scholarly journals A Peripheral Immune Signature of Labor Induction

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Ando ◽  
Julien J. Hédou ◽  
Dorien Feyaerts ◽  
Xiaoyuan Han ◽  
Edward A. Ganio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Labor Induction ◽  
Immune Signature ◽  
Maternal Immune System ◽  
Active Labor

Approximately 1 in 4 pregnant women in the United States undergo labor induction. The onset and establishment of labor, particularly induced labor, is a complex and dynamic process influenced by multiple endocrine, inflammatory, and mechanical factors as well as obstetric and pharmacological interventions. The duration from labor induction to the onset of active labor remains unpredictable. Moreover, prolonged labor is associated with severe complications for the mother and her offspring, most importantly chorioamnionitis, uterine atony, and postpartum hemorrhage. While maternal immune system adaptations that are critical for the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy have been previously characterized, the role of the immune system during the establishment of labor is poorly understood. Understanding maternal immune adaptations during labor initiation can have important ramifications for predicting successful labor induction and labor complications in both induced and spontaneous types of labor. The aim of this study was to characterize labor-associated maternal immune system dynamics from labor induction to the start of active labor. Serial blood samples from fifteen participants were collected immediately prior to labor induction (baseline) and during the latent phase until the start of active labor. Using high-dimensional mass cytometry, a total of 1,059 single-cell immune features were extracted from each sample. A multivariate machine-learning method was employed to characterize the dynamic changes of the maternal immune system after labor induction until the establishment of active labor. A cross-validated linear sparse regression model (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, LASSO) predicted the minutes since induction of labor with high accuracy (R = 0.86, p = 6.7e-15, RMSE = 277 min). Immune features most informative for the model included STAT5 signaling in central memory CD8+ T cells and pro-inflammatory STAT3 signaling responses across multiple adaptive and innate immune cell subsets. Our study reports a peripheral immune signature of labor induction, and provides important insights into biological mechanisms that may ultimately predict labor induction success as well as complications, thereby facilitating clinical decision-making to improve maternal and fetal well-being.

Religion and Medicine

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Levin ◽  
Stephen G. Post
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Religion And Medicine ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
Baylor University ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

In Religion and Medicine, Dr. Jeff Levin, distinguished Baylor University epidemiologist, outlines the longstanding history of multifaceted interconnections between the institutions of religion and medicine. He traces the history of the encounter between these two institutions from antiquity through to the present day, highlighting a myriad of contemporary alliances between the faith-based and medical sectors. Religion and Medicine tells the story of: religious healers and religiously branded hospitals and healthcare institutions; pastoral professionals involved in medical missions, healthcare chaplaincy, and psychological counseling; congregational health promotion and disease prevention programs and global health initiatives; research studies on the impact of religious and spiritual beliefs and practices on physical and mental health, well-being, and healing; programs and centers for medical research and education within major universities and academic institutions; religiously informed bioethics and clinical decision-making; and faith-based health policy initiatives and advocacy for healthcare reform. Religion and Medicine is the first book to cover the full breadth of this subject. It documents religion-medicine alliances across religious traditions, throughout the world, and over the course of history. It summarizes a wide range of material of relevance to historians, medical professionals, pastors and theologians, bioethicists, scientists, public health educators, and policymakers. The product of decades of rigorous and focused research, Dr. Levin has produced the most comprehensive history of these developments and the finest introduction to this emerging field of scholarship.

Music Therapy Pre-internship Education and Training: Support for a Methods-Based Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan C Gardstrom ◽  
James Hiller ◽  
Annie Heiderscheit ◽  
Nancy L Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Training Support ◽  
And Training

Abstract As music therapists, music is our primary realm of understanding and action and our distinctive way of joining with a client to help them attain optimal health and well-being. As such, we have adopted and advocate for a music-focused, methods-based (M-B) approach to music therapy pre-internship education and training. In an M-B approach, students’ learning is centered on the 4 music therapy methods of composing, improvising, re-creating, and listening to music and how these music experiences can be designed and implemented to address the health needs of the diverse clientele whom they will eventually encounter as practicing clinicians. Learning is highly experiential, with students authentically participating in each of the methods and reflecting on these self-experiences as a basis for their own clinical decision-making. This is differentiated from a population based (P-B) approach, wherein students’ attention is directed at acquiring knowledge about the non-musical problems of specific “clinical populations” and the “best practice” music interventions that are presumed to address these problems. Herein, we discuss both approaches, identifying the limitations of a P-B perspective and outlining the benefits of an M-B curriculum and its relevance to 21st-century music therapy practice.

scholarly journals ACADEMIA’S ROLE TO DRIVE CHANGE IN THE ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS PROFESSION

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Géza Kogler ◽  
Christopher Hovorka
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Curricular Emphasis

This position paper outlines the important role of academia in shaping the orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) profession and preparing for its future. In the United States, most healthcare professions including O&P are under intense pressure to provide cost effective treatments and quantifiable health outcomes. Pivotal changes are needed in the way O&P services are provided to remain competitive. This will require the integration of new technologies and data driven processes that have the potential to streamline workflows, reduce errors and inform new methods of clinical care and device manufacturing. Academia can lead this change, starting with a restructuring in academic program curricula that will enable the next generation of professionals to cope with multiple demands such as the provision of services for an increasing number of patients by a relatively small workforce of certified practitioners delivering these services at a reduced cost, with the expectation of significant, meaningful, and measurable value. Key curricular changes will require replacing traditional labor-intensive and inefficient fabrication methods with the integration of newer technologies (i.e., digital shape capture, digital modeling/rectification and additive manufacturing). Improving manufacturing efficiencies will allow greater curricular emphasis on clinical training and education – an area that has traditionally been underemphasized. Providing more curricular emphasis on holistic patient care approaches that utilize systematic and evidence-based methods in patient assessment, treatment planning, dosage of O&P technology use, and measurement of patient outcomes is imminent. Strengthening O&P professionals’ clinical decision-making skills and decreasing labor-intensive technical fabrication aspects of the curriculum will be critical in moving toward a digital and technology-centric practice model that will enable future practitioners to adapt and survive. Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/36673/28349 How To Cite: Kogler GF, Hovorka CF. Academia’s role to drive change in the orthotics and prosthetics profession. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal. 2021; Volume 4, Issue 2, No.21. https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v4i2.36673 Corresponding Author: Géza F. KoglerOrthotics and Prosthetics Unit, Kennesaw State University.E-Mail: [email protected] ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0212-5520

Implementation of Semantic Search to Support Clinical Decision-Making

2015 ◽  
pp. 270-286
Author(s):  
Andrew Tawfik ◽  
Karl Kochendorfer
Keyword(s):  
Human Performance ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Human Performance Technology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Semantic Search ◽  
Current Case ◽  
Performance Technology

The current case study is situated within a large, land grant hospital located in the Midwestern region of the United States. Although the physicians had seen an increase in medical related human performance technology (HPTs) within the organization (e.g. computer physician ordered entry) some challenges remained as the hospital sought to improve the productivity of the electronic health record (EHRs). Specifically, physicians had difficulty finding information embedded within the chart due to usability problems and information overload. To overcome the challenges, a semantic search within the chart was implemented as a solution for physicians to retrieve relevant results given the conceptual semantic pattern. The case study will discuss many elements of the implementation based on our experience and feedback from clinicians. The case will specifically highlight the importance of training and change agents within an organization.

scholarly journals Direct oral anticoagulant monitoring: what laboratory tests are available to guide us?

Hematology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravi Sarode
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Direct Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Rapid Assessment ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Thrombin Inhibitor ◽  
Thrombin Time ◽  
Clinical Scenarios

Abstract Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used in the treatment and prophylaxis of thromboembolism because of several advantages over vitamin K antagonists, including no need for laboratory monitoring. However, it has become increasingly important in certain clinical scenarios to know either actual DOAC concentration (quantitative) or presence of DOAC (qualitative). These clinical conditions include patients presenting with major bleeding or requiring urgent surgery who may need a reversal or hemostatic agent, extremes of body weight, failed therapy, etc. Prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time are variably affected by factor Xa inhibitors (FXaIs) and direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI), respectively, depending on reagents’ sensitivity, and hence, they cannot be relied on confidently. Thrombin time is highly sensitive to very low amounts of DTI; thus, normal value rules out a clinically significant amount. Liquid chromatography mass spectrometry accurately measures DOAC levels but is clinically impractical. Dilute thrombin time and ecarin-based assays using appropriate calibrators/controls provide an accurate DTI level. Anti-Xa assay using corresponding FXaI calibrators/controls provides accurate drug levels. However, these assays are not readily available in the United States compared with some other parts of the world. Heparin assays using anti-Xa activity often have a linear relationship with calibrated FXaI assays, especially at the lower end of on-therapy levels, and they may provide rapid assessment of drug activity for clinical decision making. Currently, there is very limited knowledge of DOAC effect on viscoelastic measurements. Although there is uniformity in expression of DOAC concentrations in nanograms per milliliter, a universal FXaI DOAC assay is urgently needed.

scholarly journals Relationships between emotional schemas, mindfulness, self-compassion and unconditional self-acceptance on the regulation of psychological needs

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Faustino ◽  
António Branco Vasco ◽  
Ana Nunes Silva ◽  
Telma Marques
Keyword(s):  
Experiential Avoidance ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Psychological Needs ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Self Acceptance

Emotional schemas are pervasive mental structures associated with a wide array of psychological symptoms, while mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance are viewed as adaptive psychological constructs. Psychological needs may be described as the cornerstone of mental health and well-being. However, a study of the relationships between emotional schemas, mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-acceptance with psychological needs was not performed. For this purpose, 250 subjects (M=20.67, SD=4.88, Male=33, Female=217), were evaluated through self-report questionnaires, in a cross-sectional design. Negative correlations were found between emotional schemas, mindfulness, self-compassion, unconditional self-acceptance, and psychological needs. Symptomatology was positively correlated with emotional schemas. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and unconditional self-acceptance predicted the regulation of psychological needs and mediated the relationship between emotional schemas and psychological needs. Emotional schemas may be associated with a tendency for experiential avoidance of internal reality, self-rejection/shame and self-criticism which may impair the regulation of psychological needs. These variables may be targets of integrative case conceptualization and clinical decision making focused on patient’s timings, styles of communication and needs.

scholarly journals Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the core functions of primary care: will the cure be worse than the disease? A qualitative interview study in Flemish GPs

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e039674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronique Verhoeven ◽  
Giannoula Tsakitzidis ◽  
Hilde Philips ◽  
Paul Van Royen
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
General Practice ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Profound Impact ◽  
The Core ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study

ObjectivesThe current COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the measures taken to control it, have a profound impact on healthcare. This study was set up to gain insights into the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on the core competencies of general practice, as they are experienced by general practitioners (GPs) on the frontline.Design, setting, participantsWe performed a descriptive study using semistructured interviews with 132 GPs in Flanders, using a topic list based on the WONCA definition of core competencies in general practice. Data were analysed qualitatively using framework analysis.ResultsChanges in practice management and in consultation strategies were quickly adopted. There was a major switch towards telephone triage and consults, for covid-related as well as for non-covid related problems. Patient-centred care is still a major objective. Clinical decision-making is largely focused on respiratory assessment and triage, and GPs feel that acute care is compromised, both by their own changed focus and by the fact that patients consult less frequently for non-covid problems. Chronic care is mostly postponed, and this will have consequences that will extend and become visible after the corona crisis. Through the holistic eyes of primary care, the current outbreak—as well as the measures taken to control it—will have a profound impact on psychological and socioeconomic well-being. This impact is already visible in vulnerable people and will continue to become clear in the medium and long terms. GPs think that they are at high risk of getting infected. Dropping out and being unable to contribute their part or becoming virus transmitters are reported to be greater concerns than getting ill themselves.ConclusionsThe current times have a profound impact on the core competences of primary care. Although the vast increase in patients soliciting medical help and the necessary separate covid and non-covid flows have been dealt with, GPs are worried about the continuity of regular care and the consequences of the anticovid measures. These may become a threat for the general health of the population and for the provision of primary healthcare in the near and distant future.

scholarly journals Public views regarding the responsibility of patients, clinicians, and institutions to participate in research in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 574-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin P Weinfurt ◽  
Li Lin ◽  
Jeremy Sugarman
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Robust Learning ◽  
Learning Health System ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Public Views

Background The need for more and better evidence to inform clinical decision making among all stakeholders has fueled calls for creating learning healthcare systems. The successful realization of a learning healthcare system seems to assume that various parties have a responsibility to participate in learning activities, including research. The objective of this study was to determine whether members of the general public perceive an ethical responsibility to participate in pragmatic clinical research that would be inherent to a learning health system. Methods A total of 2994 English-speaking adults completed a nationally representative online survey. Results About two-thirds of respondents were relatively neutral regarding a responsibility for themselves and others to participate in research; the remainder felt that they and others did not have a responsibility to participate in research. Conclusions Efforts to justify and develop a robust learning health system in an ethically acceptable fashion need to take these findings into account.

scholarly journals Predictive Glucose Trends From Continuous Glucose Monitoring: Friend or Foe in Clinical Decision Making?

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 963-966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Fantasia ◽  
Katherine Modzelewski ◽  
Devin Steenkamp
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Inherent Difficulty ◽  
Continuous Glucose Monitor ◽  
Freestyle Libre ◽  
Practical Recommendations

In this commentary, we briefly review the currently recommended approaches to interpretation and management of continuous glucose monitor (CGM) rate of change (ROC) trend arrows and discuss the inherent difficulty in incorporating practical recommendations for their application into routine clinical care. We have limited our review and discussion to the currently available Dexcom G5 and G6 CGM systems and Abbott’s Freestyle Libre flash glucose monitor (FGM) system, as they are the most widely used and currently approved for nonadjunctive use in the United States.

Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis Clinical Practice Guidelines

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
_ _
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Clinical Decision Making ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clinical Decision ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mammographic Screening ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Recent Version

The lifetime risk of a woman developing breast cancer has increased over the past 5 years in the United States: of every 7 women, 1 is at risk based on a life expectancy of 85 years. An estimated 214,640 new cases (212,920 women and 1,720 men) of breast cancer and 41,430 deaths (40,970 women and 460 men) from this disease will occur in the United States in 2006. However, mortality from breast cancer has decreased slightly, attributed partly to mammographic screening. Early detection and accurate diagnosis made in a cost-effective manner are critical to a continued reduction in mortality. These practice guidelines are designed to facilitate clinical decision making. For the most recent version of the guidelines, please visit NCCN.org

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