Impact of a Simulation Workshop on Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Poverty.

Background: Poverty is a global issue that negatively affects health outcomes and quality of life. Incorporating simulation in nursing education programs can help students develop a better understanding about poverty.

Method: A cross-sectional mixed-methods pre- and posttest survey design was used with two cohorts of undergraduate nursing students who participated in a poverty simulation.

An Examination and Comparison of Stethoscope Hygiene in Nursing Education Programs.

Background: Improper stethoscope hygiene has been found to contribute to the development of health care associated infections, which affects approximately one in every 30 hospitalized patients. Various pathogens have been found on the stethoscopes of health care workers.

Method: A correlational descriptive design was used to compare stethoscopes from 117 nursing students.

Withholding Medical Interventions and Ageism During a Pandemic: A Model for Resource Allocation Decision Making.

Decisions surrounding withholding and withdrawing medical interventions are common within the palliative and hospice care community. The unexpected effects of the recent pandemic ignited conversations about scarcity of resources and withholding medical interventions, based on age, among providers with limited expertise in palliative care. Using a case study and literature review, the aim of this article was to examine the best ethical considerations for resource allocation decision making that minimizes the effects of ageism.

What Will My Life Be Like at Age 70? Perspectives of Undergraduate Students in an Aging Course.

The affective domain of learning is an essential component in the professional development of nursing students. Teaching strategies stimulating an emotional response can impact students' attitudes, values, and beliefs. This qualitative study examined the use of a reflective journaling assignment in eliciting perspectives from 142 students about aging.

Management of Severe Pain in Terminally Ill Patients at Home: An Evidence-Based Strategy.

The purpose of this article is to describe current evidence-based strategies to manage severe pain in patients living with terminal illnesses. A comprehensive pain assessment is a critical step in the initial development of a pain management plan and for ongoing evaluation of patients' pain. Although we have many effective clinical tools available for pain assessment, they are not always used consistently, which can negatively affect the pain management plan.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy R403Q mutation in rabbit β-myosin reduces contractile function at the molecular and myofibrillar levels.

In 1990, the Seidmans showed that a single point mutation, R403Q, in the human β-myosin heavy chain (MHC) of heart muscle caused a particularly malignant form of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) [Geisterfer-Lowrance AA, et al. (1990) Cell 62:999-1006.].

Students' Knowledge of and Interest in Older Adults: Impact of a Geriatrics Course.

Background: The number of older adults living with chronic conditions is steadily increasing, so nurses must be prepared to care for the needs of this population. However, only one third of nursing education programs include a stand-alone geriatrics course.

Method: A cross-sectional mixed-methods design was used to compare two cohorts of 46 nursing students.

The structure of the actin-smooth muscle myosin motor domain complex in the rigor state.

Myosin-based motility utilizes catalysis of ATP to drive the relative sliding of F-actin and myosin. The earliest detailed model based on cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and X-ray crystallography postulated that higher actin affinity and lever arm movement were coupled to closure of a feature of the myosin head dubbed the actin-binding cleft. Several studies since then using crystallography of myosin-V and cryoEM structures of F-actin bound myosin-I, -II and -V have provided details of this model.

Palliative Care in the Management of Patients with Advanced Heart Failure.

Globally, there are 18-million individuals living with heart failure, a disease that is responsible for 12-15 million office visits and 6.5 million inpatient hospitalizations each year. As HF becomes advanced or end-stage, patients often live in a cycle of frequent transitions between care settings, and with unmet needs, including distress from inadequately managed symptoms.

Fission yeast myosin Myo2 is down-regulated in actin affinity by light chain phosphorylation.

Studies in fission yeast have provided the basis for the most advanced models of the dynamics of the cytokinetic contractile ring. Myo2, a class-II myosin, is the major source of tension in the contractile ring, but how Myo2 is anchored and regulated to produce force is poorly understood. To enable more detailed biochemical/biophysical studies, Myo2 was expressed in the baculovirus/9 insect cell system with its two native light chains, Rlc1 and Cdc4.

Opening the door to your nursing potential.

It was only when I started teaching an undergraduate community health course that I became aware of the general lack in knowledge about nursing career options.

Role of the essential light chain in the activation of smooth muscle myosin by regulatory light chain phosphorylation.

The activity of smooth and non-muscle myosin II is regulated by phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain (RLC) at serine 19. The dephosphorylated state of full-length monomeric myosin is characterized by an asymmetric intramolecular head-head interaction that completely inhibits the ATPase activity, accompanied by a hairpin fold of the tail, which prevents filament assembly. Phosphorylation of serine 19 disrupts these head-head interactions by an unknown mechanism.

Living with advanced heart failure or COPD: experiences and goals of individuals nearing the end of life.

The last phase of life of patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is marked by high symptom burden and uncertainty about the future. Few enroll in hospice, and their preferences for care remain unknown. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences and goals for care of patients with end-stage HF and COPD who were recently discharged from the hospital.

Transgenic mouse α- and β-cardiac myosins containing the R403Q mutation show isoform-dependent transient kinetic differences.

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is a major cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes. The discovery in 1990 that a point mutation at residue 403 (R403Q) in the β-myosin heavy chain (MHC) caused a severe form of FHC was the first of many demonstrations linking FHC to mutations in muscle proteins. A mouse model for FHC has been widely used to study the mechanochemical properties of mutated cardiac myosin, but mouse hearts express α-MHC, whereas the ventricles of larger mammals express predominantly β-MHC.

Short of breath and dying: state of the science on opioid agents for the palliation of refractory dyspnea in older adults.

The purpose of this narrative literature review was to describe the state of the science on the effectiveness of opioid medications to palliate dyspnea in older adults with advanced disease. A three-stage critical appraisal process was used to evaluate articles published between 2000-2011 that were retrieved from the CINAHL, Ovid MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Low-dose opioid medication use was associated with statistically significant reductions in dyspnea intensity scores in the majority of studies included in the analysis.

Common structural motifs for the regulation of divergent class II myosins.

This minireview focuses on structural studies that have provided insights into our current understanding of thick filament regulation in muscle. We describe how different domains in the myosin molecule interact to produce an inactive "off" state; included are head-head and head-rod interactions, the role of the regulatory light chain, and the significance of the alpha-helical coiled-coil rod in regulation. Several of these interactions have now been visualized in a wide variety of native myosin filaments, testifying to the generality of these structural motifs across the phylogenetic tree.

Crystal structures of monomeric actin bound to cytochalasin D.

The fungal toxin cytochalasin D (CD) interferes with the normal dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton by binding to the barbed end of actin filaments. Despite its widespread use as a tool for studying actin-mediated processes, the exact location and nature of its binding to actin have not been previously determined. Here we describe two crystal structures of an expressed monomeric actin in complex with CD: one obtained by soaking preformed actin crystals with CD, and the other obtained by cocrystallization.

Letting go before a death: a concept analysis.

Aim: This paper is a report of a concept analysis of letting go within the context of family caregivers and end-of-life care.

Background: The term 'letting go' has been used in an informal manner by nurses and other clinicians working with patients and families with terminal illnesses to depict a lack of acceptance of a loved one's impending death.

Data Sources: The CINAHL, Ovid Medline and PsychInfo databases were searched for the period of 1995-2007 for literature published in English in peer-reviewed journals from a variety of disciplines, using the specific keywords letting go or to let go.

Functional effects of the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy R403Q mutation are different in an alpha- or beta-myosin heavy chain backbone.

The R403Q mutation in the beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) was the first mutation to be linked to familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC), a primary disease of heart muscle. The initial studies with R403Q myosin, isolated from biopsies of patients, showed a large decrease in myosin motor function, leading to the hypothesis that hypertrophy was a compensatory response. The introduction of the mouse model for FHC (the mouse expresses predominantly alpha-MHC as opposed to the beta-isoform in larger mammals) created a new paradigm for FHC based on finding enhanced motor function for R403Q alpha-MHC.

The R403Q myosin mutation implicated in familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy causes disorder at the actomyosin interface.

Background: Mutations in virtually all of the proteins comprising the cardiac muscle sarcomere have been implicated in causing Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (FHC). Mutations in the beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) remain among the most common causes of FHC, with the widely studied R403Q mutation resulting in an especially severe clinical prognosis. In vitro functional studies of cardiac myosin containing the R403Q mutation have revealed significant changes in enzymatic and mechanical properties compared to wild-type myosin.

Evidence for an interaction between the SH3 domain and the N-terminal extension of the essential light chain in class II myosins.

The function of the src-homology 3 (SH3) domain in class II myosins, a distinct beta-barrel structure, remains unknown. Here, we provide evidence, using electron cryomicroscopy, in conjunction with light-scattering, fluorescence and kinetic analyses, that the SH3 domain facilitates the binding of the N-terminal extension of the essential light chain isoform (ELC-1) to actin. The 41 residue extension contains four conserved lysine residues followed by a repeating sequence of seven Pro/Ala residues.

Spinal cord compression: an oncologic emergency associated with metastatic cancer: evaluation and management for the home health clinician.

Spinal cord compression is an oncologic emergency that needs to be identified, evaluated, and treated promptly for favorable patient outcomes. Although there are nonmalignant types of spinal cord compression, this article focuses on patients presenting with metastatic cancer. Home care clinicians should be knowledgeable with current assessment strategies aimed at recognizing this potentially debilitating condition.

Crystal structures of expressed non-polymerizable monomeric actin in the ADP and ATP states.

Actin filament growth and disassembly, as well as affinity for actin-binding proteins, is mediated by the nucleotide-bound state of the component actin monomers. The structural differences between ATP-actin and ADP-actin, however, remain controversial. We expressed a cytoplasmic actin in Sf9 cells, which was rendered non-polymerizable by virtue of two point mutations in subdomain 4 (A204E/P243K).