Best practice guidelines on publishing ethics: a publisher's perspective, 2nd edition

Wiley has updated its publishing ethics guidelines, first published in 2006. The new guidelines provide guidance, resources and practical advice on ethical concerns that arise in academic publishing for editors, authors and researchers, among other audiences. New guidance is also included on whistle blowers, animal research, clinical research and clinical trial registration, addressing cultural differences, human rights and confidentiality. The guidelines are uniquely interdisciplinary, and were reviewed by 24 editors and experts chosen from the wide range of communities that Wiley serves. They are also published in Advanced Materials, Headache, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Social Science Quarterly, and on the website http://exchanges.wiley.com/ethicsguidelines.     

Modeled Occupational Exposures to Gas-Phase Medical Laser-Generated Air Contaminants

Exposure monitoring data indicate the potential for substantive exposure to laser-generated air contaminants (LGAC); however the diversity of medical lasers and their applications limit generalization from direct workplace monitoring. Emission rates of seven previously reported gas-phase constituents of medical laser-generated air contaminants (LGAC) were determined experimentally and used in a semi-empirical two-zone model to estimate a range of plausible occupational exposures to health care staff. Single-source emission rates were generated in an emission chamber as a one-compartment mass balance model at steady-state. Clinical facility parameters such as room size and ventilation rate were based on standard ventilation and environmental conditions required for a laser surgical facility in compliance with regulatory agencies. All input variables in the model including point source emission rates were varied over an appropriate distribution in a Monte Carlo simulation to generate a range of time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations in the near and far field zones of the room in a conservative approach inclusive of all contributing factors to inform future predictive models. The concentrations were assessed for risk and the highest values were shown to be at least three orders of magnitude lower than the relevant occupational exposure limits (OELs). Estimated values do not appear to present a significant exposure hazard within the conditions of our emission rate estimates.     

Release of Ciprofloxacin-HCl and Dexamethasone Phosphate by Hyaluronic Acid Containing Silicone Polymers

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the covalent incorporation of hyaluronic acid (HA) into conventional hydrogel and hydrogels containing silicone as models for contact lens materials on the uptake and release of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin and the anti-inflammatory steroid dexamethasone phosphate. A 3 mg/mL ciprofloxacin solution (0.3% w/v) and a 1 mg/mL dexamethasone phosphate solution (0.1%) was prepared in borate buffered saline. Three hydrogel material samples (pHEMA; pHEMA TRIS; DMAA TRIS) were prepared with and without the covalent incorporation of HA of molecular weight (MW) 35 or 132 kDa. Hydrogel discs were punched from a sheet of material with a uniform diameter of 5 mm. Uptake kinetics were evaluated at room temperature by soaking the discs for 24 h. Release kinetics were evaluated by placing the drug-loaded discs in saline at 34 °C in a shaking water bath. At various time points over 6–7 days, aliquots of the release medium were assayed for drug amounts. The majority of the materials tested released sufficient drug to be clinically relevant in an ophthalmic application, reaching desired concentrations for antibiotic or anti-inflammatory activity in solution. Overall, the silicone-based hydrogels (pHEMA TRIS and DMAA TRIS), released lower amounts of drug than the conventional pHEMA material (p < 0.001). Materials with HA MW132 released more ciprofloxacin compared to materials with HA MW35 and lenses without HA (p < 0.02). Some HA-based materials were still releasing the drug after 6 days.     

Social return on investment analysis of an art group for people with dementia

BackgroundFunding bodies require interventions to show value for money before further investment is made. Although cost-effectiveness analysis is widely used in economic evaluation it might not capture the social value generated by certain interventions. Here, we describe Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis of the Dementia and Imagination study. SROI is similar to cost–benefit analysis in that inputs and outputs are converted into a monetary value; however, SROI also attempts to capture the social value generated. Although SROI has been used in the education and non-profit sectors, it is still relatively unused for the evaluation of health and social care interventions, partly because the valuation of outputs can be subjective.MethodsThe intervention will be delivered between June, 2014, to May, 2015, and involves people with dementia attending weekly art sessions for 3 months. An uncontrolled, cohort study design is being used. There will be three settings: the community, residential care homes, and inpatient assessment units. Participants will be interviewed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. SROI analysis involves six steps: establishing scope and identifying stakeholders, mapping outcomes, evidencing and valuing outcomes, establishing impact, calculating the SROI, and reporting it as a ratio of £X of social value generated for every £1 invested. The primary indicator for participant wellbeing is the DEMQOL; staff attitudes will be measured with the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with participants, families, and staff involved with the project to capture broader outcomes.FindingsWe identified three key stakeholders: participants, participants' families, and staff at residential units where the project is taking place. Our next challenge is to assign a monetary value to non-physical outcomes such as increased wellbeing, increased confidence in participants, and increased staff morale.InterpretationSROI is an attempt to move towards broader economic evaluation in interventions that aim to have a wider effect on wellbeing than on health alone. The non-controlled study design would be a limitation for traditional cost-effectiveness analysis; however, establishing the effect through considering attribution, displacement, and drop-off are key parts of SROI analysis and are used to minimise the risk of overinterpreting the effect of the intervention.FundingDementia and Imagination was funded as Dementia and imagination: connecting communities and developing well-being through socially engaged visual arts practice, grant ref AH/K00333X/1, by the AHRC and ESRC as a part of the Cross-Council Connected Communities Programme.