Prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae in virginal women

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study was to determine the prevalence of Gardnerella vaginalis and Atopobium vaginae in virginal women and to establish if nonpenetrative sexual activity is associated with these organisms. GOAL: The goal of this study was to assess prevalence of G. vaginalis and A. vaginae in virginal women. STUDY DESIGN: Forty-four virginal female patients self-collected tampon specimens, which were tested for G. vaginalis and A. vaginae by polymerase chain reaction, and provided either brief or detailed information regarding sexual practices by self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Twenty women (45%) had G. vaginalis and 3 (7%) A. vaginae detected. Among the 27 who provided detailed information, 12 (46%) had G. vaginalis and none had A. vaginae detected. G. vaginalis was significantly more likely to be detected in those who had participated in oral sex (odds ratio = 22; 95% confidence interval = 2.2-222) and hand-genital contact without penetration (P = 0.02), but not genital-genital contact. CONCLUSION: This study shows that nonpenetrative intimate sexual contact is associated with carriage of G. vaginalis in virginal women.     

The Triad of Impairment in Autism Revisited

TOPIC:  The triad of impairment referred to at present in the autism-related literature is a behavioral triad. This paper extends this thinking of the triad of impairment to the triad that underlies the behavioral manifestation. The real triad of impairment.
PURPOSE:  This paper considers the thinking and information processing style of autism and takes the next transitional step in understanding the triad of impairment.
SOURCES USED:  Contemporary literature on autism and information processing.
CONCLUSIONS:  Exceptional pioneering work in the late 1970s gave rise to the concept of the triad of impairments as the central plank of the construct of autism: impaired communication; impaired social skills; and a restricted and repetitive way of being-in-the-world. This clear articulation of the structures of the phenomena allowed a new way for professionals and families to see and understand autism, and to relate to those with autism. Like the evolution of many concepts, this was a transitional idea. The original triad of impairments described the behavioral manifestation; the actual triad of impairments is at the level of cognitive processing. The actual triad of impairment is static and ubiquitous unlike the variable and fluctuating behavioral manifestation. The actual triad of impairment in autism is visual as opposed to linguistic processing, impaired abstraction, and lack of theory of mind. The actual triad is central to all diagnosis that together makes up the autism spectrum.     

Generation-specific incentives and disincentives for nurses to remain employed in acute care hospitals

Aim This is a report on generation-specific incentives and disincentives selected by acute care nurses that promote and discourage them to remain employed in hospitals. Background Recent literature indicates that nurse preferences for strategies to promote their retention may differ across generational cohorts. However, current literature is primarily anecdotal with few studies focused on evidence-based generation-specific nurse retention-promoting strategies. Methods Data were gathered from a cross-sectional survey administered to a random sample of 9904 registered nurses working in Alberta and Ontario, Canada. Two survey items asking nurses to identify preferences for incentives to remain employed and disincentives that encourage them to leave employment were included. Survey items were based on information gathered from previous focus groups exploring determinants of nurse retention. Results There were statistically significant differences in the rates of selection across generations of nurses for eight of 10 incentives to remain employed and for eight of 15 disincentives. All generational cohorts selected the same two incentives most frequently: reasonable workloads and manageable nurse–patient ratios. Two of the three most frequently selected disincentives were the same across generations: inadequate staffing and unmanageable workloads. Implications for nursing management Leaders should implement and evaluate strategies that ensure workloads are reasonable and nurse–patient ratios are manageable to promote retention among all generations of nurses in the acute care hospital workforce.     

Becoming a nurse faculty leader: facing challenges through reflecting,persevering and relating in new ways

horton-deutsch s ., young p.k . & nelson k.a . (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 487–493
Becoming a nurse faculty leader: facing challenges through reflecting, persevering and relating in new ways Aim The aim of the present study was to explore the experience of becoming a nurse faculty leader. Background In a recent interpretation of 23 interviews conducted with nurse faculty leaders from across the United States about their experiences of becoming a leader three themes were identified: being thrust into leadership, taking risks and facing challenges. Evaluation This interpretive phenomenological study further explicates three aspects of how nurse educators faced challenges in becoming and serving as a leader. Key issues Facing challenges meant reflecting, persevering through difficulties and learning to relate to others in new ways. Exemplars of participant experiences are provided for concreteness, to assist readers in determining how findings resonate with their own experience and how they can actualize this resonance in their own leadership practice. Conclusions In the present study, reflecting, persevering through difficulties and learning to relate with others in a new way was how leaders faced challenges. Implications for nursing management Leadership development opportunities that facilitate self-exploration, caring and thoughtful interactions with others and values clarification serve as the foundation for becoming a nurse faculty leader who is, in turn, able to build leadership capacity in other individuals and organizations.     

Developmental Health of Infants and Children Subsequent to Foster Care

BACKGROUND: Every day, the United States child welfare system is entrusted with the care of over 400,000 children through foster care. The majority of children entering this social setting are infants, the most developmentally vulnerable. METHODS: Bronfenbrenner's human health ecology model and Bowlby's attachment theory are used to delineate the social setting of foster care and its impact on developmental health, and elucidates the relationship between childhood experiences and the overall continuum of health. Additionally, the notion of inherited genes and environmental influences or epigenetics toward gene expression will be explored. RESULTS: Research points out that what happens in childhood matters; the consequences of not addressing childhood adversity and the associated risk factors of foster care increase a child's risk for poor developmental health and other major illnesses noted later in life such as cardiac disease, depression, and even premature death. Healthcare providers and others charged with caring for this vulnerable population who understand the social setting of foster care and its impact on developmental health may help identify and treat developmental problems earlier, thus potentially reducing long-term effects of abuse and neglect. CONCLUSION: Improvement plans that promote best practice for child welfare must include those that directly address the unique developmental needs of all infants and children in foster care itself. Such plans will ensure that foster care as an intervention to protect vulnerable children at risk does not create more harm by reducing the associated risks and maximizing benefits while in foster care, and ensures that those born genetically vulnerable and disproportionately susceptible to poor outcomes in adversity are also protected and provided opportunities that promote optimal developmental health.     

Abnormal explicit but normal implicit sequence learning in premanifest and early Huntington's disease

Learning may occur with or without awareness, as explicit (intentional) or implicit (incidental) learning. The caudate nucleus and the putamen, which are affected early in Huntington's disease (HD), are thought to be essential for motor sequence learning. However, the results of existing studies are inconsistent concerning presence/absence of deficits in implicit and explicit motor sequence learning in HD. We assessed implicit and explicit motor sequence learning using sequences of equivalent structure in 15 individuals with a positive HD genetic test (7 premanifest; 8 early stage disease) and 11 matched controls. The HD group showed evidence of normal implicit motor sequence learning, whereas explicit motor sequence learning was impaired in manifest and premanifest HD gene carriers, with progressive decline with progressive disease. Explicit sequence learning may be a useful cognitive biomarker for HD progression. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society