Aggregating behaviour in invasive Caribbean lionfish is driven by habitat complexity.

Caribbean lionfish (Pterois spp.) are considered the most heavily impacting invasive marine vertebrate ever recorded. However, current management is largely inadequate, relying on opportunistic culling by recreational SCUBA divers.

The Impact of an Aging Population in the Workplace.

Unlabelled: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people 65 years of age or older living in the United States is projected to double by 2030 to 72 million adults, representing 20% of the total U.S.

Population: Evidence suggests that older Americans are working longer and spending more time on the job than their peers did in previous years.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Airline Pilots.

The health of an airline pilot is imperative to the safe travels of millions of people worldwide. Medical providers evaluate the cardiovascular risks for airline pilots and the medical requirements to obtain and maintain licensure as an airline pilot. It is the role of the occupational health nurse practitioner to evaluate and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in this population.

Overuse of Diagnostic Imaging for Work-Related Injuries.

Overuse of health care in the United States is a growing concern. This article addresses the use of diagnostic imaging for work-related injuries. Diagnostic imaging drives substantial cost for increases in workers' compensation.

The Impact of Language and Culture Diversity in Occupational Safety.

Occupational health nursing plays a critical part in improving the safety of foreign labor workers. The development and implementation of safety training programs do not always regularly take into account language barriers, low literacy levels, or cultural elements. This oversight can lead to more injuries and fatalities among this group.

Ebola Virus Disease.

Nurses are the largest group of health care providers and, therefore, are often at the forefront of epidemics: responding, treating, educating, and coordinating care as needed. But what happens when nurses are afraid of contracting an illness and decide to leave the workplace? The fear due to Ebola was in part caused by conflicting information around the proper use of personal protective equipment and need for quarantine. The nursing response to as well as the role occupational health nurses can play in diffusing the fear of contracting contemporary infectious diseases are discussed.

Updating a tuberculosis surveillance program: considering all of the variables.

Tuberculosis surveillance programs have used the same testing methods for almost a century. New testing methods have been approved and are available, but how does a health care provider determine which diagnostic test is best in a given situation? Reviewing research statistics can be confusing, and the types of studies conducted may not be similar to a particular application. Development of an organizational needs assessment based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirements, organizational resources, the needs of the employee population, and the logistics of multiple campus sites prior to evaluating the available testing methods can assist occupational health nurses navigate the decision-making process.

Pain management in occupational health: a guide for non-narcotic pain relief.

Narcotic pain management is currently a topic of concern in the United States; the latest concerns are both legal and ethical. Narcotics are frequently prescribed medications that, when improperly used or supervised, can cause death. Legal concerns include prescribing narcotics without performing detailed health-related evaluations, not recognizing those seeking drugs for personal recreational use, and clients diverting drugs to others for financial gain.

Contingent workers.

Contingent workers compose a large portion of the U.S. work force.

Substance abuse among registered nurses.

The stressful conditions under which nurses work, due in part to the nursing shortage, are among the risk factors that contribute to nurses' abuse of illicit drugs. Nurses differ from the general population in that they work in an environment where they not only have access to controlled substances, but also are exposed to death and dying, the stress of which can increase the risk of drug abuse. However, practicing while impaired places patients' lives at risk and decreases staff morale.

Human bites in the classroom: incidence, treatment, and complications.

It has been estimated that at least one half of the population will experience some type of bite in their lifetime. Human bites are the third leading cause of all bites seen in hospital emergency departments after dog and cat bites. Human bites can be the source of exposure to body fluids, transmission of communicable diseases, infections ranging from cellulitis to osteomyelitis, and joint deformity from septic arthritis.

Plant protein extraction.

A method is presented for the extraction of total protein from Arabidopsis thaliana tissue. The protocol was designed for the solubilization of a range of proteins and their efficient and quantitative recovery. It is especially compatible with the small quantities of available tissue often associated with this species and was originally intended for Western blot preparations.

Extraction of plant RNA.

This protocol details an RNA preparation for medium-scale, high-purity RNA production from higher plants. It uses hot acid phenol with standard sodium acetate ethanol precipitation and is suitable for producing RNA for both Northern blotting and enzyme-based downstream applications such as RT-PCR and microarray studies.