Letter, 1975 April 17, from Dorothy James to Eva Jessye

1 page, James was the chairman of Michigan Women Composers Committee of the Michigan Federation of Music Clubs

Chronic Non-Cancer Pain in the ED: Are Nurses SBIRT-Ready?

Emergency department (ED) Registered Nurse (RN) understanding of chronic pain management is critically important. By some estimates, 30% of all opioid pain medications in the United States (US) are prescribed from EDs. At the same time, prescription drug abuse is America’s fastest growing drug problem. While RNs have significant contact time with chronic pain patients who may also be drug abusers, RNs often use the stigmatizing label, “drug-seeking” for certain key patient behaviors and may not feel confident intervening constructively with these patients. This project reviews literature pertaining to SBIRT use for substance abuse in the ED and surveys ED nurses at one large, urban Northern California ED. The survey and accompanying discussion examines the relationship between RN professional insecurity in managing chronic pain patients and the tendency to stigmatize such patients. This project provides insight to one little-studied aspect of the complex topic of managing chronic pain patients in the emergency room—RN practice and attitudes towards the chronic, non-cancer pain patient and provides a needs assessment of RN readiness for SBIRT training

Recreational drug use and the emerging challenges of psychoactive substances in Malta : a case series

Introduction: Recreational drug-related hospital admissions, excluding alcohol, appeared to be relatively constant in Mater Dei Hospital (MDH), Malta’s sole public, acute general hospital. While ‘classical’ recreational drugs such as cocaine, heroin and Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) were always seen as the main culprits, intoxications secondary to novel psychoactive substances (NPS) have recently emerged in MDH. The aim of this study was to determine the challenges of recreational drug intoxication, including NPS, in MDH. Methods: All the MDH admissions secondary to recreational drug intoxication between 2010 and 2015 were investigated. MDH clinical performance unit (CPU), hospital data files, hospital discharge letters and the hospital database software system were utilised for data collection. Intoxications associated with self-harm, trauma and lone alcohol ingestions were excluded. Results: 286 patients were admitted to MDH with recreational drug intoxication between 2010-2015, with a peak of 71 patients in 2015. 78.3% were males and the median age was 26 years. While 79% of the admissions were Maltese nationals, there was a surge in foreigner admissions, from 11.8% between 2010-2012 to 28.3% between 2013-2015 (p<0.001). Admissions occurred mostly in spring and summer, on Saturday or Sunday, and at night. 52.4% of admissions were acutely confused. Ethanol co-ingestion (40.9%) and polydrug use (39.9%) were common in these admissions. 16% needed admission to critical care. 91.3% admissions were secondary to ‘Classical’ recreational drugs, mostly heroin and cocaine. In 2015, 36.6% of admissions were secondary to NPS, mostly synthetic cannabinoids (SCRA). SCRA admissions were associated with severe sympathomimetic and neuropsychiatric features. An SCRA toxidrome mnemonic (MEET_SCRA) is proposed from the most common features of lone intoxications. Conclusion: Recreational drugs were associated with significant hospital burden, with NPS representing a new threat to MDH and Maltese public health. The toxidrome mnemonic MEET_SCRA could potentially aid in the identification of SCRA intoxications.peer-reviewe

Role of membrane redox in aging-related diseases

A number of different ECTO-NOX forms have been described as being connected with aging-related diseases. The constitutive form, CNOX, serves as a terminal oxidase of plasma membrane electron transport and functions in the growth process. tNOX is present in addition to CNOX on the surface of all cancer cells and contributes to the unregulated growth characteristic of cancer cells. An age-related ECTO-NOX, arNOX, generates superoxide and may contribute to age-related generation of reactive oxygen species. ECTO-NOX proteins and prions share properties in common as do amyloid-forming proteins of various neurodegenerative disorders. A better understanding of ECTO-NOX proteins may lead to new therapeutic strategies for these several age-related disorders

Membrane redox as an essential component of how cells increase in size following cell division

Under investigation is the hypothesis that cell enlargement in both plants and animals is not a passive process but the result of an ECTO-NOX-driven physical membrane displacement. Cell enlargement correlates with ECTO-NOX activity and is stimulated when ECTO-NOX activities are stimulated and inhibited when ECTO-NOX activities are inhibited. Both are blocked by thiol reagents. Additionally, cell enlargement emerges as having an energy requirement. An energy requirement is universal among membrane displacement models and is met at the cell surface through coupling with a plasma membrane-associated AAA-ATPase

Date of Snowmelt at High Latitudes as Determined from Visible Satellite Data and Relationship with the Arctic Oscillation

Spring snow cover across Arctic lands has, on average, retreated approximately five days earlier since the late 1980s compared to the previous twenty years. However, it appears that since about 1990, the date the snowline first retreats north during the spring has remained nearly unchanged--in the last twenty years, the date of snow disappearance has not been occurring noticeably earlier. Snowmelt changes observed in the 1980s was step-like in nature, unlike a more continuous downward trend seen in Arctic sea ice extent. At latitude 70 deg N, several latitudinal segments (of 10 degrees) show significant (negative) trends. However, only two latitudinal segments at 60 deg N show significant trends, one positive and one negative. These variations appear to be related to variations in the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Additional observations and modeling investigations are needed to better explain past and present spring melt characteristics and peculiarities