Development of a Simulation-Based Mastery Learning Curriculum for Breaking Bad News

Introduction

Physician communication impacts patient outcomes. However, communication skills, especially around difficult conversations, remain suboptimal, and there is no clear way to determine the validity of entrustment decisions. The aims of this study were to 1) describe the development of a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) curriculum for breaking bad news (BBN) conversation skills and 2) set a defensible minimum passing standard (MPS) to ensure uniform skill acquisition among learners.

Topical Treatment of Oral Mucositis in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background and Purpose: Evidence-based protocols of topical therapy for oral mucositis (OM) induced by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) are continuously established and updated. Thus, the present systematic review aims to evaluate the scientific literature in terms of effectiveness of topical treatment of OM in cancer patients undergoing CRT.  Materials and Methods: This systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Checklist. Randomized clinical trials were identified through electronic database searches on CINAHL, Cochrane Library, LILACS, Livivo, PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Grey literature was also assessed on Google Scholar, Open Grey, and ProQuest. The risk of bias in the included studies was assessed by the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool. Results: Twenty-three randomized clinical trials (n=1169 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-three different topical agents were examined and categorized into five groups: analgesics (30.4%), natural agents (21.7%), other topical agents (21.7%), antimicrobial agents (17.4%), and growth factors (8.8%). Of the included studies, 50% presented a resolution of OM within 14 days. Topical natural agents yielded good results with average resolution time of 3–7 days. The included studies generally demonstrated that patients treated with mouthwashes presented superior benefits compared to the control, depending on OM severity. Conclusion: Topical agents effectively reduced the severity of OM lesions and pain intensity in patients receiving chemoradiotherapy, although the effects varied by agent type. However, the heterogeneity in the results of these topical intervention studies underscores the need for standardized clinical trial methodologies. Clinical Relevance: Topical agents were effective in patients with severe OM lesions receiving chemoradiotherapy and are a good alternative of home care in relation to pain control, reduction of inflammation and consequent improvement in quality of life.     

Restorative Narratives for Health Promotion

ABSTRACT

Stories may provide a useful way of communicating about health and promoting engagement for health promotion campaigns. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of a particular type of narrative, restorative narratives (stories that highlight hope and resilience), relative to negative narratives (stories that focus on suffering or challenges). We also tested the effect of labeling the story as fact or fiction. The results suggested that restorative narratives may foster greater prosocial behavior than negative narratives and effectiveness does not differ depending on whether a story is labeled as “factual” or “fictional.” Our findings offer encouraging implications for future promotional efforts by health organizations.     

Variables associated with subjective cognitive change among Iraq and Afghanistan war Veterans with blast-related mild traumatic brain injury

Introduction: This study investigated variables associated with subjective decline in executive function among Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) following a history of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).

Method: Fifty-six male U.S. Veterans (M_Age = 35.3 ± 8.8 years) with a history of blast-related mTBI (6.6 ± 3.2 years post injury) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and neuropsychological measures. Participants rated current and retrospectively estimated pre-mTBI executive function difficulties on the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe). A difference score (post- minus pre-mTBI ratings) was the dependent variable (?FrSBe). Linear regression models examined variables predicting ?FrSBe, including: pre-injury characteristics (education, premorbid intelligence), injury-related characteristics (number of blast exposures, losses of consciousness), post-injury clinical symptoms (PTSD Checklist–Military version; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and post-injury neuropsychological performances on executive function measures (Trail Making Test Part B; Controlled Oral Word Association Test; Auditory Consonant Trigrams; Wisconsin Card Sorting Test).

Results: While 11% of participants had a clinically elevated pre-injury FrSBe total score, 82% had a clinically elevated post-injury FrSBe total score. Only self-reported PTSD symptom severity independently predicted perceived change in executive function.

Conclusions: Many OEF/OIF/OND Veterans with a history of blast-related mTBI experience subjective decline in executive function following injury. Perceived executive function decline was associated with higher PTSD symptom severity, aligning with previous research associating PTSD with cognitive complaints. Results did not support a correspondence between perceived cognitive change and neuropsychological performances.     

A study of PD‐L1 expression in intravascular large B cell lymphoma: correlation with clinical and pathological features

Intravascular large B cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare, aggressive, extranodal large B cell lymphoma characterised by growth of tumour cells within the lumen of vessels, particularly capillaries. Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD‐L1) is a cell surface glycoprotein that interacts with programmed death 1 (PD‐1) on the T cell surface, leading to modulation of the immune response. PD‐L1 is a targetable immune check‐point molecule that is expressed on neoplastic cells in various cancers, including a subset of lymphomas. We correlated the expression of PD‐L1 with clinical and pathological findings in this rare disease. Eleven cases of IVLBCL were identified in the archives of Laboratory of Pathology at the National Cancer Institute, NIH. A panel of immunostains (CD20, CD3, CD5, PD‐L1) was performed. The cases were classified as the classic form or the variant associated with haemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) based on published 2017 WHO criteria. Three cases (27.3%) were HPS variant and eight cases (72.7%) were the classic form. Five (45.5%) of 11 cases were CD5‐positive; two of three (66%) were HPS variants and three of eight (37.5%) were classic form. Overall, four of nine evaluable cases (44.4%) were positive for PD‐L1, three of which were classic. Only one CD5‐positive case was PD‐L1‐positive, a classic variant. In summary, a subset of IVLBCL express PD‐L1. Although limited, these data suggest that PD‐L1 is expressed in both the so‐called classic form as well as the HPS variant. PD‐L1 is expressed irrespective of CD5 expression. Finally, detection of PD‐L1 expression in a subset of IVLBCL lymphoma cases may identify patients who might benefit from targeted immunotherapy.