Characterization of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated from the Nasal Cavity Flora of Nursing Majors

Approximately 30% of people have the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in their nasal passages. Within this group, approximately 1-2% are colonized with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), although many do not display any symptoms.1 MRSA is an opportunistic pathogen that can potentially cause diseases such as pneumonia, skin infections and sepsis. MRSA infections are commonly grouped into two categories, hospital associated (HA) or community associated (CA) based on where the infection was acquired and the profile of antibiotic resistance. S. aureus and MRSA can spread between individuals through physical contact and presents a serious health hazard to patients if healthcare professionals are carriers. This research focuses on the detection and characterization of S. aureus strains found among a population of healthy nursing majors in multiple sections of a laboratory course at St. John Fisher College. Samples collected from the nasal passages of students were characterized using mannitol salt agar, Gram-staining procedures, blood agar, CHROMagar MRSA II and were subjected to antibiotic resistance testing. Based on the findings of this experiment, it is clear that S. aureus is present in healthy individuals. Results from the spring and fall trials demonstrated that S. aureus was present in 31% and 50% of the sample population respectively. Despite only one strain testing positive for MRSA, many other strains did exhibit antibiotic resistance similar to that of HA-MRSA. Our results reveal a vast array of S. aureus strains present in healthcare workers and support the argument that there needs to be increased awareness and policies to help prevent the transmission of infection to patients

Embedded Librarians: Supporting Student Research

Collaborative partnerships between faculty and librarians to support student research is not a new idea; however, the practice of embedding a librarian within a course, department, or curriculum began in the early 2000s as library resources became more accessible in the virtual environment. Embedded librarians help to strengthen students’ engagement both in and outside of the classroom and helps to create a high impact learning opportunities for students. Panelists will describe a few of the many ways in which librarians are embedded here at Brockport: in face-to-face courses, completely online courses, in a department, and in the general education curriculum. Bring examples of partnerships you have held with librarians and questions about new approaches for improving your students’ research practices

Re-envisioning Teacher Education: Using DisCrit Perspectives to Disrupt Deficit Thinking

This paper suggests that teacher educators engage in research that investigates practices and curriculum to consider how they might best confront issues of equity and deficit thinking in individual courses and disciplines. Rooted in the tenets of culturally responsive teaching and culturally sustaining pedagogy, the authors explore how DisCrit theory further informs understandings of hegemonic schooling practices, imploring faculty to upset the implicitly biased narratives that are so often reproduced in teacher education

LILAC Innovative Program for Instruction Librarians

Librarians from Rochester-area colleges worked together to create LILAc -- the Library Instruction Leadership Academy. The aim of the academy was to prepare librarians to be better instructors in their current or future jobs. The program was a huge success and is now being duplicated by other areas in New York State

ROCK signaling promotes collagen remodeling to facilitate invasive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumor cell growth

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a major cause of cancer death; identifying PDAC enablers may reveal potential therapeutic targets. Expression of the actomyosin regulatory ROCK1 and ROCK2 kinases increased with tumor progression in human and mouse pancreatic tumors, while elevated ROCK1/ROCK2 expression in human patients, or conditional ROCK2 activation in a KrasG12D/p53R172H mouse PDAC model, was associated with reduced survival. Conditional ROCK1 or ROCK2 activation promoted invasive growth of mouse PDAC cells into three‐dimensional collagen matrices by increasing matrix remodeling activities. RNA sequencing revealed a coordinated program of ROCK‐induced genes that facilitate extracellular matrix remodeling, with greatest fold‐changes for matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) Mmp10 and Mmp13. MMP inhibition not only decreased collagen degradation and invasion, but also reduced proliferation in three‐dimensional contexts. Treatment of KrasG12D/p53R172H PDAC mice with a ROCK inhibitor prolonged survival, which was associated with increased tumor‐associated collagen. These findings reveal an ancillary role for increased ROCK signaling in pancreatic cancer progression to promote extracellular matrix remodeling that facilitates proliferation and invasive tumor growth

Stimulated grip strength measurement: Validation of a novel method for functional assessment

BackgroundReliable measurement of functional recovery is critical in translational peripheral nerve regeneration research. Behavioral functional assessments such as volitional grip strength testing (vGST) are limited by inherent behavioral variability. Isometric tetanic force testing (ITFT) is highly reliable but precludes serial measurements. Combining elements of vGST and ITFT, stimulated grip strength testing (sGST) involves percutaneous median nerve stimulation to elicit maximal tetanic contraction of digital flexors, thereby allowing for consistent measurement of maximal grip strength.MethodsWe measured side‐to‐side equivalence of force using sGST, vGST, and ITFT to determine relative reliability and repeatability. We also performed weekly force measurements following median nerve repair.ResultssGST demonstrated greater reliability and inter‐trial repeatability than vGST and similar reliability to ITFT, with the added benefit of serial measurements.ConclusionssGST is a valid method for assessing functional recovery that addresses the limitations of the currently available modalities used in translational peripheral nerve regeneration research.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151883/1/mus26646.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151883/2/mus26646_am.pd

Human liver glycogen phosphorylase inhibitors bind at a new allosteric site

AbstractBackground: Glycogen phosphorylases catalyze the breakdown of glycogen to glucose-1-phosphate for glycolysis. Maintaining control of blood glucose levels is critical in minimizing the debilitating effects of diabetes, making liver glycogen phosphorylase a potential therapeutic target.Results: The binding site in human liver glycogen phosphorylase (HLGP) for a class of promising antidiabetic agents was identified crystallographically. The site is novel and functions allosterically by stabilizing the inactive conformation of HLGP. The initial view of the complex revealed key structural information and inspired the design of a new class of inhibitors which bind with nanomolar affinity and whose crystal structure is also described.Conclusions: We have identified the binding site of a new class of allosteric HLGP inhibitors. The crystal structure revealed the details of inhibitor binding, led to the design of a new class of compounds, and should accelerate efforts to develop therapeutically relevant molecules for the treatment of diabetes

A multidisciplinary approach to health campaign effectiveness

Campaign costs are rising, making ad execution testing more critical to determine effectiveness prior to media spending. Premarket testing occurs prior to messages’ airing while in-market testing examines message attributes when messages are aired within a real-world setting, where context plays an important role in determining audience response. These types of ad testing provide critical feedback to help develop and deploy campaigns. Due to recent changes in media delivery platforms and audience tobacco use behavior, this study analyzes two nationally representative youth samples, aged 15-21, to examine if pre-market ad testing is an indicator of in-market ad performance for public health campaigns, which rely on persuasive messages to promote or reduce health behaviors rather than selling a product. Using data from the truth® campaign, a national tobacco use prevention campaign targeted to youth and young adults, findings indicate strong associations between pre-market scores and in-market ad performance metrics

A quantitative assessment of the consistency of projections from five mathematical models of the HIV epidemic in South Africa: a model comparison study

Background: Mathematical models are increasingly used to inform HIV policy and planning. Comparing estimates obtained using different mathematical models can test the robustness of estimates and highlight research gaps. As part of a larger project aiming to determine the optimal allocation of funding for HIV services, in this study we compare projections from five mathematical models of the HIV epidemic in South Africa: EMOD-HIV, Goals, HIV-Synthesis, Optima, and Thembisa. // Methods: The five modelling groups produced estimates of the total population, HIV incidence, HIV prevalence, proportion of people living with HIV who are diagnosed, ART coverage, proportion of those on ART who are virally suppressed, AIDS-related deaths, total deaths, and the proportion of adult males who are circumcised. Estimates were made under a “status quo” scenario for the period 1990 to 2040. For each output variable we assessed the consistency of model estimates by calculating the coefficient of variation and examining the trend over time. // Results: For most outputs there was significant inter-model variability between 1990 and 2005, when limited data was available for calibration, good consistency from 2005 to 2025, and increasing variability towards the end of the projection period. Estimates of HIV incidence, deaths in people living with HIV, and total deaths displayed the largest long-term variability, with standard deviations between 35 and 65% of the cross-model means. Despite this variability, all models predicted a gradual decline in HIV incidence in the long-term. Projections related to the UNAIDS 95–95-95 targets were more consistent, with the coefficients of variation below 0.1 for all groups except children. // Conclusions: While models produced consistent estimates for several outputs, there are areas of variability that should be investigated. This is important if projections are to be used in subsequent cost-effectiveness studies

Correlates of current menthol cigarette and flavored other tobacco product use among U.S. young adults

Flavored and menthol tobacco products are particularly appealing to young adults. However, little is known about factors associated with their use in this population