Factors for success in mental health advocacy.

Background: Mental health advocacy groups are an effective way of pushing the mental health agenda and putting pressure on national governments to observe the right to health; however, there is limited research that highlights best practices for such groups in low-resource settings. In an effort to improve the scaling up of mental health in Sierra Leone, stakeholders came together to form the country's first mental health advocacy group: the Mental Health Coalition - Sierra Leone. Since its inception, the group has worked towards raising the profile of mental health in Sierra Leone and developing as an advocacy organisation.

Simple click reactions on polymer surfaces leading to antimicrobial behavior.

In this study we developed simple reactions that combined microwave plasma reactions in the presence of maleic anhydride with alkyne click chemistries to achieve a platform for unlimited possibilities for further surface modifications of aliphatic polymer surfaces. Using this approach, we covalently attached ampicillin (AMP) to polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) substrates. As a result, high efficacy against microbial film formation, manifested by efficient antimicrobial activity against S.

Covalent attachment of multilayers (CAM): a platform for pH switchable antimicrobial and anticoagulant polymeric surfaces.

These studies show covalent attachment of multilayers (CAM) to chemically alter surfaces to achieve pH switchable antimicrobial and anticoagulant properties. Polyethylene (PE), poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), and silicon (Si) surfaces were functionalized by tethering pH-responsive "switching" polyelectrolytes consisting of poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) terminated with NH and COOH groups, respectively. At pH < 2.

Micro-patterning of streptavidin-biotin-ampicillin/heparin on poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) surfaces: simultaneous antimicrobial and anticoagulant activity.

Formation of heterogeneous and controllable surface patterns on polymeric materials containing antimicrobial and anticoagulant components represent an attractive way of maintaining synthetic materials "clean" from adverse bio-activities. The primary surface "contaminants" are microbial films as well as blood coagulation, both affecting not only performance of internal or external devices, but often exhibiting detrimental effects on patients. In an effort to simultaneously inhibit formation of microbial films and surface blood coagulation multifunctional assemblies containing streptavidin (STR)-biotin bioconjugates were developed on poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) surfaces.

Phage-bacterium war on polymeric surfaces: can surface-anchored bacteriophages eliminate microbial infections?

These studies illustrate synthetic paths to covalently attach T1 and Φ11 bacteriophages (phages) to inert polymeric surfaces while maintaining the bacteriophage's biological activities capable of killing deadly human pathogens. The first step involved the formation of acid (COOH) groups on polyethylene (PE) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surfaces using microwave plasma reactions in the presence of maleic anhydride, followed by covalent attachment of T1 and Φ11 species via primary amine groups. The phages effectively retain their biological activity manifested by a rapid infection with their own DNA and effective destruction of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus human pathogens.

Rat intubation and ventilation for surgical research.

Effective outcomes in cardiothoracic surgical research using rodents are dependent upon adequate techniques for intubation and mechanical ventilation. Multiple methods are available for intubation of the rat; however, not all techniques are appropriate for survival studies. This article presents a refinement of intubation techniques and a simplified mechanical ventilation setup necessary for intrathoracic surgical procedures using volatile anesthetics.

Probing the limits of tool competence: experiments with two non-tool-using species (Cercopithecus aethiops and Saguinus oedipus).

Non-human animals vary in their ability to make and use tools. The goal of the present study was to further explore what, if anything, differs between tool-users and non-tool-users, and whether these differences lie in the conceptual or motor domain. We tested two species that typically do not use tools-cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) and vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops)-on problems that mirrored those designed for prolific tool users such as chimpanzees.

Discrimination between host songs by brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater).

Songbirds can learn both to produce and to discriminate between different classes of acoustic stimuli. Varying levels of auditory discrimination may improve the fitness of individuals in certain ecological and social contexts and, thus, selection is expected to mold the cognitive abilities of different species according to the potential benefits of acoustic processing. Although fine-scale auditory discrimination of conspecific songs and calls has been frequently reported for brood parasitic brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater), it remains unclear why and how they perceive differently the songs of their many host species.