Estimating the prevalence of problem gambling among older adults in Singapore

This study examined the prevalence rates of problem gambling among older adults in Singapore. A stratified sampling method was used to select the nationally representative sample of 3010 older adults aged 55 years and above. The survey participants were of varying ethnicities living in the community, including Chinese, Malay, and Indian (and others). A structured questionnaire, including the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, gambling attitudes and behaviors, and demographic information was administered face-to-face at participants' homes, using one of the four language versions preferred by the participants. Among those who had gambled lifetime, 69.7% (or weighted population = 39.2%) gambled in the past 12 months and 2.2% (or weighted population = .9%) met the problem gambling criteria. Individuals with problem gambling were likely to have started gambling at an younger age and to have gambled in activities characterized by continuity and no set money limits. Future research should examine changes in gambling behaviors of older adults over time in non-Western societies.     

医院环境文化的本质解读

医院文化的本质就是人文环境和文化氛围的交融。通过其精神文化、物质文化、制度文化、宣传文化和行为文化等相互作用、不断循环、整合，从而构成了一个动态的文化有机复合体，即医院环境文化。医院环境文化发展创新的本质就是利用医院文化的五个组成部分的不断整合、相互影响，培育出具有业务精湛、职业道德高尚、综合素质高的医务人员，最终更人性、更有效地为解除患者病痛、解救患者生命服务。     

Medications and the Culture of Safety: Conference Title: At the Precipice of Quality Health Care: The Role of the Toxicologist in Enhancing Patient and Medication Safety Venue ACMT Pre-Meeting Symposium, 2014 North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology,New Orleans,LA

Medication mishaps are a common cause of morbidity and mortality both within and outside of hospitals. While the use of a variety of technologies and techniques have promised to improve these statistics, instead of eliminating errors, new ones have appeared as quickly as old ones have been improved. To truly improve safety across the entire enterprise, we must ensure that we create a culture that is willing to accept that errors occur in normal course of operation to the best of people. Focus must not be on punishment and shame, but rather building a fault tolerant system that maintains safety of both staff and patients.     

Primary Antibiotic Resistance to Helicobacter pylori Strains Isolated From Children in Northern Iran: A Single Center Study

Background:

Initial resistance to antibiotics is the main reason for the failure of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication in children.

Objectives:

As we commonly face high antibiotic resistance rates in children, we aimed to determine the susceptibility of H. pylori to common antibiotics.

Patients and Methods:

In this cross-sectional in vitro study, 169 children younger than 14 years with clinical diagnosis of peptic ulcer underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Biopsy specimens from stomach and duodenum were cultured. In isolated colonies, tests of catalase, urease, and oxidase as well as gram staining were performed. After confirming the colonies as H. pylori, the antibiogram was obtained using disk diffusion method.

Results:

Culture for H. pylori was positive in 12.3% of the specimens, urease test in 21.3%, serological test in 18.9% and stool antigen test was positive in 21.9%. We could show high specificity but moderate sensitivity of both histological and H. pylori stool antigen tests to detect H. pylori. The overall susceptibility to metronidazole was 42.9%, amoxicillin 95.2%, clarithromycin 85.7%, furazolidone 61.9%, azithromycin 81.0%, and tetracycline 76.2% with the highest resistance to metronidazole and the lowest to clarithromycin.

Conclusions:

In our region, there is high resistance of H. pylori to some antibiotics including metronidazole and furazolidone among affected children. To reduce the prevalence of this antibiotic resistance, more controlled use of antibiotics should be considered in children.     

A Path Analysis of Latino Parental,Teenager and Cultural Variables in Teenagers' Sexual Attitudes,Norms, Self-Efficacy,and Sexual Intentions

OBJECTIVE:

to test a theoretical model based on the Parent-Based Expansion of the Theory of Planned Behavior examining relation between selected parental, teenager and cultural variables and Latino teenagers'' intentions to engage in sexual behavior.

METHOD:

a cross-sectional correlational design based on a secondary data analysis of 130 Latino parent and teenager dyads.

RESULTS:

regression and path analysis procedures were used to test seven hypotheses and the results demonstrated partial support for the model. Parent familism and knowledge about sex were significantly associated with parents'' attitudes toward sexual communication with their teenagers. Parent Latino acculturation was negatively associated with parents'' self-efficacy toward sexual communication with their teenagers and positevely associated with parents'' subjective norms toward sexual communication with their teenagers. Teenager knowledge about sex was significantly associated with higher levels of teenagers'' attitudes and subjective norms about sexual communication with parents. Only the predictor of teenagers'' attitudes toward having sex in the next 3 months was significantly associated with teenagers'' intentions to have sex in the next 3 months.

CONCLUSION:

the results of this study provide important information to guide future research that can inform development of interventions to prevent risky teenager sexual behavior among Latinos.     

Problem-based learning in occupational therapy curriculum – implications and challenges

Purpose: Problem-based learning (PBL) is an educational method that fosters self-directed study in small groups. The purpose of this study was to describe the Tel Aviv University’s occupational therapy (OT) program and the challenges implementing such program. In addition, the study compared the PBL grades obtained by students who are native Hebrew speakers with those students who are native Arabic speakers; and, assessed the correlation between the grades in the PBL course and the grades in the clinical fieldwork studies.

Method: 166-second year OT undergraduate students participated. All completed three PBL courses and seven weeks of clinical fieldwork studies. Data collection included students’ grades in PBL course (based on PBL evaluation forms) and in clinical fieldwork studies (based on preceptor’s evaluation and a written assignment).

Results: Pearson correlations revealed significant correlations between PBL grades and clinical fieldwork studies grades. T-test analysis between students who are native Hebrew speakers and those who are native Arabic speakers revealed significant differences in PBL grades.

Conclusions: Findings imply partial congruence between students’ grades in the PBL course and their achievements in the fieldwork studies. Findings might suggest that adjustments should be made in order to assist students from minorities (challenged by language requirements) in gaining higher grades in the PBL program.

• Implications for Rehabilitation

• Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is an educational method, which fosters independent, self-directed study in small groups.

• PBL studies have the potential to prepare students for their clinical experience during studies.

• The PBL program should be adjusted for students from minorities (challenged by language requirements and different cultural backgrounds) in order to assist them in gaining more benefits from the program.

     

Toxicology of 3-epi-deoxynivalenol,a deoxynivalenol-transformation product by Devosia mutans 17-2-E-8

Microbial detoxification of deoxynivalenol (DON) represents a new approach to treating DON-contaminated grains. A bacterium Devosia mutans 17-2-E-8 was capable of completely transforming DON into a major product 3-epi-DON and a minor product 3-keto-DON. Evaluation of toxicities of these DON-transformation products is an important part of hazard characterization prior to commercialization of the biotransformation application. Cytotoxicities of the products were demonstrated by two assays: a MTT bioassay assessing cell viability and a BrdU assay assessing DNA synthesis. Compared with DON, the IC₅₀ values of 3-epi-DON and 3-keto-DON were respectively 357 and 3.03 times higher in the MTT bioassay, and were respectively 1181 and 4.54 times higher in the BrdU bioassay. Toxicological effects of 14-day oral exposure of the B6C3F₁ mouse to DON and 3-epi-DON were also investigated. Overall, there were no differences between the control (free of toxin) and the 25 mg/kg bw/day or 100 mg/kg bw/day 3-epi-DON treatments in body and organ weights, hematology and organ histopathology. However, in mice exposed to DON (2 mg/kg bw/day), white blood cell numbers and serum immunoglobulin levels were altered relative to controls, and lesions were observed in adrenals, thymus, stomach, spleen and colon. Taken together, in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that 3-epi-DON is substantially less toxic than DON.     

不同培养基和胰蛋白酶对Vero细胞培养及消化效果的比较

目的 比较不同公司生产的无血清培养基对病毒性疫苗生产用Vero细胞培养效果,及基因工程胰蛋白酶的细胞消化效果,以判断是否适用。方法 实验组用VirusPro Vero-A培养基进行Vero细胞的培养,用Trpzyme消化细胞。对照组用VP-SFM培养基进行细胞培养,用TrypLE Select消化细胞。两组Vero细胞以相同密度接种在T175培养瓶中,以相同的培养条件和传代方法在T175瓶和细胞工厂中各培养3代。培养期间观察细胞的上清液、形态以及汇合度,消化后检测细胞活率并计算细胞收获量。采用配对t检验比较两组消化液的pH值、总消化时长、37 ℃消化孵育时长、细胞活率以及细胞收获量。结果 两组细胞生长状态均良好。配对t检验显示,实验组消化液的pH值（6.99）、总消化时长（17.28 min）和37 ℃消化孵育时长（6.93 min）均值均大于对照组消化液的（分别为6.75、12.34 min、3.30 min）,细胞活率（94.79%）及细胞收获量（T175瓶：3.91×10⁷个;细胞工厂：1.90×10⁹个）均值均高于对照组的（分别为90.20%、3.33×10⁷个、1.26×10⁹个）,且差异有统计学意义（t值分别为9.17、3.46、2.98、2.31和4.38,P值均<0.05）。结论 实验组无血清培养基培养效果较好,基因工程胰蛋白酶细胞消化液温和、细胞损伤小,均适用于Vero细胞。     

Two- Versus Three-Dimensional In Vitro Differentiation of Human Pulp Cells Into Odontoblastic Cells

The spatial organization of the pulp cells may modify the cytodifferentiation process. The purpose of this study was to compare the two- versus three-dimensional cell culture systems for differentiation of human odontoblastic cells in vitro. Pulpal cores from freshly extracted human third molars were cultured in vitro in a perfusion device on two types of membranes: polyester membrane (two-dimensional [2D] cell culture) and nylon mesh (three-dimensional [3D] cell culture). The cells were incubated with minimum essential medium containing (a) substitute serum, (b) 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), (c) 10% fetal calf serum + 2 mM &#103 -glycerophosphate ( &#103 GP), and (d) 10% fetal calf serum + transforming growth factor (TGF) &#103 1. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate the expression of collagen I, osteonectin, and nestin. Small differences were observed between 2D and 3D cell culture systems. This was particularly evident in the 10% FCS group. &#103 -Glycerophosphate in the 3D system seems to stimulate the osteogenic cell phenotype, as a considerable induction of osteonectin is observed.