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Pharmacy students’ motivations, satisfaction, and future career plans: A cross-sectional study exploring gender differences
Background The pharmacy profession has significantly changed over the years. Pharmacy students’ perceptions of their coursework and future career aspirations may vary in relation to gender. Objectives The present study explored the motivations of pharmacy students to enter pharmacy school, their satisfaction with the academic program, future plans after graduation, and perceptions about the pharmacy profession in relation to gender. Methods Data were collected using a cross-sectional descriptive validated questionnaire built by the research team. The study was conducted at twelve public and private universities offering pharmacy programs. Results In total, 918 pharmacy students have completed the online questionnaire, with a 98% response rate. Most participants reported that family encouragement was a motive to enter pharmacy school. The results of the Chi-Squared Test indicated a significant difference between female and male participants with respect to the following motives: High school grades (p = 0.009), being good at science (p = 0.013), working with patients(p = 0.024), professional status (p = 0.014), working in a family business (p = 0.001) and job opportunities (p = 0.001). The majority of male participants and female participants perceived pharmacy jobs as prestigious jobs. In addition, male and female students believed that it was a profession with well-paid jobs. Conclusion Females were significantly more motivated by their high school degrees, goodness at science, working with patients, and professional status to enter pharmacy school. Pharmacy students are satisfied enough with the academic program. Male and female pharmacists have different career aspirations in the pharmaceutical sectors. It is recommended that students be educated about career planning to help them accomplish their goals. Future research could benefit from longitudinal studies to explore changes in pharmacy students’ motivations, satisfaction, and career aspirations over time.
Helium cold atmospheric pressure plasma reduces erastin induced inflammation and ferroptosis in human gingival fibroblasts
Retraction: The role of thymosin beta 4 on odontogenic differentiation in human dental pulp cells
Marginalized two part model for analyzing multilevel semicontinuous medical costs in Iranian households
Barriers to implementing contingency management at a methadone treatment clinic: A qualitative study at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania
Introduction Contingency management in addiction behaviors has been widely applied in high income settings. Contingency management entails modification of behavior via the control or manipulation of consequences (contingencies) to the behavior. While a need exists for contingency management in low- and middle- income settings, specifically those of the sub-Saharan Africa region, uptake is low relative to high income settings. This study assessed barriers to implementation of contingency management for methadone treatment clients at the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in Tanzania. Methods This study employed a qualitative design and was conducted at Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital (MZRH). Guided by the consolidated framework of implementation research (CFIR), data were collected from two sources 1) ten purposively selected key informants (health care workers, methadone treatment clients and hospital leaders) who participated in in-depth interviews, and 2) a mini focus group discussion with five participants (two health care providers, two hospital leaders and one leader of methadone treatment clients). We developed semi-structured guides for in-depth interviews and the mini focus group to explore the key barriers. We analyzed the collected data using thematic analysis. Results Reported barriers revolved around the following key themes: lack of awareness and knowledge regarding contingency management, financial constraints to support implementation, trust between clients and health care workers, Health care workers work load, client behaviors and clinic culture. Participants mentioned lack of awareness and knowledge more frequently compared to other themes. Conclusion In the context of specialized outpatient care in Tanzania, contingency management faces a variety of barriers. Deliberate efforts to establish and sustain contingency management in these settings require strategies that attend to the identified barriers. If the barriers are overcome, contingency management implementation and sustainment may follow and ultimately improve methadone related health outcome for patients.
A chain mediation model of parent child relationship and academic burnout of adolescents
What are end-users’ needs and preferences for a comprehensive e-health program for type 2 diabetes? – A qualitative user preference study
Introduction Type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence is rising, which imposes a significant burden on individuals, healthcare systems, and economies worldwide. Lifestyle factors contribute significantly to the escalating incidence of T2D. Consequently, there is an increasing need for interventions that not only target at-risk populations for prevention but also empower individuals with T2D to achieve better self-management and possibly attain remission through sustained lifestyle modifications. Technological tools may improve health outcomes compared to traditional in-person care, and can include registration of important health parameters, provide follow-up and support, and enhance self-management. The aim of this study was to receive feedback from end-users to inform the development of a comprehensive e-health program focusing on lifestyle modification in pre-diabetes and T2D. Methods During eight focus group meetings, sixteen adults with pre-diabetes or T2D from all over Norway informed the study about needs and preferences for an e-health program, including essential functionalities and design choices. A questionnaire and paper prototyping were used to complement the discussions in the focus group meetings. Results Lack of necessary diabetes knowledge was common, and education was considered essential for improved self-management. Essential functionalities included registration and overview of several health parameters, long-term follow-up and coaching through communication platforms within the program, automatic data transfer from different devices such as blood glucose monitors and smartwatches, and educational courses. To ensure end-users’ satisfaction with the program and increase motivation for long-term usage, the participants rendered tailoring of desired functionalities and content as crucial. Conclusion Based on the findings, a list of recommendations was created, containing the most crucial functionalities and features to include when developing e-health and/or m-health tools for people with pre-diabetes and T2D. Future work should include health care personnel to explore their needs and preferences, and ways such an e-health program may enhance patient interaction without increasing workload and resource use.
1H NMR metabonomic analysis of serum and flap tissue on the effect of ginsenoside Rb1 on survival of random pattern skin flaps in rats
Genome-wide identification and characterization of FORMIN gene family in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and their expression profiles in response to multiple abiotic stress treatments
FORMIN proteins distinguished by FH2 domain, are conserved throughout evolution and widely distributed in eukaryotic organisms. These proteins interact with various signaling molecules and cytoskeletal proteins, playing crucial roles in both biotic and abiotic stress responses. However, the functions of FORMINs in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) remain uncovered. In this study, 46 FORMIN genes in G. hirsutum (referred to as GhFH) were systematically identified. The gene structures, conserved domains, and motifs of these GhFH genes were thoroughly explored. Phylogenetic and structural analysis classified these 46 GhFH genes into five distinct groups. In silico subcellular localization, prediction suggested that GhFH genes are distributed across various cellular compartments, including the nucleus, extracellular space, cytoplasm, mitochondria, cytoskeleton, plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, and chloroplasts. Evolutionary and functional diversification analyses, based on on-synonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) ratios and gene duplication events, indicated that GhFH genes have evolved under purifying selection. The analysis of cis-acting elements suggested that GhFH genes may be involved in plant growth, hormone regulation, light response, and stress response. Results from transcriptional factors TFs and gene ontology analysis indicate that FORMIN proteins regulate cell wall structure and cytoskeleton dynamics by reacting to hormone signals associated with environmental stress. Additionally, 45 putative ghr-miRNAs were identified from 32 families targeting 33 GhFH genes. Expression analysis revealed that GhFH1, GhFH10, GhFH20, GhFH24, and GhFH30 exhibited the highest levels of expression under red, blue, and white light conditions. Further, GhFH9, GhFH20, and GhFH30 displayed higher expression levels under heat stress, while GhFH20 and GhFH30 showed increased expression under salt stress compared to controls. The result suggests that GhFH20 and GhFH30 genes could play significant roles in the development of G. hirsutum under heat and salt stresses. Overall these findings enhance our understanding of the biological functions of the cotton FORMIN family, offering prospects for developing stress-resistant cotton varieties through manipulation of GhFH gene expression.
Sleep traits causally affect epigenetic age acceleration: a Mendelian randomization study
A hybrid fused-KNN based intelligent model to access melanoma disease risk using indoor positioning system
A glucocorticoid-regulating molecule, Fkbp5, may interact with mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in the organ of Corti of mice cochleae
A dual-stream feature decomposition network with weight transformation for multi-modality image fusion
Secular trends in dental caries in Korean children and adolescents: 2007–2019 Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey
Effects of N-Carbamylglutamate supplementation on cecal morphology, microbiota composition, and short-chain fatty acids contents of broiler breeder roosters
PHD-2/HIF-1α axis mediates doxorubicin-induced angiogenesis in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma microenvironment: a potential survival mechanism
Abstract The response of neuroblastoma (NB) cells to chemotherapeutics and their influence on NB microenvironment remain incompletely understood. Herein, we examined the underlying molecular mechanism via which Doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic agent used for NB treatment, promotes proangiogenic response in the SH-SY5Y microenvironment. Doxorubicin treatment at 1 µg/ml reduced SH-SY5Y cell proliferation and primed the apoptosis pathway. Unexpectedly, SH-SY5Y cells treated with doxorubicin upregulated their expression of the pro-angiogenic factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelets-derived growth factor (PDGF), and matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) and secretion of nitric oxide. To assess the functional angiogenesis of SH-SY5Y cells pre-treated with doxorubicin, an indirect co-culture system with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was established. These HUVECs acquired enhanced proliferation, migration capacity, and tube formation capability and exhibited increased nitric oxide (NO) production, in addition to upregulated α-smooth muscle actin expression, suggesting enhanced contractility. In-ovo studies of the neo-angiogenic response of SH-SY5Y pre-treated with doxorubicin further show their promoted neo-angiogenesis as indicated by the generated blood vessels and histological analysis of CD31 expression. Inhibition of PHD-2 could be a potential target for doxorubicin, as indicated by molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and MM-GBSA calculations, leading to hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) stabilization. Bioinformatics analyses and enrichment analyses of RNA-seq data revealed activation of Pi3K pathway which is further validated in-vitro. These results provide evidence of the unexpected pro-angiogenic response of SH-SY5Y cells to doxorubicin treatment and suggest the potential use of multi-modal therapeutic regimens for a more comprehensive approach to NB treatment.
Assistive technology use in domestic activities by people who are blind
Abstract People who are blind employ unique strategies when performing instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs), often relying on multiple sensory modalities and assistive technologies. While prior research has extensively explored adaptive strategies for outdoor activities like wayfinding and navigation, less emphasis has been placed on the information needs and problem-solving strategies for managing domestic activities. To address this gap, our study presents insights from 16 semi-structured interviews with individuals who are either legally or completely blind, highlighting both the current use and potential future applications of technologies for home-based iADLs. Our findings reveal several underexplored challenges, including the difficulty of locating misplaced objects, a structured problem-solving approach where digital tools are a last resort, and limited awareness of assistive training programs. Participants also faced persistent usability barriers as software updates disrupted accessibility features. Participants utilize a variety of low-tech and high-tech solutions, with tactile labeling systems and digital assistance apps being particularly prevalent. However, existing assistive technologies often fail to integrate seamlessly with users’ preferred strategies, leading to frustration and underutilization. Addressing these barriers is crucial for enhancing the adoption of assistive technologies and ultimately improving the quality of life for people who are blind.