• Mattingly Hvid posted an update 1 month, 2 weeks ago

    Learning through work is a common feature of preparing health professionals for practice. Current understandings of work-integrated learning or a ‘work-based placement’, focus on students being consumers of experiences rather than providing a reciprocal benefit to the organisation in which they are placed. More nuanced understanding of the ways that students can offer value to organisations may provide new opportunities and increased capacity for workplace learning. This study drew on Social Exchange Theory to explore the perceived value and benefits of work-integrated learning experiences to the organisations in which students are placed. The focus was on population health placements undertaken by dietetics students at a large Australian university. An interpretive approach was employed with interviews with placement educators and document analysis of student-generated products from their placement. Seventeen of 20 eligible placement educators were interviewed, with interview data coded using thematic framework analysis. These data were supported with document analysis of student scientific posters completed as part of assessment to develop themes which were interpreted with social exchange theory. Three themes were identified (1) students add to the organisation’s capacity, (2) benefits outweigh time cost of planning and supervising and (3) explicitly valuing students for their contributions may build trust and further potentiate bi-directional benefits. Results suggest that student placements can add value to organisations. This reciprocity of benefits should be communicated to all stakeholders involved in the university-community collaboration, including students. Social exchange theory sensitised researchers to nuanced findings that may support the translation of these study findings to other student work-integrated learning settings.The aim of this review was to determine the role of surgery in treating hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) causing isolated central precocious puberty (CPP). Literature review was done according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Patients with isolated CPP due to HH, managed with surgical resection, were included. We found 33 studies, reporting 103 patients (76 pedunculated, 27 sessile). Patients were considered “cured” if the symptoms of PP had regressed and the hormone profile had normalized after surgery. Indications for surgery included hamartoma deemed surgically resectable (n-12), for the purpose of tissue diagnosis (n-3), partial response/failure of preoperative therapy (n-9), and unable to afford/to avoid long-term medical therapy (n-7). The extent of resection was total (TR) (n-39), near total/subtotal (NTR/STR) (n-20), partial (PR) (n-35), or unspecified (n-9). On follow-up (range 3 months-16 years), 73.6% (56/76) of patients with pedunculated HH were cured, while 17.1% (13/76) had partial relief. Only 3/27 (11.1%) of patients with sessile HH were cured. All patients with a pedunculated hamartoma who underwent TR (n=36) improved, with 88.88% cured of the symptoms. Surgery had no effect in 17/23 (73.9%) patients with sessile HH who underwent PR. Psychological symptoms improved in 10/11 patients. this website There was no mortality. Permanent complications, in the form of 3rd nerve palsy, occurred in 3.7% (2/54) of the patients. To conclude, in the current era of availability of GnRH analogs, surgical resection in a subset of patients may be acceptable especially for small pedunculated hamartomas.Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of genetically diverse inherited disorders characterised by the progressive photoreceptors and pigment epithelial cell dysfunction leading to central vision impairment. Although important advances in the understanding of the pathophysiologic pathways involved in RP have been made, drug delivery for the treatment of ocular disorders affecting the posterior segment of the eye is still an unmet clinical need. In the present study, we describe the development of multi-loaded PLGA-microspheres (MSs) incorporating two neuroprotectants agents (glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor-GDNF and Tauroursodeoxycholic acid-TUDCA) as a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of RP. A solid-in-oil-in-water (S/O/W) emulsion solvent extraction-evaporation technique was employed for MS preparation. A combination of PLGA and vitamin E was used to create the microcarriers. The morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release profile of the MSs were studied. En6.66% of the initial multi-loaded formulation). These optimised microparticles exhibited sustained in vitro releases over 91 days. These results suggest that the microencapsulation procedure optimised in this work presents a promising technological strategy for the development of multi-loaded intraocular drug delivery systems (IODDS).

    [

    Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT allows for a superior detection of prostate cancer tissue, especially in the context of a low tumor burden. Digital PET/CT bears the potential of reducing scan time duration/administered tracer activity due to, for instance, its higher sensitivity and improved time coincidence resolution. It might thereby expand [

    Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT that is currently limited by

    Ge/

    Ga-generator yield. Our aim was to clinically evaluate the influence of a reduced scan time duration in combination with different image reconstruction algorithms on the diagnostic performance.

    Twenty prostate cancer patients (11 for biochemical recurrence, 5 for initial staging, 4 for metastatic disease) sequentially underwent [

    Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT on a digital Siemens Biograph Vision. PET data were collected in continuous-bed-motion mode with a mean scan time duration of 16.7min (reference acquisition protocol) and 4.6min (reduced acquisition protocol). Four iterative reconstruction algorithms were applied usinollow-up.Recurrent pericarditis is a true challenge for clinicians, especially when the patient becomes unresponsive or not tolerant to conventional treatments. An accurate diagnosis of recurrent pericarditis, possibly supported by advanced imaging tools, is critical to provide timely and appropriate treatment of symptoms and prevention of further episodes. The incessant research on the inflammatory pathways underlying cardiovascular diseases, led recently to the assessment of anti interleukin-1 agents in the setting of recurrent pericarditis. This review will focus on the diagnostic assessment of recurrent pericarditis, along with the most modern therapeutic advances in this field. Bibliographic databases were searched (MEDLINE/PubMed, BioMed Central, the Cochrane Collaboration Database of Randomized Trials, Scopus, ClinicalTrials.gov, EMBASE, Google Scholar) using the terms “recurrent pericarditis” AND “diagnosis” OR “treatment” OR “IL-1” OR “inflammation”.