The Experiences of Counsellors Offering Problem-Solving Therapy for Common Mental Health Issues at the Youth Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe.

There is growing evidence that lay health workers providing counselling is a feasible approach of addressing the universally large treatment gap for mental disorders. This study illuminates the experiences of the counsellors in the Youth Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe, a pilot project where students provide problem-solving therapy to adolescents with common mental disorders. Twelve interviews were analysed using content analysis.

Understanding the MBA Gender Gap: Women Respond to Gender Norms by Reducing Public Assertiveness but Not Private Effort.

Women's underperformance in MBA programs has been the subject of recent debate and policy interventions, despite a lack of rigorous evidence documenting when and why it occurs. The current studies document a performance gap, specifying its contours and contributing factors. Two behaviors by female students that may factor into the gap are public conformity and private internalization.

Actualization of a Seamless Nursing Program: Licensed Practical Nurse to Baccalaureate Registered Nurse.

Upward educational mobility of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) is important for their professional development. For the nursing profession, this upward mobility increases workforce diversity. To address the paucity of programs accepting the LPN's education, a team of 6 BSN and LPN nurse educators, backed by 2 universities, developed a seamless LPN-BSN program.

Increased fibrin formation and impaired fibrinolytic capacity in severe chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a concurrent increased risk of thrombosis and bleeding. We aimed to investigate whether CKD is associated with increased fibrin formation, impaired fibrin degradation, or both. Twenty-one patients with CKD stage 4 (CKD 4), 15 haemodialysis patients, and 13 controls (C) without kidney disease were studied.

Breast Imaging with the SoftVue Imaging system: First results.

For women with dense breast tissue, who are at much higher risk for developing breast cancer, the performance of mammography is at its worst. Consequently, many early cancers go undetected when they are the most treatable. Improved cancer detection for women with dense breasts would decrease the proportion of breast cancers diagnosed at later stages, which would significantly lower the mortality rate.

Characterisation of nano- and micron-sized airborne and collected subway particles, a multi-analytical approach.

Continuous daily measurements of airborne particles were conducted during specific periods at an underground platform within the subway system of the city center of Stockholm, Sweden. Main emphasis was placed on number concentration, particle size distribution, soot content (analyzed as elemental and black carbon) and surface area concentration. Conventional measurements of mass concentrations were conducted in parallel as well as analysis of particle morphology, bulk- and surface composition.

Enhancers of adeno-associated virus AAV2 transduction via high throughput siRNA screening.

Intracellular barriers to adeno-associated virus (AAV) transduction may limit gene delivery. We screened a short interfering RNA (siRNA) library targeting 5,520 genes to help identify pathways that modulate AAV transduction of human endothelium. In replicate screening, 50 pools (three siRNAs per gene) resulted in greater than eightfold reporter gene expression enhancement.

Measured elemental carbon by thermo-optical transmittance analysis in water-soluble extracts from diesel exhaust, woodsmoke, and ambient particulate samples.

Elemental carbon has been proposed as a marker of diesel particulate matter. The objective of this study was to investigate if water-soluble carbonaceous compounds could be responsible for positive bias of elemental carbon using NIOSH Method 5040 with a thermo-optical carbon transmittance analyzer. Filter samples from eight different aerosol environments were used: pure diesel exhaust fume with a high content of elemental carbon, pure diesel exhaust fume with a low content of elemental carbon, pure biodiesel exhaust fume, pure woodsmoke, an urban road tunnel, an urban street canyon, an urban background site, and residential woodburning in an urban area.

A three-country randomized controlled trial of a psychosocial intervention for caregivers combined with pharmacological treatment for patients with Alzheimer disease: effects on caregiver depression.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a combination of cholinesterase inhibitor therapy for patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and psychosocial intervention, for their spouse caregivers compared with drug treatment alone in three countries simultaneously.

Design: Randomized controlled trial. Structured questionnaires were administered at baseline and at regular follow-up intervals for 24 months by independent raters blind to group assignment.

Exposure to ultrafine particles in asphalt work.

An epidemiologic study has demonstrated that asphalt workers show increased loss of lung function and an increase of biomarkers of inflammation over the asphalt paving season. The aim of this study was to investigate which possible agent(s) causes the inflammatory reaction, with emphasis on ultrafine particles. The workers' exposure to total dust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and NO(2) was determined by personal sampling.

The effect of loading process on product collapse during large-scale lyophilization.

Lyophilization is a process commonly used by the pharmaceutical industry in order to enhance product stability by removal of the solvent, typically water. Previous studies have investigated several causes of variability during the lyophilization process, including freezing, vial placement within the lyophilization chamber, primary drying, and secondary drying. These differences can contribute to variability in cake appearance, moisture results, and stability profiles.

Cre recombinase-dependent expression of a constitutively active mutant allele of the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A.

Using the cre-loxP recombination system, we generated a line of mice expressing a constitutively active catalytic subunit of Protein Kinase A (PKA) in a temporally and spatially regulated fashion. In the absence of cre recombinase the modified catalytic subunit allele is functionally silent, but after recombination the mutant allele is expressed, resulting in enhanced PKA effects at basal cAMP levels. Mice expressing the modified protein in hepatocytes using albumin-cre transgenics show defects in glucose homeostasis, glycogen storage, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels, and induction of glucokinase mRNA during feeding.

Quantitative evaluation of a monoclonal antibody and its fragment as potential markers for pancreatic beta cell mass.

Antibodies, due to their high specificities and retention, represent potential beta cell imaging agents, however their slow clearance from the blood may preclude their use. Antibody fragments (Fabs) have much higher clearance and if they can be made with similar binding characteristics, would be more efficacious agents. An existing beta cell specific antibody (K14D10) and its Fab were evaluated with a previously developed screening assay.

The "pain pen" for breakthrough cancer pain: a promising treatment.

Breakthrough pain has been recognized as a challenging pain phenomenon in cancer. Oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) recently has been recommended as treatment, but OTFC is not widely available. Therefore, alternatives are needed.

Penalties for success: reactions to women who succeed at male gender-typed tasks.

A total of 242 subjects participated in 3 experimental studies investigating reactions to a woman's success in a male gender-typed job. Results strongly supported the authors' hypotheses, indicating that (a) when women are acknowledged to have been successful, they are less liked and more personally derogated than equivalently successful men (Studies 1 and 2); (b) these negative reactions occur only when the success is in an arena that is distinctly male in character (Study 2); and (c) being disliked can have career-affecting outcomes, both for overall evaluation and for recommendations concerning organizational reward allocation (Study 3). These results were taken to support the idea that gender stereotypes can prompt bias in evaluative judgments of women even when these women have proved themselves to be successful and demonstrated their competence.

Systematic screening of potential beta-cell imaging agents.

The beta-cell loss seen in diabetes mellitus could be monitored clinically by positron emission tomography (PET) if imaging agents were sufficiently specific for beta-cells to overcome the high ratio of non-beta-cell to beta-cell tissue in pancreas. In this report, we present a screening assay for identifying beta-cell-specific compounds that is based on the relative accumulation and retention by islet, INS-1, and exocrine (PANC-1) cells of candidate molecules. Molecules thought to have a high affinity for beta-cells were tested and included glibenclamide, tolbutamide, serotonin, L-DOPA, dopamine, nicotinamide, fluorodeoxyglucose, and fluorodithizone.

Regulation of ATP/ADP in pancreatic islets.

ATP and ADP levels are critical regulators of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. In many aerobic cell types, the phosphorylation potential (ATP/ADP/P(i)) is controlled by sensing mechanisms inherent in mitochondrial metabolism that feed back and induce compensatory changes in electron transport. To determine whether such regulation may contribute to stimulus-secretion coupling in islet cells, we used a recently developed flow culture system to continuously and noninvasively measure cytochrome c redox state and oxygen consumption as indexes of electron transport in perifused isolated rat islets.

Achieving health, safety, and performance improvements through enhanced cost visibility and workplace partnerships.

Reduction in the environment, safety, and occupational health (ESOH) component of operational costs requires not only a better understanding of ESOH costs and requirements, but also the formation of effective partnerships between ESOH professionals, financial analysts, and shop workers to identify viable improvements to current practices. This article presents two case studies of efforts to enhance productivity and ESOH in corrosion control facilities at Randolph Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, and Robins AFB, Ga. At each site, activity-based cost models were created to increase the visibility of ESOH-related costs and target improvement opportunities.

Nurr1 regulates dopamine synthesis and storage in MN9D dopamine cells.

Nurr1, a transcription factor belonging to the nuclear receptor family, is essential for the generation of midbrain dopamine (DA) cells during embryonic development. Nurr1 continues to be expressed in adult DA neurons but the role for Nurr1 in inducing and regulating basic dopaminergic functions such as dopamine synthesis and storage has remained unknown. We have previously used MN9D dopamine cells to analyze the role of Nurr1 and retinoids in DA cell maturation.

Transcriptional control of dopamine neuron development.

Recent studies have identified several factors that influence the development of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. The identity of early proliferating DA progenitor cells are specified by the secreted factors sonic hedgehog and fibroblast growth factor 8, derived from the floor plate of the ventral midline and the mid/hindbrain border, respectively. While transcription factors specifically expressed in the proliferating DA progenitor cells remain to be identified, several transcription factors important for postmitotic DA cell development have been characterized.

Continuous measurement of oxygen consumption by pancreatic islets.

The rate of oxygen consumption is an important measure of mitochondrial function in all aerobic cells. In pancreatic beta cells, it is linked to the transduction mechanism that mediates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. However, measurement of oxygen consumption over long periods of time is technically difficult owing to the error resulting from baseline drift and the challenge of measuring small changes in oxygen tension.

Orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 is essential for Ret expression in midbrain dopamine neurons and in the brain stem.

The orphan nuclear receptor Nurr1 is essential for development of midbrain dopamine (DA) cells. In Nurr1-deficient mice, DA precursor cells fail to migrate normally, are unable to innervate target areas, and only transiently express DA cell marker genes. In the search for Nurr1-regulated genes that might explain this developmental phenotype, we found that expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase Ret is deregulated in these cells of Nurr1-deficient embryos.

Induction of cell cycle arrest and morphological differentiation by Nurr1 and retinoids in dopamine MN9D cells.

Dopamine cells are generated in the ventral midbrain during embryonic development. The progressive degeneration of these cells in patients with Parkinson's disease, and the potential therapeutic benefit by transplantation of in vitro generated dopamine cells, has triggered intense interest in understanding the process whereby these cells develop. Nurr1 is an orphan nuclear receptor essential for the development of midbrain dopaminergic neurons.

A selective group of dopaminergic neurons express Nurr1 in the adult mouse brain.

Nurr1, an orphan receptor of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) including brain regions where dopaminergic neurons are abundant. Recent analyses of Nurr1 null mutant mice have shown that Nurr1 is essential for the development and survival of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. However, other dopaminergic neuronal populations do not seem to be affected by ablation of the Nurr1 gene.

Fate of mesencephalic AHD2-expressing dopamine progenitor cells in NURR1 mutant mice.

The orphan nuclear receptor NURR1 was previously demonstrated to be required for the generation of mesencephalic dopamine (DA) cells. However, even in the absence of NURR1, which is normally expressed as cells become postmitotic, neuronal differentiation is induced and expression of several genes detected in developing dopamine cells appears normal during early stages of development. These include the homeobox transcription factors engrailed and Ptx-3 as well as aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, here defined as the earliest marker identified in developing DA cells, expressed already in mitotic DA progenitors.