Analysis of touch used by occupational therapy practitioners in skilled nursing facilities.

Instrumental touch is identified as having purposeful physical contact in order to complete a task. Expressive touch is identified as warm, friendly physical contact and is not solely for performing a task. Expressive touch has been associated with improved client status, increased rapport and greater gains made during therapy.

Platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist improves renal function and glomerular lesions in renal ablation.

In the renal ablation model hemodynamic changes, glomerular hypertrophy, and the release of inflammatory mediators contribute to structural damage and functional changes. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) has both hemodynamic and immune-mediating properties. We therefore examined the role for a PAF receptor antagonist (WEB 2170) on glomerular hemodynamic function, albuminuria, and structural alterations in a rat model of renal ablation (Nx).

Increased oxygen radical and eicosanoid formation in immune-mediated mesangial cell injury.

To evaluate whether monocytes/macrophages derived from glomeruli could be a source of increased eicosanoid and free oxygen radical formation in glomerular disease, monocytes/macrophage (M/M) were isolated from nephritic glomeruli and their in vitro generation of eicosanoids and superoxides were measured. Glomerular immune injury was induced by i.v.