Evaluating changes in recovery in people living with severe and persistent mental illness after psychiatric rehabilitation services at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya.

Objective: People living with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) in Kenya lack access to recovery-based services. In this study, we assessed changes in recovery in people living with SPMI in Kenya 6 months after receiving services at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Nawiri Recovery and Skills Centre (Nawiri).

Methods: A retrospective evaluation was conducted using a pretest/posttest design analyzing Nawiri care program data collected on admission and 6 months after discharge for recovery metrics.

Fundamentals of DNA methylation in development.

DNA methyation is critical to regulation of gene expression especially during developmentally dynamic changes. A large proportion occurs at CpG (a cytosine followed by a guanine nucleotide) sites and impacts gene expression based on location, timing and level of DNA methylation. The spectrum of effects produced by DNA methylation ranges from inhibition to enhancement of gene expression.

A Simple and Fast Optical Clearing Method for Whole-Mount Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) Imaging.

We report a single-step optical clearing method that is compatible with RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) imaging. We previously demonstrated microscopy imaging with immunohistochemistry and genetic reporters using a technique called lipid-preserving refractive index matching for prolonged imaging depth (LIMPID). Our protocol reliably produces high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) images with minimal aberrations using high magnification objectives, captures large field-of-view images of whole-mount tissues, and supports co-labeling with antibody and FISH probes.

Baroreflex Function in Cardiovascular Disease.

The baroreflex system is involved in modulating several physiological functions of the cardiovascular system and can modulate cardiac output, blood pressure, and cardiac electrophysiology directly and indirectly. In addition, it is involved in regulating neurohormonal pathways involved in the cardiovascular function, such as the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and vasopressin release. Baroreflex dysfunction is characterized by sympathetic overactivation and parasympathetic withdrawal and is associated with several cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, heart failure, and coronary artery disease.