The "STATE" of home care & hospice.

This issue of CARING is focusing on the new dimensions in home care technology. As a group, the home care industry's trade associations have been in the vanguard, promoting technological advancements to their provider members. Many of our home care and hospice associations, including the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), have made the idea of promoting the use of new technology, a strategic priority.

Toll-like receptor (TLR4) shedding and depletion: acute proximal tubular cell responses to hypoxic and toxic injury.

Acute renal failure (ARF) induces tubular hyperresponsiveness to TLR4 ligands, culminating in exaggerated renal cytokine/chemokine production. However, the fate of TLR4 protein during acute tubular injury remains unknown. The study sought new insights into this issue.

The "STATE" of home care and hospice.

There is at least one home care and hospice industry association in each of our 50 United States and Puerto Rico. These associations represent tens of thousands of home care and hospice providers. They provide state and local leadership, professional and para-professional training, and other services designed to help home care and hospice providers care for our nation's sick, disabled and elderly.

Hearing loss and cochlear damage in experimental pneumococcal meningitis, with special reference to the role of neutrophil granulocytes.

Hearing loss is a well-known sequelae from meningitis, affecting up to 25% of survivors. However, the principal components of the infectious and inflammatory reaction responsible for the sensorineural hearing loss remain to be identified. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of an augmented neutrophil response on the development of hearing loss and cochlear damage in a model of experimental pneumococcal meningitis in rats.

GH receptor signaling in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue in human subjects following exposure to an intravenous GH bolus.

Growth hormone (GH) regulates muscle and fat metabolism, which impacts on body composition and insulin sensitivity, but the underlying GH signaling pathways have not been studied in vivo in humans. We investigated GH signaling in biopsies from muscle and abdominal fat obtained 30 (n = 3) or 60 (n = 3) min after an intravenous bolus of GH (0.5 mg) vs.

The "STATE" of home care and hospice.

There is at least one home care and hospice industry association in each of our 50 United States and Puerto Rico. These associations represent tens of thousands of home care and hospice providers. They provide state and local leadership, professional and para-professional training, and other services designed to help home care and hospice providers care for our nation's sick, disabled and elderly.

The "state" of home care & hospice.

There is at least one home care and hospice industry association in each of our 50 United States and Puerto Rico. These associations represent tens of thousands of home care and hospice providers. They provide state and local leadership, professional and para-professional training and other services designed to help home care and hospice providers care for our nation's sick, disabled and elderly.

Acute renal failure: determinants and characteristics of the injury-induced hyperinflammatory response.

Acute renal failure (ARF) markedly sensitizes mice to endotoxin (LPS), as evidenced by exaggerated renal cytokine/chemokine production. This study sought to further characterize this state by testing the following: 1) does anti-inflammatory heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) upregulation in selected ARF models prevent this response? 2) Is the ARF hyperresponsive state specifically triggered by LPS? 3) Does excess iNOS activity/protein nitrosylation participate in this phenomenon? and 4) are upregulated Toll receptors involved? Mice with either 1) rhabdomyolysis-induced ARF (massive HO-1 overexpression), 2) cisplatin nephrotoxicity, 3) or HO-1 inhibition (Sn protoporphyrin) were challenged with either LPS (a TLR4 ligand), lipoteichoic acid (LTA; a TLR2 ligand), or vehicle. Two hours later, renal and plasma TNF-alpha/mRNA, MCP-1/mRNA, renal nitrotyrosine/iNOS mRNA, and plasma cytokines were assessed.

The molecular basis for wine grape quality--a volatile subject.

Volatile organic compounds are important flavor components of finished wines. In addition to winemaking practices, which shape wine quality, cultivation of the grape berries in the vineyard each season affects the production of volatile organic compounds as well as other chemical components that ultimately contribute to our perception of flavor in finished wines. By studying how berry flavor components are determined by the interplay of vine genotypes, the environment, and cultivation practices at the molecular level, scientists will develop advanced tools and knowledge that will aid viticulturalists in consistently producing balanced, flavorful berries for wine production.

The "state" of home care & hospice.

There is at least one home care and hospice industry association in each of our 50 United States and Puerto Rico. These associations represent tens of thousands of home care and hospice providers. They provide state and local leadership, professional and para-professional training; and other services designed to help home care and hospice providers care for our nation's sick, disabled and elderly.

Turning up the heat: the effects of thermal acclimation on the kinetics of hsp70 gene expression in the eurythermal goby, Gillichthys mirabilis.

Most organisms respond to temperature fluctuations by altering the expression of an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins known as heat shock proteins (Hsps). Studies have shown Hsp expression and the activation of HSF1, one of the primary regulators of Hsp transcription, are highly malleable, varying with the recent thermal history of the organism; however, the mechanisms that confer plasticity to the regulation of this ubiquitous response are not well-understood. This study furthers our knowledge in this area by characterizing the activation kinetics of HSF1 and the corresponding transcription of hsp70 in the liver of the eurythermal goby, Gillichthys mirabilis, following a month-long acclimation at 13, 21 or 28 degrees C.

Neurological Effects of White Spirit: Contribution of Animal Studies during a 30-Year Period*.

Numerous studies have suggested that long-term occupational exposure to white spirit may cause chronic toxic encephalopathy (WHO 1996). This review summarizes the chronic nervous system effects of white spirit in animal studies during a 30-year period. First, routine histopathology was consistently unable to reveal adverse peripheral or central nervous system effects after inhalation of white spirit.

Intersecting pathways to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease: effects of the pesticide rotenone on DJ-1, alpha-synuclein, and the ubiquitin-proteasome system.

Sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) is most likely caused by a combination of environmental exposures and genetic susceptibilities, although there are rare monogenic forms of the disease. Mitochondrial impairment at complex I, oxidative stress, alpha-synuclein aggregation, and dysfunctional protein degradation, have been implicated in PD pathogenesis, but how they are related to each other is unclear. To further evaluated PD pathogenesis here, we used in vivo and in vitro models of chronic low-grade complex I inhibition with the pesticide rotenone.

Levosimendan protects against experimental endotoxemic acute renal failure.

Endotoxemia induces a hemodynamic form of acute renal failure (ARF; renal vasoconstriction +/- reduced glomerular ultrafiltration coefficient, K(f); minimal/no histological damage). We tested whether levosimendan (LS), an ATP-sensitive K+ (K(ATP)) channel opener with cardiac ionotropic and possible anti-inflammatory properties, might have utility in combating this form of ARF. CD-1 mice were injected with LPS +/- LS.

The inflammatory transcriptome of reactive murine astrocytes and implications for their innate immune function.

Upon injury, astrocytes assume an activated state associated with the release of inflammatory mediators. To model this, we stimulated murine primary astrocytes with a complete inflammatory cytokine mix consisting of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IFN-gamma. We analysed the transcriptional response of 480 genes at 4 and 16 h after stimulation on a chip designed to give a representative overview over the inflammation-relevant part of the transcriptome of macrophage-like cells.

Acute nephrotoxic and obstructive injury primes the kidney to endotoxin-driven cytokine/chemokine production.

Gram-negative sepsis is a frequent complication in patients with acute renal failure. This study tested whether acute tubular injury, for example, induced by cisplatin (CP) or urinary tract obstruction, enhances renal cytokine responses to endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide (LPS)), potentially contributing to tissue damage. CD-1 mice were subjected to CP or vehicle injection.

Listeria monocytogenes 10403S HtrA is necessary for resistance to cellular stress and virulence.

The HtrA serine protease has been shown to be essential for bacterial virulence and for survival after exposure to many types of environmental and cellular stresses. A Listeria monocytogenes 10403S htrA mutant was found to be sensitive to oxidative and puromycin-induced stress at high temperatures, showed a reduced ability to form biofilms, and was attenuated for virulence in mice.

Impact of exercise training on insulin sensitivity, physical fitness, and muscle oxidative capacity in first-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients.

First-degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients (offspring) are often characterized by insulin resistance and reduced physical fitness (VO2 max). We determined the response of healthy first-degree relatives to a standardized 10-wk exercise program compared with an age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched control group. Improvements in VO2 max (14.

MEAD: an interdisciplinary study of the marine effects of atmospheric deposition in the Kattegat.

This paper summarises the results of the EU funded MEAD project, an interdisciplinary study of the effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on the Kattegat Sea between Denmark and Sweden. The study considers emissions of reactive nitrogen gases, their transport, transformations, deposition and effects on algal growth together with management options to reduce these effects. We conclude that atmospheric deposition is an important source of fixed nitrogen to the region particularly in summer, when nitrogen is the limiting nutrient for phytoplankton growth, and contributes to the overall eutrophication pressures in this region.

Smoking and height as risk factors for prevalence and 5-year incidence of hearing loss. A questionnaire-based follow-up study of employees in Denmark aged 18-59 years exposed and unexposed to noise.

This paper investigated whether smoking and short stature in adulthood were independent risk factors for hearing loss. We reanalyzed data from the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study (an existing cohort study), on prevalence of self-reported hearing loss among 7,221 employees and on five-year incidence among 4,610 employees. We found that smoking predicted hearing loss incidence and prevalence.

Localization and speech-identification ability of hearing-impaired listeners using phase-preserving amplification.

Objective: The purpose of these experiments was to determine the ability of hearing-impaired listeners to localize and to identify speech in noise using phase-preserving and non-phase-preserving amplification.

Design: These abilities were measured 4 times over each of two 16-week periods, using a randomized, single-blinded, within-subject crossover design. Listeners were fitted bilaterally, using the National Acoustic Laboratories linear frequency-gain characteristic with a digital hearing aid programmed in one of two ways: (1) with a linear-phase filter and (2) with filters designed to compensate for the magnitude and phase anomalies caused by the hearing aid fitting, thus preserving interaural phase.

Prenatal stress may increase vulnerability to life events: comparison with the effects of prenatal dexamethasone.

Prenatal stress has been associated with a variety of alterations in the offspring. The presented observations suggest that rather than causing changes in the offspring per se, prenatal stress may increase the organism's vulnerability to aversive life events. Offspring of rat dams stressed gestationally by chronic mild stress (CMS, a variable schedule of different stressors) or dexamethasone (DEX, a synthetic glucocorticoid, i.

A system for measuring distortion product otoacoustic emissions at ultra-sonic frequencies in rodents.

The aim of this work has been to construct and evaluate a system for recording distortion product otoacoustic emissions in rats at ultrasonic frequencies up to at least 50 kHz. The paper primarily describes the design of the acoustic probe system, as this is the most critical part. An acoustic ear simulator was developed and used for the subsequent calibration of the stimulus signals.

CEP-11004, an inhibitor of the SAPK/JNK pathway, reduces TNF-alpha release from lipopolysaccharide-treated cells and mice.

CEP-11004, a mixed lineage kinase (MLK) inhibitor, was examined for its effects on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production in human THP-1 monocytes, mouse BV-2 microglia, and C57Bl/6 mice. CEP-11004 inhibited TNF-alpha secretion up to 90% in THP-1 cells incubated with 3 mug/ml lipopolysaccharide, with an IC50 of 137+/-14 nM. CEP-11004 also inhibited TNF-alpha production in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated microglial cells, but did not inhibit the initial increase in TNF-alpha mRNA expression as measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).