Burnout and health of primary school educators in the North West Province

No Abstract.South African journal of Education Vol. 25(4) 2005: 266-27

Differential effects of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 on atherosclerosis and monocyte/macrophage invasion

AIMS: MMPs contribute to atherosclerotic plaque progression and instability, but the relative potency of their endogenous tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) as protective factors has not been defined. We therefore investigated the impact of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 knockout on atherosclerotic plaque burden and composition in apolipoprotein E-knockout (Apoe(−/−)) mice and studied the underlying effects on monocyte/macrophage behaviour. METHODS AND RESULTS: Analysis of brachiocephalic artery plaques revealed comparable atherosclerotic lesion areas between TIMP-1(−/−) Apoe(−/−) or TIMP-2(−/−) Apoe(−/−) double deficient mice and relevant age-matched, strain-matched Apoe(−/−) controls after 8 weeks of high-fat feeding. However, lesions from TIMP-2(−/−) Apoe(−/−) mice had higher levels of markers associated with plaque vulnerability, including increased macrophage: vascular smooth muscle cell ratios, larger necrotic core areas, reduced collagen contents, increased macrophage proliferation, and apoptosis frequencies, compared with TIMP-1(−/−)Apoe(−/−) and controls. In contrast, TIMP-1(−/−) Apoe(−/−) animals only had a significant reduction in vascular smooth muscle cell content compared with Apoe(−/−) controls. In vitro and in vivo findings implicated heightened monocyte/macrophage invasion in the detrimental effects observed on atherosclerotic plaque composition in TIMP-2(−/−) Apoe(−/−) mice. Moreover, TIMP-2 specifically decreased MMP-14-dependent monocyte/macrophage infiltration into sites of experimentally induced inflammation and established atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that TIMP-2 plays a greater protective role than TIMP-1 during the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, in part by suppressing MMP-14-dependent monocyte/macrophage accumulation into plaques

Recommendations for Sustaining Sustainability Initiatives in City Government

The report analyzes four U.S. cities' financial conditions and then compares and contrasts their sustainability initiatives and financing mechanisms. Based on the analysis, the report provides recommendations for other green cities that may make their sustainability initiatives more financially sustainable in today's fiscal environment.The report was a service learning project of a MPA class, Resource Allocation and Control, taught by Dr. Alfred T. Ho at the School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas in spring, 2012

A multicenter study of the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus ointment after first and repeated application to children with atopic dermatitis

Funding Information: This study was sponsored by Fujisawa GmbH, Munich, Germany.The pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus after first and repeated application of 0.1% tacrolimus ointment were evaluated in 39 children, aged 6-12 y, with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. The patients were grouped according to the size of the affected body surface area to be treated: Group 1 ≤ 1500 cm 2; Group 2 > 1500 cm2≤ 3000 cm2; Group 3 > 3000 cm2 ≤ 5000 cm2. Serial blood samples to calculate pharmacokinetic parameters taken on Day 1 (first ointment application) and Day 14 (last application) showed minimal systemic exposure to tacrolimus. Overall, 92% of the blood samples assayed contained tacrolimus concentrations below 1 ng per mL and 17% of samples were below 0.025 ng per mL, the lower limit of quantification. Systemic exposure to tacrolimus varied between patients and tended to increase proportionally as the size of the treated body surface area increased. Absorption decreased with time as the skin lesions healed and there was no evidence of systemic accumulation. The mean apparent half-life of tacrolimus (t1/2, z) was 66 ± 27 h (range 19-125 h). Most patients experienced substantial clinical improvement in their atopic dermatitis. There were no clinically relevant changes in laboratory values, and the most frequently reported adverse event was skin burning, which resolved quickly as the skin condition improved.Peer reviewe

Mapping mental health care services for children and youth population in Colombia’s Pacific:potential for boundary spanning between community and formal services

Background: Conflict and violence can impact on the mental health of children and young people, who are in a crucial stage of their personal growth. Not much is known about the provision of mental health care to young people in conflict-affected areas. Community-based care can be essential, as state-led services are often scarce in conflict contexts, like Colombia’s Pacific region where this research was conducted. According to the WHO, such care is ideally provided in the form of a network of interconnected services, offered by different actors beyond the formal health sector. This article describes the relationship between the formal and community mental health systems in Colombia’s Pacific region, and identifies ways of improving their interaction.Methods: Qualitative data were collected through 98 semi-structured interviews with community organisations, schools, international organisations and state institutions. These interviews aimed to identify the strategies used to promote young people’s mental health and the interactions between the different providers. Boundary spanning theory was used to analyse how different actors and forms of mental health care provision could coordinate better.Results: Community organisations and schools use a wide array of strategies to attend to the mental health of children and young people, often of a collective and psychosocial nature. State institutions offer more clinically focused strategies, which are however limited in terms of accessibility and continuity. International organisations aim to strengthen state capacity, but often struggle due to high staff turnover. Although mental health care pathways exist, their effectiveness is limited due to ineffective coordination between actors.Conclusions: To make sure that the variety of strategies to improve young people’s mental health effectively reach their beneficiaries, better coordination is needed between the different actors. Mental health care pathways should therefore integrate community organisations, while community connectors can help to manage the coordination between different actors and forms of clinical and psychosocial support

The Talking Texts: What Pop Culture Really Has to Say

This newsletter is built upon work done in a Fall 2017 honors writing course based around the rhetorical analysis of pop culture. Students wrote several initial analyses before choosing one to research and write about further. They then chose a short excerpt from their researched projects to include in the newsletter