Evaluation of learning environment among Nursing undergraduates in state universities, Sri Lanka

Background The learning environment is a vital part of the undergraduate curriculum which enable to delivery of quality education in the stipulated time. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the learning environment among BSc. Nursing undergraduates in Sri Lankan state universities. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 161 final year BSc. Nursing undergraduates in six state universities. Socio-demographic characteristics were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used to evaluate the learning environment in Perception of learning (SPL), Perceptions of teaching (SPT), Academic self-perceptions (SASP), Perceptions of the atmosphere (SPA), and Social self-perceptions (SSP). Based on the SPL, SPT, SASP, SPA, and SSP domains, the overall score of learning environment was ranged from 0 to 200 and then the overall score was classified into four categories such as poor (0–50), many problems (51–100), more positive than negative (101–150) and excellent (151–200). One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-test were used to determine the difference in the subscales and the overall scale. Results The mean age of the students was 24.9 ± 0.9 years. The overall score of the learning environment was 127.1 ± 14.3. Student’s Perception of learning showed the highest mean score of 31.1 ± 3.9 while the social self-perception showed the lowest score (mean 16.4 ± 3.1). A significant group effect was observed in SPL and SPT subdomains among state universities while no significant group effect was observed in other subdomains. Furthermore, participating in extracurricular activities, travelling time to the faculty, and gender were observed as associated factors for the learning environment among BSc. Nursing undergraduates in state universities. Conclusions Although the overall learning environment of BSc. Nursing undergraduates in state universities in Sri Lanka was within more positive than negative category, none of the university reaches to the excellent category. Therefore, each university should have improved their subdomains of learning environment to reach excellent category through addressing the gaps of curricular and extracurricular activities in the future.

Effects of tDCS on Tactile Perception Depend on Tactile Expertise in Both Musicians and Non-Musicians

Brain plasticity in the somatosensory cortex and tactile performance can be facilitated by brain stimulation. Here, we investigated the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on tactile perception in musicians and non-musicians to elucidate how tDCS-effects might depend on tactile expertise. On three separate days, 17 semi-professional musicians (e.g., piano or violin players) and 16 non-musicians aged 18–27 years received 15 min of 1 mA anodal (a-tDCS), cathodal (c-tDCS) or sham tDCS in a pseudorandomized design. Pre and post tDCS, tactile sensitivity (Touch Detection Task; TDT) and discrimination performance (Grating Orientation Task; GOT) were assessed. For further analysis, the weekly hours of instrument-playing and computer-typing were combined into a “tactile experience” variable. For GOT, but not TDT, a significant group effect at baseline was revealed with musicians performing better than non-musicians. TDT thresholds were significantly reduced after a-tDCS but not c-tDCS or sham stimulation. While both musicians’ and non-musicians’ performance improved after anodal stimulation, neither musical nor tactile expertise was directly associated with the magnitude of this improvement. Low performers in TDT with high tactile experience profited most from a-tDCS. We conclude that tactile expertise may facilitate somatosensory cortical plasticity and tactile learning in low performers.

Evaluation of learning environment among Nursing undergraduates in state universities, Sri Lanka

Background: The learning environment is a vital part of the undergraduate curriculum which enable to deliver quality education in the stipulated time. However, the level of the learning environment is highly context bounded. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the learning environment among BSc. Nursing undergraduates in Sri Lankan state universities.Methods: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 161 final year BSc. Nursing undergraduates in six state universities. Socio demographic characteristics were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used to evaluate the learning environment in Perception of learning (SPL), Perceptions of teaching (SPT), Academic self-perceptions (SASP), Perceptions of the atmosphere (SPA) and Social self-perceptions (SSP). One way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t test were used to determine the difference in the subscales and the overall scale.Results: The mean age of the students was 24.9 ± 0.9 years. Student’s Perception of learning showed the highest mean score of 31.1 ± 3.9 while the social self-perception showed the lowest score (mean 16.4 ± 3.1). A significant group effect was observed in SPL and SPT subdomains among state universities while no significant group effect was observed in other subdomains. Furthermore, participating in extracurricular activities, travelling time to the faculty and gender were observed as associated factors for learning environment among BSc. Nursing undergraduates in state universities.Conclusions: Although the overall learning environment was within more positive, none of the university reaches to the excellent category. Therefore, remedial actions need to be taken to improve the learning environment in future.

Dynamic changes in full blood count (FBC) occurring in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to predict responses in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

e17110 Background: ICI transformed the treatment of 1L mRCC, yet early clinical predictors of response are still unknown. Methods: Retrospective database analysis from Barts Cancer Institute, London was carried out. Patients with treatment naïve mRCC were identified and grouped according to their 1L treatment: 1: VEGF inhibitor 2: IO/IO 3: IO/VEGF Data on hemoglobin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at baseline, 6weeks and 12weeks after treatment initiation was correlated with outcome. Results: Between Jan 2014 - Dec 2019; 28, 29 and 21 patients received 1L VEGF, IO/IO or IO/VEGF respectively. Patient receiving 1L VEGF inhibitors showed a decrease in Hb levels both in responding and non-responding groups (significant group effect: F(1,6) = 6.6, p = 0.04); significant time effect:F(2,12) = 12.4, p = 0.001). Group x time interaction was not significant. NLR levels decreased both in responding and non-responding groups over time (significant time effect: F(2,12) = 16.7, p = 0.001. PLR levels in non-responders increased over time, whereas in responding group, PLR levels steadily decreased over 6 and 12 weeks (significant time effect: F(2,12) = 0.3, 0.044). Patients receiving IO/IO combination therapy; within the non-responder group, Hb levels didn’t change significantly whereas in the responding group Hb levels increased significantly and overtook Hb levels of non-responding group (P = 0.001). NLR levels significantly decreased in the responding group (0.041) and a similar trend was observed at 12 weeks with a decrease in PLR among non-responders, with a significant group affect (F(1,5) = 0.18, 0.035). In patient treated with 1L IO/VEGF, among non-responders Hb levels increased slightly, only to return to baseline levels again at 12 weeks after treatment initiation. Whereas, Hb levels in the responding group increased significantly in both 6weeks and 12weeks after starting therapy. Significant time effect:F(2,20) = 3.65, p = 0.044. NLR levels in the responding group presented a steady decrease over time with a significant group and time effect. Both responders and non-responders experienced an increase in PLR over time. However, while PLR decreased at 12 weeks among responders, it continued to increase among non responders (significant time effect: F(2,20) = 0.3, 0.03), (significant group effect: F(1,10) = 0.05, 0.005) and significant interaction: F(2,20) = 0.1, 0.01) Conclusions: Close monitoring of FBC changes may predict response to ICI.

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy in Higher-Aged Patients: How Do They Benefit from Surgery?

Background: Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most common reason for spinal cord disease in elderly patients. This study analyzes the preoperative status and postoperative outcome of higher-aged patients in comparison to young and elderly patients in order to determine the benefit to those patients from DCM surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data, radiological findings, and operative reports of 411 patients treated surgically between 2007 and 2016 suffering from DCM was performed. The preoperative and postoperative neurological functions were evaluated using the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association Score (mJOA Score), the postoperative mJOA Score improvement, the neurological recovery rate (NRR) of the mJOA Score, and the minimum clinically important difference (MCID). The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was used to evaluate the impact of comorbidities on the preoperative and postoperative mJOA Score. The comparisons were performed between the following age groups: G1: ≤50 years, G2: 51–70 years, and G3: >70 years. Results: The preoperative and postoperative mJOA Score was significantly lower in G3 than in G2 and G1 (p < 0.0001). However, the mean mJOA Score’s improvement did not differ significantly (p = 0.81) between those groups six months after surgery (G1: 1.99 ± 1.04, G2: 2.01 ± 1.04, G: 2.00 ± 0.91). Furthermore, the MCID showed a significant improvement in every age-group. The CCI was evaluated for each age-group, showing a statistically significant group effect (p < 0.0001). Analysis of variance revealed a significant group effect on the delay (weeks) between symptom onset and surgery (p = 0.003). The duration of the stay at the hospital did differ significantly between the age groups (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Preoperative and postoperative mJOA Scores, but not the extent of postoperative improvement, are affected by the patients’ age. Therefore, patients should be considered for DCM surgery regardless of their age.

Effects of Tart Cherry Juice on Biomarkers of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Older Adults

Inflammation and oxidative stress are important factors in the development of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. The findings of our previous study suggest that 12 weeks consumption of tart cherry juice lowers the levels of systolic blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in older adults. The present study investigated the effects of tart cherry juice on blood biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. In this randomized-controlled clinical trial, a total of 37 men and women between the ages of 65–80 were randomly assigned to consume 480 mL of tart cherry juice or control drink daily for 12 weeks. Several blood biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks intervention. After the 12 weeks intervention, tart cherry juice significantly increased the plasma levels of DNA repair activity of 8-oxoguanine glycosylase (p < 0.0001) and lowered (p = 0.03) the mean c-reactive protein (CRP) level compared to the control group. There was a significant group effect observed for plasma CRP (p = 0.03) and malondialdehyde (MDA) (p = 0.03), and a borderline significant group effect observed for plasma oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OxLDL) (p = 0.07). Within group analysis showed that the plasma levels of CRP, MDA, and OxLDL decreased numerically by 25%, 3%, and 11%, respectively after 12 weeks of tart cherry juice consumption compared with corresponding baseline values. The present study suggests that the ability of tart cherry juice to reduce systolic BP and LDL cholesterol, in part, may be due to its anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. Larger and longer follow-up studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Physical performance measures following ten weeks of taekwondo training in children: A pilot study

The primary purpose was to examine changes in balance, lower extremity (LE) power and flexibility following 10 weeks of taekwondo (TKD) training and to determine if this was different in children classified as healthy weight (HW) and overweight (OW)/obese. Participants included 17 children (HW: n = 11, OW/obese: n = 6). Data were collected on balance, LE power and flexibility at baseline and 10 weeks. Balance was assessed with eyes open in normal (NSEO), tandem (TSEO), single (SLEO) stances and with eyes closed for normal (NSEC) and tandem (TSEC) stances. Center of pressure displacements in mediolateral (Xavg) and anteroposterior (Yavg) directions; and average velocity (Vavg) were calculated. Analyses included two-way ANOVA and Mann Whitney U tests (P < 0.05). Balance data indicated significant interaction effects for Xavg in NSEO, Yavg in TSEO; time effects for Yavg in NSEO, NSEC and SLEO and Vavg in SLEO conditions. A significant group effect was shown for Vavg in the NSEO, NSEC and TSEO and for Yavg in TSEC conditions. Flexibility decreased significantly with TKD. Findings suggest that 10 weeks of TKD training may improve balance in children, and OW/obese group may have greater improvements in balance with eyes open compared to their peers.

Progesterone to improve neurocognitive outcomes following cranial irradiation.

128 Background: Neurocognitive functional decline is a common sequalae of cranial irradiation (CI) that significantly impacts quality of life. Preclinical studies and randomized clinical trials show that following traumatic brain injury and cerebrovascular accidents, premenopausal women demonstrate decreased mortality and improved neurocognitive function, with these benefits presumed to be derived from progesterone. We hypothesized that progesterone may serve similar role in neuroprotection following cranial irradiation. Methods: Adult non-tumor bearing wild type C57BL/6 male mice were treated with two separate fractionated radiation therapy regimen (9 Gy and 15 Gy) to the brain. Cohorts of these mice were administered progesterone (16mg/kg daily) as a pretreatment for 3 days and concurrent with the radiotherapy for a total of 14 days with tapering during the last two days. The animals were then tested using different behavioral measures for cognitive function including morris water maze (MWM) for assessing spatial and related forms of learning and memory, elevated plus maze (EPM), , and spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA) tests. Mice were tested for cognitive function on day 10 and after 30 days of treatment for short and long-term effects of (CI) on memory function. Results: All irradiated mice showed statistically significant decline in MWM, EPM, and SLA measures. There were no significant differences in the 9 Gy versus 15 Gy cohorts. Progesterone administration produced a statistically significant group effect (F (4, 25) = 8.553; P<0.001) in the improvement of long-term memory function over 5 days of learning process. Progesterone administration also demonstrated a significant group effect (F (4, 25) = 8.613; P<0.001) in the probe trial, and a significant beneficial effect (F (4, 25)= 7.993; P<0.001) in short-term memory functional latency to reach the platform. Conclusions: The preclinical data show that progesterone improves radiation-induced deficits in short-and long-term memory functions in adult mice. Further work is required to show if progesterone may show similar clinical benefit in neuroprotection for adults undergoing prophylactic CI or definitive CI for brain metastases or benign intracranial processes such as AVM.

Applicability of an agility test in young players in the soccer field

INTRODUCTION: in soccer, agility is a relevant parameter that is defined as the ability to change the direction of the body rapidly and is a result of a combination of strength, speed, balance and coordination.OBJECTIVE: to demonstrated the reliability and validity of the modified Barrow test in soccer players aged 10 to 14 years, analyze its relationship with age, maturation, experience and body size and test the effectiveness of the protocol for distinguishing performance changes during a 10-month competitive season.METHODS: fifty-one adolescent Basque soccer players were enrolled. Age, maturation, experience, body size, vertical jump and 15-m sprint were measured. The reliability of the test was analyzed using replicate tests in a subgroup n= 34. Another subgroup of 33 players n =18, under-11, 10.4 ± 0.3 years; n = 15 under-13, 12.0 ± 0.8 years was evaluated at the beginning and the end of the season.RESULTS: the reliability of the test was good change in mean = -0.5%, 95% CI -1.2 to 0.2, SD=0.14; coefficient of variation = 0.9%, 95% CI - 0.7 to 1.5, SD=0.25. Chronological age and adiposity were significant predictors of agility performance P<0.01. An improvement in performance was observed over a 10-month soccer season, with a significant group effect P<0.01.CONCLUSION: the agility test demonstrated logic and validity, and proved to be a reliable and objective instrument for assessing adolescent soccer players.

Short-Term Intraocular Pressure Elevations after Combined Phacoemulsification and Implantation of Two Trabecular Micro-Bypass Stents: Prednisolone versus Loteprednol

Objective. To compare the effects of prednisolone and of loteprednol after combined phacoemulsification and trabecular micro-bypass stent implantation (phaco-iStent).Methods. Patients who underwent phaco-iStent between April 2013 and November 2014 were identified by retrospective chart review. Postoperatively, they received either prednisolone (n=38) or loteprednol (n=58). Baseline data was compared. Primary outcomes including intraocular pressure (IOP) and number of glaucoma medications (NGM) were analyzed at preoperative visit, postoperative day 1, weeks 1-2, weeks 3-4, and months 2-3.Results. Both groups had similar preoperative parameters (p>0.05). The mean IOP spike occurred at postoperative weeks 1-2 with an increase of 2.21 ± 7.30 mmHg in the loteprednol group and 2.54 ± 9.28 mmHg in the prednisolone group. It decreased by weeks 3-4 in both groups and continued to improve at months 2-3. NGM showed significant reduction (p<0.0001) after the surgery and remained stable in both groups. No significant group effect or time-group interaction in IOP and NGM evolution was detected (p>0.05). The proportions of patients needing paracentesis were similar between the two groups.Conclusion. Similar early IOP elevations after combined phaco-iStent occurred with both prednisolone and loteprednol. Facilitated glucocorticoid infusion, altered aqueous humor outflow, and local inflammation may be contributing factors.