Factors Influencing Adoption of Biometrics by Employees in Egyptian Five Star Hotels

Safety and security of employees and assets are important to hotels. Biometric technology provides a solution to this issue. Our study examined factors that influence adoption of biometrics by employees of Egyptian five star hotels. Using Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical model to test adoption behavior, a survey was designed to explore factors including biometric devices, source of knowledge, ease of use, value added, and concerns about technology application. The Data supported a positive attitude towards biometrics application and some concerns about personal safety. A revised theoretical model was supported by the data. Limitations and recommendations are discussed

Early left ventricular dyssynchrony in acute ST elevation myocardial infarction: A gated single photon emission computed tomography study

AbstractIntroductionThe resulting left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in acute STEMI is definitely secondary to loss of myocardial muscle mass (Krumholz et al., 2009; Guerchicoff et al., 2014) but may have an additional component of LV dyssynchrony.AimDetection of LV dyssynchrony in acute STEMI patients and its relation to LV dysfunction in these patients.Patients and methods60 patients presenting with acute STEMI were injected with 25mCi of Tc99m SestaMIBI prior to primary PCI. Acquisition was deferred after the procedure within 6h of injection. Images were analyzed using QGS Cedars Sinai software to measure the histogram bandwidth, standard deviation and entropy using GSPECT phase analysis. The results were compared to 60 patients with negative perfusion scans upon maximal exercise imaged using the same protocol during rest.ResultsOur study included a total number of 60 acute STEMI patients, 54 males, mean age 54.8±10.38years, Compared to 60 controls mean age 50.7+20.3years. Risk factors for CAD were smoking in 41 patients, hypertension in 17, dyslipidemia in 7, diabetes in 15, and positive family history of CAD in 21. 30 patients had acute anterior STEMI and 30 had inferior. LVEDV and LVESV were larger compared to controls; 133.0±88.7 vs. 62.0±19.2ml and 89.7±82.1 vs. 19.9±12.3ml respectively, p<0.001, and lower LVEF 39.0±16.8 vs. 71.1±10.4%, p<0.001. Histogram bandwidth (BW), standard deviation (SD) and entropy (E) values were significantly higher in patients when compared to controls; 76.2±54.7 vs. 17.8±5.3, 20.7±15.2 vs. 4.1±2.0 and 51.1±18.6 vs. 21.8±7.1 degrees respectively, p<0.001. BW, SD and E significantly negatively correlated with LVEF in acute STEMI cases; r=−.733, p<0.001, r=−.75, p<0.001, and r=−.858, p<0.001 respectively.ConclusionLV dyssynchrony may be acquired acutely very early in STEMI and may have a negative impact on LV ejection fraction

Role of Computerized Physician Order Entry Usability in the Reduction of Prescribing Errors

Some hospitals have implemented computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems to reduce the medical error rates. However, research in this area has been very limited, especially regarding the impact of CPOE use on the reduction of prescribing errors. Moreover, the past studies have dealt with the overall impact of CPOE on the reduction of broadly termed "medical errors", and they have not specified which medical errors have been reduced by CPOE. Furthermore, the majority of the past research in this field has been either qualitative or has not used robust empirical techniques. This research examined the impacts of usability of CPOE systems on the reduction of doctors' prescribing errors. Methods: One hundred and sixty-six questionnaires were used for quantitative data analyses. Since the data was not normally distributed, partial least square path modelling-as the second generation of multivariate data analyses-was applied to analyze data. Results: It was found that the ease of use of the system and information quality can significantly reduce prescribing errors. Moreover, the user interface consistency and system error prevention have a significant positive impact on the perceived ease of use. More than 50% of the respondents believed that CPOE reduces the likelihood of drug allergy, drug interaction, and drug dosing errors thus improving patient safety. Conclusions: Prescribing errors in terms of drug allergy, drug interaction, and drug dosing errors are reduced if the CPOE is not error-prone and easy to use, if the user interface is consistent, and if it provides quality information to doctors

Draft Genome Sequences of Two Carbapenemase-Producing Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical Strains Isolated from Albanian and Togolese Patients.

We report here the draft genome sequences of two multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii clinical strains, H31499 and H31506, which were isolated at the Lausanne University Hospital in 2015 from an Albanian and a Togolese patient, respectively

Paclitaxel loaded lipid nanoemulsions for the treatment of brain tumour

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Exploiting tumor epigenetics to improve oncolytic virotherapy

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) comprise a versatile and multi-mechanistic therapeutic platform in the growing arsenal of anticancer biologics. These replicating therapeutics find favorable conditions in the tumor niche, characterized among others by increased metabolism, reduced anti-tumor/antiviral immunity, and disorganized vasculature. Through a self-amplification that is dependent on multiple cancer-specific defects, these agents exhibit remarkable tumor selectivity. With several OVs completing or entering Phase III clinical evaluation, their therapeutic potential as well as the challenges ahead are increasingly clear. One key hurdle is tumor heterogeneity, which results in variations in the ability of tumors to support productive infection by OVs and to induce adaptive anti-tumor immunity. To this end, mounting evidence suggests tumor epigenetics may play a key role. This review will focus on the epigenetic landscape of tumors and how it relates to OV infection. Therapeutic strategies aiming to exploit the epigenetic identity of tumors in order to improve OV therapy are also discussed

Proliposome formulations for delivery via medical nebulisers

This study aims to investigate the ability of proliposomes to generate liposomes for delivery using air-jet, ultrasonic and vibrating-mesh nebulisers. Particulate-based proliposomes successfully generated liposomes under static conditions. Manually dispersed proliposomes generated multilamellar vesicles, with formulation having a small effect on the liposome size. Using sucrose as a carrier, liposomes were generated or dispersed in situ from proliposomes within the medical nebulisers investigated. The Pari (air-jet) and the Omron (vibrating-mesh) nebulisers produced large mass and lipid outputs with a large lipid fraction deposited in the lower stage of a two stage impinger. The Liberty (Ultrasonic) nebuliser failed to deliver more than 6% of the lipid employed. Multilamellar liposomes were generated from ethanol-based proliposomes. The resultant vesicles entrapped 62% of the available salbutamol sulphate compared to only 1.23% entrapped by liposomes made by the thin film method. Aeroneb Pro or Aeroneb Go vibrating-mesh nebulisers generated aerosol droplets of larger volume median diameter and narrower size distribution than the Pari (air-jet) nebuliser. Unlike the vibrating-mesh nebulisers, the performance of the jet nebuliser was largely independent of formulation. A nebuliser-dependent significant loss of the originally entrapped drug was demonstrated. A customised large mesh Aeroneb Pro reduced the drug losses during nebulisation. High sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry showed that the phospholipid phase transitions and liposomal bilayer interaction with beclometasone dipropionate were dependent on the method of liposome manufacture. Ethanol-based proliposomes produced liposomes having no pretransition, with a very low incorporation of the steroid (max. 1 mole%). This was attributed to an alcohol-induced interdigitation of the bilayers. 1 to 2.5 mole% steroid seemed to be optimal for incorporation in liposomes manufactured by the thin film or particulate-based proliposome method. Jet-nebulisation of particulate-based proliposomes delivered vesicles with enhanced steroid incorporation compared to liposomes generated by manual dispersion of these proliposomes

Liposome Delivery Systems for Inhalation: A Critical Review Highlighting Formulation Issues and Anticancer Applications

This was a critical review on research conducted in the field of pulmonary delivery of liposomes. Issues related to mechanism of the nebulization and liposome composition were appraised and correlated with the literature reports of liposome formulations used in clinical trials to understand the role of liposome size and composition on therapeutic outcome. A major highlight was the liposome inhalation for the treatment of lung cancers. Many in-vivo studies that explored the potential of liposomes as anticancer carrier systems were evaluated including animal studies and clinical trials. Liposomes can entrap anticancer drugs and localize their action in the lung following pulmonary delivery. Safety of inhaled liposomes incorporating anticancer drug depends on the anticancer agent used and the amount of drug delivered to the target cancer in the lung. The difficulty of efficient targeting of liposomal anticancer aerosols to the cancerous tissues within the lung may result in low dose reaching the target site. Overall, following the success of liposomes as inhalable carriers in the treatment of lung infections, it is expected that more focus from research and development will be given to designing inhalable liposome carriers for the treatment of other lung diseases including pulmonary cancers. Successful development of anticancer liposomes for inhalation may depend on future development of effective aerosolization devices and better targeted liposomes to maximize benefit of therapy and reduce potential of local and systemic adverse effects

Low Resistance Polycrystalline Diamond Thin Films Deposited by Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition

Polycrystalline diamond thin films with outgrowing diamond (OGD) grains were deposited onto silicon wafers using a hydrocarbon gas (CH4) highly diluted with H2 at low pressure in a hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) reactor with a range of gas flow rates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SEM showed polycrystalline diamond structure with a random orientation. Polycrystalline diamond films with various textures were grown and (111) facets were dominant with sharp grain boundaries. Outgrowth was observed in flowerish character at high gas flow rates. Isolated single crystals with little openings appeared at various stages at low gas flow rates. Thus, changing gas flow rates had a beneficial influence on the grain size, growth rate and electrical resistivity. CVD diamond films gave an excellent performance for medium film thickness with relatively low electrical resistivity and making them potentially useful in many industrial applications