Cultural differences in clinical leadership: a qualitative study comparing the attitudes of general dental practitioners from Greater Manchester and Tokyo

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Leadership has been argued to be a key component in the transformation of services in the United Kingdom and in Japan. In the UK, local professional networks have developed to provide clinician led care in dentistry; working to develop local plans to deliver improvements in the quality of care for patients. In Japan, the remuneration model for dental care has been revised with the aim to improve the service and tackle the current challenges of population health there. The aim of this study was to use semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to explore general dental practitioners' (GDPs) understanding of the term 'leadership' and determine whether its meaning is culturally bound.

METHODS

Twelve participants were sampled purposively by the research team; identifying GDPs involved in leadership roles from across Greater Manchester and Tokyo. A set of open-ended questions was developed for semi-structured interviews a priori and the interviews continued until saturation. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and codes were developed into a coding frame for thematic analysis. Representative quotations are provided in the results.

RESULTS

Fourteen codes were identified according to the aims of the study and organised into five overarching themes. 'Leadership as the relationship' was more pronounced among Japanese GDPs, while 'leadership as the individual' was common in GDPs from Greater Manchester. Differences were also found in respect of education and training in leadership. Training was also considered to be important by the GDPs from Japan, while UK GDPs felt leaders were more likely to be influenced by innate qualities. The interdependence of leadership and entrepreneurship was raised by both sets of GDPs.

CONCLUSION

The concept of leadership was considered to be important by GDPs from both Greater Manchester and Tokyo; leadership was seen as providing strategy and direction for a clinical team. However, cultural influences were evident in how this was conceptualised.

Giant inflatable colon and community knowledge, intention, and social support for colorectal cancer screening

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second-leading cause of deaths from cancer in the United States. Screening decreases CRC deaths through early cancer detection and through removal of precancerous lesions. We investigated whether a health exhibit consisting of a giant inflatable colon was an effective educational tool to increase community members’ knowledge, intention, and social support for CRC screening and prevention.

Methods

Alaska adults (N = 880) attending community events statewide from March 2011 through March 2012 completed a short survey to assess knowledge about CRC, intention to get screened, and level of social support before and after walking through a giant interactive model of a human colon. The survey used a combination of open-ended questions and a Likert scale, where 1 was “very unlikely,” 2 was “somewhat unlikely,” 3 was “neutral,” 4 was “somewhat likely,” and 5 was “very likely.” The model depicted CRC stages from normal tissue to advanced adenocarcinoma and displayed signs with CRC prevention tips. We used the McNemar test and paired sample t tests for univariate analyses.

Results

Respondents significantly improved their CRC knowledge (P < .05), intention to get screened (mean score increased from 4.3 to 4.5, P < .001), and comfort with talking to others about CRC screening (mean level of comfort increased from 3.8 to 3.9, P < .001). Multivariate analysis showed no significant differences by sex, age, or race for improvements in CRC screening knowledge, intention, or comfort.

Conclusion

Interactive exhibits can improve public knowledge and interest in CRC screening, which may lead to increased CRC screening rates and decreased CRC incidence and deaths.

CD8αα Expression Marks Terminally Differentiated Human CD8+ T Cells Expanded in Chronic Viral Infection

The T cell co-receptor CD8αβ enhances T cell sensitivity to antigen, however studies indicate CD8αα has the converse effect and acts as a co-repressor. Using a combination of Thymic Leukemia (TL) antigen tetramer, which directly binds CD8αα, anti-CD161, and anti-Vα7.2 antibodies we have been able for the first time to clearly define CD8αα expression on human CD8 T cells subsets. In healthy controls CD8αα is most highly expressed by CD161 “bright” (CD161++) mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, with CD8αα expression highly restricted to the TCR Vα7.2+ cells of this subset. We also identified CD8αα-expressing populations within the CD161 “mid” (CD161+) and “negative” (CD161−) non-MAIT CD8 T cell subsets and show TL-tetramer binding to correlate with expression of CD8β at low levels in the context of maintained CD8α expression (CD8α+CD8β^low). In addition, we found CD161−CD8α+CD8β^low populations to be significantly expanded in the peripheral blood of HIV-1 and hepatitis B (mean of 47 and 40% of CD161− T cells respectively) infected individuals. Such CD8αα expressing T cells are an effector-memory population (CD45RA−, CCR7−, CD62L−) that express markers of activation and maturation (HLA-DR+, CD28−, CD27−, CD57+) and are functionally distinct, expressing greater levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ on stimulation and perforin at rest than their CD8α+CD8β^high counterparts. Antigen-specific T cells in HLA-B^∗4201+HIV-1 infected patients are found within both the CD161−CD8α+CD8β^high and CD161−CD8α+CD8β^low populations. Overall we have clearly defined CD8αα expressing human T cell subsets using the TL-tetramer, and have demonstrated CD161−CD8α+CD8β^low populations, highly expanded in disease settings, to co-express CD8αβ and CD8αα. Co-expression of CD8αα on CD8αβ T cells may impact on their overall function in vivo and contribute to the distinctive phenotype of highly differentiated populations in HBV and HIV-1 infection.

Nine out of 10 sunbeds in England emit ultraviolet radiation levels that exceed current safety limits

BACKGROUND

Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight is recognized as the principal cause of skin cancer. Moreover, sunbeds have been classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Despite this, there is a shortage of objective data on UV exposure levels in sunbeds in England.

OBJECTIVES

We set out to measure UV emission levels in sunbeds at sites around England, and to compare these levels with both current standards and natural sunlight.

METHODS

Between October 2010 and February 2011, UV spectra were measured on site from a total of 402 artificial tanning units in England. Measurement instrumentation was calibrated, traceable to the National Physical Laboratory. Compliance with the relevant British and European standard was determined, and a skin-cancer weighting factor was used to compare the carcinogenic potential of sunbeds with that of sunlight.

RESULTS

For compliance with the European standard, erythemal-effective irradiance should not exceed 0·3 W m(-2). The values that we measured ranged between 0·10 and 1·32 W m(-2) with a mean of 0·56 ± 0·21 W m(-2) . Only 10% of sunbeds surveyed were within the recommended limit. Application of the skin-cancer weighting factor produced values that varied from 0·17 to 2·52 W m(-2) with a mean of 0·99 ± 0·41 W m(-2). The comparable value for Mediterranean noon day sun was 0·43 W m .

CONCLUSIONS

Nine out of 10 sunbeds surveyed throughout England emitted levels of UV radiation that exceed the maximum levels contained within the European standard. Moreover, the skin cancer risk for comparable times of exposure was up to six times higher than that for Mediterranean sunlight. This situation is unacceptable and stricter control measures must be put in place.

Analysis of energy saving lamps for use by photosensitive individuals

Due to European legislation, the British government has begun the phase out of incandescent bulbs, to be replaced by energy-saving alternatives. The alternatives that are available on the market are Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL), Energy-Efficient Halogens (EEH) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED). Whilst previous research has shown that CFLs emit UVC, UVB and UVA, there is conflicting data available on whether double enveloped CFLs are a safer alternative to single enveloped CFLs for individuals suffering from photosensitivity. The emission spectra of 106 single enveloped CFLs and 65 double enveloped CFLs were measured. There were 17 different models of single enveloped CFLs, including lamps from 6 different manufacturers (ranging from 8-20 W) and 9 models of double enveloped CFLs from 6 different manufacturers (7-15 W). In addition, the emission spectra of 53 LEDs and 56 EEHs were also analysed. The LEDs consisted of 8 different models, from 3 manufacturers, spanning between 2.5 and 12 W. There were 11 models of EEH from 6 different manufacturers with wattages ranging from 28-70 W. In order to reduce sample bias, some bulbs were provided by the lighting industry federation and others were purchased randomly from local retailers. The results validate previous research in that considerable variation exists in the UV emitted from CFLs. This variation in UV levels is true, not only within different makes and models but also, surprisingly, within a box of 8 seemingly identical bulbs supplied by a single manufacturer. It was concluded that double enveloped CFLs do reduce the levels of UVC and UVB and therefore are a safer alternative for photosensitive individuals. However, as some double enveloped CFLs and EEHs do emit UVA at levels that provoke a reaction in the skin of UVA sensitive individuals, newly emerging LEDs that have minimal UV levels may provide a safer alternative.