Functional significance of conserved cysteines in the human organic cation transporter 2.

The significance of conserved cysteines in the human organic cation transporter 2 (hOCT2), namely the six cysteines in the long extracellular loop (loop cysteines) and C474 in transmembrane helix 11, was examined. Uptake of tetraethylammonium (TEA) and 1-methyl-4-phenypyridinium (MPP) into Chinese hamster ovary cells was stimulated >20-fold by hOCT2 expression. Both cell surface expression and transport activity were reduced considerably following mutation of individual loop cysteines (C51, C63, C89, C103, and C143), and the C89 and C103 mutants had reduced Michaelis constants (K(t)) for MPP.

An intervention to increase caregiver support for asthma management in middle school-aged youth.

Objective: Asthma control requires adherence to a treatment regimen. Caregiver involvement is a key determinant of adolescent asthma control, but the involvement must recognize the youth's developmental stage and need for autonomy. This article describes the evaluation of a pilot asthma management intervention for middle school-aged youth and their adult network members, including caregivers, based on caregiver findings.

"It's a feel. That's what a lot of our evidence would consist of ": public health practitioners' perspectives on evidence.

This article describes how evidence is defined and used in two British Columbia public health departments during the implementation of a Healthy Living initiative in 2009. Through interviews with 21 public health staff and decision makers, the author sought to investigate how "evidence" was defined by both frontline and management staff and how it was used in decision making. The authors found public health staff, particularly frontline practitioners, to be drawn to grassroots and local "lived experience" evidence.

Building knowledge integration systems for evidence-informed decisions.

Purpose: This paper aims to describe methods and models designed to build a comprehensive, integrative framework to guide the research to policy and practice cycle in health care.

Design/methodology/approach: Current models of science are summarised, identifying specific challenges they create for knowledge to action (KTA). Alternative models for KTA are outlined to illustrate how researchers and decision makers can work together to fit the KTA model to specific problems and contexts.

The role of community health workers (CHWs) in health promotion research: ethical challenges and practical solutions.

This article aims to describe the role of community health workers (CHWs) in health promotion research and address the challenges and ethical concerns associated with this research approach. A series of six focus groups are conducted with project managers and investigators (n = 5 to 11 per session) who have worked with CHWs in health promotion research. These focus groups are part of a larger study funded by the National Institutes of Health titled "Training in Research Ethics and Standards" (Project TRES).

Policies related to active transport to and from school: a multisite case study.

Active transportation to and from school (ATS) is a viable strategy to help increase physical activity among youth. ATS can be challenging because initiatives require transdisciplinary collaboration, are influenced by the built environment and are affected by numerous policies. The purpose of this study is to identify policies and factors that influence ATS initiatives.

Challenges in home care practice: a decision-making perspective.

A qualitative approach using an ethnographic design was used to investigate the nature of clinical decision making in home care practice from home care nurses' perspective. In-depth interviews were conducted with experienced home care nurses (N = 16) in addition to observations of nurses during meetings and client visits. The findings indicate that the decision-making challenges involved in home care practice consisted of the following 4 major categories: (a) challenges that arise in the development of client-centered care plans, (b) challenges that arise from the home care practice environment, (c) challenges related to developing confidence in clinical decision making, and (d) challenges in ethical decision making.