62,406 and Counting

What will we remember, as scholars, practitioners, policy-makers, educators, and citizens, about this acute phase of the catastrophe in the United States? The shocking federal failure concerning testing? That the first shortage was not of ventilators but protective gear? How infection rates and deaths in communities of color, immigrant neighborhoods, and nursing homes mercilessly exposed the relationship between social inequalities and health inequities? I hope we will remember that the field of bioethics did good work under pressure, learned that public health ethics and global health ethics are about securing the conditions for decent lives and decent work as well as saving lives, and committed ourselves to progress on the problem of inequality.     

化毒清湿汤对复杂性肛瘘新型探查术后患者手术创面恢复功效研究

目的:研究化毒清湿汤对于复杂性高位肛瘘新型探查术后患者手术创面恢复及相关细胞因子水平的改善功效。方法: 从接受复杂性肛瘘新型探查术治疗的患者中选取104例纳入本次研究,入选患者随机均分为对照组与治疗组,对照组给予术后常规治疗,治疗组在对照组疗法的同时加用化毒清湿汤治疗,于术后2 d、15 d分别对比两组患者的创面面积、疼痛程度,观察创面愈合时间; 术后28 d评估两组疗效,同时观察两组患者术后2 d、28 d时血清细胞生长因子与炎性因子水平的变化。结果:治疗组总有效率98.08%高于对照组的86.54%(P<0.05); 术后15 d两组创面面积、疼痛VAS评分均有所降低且两组比较治疗组更低; 治疗组创面愈合时间为(23.71±5.57)d,对照组为(30.46±7.92)d,两组比较治疗组更低(P<0.05); 术后28 d两组各项细胞生长因子均有上升,组间比较治疗组更高,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05); 术后28 d两组各项炎性因子均有好转,组间比较治疗组更优,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:化毒清湿汤可提高复杂性肛瘘新型探查术临床疗效,加快患者术后后创口愈合速度,进一步改善患者细胞生长因子与炎性因子的表达水平。     

Has the time to reinstate elective orthopedic procedures come?

BackgroundThe coronavirus pandemic changed how we manage and operate patients in orthopaedic practice. Although elective orthopaedic procedures were halted to prevent spread of the disease as well as sustain supplies of essential protective equipment and healthcare workers, trauma services were continued. We studied the orthopaedic trauma cases operated over 6 months of the pandemic, and discuss the protocols used to minimize disease spread.MethodsData was collected for all orthopaedic emergency cases operated at our centre from 1 st March – 10 th August 2020. During this time specific protocols were used for first aid, pre-operative care, inside the operation theatre, post-operative stay as well as for follow ups.ResultsA total of 851 patients were operated. A sharp decline in surgeries was seen during the lockdown. Average stay in the hospital was 4 days. Only 44% of the patients came for follow-up visits. None of the contacted patients or their relatives developed symptoms or tested positive for COVID after discharge.ConclusionMultiple waves and various mutant strains of COVID-19 have made this pandemic longer than expected. Elective orthopaedic cases cannot be ignored for forever, as it leads to poor quality of life and an increasing burden of such patients. We suggest, that using the protocols used at our centre, we have successfully operated on cases without risking spread of the virus. Thus, we believe it’s time to reinstate elective orthopaedic procedures, in a phased manner.     

The association of sleep quality and night sleep duration with coronary heart disease in a large-scale rural population

ObjectiveThe purposes of the present study were to explore independent and interactive associations between night sleep duration, night sleep quality and coronary heart disease (CHD) based on a rural population in China.MethodsA total of 27,935 participants (11,177 men and 16,758 women) were investigated from the Henan Rural Cohort. Information about sleep was assessed by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Restricted cubic splines and logistic regression were used to estimate the relationship between night sleep duration and quality with CHD.ResultAmong the 27,935 participants, 1506 participants with CHD were identified. Compared with participants with scores lower than 3, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of participants with score of 3–5, 6–8, ≥9 were respectively 1.42 (1.24–1.63), 1.99 (1.70–2.33), and 2.56 (2.13–3.08) with full adjustment of covariates. Compared with night sleep duration of 7 h, men and women who slept less than 5 h were 1.55 (1.11–2.17), 1.12 (0.59–2.12) and 1.80 (1.20–2.68), after being adjusted ORs (95% CIs) of the total. Moreover, the ORs and 95% CIs of CHD increased with the shortening of sleep duration at PSQI score above the highlighted levels.ConclusionPoor sleep quality and short night sleep duration were all associated with CHD in Chinese rural areas. Moreover, the association was more obvious in women. In addition, the strongest prevalence of CHD was found in short sleepers with poor sleep quality.     

The impact of horizontal violence on the individual nurse: A qualitative research study

AimHorizontal violence (HV) is a familiar term used in nursing. Certain populations of nurses are more susceptible to HV than others. Graduate nurses (nurses within their first 12 months of practice) are widely considered a vulnerable population in the profession and thus more at risk for HV. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how HV affects graduate nurses (GNs).DesignInductive thematic analysis was used in the design of this study.MethodsParticipants included eight Canadian GNs or Registered Nurses (RNs), all of whom had experience with HV in their first 12 months of practice. Data collection was done via one-on-one interviews.ResultsTwo main themes were revealed from the data collected - Toxic Nursing Culture and Fear. Several subthemes were also identified – cycle of violence, nurses eating their young, shame, drowning, isolation and vulnerability. The findings indicate that HV is prevalent in the first year of practice and is destructive to the mental health of the individual nurse. Horizontal violence poses a serious challenge for GNs entering nursing and is often touted as the reason new nurses leave the profession altogether.ConclusionThis study highlighted the personal and professional challenges that are heightened for a GN when they experience HV in their first year of practice. These experiences emphasize the impact that HV can have on the mental health of nurses and their ability to deliver safe patient care.     

思维导图联合案例教学法在手术室新职工带教中的应用

目的 探讨思维导图联合案例教学法在手术室新职工带教中的应用效果,为提升新护士手术配合能力提供参考。方法 将2019年8月-12月手术室新入职的护士设为对照组(n=38),将2020年8月-12月手术室新入职护士为观察组(n=31)。对照组采用传统教学模式,观察组采用思维导图联合案例教学法教学模式。比较2组理论及操作考核成绩、自我导向学习能力及临床思维能力。结果 干预后观察组操作考核得分高于对照组(t=-2.688,P=0.009),自我导向学习能力量表的学习评价维度评分高于对照组(t=-2.056,P=0.044);评判性思维、系统思维的得分及临床思维能力总分均高于对照组(t=-2.090,P=0.040;t=-2.011,P=0.048;t=-2.170,P=0.034 )。结论 思维导图联合案例教学法可提高手术室新入职护士的实践操作能力和临床思维能力,具有推广应用的价值。     

Detection of Enterobacter cloacae complex strain with a blaNDM-1-harboring plasmid from an elderly resident at a long-term care facility in Okayama,Japan

Amidst the global spread of antimicrobial resistance, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-type carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) remain uncommon in Japan, and the detection of such highly drug-resistant organisms is limited to inbound cases. There is little evidence regarding the prevalence of NDM β-lactamase gene (bla_NDM)-harboring CPE in the domestic community, especially in the provincial cities of Japan. Herein, we report the isolation of a bla_NDM-1-harboring plasmid in Enterobacter cloacae complex strain isolated from an elderly woman without a history of traveling abroad who had resided in a long-term care facility in Okayama, Japan. The multidrug-resistant bla_NDM-harboring CPE isolate was detected in a stool sample of the patient during routine screening at admission. We performed whole-genome sequencing analysis of the isolate using MiSeq (Illumina) and MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) platforms. The isolate was identified as sequence type 171, which has predominantly been reported in the United States and China. The bla_NDM-1 gene was encoded on the 46,161 bp IncX3 plasmid, with sequence similarity to plasmids of similar size isolated from individuals in China. Collectively, the genomic data suggest that an imported CPE isolate may have spread among healthy individuals in the regional area of Japan.