Organizational Climate and the Theory of Human Caring in Hospitals

Patient care in hospitals has become perfunctory, task focused, and void of a personalized human connection, which has become an area of concern among scholars since the 1970s. This experimental, post-test only, control-group study with a purposive patient and clinical staff sample explored the relationship between human caring and patient satisfaction; and the role of leadership in transforming the organizational culture in an long term acute care hospital (LTACH) setting implanting the Magnet initiatives.https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/archivedposters/1083/thumbnail.jp

Antigenic and immunogenic characterisation of avian reoviruses

The antigenic relationship of 9 avian reoviruses of Australian origin was investigated by comparing the protein migration patterns of immunoprecipitated isotopically-labelled infected cell lysates in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDSPAGE). Close agreement with previously reported neutralisation test results and the precipitation of the σC protein was obtained. The results suggested that the σC protein was the major neutralisation protein, that it confers type-specificity to avian reoviruses, and is analogous to the g σ1 protein of mammalian reoviruses. Nine selected avian reovirus isolates were assigned to 4 antigenic groups based upon precipitation of the σC protein. Reassortants were produced between the parent viruses with the ability to replicate in Vero cells and those that were unable to replicate in Vero cells. Of the 9 reassortants examined, 8 were able to grow in Vero cells. Two gene segments, M2 and SI always originated from the parent virus (RAM-1) able to grow in Vero cells and never from the parent virus unable to grow in Vero cells. These results suggested that either the M2 or the SI gene segments were associated with the ability of the reassortant viruses to replicate in Vero cells, although 4 other gene segments in all the parent reoviruses used exhibited a similar migration rate during SDS-PAGE and their possible role in the replication of virus in Vero cells could not be determined. Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the Vero cell-adapted RAM-1 strain of avian reovirus were induced for use as potential vaccine strains in Australia. During these experiments it was also determined that the parent RAM-1 strain already possessed ts characteristics. The virulence of one of the ts mutant (P20) selected for further study was compared to the parent virus and 2 other strains of avian reovirus. It was determined that both the parent RAM-1 virus and the ts mutant P20 had lower virulence for chickens than the 2 other strains of reovirus examined (724 and 1091) and that the virulence was dose-dependent. Multiple immunisation of chickens with the RAM-1 strain of virus resulted in the production of high titres of neutralising antibody to the homologous virus and to 2 other antigenically heterologous viruses (724 and 1091) with the passive transfer of these antibodies to progeny chickens via the egg yolk. Challenge experiments using high titred virus to induce tenosynovitis lesions showed that progeny chickens from hens immunised with the RAM-1 strain were protected against challenge with the homologous RAM-1 strain, were partially protected against challenge with the heterologous virus strain 724 but were not protected against challenge with the virus strain 1091. The results indicated that protection against avian reovirus infection in Australia would probably require the use of a polyvalent vaccine, and that selection of the appropriate vaccine strain should be based upon identification of the type-specific σC protein in isolates associated with disease

Tissue tropism of avian reoviruses is genetically determined

Two genome segments, M2 and S1, were preferentially selected in reassortants isolated in Vero cells. Analysis with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against RAM-1 strain showed that the 39-kDa protein encoded by the genome segment S1 contained epitopes involved in neutralisation of virus infecti vity for both Vero and chicken kidney (CK) cells. The 39-kDa protein appeared to have two major epitopes that are attachment sites for cell receptors, one interacting only with CK cell receptors and the other with both CK and Vero cell receptors but principally Vero cell receptors. These results suggest that the strain RAM-1 may have developed an epitope for Vero cell receptors owing to mutation in the S1 genome segment, but still retained the epitope responsible for infection of CK cells

Immune response to avian reovirus in chickens and protection against experimental infection

Objectives To assess the efficacy of the vaccination procedure and the effect of the transfer of maternal antibodies to progeny chickens on reovirus pathogenicity. Design To vaccinate chickens and challenge progeny chickens with high doses of homologous and heterologous viruses. Procedure High doses of reovirus strains RAM-1, 1091 and 724 were used to induce tenosynovitis lesions. High doses were produced by concentration of viruses grown in cell culture. Then similar doses of viruses were used to challenge immunised chickens progeny. Result Vaccination of breeding hens with the RAM-1 strain of avian reovirus, which resulted in the passive transfer of neutralising antibody to progeny chickens, completely prevented the development of tenosynovitis in 80% of progeny chickens infected with the homologous virus. Even though multiple injection of hens resulted in broadening of the normal type-specificity of the neutralising antibody response against heterologous serotypes of avian reovirus, only marginal protection against strains of two heterologous serotypes of avian reovirus was obtained. Conclusions A model for assessing the efficacy of vaccination against avian reovirus strains on clinical signs such as tenosynovitis was developed that overcome the normal low virulence of Australian strains of avian reovirus. Breeding hens can be immunised with Australian strain of avian reovirus with passive transfer of antibody via the yolk to the progeny chickens. Although the neutralising antibody response to three injections of inactivated virus decreased the specificity of the neutralising antibody response against antigenically heterologous strains of avian reovirus, the protective immunity appeared to retain type-specificity

Detection and subgrouping of respiratory syncytial virus directly from nasopharyngeal aspirates

OBJECTIVE: To develop a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assay to identify the subgroup of the infecting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) strain directly from nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs). METHODS: A total of 154 NPAs which were positive for RSV antigen by direct immunofluorescence were subjected to RT-PCR. The primers used were designed to give products for subgroup A and B which were of different sizes and easily visualized on agarose electrophoresis. The PCR products were further analyzed by restriction analysis using enzymes which were unique or rare cutters within the PCR amplimer. RESULTS: It was possible to confirm RSV infection in 70% of the NPA samples studied. Of these, 92.6% belonged to the A group, and only 7.4% to the B group. Within the A group, six subgroups were identified using restriction analysis, while all B-group samples were identical to the prototype B strain, 18537. CONCLUSION: RT-PCR performed on RNA isolated directly from NPAs provides a quick, easy-to-use, reasonably sensitive method to identify and group the infecting RSV strain.</p

Avian reovirus proteins associated with neutralization of virus infectivity

Monoclonal antibodies against two virion proteins of the RAM-1 strain of avian reovirus neutralized virus infectivity; antibody against a 124-kDa(λB) protein caused broadly specific neutralization and antibody against a 39-kDa (σC) protein caused neutralization of greater type-specificity. The neutralizing activity of the monoclonals also exhibited host cell specificity: antibodies against the λB protein inhibited virus infectivity in Vero cells and not chicken kidney cells; one monoclonal antibody against the σC protein neutralized virus in only chicken kidney cells, whereas two other monoclonals against the σC protein neutralized virus in both Vero and chicken kidney cells but had greater neutralizing activity in Vero cells

Association between the σC protein of avian reovirus and virus-induced fusion of cells

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against a 39 kDa (σC) protein of the avian reovirus RAM-1 strain inhibited virus-induced fusion of cells and the protein was expressed on the surface of infected cells. The fusion-inhibiting activity of the three MAbs reacting with the σC protein suggest two putative epitopes were involved: one epitope recognised by antibody 6H1 and involved in fusion of both Vero and CK cells and a second epitope recognised by antibody 1G1 involved in fusion of Vero cells but not CK cells. The activity of the MAb 6E2 was intermediate, suggesting it may have been located in an intermediate position between the two putative epitopes and inhibited fusion by steric hindrance

Sequence and structure relatedness of matrix protein of human respiratory syncytial virus with matrix proteins of other negative-sense RNA viruses

Matrix proteins of viruses within the order Mononegavirales have similar functions and play important roles in virus assembly. Protein sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree derivation, hydropathy profiles and secondary structure prediction were performed on selected matrix protein sequences, using human respiratory syncytial virus matrix protein as the reference. No general conservation of primary, secondary or tertiary structure was found, except for a broad similarity in the hydropathy pattern correlating with the fact that all the proteins studied are membrane-associated. Interestingly, the matrix proteins of Ebola virus and human respiratory syncytial virus shared secondary structure homology.</p