Unsuccessful In-Home Child Welfare Service Plans Following a Maltreatment Investigation: Racial and Ethnic Differences

Presents findings from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being on racial/ethnic differences in recurrent maltreatment and the probability of a recurrent report or placement into out-of-home care within thirty-six months of an investigation

Identification and characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster meiotic MCM complex

Meiotic recombination increases genetic diversity and aids the proper segregation of homologous chromosomes through the formation of crossovers. Since improper crossing over can lead to non-disjunction and aneuploidy, the formation of crossovers is highly regulated and their distribution is non-random across the genome. My research has investigated the molecular mechanisms by which meiotic recombination occurs and the pathways involved in regulating this recombination. Through the course of my studies, I have used a combination of genetic, biochemical and evolutionary biological techniques to identify a novel complex of meiotic mini-chromosome maintenance proteins (mei-MCMs) that is essential for proper meiotic recombination in Drosophila melanogaster. I have found that this complex promotes crossover formation by antagonizing the anti-crossover protein BLM. In this manner, the mei-MCMs fill the functional niche of Msh4-Msh5, a protein complex that is absent in Drosophila but is necessary for interfering crossover formation in other organisms. In addition, I have discovered a role for the mei-MCMs in the regulation of crossover formation. In particular, I have shown that the mei-MCMs affect the number and distribution of crossovers. Collectively, these findings have provided insight into the pathways utilized in the regulation and formation of meiotic crossovers and have uncovered new avenues for future research in the meiotic recombination field.Doctor of Philosoph

Discerning the spatio-temporal disease patterns of surgically induced OA mouse models

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of disability in ageing societies, with no effective therapies available to date. Two preclinical models are widely used to validate novel OA interventions (MCL-MM and DMM). Our aim is to discern disease dynamics in these models to provide a clear timeline in which various pathological changes occur. OA was surgically induced in mice by destabilisation of the medial meniscus. Analysis of OA progression revealed that the intensity and duration of chondrocyte loss and cartilage lesion formation were significantly different in MCL-MM vs DMM. Firstly, apoptosis was seen prior to week two and was narrowly restricted to the weight bearing area. Four weeks post injury the magnitude of apoptosis led to a 40–60% reduction of chondrocytes in the non-calcified zone. Secondly, the progression of cell loss preceded the structural changes of the cartilage spatio-temporally. Lastly, while proteoglycan loss was similar in both models, collagen type II degradation only occurred more prominently in MCL-MM. Dynamics of chondrocyte loss and lesion formation in preclinical models has important implications for validating new therapeutic strategies. Our work could be helpful in assessing the feasibility and expected response of the DMM- and the MCL-MM models to chondrocyte mediated therapies

Project LAUNCH: System Transformation Evaluation Final Report

This baseline report presents the evaluation of Missouri’s Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). Project LAUNCH was a 5 year federal initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The initiative promoted health and well-being for children from birth to age 8 by creating a more integrated early childhood service system throughout Missouri.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1029/thumbnail.jp

The Stark Implications of Abolishing Child Welfare: An Alternative Path Toward Support and Safety

Scholars and advocates are at odds about how to achieve higher levels of child safety and permanency. Calls for change include the recent upEND focus on eradication of child welfare services to a radical refocusing of the present system towards prevention/early intervention. To clarify the implications of reform over abolition, we seek to portray a future in which the abolition of child welfare has occurred, in juxtaposition to maintaining four core elements of established child maltreatment programmes around the world: (1) receiving and responding to community signals about the risk to children; (2) assessment of need coupled with a proportionate response; (3) rights protections to ensure fairness when placement outside the family is required; and (4) procedures for accountability and quality improvement. For each of these functions, we outline abolitionist advocates\u27 positions and implications for children and parents. Across these elements, we delineate how assigning these responsibilities to communities, as suggested by upEND, would likely (1) exaggerate racial and economic inequities and (2) create structural barriers that would increase harm to children. We suggest several evidence-informed enhancements to practice, research and policy that would mitigate these inequities while also increasing safety and permanency

Project LAUNCH: System Transformation Evaluation Final Report

This final report presents the evaluation of Missouri’s Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health). Project LAUNCH was a 5 year federal initiative funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The initiative promoted health and well-being for children from birth to age 8 by creating a more integrated early childhood service system throughout Missouri.https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cphss/1103/thumbnail.jp

A mixed methods multiple case study of implementation as usual in children’s social service organizations: study protocol

Background Improving quality in children’s mental health and social service settings will require implementation strategies capable of moving effective treatments and other innovations (e.g., assessment tools) into routine care. It is likely that efforts to identify, develop, and refine implementation strategies will be more successful if they are informed by relevant stakeholders and are responsive to the strengths and limitations of the contexts and implementation processes identified in usual care settings. This study will describe: the types of implementation strategies used; how organizational leaders make decisions about what to implement and how to approach the implementation process; organizational stakeholders’ perceptions of different implementation strategies; and the potential influence of organizational culture and climate on implementation strategy selection, implementation decision-making, and stakeholders’ perceptions of implementation strategies. Methods/design This study is a mixed methods multiple case study of seven children’s social service organizations in one Midwestern city in the United States that compose the control group of a larger randomized controlled trial. Qualitative data will include semi-structured interviews with organizational leaders (e.g., CEOs/directors, clinical directors, program managers) and a review of documents (e.g., implementation and quality improvement plans, program manuals, etc.) that will shed light on implementation decision-making and specific implementation strategies that are used to implement new programs and practices. Additionally, focus groups with clinicians will explore their perceptions of a range of implementation strategies. This qualitative work will inform the development of a Web-based survey that will assess the perceived effectiveness, relative importance, acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness of implementation strategies from the perspective of both clinicians and organizational leaders. Finally, the Organizational Social Context measure will be used to assess organizational culture and climate. Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods data will be analyzed and interpreted at the case level as well as across cases in order to highlight meaningful similarities, differences, and site-specific experiences. Discussion This study is designed to inform efforts to develop more effective implementation strategies by fully describing the implementation experiences of a sample of community-based organizations that provide mental health services to youth in one Midwestern city

Rezensionen

BIAŁEK, EDWARD / SZMORHUN, ARLETTA / ZYMOMRYA, IWAN (eds.) (2013): Konstrukte und Dekonstruktionen. Aufsätze und Skizzen zur österreichischen Literatur. Dresden/Drohobycz: Neisse Verlag. 499 S. Cieślak, Renate / Fromholzer, Franz / Harzer, Friedmann / Sidowska, Karolina (eds.) (2013): Polnisch-deutsche Duette. Interkulturelle Begegnungen in Literatur, Film, Journalismus (1990- 2012). Dresden: Neisse Verlag. 320 S. CORNEJO, RENATA / PIONTEK, SŁAWOMIR / SELLMER, IZABELA / VLASTA, SANDRA (eds.) (2014): Wie viele Sprachen spricht die Literatur? Deutschsprachige Gegenwartsliteratur aus Mittel- und Osteuropa. Wien: Praesens Verlag. 226 S. KRYSZTOFIAK, MARIA (2013): Einführung in die Übersetzungskultur. Frankfurt (M.)/Berlin/Bern u. a.: Peter Lang Verlag (=Studien zur Germanistik, Skandinavistik und Übersetzungskultur 11). 208 S. KWIECIŃSKA, GRAŻYNA (ed.) (2013): Die Dialektik des Geheimnisses. Frankfurt (M.)/Berlin/Bern u. a.: Peter Lang Verlag. 217 S. SOWA, MARZENA / SAVOIA, SYLVAIN (2011): Marzi. 1984-1987. Stuttgart: Panini Comics. 224 S

Factors influencing the reliability of intraoperative testing in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease

Background Several meta-analyses comparing the outcome of awake versus asleep deep brain stimulation procedures could not reveal significant differences concerning the postoperative improvement of motor symptoms. Only rarely information on the procedural details is provided for awake operations and how often somnolence and disorientation occurred, which might hamper the reliability of intraoperative clinical testing. The aim of our study was to investigate possible influencing factors on the occurrence of somnolence and disorientation in awake DBS procedures. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 122 patients with Parkinson's disease having received implantation of a DBS system at our centre. Correlation analyses were performed for the duration of disease prior to surgery, number of microelectrode trajectories, AC-PC-coordinates of the planned target, UPDRS-scores, intraoperative application of sedative drugs, duration of the surgical procedure, perioperative application of apomorphine, and the preoperative L-DOPA equivalence dosage with the occurrence of intraoperative somnolence and disorientation. Results Patients with intraoperative somnolence were significantly older (p=0.039). Increased duration of the DBS procedure (p=0.020), delayed start of the surgery (p=0.049), higher number of MER trajectories (p=0.041), and the patients’ % UPDRS improvement (p=0.046) also correlated with the incidence of intraoperative somnolence. We identified the main contributing factor to intraoperative somnolence as the use of sedative drugs applied during skin incision and burr hole trepanation (p=0.019). Perioperatively applied apomorphine could reduce the occurrence of somnolent phases during the operation (p=0.026). Conclusion Several influencing factors were found to seemingly increase the risk of intraoperative somnolence and disorientation, while the use of sedative drugs seems to be the main contributing factor. We argue that awake DBS procedures should omit the use of sedatives for best clinical outcome. When reporting on awake DBS surgery these factors should be considered and adjusted for, to permit reliable interpretation and comparison of DBS study results