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American Journal of Pharmaceutical... Dec 2013To determine whether the modified Angoff process can be used to calculate a reliable minimal competency ("cut") score for the Annual Skills Mastery Assessment (ASMA).
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the modified Angoff process can be used to calculate a reliable minimal competency ("cut") score for the Annual Skills Mastery Assessment (ASMA).
METHODS
Three panels of pharmacy faculty members used a modified Angoff method to create a minimal competency score for 60 previously used test items. The panels did not know which items were included. Data were analyzed to determine differences between rating sessions, faculty type, item difficulty, and rater scoring bias.
RESULTS
The cut score generated was not significantly different by session or faculty type. The range of cut scores varied by less than 3% per examination. Faculty panelists correctly predicted student performance on items grouped as easy, medium, and hard.
CONCLUSION
A properly constructed faculty panel can determine a reliable cut score and accurately rank relative test item difficulty using the modified Angoff process.
Topics: Clinical Competence; Education, Pharmacy; Educational Measurement; Faculty; Reproducibility of Results; Software; Students, Pharmacy
PubMed: 24371335
DOI: 10.5688/ajpe7710211 -
Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) Nov 2020
Topics: Exercise Tolerance; Humans; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Oxygen
PubMed: 32573005
DOI: 10.1111/resp.13890 -
Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters Dec 2022Globally, significant progress has been made in the realm of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. We conceptualised "last mile" adolescents as having two or more... (Review)
Review
Globally, significant progress has been made in the realm of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. We conceptualised "last mile" adolescents as having two or more of the following factors of identity: refugee, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, out of school, rurally or remotely located, slum dwelling, incarcerated or previously incarcerated, HIV/AIDS infected, and living with a disability. We conducted a scoping review with an aim to synthesise evidence and identify research gaps in the literature pertaining to the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of last mile adolescents. We conducted searches in three databases (Embase, Global Health, and Medline). Fifty-four publications met our inclusion criteria. Our results revealed that the state of evidence on the SRHR of last mile adolescents is poor. Very few studies used qualitative and mixed-method inquiry. The number of studies carried out in North America, Europe, and Oceania were limited. We found insufficient disaggregated data with respect to SRHR-related knowledge, behaviour, and access to services. Adopting an intersectional lens is critical to uncover the multiplicative effects of last mile adolescents' factors of identity on their SRHR. National data systems should be strengthened to enable the collection of quality disaggregated data which can play a vital role in identifying SRHR inequities affecting last mile adolescents. Research priorities should be realigned to generate data globally on the SRHR of last mile adolescents whose lives are marked by intersecting vulnerabilities.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Reproductive Health; Reproductive Health Services; Reproductive Rights; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Health
PubMed: 35666196
DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2022.2077283 -
World Journal of Surgical Oncology Feb 2022The aim of this study was to determine the long-term overall and disease-free survival and factors associated with overall survival in patients with esophageal cancer... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine the long-term overall and disease-free survival and factors associated with overall survival in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing a totally minimally invasive Ivor Lewis esophagectomy (MILE) at a safety-net hospital.
METHODS
This was a single-center retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent MILE from September 2013 to November 2017. Overall and disease-free survival were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier estimates, and hazard ratios (HR) were derived from multivariable Cox regression models.
RESULTS
Ninety-six patients underwent MILE during the study period. Overall survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 83.2%, 61.9%, and 55.9%, respectively. Disease-free survival at 1, 3, and 5 years was 83.2%, 60.6%, and 47.5%, respectively. Overall survival (p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (p < 0.001) differed across pathological stages. By multivariable analysis, increasing age (HR, 1.06; p = 0.02), decreasing Karnofsky performance status score (HR, 0.94; p = 0.002), presence of stage IV disease (HR, 5.62; p = 0.002), locoregional recurrence (HR, 2.94; p = 0.03), and distant recurrence (HR, 4.78; p < 0.001) were negatively associated with overall survival. Overall survival significantly declined within 2 years and was independently associated with stage IV disease (HR, 3.29; p = 0.04) and distant recurrence (HR, 5.78; p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
MILE offers favorable long-term overall and disease-free survival outcomes. Age, Karnofsky performance status score, stage IV, and disease recurrence are shown to be prognostic factors of overall survival. Prospective studies comparing long-term outcomes after different MIE approaches are warranted to validate survival outcomes after MILE.
Topics: Esophageal Neoplasms; Esophagectomy; Humans; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Postoperative Complications; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35209914
DOI: 10.1186/s12957-022-02518-0 -
Global Health Action Jan 2021: The term 'last mile' has been used across disciplines to refer to populations who are farthest away, most difficult to reach, or last to benefit from a program or...
: The term 'last mile' has been used across disciplines to refer to populations who are farthest away, most difficult to reach, or last to benefit from a program or service. However, last mile research lacks a shared understanding around its conceptualization.: This project used a concept mapping process to answer the questions: what is last mile research in global health and, how can it be used to make positive change for health equity in the last mile?: Between July and December 2019, a five-stage concept mapping exercise was undertaken using online concept mapping software and an in-person consensus meeting. The stages were: establishment of an expert group and focus prompt; idea generation; sorting and rating; initial analysis and final consensus meeting.: A group of 15 health researchers with experience working with populations in last mile contexts and who were based at the Matariki Network institutions of Queen's University, CAN and Dartmouth College, USA took part. The resulting concept map had 64 unique idea statements and the process resulted in a map with five clusters. These included: (1) Last mile populations; (2) Research methods and approaches; (3) Structural and systemic factors; (4) Health system factors, and (5) Broader environmental factors. Central to the map were the ideas of equity, human rights, health systems, and contextual sensitivity.: This is the first time 'last mile research' has been the focus of a formal concept mapping exercise. The resulting map showed consensus about last mile populations are, research should be undertaken in the last mile and last mile health disparities exist. The map can be used to inform research training programs, however, repeating this process with researchers and members from different last mile populations would also add further insight.
Topics: Consensus; Exercise; Health Equity; Humans; Research Design; Research Personnel
PubMed: 33736574
DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2021.1893026 -
Scientific Reports May 2021Elite middle distance runners present as a unique population in which to explore biomechanical phenomena in relation to running speed, as their training and racing spans...
Elite middle distance runners present as a unique population in which to explore biomechanical phenomena in relation to running speed, as their training and racing spans a broad spectrum of paces. However, there have been no comprehensive investigations of running mechanics across speeds within this population. Here, we used the spring-mass model of running to explore global mechanical behavior across speeds in these runners. Ten elite-level 1500 m and mile runners (mean 1500 m best: 3:37.3 ± 3.6 s; mile: 3:54.6 ± 3.9 s) and ten highly trained 1500 m and mile runners (mean 1500 m best: 4:07.6 ± 3.7 s; mile: 4:27.4 ± 4.1 s) ran on a treadmill at 10 speeds where temporal measures were recorded. Spatiotemporal and spring-mass characteristics and their corresponding variation were calculated within and across speeds. All spatiotemporal measures changed with speed in both groups, but the changes were less substantial in the elites. The elite runners ran with greater approximated vertical forces (+ 0.16 BW) and steeper impact angles (+ 3.1°) across speeds. Moreover, the elites ran with greater leg and vertical stiffnesses (+ 2.1 kN/m and + 3.6 kN/m) across speeds. Neither group changed leg stiffness with increasing speeds, but both groups increased vertical stiffness (1.6 kN/m per km/h), and the elite runners more so (further + 0.4 kN/m per km/h). The elite runners also demonstrated lower variability in their spatiotemporal behavior across speeds. Together, these findings suggested that elite middle distance runners may have distinct global mechanical patterns across running speeds, where they behave as stiffer, less variable spring-mass systems compared to highly trained, but sub-elite counterparts.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Humans; Male; Running
PubMed: 34006954
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89858-1 -
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Aug 2022Traffic fatalities remain a major public health challenge despite progress made during recent decades. This study develops exposure-based estimates of fatalities per...
INTRODUCTION
Traffic fatalities remain a major public health challenge despite progress made during recent decades. This study develops exposure-based estimates of fatalities per mile traveled for pedestrians, cyclists, and light-duty vehicle occupants and describes disparities by race/ethnicity, including a subanalysis of fatality rates during darkness and in urban areas.
METHODS
Estimates of person-miles traveled by mode and race/ethnicity group were derived from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey using replicate weights. Three-year average (2016‒2018) traffic fatalities were measured by mode and race/ethnicity group with the U.S. Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Fatality rates per mile traveled and CIs were calculated for each subgroup as well as separately for trips occurring during darkness and in urban areas. Analysis was conducted in 2021‒2022.
RESULTS
Exposure to traffic fatality differs by race/ethnicity group and by mode, indicating that adjustment for differential exposure is needed when estimating disparities. The authors find that fatality rates per 100 million miles traveled are systematically higher for Black and Hispanic Americans for all modes and notably higher for vulnerable modes (e.g., Black Americans died at more than 4 times the rate for White Americans while cycling, 33.71 [95% CI: 21.84, 73.83] compared with 7.53 [95% CI: 6.64, 8.69], and more than 2 times the rate while walking, 40.92 [95% CI: 36.58, 46.44] compared with 18.77 [95% CI: 17.30, 20.51]). Previous estimates that do not adjust for differential exposure may underestimate disparities by race/ethnicity. Observed disparities remained when considering only urban areas and appear to be exacerbated during darkness.
CONCLUSIONS
Traffic fatalities are a substantial and preventable public health challenge in America. Black and Hispanic Americans have higher traffic fatality rates per mile traveled than White Americans across the transportation system, requiring urgent attention.
Topics: Accidents, Traffic; Bicycling; Ethnicity; Humans; Pedestrians; Transportation; United States
PubMed: 35868815
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.03.012 -
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis :... Mar 2021F8 int1h inversions (Inv1) are detected in 1%-2% of severe hemophilia A (HA) patients. Long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inverse-shifting PCR have been used...
BACKGROUND
F8 int1h inversions (Inv1) are detected in 1%-2% of severe hemophilia A (HA) patients. Long-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and inverse-shifting PCR have been used to diagnose these inversions.
OBJECTIVES
To design and validate a sensitive and robust assay for detection of F8 Inv1 inversions.
METHODS
Archival DNA samples were investigated using mile-post assays and droplet digital PCR.
RESULTS
Milepost assays for Inv1 showing high specificities and sensitivities were designed and optimized. Analysis of four patients, two carrier mothers, and 40 healthy controls showed concordance with known mutation status with one exception. One patient had a duplication involving exons 2-22 of the F8 gene instead of an Inv1 mutation. DNA mixtures with different proportions of wild-type and Inv1 DNA correlated well with the observed relative linkage for both wild type and Inv1 assays and estimated the limit of detection of these assays to 2% of the rare chromosome.
CONCLUSIONS
The milepost strategy has several inherent control systems. The absolute counting of target molecules by both assays enables determination of template quantity, detection of copy number variants, and rare variants occurring in primer and probe annealing sites and estimation of DNA integrity through the observed linkage. The presented Inv1 milepost analysis offers sensitive and robust detection and quantification of the F8 int1h inversions and other rearrangements involving intron 1 in patients and their mothers.
Topics: Chromosome Inversion; Factor VIII; Hemophilia A; Humans; Introns; Mutation; Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 33345381
DOI: 10.1111/jth.15219 -
Transportation Research... Jun 2021Supply chains in general and last-mile logistics in particular, have been disrupted due to COVID-19. Though several innovative last-mile logistics solutions have been...
Supply chains in general and last-mile logistics in particular, have been disrupted due to COVID-19. Though several innovative last-mile logistics solutions have been proposed in the past, they possess certain limitations, especially during COVID-19 motivating the need for an alternative last-mile logistics solution. We present a review of literature related to last-mile logistics and supply chain disruptions to identify the limitations of existing last-mile delivery practices during COVID-19. Using a stylized analytical model, we then propose that "mobile warehouse" can be an effective solution to last-mile logistics issues faced during COVID-19 and beyond under certain conditions. A mobile warehouse is a truck dedicated to a particular geographical location and carries the inventory of various products based on the estimated demand requirements for these products in that geographical location. We provide the condition under which the B2C e-commerce providers find it profitable to adopt a truck as a mobile warehouse to sell high demand items quickly.
PubMed: 36844004
DOI: 10.1016/j.trip.2021.100339