An evidence based protocol for managing neonatal middle ear effusions in babies who fail newborn hearing screening

Objectives

To evaluate the prevalence of middle ear disease in infants referred for failed newborn hearing screening (NBHS) and to review patient outcomes after intervention in order to propose an evidence-based protocol for management of newborns with otitis media with effusion (OME) who fail NBHS.

Virtual reality digital surgical planning for jaw reconstruction: a usability study

Background

Digital surgical planning (DSP) has revolutionized the preparation and execution of the management of complex head and neck pathologies. The addition of virtual reality (VR) allows the surgeon to have a three-dimensional experience with six degrees of freedom for visualizing and manipulating objects. This pilot study describes the participants experience with the first head and neck reconstructive VR-DSP platform.

Methods

An original VR-DSP platform has been developed for planning the ablation and reconstruction of head and neck pathologies. A prospective trial utilizing this platform involving reconstructive surgeons was performed. Participants conducted a simulated VR-DSP planning session, pre- and post-questionnaire as well as audio recordings allowing for qualitative analysis.

Results

Thirteen consultant reconstructive surgeons representing three surgical backgrounds with varied experience were recruited. The majority of surgeons had no previous experience with VR. Based on the system usability score, the VR-DSP platform was found to have above average usability. The qualitative analysis demonstrated the majority had a positive experience. Participants identified some perceived barriers to implementing the VR-DSP platform.

Conclusions

Virtual reality-digital surgical planning is usable and acceptable to reconstructive surgeons. Surgeons were able to perform the steps in an efficient time despite limited experience. The addition of VR offers additional benefits to current VSP platforms. Based on the results of this pilot study, it is likely that VR-DSP will be of benefit to the reconstructive surgeon.     

Differential expression of FMR1, FXR1 and FXR2 proteins in human brain and testis

Lack of expression of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) results in mental retardation and macroorchidism, seen as the major pathological symptoms in fragile X patients. FMRP is a cytoplasmic RNA- binding protein which cosediments with the 60S ribosomal subunit. Recently, two proteins homologous to FMRP were discovered: FXR1 and FXR2. These novel proteins interact with FMRP and with each other and they are also associated with the 60S ribosomal subunit. Here, we studied the expression pattern of the three proteins in brain and testis by immunohistochemistry. In adult brain, FMR1, FXR1 and FXR2 proteins are coexpressed in the cytoplasm of specific differentiated neurons only. However, we observed a different expression pattern in fetal brain as well as in adult and fetal testis, suggesting independent functions for the three proteins in those tissues during embryonic development and adult life.      

用原子力显微镜表征K562/A02细胞Mdr1基因DNA的实验研究

目的:运用原子力显微镜(atomic force microscope,AFM)表征K562/A02细胞多药耐药基因Mdr1启动子区域的DNA。材料与方法:PCR扩增K562/A02细胞Mdr1基因启动子区域769bp的DNA,产物纯化后,分别按终浓度为5ng/μl、10ng/μl、20ng/μl固定在用1ng/μlL型多聚赖氨酸预先处理过的新剥离的云母片制备成观测样本。原子力显微镜观测样本,获取扫描图像后追踪DNA分子轮廓,进行模数分析。结果:用原子力显微镜能够成功地表征K562/A02mdr1基因启动子区域769bp的DNA片段,获得清晰的二维及三维图像。我们推测原子力显微镜观测该长度的DNA样本的最佳浓度为10ng/ul左右,在此浓度下对其三维图像进行图像处理后分析的DNA分子轮廓结果如下:DNA分子链的长度为(260.13±2.29)nm(n=50),平均宽度为(11.88±0.92)nm,双链的平均高度为1.2nm。结论:原子力显微镜能够成功地表征K562/A02细胞Mdr1基因启动子区域的DNA,获得清晰的二维及三维图象,并且能够直观地分析DNA轮廓,为进一步在分子层面上探讨研究Mdr1基因遗传信息提供了一种新的简单、直观、可靠的方法。     

Understanding motivations to participate in an observational research study: Why do patients enroll?

By understanding common motivations for participating in observational research studies, clinicians may better understand the perceived benefits of research participation from their clients’ perspective. We enrolled 164 cardiac patients in a study about the effects of gratitude and optimism. Two weeks post-enrollment, participants completed a four-item questionnaire regarding motivations for study enrollment. Altruistic motivation ranked highest, while intellectual, health-related, and financial motivations rated lower. Four subgroups of participants emerged, each with distinct characteristics and different priorities for participating. These findings may help front-line clinicians to understand which motivations for participation apply to their clients who enroll in non-treatment-based research projects.