Are resilience and perceived stress related to social support and housing stability among homeless adults with mental illness?

Perceived stress has been associated with adverse health outcomes. Although people experiencing homelessness often report multiple acute and chronic stressors, research on resilience and perceived stress on the general homeless population is limited. This longitudinal study examined homeless adults with mental illness who were part of a 24‐month trial of Housing First to explore: (a) changes in levels of resilience and perceived stress during the trial, and (b) the association between levels of resilience and perceived stress with measures of social support, social functioning and percentage of days stably housed over the study period. This longitudinal study (2009–2013) that used trial data included 575 participants in Toronto, Ontario. Of these individuals, 507 were included in this study. Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale and Perceived Stress Scales (PSS) measured the two outcomes, resilience and perceived stress. Time (baseline, 12 and 24 months), housing stability and three measures of social support and social functioning were the main predictors. A longitudinal analysis was done with repeated measures analysis of resilience and perceived stress using linear mixed models with random intercepts. Mean resilience scores increased (baseline: 5.1 [95% CI: 4.9, 5.2], 12 months: 5.5 [95% CI: 5.3, 5.7], 24 months: 5.6 [95% CI: 5.4, 5.8]), and PSS scores decreased (baseline: 22.3 [95% CI: 21.5, 23.0], 24 months: 18.6 [95% CI: 17.9, 19.4]). In the multivariable analyses, increased resilience was associated with higher scores on the three social support and social functioning measures, (estimates = 0.12, 0.04, 0.02) but not percentage days stably housed. Lower PSS scores were associated with higher scores on all three social support and social functioning measures (?0.20, ?0.33, ?0.21) and higher percentages of days stably housed (?0.015). Strong social support and social functioning may minimise the harmful effects of stressful life events on homeless individuals by increasing resilience and reducing stress. Interventions to help homeless people build appropriate support networks should be delivered in parallel to efforts that increase housing stability.     

The relationship between young children’s language abilities,creativity, play,and storytelling

This study examined the connection between young children’s social play, creativity, storytelling, and language abilities. Participants were 56 primarily European American preschool children. First, to assess creativity we asked children to draw several pictures. Children created stories about their pictures during the creative process. Second, children created an original story with access to multiple ethnic family doll sets to use as props. We analysed all storytelling episodes for mean length of utterance and parts of speech. Third, we observed children’s social play behaviours over 10-minute intervals recording behaviour at 1-minute intervals. Finally, we administered the Test of Early Language Development 3 to assess children’s receptive and expressive language skills. Our findings revealed positive relationships between storytelling abilities and language abilities, relationships between type of play, storytelling, and language abilities, and connections between play and creativity and language and creativity. Our findings provide avenues for future research.     

Zinc(II)-Dipicolylamine Coordination Complexes as Targeting and Chemotherapeutic Agents for Leishmania major

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that causes painful lesions and severe disfigurement. Modern treatment relies on a few chemotherapeutics with serious limitations, and there is a need for more effective alternatives. This study describes the selective targeting of zinc(II)-dipicolylamine (ZnDPA) coordination complexes toward Leishmania major, one of the species responsible for cutaneous leishmaniasis. Fluorescence microscopy of L. major promastigotes treated with a fluorescently labeled ZnDPA probe indicated rapid accumulation of the probe within the axenic promastigote cytosol. The antileishmanial activities of eight ZnDPA complexes were measured using an in vitro assay. All tested complexes exhibited selective toxicity against L. major axenic promastigotes, with 50% effective concentration values in the range of 12.7 to 0.3 μM. Similar toxicity was observed against intracellular amastigotes, but there was almost no effect on the viability of mammalian cells, including mouse peritoneal macrophages. In vivo treatment efficacy studies used fluorescence imaging to noninvasively monitor changes in the red fluorescence produced by an infection of mCherry-L. major in a mouse model. A ZnDPA treatment regimen reduced the parasite burden nearly as well as the reference care agent, potassium antimony(III) tartrate, and with less necrosis in the local host tissue. The results demonstrate that ZnDPA coordination complexes are a promising new class of antileishmanial agents with potential for clinical translation.     

2型糖尿病患者肝脏甘油三酯含量的相关因素分析:磁共振波谱研究

目的 对与2型糖尿病(T2DM)患者肝脏甘油三酯含量(HTC)相关的因素进行分析,比较T2DM合并和不合并非酒精性脂肪性肝病(NAFLD)患者的临床特征之间的差异.方法 入选55例T2DM患者,进行人体学特征和血清生化指标检测,同时行肝脏磁共振氢谱(~1H-MRS)检查测定HTC.然后根据HTC结果将患者分成合并和不合并NAFLD两组,比较两组患者临床特征之间的差异.结果 T2DM患者HTC与体重指数(BMI)、腰围、腰臀比(WHR)、舒张压(DBP)、血清谷丙转氨酶(ALT)、谷草转氨酶(AST)、空腹胰岛素(FINS)、甘油三酯(TG)呈正相关(P＜0.05或P＜0.01),合并NAFLD的T2DM患者腹型肥胖更明显,ALT 和TG水平更高.结论 T2DM患者肝脏甘油三酯含量与代谢指标密切相关,合并NAFLD的T2DM患者呈现更显著的代谢异常.     

中药配合有氧运动疗法对脂肪肝影响机制的实验研究

目的 探讨中药配合有氧运动疗法防治脂肪肝的作用机制.方法 选用Wistar大鼠随机分为空白、造模、中药、运动、联合五组;空白组普通喂养,造模及其他组给予高脂饲料喂养;中药组与联合组每日灌胃中药健肝汤10 ml/(kg·d)(含生药1.5 g/ml),空白组、造模组、运动组每日等量生理盐水灌胃;运动组、联合组每日有氧运动(游泳)1 h;8周后各组大鼠股动脉取血送检生化指标,处死后测肝脏湿重,计算肝指数.结果 联合组可明显降低大鼠血清总胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TC)、丙氨酸转氨酶(ALT)、门冬氨酸氨基转氨酶(AST)水平,且与造模组相比具有非常显著性差异(P<0.01).结论 中药配合有氧运动疗法可有效防治脂肪肝.     

Nicotine sensitization and analysis of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor in adolescent ß‐arrestin‐2 knockout mice

Nicotine sensitization and levels of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were analyzed in adolescent ß‐arrestin‐2 knockout (ßA‐2 KO) and wild type (WT) mice. The ß‐arrestin‐2 protein has been shown to be important in G‐protein hydrolysis and receptor internalization. Four‐ to five‐week‐old adolescent ßA‐2 KO and WT C57/Bl6 mice were administered either nicotine (0.5 mg/kg free base) or saline 10 min before being placed into a locomotor arena on each of 7 (Experiment 1) or 14 (Experiment 2) consecutive days. A nicotine challenge was given 7 days after sensitization was complete. In Experiment 1, ßA‐2 KO mice administered nicotine or saline and WT mice administered nicotine demonstrated significant hypoactivity during early in testing, and neither WT nor ßA‐2 KO mice administered nicotine demonstrated sensitization. On the nicotine challenge, WT mice administered nicotine demonstrated significantly higher activity levels compared to all groups, and this same group demonstrated significantly higher levels of accumbal BDNF compared to all groups. In Experiment 2, ßA‐2 KO mice were again hypoactive compared to WT mice, whereas WT mice administered nicotine demonstrated significant hypoactivity during initial testing and significantly higher levels of activity compared to all other groups late in testing. On the nicotine challenge, WT mice that received nicotine demonstrated a significant increase in activity compared to all groups, and showed increased accumbal BDNF compared to all groups. These results show that the ß‐arrestin‐2 protein is important in induction and expression of nicotine sensitization as well as nicotine's effects on accumbal BDNF. Synapse 63:510–519, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.