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The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity states that nurses have a critical role to play in achieving the goal of health equity, but they need robust education, supportive work environments, and autonomy. The report goes on the say: "The ultimate goal is the achievement of health equity in the United States built on strengthened nursing capacity and expertise." Nurses represent the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, are considered the most trustworthy of all professions and play an invaluable role on the frontlines of care in our schools, hospitals, community health centers, long-term care facilities, and other places. Their perspective and influence must be felt more at decision-making tables. The Nurses on Boards Coalition's (NOBC) mission is to "improve the health of communities and the nation through the service of nurses on boards and other bodies". Building healthier communities in America requires the involvement of more nurses on corporate, health-related, and other boards, panels, and commissions. NOBC is committed to increasing nurses' presence and influence. In 2020, the Coalition registered more than 10,000 nurses serving on boards. There is now a focus on measuring the impact of nurses serving in board roles. A simultaneous goal is to help provide the opportunity for nurses education and advancement in leadership roles, by providing resources, identifying new opportunities, and facilitating mentorship of nurses on all levels of the experience spectrum. To that end both a Board Competency Model and Board Readiness Model have been developed and available to help guide nurses toward their leadership goals. As written in the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report (recommendation #6) "All public and private health care systems should incorporate nursing expertise in designing, generating, analyzing, and applying data to support initiatives focused on social determinants of health and health equity using diverse digital platforms, artificial intelligence, and other innovative technologies." There is a call to action for all nurses to serve in leadership roles at every level of the spectrum. NOBC and our 25 plus member organizations want to provide all nurses with the tools and opportunities they require to improve the health of the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Optune™, previously known as the NovoTTF-100A System™, generates Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), an effective anti-mitotic therapy for glioblastoma. The system delivers intermediate frequency, alternating electric fields to the supratentorial brain. Patient therapy is personalized by configuring transducer array layout placement on the scalp to the tumor site using MRI measurements and the NovoTAL System. Transducer array layout mapping optimizes therapy by maximizing electric field intensity to the tumor site. This study evaluated physician performance in conducting transducer array layout mapping using the NovoTAL System compared with mapping performed by the Novocure in-house clinical team. Methods: Fourteen physicians (7 neuro-oncologists, 4 medical oncologists, and 3 neurosurgeons) evaluated five blinded cases of recurrent glioblastoma and performed head size and tumor location measurements using a standard Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine reader. Concordance with Novocure measurement and intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed using relevant correlation coefficients. The study criterion for success was a concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) >0.80. Results: CCC for each physician versus Novocure on 20 MRI measurements was 0.96 (standard deviation, SD ± 0.03, range 0.90-1.00), indicating very high agreement between the two groups. Intra- and inter-rater reliability correlation coefficients were similarly high: 0.83 (SD±0.15, range 0.54-1.00) and 0.80 (SD±0.18, range 0.48-1.00), respectively. Conclusions: This user study demonstrated an excellent level of concordance between prescribing physicians and Novocure in-house clinical teams in performing transducer array layout planning. Intra-rater reliability was very high, indicating reproducible performance. Physicians prescribing TTFields, when trained on the NovoTAL System, can independently perform transducer array layout mapping required for the initiation and maintenance of patients on TTFields therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current survey updated professional practice and income information pertaining to clinical neuropsychology.Methods:Doctoral-level members of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, Division 40 (Clinical Neuropsychology) of the American Psychological Association, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology and other neuropsychologists, as well as postdoctoral trainees in the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology and at other training sites were invited to participate in a web-based survey in early 2015. The sample of 1777 respondents, of whom 1579 were doctoral-level practitioners and 198 were postdoctoral trainees, was larger than the prior 2010 income and practice survey.Results: The substantial proportional change in gender has continued, with women now a clear majority in the postdoctoral trainee sample as well as in the practitioner sample. Dissimilar from the median age trajectory of American Psychological Association members, the median age of clinical neuropsychologists remains essentially unchanged since 1989, indicating a substantial annual influx of young neuropsychologists. The question of whether the Houston Conference training model has become an important influence in the specialty can now be considered settled in the affirmative among postdoctoral trainees and practitioners. Testing assistant usage remains commonplace, and continues to be more common in institutions. The vast majority of clinical neuropsychologists work full-time and very few are unemployed and seeking employment. The numbers of neuropsychologists planning to retire in the coming 5–10 years do not suggest a “baby boomer” effect or an unexpected bolus of planned retirements in the next 10 years that would be large enough to be worrisome. Average length of time reported for evaluations appears to be increasing across time. The most common factors affecting evaluation length were identified, with the top three being: (1) goal of evaluation, (2) stamina/health of examinee, and (3) age of examinee. Pediatric specialists remain more likely than others to work part-time, more likely to work in institutions, report lower incomes than respondents with a lifespan professional identity, and are far more likely to be women. Incomes continue to vary considerably by years of clinical practice, work setting, amount of forensic practice, state, and region of country. Neurologists are the number one referral source in institutions and in private practice, as well as for pediatric, adult, and lifespan practitioners. Learning disability is no longer among the top five conditions seen by pediatric neuropsychologists; traumatic brain injury and seizure disorder are common reasons for clinical evaluations at all age ranges. There is a continued increase in forensic practice and a clear consensus on the use of validity testing. There is a substantial interest in subspecialization board certification, with the greatest interest evident among postdoctoral trainees. Income satisfaction, job satisfaction, and work–life balance satisfaction are higher for men. Job satisfaction varies across general work setting and across age range of practice. Work–life balance satisfaction is moderately correlated with income satisfaction and job satisfaction. Again in this five-year interval survey, a substantial majority of respondents reported increased incomes, despite experiencing substantial negative practice effects related to changes in the US health care system. Numerous breakdowns related to income and professional activities are provided.Conclusions:Professional practice survey information continues to provide valuable perspectives regarding consistency and change in the activities, beliefs, and incomes of US clinical neuropsychologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hat1 histone acetyltransferase catalyzes the acetylation of H4 at lysines 5 and 12, the same sites that are acetylated in newly synthesized histone H4. By performing histone acetyltransferase (HAT) assays on various synthetic H4 N-terminal peptides, we have examined the interactions between Hat! and the H4 tail domain. It was found that acetylation requires the presence of positively charged amino acids at positions 8 and 16 of H4, positions that are normally occupied by lysine; however, lysine per se is not essential and can be replaced by arginine. In contrast, replacing Lys-8 and -16 of H4 with glutamines reduces acetylation to background levels. Similarly, phosphorylation of Ser-1 of the H4 tail depresses acetylation by both yeast Hat1p and the human HAT-B complex. These results strongly support the model proposed by Ramakrishnan and colleagues for the interaction between Hat1 and the H4 tail (Dutnall, R. N., Tafrov, S. T., Sternglanz, R., and Ramakrishnan, V. (1998) Cell 94,427-438) and may have implications for the genetic analysis of histone acetylation. It was also found that Lys-12 of H4 is preferentially acetylated by human HAT-B, in further agreement with the proposed model of H4 tail binding. Finally, we have demonstrated that deletion of the hat1 gene from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe causes increased sensitivity to the DNA-damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate in the absence of any additional mutations. This is in contrast to results obtained with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae hat1Δ strain, which must also carry mutations of the acetylatable lysines of H3 for heightened methyl methanesulfonate sensitivity to be observed. Thus, although the role of Hat1 in DNA damage repair is evolutionarily conserved, the ability of H3 acetylation to compensate for Hat1 deletion appears to be more variable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone posttranslational modifications that accompany DNA replication, nucleosome assembly, and H2A/H2B exchange were examined in human tissue culture cells. Through microsequencing analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation, it was found that a subset of newly synthesized H3.2/H3.3 is modified by acetylation and methylation at sites that correlate with transcriptional competence, Immunoprecipitation experiments suggest that cytosolic predeposition complexes purified from cells expressing FLAG-H4 contain HB/H4 dimers, not tetramers. Studies of the deposition of newly synthesized H2A/H2B onto replicating and nonreplicating chromatin demonstrated that H2A/H2B exchange takes place in chromatin regions that contain acetylated H4; however, there is no single pattern of H4 acetylation that accompanies exchange. H2A/H2B exchange is also largely independent of the deposition of replacement histone variant, H3.3. Finally, immunoprecipitation of nucleosomes replicated in the absence of de novo nucleosome assembly showed that histone modifications do not prevent the transfer of parental histones to newly replicated DNA and thus have the potential to serve as means of epigenetic inheritance. Our experiments provide an in-depth analysis of the ‘histone code’ associated with chromatin replication and dynamic histone exchange in human cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral mucositis is an inflammatory and ulcerative process of the oral cavity that results from an assault on the epithelial mucous membrane tissue and most commonly is associated with the administration of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The incidence of oral mucositis ranges from 15%-40% in patients receiving stomatotoxic chemotherapy or radiotherapy and 70%-90% in bone marrow recipients. Knowledge regarding the pathophysiology of oral mucositis has evolved and now guides practice. Assessment tools to measure the level of mucositis provide valuable data concerning the status of the oral cavity. No single oral assessment tool has been found to be appropriate in all clinical settings. Mucositis has a significant impact on patients' quality of life and treatment plan. Management of oral mucositis is aimed at minimizing this side effect and its subsequent sequelae. The strategies of care are geared toward early intervention and supportive care for patients at risk for developing mucositis and include specific targeted therapies for the management of debilitating side effects. This article provides an overview of the risk factors, pathophysiology, incidence, impact, clinical presentation, oral assessment tools, management strategies, and nursing implications related to oral mucositis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in histone acetylation has risen dramatically in recent years. In the following report, we present methods for the analysis of histone acetyltransferase activity in vitro. Protocols are described for radiolabeling histone proteins and N-terminal “tail” peptides, and for the analysis of acetylation by immunoblotting. Techniques for acetylating immobilized histone peptides are also described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Provides information on the management of patients with chronic hepatitis C administered by nurse practitioners (NP) in the U.S. Estimation of people affected with the disease in the country; Evaluation of patients with risk factor for hepatitis C virus; Level of commitment of preceptors toward NP students.

The article discusses executive director of Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) Laura Benson's schemes of involving nurses on the NOBC's board. Details related to reasons of improving the health of oncology patients in the U.S. by the involvement of nurses on NOBC board is also included. It is suggested that Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) will be supporting the nurses in the country and the patients.

The article reports on ONS:Edge, a profit making subsidiary of Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), which aims to provide nursing knowledge and research to the healthcare industry. Some of its core services include healthcare advisory boards, ancillary events at oncology nursing conferences and strategic planning and marketing support. It also reports on how the profit earned by the subsidiary is helping the ONS to maintain the same level of services without increasing membership dues.

The author relates her experience in working with Bridge Culhane, former executive director at the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). According to her, Culhane's influence can be seen on many key ONS initiatives such as ONStat, the Legislative Action Center and the ONS Health Policy Agenda. Culhane has been a resource, leader and historian, not only to the ONS Board but also to the Steering Council.

The article presents an interview with Laura M. Benson, secretary of the board of directors for the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS). She mentions that she studied at the Saint Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in Utica, New York. She states that she appreciates the flexibility and opportunities in oncology nursing. She says that her relationships with family and friends are her most treasured possession.

Information on the Oncology Nursing Society board of directors convention which was held in July 21-23, 2006 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is presented. Forty-nine separate meetings were held which covered the needs of all the participants and the needs of different populations. The convention featured doctors Leland Kaiser and William A. Guillory who presented dynamic lectures. INSET: Energy of Mentorship/Leadership Weekend Inspires Chapter ….

The article examines issues discussed at the 2006 Business Meeting conducted by the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) in the United States. These include ways to enhance voting in ONS elections and how ONS conducts internal project evaluations and assessments. The Board of Directors was presented with a petition and literature review asking that a position be created on the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

The article presents information on the suggestions for the positions offered by the ONS foundation. The positions are generated in response to trends in oncology care and emerging issues that affect patient safety, nursing care, the work environment, and other areas. The need for a position may be based on ONS member request, survey results, or Board of Directors' initiatives.

This article presents information on the research paper "Nursing-Sensitive Patient Outcomes: A White Paper," which was written and submitted by Barbara A. Given, and Paula R. Sherwood. The white paper is published in the July issue of the journal "Oncology Nursing Forum," at the Oncology Nursing Society's (ONS) Board of Director's March meeting held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This article describes patient outcomes that are amenable to nursing intervention and the role of ONS in ensuring patients ability to receive care that enables them to achieve the best outcomes. The ONS Board read, reviewed, and discussed the importance of the outcomes white paper.

The article discusses Independent Television Service (ITVS) Community Connections Project's appeal to Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) to help spread the word about its upcoming Public Broadcasting System (PBS) documentary. The project titled "A Lion in the House" is a television series that follows five children and their families through the diagnosis of cancer, treatment and survivorship or end-of-life issues. The documentary captures many of the problems that our patients deal with on a daily basis. PBS plans to air the series this fall. In the meantime, ONS is partnering with ITVS to help spread the word about this project.

The article discusses the professional conduct of Oncology Nursing Society (ONGC) as per the book "Robert's Rules of Order," by Henry Martin Robert, W.J. Evans, D.H. Honemann and T.J. Balch. The book is commonly abbreviated as RONR. It is accepted as the authoritative work on meeting rules. Many organizations, including ONS, have written into their bylaws that meetings will be conducted according to RONR. The parliamentarian assists the Society in conducting the meeting according to RONR. RONR also guides the format and style of meeting minutes. The minutes from ONS meetings are part of public record and, therefore, legal documents. At the June 2004, ONS Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C., the Board decided to write and submit minutes that are more closely in line with RONR. The manual is very clear on minutes meeting. The minutes should include only what was done, not what was said. No summary of the discussions or talks presented should be included, nor should any opinions be offered. ONS will be changing the way its corporations' and committees' minutes are written, submitted, and approved.

Objective:This paper describes gender-related trends within clinical neuropsychology, based primarily on recurrent practice surveys within the specialty and, to a lesser extent, job-related information from medical specialties and the general U.S. labor market.Method:Chronological and cross-sectional analyses of professional practice survey data from 2005, 2010, and 2015 relevant to gender. As is common with survey data, descriptive analysis and independent samplest-tests were conducted. Longitudinal data allowed for examination of gender trends, as well as observations of change and stability of factors associated with gender, over time.Results:Women have become dominant in number in clinical neuropsychology, and also comprise a vast majority of practitioners entering the specialty. Gender differences are noted in professional identity, work status, work settings, types of career satisfaction, and retirement expectations. Women are more likely to identify work environment and personal/family obstacles to aspects of career satisfaction. A gender pay gap was found at all time points and is not narrowing. As is true nationally, multiple factors appear related to the gender pay gap in clinical neuropsychology.Conclusions:Women in neuropsychology are now dominant in number, and their presence is strongly associated with specific practice patterns, such as greater institutional employment, less involvement in forensic practice, and strong involvement in pediatric practice, which may be maintaining the sizeable gender pay gap in neuropsychology. As the proportion of women neuropsychologists continues to increase, flexible work hours, and alternative means of remuneration may be needed to offset current disproportionate family-related responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A Monte-Carlo simulation was constructed to determine the effects of fire frequency and size and of habitat heterogeneity on the equilibrium age distribution of a forest. We used yield tables for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Dougl.) in the interior of British Columbia to characterize the forest. For small fires, resulting distributions were all approximately negative exponential, whereas for large fires (greater than about 5% of the total area being inventoried) equilibrium was never achieved and distributions changed considerably over time. This distinction is reflected in the indices of goodness-of-fit, stability and coefficient of variation, which all showed increasing deviations from the negative exponential distribution with increasing fire sizes. The strength of age-dependence of the probability of ignition had little effect on the general form of the resulting age distributions, but mean age of the forest decreased with increasing strength of age-dependence. Spatial heterogeneity of the probability of ignition also had little effect on the form of age distributions provided the inventoried area was large. Our results agree with those of other workers and show that when fire sizes are large and variable, then no equilibrium of age distribution is ever achieved. Stability depends on mean sizes of the fires and areas burned relative to the total area being inventoried, and is thus scale-independent. Variations in ignition rates due to annual variations in weather had little effect on the age distributions unless the time scale of the fluctuations in the probability of ignition was similar to the fire cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]