Autophagy as an antimicrobial strategy

Autophagy is a process of lysosomal degradation that was originally described as a cellular response to adapt to a lack of nutrients and to enable the elimination of damaged organelles. Autophagy is increasingly recognized as a process that is also involved in innate and adaptive immune responses against pathogens. Studies on the regulation of autophagy have uncovered components of the autophagic cascade that can be manipulated pharmacologically. Approaches to modulate autophagy may result in novel strategies for the treatment and prevention of various infections.     

Posters as an educational strategy.

Posters are visual aids that are well suited to use as independent sources of information or as support for other presentation formats. By design, the message displayed is brief, constant, and interactive with the viewer. Guidelines for developing a poster include careful delineation of content, knowledge of audience needs, and the environment or setting for the poster. The application of basic design elements, such as simplicity of composition, attractive color combinations, and title spacings, results in a presentation mode that is both attracting and lingering.     

Validation of an enzyme immunoassay for human choriogonadotropin as a tumor marker test

We have evaluated a commercially available enzyme immunoassay for the determination of human choriogonadotropin (HCG) in human serum. The polyclonal antiserum to the β subunit of HCG was found to have less than 1.0% cross-reaction with lutropin (LH). The sensitivity of the assay was 1.0 mlU/ml, and the precision of the method, as measured by the coefficient of variation, was 3.8% at x? = 12.8 mlu/ml and 5.4% at x? = 66.3 mlu/ml. The upper limit of normal for the method, based on the 95th percentile, was as follows: men: <1.0 mlU/ml; premenopausal women: <1.7 mlU/ml; postmenopausal women: <3.9 mlU/ml. A method comparison study of 132 patient samples (radioimmunoassay vs enzyme immunoassay) gave a correlation coefficient of 0.959, with a slope of 0.963 and a y intercept of –0.683. A total of 422 enzyme immunoassays were performed on serial serum specimens collected from 42 patients with various clinical conditions associated with serum HCG abnormality. Excellent correlation was observed between the serial HCG pattern and the clinical course of the patients. The clinical correlations demonstrated the accuracy of the enzyme immunoassay for HCG and validate its use as a tumor marker test.     

Action research as a strategy for teaching an undergraduate research course

Action research is rarely, if ever, referred to in the textbooks used in undergraduate nursing programs. While redesigning a 2009-2010 research course for junior-level baccalaureate nursing students, the action research strategy was used to conduct a semester-long research project. After identifying a list of 15 health risks on campus, students prioritized and came to consensus on the health problem to be targeted. Each week, students followed the steps of the research process as the related topic was covered in class. At the end of the semester, students presented their findings at the annual on-campus Student Research Conference. Students have since completed a total of three campus-wide research projects. The results of these projects have been incorporated as a required assignment in the senior-level Community Health Nursing course and are now being used to create health promotion materials for the campus e-magazine.     

Deliberative discussion as an innovative teaching strategy

The discussion method is a teaching strategy commonly used by nurse educators in a variety of educational settings. However, relatively unknown to nursing education is a unique discussion teaching strategy: the deliberative discussion method. The deliberative discussion method was developed by the National Issues Forums Institute for the sole purpose of creating a means to engage people and communities to dialogue with one another. In essence, a deliberative discussion is a shared inquiry that asks participants to talk through and weigh the costs and consequences of a variety of options of solutions to a public problem. At the heart of deliberation is the group's willingness to work through the conflicts, to accept the consequences of their choices, and to establish grounds for action. Deliberative discussion offers an innovative approach to health care or other nursing issues in the classroom.     

Smoking as a coping strategy

The relationship between tobacco smoking and stress has been debated for some time. Adult smokers say cigarettes help them to relax, but also report feeling more stressed than non-smokers (Parrott, 2000). This positive connection between smoking tobacco and relieving stress leads to a regular pattern of smoking. However, when smokers stop, they gradually become less stressed over time (Parrott, 2000). In the drive to reduce the number of smokers, it is important to consider and understand why smoking appears to relieve stress, as tobacco dependency is associated with heightened stress.     

Mentorship as a teaching strategy

Nursing is facing challenges perhaps unparalleled in its history. As we face the opportunities of the future, mentors play a more important role than ever. Mentors have "provided inspiration, support, and encouragement during high and low points of my development." "have forever changed the course of our practice," taught through "her commitment to the advancement of her students and colleagues, her gentle but persistent encouragement to grow, and her generosity in providing pivotal opportunities," "taught me three lessons: caring gets results, family comes first, and passionate commitment is contagious," offers a potential buoy in the sea of change in health care, and possibly enhances clinical outcomes. Mentors can be found in your boss, teacher, spouse, friend, colleague, or peer. Mentorship is a gift between two people and must be given and accepted as such. Not everyone should act as a mentor; the relationship cannot occur and develop when there is no desire to share. Nursing is about learning and teaching. "The spirit of the nursing profession dies when it is reduced to a set of abstract theories, legal requirements, and expert skills. These are the results, not the goals, of scholarship and leadership. Scholarly endeavors always occur amidst communities of learners engaged in being better practitioners of their discipline." Mentors are the leaders amidst the community of nursing.     

Potential applications of breath isoprene as a biomarker in modern medicine: a concise overview

Summary Human breath contains hundreds of trace volatile organic compounds. These volatile substances may be generated in the body or may be absorbed as contaminants from the environment. Some of the endogenous substances are characteristic markers of pathophysiological processes and clinicians are already using breath testing of such substances as an additional non-invasive diagnostic tool for certain diseases. Isoprene, another volatile compound, is formed endogenously in humans, and while the biochemical pathways of biosynthesis and exact origins of isoprene found in human breath have not been elucidated in sufficient depth, its measurement in exhaled breath has been suggested as a non-invasive indicator with diagnostic potential. This test has not yet reached the level of routine clinical methods and is still under development. Breath isoprene levels have been reported to be altered in a number of clinical conditions; however, the physiological meaning of these changes has not been established. Various lines of supportive evidence suggest that isoprene is related to cholesterol biosynthesis. Therefore, breath isoprene measurements could potentially be used for mass screening for lipid disorders and could, at minimum, serve as an additional parameter to complement invasive tests for monitoring the efficacy of lipid-lowering therapy, pharmacological and dietary or lifestyle. As a potentially useful biomarker of mevalonate synthesis in humans, it may have non-invasive applications, not only in metabolic disorders, but possibly also in cancer screening. In the present work, we aim to give a concise overview of breath isoprene, its measurement techniques, problems concerning its physiological meaning, and potential applications as a non-invasive biomarker in modern medicine.

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Isopren in der Atemluft als potenzieller Biomarker in der modernen Medizin

Zusammenfassung Der menschliche Atem enthält hunderte flüchtige Spurenelemente. Diese volatilen Substanzen können Produkte des Körpers sein oder von absorbierten Verunreinigungen der Umwelt stammen. Manche der endogenen Substanzen sind charakteristische Marker von pathophysiologischen Vorgängen. Klinisch werden daher Bestimmungen solcher Substanzen in der Atemluft bereits als zusätzliche nicht-invasive diagnostische Hilfsmittel für bestimmte Erkrankungen verwendet. Die volatile Substanz Isopren wird endogen im menschlichen Körper erzeugt. Die biochemische Biosynthese und der genaue Herkunftsort dieser Substanz im menschlichen Atem ist bis jetzt unzureichend geklärt. Trotzdem wird ihrer Bestimmung in der Ausatemluft ein diagnostisches Potenzial zugeschrieben. Dieser nicht-invasive Test ist allerdings noch in Entwicklung und hat noch nicht in die klinische Routine Eingang gefunden. Die Konzentration von Isopren in der Atemluft scheint bei verschiedenen klinischen Bedingungen verändert zu sein. Die physiologische Bedeutung dieser Beobachtung ist jedoch unklar. Vieles deutet darauf hin, dass die Cholesterin-Biosynthese mit Isopren im Zusammenhang steht. Ein mögliche Verwendung ist daher der Einsatz im Massen-Screening auf Störungen des Fettstoffwechsels. Zumindest könnte es als zusätzlicher nicht-invasiver Parameter zur Beurteilung der Wirksamkeit von lipidsenkenden Maßnahmen (pharmakologisch, diätetisch oder Lebensstil) dienen. Aber nicht nur bei Stoffwechselerkrankungen ist ein Einsatz denkbar: auch beim Screening auf Krebserkrankungen ist es als Biomarker der Mevalonat-Synthese vorstellbar. In der vorliegenden Arbeit haben wir versucht, einen einen konzisen Überblick über Isopren in der Atemluft zu geben. Die Bestimmungsmethoden, die Probleme seiner physiologischen Bedeutung, sowie sein möglicher Einsatz als nicht-invasiver Biomarker in der modernen Medizin werden dargelegt.

     

Validation of postural radiographs as a way to measure change in pelvic obliquity

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity of using postural radiographs to assess change in pelvic obliquity. DESIGN: Blinded comparison of reference lines and instrument development of postural radiographs. SETTING: Veterans Administration hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine subjects with no history of low back pain. INTERVENTION: Repeated postural radiographs without heel lifts and with (1/4)-in (6.35-mm) and (1/2)-in (12.7-mm) heel lifts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The change of pelvic obliquity as measured by the intersulcate, interalar, and sacral surface lines on postural radiographs. RESULTS: A (1/4)-in heel lift resulted in changes of 4.6+/-4.0mm, 3.6+/-3.1mm, and 5.8+/-3.9mm and a (1/2)-in heel lift in changes of 7.8+/-4.3mm, 7.8+/-4.6mm, and 5.2+/-3.8mm for the intersulcate, interalar, and sacral surface lines, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to correlate the change in pelvic obliquity with the corresponding heights of heel lifts; for the (1/4)-in heel lift, they were.67,.88, and.71, and for (1/2)-in heel lift they were.73,.79, and.87 for the intersulcate, interalar, and sacral surface lines, respectively (all P<.001). CONCLUSION: All the reference lines seem to be valid measures of change of pelvic obliquity relative to the size of the lifts (ie, the changes in pelvic obliquity seem to be causally related and correlated with the lifts). These results also suggest that postural radiographs can be used to determine the magnitude of pelvic obliquity.     

When to wean from a ventilator: an evidence-based strategy

It is often unclear when and how to wean patients from mechanical ventilation. We have devised an evidence-based protocol in which patients undergo a 30-minute trial of spontaneous breathing with a T tube or pressure support of 7 cm H2O. Those who can tolerate the trial are extubated, while those who cannot are reconnected to mechanical ventilation but undergo another trial every day until they can be extubated. More study is needed to improve the criteria to predict successful spontaneous breathing and extubation, and to clarify the role of non-invasive ventilation to avoid reintubation.     

Using games as a teaching strategy

Both of these games are relatively easy to develop and are fun ways for faculty to challenge students and provide immediate feedback so students can assess their own comprehension and, consequently, their need for further study (Ulrich & Glendon, 2005). Teacher-delivered factual material is often tedious and boring, while games are highly motivating and accomplish the same objectives.     

The use of service dogs as an adaptive strategy: a qualitative study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe, qualitatively the use of service dogs by persons with physical disabilities and the meaning of this experience. METHOD: Five service dog owners were observed and interviewed on multiple occasions through an ethnographic approach. RESULTS: Identified themes were increased community participation, "closer than family" increased social contact, personal skill development, having fun, responsibility, adjustment, challenges, independence, "someone to watch over me," and "feel like an able-bodied person." CONCLUSION: Service dogs are used to enhance independence in occupational performance areas and contribute to improvements in psychosocial functioning. Given these benefits, service dogs could be viewed as a form of assistive technology that occupational therapists may want to consider as an alternative to traditional devices for some clients.