Understanding Factors Influencing Nursing Faculty Departure and Intentions.

Background: There is a known shortage of nursing faculty in academia. Understanding factors influencing the shortage will help to develop strategies to reduce it.

Purpose: The purpose was to identify the underlying factors influencing the decisions of current and former nursing faculty to leave or consider leaving their teaching roles.

Discovery of ginisortamab, a potent and novel anti-gremlin-1 antibody in clinical development for the treatment of cancer.

Gremlin-1, a high-affinity antagonist of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP)-2, -4, and -7, is implicated in tumor initiation and progression. Increased gremlin-1 expression, and therefore suppressed BMP signaling, correlates with poor prognosis in a range of cancer types. A lack of published work using therapeutic modalities has precluded the testing of the hypothesis that blocking the gremlin-1/BMP interaction will provide benefits to patients.

Bioengineered Bovine Papillomavirus L1 Protein Virus-like Particle (VLP) Vaccines for Enhanced Induction of CD8 T Cell Responses through Cross-Priming.

Safe and effective T cell vaccines are needed for the treatment or prevention of cancers as well as infectious agents where vaccines for neutralizing antibodies have performed poorly. Recent research highlights an important role for tissue-resident memory T cells (T cells) in protective immunity and the role of a subset of dendritic cells that are capable of cross-priming for the induction of T cells. However, efficient vaccine technologies that operate through cross-priming and induce robust CD8+ T cell responses are lacking.

Immunotherapy targeting the PD-1 pathway alleviates neuroinflammation caused by chronic Toxoplasma infection.

Toxoplasma gondii can infect the host brain and trigger neuroinflammation. Such neuroinflammation might persist for years if the infection is not resolved, resulting in harmful outcomes for the brain. We have previously demonstrated the efficacy of immunotherapy targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway on clearance of Toxoplasma tissue cysts.

Physical Activity and the Link Among Stress, Burnout, and Well-Being in Athletic Trainers.

Context: Stress is a leading cause of burnout in working professionals, including athletic trainers (ATs). One consequence of burnout for ATs is lower perceptions of well-being, which have implications for mental and physical health. Physical activity is known to help reduce stress.

Validation of a series of walking and stepping tests to predict maximal oxygen consumption in adults aged 18-79 years.

Introduction: Field tests to estimate maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) are an alternative to traditional exercise testing methods. Published field tests and their accompanying estimation equations account for up to 80% of the variance in VO2max with an error rate of ~4.5 ml.

On-target IgG hexamerisation driven by a C-terminal IgM tail-piece fusion variant confers augmented complement activation.

The majority of depleting monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs elicit responses via Fc-FcγR and Fc-C1q interactions. Optimal C1q interaction is achieved through hexameric Fc:Fc interactions at the target cell surface. Herein is described an approach to exploit the tailpiece of the naturally multimeric IgM to augment hexamerisation of IgG.

Accelerometer Calibration: The Importance of Considering Functionality.

Purpose: To compare the accuracy and precision of a hip-worn accelerometer to predict energy cost during structured activities across motor performance and disease conditions.

Methods: 118 adults self-identifying as healthy ( = 44) and those with arthritis ( = 23), multiple sclerosis ( = 18), Parkinson's disease ( = 17), and stroke ( =18) underwent measures of motor performance and were categorized into groups: Group 1, usual; Group 2, moderate impairment; and Group 3, severe impairment. The participants completed structured activities while wearing an accelerometer and a portable metabolic measurement system.

Identification of Latent Classes of Motor Performance in a Heterogenous Population of Adults.

Objective: To determine classes of motor performance based on community deployable motor impairment and functional tests in a heterogeneous adult population.

Design: Sixteen tests of limb-specific and whole-body measures of motor impairment and function were obtained. Linear regression analysis was used to dichotomize performance on each test as falling within or outside the age- and sex-predicted values.

Factors influencing nurse practitioners' decisions to join nurse practitioner associations.

Background And Purpose: The benefits of professional association membership to individual health care providers are well established. However, not all nurse practitioners (NPs) are members of professional associations. Research is available on factors that influence registered nurses' decisions to join professional associations, but little is known regarding factors influencing the decisions of NPs.

Energy Cost of Slow and Normal Gait Speeds in Low and Normally Functioning Adults.

Objective: Slow walking speed paired with increased energy cost is a strong predictor for mortality and disability in older adults but has yet to be examined in a heterogeneous sample (ie, age, sex, disease status). The aim of this study was to examine energy cost of slow and normal walking speeds among low- and normal-functioning adults.

Design: Adults aged 20-90 yrs were recruited for this study.

Impact of Human FcγR Gene Polymorphisms on IgG-Triggered Cytokine Release: Critical Importance of Cell Assay Format.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) immunotherapy has transformed the treatment of allergy, autoimmunity, and cancer. The interaction of mAb with Fc gamma receptors (FcγR) is often critical for efficacy. The genes encoding the low-affinity FcγR have single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variation that can impact IgG Fc:FcγR interactions.

A scoping review of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Consensus Model outcomes: Part four of a four-part series on critical topics identified by the 2015 Nurse Practitioner Research Agenda.

Background And Purpose: The Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) Consensus Model was produced by the APRN Joint Dialogue Group in 2008. The aim of the Consensus Model is to guide state boards on the implementation of APRN practice components, including licensure, accreditation, certification, and education and to clarify the legal scope of practice and APRN roles. The purpose of this scoping review and gap analysis was to appraise the evidence related to patient, nurse practitioner (NP) and organizational outcomes resulting from the Consensus Model.

Engineered hexavalent Fc proteins with enhanced Fc-gamma receptor avidity provide insights into immune-complex interactions.

Autoantibody-mediated diseases are currently treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, which is thought to act in part via blockade of Fc gamma receptors, thereby inhibiting autoantibody effector functions and subsequent pathology. We aimed to develop recombinant molecules with enhanced Fc receptor avidity and thus increased potency over intravenous immunoglobulin. Here we describe the molecular engineering of human Fc hexamers and explore their therapeutic and safety profiles.

Multivalent Fcγ-receptor engagement by a hexameric Fc-fusion protein triggers Fcγ-receptor internalisation and modulation of Fcγ-receptor functions.

Engagement of Fcγ-receptors triggers a range of downstream signalling events resulting in a diverse array of immune functions. As a result, blockade of Fc-mediated function is an important strategy for the control of several autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. We have generated a hexameric-Fc fusion protein (hexameric-Fc) and tested the consequences of multi-valent Fcγ-receptor engagement in in vitro and in vivo systems.

Efficacy of an Individually Tailored, Internet-Mediated Physical Activity Intervention in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: This study determined the effectiveness of an individually tailored, Internet-mediated physical activity (PA) intervention for increasing walking behavior in inactive older adults.

Method: This 12-week randomly controlled intervention divided participants ( N = 170) into three groups: control (CON, n = 51), pedometer only (PED, n = 62), and an individually tailored, Internet-mediated pedometer (TI-PED, n = 57) group. The PED group was instructed to increase weekly step count by 10% until 10,000 steps per day was achieved.

Wearables for Promoting Physical Activity.

Background: The rapid expansion and popularity of consumer-wearable physical activity monitors (WPAMs) has enabled the integration of technology into physical activity (PA) intervention, deployment, and evaluation. This brief review reports on the accuracy of consumer-WPAMs, considers the intervention effects of using consumer-WPAMs, and offers future considerations as the proliferation of this area of product development and consumer use continues to escalate.

Content: The studies reviewed document the utility for consumer-WPAMs to objectively assess PA, with output metrics similar to research-grade activity monitors.

Monomeric cocoa catechins enhance β-cell function by increasing mitochondrial respiration.

A hallmark of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is β-cell dysfunction and the eventual loss of functional β-cell mass. Therefore, mechanisms that improve or preserve β-cell function could be used to improve the quality of life of individuals with T2D. Studies have shown that monomeric, oligomeric and polymeric cocoa flavanols have different effects on obesity, insulin resistance and glucose tolerance.

The Display of Single-Domain Antibodies on the Surfaces of Connectosomes Enables Gap Junction-Mediated Drug Delivery to Specific Cell Populations.

Gap junctions, transmembrane protein channels that directly connect the cytoplasm of neighboring cells and enable the exchange of molecules between cells, are a promising new frontier for therapeutic delivery. Specifically, cell-derived lipid vesicles that contain functional gap junction channels, termed Connectosomes, have recently been demonstrated to substantially increase the effectiveness of small molecule chemotherapeutics. However, because gap junctions are present in nearly all tissues, Connectosomes have no intrinsic ability to target specific cell types, which potentially limits their therapeutic effectiveness.

Mechanisms by which cocoa flavanols improve metabolic syndrome and related disorders.

Dietary administration of cocoa flavanols may be an effective complementary strategy for alleviation or prevention of metabolic syndrome, particularly glucose intolerance. The complex flavanol composition of cocoa provides the ability to interact with a variety of molecules, thus allowing numerous opportunities to ameliorate metabolic diseases. These interactions likely occur primarily in the gastrointestinal tract, where native cocoa flavanol concentration is high.

Increasing the Energy Expenditure of Seated Activities in Older Adults with a Portable Elliptical Device.

Background: The ill-health effects of sedentary behavior are becoming well-documented, yet older adults spend 70-80% of waking hours sedentary.

Purpose: To determine if a portable elliptical device increases energy expenditure (EE) while performing popular seated activities.

Methods: Twenty older adults (68.

CD27 costimulation contributes substantially to the expansion of functional memory CD8(+) T cells after peptide immunization.

Naive T cells require signals from multiple costimulatory receptors to acquire full effector function and differentiate to long-lived memory cells. The costimulatory receptor, CD27, is essential for optimal T-cell priming and memory differentiation in a variety of settings, although whether CD27 is similarly required during memory CD8(+) T-cell reactivation remains controversial. We have used OVA and anti-CD40 to establish a memory CD8(+) T-cell population and report here that their secondary expansion, driven by peptide and anti-CD40, polyI:C, or LPS, requires CD27.

The tree of life and a new classification of bony fishes.

The tree of life of fishes is in a state of flux because we still lack a comprehensive phylogeny that includes all major groups. The situation is most critical for a large clade of spiny-finned fishes, traditionally referred to as percomorphs, whose uncertain relationships have plagued ichthyologists for over a century. Most of what we know about the higher-level relationships among fish lineages has been based on morphology, but rapid influx of molecular studies is changing many established systematic concepts.