Clinical study of canine tear lacritin as a treatment for dry eye

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), the deficiency of tears also known as dry eye, is a prevalent disease that affects both humans and canines. The current treatment for dye eye, cyclosporine (Restatis®), only provides temporary relief, is often associated with discomfort and is inconsistently effective. Lacritin is a naturally occurring tear glycoprotein secreted from the human and canine lacrimal glands. It has been shown that lacritin stimulates basal tearing in rabbits when applied topically. This study characterized the amount and form of lacritin found in the tears of dogs with healthy and dry eyes—information which may be applied to the development of a lacritin-inspired therapeutic for humans and canines. In collaboration with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinarian Medicine, tear samples were collected from dogs being treated at the veterinary clinic and transported to JMU for analysis. At JMU, the lacritin and other proteins found in the canine tears were analyzed by indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), SDS-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and western blot. A total of 64 tear samples were analyzed with 32 samples from healthy dogs and 32 samples from dogs clinically diagnosed with dry eye. ELISA revealed that canines with KCS had a significant decrease in tear lacritin. Western blot analysis detected prominent bands in healthy tears at approximately 18 kDa (corresponding to monomeric canine lacritin) that were absent or faintly observed in tears from dry eye dogs. This study provides clinical data reinforces the hypothesis that lacritin replacement may be an effective therapeutic for dry eye

Wingardium Leviosa : Elevating the Minds of a Younger Generation through Pop Culture

https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/student_scholarship_posters/1051/thumbnail.jp

Effectiveness of Seasonal Influenza Vaccine against Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus, Australia, 2010

To estimate effectiveness of seasonal trivalent and monovalent influenza vaccines against pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus, we conducted a test-negative case–control study in Victoria, Australia, in 2010. Patients seen for influenza-like illness by general practitioners in a sentinel surveillance network during 2010 were tested for influenza; vaccination status was recorded. Case-patients had positive PCRs for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus, and controls had negative influenza test results. Of 319 eligible patients, test results for 139 (44%) were pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus positive. Adjusted effectiveness of seasonal vaccine against pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus was 79% (95% confidence interval 33%–93%); effectiveness of monovalent vaccine was 47% and not statistically significant. Vaccine effectiveness was higher among adults. Despite some limitations, this study indicates that the first seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine to include the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus strain provided significant protection against laboratory-confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection

Developing an organizing framework to guide nursing research in the Children’s Oncology Group (COG)

Objectives To describe the development and application of an organizing research framework to guide COG Nursing research. Data Sources Research articles, reports and meeting minutes Conclusion An organizing research framework helps to outline research focus and articulate the scientific knowledge being produced by nurses in the pediatric cooperative group. Implication for Nursing Practice The use of an organizing framework for COG nursing research can facilitate clinical nurses’ understanding of how children and families sustain or regain optimal health when faced with a pediatric cancer diagnosis through interventions designed to promote individual and family resilience., The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) is the sole National Cancer Institute (NCI)-supported cooperative pediatric oncology clinical trials group and the largest organization in the world devoted exclusively to pediatric cancer research. It was founded in 2000 following the merger of the four legacy NCI-supported pediatric clinical trials groups (Children’s Cancer Group [CCG], Pediatric Oncology Group [POG], National Wilms Tumor Study Group, and Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group). The COG currently has over 200 member institutions across North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe and a multidisciplinary membership of over 8,000 pediatric, radiation, and surgical oncologists, nurses, clinical research associates, pharmacists, behavioral scientists, pathologists, laboratory scientists, patient/parent advocates and other pediatric cancer specialists. The COG Nursing Discipline was formed from the merger of the legacy CCG and POG Nursing Committees, and current membership exceeds 2000 registered nurses. The discipline has a well-developed infrastructure that promotes nursing involvement throughout all levels of the organization, including representation on disease, protocol, scientific, executive and other administrative committees (e.g., nominating committee, data safety monitoring boards). COG nurses facilitate delivery of protocol-based treatments for children enrolled on COG protocols, and Nursing Discipline initiatives support nursing research, professional and patient/family education, evidence-based practice, and a patient-reported outcomes resource center. The research agenda of the Nursing Discipline is enacted through a well-established nursing scholar program

The Texas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution: A Model for the Delivery of Earth Science Professional Development to Minority-Serving Teachers

At the time of publication K.K. Ellins, E. Snow, H.C. Olson, M. Willis, and J. Olson were at the University of Texas Austin, E. Stocks and M.R. Odell were at the University of Texas at Tyler.The Texas Earth and Space Science (TXESS) Revolution was a 5-y teacher professional development project that aimed to increase teachers' content knowledge in Earth science and preparing them to teach a 12th-grade capstone Earth and Space Science course, which is new to the Texas curriculum. The National Science Foundation–supported project was designed around six principles that proved to be critical to in its success: (1) model best practices in workshop presentations, (2) use authentic Earth science data and cybertechnology to teach up-to-date content, (3) provide ongoing training to cohorts of learners over a 2-y period, (4) involve geoscience consortia and programs that can provide proven content for classrooms, (5) use ongoing evaluations to guide future workshops, and (6) provide opportunities for leadership development through participation in research and curriculum development projects. The project served 177 science teachers by supporting them with the pedagogical, technological, and scientific tools to teach modern geoscience. TXESS Revolution teachers directly impacted more than 29,000 students, of which about 69% are nonwhite, by exposing students in Texas to the geosciences and planting the seeds for them to pursue geoscience as a field of study. Using a train-the-trainer approach, TXESS Revolution teachers shared their professional development with other Texas teachers, strengthening Earth science education at all K–12 levels throughout the state, an impact that extends beyond preparation in Earth and space science.Petroleum and Geosystems Engineerin

Next-generation sequencing and microarray-based interrogation of microRNAs from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue: Preliminary assessment of cross-platform concordance

AbstractNext-generation sequencing is increasingly employed in biomedical investigations. Strong concordance between microarray and mRNA-seq levels has been reported in high quality specimens but information is lacking on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, and particularly for microRNA (miRNA) analysis. We conducted a preliminary examination of the concordance between miRNA-seq and cDNA-mediated annealing, selection, extension, and ligation (DASL) miRNA assays. Quantitative agreement between platforms is moderate (Spearman correlation 0.514–0.596) and there is discordance of detection calls on a subset of miRNAs. Quantitative PCR (q-RT-PCR) performed for several discordant miRNAs confirmed the presence of most sequences detected by miRNA-seq but not by DASL but also that miRNA-seq did not detect some sequences, which DASL confidently detected. Our results suggest that miRNA-seq is specific, with few false positive calls, but it may not detect certain abundant miRNAs in FFPE tissue. Further work is necessary to fully address these issues that are pertinent for translational research

Promoting Literacy in a Virtual World: Success Stories of Two University Student Clubs

The Student Education Association and Kappa Delta Pi at Governors State University has a main goal this semester, which is to promote literacy in a virtual world. The purpose of this is to help all young individuals become strong readers. Our organization was fortunate enough to receive a grant from the National Education Association (NEA) that allowed us to purchase children’s books, invite guest speakers, and create workshops about varying social issues. This was in collaboration with a local library. Some of the social issues that were highlighted in our workshops are community and activism, women’s rights, and identity. We will also be hosting workshops about animals and the environment in April. Each library workshop had a guest speaker that read the book to all the students and their families. In addition to that, our SEA leaders facilitated activities that helped engage the students with the content of the book. Along with the library workshops, SEA and KDP leaders as well as faculty advisors have been hosting virtual read alouds live on our Facebook page each month. Each month had a selection of 9- 11 books about a specific topic. Starting in February and in honor of Black History Month, leaders and advisors read books about African- American figures. In March, two sets of virtual read alouds were read to the students. Throughout the whole month, leaders and advisors have been reading books about women leaders in honor of Women\u27s History Month. In addition to that, 11 read alouds were hosted on March 2nd in honor of National Read Across America Day. In April, our read- alouds theme will be about animals and the environment

A pharmacist-driven academic detailing program to increase adult pneumococcal vaccination

Objectives To describe our statewide, pharmacist-led education campaign to increase knowledge and awareness of pneumococcal immunization recommendations. Setting Immunization providers and residents in the state of Rhode Island. Practice description A clinical pathway (i.e., decision-support tool) was developed to educate health professionals about appropriate indications, administration schedules, and frequently asked questions for the 2 different adult pneumococcal vaccines. Academic detailing and distribution of the clinical pathway to health professionals was conducted across Rhode Island. Community outreach activities included radio ads as well as distribution of patient handouts and wallet cards at community events. Practice innovation To our knowledge, this was the first statewide, pharmacist-driven academic detailing and community outreach campaign to promote adult pneumococcal vaccination. Evaluation Academically detailed immunization providers received a 6-question survey. Pneumococcal disease rate differences between the study periods were evaluated with the use of Fisher exact tests, whereas changes in vaccination were assessed with the use of chi-square tests. Results From November 2013 through July 2015, our academic detailers visited and distributed our vaccination pathway materials to more than 400 practice sites across Rhode Island, including 68% of community pharmacies and all adult acute care hospitals. Of the 413 surveys completed, 92% of respondents agreed that their knowledge of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, 13-valent and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, 23-valent had improved. Pneumococcal vaccination increased significantly (absolute difference 3.9%, percentage change in proportion 5.4%; P = 0.01), and pneumococcal disease decreased significantly between the preintervention and intervention periods (−2.74/10,000 discharges [95% CI −5.15 to −0.32], P = 0.02). Invasive pneumococcal disease decreased by 21 cases per 1,000,000 population per year between the preintervention and postintervention periods (−42.25 to 0.14, P = 0.05). Conclusion Our statewide, pharmacist-driven pneumococcal vaccination educational outreach program resulted in favorable provider feedback relative to knowledge change and perceptions. Vaccination increased and pneumococcal disease decreased during the study period