Community Health Workers: A Holistic Solution for Individual and Community Health

Community Health Workers (CHWs) go by many names, including outreach workers, patient navigators, peer health educators, and lay health advocates. CHWs help people overcome obstacles by accompanying them through treatment, monitoring needs for food and housing, leading education campaigns and empowering community members to take charge of their own health. As members of the communities they serve, CHWs establish relationships of trust with those they serve, bridging the gap between the clinic and community. Community Health Workers embrace a holistic conception of health, working not only in health care, but also with the social determinants of health such as poverty, education, and housing

Functional Analysis of Abused/Neglected Children\u27s Inappropriate Play

This study investigated the possible governing mechanisms of inappropriate play behaviors of three developmentally normal children with a history of abuse/neglect. A functional analysis was performed using three conditions—contingent attention plus demands, contingent attention, and non-contingent attention. For one child, functional analysis revealed that inappropriate play behavior occurred more frequently in those conditions where contingent attention was present. Demands, at least when contingent attention was provided, did not appear to elicit or evoke inappropriate play behavior. For the other two children, functional analysis did not reveal any significant differences between conditions. The results of this study suggest that for some abused/neglected children environmental conditions may influence inappropriate play behavior

Book It Forward: An Engaging Community Project

Background A two-fold need was identified in our community: Parents and caregivers frequently have a need to do something with books their children have outgrown or left behind. Many schools and daycare centers in the local community served by our university don’t have adequate books and reading materials for students and have a need to boost their libraries. Working with the university’s Community Engagement Center, the library launched a two-month book collection drive on campus. Description Staff from across the library created announcements and graphics promoting the drive and developed criteria for accepted donations. The team reached out to contacts in various university buildings to place donation boxes in seven different buildings on campus. During collection, a sorting system was created to sort the donations into five different categories based on reading level. Staff would periodically check the donation boxes while communicating with building contacts to schedule pick-ups of large donations. Conclusions When the collection had concluded and the books were sorted, there were over 1,200 books donated. Staff coordinated with the Community Engagement Center to pick up and deliver the boxed books to three schools as well as two daycare centers to be used for summer reading programs and beyond. The book drive was a success, with a larger university participation than initially thought. This will become an annual collection continuing to support the local community and fostering literacy in schools

Protein subfamily assignment using the Conserved Domain Database

© 2008 Fong et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Effects of Activin and TGFβ on p21 in Colon Cancer

Activin and TGFβ share SMAD signaling and colon cancers can inactivate either pathway alone or simultaneously. The differential effects of activin and TGFβ signaling in colon cancer have not been previously dissected. A key downstream target of TGFβ signaling is the cdk2 inhibitor p21 (p21cip1/waf1). Here, we evaluate activin-specific effects on p21 regulation and resulting functions. We find that TGFβ is a more potent inducer of growth suppression, while activin is a more potent inducer of apoptosis. Further, growth suppression and apoptosis by both ligands are dependent on SMAD4. However, activin downregulates p21 protein in a SMAD4-independent fashion in conjunction with increased ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation to enhance migration, while TGFβ upregulates p21 in a SMAD4-dependent fashion to affect growth arrest. Activin-induced growth suppression and cell death are dependent on p21, while activin-induced migration is counteracted by p21. Further, primary colon cancers show differential p21 expression consistent with their ACVR2/TGFBR2 receptor status. In summary, we report p21 as a differentially affected activin/TGFβ target and mediator of ligand-specific functions in colon cancer, which may be exploited for future risk stratification and therapeutic intervention

Coal-exit alliance must confront freeriding sectors to propel Paris-aligned momentum

The global phase-out of coal by mid-century is considered vital to the Paris Agreement to limit warming well-below 2 \ub0C above pre-industrial levels. Since the inception of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) at COP23, political ambitions to accelerate the decline of coal have mounted to become the foremost priority at COP26. However, mitigation research lacks the tools to assess whether this bottom-up momentum can self-propagate toward Paris alignment. Here, we introduce dynamic policy evaluation (DPE), an evidence-based approach for emulating real-world policy-making. Given empirical relationships established between energy-economic developments and policy adoption, we endogenize national political decision-making into the integrated assessment model REMIND via multistage feedback loops with a probabilistic coalition accession model. DPE finds global PPCA participation <5% likely against a current policies backdrop and, counterintuitively, foresees that intracoalition leakage risks may severely compromise sector-specific, demand-side action. DPE further enables policies to interact endogenously, demonstrated here by the PPCA’s path-dependence to COVID-19 recovery investments

Knowledge and Perceptions of Electronic Cigarette Use among Pregnant Women

poster abstractThe association between maternal tobacco smoke exposure and restricted fetal growth has been well studied. However, the safety of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is quite controversial among pregnant women and the public. Research on the health effects of e-cigarette use during pregnancy is limited, particularly because of the health risks and ethical considerations. However, there is concern about the effects of the nicotine on fetal health from e-cigarettes. Some women’s beliefs about e-cigarettes are influenced by information that e-cigarettes may be beneficial as a way to decrease the number of tobacco cigarettes smoked. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to explore the knowledge and perceptions of e-cigarette use among pregnant women. Using pre-designated inclusion and exclusion criteria, relevant articles were located and reviewed searching PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCOhost, CINAHL Complete, and the reference lists of related articles. Full text, English language, peer-reviewed articles relevant to pregnant women’s knowledge and perceptions of e-cigarettes were reviewed. Of the thirty studies, six met the inclusion criteria. The following findings were common among the studies reviewed: 1) study participants had inaccurate information regarding the amount of nicotine in ecigarettes and the effects on the fetus; 2) e-cigarettes were perceived as safe alternatives and could be used for smoking cessation; 3) using e-cigarettes caused less negative side effects than traditional cigarettes; and 4) information obtained from the media about e-cigarettes was confusing for pregnant women. The findings support the need for healthcare providers to assess e-cigarette use among pregnant women and provide accurate information regarding e-cigarettes and the potential impact of use during pregnancy

Synthese, chemische Dealkaliierung und Sodiierung von potentiellen Kathodenmaterialien auf Basis von Li- und Na-haltigen Vanadaten und Übergangsmetallphosphaten

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Synthese und Charakterisierung von Na-haltigen Vanadaten bzw. V2O5-basierten Verbindungen und Übergangsmetallphosphaten, die potentielle Kathodenmaterialien für Na-Ionenbatterien darstellen, sowie teilweise vergleichende Untersuchungen mit deren Li-Homologen. Die Synthese der Ausgangsmaterialien erfolgte oft über Festkörpersynthesen, während der Na-Gehalt durch chemische Sodiierungsversuche direkt oder nach (teilweiser) Delithiierung der Li-Verbindungen mittels eines zyklischen Tieftemperaturredoxprozesses aus chemischer Dealkaliierung und Sodiierung erhöht wurde. Darüber hinaus wurden Salzhydratschmelzen mit Dittmarit-Verbindungen umgesetzt, um auch Na-haltige Übergangsmetallphosphate mit Triphylin-Struktur zu erhalten. Es wurden erstmals Na2.1V3O8, α’-NaV2O5 und die zu Beginn der Arbeit unbekannte Verbindung γ-NaV2O5 mittels chemischer Sodiierung erhalten. Über den zyklischen Redoxprozess wurden Verbindungen LiyNa1–yM0.5Fe0.5PO4 (M =Mn, Co, Ni) mit 0.51>y>0.76 erhalten. Der Alkaligehalt wurde mithilfe eines selbst entwickelten Multifraktionenmodells aus XRD-Daten bestimmt. Die Synthese von Li-freien Verbindungen erwies sich aufgrund einer unselektiven Deinterkalation von Alkaliionen als schwierig. Über Salzhydratschmelzen lassen sich abhängig von der d-Übergangsmetallzusammensetzung Verbindungen mit verschiedenen Strukturen (Triphylin, Maricit, P65- oder P21/c-NaCoPO4) erhalten.This thesis presents the synthesis and characterization of Na-containing vanadates, V2O5-based compounds and transition metal phosphates, which are considered as potential cathode materials for Na-ion batteries, as well as partly their Li-homologues. Precursors often were synthesized via solid state reaction whereas the Na-content was increased via chemical sodiation experiments or via a cyclic low temperature redox process consisting of chemical dealkaliation and sodiation of previously (partly) delithiated Li-compounds. Furthermore, experiments to synthesize triphylite-type compounds via molten salt reactions from dittmarite-type compounds were carried out. The compounds Na2.1V3O8 and α’-NaV2O5 as well as the previously unknown compound γ-NaV2O5 were synthesized via chemical sodiation for the first time. Via the cyclic redox process, the compounds LiyNa1–yM0.5Fe0.5PO4 (M =Mn, Co, Ni) with 0.51>y>0.76 could be obtained. The alkaline content was determined from XRD data via a newly developed multifraction model. Selected samples were also subjected to elemental analysis to revise the alkaline content. Synthesis of Li-free compounds was troublesome due to non-selective deintercalation of alkaline ions. Molten salt reactions led to different crystal structures (triphylite, maricite, P65- or P21/c-NaCoPO4) depending on the composition of d-transition metal

A pilot study for the isolation of Eimeria spp. oocysts from environmental straw samples in comparison with individual faecal examination of fattening calves

The diagnosis of eimeriosis in calves mainly relies on the presence of diarrhoea and the excretion of Eimeria oocysts in the faeces. Restraining the animals to collect rectal samples for diagnostic purposes is stressful and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate a method for the quantification of oocysts in environmental barn straw samples. To investigate the recovery rate of the method, straw and Eimeria negative faeces were spiked with Eimeria oocysts in plastic bags and mixed with water and 0.05% Tween 20 (v/v); the liquids were filtered twice through sieves (mesh size 300 and 52 μm), centrifuged and the number of oocysts in the sediment determined using a McMaster counting chamber. A recovery rate of 52.4% (95% confidence interval: 48.2–56.5%) was obtained. In the following, field straw (n = 156) and individual faecal samples (n = 195, also analysed by McMaster counting chambers) were collected on four different farms. Eimeria oocysts were present on all farms in faecal (84/195, 43.1%) and straw samples (119/156, 76.3%). In 37 (23.7%) straw samples, sporulated oocysts were observed, with a sporulation rate ranging from 0 to 40%. Despite high variability between farms and examination days, mean numbers of oocysts in the straw positively correlated with mean numbers of oocysts excreted in the faeces (ρ$_{Spearman}$ = 0.60). The examination of environmental straw samples may represent an easy-to-perform, non-invasive, inexpensive preliminary diagnostic approach for surveillance of eimeriosis at group level, having the potential to assess the infection pressure

Sense of coherence, off-job crafting, and mental well-being: A path of positive health development

Our study examines the core concept of salutogenesis-sense of coherence (SOC)-in relation to off-job crafting (OJC) and mental well-being (MWB). The original salutogenic model of health mainly addresses the protective function of SOC against adversity. In our study, we focus on the recently proposed path of positive health development that captures how SOC can contribute to positive health and thriving. We present and test our theoretical assumptions about one such path, examining OJC as a possible mechanism how SOC translates into MWB. We tested our proposed model using cross-lagged panel model with three waves of panel data from Swiss and German employees (N = 2217). We compared our model to alternative nested models and conducted indirect effect analysis to test longitudinal mediation. Our hypothesized model fitted the data well and we found support for our main hypothesis that OJC partially mediates the relationship between SOC and MWB. Further, we identified positive reciprocal relationships between SOC and MWB, as well as between OJC and MWB. Overall, our study provides evidence that OJC is one mechanism underlying the recently postulated path of positive health development in the salutogenic model. For health promotion, this implies that promoting SOC and OJC may help to strengthen individual well-being and lead to positive feedback loops that foster personal development and thriving