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Introduction: Formative interprofessional education is an accreditation standard for health professional student populations. This study examined the perception of midwifery students and obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN) residents participating in distance synchronous interprofessional simulation., Methods: Students participated in an interprofessional simulation in an interactive video conferencing environment. Participants were midwifery students and OB-GYN residents from unaffiliated, geographically distant educational programs. Students' feedback was collected with a survey after the simulation session., Results: Eighty-six percent of midwifery students strongly agreed they felt better prepared for team-based care in future practice after the simulation, whereas 59% of OB-GYN students strongly agreed. Seventy-seven percent of midwifery students strongly agreed they were more clear on the scope of practice of the other profession after the simulation, whereas 53% of OB-GYN students strongly agreed. Eighty-seven percent of midwifery students and 74% of OB-GYN residents strongly agreed the distance synchronous simulation was a positive learning experience., Discussion: This study demonstrated that midwifery students and OB-GYN residents valued the experience of distance synchronous interprofessional education. Most learners reported feeling better prepared for team-based care and gained a better understanding of each other's scope of practice. Distance synchronous simulations can increase midwifery students' and OB-GYN residents' access to interprofessional education., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Research suggests that interprofessional education, bringing learners together to learn about, with, and from each other, improves health professions education and can improve health outcomes. Little research has measured outcomes of interprofessional education between midwifery students and obstetrics and gynecology residents. The purpose of this study was to examine self-assessed interprofessional and collaborative competencies among midwifery students and obstetrics and gynecology residents., Methods: Baseline self-assessed interprofessional and collaborative competencies were compared with follow-up measurements to evaluate learners' experiences over an 11-month study period. Participants were midwifery students and obstetrics and gynecology residents who experienced interprofessional learning activities. The Interprofessional Education Collaborative Competency Self-Assessment Survey (IPEC Survey) and Interprofessional Collaborative Competency Attainment Survey (ICCAS) were used., Results: Of 256 learners at 4 demonstration sites, 223 (87%) completed the baseline, and 121 of 237 eligible learners (51%) completed the follow-up surveys. The IPEC Survey total score (t = 2.31, P = .02) and interaction subscale (t = 2.85, P = .005) and ICCAS score (t = 4.04, P = .001) increased for midwifery students but not obstetrics and gynecology residents on the IPEC Survey (t = 0.32, P = .75) and ICCAS (t = -0.05, P = .96) measures. Midwifery students (87%) and residents (57%) reported improved overall ability to collaborate. Learners responding to 3 open-ended questions valued team-based experiences, including learning how to communicate with each other; appreciated learning each other's education and scope of practice; and recommended skills development including uncommon clinical events, case discussions, and direct clinical care., Discussion: This study advanced knowledge about interprofessional education between midwifery students and obstetrics and gynecology residents. Midwifery students improved in self-assessed interprofessional and collaborative competencies. Most learners reported better interprofessional collaboration skills and were positive about future interprofessional learning. This evaluation approach is available for other programs implementing or extending interprofessional education., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM).)

Inflammatory responses of the intestinal epithelial barrier in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are associated with gut microbial alterations. At a community level, there is scarce mechanistic evidence on the effects of gut microbial alterations on host mucosal barrier responses. We used a computational microbe-host interaction prediction framework based on network diffusion and systems biology to integrate publicly available paired gut microbial and intestinal gene expression datasets. The ileal signaling network potentially modulated by the microbiota was enriched with immune-related pathways such as those associated with IL-4, IL-2, IL-13, NFkB, and toll-like receptors. We identified bacterial proteins eliciting post-translational modifications on host receptors, resulting in the de-repression of pro-inflammatory cytokines via critical hub proteins such as NFkB. The signaling networks were over-represented with CD associated genes and CD drug targets. Using datasets generated from our validation cohorts, we confirmed some of the results., Competing Interests: BV reports financial support for research from 10.13039/100004319Pfizer; lecture fees from 10.13039/100006483Abbvie, 10.13039/501100003122Ferring, 10.13039/100005570Takeda Pharmaceuticals, 10.13039/100005205Janssen, and R Biopharm; consultancy fees from Janssen and Sandoz. JS reports lecture fees from Abbvie, Takeda, Janssen, and 10.13039/100010886Nestle Health Sciences. MF reports financial support for: research from AbbVie, 10.13039/100000042Amgen, Biogen, Janssen, Pfizer, Takeda; consultancy from Abbvie, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD, Pfizer,Sandoz,Takeda, and Thermo Fisher; speaking from Abbvie, Amgen, Biogen, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Falk, Ferring, Janssen, Lamepro, MSD, Mylan, Pfizer, Sandoz, Takeda, and Truvion Healthcare. GM received financial support for research from DSM Nutritional Products, Karyopharm Therapeutics, and Janssen. SV reports financial support for: research from MSD, AbbVie, Takeda, Pfizer, J&J; lectures from MSD, AbbVie, Takeda, Ferring, Centocor, Hospira,Pfizer, J&J, Genentech/Roche; consultancy fromMSD,AbbVie,Takeda,Ferring, Centocor, Hospira,Pfizer, J&J,Genentech/Roche,Celgene, Mundipharma, Celltrion, Second Genome, Prometheus, Shire, Prodigest, Gilead, Galapagos., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Abstract: The purpose of this multisite, randomized, pretest/posttest quasi-experimental study was to compare student nurse competency, learning retention, and perceived student support after exposure to a deliberate practice debriefing versus standardized debriefing. Fifty undergraduate students participated in the complex response to rescue simulation. The intervention group had significantly higher total mean and three subscale scores on the competency tool than the comparison group, although differences in learning retention and student support were not significant. This study provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of deliberate practice debriefing to enhance students' mastery of skills and behaviors in complex simulations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 National League for Nursing.)

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic of 2020 has mobilised scientists around the globe to research all aspects of the coronavirus virus and its infection. For fruitful and rapid investigation of viral pathomechanisms, a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach is required. Therefore, we have developed ViralLink: a systems biology workflow which reconstructs and analyses networks representing the effect of viruses on intracellular signalling. These networks trace the flow of signal from intracellular viral proteins through their human binding proteins and downstream signalling pathways, ending with transcription factors regulating genes differentially expressed upon viral exposure. In this way, the workflow provides a mechanistic insight from previously identified knowledge of virally infected cells. By default, the workflow is set up to analyse the intracellular effects of SARS-CoV-2, requiring only transcriptomics counts data as input from the user: thus, encouraging and enabling rapid multidisciplinary research. However, the wide-ranging applicability and modularity of the workflow facilitates customisation of viral context, a priori interactions and analysis methods. Through a case study of SARS-CoV-2 infected bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells, we evidence the functionality of the workflow and its ability to identify key pathways and proteins in the cellular response to infection. The application of ViralLink to different viral infections in a context specific manner using different available transcriptomics datasets will uncover key mechanisms in viral pathogenesis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Microbiome-host interactions play significant roles in health and in various diseases including autoimmune disorders. Uncovering these inter-kingdom cross-talks propels our understanding of disease pathogenesis and provides useful leads on potential therapeutic targets. Despite the biological significance of microbe-host interactions, there is a big gap in understanding the downstream effects of these interactions on host processes. Computational methods are expected to fill this gap by generating, integrating, and prioritizing predictions-as experimental detection remains challenging due to feasibility issues. Here, we present MicrobioLink, a computational pipeline to integrate predicted interactions between microbial and host proteins together with host molecular networks. Using the concept of network diffusion, MicrobioLink can analyse how microbial proteins in a certain context are influencing cellular processes by modulating gene or protein expression. We demonstrated the applicability of the pipeline using a case study. We used gut metaproteomic data from Crohn's disease patients and healthy controls to uncover the mechanisms by which the microbial proteins can modulate host genes which belong to biological processes implicated in disease pathogenesis. MicrobioLink, which is agnostic of the microbial protein sources (bacterial, viral, etc.), is freely available on GitHub.

Despite areas of excellence, US perinatal care outcomes lag behind most developed countries. In addition, a shortage and maldistribution of health care providers exists. The American College of Nurse-Midwives and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) partnered to obtain funding to develop interprofessional education modules and other learning activities for midwifery students and obstetrics and gynecology residents in 4 demonstration sites. The multidisciplinary 2016 ACOG document Collaboration in Practice: Implementing Team-Based Care was adopted as a framework. Core competencies of values and ethics, roles and responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and teams and teamwork developed by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative were used to guide the work. Seven modules have been developed including guiding principles, patient-centered care, role clarification, collaborative practice, history and culture, care transition, and difficult conversations. Learners participate in laboratory and simulation activities and work together in clinical care settings. Stakeholder experiences as well as barriers to implementation are discussed. Learning materials and activity descriptions are open resourced and shared on a project website for use by programs interested in implementing an interprofessional curriculum. Ongoing formal evaluation including pilot testing of a program evaluation method is described., (© 2020 The Authors. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).)

Introduction: Clinical competency and clear communication are essential for intrapartum care providers who encounter high-stakes, low-frequency emergencies. The challenge for these providers is to maintain infrequently used skills. The challenge is even more significant for midwives who manage births at home and who, due to low practice volume and low-risk clientele, may rarely encounter an emergency. In addition, access to team simulation may be limited for home-birth midwives. This project modified existing validated obstetric simulation scenarios for a home-birth setting., Methods: Twelve certified professional midwives (CPMs) in active home-birth practice participated in shoulder dystocia and postpartum hemorrhage simulations. The simulations were staged to resemble home-birth settings, supplies, and personnel. Fidelity (realism) of the simulations was assessed with the Simulation Design Scale, and satisfaction and self-confidence were assessed with the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning Scale. Both utilized a 5-point Likert scale, with higher scores suggesting greater levels of fidelity, participant satisfaction, and self-confidence., Results: Simulation Design Scale scores indicated participants agreed fidelity was achieved for the home-birth setting, while scores on the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning indicated high levels of participant satisfaction and self-confidence., Discussion: If offered without modification, simulation scenarios designed for use in hospitals may lose fidelity for home-birth midwives, particularly in the environmental and psychological components. Simulation is standard of care in most settings, an excellent vehicle for maintaining skills, and some evidence suggests it results in improved perinatal outcomes. Additional study is needed in this area to support home-birth providers in maintaining skills. This pilot study suggests that simulation scenarios intended for hospital use can be successfully adapted to the home-birth setting., (© 2016 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.)

The advent of modern high-throughput sequencing has made it possible to generate vast quantities of genomic sequence data. However, the processing of this volume of information, including prediction of gene-coding and regulatory sequences remains an important bottleneck in bioinformatics research. In this work, we integrated DNA duplex stability into the repertoire of a Neural Network (NN) capable of predicting promoter regions with augmented accuracy, specificity and sensitivity. We took our method beyond a simplistic analysis based on a single sigma subunit of RNA polymerase, incorporating the six main sigma-subunits of Escherichia coli. This methodology employed successfully re-discovered known promoter sequences recognized by E. coli RNA polymerase subunits σ(24), σ(28), σ(32), σ(38), σ(54) and σ(70), with highlighted accuracies for σ(28)- and σ(54)- dependent promoter sequences (values obtained were 80% and 78.8%, respectively). Furthermore, the discrimination of promoters according to the σ factor made it possible to extract functional commonalities for the genes expressed by each type of promoter. The DNA duplex stability rises as a distinctive feature which improves the recognition and classification of σ(28)- and σ(54)- dependent promoter sequences. The findings presented in this report underscore the usefulness of including DNA biophysical parameters into NN learning algorithms to increase accuracy, specificity and sensitivity in promoter beyond what is accomplished based on sequence alone., (Copyright © 2013 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The influenza virus has been a challenge to science due to its ability to withstand new environmental conditions. Taking into account the development of virus sequence databases, computational approaches can be helpful to understand virus behavior over time. Furthermore, they can suggest new directions to deal with influenza. This work presents triplet entropy analysis as a potential phylodynamic tool to quantify nucleotide organization of viral sequences. The application of this measure to segments of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) of H1N1 and H3N2 virus subtypes has shown some variability effects along timeline, inferring about virus evolution. Sequences were divided by year and compared for virus subtype (H1N1 and H3N2). The nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used for comparison between groups. Results show that differentiation in entropy precedes differentiation in GC content for both groups. Considering the HA fragment, both triplet entropy as well as GC concentration show intersection in 2009, year of the recent pandemic. Some conclusions about possible flu evolutionary lines were drawn., (© 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)