The Bachelor’s thesis in nursing: Characteristics and students’ approach and satisfaction

AimThe aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of the Bachelor’s thesis of fourth-year nursing students at a Spanish public university, the criteria that students used to choose a topic and students’ degree of satisfaction after completing the Bachelor’s thesis.DesignQuantitative study.MethodsWe examined 420 Bachelor’s theses carried out from 2013 to 2018 and conducted an online survey among fourth-year students in the 2017–18 and 2018–19 academic years (81 completed questionnaires).ResultsThe Bachelor’s thesis took the form of a research proposal. The most frequent proposal type was a qualitative hospital-based study whose objective was to understand the experiences of adult or adolescent patients, close family members, or nurses. Students chose topics for personal reasons. Most participants reported feeling satisfied with the knowledge and skills acquired.ConclusionsStudents completing a Bachelor’s thesis in the form of a research proposal have the potential to transfer their research skills to their nursing practice.     

Enhancing medical radiation science education through a design science research methodology

Recently, there has been a call for research-informed and research-developed practice in health sciences education. This prompts the consideration of alternative suitable research approaches that could be used to enhance health sciences education practice, including medical radiation sciences education (MRSE) practice. In this discussion paper, the authors uphold design science research (DSR) methodology as a suitable research approach to enhance MRSE practice and research. An overview of the DSR methodology and an example of a project that used DSR methodology are presented to demonstrate the application of this methodology in MRSE practice and research. The paper concludes that the use of DSR methodology could be instrumental in addressing practice related challenges while developing a theoretical contribution to the discipline.     

中药对癫痫相关信号通路调控作用的研究进展

癫痫是一种常见的神经系统疾病，其反复发作，迁延难愈，对患者的身心造成极大危害。抗癫痫药带来良好的治疗作用的同时也伴发着诸多身心损伤的不良反应。中医药治疗癫痫由来已久，目前除不断丰富传统中医理论治疗癫痫的认知理论外，从分子生物学角度研究中医药治疗癫痫的细胞信号传导机制发展迅速。通过对国内外文献检索发现，癫痫发生与细胞增殖、凋亡、自噬、炎症反应、免疫应答等病理生理过程密切相关；同时中西药的现代医学研究表明，无论是中药单体、单味中药甚至中药复方治疗癫痫的机制的研究均与文中所述信号通路有着直接或间接的关系，其可以通过调控相应信号通路的关键分子表达，达到抑制癫痫发生，控制癫痫发作，保护癫痫脑损伤的作用。该文通过对国内外研究现状进行总结，具体如下：①桔皮素，银杏内酯B等能通过激活磷脂酰肌醇3-激酶/蛋白激酶B（PI3K/Akt）信号通路，抑制凋亡及氧化应激反应。②黄芩苷，蛇床子素等能通过抑制哺乳动物-雷帕霉素靶蛋白（mTOR）信号通路，抑制自噬。③灵芝多糖，黄芪甲苷等能通过抑制丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号通路，减少细胞凋亡。④红景天苷，白藜芦醇等能通过激活核因子E2相关因子2/抗氧化反应元件/血红素加氧酶1（Nrf2/ARE/HO-1）信号通路，抗氧化应激反应及抑制凋亡。⑤姜黄素，黄芩苷等能通过抑制核转录因子-κB（NF-κB）信号通路，降低炎症反应及减少凋亡。以上总结旨在为中药治疗癫痫的深入研究提供参考依据，也为临床中药治疗癫痫提供新的思路。     

Vaccine effectiveness against onward transmission of SARS-CoV2-infection by variant of concern and time since vaccination,Belgian contact tracing, 2021

BackgroundDuring the first half of 2021, we observed high vaccine effectiveness (VE) against SARS-CoV2-infection. The replacement of the alpha-‘variant of concern’ (VOC) by the delta-VOC and uncertainty about the time course of immunity called for a re-assessment.MethodsWe estimated VE against transmission of infection (VET) from Belgian contact tracing data for high-risk exposure contacts between 26/01/2021 and 14/12/2021 by susceptibility (VEs) and infectiousness of breakthrough cases (VEi) for a complete schedule of Ad26.COV2.S, ChAdOx1, BNT162b2, mRNA-1273 as well as infection-acquired and hybrid immunity. We used a multilevel Bayesian model and adjusted for personal characteristics (age, sex, household), background exposure, calendar week, VOC and time since immunity conferring-event.FindingsVET-estimates were higher for mRNA-vaccines, over 90%, compared to viral vector vaccines: 66% and 80% for Ad26COV2.S and ChAdOx1 respectively (Alpha, 0–50 days after vaccination). Delta was associated with a 40% increase in odds of transmission and a decrease of VEs (72–64%) and especially of VEi (71–46% for BNT162b2). Infection-acquired and hybrid immunity were less affected by Delta. Waning further reduced VET-estimates: from 81% to 63% for BNT162b2 (Delta, 150–200 days after vaccination). We observed lower initial VEi in the age group 65–84 years (32% vs 46% in the age group 45–64 years for BNT162b2) and faster waning. Hybrid immunity waned slower than vaccine-induced immunity.InterpretationVEi and VEs-estimates, while remaining significant, were reduced by Delta and waned over time. We observed faster waning in the oldest age group. We should seek to improve vaccine-induced protection in older persons and those vaccinated with viral-vector vaccines.     

发热伴血小板减少综合征研究热点的可视化分析

[摘要]　目的　对发热伴血小板减少综合征（severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome, SFTS）的相关文献进行文献计量学和可视化分析，探寻近年来的研究现状、热点及趋势，为临床治疗和基础研究提供参考。方法?以Web of Science（WOS）核心合集和中国知网（China national knowledge infrastructure, CNKI）数据库为文献来源，检索2011年1月1日—2021年12月31日有关SFTS的文献，导入CiteSpace.5.7.R2软件，以国家、作者、文献共被引、关键词为节点进行可视化分析，并绘制相关图谱。结果?在WOS核心合集共检索到797篇文献，在CNKI数据库共检索到714篇文献。相关领域发文量总体呈上升趋势，中国发文量居首位，美国和日本之间机构合作密切。研究热点集中在发病机制、抗体、特异性治疗等领域。非结构蛋白、临床预后、血小板减少、SFTS感染的靶细胞等将是未来的研究重点。结论?国内外关于SFTS的研究逐渐成熟，新型布尼亚病毒、免疫功能、预后是研究重点，但是对SFTS发病机制和病毒受体尚不清楚，仍须进一步探索。     

Identifying developmental disability in national surveys: Addressing the knowledge gap with special education histories

BackgroundIn the United States nearly 20% of children ages 12–17 have developmental disorders. Some attain population-based developmental milestones after a delay, or increase functioning through special education, medication, technology, or therapy. Others have severe lasting impairments. An indicator identifying those groups in surveys of adults could help shape policies to improve lives.HypothesesWe hypothesized that survey histories of special education could indicate functional status levels.MethodsData were from the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1997–2017, n = 2745). With measures of diagnoses, behaviors, functional status, service use, and adult outcomes, we tested three special education groups as indicators of: (1) no impairment (no special education), (2) disorders, developmental diagnoses that adversely affect educational performance, but with development after a period of delay or only moderate disability, indicated by transfer from special education; and (3) severe lasting disability, the diagnoses combined with life-long needs for supports or services, with limitations in areas including self-care, mobility, and capacity for independent living, indicated by special education in the individual's final year of school.ResultsAcross the special education groups, from no impairment to severe lasting disability, there were trends of: increasing severe and lasting disability (respectively 4.8%, 35.6%, 76.4%); increasing special services use (13.5%, 43.1%, 83.7%); increasing severe emotional disorders (2.3%, 11.3%, 17.9%); lower percentages attaining at least an associate's degree by age 25 (42.1%, 20.7%, and 8.9%); and more chronic diseases.ConclusionsSpecial education histories provide a useful indicator of developmental disability impairment levels in adults.