Keele University

About: Keele University is a education organization based out in Newcastle-under-Lyme, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Stars. The organization has 11318 authors who have published 26323 publications receiving 894671 citations. The organization is also known as: Keele University.

Magnetic nanoparticles for gene and drug delivery.

Abstract: Investigations of magnetic micro- and nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery began over 30 years ago. Since that time, major progress has been made in particle design and synthesis techniques, however, very few clinical trials have taken place. Here we review advances in magnetic nanoparticle design, in vitro and animal experiments with magnetic nanoparticle-based drug and gene delivery, and clinical trials of drug targeting.

The origin of subdwarf B stars – I. The formation channels

Abstract: Subdwarf B (sdB) stars (and related sdO/sdOB stars) are believed to be helium-core-burning objects with very thin hydrogen-rich envelopes. In recent years it has become increasingly clear from observational surveys that a large fraction of these objects are members of binary systems. To understand their formation better, we present the results of a detailed investigation of the three main binary evolution channels that can lead to the formation of sdB stars: the common-envelope (CE) ejection channel, the stable Roche lobe overflow (RLOF) channel, and the double helium white dwarfs (WDs) merger channel. The CE ejection channel leads to the formation of sdB stars in short-period binaries with typical orbital periods between 0.1 and 10 d, very thin hydrogen-rich envelopes and a mass distribution sharply peaked around similar to0.46 M-.. On the other hand, under the assumption that all mass transferred is soon lost, the stable RLOF channel produces sdB stars with similar masses but long orbital periods (400-1500 d) and with rather thick hydrogen-rich envelopes. The merger channel gives rise to single sdB stars whose hydrogen-rich envelopes are extremely thin but which have a fairly wide distribution of masses (0.4-0.65 M-.). We obtained the conditions for the formation of sdB stars from each of these channels using detailed stellar and binary evolution calculations where we modelled the detailed evolution of sdB stars and carried out simplified binary population synthesis simulations. The observed period distribution of sdB stars in compact binaries strongly constrains the CE ejection parameters. The best fits to the observations are obtained for very efficient CE ejection where the envelope ionization energy is included, consistent with previous results. We also present the distribution of sdB stars in the T (eff) -log g diagram, the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the distribution of mass functions.

Association Between Physician Burnout and Patient Safety, Professionalism, and Patient Satisfaction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract: Importance Physician burnout has taken the form of an epidemic that may affect core domains of health care delivery, including patient safety, quality of care, and patient satisfaction However, this evidence has not been systematically quantified Objective To examine whether physician burnout is associated with an increased risk of patient safety incidents, suboptimal care outcomes due to low professionalism, and lower patient satisfaction Data Sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycInfo, and CINAHL databases were searched until October 22, 2017, using combinations of the key termsphysicians,burnout, andpatient care Detailed standardized searches with no language restriction were undertaken The reference lists of eligible studies and other relevant systematic reviews were hand-searched Study Selection Quantitative observational studies Data Extraction and Synthesis Two independent reviewers were involved The main meta-analysis was followed by subgroup and sensitivity analyses All analyses were performed using random-effects models Formal tests for heterogeneity (I2) and publication bias were performed Main Outcomes and Measures The core outcomes were the quantitative associations between burnout and patient safety, professionalism, and patient satisfaction reported as odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% CIs Results Of the 5234 records identified, 47 studies on 42 473 physicians (25 059 [590%] men; median age, 38 years [range, 27-53 years]) were included in the meta-analysis Physician burnout was associated with an increased risk of patient safety incidents (OR, 196; 95% CI, 159-240), poorer quality of care due to low professionalism (OR, 231; 95% CI, 187-285), and reduced patient satisfaction (OR, 228; 95% CI, 142-368) The heterogeneity was high and the study quality was low to moderate The links between burnout and low professionalism were larger in residents and early-career (≤5 years post residency) physicians compared with middle- and late-career physicians (CohenQ = 727;P = 003) The reporting method of patient safety incidents and professionalism (physician-reported vs system-recorded) significantly influenced the main results (CohenQ = 814;P = 007) Conclusions and Relevance This meta-analysis provides evidence that physician burnout may jeopardize patient care; reversal of this risk has to be viewed as a fundamental health care policy goal across the globe Health care organizations are encouraged to invest in efforts to improve physician wellness, particularly for early-career physicians The methods of recording patient care quality and safety outcomes require improvements to concisely capture the outcome of burnout on the performance of health care organizations

Easily prepared air- and moisture-stable Pd-NHC (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes: a reliable, user-friendly, highly active palladium precatalyst for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction

Abstract: The synthesis of NHC-PdCl(2)-3-chloropyridine (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes from readily available starting materials in air is described. The 2,6-diisopropylphenyl derivative was found to be highly catalytically active in alkyl-alkyl Suzuki and Negishi cross-coupling reactions. The synthesis, ease-of-use, and activity of this complex are substantial improvements over in situ catalyst generation and all current Pd-NHC complexes. The utilization of complex 4 led to the development of a reliable, easily employed Suzuki-Miyama protocol. Employing various reaction conditions allowed a large array of hindered biaryl and drug-like heteroaromatic compounds to be synthesized without difficulty.

Outcome of low back pain in general practice: a prospective study

Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the claim that 90% of episodes of low back pain that present to general practice have resolved within one month. Design: Prospective study of all adults consulting in general practice because of low back pain over 12 months with follow up at 1 week, 3 months, and 12 months after consultation. Setting: Two general practices in south Manchester. Subjects: 490 subjects (203 men, 287 women) aged 18›75 years. Main outcome measures: Proportion of patients who have ceased to consult with low back pain after 3 months; proportion of patients who are free of pain and back related disability at 3 and 12 months. Results: Annual cumulative consultation rate among adults in the practices was 6.4%. Of the 463 patients who consulted with a new episode of low back pain, 275 (59%) had only a single consultation, and 150 (32%) had repeat consultations confined to the 3 months after initial consultation. However, of those interviewed at 3 and 12 months follow up, only 39/188 (21%) and 42/170 (25%) respectively had completely recovered in terms of pain and disability. Conclusions: The results are consistent with the interpretation that 90% of patients with low back pain in primary care will have stopped consulting with symptoms within three months. However most will still be experiencing low back pain and related disability one year after consultation.