Studies on the clinical significance of nonesterified and total cholesterol in urine

Gas-liquid chromatographic determinations of nonesterified and total urinary cholesterol were performed in 137 normals, 264 patients with various internal diseases without evidence of neoplasias or diseases of the kidney or urinary tract, 497 patients with malignancies and 236 patients with diseases of the kidney, urinary tract infections or prostatic adenoma with residual urine. A normal range (mean±2 SD) of 0.2–2.2 mg/24 hours nonesterified cholesterol (NEC) and of 0.3–3.0 mg/24 hours total cholesterol (TC) was calculated. Values of urinary cholesterol excretion were independent of age and sex and did not correlate with cholesterol levels in plasma. Patients with various internal diseases, without evidence of neoplasias nor diseases of the kidney or obstruction of the urinary tract, showed normal urinary cholesterol excretions, as did patients with infections of the urinary tract. However, elevated urinary cholesterol was found in patients with diseases of the kidney or urinary tract obstruction (prostatic adenoma with residual urine), malignant diseases of the urogenital tract and metastasing carcinoma of the breast. In patients with other malignant diseases urinary cholesterol was usually normal. Lesions of the urothelial cell membranes are considered to be the most likely cause of urinary cholesterol hyperexcretion. The clinical value of urinary cholesterol determinations as a possible screening test for urogenital carcinomas in unselected populations is limited by lacking specificity, expensive methodology and low prevalence of the mentioned carcinomas, although elevated urinary cholesterol excretions have been observed in early clinical stages of urogenital cancers

Attitudes of California Registered Nurses About Abortion.

ObjectiveTo describe attitudes about abortion among registered nurses (RNs) licensed in California and to determine if demographic characteristics were associated with these attitudes.DesignCross-sectional, one-time survey.SettingOnline between 2015 and 2017.ParticipantsNurses with active RN licenses in California (N = 2,500).MethodsAn anonymous survey was sent to a random sample of 2,500 RNs with active California licenses between 2015 and 2017 to assess their personal and professional demographic characteristics and their attitudes toward abortion. Using scores on the Abortion Attitudes Scale, we dichotomized participants into proabortion and antiabortion categories. We used chi-square tests to determine differences based on demographic characteristics.ResultsData from 504 RNs licensed in California are included in this analysis. Most respondents identified as female (n = 462, 92%), older than 50 years of age (n = 379, 75%), married (n = 364, 72%), White (n = 354, 70%), and Christian (n = 322, 64%). They were more likely to have negative attitudes toward abortion care if they identified as Christian (p < .001) and more positive attitudes if they identified as White (p < .001) independent of identifying as Christian.ConclusionsRespondents had a complex range of attitudes about abortion. In some cases, these attitudes aligned and/or conflicted with stated religious orientation. This study highlights the demographic characteristics that are associated with the attitudes and beliefs about abortion among RNs licensed in California

The Space in the Middle: Attitudes of Women's Health and Neonatal Nurses in the United States about Abortion.

IntroductionDespite playing an integral part in sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion care, nurses are rarely the focus of research regarding their attitudes about abortion.MethodsA sample of 1,820 nurse members of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses were surveyed about their demographic and professional backgrounds, religious beliefs, and abortion attitudes. Scores on the Abortion Attitudes Scale were analyzed categorically and trichotomized in multinomial regression analyses.ResultsAlmost one-third of the sample (32%) had moderately proabortion attitudes, 29% were unsure, 16% had strongly proabortion attitudes, 13% had strongly antiabortion attitudes, and 11% had moderately antiabortion attitudes. Using trichotomized Abortion Attitudes Scale scores (proabortion, unsure, antiabortion), adjusted regression models showed that the following characteristics were associated with proabortion attitudes: being non-Christian, residence in the North or West, having no children, and having had an abortion.ConclusionsUnderstanding nurses' attitudes toward abortion, and what characteristics may influence their attitudes, is critical to sustaining nursing care for patients considering and seeking abortion. Additionally, because personal characteristics were associated with antiabortion attitudes, it is likely that personal experiences may influence attitudes toward abortion. A large percentage of nurses held attitudes that placed them in the "unsure" category. Given the current ubiquitous polarization of abortion discourse, this finding indicates that the binary narrative of this topic is less pervasive than expected, which lends itself to an emphasis on empathetic and compassionate nursing care

Cultivating trust in technology-mediated sustainable agricultural research

We formed the Precision Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) team to conduct interdisciplinary research and technology development to improve adoption and practice of knowledge-intensive sustainable agricultural practices such as cover cropping. In this paper, we share our approach to cultivating trust among diverse stakeholders (researchers, farmers, extensionists, agricultural and information specialists, private and public entities) vested in agricultural data collection, management, and use. Our trust framework describes how we aim to be trusted with data (through preserving privacy and increasing stakeholder agency) and trusted in the process (through practicing transparency and accountability). It is operationalized through a series of social and technical infrastructures. Our project governance, stakeholder engagement tools and activities, and technology development methods aim to promote transparency and accountability in our process. We use a maturity model to govern data acquisition to ensure that only robust, privacy-preserving technologies are deployed on our partner farms and describe evolving mechanisms for handling data with varying sensitivity. Finally, we share preliminary work aimed at anticipating data use, and identify challenges on the horizon for cultivating trust in agricultural technologies and data-driven agriculture.This article is published as Raturi, Ankita, Jennifer J. Thompson, Victoria Ackroyd, Carlene A. Chase, Brian W. Davis, Robert Myers, Aurelie Poncet et al. "Cultivating trust in technology‐mediated sustainable agricultural research." Agronomy Journal (2021). doi:10.1002/agj2.20974. Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted