scholarly journals Antiviral Properties of Human Milk

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 715
Author(s):  
Sophie I. S. Wedekind ◽  
Natalie S. Shenker
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Human Milk ◽  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Maternal Support ◽  
Intrinsic Properties ◽  
Environmental Pathogens ◽  
Adaptive And Innate Immunity

Humans have always coexisted with viruses, with both positive and negative consequences. Evolutionary pressure on mammals has selected intrinsic properties of lactation and milk to support the relatively immunocompromised neonate from environmental pathogens, as well as support the normal development of diverse immune responses. Human milk supports both adaptive and innate immunity, with specific constituents that drive immune learning and maturation, and direct protection against microorganisms. Viruses constitute one of the most ancient pressures on human evolution, and yet there is a lack of awareness by both public and healthcare professionals of the complexity of human milk as an adaptive response beyond the production of maternal antibodies. This review identifies and describes the specific antiviral properties of human milk and describes how maternal support of infants through lactation is protective beyond antibodies.

Behaviours of healthcare professionals towards difficult patients: A structural equation modelling study

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 554-566
Author(s):  
Kamuran Cerit ◽  
Tuğba Karataş ◽  
Dilek Ekici
Keyword(s):  
Research Design ◽  
Structural Equation Modelling ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Ethical Dimension ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Difficult Patients ◽  
Difficult Patient ◽  
Equation Modelling ◽  
Unit Increase

Background: Some patients are stigmatised as difficult patients by healthcare professionals. This phenomenon has great many negative consequences. The behaviours of healthcare professionals towards difficult patients are important. Objective: To explore the behaviours of all healthcare professionals towards difficult patients. Research Design: This study was based on a cross-sectional research design using structural equation modelling. Participants and Research Context: Two hundred and fifty-four healthcare professionals were involved in the study in Turkey. ‘Participant Information Form’ and the ‘Healthcare Professionals Behaviour Assessment Questionnaire For Difficult Patient’ were used to collect data from participants. Ethical Consideration: Ethical approval was obtained from Gazi University Ethics Committee for the study. Informed consent of the participants in the study was taken and the confidentiality of the participants was ensured. Findings: It was explored that the behaviours of healthcare professionals towards difficult patients were categorised into ethical, supportive and negative. The highest mean score was supportive behaviour and the least mean score was negative. According to structural equation modelling, the most important predictor of difficult encounters was an ethical dimension. One-unit increase in ethical behaviour contributed to 0.92 unit increase in positive patient behaviour. Discussion: Patients generally are perceived as ‘difficult patient’ by the healthcare professionals, so the patients’ treatment and care services are affected negatively due to healthcare professionals’ negative beliefs and attitudes. The healthcare professionals should behave supportively towards difficult patients. Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should be aware of management strategies in dealing with difficult encounters. The behaviours of healthcare professionals should be improved in a positive way and awareness of ethical dimension of difficult encounters should be increased.

scholarly journals The Face of Workplace Violence: Experiences of Healthcare Professionals in Surgical Hospital Wards

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Jenny Jakobsson ◽  
Malin Axelsson ◽  
Karin Örmon
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Preventive Strategies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Focus Group Interviews ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Hospital Wards

Background. Though workplace violence (WPV) is a global problem for healthcare professionals, research within in-hospital care has mainly focused on WPV in emergency healthcare settings. Thus, the number of qualitative studies that explores experiences of WPV in general hospital wards with a longer length of stay is limited. Aim. The aim of this study was to explore how healthcare professionals in surgical hospital wards experience and manage WPV perpetrated by patients or visitors. Method. The study applied a qualitative, inductive approach using focus group interviews for data collection. A purposeful sample of 16 healthcare professionals working in surgical wards was included. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Findings. The analysis resulted in four main themes: workplace violence characteristics, partly predictable yet not prevented, approaching workplace violence, and consequences from workplace violence. During the focus group interviews, the healthcare professionals described various acts of physical violence, verbal abuse, and gender discrimination perpetrated by patients or their visitors. Despite the predictability of some of the incidents, preventive strategies were absent or inadequate, with the healthcare professionals not knowing how to react in these threatful or violent situations. They experienced that WPV could result in negative consequences for the care of both the threatful or violent person and the other patients in the ward. WPV caused the healthcare professionals to feel exposed, scared, and unprotected. Conclusion and clinical implications. Exposure to WPV is a problem for healthcare professionals in surgical wards and has consequences for the patients. Preventive strategies, guidelines, and action plans are urgently needed to minimise the risk of WPV and to ensure a safe work and care environment.

scholarly journals Restricted visitation policies in acute care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

Critical Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephana J. Moss ◽  
Karla D. Krewulak ◽  
Henry T. Stelfox ◽  
Sofia B. Ahmed ◽  
Melanie C. Anglin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Cochrane Central Register ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Primary Research ◽  
Acute Care Settings

Abstract Background Restricted visitation policies in acute care settings because of the COVID-19 pandemic have negative consequences. The objective of this scoping review is to identify impacts of restricted visitation policies in acute care settings, and describe perspectives and mitigation approaches among patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Methods We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Healthstar, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on January 01/2021, unrestricted, for published primary research records reporting any study design. We included secondary (e.g., reviews) and non-research records (e.g., commentaries), and performed manual searches in web-based resources. We excluded records that did not report primary data. Two reviewers independently abstracted data in duplicate. Results Of 7810 citations, we included 155 records. Sixty-six records (43%) were primary research; 29 (44%) case reports or case series, and 26 (39%) cohort studies; 21 (14%) were literature reviews and 8 (5%) were expert recommendations; 54 (35%) were commentary, editorial, or opinion pieces. Restricted visitation policies impacted coping and daily function (n = 31, 20%) and mental health outcomes (n = 29, 19%) of patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Participants described a need for coping and support (n = 107, 69%), connection and communication (n = 107, 69%), and awareness of state of well-being (n = 101, 65%). Eighty-seven approaches to mitigate impact of restricted visitation were identified, targeting families (n = 61, 70%), patients (n = 51, 59%), and healthcare professionals (n = 40, 46%). Conclusions Patients, families, and healthcare professionals were impacted by restricted visitation polices in acute care settings during COVID-19. The consequences of this approach on patients and families are understudied and warrant evaluation of approaches to mitigate their impact. Future pandemic policy development should include the perspectives of patients, families, and healthcare professionals. Trial registration: The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020221662) and a protocol peer-reviewed prior to data extraction.

scholarly journals Intrinsic and damage-induced JAK/STAT signaling regulate developmental timing by the Drosophila prothoracic gland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueya Cao ◽  
Marta Rojas ◽  
José Carlos Pastor-Pareja
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Tissue Damage ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Prothoracic Gland ◽  
Multiple Organs ◽  
Stat Signaling ◽  
Developmental Role ◽  
Major Mediator

Development involves tightly paced, reproducible sequences of events, yet it must adjust to conditions external to it, such as resource availability and organismal damage. A major mediator of damage-induced immune responses in vertebrates and insects is JAK/STAT signaling. At the same time, JAK/STAT activation by the Drosophila Upd cytokines is pleiotropically involved in normal development of multiple organs. Whether inflammatory and developmental roles of JAK/STAT intersect is unknown. Here, we show that JAK/STAT is active during development of the prothoracic gland (PG), the organ that controls metamorphosis onset through ecdysone production. Reducing JAK/STAT signaling decreased PG size and slightly advanced metamorphosis. Conversely, JAK/STAT hyperactivation, achieved through overexpression of pathway components or SUMOylation loss, caused PG hypertrophy and metamorphosis delay. Interestingly, tissue damage and tumors, known to secrete Upd cytokines, also activated JAK/STAT in the PG and delayed metamorphosis. Finally, we show that expression of transcription factor Apontic, a JAK/STAT target in the PG, recapitulates PG hypertrophy and metamorphosis delay. JAK/STAT damage signaling, therefore, regulates metamorphosis onset at least in part by coopting its developmental role in the PG.

scholarly journals The Counterproductive Effect of Pharmaceutical Marketing in Pakistan: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-29
Author(s):  
Dr. Fazle Malik ◽  
Dr. Muhammad Junaid ◽  
Dr. Muhammad Asif ◽  
Ilyas Sharif
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Authority ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Pharmaceutical Marketing ◽  
Skewed Data ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Drug Regulatory Authority ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Prescribe Medicine ◽  
Organizational Perspective ◽  
Promotional Strategies

This study explores the effects of pharmaceutical marketing on patients and society in Pakistan. Pharmaceutical marketing is an integral part of the drug industry, which channels product-related information to healthcare professionals. Physicians are the target audience as they prescribe medicine to the users. The pharmaceutical industry mobilizes all resources to influence physicians’ prescriptions in favor of their brands. It is commendable from the organizational perspective, however; it leads to unintended negative consequences for society. The primary reason is the blind pursuit of commercial interest and near-total neglect of ethical behavior in marketing drugs. This study conducted open-ended 20 interviews from primary stakeholders of this issue that includes physicians, pharmaceutical managers, and officials of drug regulatory authority through purposive sampling. The findings show that misleading promotional strategies influencing physicians are responsible for the misuse and abuse of drugs and antibiotics. Pharmaceutical drug incentivization, the personal obligation for physicians, skewed data, and inappropriate promotions were the major categories developed during analysis. The study recommends various steps to minimize these ill effects.

scholarly journals Immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants after heterologous and homologous ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/BNT162b2 vaccination

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Barros-Martins ◽  
Swantje I. Hammerschmidt ◽  
Anne Cossmann ◽  
Ivan Odak ◽  
Metodi V. Stankov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Viral Vector ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Thromboembolic Events ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Induced Immunity ◽  
Heterologous Boost

AbstractCurrently approved viral vector-based and mRNA-based vaccine approaches against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) consider only homologous prime-boost vaccination. After reports of thromboembolic events, several European governments recommended using AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1-nCov-19 (ChAd) only in individuals older than 60 years, leaving millions of already ChAd-primed individuals with the decision to receive either a second shot of ChAd or a heterologous boost with mRNA-based vaccines. However, such combinations have not been tested so far. We used Hannover Medical School’s COVID-19 Contact Study cohort of healthcare professionals to monitor ChAd-primed immune responses before and 3 weeks after booster with ChAd (n = 32) or BioNTech/Pfizer’s BNT162b2 (n = 55). Although both vaccines boosted prime-induced immunity, BNT162b2 induced significantly higher frequencies of spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and, in particular, high titers of neutralizing antibodies against the B.1.1.7, B.1.351 and P.1 variants of concern of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

scholarly journals Identifying and de-implementing low-value care in primary care: the GP’s perspective—a cross-sectional survey

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e037019
Author(s):  
Rudolf Bertijn Kool ◽  
Eva W Verkerk ◽  
Lieke JA Winnemuller ◽  
Tjerk Wiersma ◽  
Gert P Westert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Lumbosacral Spine ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Practices

ObjectiveGeneral practitioners have an important role in reducing low-value care as gatekeepers of the health system. The aim of this study was to assess the experiences of Dutch general practitioners regarding low-value care and to identify their needs to decrease low-value primary care.DesignWe performed a cross-sectional study.ParticipantsWe sent a survey to 500 general practitioners.SettingPrimary care in the Netherlands.Primary and secondary outcomesThe survey contained questions about the provision of low-value care and on clinical cases about lumbosacral spine X-rays in patients with low back pain and vitamin B12 laboratory tests without an evidence-based indication. We also asked general practitioners what they needed to reduce low-value care.ResultsA total of 182 general practitioners (37%) responded. 67% indicated that low-value care practices are regularly provided in general practice. 57% of the general practitioners have seen negative consequences of low-value care, in particular side effects of medication. The most provided low-value care practices are medication prescriptions such as antibiotics and laboratory tests such as vitamin B12 tests. The most reported drivers are patient-related. General practitioners want to maintain a good relationship with their patients by offering their patients an intervention instead of watchful waiting. Lack of time also plays a major role. In order to reduce low-value care, general practitioners suggested that educating patients on the value of tests and treatments might help. Supporting general practitioners and other healthcare professionals with clear guidelines as well as having more time for consultation were also mentioned by general practitioners.ConclusionGeneral practitioners are aware of providing unnecessary care despite their role as gatekeepers and have reasons for this. They need support in order to change their practice. This support might consist of better education of healthcare professionals and providing more time for consultation. Local and national media, such as websites and television, could be used to educate patients while guidelines could support professionals in reducing low-value care.

scholarly journals The Role of Healthcare Professionals’ Passion in Predicting Secondary Traumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth in the Face of COVID-19: A Longitudinal Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4453
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Moreno-Jiménez ◽  
Luis Manuel Blanco-Donoso ◽  
Evangelia Demerouti ◽  
Sylvia Belda Hofheinz ◽  
Mario Chico-Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Secondary Traumatic Stress ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Personal Protection Equipment ◽  
Harmonious Passion ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
The Face

COVID-19 has increased the likelihood of healthcare professionals suffering from Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). However, the difficulty of this crisis may lead these professionals to display personal resources, such as harmonious passion, that could be involved in posttraumatic growth. The goal of this study is to examine the STS and posttraumatic growth among healthcare professionals and the demands and resources related to COVID-19. A longitudinal study was carried out in April 2020 (T1) and December 2020 (T2). The participants were 172 health professionals from different health institutions and they reported their workload, fear of contagion, lack of staff and personal protection equipment (PPE), harmonious passion, STS and posttraumatic growth. The results revealed that workload and fear of contagion in T2 were positive predictors for STS, whereas harmonious passion was a negative predictor. Fear of contagion of both times seemed to positively predict posttraumatic growth, as well as harmonious passion. One moderation effect was found concerning the lack of staff/PPE, as posttraumatic growth was higher when the workload was high, especially in those with a high lack of staff/PPE. All in all, these findings pointed out the need for preventative measures to protect these professionals from long-term negative consequences.

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