The increasing concern about the adverse effects of overuse of smartphones during clinical practicum implies the need for policies restricting smartphone use while attending to patients. It is ...important to educate health personnel about the potential risks that can arise from the associated distraction.
The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the level of nomophobia and the distraction associated with smartphone use among nursing students during their clinical practicum.
A cross-sectional study was carried out on 304 nursing students. The nomophobia questionnaire (NMP-Q) and a questionnaire about smartphone use, the distraction associated with it, and opinions about phone restriction policies in hospitals were used.
A positive correlation between the use of smartphones and the total score of nomophobia was found. In the same way, there was a positive correlation between opinion about smartphone restriction polices with each of the dimensions of nomophobia and the total score of the questionnaire.
Nursing students who show high levels of nomophobia also regularly use their smartphones during their clinical practicum, although they also believe that the implementation of policies restricting smartphone use while working is necessary.
Aims and objectives
To analyse nursing students’ perceptions of the clinical learning environment and supervision and the connection between their satisfaction and intention of staying in their ...placement hospitals.
Background
Global nursing shortage necessitates strategies for the recruitment and retention of nurses. It is believed that nursing students’ clinical placement experiences can affect their learning outcomes, as well as influence their choice of future workplace.
Design
Cross‐sectional, correlational study.
Methods
One hundred and eighty nursing students participated in the study. The data were collected in person using The Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale tool. Students’ satisfaction with the clinical learning environment and learning process was measured using a 4‐point Likert scale developed by the researchers. The STROBE checklist was used in this paper.
Results
Nursing students perceived a favourable clinical learning environment and supervision in the hospitals where they undertook clinical placements, recording high levels of satisfaction and high levels of intention to stay and work there. The clinical learning environment and supervision established positive correlations with student satisfaction.
Conclusions
This study promotes the development of knowledge and understanding of how student satisfaction and intention to stay and work in their placement hospitals relates to the quality of the clinical learning environment and supervision, which could be helpful to the management of healthcare facilities and faculties in improving nursing education and retention/recruitment strategies.
Relevance to clinical practice
Nursing students represent the future of the nursing workforce, so managers of healthcare facilities and faculties should move towards promoting a clinical learning and supervisory environment where supervisors, tutors and staff are aware of their commitment to student education and promote optimal learning and positive experiences in order for students to feel satisfied and motivated to work in their placement hospitals.
Medication errors have long been associated with low-quality medical care services and significant additional medical costs.
The aim of this study was to culturally adapt and validate the ...questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in the administration of intravenous medication, as well as to explore these factors in a hospital setting.
The study was divided into two phases: 1) validation and cross-cultural adaptation, and 2) cross-sectional study. A total of 276 hospital-based nursing professionals participated in the study.
A Cronbach's alpha value of 0.849 was found, indicating good internal consistency. In the multivariate analysis, statistically significant differences were found between knowledge and attitudes, demonstrating that having greater suitable knowledge correlates with having a more positive attitude. It was also discovered that having a positive attitude as well as the necessary knowledge increases the possibility of engaging in adequate behaviors.
The knowledge, attitudes and behavior questionnaire has a satisfactory internal consistency in order to be applied to the Spanish context. Implications for nursing management: Knowledge acquisition and positive attitude are both factors which promote adequate behavior, which in turn seems to have an impact on medication errors prevention. Health institutions must encourage continuous education for their employees.
The interactions of dsDNA with new targeted drug delivery derivatives of doxorubicin (DOX), such as DOX embedded into phospholipid nanoparticles (NPhs) and DOX with the NGR targeted peptide-modified ...NPhs were studied electrochemically by differential pulse voltammetry technique. Screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), modified with stable fine dispersions of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), were used for quantitative electrochemical investigations of direct electrochemical oxidation of guanine, adenine, and thymine heterocyclic bases of dsDNA, and their changes in the presence of DOX nanoderivatives. Analysing the shifts of peak potentials of nucleobases in the presence of drug, we have shown that the doxorubicin with NGR targeted peptide changed the mode of interaction in DNA-drug complexes from intercalative to electrostatic. Binding constants (
) of DNA-drug complexes were calculated in accordance with adenine, guanine, and thymine oxidation signals. Based on our experiments, we have proven that the surface modification of a drug delivery system with NGR targeted peptide dramatically changed the mechanism of interaction of drug with genetic material. DNA-mediated drug toxicity was calculated based on the concentration-dependent "response" of heterocyclic nucleobases on drug influence. DOX, DOX-loaded phospholipid nanoparticles (NPhs), and DOX with NGR addressed peptide-modified NPhs were moderately toxic in the concentration range of 0.5-290 µM.
The development of effective drugs to treat coronavirus infections remains a significant challenge for the scientific community. Recent evidence reports on the sigma-1 receptor (S1R) as a key ...druggable host protein in the SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 interactomes and shows a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 for the S1R antagonist PB28. To improve PB28 activity, we designed and tested a series of its analogues and identified a compound that is fourfold more potent against SARS-CoV-2 than PB28 itself. Interestingly, we found no direct correlation between S1R affinity and SARS-CoV-2 antiviral activity. Building on this, we employed comparative induced fit docking and molecular dynamics simulations to gain insights into the possible mechanism that occurs when specific ligand-protein interactions take place and that may be responsible for the observed antiviral activity. Our findings offer a possible explanation for the experimental observations, provide insights into the S1R conformational changes upon ligand binding and lay the foundation for the rational design of new S1R ligands with potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and likely other viruses.
Improving screening of candidates for participation in sports requires accurate methods of identifying high-risk cardiovascular conditions (hr-CVCs) that predispose young people to sudden cardiac ...death (SCD). ...electrocardiography (ECG) can capture some hr-CVCs, but it cannot accurately identify coronary anomalies (3,4) or some cardiomyopathies (CMPs). ...in a pilot study of a potentially more accurate screening method, we attempted to estimate the prevalence of hr-CVCs in young people by using a screening protocol that involved a questionnaire, resting electrocardiogram, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Total Cohort (N = 5,243) 11-14 Yrs of Age (n = 4,310) >=15 Yrs of Age (n = 897) n Frequency (%) 95% CI n Frequency (%) n Frequency (%) Any high-risk cardiovascular condition 70 1.34 1.04-1.68 57 1.32 13 1.45 High-risk ACAOS 23 0.44 0.28-0.66 20 0.46 3 0.33 Left ACAOS with intramural course 6 0.11 0.04-0.25 6 0.14 0 0.00 Right ACAOS 17 0.32 0.19-0.52 14 0.32 3 0.33 High-risk cardiomyopathy 14 0.27 0.15-0.45 6 0.14 8 0.89 Dilated cardiomyopathy 11 0.21 0.10-0.38 5 0.12 6 0.67 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy 3 0.06 0.01-0.17 1 0.02 2 0.22 High-risk electrocardiographic conditions 33 0.63 0.43-0.88 31 0.72 2 0.22 Brugada syndrome 1 0.02 0.00-0.10 0 0.00 1 0.11 Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome 3 0.06 0.01-0.17 3 0.07 0 0.00 QTc interval >470 ms 29 0.55 0.37-0.79 28 0.65 1 0.11 QTc interval >490 ms 5 0.09 5 0.12 0 1 K.G. Harmon, I.M. Asif, D. Klossner, J.A. Drezner, Incidence of sudden cardiac death in National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes, Circulation, Vol. 123, 2011, 1594-1600 2 T.E. Paterick, M.F. Jan, Z.R. Paterick, Cardiac evaluation of collegiate student athletes: a medical and legal perspective, Am J Med, Vol. 125, 2012, 742-752 3 G. Grazioli, B. Merino, S. Montserrat, Usefulness of echocardiography in preparticipation screening of competitive athletes, Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed), Vol. 67, 2014, 701-705 4 E.S. Yim, F. Basilico, G. Corrado, Early screening for cardiovascular abnormalities with preparticipation echocardiography: utility of focused physician-operated echocardiography in preparticipation screening of athletes, J Ultrasound Med, Vol. 33, 2014, 307-313 5 R.E. Eckart, S.L. Scoville, C.L. Campbell, Sudden death in young adults: a 25-year review of autopsies in military recruits, Ann Intern Med, Vol. 141, 2004, 829-834
A first-dose of various vaccines provides acceptable protection against infections by SARS-CoV-2 and evolution to the most severe forms of COVID-19. The recombinant adenovirus (rAd)-based vaccine, ...Gam-COVID-Vac (Sputnik V), was proven efficacious but information about effectiveness in the real-world setting is lacking. The aim of our study was to investigate the association between the rollout of the first component (rAd26) of Gam-COVID-Vac and PCR-positive tests, hospitalisations and deaths.
We conducted a retrospective cohort study which analyzed individuals aged 60-79 who self-registered in the online vaccination system of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, from December 29, 2020 to March 21, 2021. Exclusion criteria were having a previous positive RT-PCR or antigen tests for SARS-CoV-2, having received other vaccines, or two doses of any vaccine.
Proportions of new laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections, hospitalisations and deaths until 83 days of vaccination were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects. Vaccine effectiveness for the three outcomes was calculated as (1–OR) × 100. Kaplan-Meier cumulative incidence curves were constructed.
During the study period 415995 registered subjects received the first component of Gam-COVID-Vac; 40387 belonged to the 60-79 age group, and were compared to 38978 unvaccinated. Vaccine effectiveness for preventing laboratory-confirmed infections was 78•6% CI95% 74·8 - 81·7; and for reducing hospitalizations and deaths was, respectively, 87·6% CI95% 80·3 - 92·2 and 84·8% CI95% 75·0 - 90·7. Effectiveness was high across all subgroups.
Similarly to other vaccines, the administration of one dose of Gam-COVID-Vac was effective for a wide range of COVID-19–related outcomes.
This study did not receive any funding.
The defective component of viral populations Rezelj, Veronica V; Levi, Laura I; Vignuzzi, Marco
Current opinion in virology,
December 2018, 2018-12-00, 20181201, Letnik:
33
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
•Defective interfering particles are particles containing degenerate forms of the virus genomes that are non-replicative per se, but remain infectious by complementation with wild-type ...virus.•Although defective interfering particles were historically considered artefacts of virus propagation in vitro, they have been described for almost every virus family, and have been identified in clinical and natural isolates.•Defective interfering particles play a significant role in modulation of disease outcome and immune responses, virus persistence and virus evolution.
Particles containing degenerate forms of the viral genome which interfere with virus replication and are non-replicative per se are known as defective interfering particles (DIPs). DIPs are likely to be produced upon infection by any virus in vitro and in nature. Until recently, roles of these non-viable particles as members of a multi-component viral system have been overlooked. In this review, we cover the most recent studies that shed light on critical roles of DIPs during the course of infection, including: the modulation of virus replication, innate immune responses, disease outcome and virus persistence, as well as the evolution of the viral population. Together, these reports allow us to conceive a more complete picture of the virion population, and highlight the fact that DIPs are not a negligible subset of this population but instead can greatly influence the fate of infection.
•We measure infection of human (A549-ACE2) and animal (Vero-E6) cells by SARS-CoV-2.•We use mathematical modelling to estimate SARS-CoV-2 infection parameters.•SARS-CoV-2 infection rate of A549-ACE2 ...cells is lower than that of Vero E6 cells.•Latent phase of infected A549-ACE2 cells is longer than that of Vero E6 cells.•We conclude that Vero-E6 cells are not suitable for long-term drug screening assays.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV -2), a causative agent of COVID-19 disease, poses a significant threat to public health. Since its outbreak in December 2019, Wuhan, China, extensive collection of diverse data from cell culture and animal infections as well as population level data from an ongoing pandemic, has been vital in assessing strategies to battle its spread. Mathematical modelling plays a key role in quantifying determinants that drive virus infection dynamics, especially those relevant for epidemiological investigations and predictions as well as for proposing efficient mitigation strategies. We utilized a simple mathematical model to describe and explain experimental results on viral replication cycle kinetics during SARS-CoV-2 infection of animal and human derived cell lines, green monkey kidney cells, Vero-E6, and human lung epithelium cells, A549-ACE2, respectively. We conducted cell infections using two distinct initial viral concentrations and quantified viral loads over time. We then fitted the model to our experimental data and quantified the viral parameters. We showed that such cellular tropism generates significant differences in the infection rates and incubation times of SARS-CoV-2, that is, the times to the first release of newly synthesised viral progeny by SARS-CoV-2-infected cells. Specifically, the rate at which A549-ACE2 cells were infected by SARS-CoV-2 was 15 times lower than that in the case of Vero-E6 cell infection and the duration of latent phase of A549-ACE2 cells was 1.6 times longer than that of Vero-E6 cells. On the other hand, we found no statistically significant differences in other viral parameters, such as viral production rate or infected cell death rate. Since in vitro infection assays represent the first stage in the development of antiviral treatments against SARS-CoV-2, discrepancies in the viral parameter values across different cell hosts have to be identified and quantified to better target vaccine and antiviral research.
SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus that was first reported in China in 2009. Here we report the generation of a recombinant SFTSV (rHB29NSsKO) that cannot express the viral ...nonstructural protein (NSs) upon infection of cells in culture. We show that rHB29NSsKO replication kinetics are greater in interferon (IFN)-incompetent cells and that the virus is unable to suppress IFN induced in response to viral replication. The data confirm for the first time in the context of virus infection that NSs acts as a virally encoded IFN antagonist and that NSs is dispensable for virus replication. Using 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), we mapped the 3' end of the N and NSs mRNAs, showing that the mRNAs terminate within the coding region of the opposite open reading frame. We show that the 3' end of the N mRNA terminates upstream of a 5'-GCCAGCC-3' motif present in the viral genomic RNA. With this knowledge, and using virus-like particles, we could demonstrate that the last 36 nucleotides of the NSs open reading frame (ORF) were needed to ensure the efficient termination of the N mRNA and were required for recombinant virus rescue. We demonstrate that it is possible to recover viruses lacking NSs (expressing just a 12-amino-acid NSs peptide or encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein eGFP) or an NSs-eGFP fusion protein in the NSs locus. This opens the possibility for further studies of NSs and potentially the design of attenuated viruses for vaccination studies.
SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV) and related tick-borne viruses have emerged globally since 2009. SFTSV has been shown to cause severe disease in humans. For bunyaviruses, it has been well documented that the nonstructural protein (NSs) enables the virus to counteract the human innate antiviral defenses and that NSs is one of the major determinants of virulence in infection. Therefore, the use of reverse genetics systems to engineer viruses lacking NSs is an attractive strategy to rationally attenuate bunyaviruses. Here we report the generation of several recombinant SFTS viruses that cannot express the NSs protein or have the NSs open reading frame replaced with a reporter gene. These viruses cannot antagonize the mammalian interferon (IFN) response mounted to virus infection. The generation of NSs-lacking viruses was achieved by mapping the transcriptional termination of two S-segment-derived subgenomic mRNAs, which revealed that transcription termination occurs upstream of a 5'-GCCAGCC-3' motif present in the virus genomic S RNA.
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