associated with fewer postoperative complications than the conventional open approach. It remains unclear, however, if this benefit is observed after laparoscopic correction of perforated peptic ulcer (PPU). The goal of the present study was to evaluate whether laparoscopic closure of a PPU is as safe as conventional open correction. METHODS: The study was based on a randomized controlled trial in which nine medical centers from the Netherlands participated. A total of 109 patients with symptoms of PPU and evidence of air under the diaphragm were scheduled to receive a PPU repair. After exclusion of 8 patients during the operation, outcomes were analyzed for laparotomy (n = 49) and for the laparoscopic procedure (n = 52). RESULTS: Operating time in the laparoscopy group was significantly longer than in the open group (75 min versus 50 min). Differences regarding postoperative dosage of opiates and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain scoring system were in favor of the laparoscopic procedure. The VAS score on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7 was significant lower (P < 0.05) in the laparoscopic group. Complications were equally distributed. Hospital stay was also comparable: 6.5 days in the laparoscopic group versus 8.0 days in the open group (P = 0.235). CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic repair of PPU is a safe procedure compared with open repair. The results considering postoperative pain favor the laparoscopic procedure.

Comparison of closure of gastric perforation ulcers with biodegradable lactide-glycolide-caprolactone or omental patches.

BACKGROUND: The current treatment of perforated peptic ulcers is primary closure, supported by the application of an omental patch. It is difficult and time consuming to perform this procedure by laparoscopic surgery, largely because of the required suturing. It was our aim to develop and test a new method of closure for gastric perforation that is similar in efficacy and safety to a traditional repair. This technique could have utility in laparoscopic repair, as it does not require sutures or mobilization of the omentum. METHOD: The new method, called the "stamp" method consists of closure of the perforation by gluing a biodegradable patch made of lactide-glycolide-caprolacton (LGC, Polyganics, B.V. Groningen, The Netherlands) on the outside of the stomach. It was compared with the omental patch procedure. Perforations were made in the stomach of 20 rats and closed by either method (10 rats in each group). The rats were followed for 10 weeks. RESULTS: No complications were seen in any of the rats. In both groups, histological degradation of the patch by giant cells started at week 2. No signs of inflammation existed in either group. Signs of closure of the mucosa were seen after 2 weeks, and the muscular layer started to regenerate after 8 weeks in both groups. CONCLUSION: Results of both methods were similar, which means that treatment of a gastric perforation through the application of a biodegradable patch to the outside of the stomach is a feasible option and might even be an interesting technique for closure of other perforations in the digestive tract.

Clinical instruction: train the trainer.

With the growing shortage of faculty needed to teach students, faculty are developing innovative strategies to meet the needs of their students. With grant money, our school of nursing implemented a Clinical Nursing Institute for the purpose of increasing the number and quality of clinical teachers.

Warming the nursing education climate for traditional-age learners who are male.

For nurse educators to facilitate student learning and the achievement of desired cognitive, affective, and psychomotor outcomes, they need to be competent in recognizing the influence of gender, experience, and other factors on teaching and learning. A study was conducted in one academic institution to describe how traditional-age male learners' perceptions of the nursing education climate compare to perceptions of female learners. Interviews were conducted with a sample of four male and four female learners. Additional data from interviews with nurse educators, classroom observations, and a review of textbooks provided breadth and depth to their perceptions. Findings support a nursing education climate that is cooler to traditional-age male learners and warmer to traditional-age female learners. The main cooling factor for men was caused by nurse educators' characteristics and unsupportive behaviors. Additional factors inside and outside the education environment contributed to a cooler climate for the male learners. Based on these findings, strategies for nurse educators to warm the education climate for traditional-age male learners are presented.

Harnessing data mining to explore incident databases.

Large numbers of incident related databases have been established in the last three decades. The majority of attempts to explore these data marts were trials to identify patterns via first glance into the datasets. This study investigated a subset of incidents from fixed facilities in Harris County, TX, extracted from the National Response Center database. By classifying the information into groups and using data mining techniques, interesting patterns of incidents according to characteristics such as type of equipment involved, type of chemical released and causes involved were revealed and further these were used to modify the annual failure probabilities of equipments.

A prospective clinical evaluation of biodegradable neurolac nerve guides for sensory nerve repair in the hand.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to study the recovery of sensory nerve function after treatment of traumatic peripheral nerve lesions with a biodegradable poly(DL-lactide-epsilon-caprolactone) Neurolac nerve guide (Polyganics B.V., Groningen, the Netherlands) versus the current standard reconstruction techniques. METHODS: Thirty patients with 34 nerve lesions were included in this randomized, multicenter trial. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable considering their demographics. After a small learning curve the nerve guide could be implanted easily. There were more complications in the experimental group but none of them was directly device related. Recovery of sensibility in the nerve guide group was at least as good as in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the Neurolac nerve guide is suitable for the repair of transected peripheral nerves in the hand.

Identification and mutation analysis of a cochlear-expressed, zinc finger protein gene at the DFNB7/11 and dn hearing-loss loci on human chromosome 9q and mouse chromosome 19.

The DFNB7/11 locus for autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) has been mapped to an approx. 1.5 Mb interval on human chromosome 9q13-q21. We have determined the cDNA sequence and genomic structure of a novel cochlear-expressed gene, ZNF216, that maps to the DFNB7/11 interval. The mouse orthologue of this gene maps to the murine dn (deafness) locus on mouse chromosome 19. The ZNF216 gene is highly conserved between human and mouse, and contains two regions that show homology to the putative zinc linger domains of other proteins. To determine it mutations in ZNF216 might be the cause of hearing loss at the DFNB7/11 locus, we screened the coding region of this gene in DFNB7/11 families by direct sequencing. No potential disease-causing mutations were found. In addition, Northern blot analysis showed no difference in ZNF216 transcript size or abundance between dn and control mice. These data Suggest that the ZNF216 gene is unlikely to be responsible for hearing loss at the DFNB7/11 and dn loci.

Construction of P1-derived artificial chromosome and yeast artificial chromosome contigs encompassing the DFNB7 and DFNB11 region of chromosome 9q13-21.

DFNB7 and DFNB11, two loci for autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL), have been mapped to chromosome 9q13-21 in separate consanguineous families. Using a radiation hybrid map, we have determined the correct marker order in the DFNB7/11 region and have demonstrated that the DFNB11 locus resides within a redefined DFNB7 interval. The gene(s) responsible for ARNSHL at these loci resides within an approximately 1 cM interval bounded by markers D9S1806 (centromeric) and D9S769 (telomeric). A recently discovered Indian family confirms the new telomeric boundary. To assist in the identification and cloning of candidate genes, YAC and PAC contigs were constructed. A total of 19 YAC and 23 PAC clones were utilized to span the affected region and ensure double coverage throughout. Twenty-two previously published STSs and 21 new STSs were used to determine marker order and confirm the integrity of the contig. Using a positional cloning strategy we have identified three cochlear expressed genes that map to the DFNB7/11 interval.

Usher's syndrome type IC: clinical studies and fine-mapping the disease locus.

Usher's syndrome type I is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, absent vestibular function, and progressive pigmentary retinopathy. Other identifying clinical features have not been documented. In this study, we examined olfactory acuity, plasma levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and sarcosine, and cilia ultrastructure in a homogeneous cohort of patients with Usher's syndrome type IC. The normal age-dependent decline in olfactory acuity was observed, and normal plasma levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids and sarcosine were found. However, the incidence of compound cilia in biopsies from the inferior turbinate was significantly higher than that reported in control populations. By reconstructing haplotypes in affected persons. D11S902 and D11S1310 were identified as flanking markers over an interval that contains a candidate gene, KCNC1. No mutations in the coding sequence of this gene could be demonstrated in affected persons.

A gene for autosomal dominant late-onset progressive non-syndromic hearing loss, DFNA10, maps to chromosome 6.

Late-onset non-syndromic hearing impairment is the most common type of neurological dysfunction in the elderly. It can be either acquired or inherited, although the relative impact of heredity on this type of loss is not known. To date, nine different genes have been localized, but none has been cloned. Using an extended American family in which a gene for autosomal dominant late-onset non-syndromic hearing impairment is segregating, we have identified a new locus, DFNA10, on chromosome 6.

Trimming and Washing of Beef Carcasses as a Method of Improving the Microbiological Quality of Meat.

A study to compare procedures and interventions for removing physical and bacterial contamination from beef carcasses was conducted in six carcass conversion operations that were representative of modern, high-volume plants and located in five different states. Treatment procedures included trimming, washing, and the current industry practice of trimming followed by washing. In addition, hot (74 to 87.8°C at the pipe) water washing and rinsing with ozone (0.3 to 2.3 ppm) or hydrogen peroxide (5%) were applied as intervention treatments. Beef carcasses were deliberately contaminated with bovine fecal material at >4.0 log colony-forming units (CFU)/cm2 in order to be better able to observe the decontaminating effects of the treatments. Carcasses were visually scored by 2 to 3 trained personnel for the level of gross contamination before and after treatment. Samples (10 by 15 cm, 0.3 to 0.5 cm thick) for microbiological testing were excised as controls or after application of each procedure or intervention and analyzed for aerobic mesophilic plate counts, Escherichia coli Biotype I counts, and presence or absence of Listeria spp., Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Average reductions in aerobic plate counts were 1.85 and 2.00 log CFU/cm2 for the treatments of trimming-washing and hot-water washing, respectively. Hydrogen peroxide and ozone reduced aerobic plate counts by 1.14 and 1.30 log CFU/cm2, respectively. In general, trimming and washing of beef carcasses consistently resulted in low bacterial populations and scores for visible contamination. However, the data also indicated that hot- (74 to 87.8°C at the pipe) water washing was an effective intervention that reduced bacterial and fecal contamination in a consistent manner.

Linkage of a gene for dominant non-syndromic deafness to chromosome 19.

Inherited hearing impairment can occur either in the presence of other clinical features (syndromic hearing loss, SHL) or in isolation (non-syndromic hearing loss, NSHL). The latter is more common and is highly heterogeneous. To date, six NSHL loci have been mapped. We report the identification of a seventh locus (DFNA4) on chromosome 19q13 and suggest DM kinase as a possible candidate gene.