https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/44138 2026-03-13T10:53:11Z https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50693 Activities to Promote Empathy for Patients among Pharmacy Learners: A Scoping Review Background: Provider empathy has been shown to be directly linked to improved patient outcomes. The objective of this scoping review of the literature was to identify and describe learning activities that promote empathy for patients among pharmacy learners. Methods: This scoping review was conducted using the following inclusion criteria: publication in English, activities conducted in any academic pharmacy training program (professional degree program, experiential, residency, or fellowship), description of the learning activity(ies) provided, and focus on the experience of empathy/caring/compassion for patients, either human or animal. Articles were excluded if they focused only on skills such as empathic responding or if they did not describe the learning experience. All study designs other than reviews were included. Results: The scoping review revealed 89 full text articles that met the inclusion criteria. Included studies demonstrated a wide variety of approaches to the design of learning experiences as well as methods of measurement of empathy. Various types of learning modalities have been used to develop empathy in pharmacy learners, with reflection being the most common. A large proportion of studies that assessed empathy development used quasi-experimental or qualitative designs and did not report tests of statistical significance, which would make it difficult to compare the effectiveness of the different learning activities. Implications: A variety of approaches have been used among pharmacy learners to develop empathy for patients. Due to the high level of variability in approaches, more rigorous studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of these learning activities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2023.08.003 https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50640 The Size of college football stadiums and towns they are in: are all towns equipped for college football mass gathering? College football games had more than 47 million attendees in 2019. Mass gatherings in small communities can strain local resources, including emergency departments (EDs). The objective of this study was to conduct a retrospective, descriptive analysis among municipalities with “Power 5” football programs, focusing on stadium size and measures of municipal resources, such as population, distance to the closest ED, and presence of a teaching hospital. “Power 5” football programs were defined as members of the Big 12, Southeastern, Big 10, Pac-12, or Atlantic Coast conferences. We calculated summary statistics (medians, quartiles, and percentages) and conducted an unsupervised machine learning analysis with K-means clustering to group schools based on many of these factors. Among the schools and municipalities we identified (n=66), the median(quartile 1, quartile 3) football stadium size was 62,061 seats (51,576, 79,985), with the smallest median stadium size being for the Pac-12 (52,722) and the largest being for the Southeastern Conference (82,801). The K-means algorithm with 4 clusters identified the following: a “rural” cluster with smaller municipal populations, smaller numbers of beds in the ED, and no teaching hospital (n=19); a “university hospital” cluster with smaller stadium capacities, shorter distances to the closest ED, and larger numbers of beds in the ED (n=23); a “big stadium/big community hospital” cluster with larger municipal populations, larger football stadium capacities, larger numbers of beds in the ED, and longer distances to the closest ED (n=22); and a “Los Angeles” cluster (n=2). Municipalities with a “Power 5” football team vary in terms of the size of football gatherings (using stadium capacity as a proxy), as well as by ED capacity. The stress that football gatherings place on the health system may vary, with municipalities in the “rural” cluster with large football stadium capacities potentially bearing the most significant stress. https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50538 Should regression calibration or multiple imputation be used when calibrating different devices in a longitudinal study? In longitudinal studies, the devices used to measure exposures can change from visit to visit. Calibration studies, wherein a subset of participants is measured using both devices at follow-up, may be used to assess between-device differences (i.e., errors). Then, statistical methods are needed to adjust for between-device differences and the missing measurement data that often appear in calibration studies. Regression calibration and multiple imputation are two possible methods. We compared both methods in linear regression with a simulation study, considering various real-world scenarios for a longitudinal study of pulse wave velocity. Regression calibration and multiple imputation were both essentially unbiased. Regression calibration underestimated the empirical standard error by up to 50%, while multiple imputation underestimated it by at most 30%. Regression calibration was slightly more efficient than multiple imputation when the magnitude of the between device differences at follow-up was small. However, the improved representation of uncertainty from multiple imputation suggests we use it over regression calibration in longitudinal studies where a new device at follow-up might be error-prone compared to the device used at baseline. https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/49929 Active Site-labeled Prothrombin Inhibits Prothrombinase in Vitro and Thrombosis in Vivo Mouse and human prothrombin (ProT) active site specifically labeled with D-Phe-Pro-Arg-CH2Cl (FPR-ProT) inhibited tissue factor-initiated thrombin generation in platelet-rich and platelet-poor mouse and human plasmas. FPR-prethrombin 1 (Pre 1), fragment 1 (F1), fragment 1.2 (F1.2), and FPR-thrombin produced no significant inhibition, demonstrating the requirement for all three ProT domains. Kinetics of inhibition of ProT activation by the inactive ProTS195A mutant were compatible with competitive inhibition as an alternate nonproductive substrate, although FPR-ProT deviated from this mechanism, implicating a more complex process. FPR-ProT exhibited 10- fold more potent anticoagulant activity compared with ProTS195A as a result of conformational changes in the ProT catalytic domain that induce a more proteinase-like conformation upon FPR labeling. Unlike ProT and ProTS195A, the pathway of FPR-ProT cleavage by prothrombinase was redirected from meizothrombin toward formation of the FPR-prethrombin 2 (Pre 2)F1.2 inhibitory intermediate. Localization of ProT labeled with Alexa Fluor 660 tethered through FPR-CH2Cl ([AF660]FPR-ProT) during laser-induced thrombus formation in vivo in murine arterioles was examined in real time wide-field and confocal fluorescence microscopy. [AF660]FPR-ProT bound rapidly to the vessel wall at the site of injury, preceding platelet accumulation, and subsequently to the thrombus proximal, but not distal, to the vessel wall. [AF660]FPR-ProT inhibited thrombus growth, whereas [AF660]FPR-Pre 1, lacking the F1 membrane-binding domain did not bind or inhibit. Labeled F1.2 localized similarly to [AF660]FPR-ProT, indicating binding to phosphatidylserine-rich membranes, but did not inhibit thrombosis. The studies provide new insight into the mechanism of ProT activation in vivo and in vitro, and the properties of a unique exosite-directed prothrombinase inhibitor.