Community Health Workers Should be Worker Advocates.

Community health workers (CHWs) are frontline health workers who connect underserved populations to the health care system, provide health education, and advocate for their clients. CHWs can be particularly helpful to their clients in addressing social determinants of health that affect many chronic illnesses such as asthma, high blood pressure, poor mental health, and kidney and heart diseases. However, in one social determinant-the world of work-CHWs do not often play a role as facilitators and advocates.

One-Hour Pilot Training to Prevent Workers From Taking Home Workplace Contaminants.

Workers can accidentally transport chemical hazards from the workplace to the home, known as “take-home exposures”. Recent take-home lead-poisoning cases highlight the need for effective prevention training. A one-hour take-home prevention training was developed in partnership with a non-profit.

Co-management of cataract and glaucoma in the era of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery.

Purpose Of Review: This review discusses the options available to be used in conjunction with phacoemulsification cataract surgery to control intraocular pressure. We present a strategy for planning which surgery should be performed based on goals of care.

Recent Findings: New clinical evidence for using the CyPass, Kahook and Xen45 devices has been published recently and is summarized.

Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia Secondary to Cocaine Abuse.

. To report a case of internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) caused by cocaine. .

A Case Report of Nystagmus with Acute Comitant Esotropia Secondary to Heroin Withdrawal: A Novel Presentation.

Background: Acute comitant esotropia secondary to heroin withdrawal is a rarely reported phenomenon that has never been described with nystagmus. Adverse effects of heroin on eye alignment were first reported in soldiers returning from Vietnam, yet no theory is generally accepted as the cause of these abnormalities.

Method: We present a case of a 22-year-old female who developed 40 prism diopters of alternating comitant esotropia with nystagmus 8 days after abrupt heroin cessation, review the existing literature, and propose a novel hypothesis for this phenomenon.

Angioarchitectural evolution of clival dural arteriovenous fistulas in two patients.

Dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) may present in a variety of ways, including as carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas. The ophthalmologic sequelae of carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas are known and recognizable, but less commonly seen is the rare clival fistula. Clival dAVFs may have a variety of potential anatomical configurations but are defined by the involvement of the venous plexus just overlying the bony clivus.

Workplace rights: a popular theater performance.

Theater acting can help build the social skills needed for effective communication at work and in the wider community. The following short play is about workers fighting for their rights at a textile factory in the early 20th century. It was written by an adult education teacher, performed by her students and attended by the school's students and teachers.

Chronic oxidative stress upregulates Drusen-related protein expression in adult human RPE stem cell-derived RPE cells: a novel culture model for dry AMD.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to examine changes in the expression of transcripts and proteins associated with drusen in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) after exposing human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE) cells to chronic oxidative stress.

Methods: Primary adult human RPE cells were isolated from cadaveric donor eyes. The subpopulation of RPE stem cells (RPESCs) was activated, expanded, and then differentiated into RPE progeny.

A comparison of imputation procedures and statistical tests for the analysis of two-dimensional electrophoresis data.

Background: Numerous gel-based softwares exist to detect protein changes potentially associated with disease. The data, however, are abundant with technical and structural complexities, making statistical analysis a difficult task. A particularly important topic is how the various softwares handle missing data.

Gender differences in ethanol-induced behavioral sensitivity in zebrafish.

Gender-related differential sensitivity to ethanol has long been recognized. Our previous studies have demonstrated that the zebrafish, an animal model used currently to study genetics and development related to a variety of human diseases, is also sensitive to pharmacologically relevant concentrations of ethanol. Sensitivity to ethanol in the zebrafish can be easily gauged with a simple nonintrusive behavioral test that measures ethanol-related alterations in schooling by determining the distance between each fish and its nearest neighbor.

Structural and functional effects of developmental exposure to ethanol on the zebrafish heart.

Background: Fetal alcohol exposure during development results in a host of cardiac abnormalities including atrial and ventricular septal defects, teratology of Fallot, d-transposition of the great arteries, truncus arteriosus communis, and aortico-pulmonary window. The mechanisms behind these ethanol-induced deficits are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the zebrafish, a simple model in which heart development and the sequence of gene expression is well elucidated and comparable to that in higher vertebrates, is sensitive to developmental exposure of pharmacologically relevant concentrations of ethanol.

The lead industry and lead water pipes "A Modest Campaign".

Lead pipes for carrying drinking water were well recognized as a cause of lead poisoning by the late 1800s in the United States. By the 1920s, many cities and towns were prohibiting or restricting their use. To combat this trend, the lead industry carried out a prolonged and effective campaign to promote the use of lead pipes.

Evaluating peptide mass fingerprinting-based protein identification.

Identification of proteins by mass spectrometry (MS) is an essential step in proteomic studies and is typically accomplished by either peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) or amino acid sequencing of the peptide. Although sequence information from MS/MS analysis can be used to validate PMF-based protein identification, it may not be practical when analyzing a large number of proteins and when high- throughput MS/MS instrumentation is not readily available. At present, a vast majority of proteomic studies employ PMF.

d-LSD-induced c-Fos expression occurs in a population of oligodendrocytes in rat prefrontal cortex.

Induction of mRNA or protein for immediate-early genes, such as c-fos, is used to identify brain areas, specific cell types, and neuronal circuits that become activated in response to various stimuli including psychoactive drugs. The objective of the present study was to identify the cell types in the prefrontal cortex in which lysergic acid diethylamide (d-LSD) induces c-Fos expression. Systemic administration of d-LSD resulted in a dose-dependent increase in c-Fos immunoreactivity.

Statins decrease expression of the proinflammatory neuropeptides calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P in sensory neurons.

Clinical and experimental observations suggest that statins may be useful for treating diseases presenting with predominant neurogenic inflammation, but the mechanism(s) mediating this potential therapeutic effect are poorly understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that statins act directly on sensory neurons to decrease expression of proinflammatory neuropeptides that trigger neurogenic inflammation, specifically calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, radioimmunoassay, and immunocytochemistry were used to quantify CGRP and substance P expression in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) harvested from adult male rats and in primary cultures of sensory neurons derived from embryonic rat DRG.

Mechanism of ethanol enhancement of apoptosis and caspase activation in serum-deprived PC12 cells.

Neuronal death is one of the most prominent consequences of alcohol exposure during development. Ethanol-induced neuronal death appears to involve apoptosis. The objective of the present study was to characterize the effect of ethanol on neuronal cell viability and to determine the mechanism by which ethanol enhances apoptosis in neural cells.

Minimizing variability in two-dimensional electrophoresis gel image analysis.

For reliable protein identification and quantitation, it is important to minimize the variability associated with two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis. Since experimental factors contribute largely to the variability observed in 2-DE, most studies have focused on reducing this variability with modest concern to the variability associated with post-experimental analyses. Although often ignored, software analyses of 2-DE gel images present a considerable source of variability in the analysis of proteins.

Ocular deficits associated with alcohol exposure during zebrafish development.

Approximately 90% of fetal alcohol syndrome cases are accompanied by ocular abnormalities. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a well-known developmental model that provides an opportunity for better understanding the histological and cytological effects of developmental exposure to ethanol on the vertebrate eye. The purpose of the present study was to determine the gross, microscopic, and ultrastructual effects of developmental exposure to ethanol in the zebrafish model.

Effects of chronic ethanol administration on brain protein levels: a proteomic investigation using 2-D DIGE system.

The effects of chronic ethanol treatment on the brain proteome were investigated in the long-fin striped strain of zebrafish Danio rerio. Prolonged exposure to 0.5% (v/v) ethanol resulted in the development of tolerance to the ethanol-induced disruption of normal swimming behavior.

Hallucinogen-like actions of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) in mice and rats.

Rationale: Few studies have examined the effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-7) in vivo.

Objectives: 2C-T-7 was tested in a drug-elicited head twitch assay in mice and in several drug discrimination assays in rats; 2C-T-7 was compared to the phenylisopropylamine hallucinogen R(-)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)-2aminopropane (DOM) in both assays, with or without pretreatment with the selective 5-HT2A antagonist (+)-(2,3-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-[2-(4-fluorophenylethyl)]-4-piperidine-methanol (M100907). Finally, the affinity of 2C-T-7 for three distinct 5-HT receptors was determined in rat brain.

Lysergic acid diethylamide and [-]-2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine increase extracellular glutamate in rat prefrontal cortex.

The ability of hallucinogens to increase extracellular glutamate in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was assessed by in vivo microdialysis. The hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD; 0.1 mg/kg, i.

Cellular mechanisms of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor-mediated cGMP formation: the essential role of glutamate.

The current study explores the mechanisms by which activation of serotonin(2A) (5-HT(2A)) receptors increase production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in slices of rat frontal cortex. Contrary to results in cortical slices, stimulation of 5-HT(2A) receptors in cells stably expressing this serotonin receptor did not alter cGMP levels. In cortical slices, stimulation of cGMP formation by 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM), a 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor agonist, was blocked by tetanus toxin, a substance that prevents vesicular neurotransmitter release.

Characterization of a novel effect of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors: increasing cGMP levels in rat frontal cortex.

Elucidating the mechanisms of action of hallucinogens has become an increasingly important area of research as their abuse has grown in recent years. Although serotonin receptors appear to play a role in the behavioral effects of the phenethylamine and indoleamine hallucinogens, the signaling pathways activated by these agents are unclear. Here it is shown that administration of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) increased cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) production in frontal cortical slices of rat brain.

Characterization of the discriminative stimulus properties of centrally administered (-)-DOM and LSD.

Despite the plausible assumption that the effects of hallucinogens predominantly arise in the central nervous system, most studies of these drugs in intact subjects have been conducted following systemic administration. The objective of the present investigation was to characterize the stimulus effects of (-)2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine ((-)-DOM) following intracerebroventricular administration. Chronic indwelling cannulae were implanted into the lateral ventricle of male Fischer 344 rats trained to discriminate systemically administered (-)-DOM or lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) from saline.