Changes in social, sexual, and hedonic behaviors in rats in response to stress and restoration by a negative allosteric modulator of α5-subunit containing GABA receptor.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating and costly human condition. Treatment for MDD relies heavily on the use of antidepressants that are slow to produce mood-related changes and are not effective in all patients, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Several novel compounds, including negative allosteric modulators of GABA-A receptors containing the α5-subunit (GABA-NAMs), are under investigation for potential fast acting therapeutic use in MDD.

Automated methods for efficient and accurate electroretinography.

Electroretinography (ERG) is a foundational method for assessing visual system physiology, but accurate ERG can be time- and labor-intensive, often involving manual adjustment of the wavelength and intensity of light stimuli and real-time comparison of physiological responses to inform those adjustments. Furthermore, current approaches to ERG often require expertise beyond that necessary for the electrophysiological preparation itself. To improve both the efficiency and accessibility of ERG, we designed an automated system for stimulus presentation and data acquisition.

Use of technology to facilitate a prospective surveillance program for breast cancer-related lymphedema at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is a negative sequela of breast cancer (BC) caused by trauma to the lymphatic system during surgery or radiation to the axillary lymph nodes. BCRL affects approximately one in five patients treated for BC, and patients are at a lifelong risk for BCRL after treatment. Early diagnosis of BCRL may prevent its progression and reduce negative effects on quality of life, necessitating comprehensive prospective screening.

Long-distance transequatorial navigation using sequential measurements of magnetic inclination angle.

Diverse taxa use Earth's magnetic field in combination with other sensory modalities to accomplish navigation tasks ranging from local homing to long-distance migration across continents and ocean basins. Several animals have the ability to use the inclination or tilt of magnetic field lines as a component of a magnetic compass sense that can be used to maintain migratory headings. In addition, a few animals are able to distinguish among different inclination angles and, in effect, exploit inclination as a surrogate for latitude.

Vision in the snapping shrimp .

Snapping shrimp engage in heterospecific behavioral associations in which their partners, such as goby fish, help them avoid predators. It has been argued that snapping shrimp engage in these partnerships because their vision is impaired by their orbital hood, an extension of their carapace that covers their eyes. To examine this idea, we assessed the visual abilities of snapping shrimp.

Impact of health care adversity on providers: Lessons learned from a staff support program.

Background: Health care providers often experience traumatic events and adversity that can have negative emotional impacts on the profession and on patients. These impacts are typically multifaceted and can result from many different events, such as unanticipated outcomes, licensing board complaints, claims, and litigation. Because health care providers are exposed to diverse situations, they require adequate and timely support, imperative for provider resilience and patient safety.

Characterizing the adult and larval transcriptome of the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis.

The reasons for the evolution and maintenance of striking visual phenotypes are as widespread as the species that display these phenotypes. While study systems such as Heliconius and Dendrobatidae have been well characterized and provide critical information about the evolution of these traits, a breadth of new study systems, in which the phenotype of interest can be easily manipulated and quantified, are essential for gaining a more general understanding of these specific evolutionary processes. One such model is the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, which displays significant elytral spot and color polymorphism.

Identification of Parents' Perceptions of Antibiotic Use for Individualized Community Education.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate parents' perceptions of antibiotics to better understand the barriers related to judicious antibiotic use and for selection of educational resources. A descriptive survey design was distributed electronically to a convenience sample of parents in Omaha, Nebraska, using the Parental Perception on Antibiotics scale. A total of 170 completed surveys were evaluated.

The Midwifery Workforce: ACNM 2012 and AMCB 2013 Core Data.

Introduction: Core data are crucial for detailing an accurate profile of the midwifery workforce in the United States. The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and the American Midwifery Certification Board, Inc. (AMCB), at the request and with support from the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), are engaged in a collaborative effort to develop a data collection strategy (the Midwifery MasterFile) that will reflect demographic and practice characteristics of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) in the United States.

Social problems in plastic surgery residents: a management perspective.

Background: It is presumed that plastic surgery residents experience various social problems, just as do their peers in other specialty training programs and in the general public. These issues can occasionally disrupt the resident's personal training experience and sometimes the program as a whole. A survey was performed to assess the magnitude of the problem, and the issues revealed were assessed to assist the program director and the resident in reaching successful completion of the residency.

Approaching the mind in clinical interviewing: the techniques of soundings and counterprojection.

When an interviewer and a patient meet, it is the meeting place of two minds. This article discusses the essential use of clinical imagination in the initial interview and presents two techniques, soundings and counterprojection that can enhance the interviewer's ability to create a shared psychologic space with the interviewee.

Existential despair and bipolar disorder: the therapeutic alliance as a mood stabilizer.

Talking with a manic patient is not easy, but it is also not hopeless. Manic patients are hopeful, ever hopeful, and indeed often too hopeful. But their hopes and dreams, however big, are usually brief and soon damaged by the realities of life.

A test of a centre's vision.

The Thames Valley Children's Centre, a regional Children's Rehabilitation Centre, was determined to assess the extent to which its Vision ("Our Clients at Their Best") was being achieved. With a sample of 50 former clients, and utilizing a specially constructed survey tool based on the important life outcomes literature, they found that they were attaining their vision for a significant proportion of the participants. They also learned about the differing expectations of the role which the Centre should play.

Turning points and protective processes in the lives of people with chronic disabilities.

In this qualitative study, the authors examined the nature of resilience in people with chronic disabilities. Fifteen people with disabilities identified the factors that helped or hindered them at major turning points, and the triggers and resolutions to these turning points. Turning points were emotionally compelling experiences and realizations that involved meaning acquired through the routes of belonging, doing, or understanding the self or the world.

Success in life for older adolescents with cerebral palsy.

In this article, the psychosocial themes emerging from an exploratory qualitative study are reported. Using a constant comparative method, the authors describe how older adolescents with cerebral palsy defined success in life and the factors they viewed as helping or hindering their success. Participants were 10 adolescents with cerebral palsy between 18 and 20 years of age who took part in a semistructured interview exploring their perceptions of success.