Notes on Recent Cases

Notes on recent cases by Wm. Lee O\u27Malley, T. J. O\u27Neal, James A. Allan, L. A. O\u27Connor, Kenneth Konop, and Austin Gildea

The Effects of Acute and Chronic Hypoxia on Cortisol, Glucose and Lactate Concentrations in Different Populations of Three-Spined Stickleback

The response of individuals from three different populations of three-spined sticklebacks to acute and chronic periods of hypoxia (4.4 kPa DO, 2.2 mg l-1) were tested using measures of whole-body (WB) cortisol, glucose and lactate. Although there was no evidence of a neuroendocrine stress response to acute hypoxia, fish from the population least likely to experience hypoxia in their native habitat had the largest response to low oxygen, with significant evidence of anaerobic glycolysis after two hours of hypoxia. However, there was no measurable effect of a more prolonged period (seven days) of hypoxia on any of the fish in this study, suggesting that they acclimated to this low level of oxygen over time. Between-population differences in the analytes tested were observed in the control fish of the acute hypoxia trial, which had been in the laboratory for 16 days. However, these differences were not apparent among the control fish in the chronic exposure groups that had been held in the laboratory for 23 days suggesting that these site-specific trends in physiological status were acclimatory. Overall, the results of this study suggest that local environmental conditions may shape sticklebacks’ general physiological profile as well as influencing their response to hypoxia

Notes on Recent Cases

Notes on recent cases by L. A. O\u27Connor, Norman J. Hartzer, Joseph P. Guadnola, T. J. O\u27Neil, Kenneth Konop, and James E. Keating

Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge of Special Education Laws

As more and more children are being identified as needing special services, all teachers need to know special education laws. One hundred and thirty-eight preservice teachers answered an online survey about their knowledge and confidence level of IDEA and Section 504. Our participants, on average, did not have accurate knowledge of IDEA or Section 504 laws (overall IDEA X = 42%; 504 X = 40%). Having coursework related to IDEA and Section 504 laws did increase participants’ scores, regardless of whether they were majoring in a special education related degree or not. However, their scores were still low, basically at chance level. Having coursework related to IDEA and Section 504 laws also increased participants’ confidence in their scores. Except for participants who had not taken a class with Section 504 information, participants’ confidence levels were also associated with their scores. The qualitative data showed that the majority of the relevant responses were from participants who had had coursework on special education laws. Overall, the results showed a general lack of knowledge about specific details of these special education laws

Victimization and Psychological Wellbeing among Sexual and Gender Minority Emerging Adults: Testing the Moderating Role of Emotional Comfort from Companion Animals

Introduction: Human-animal interaction science is a growing field, largely due to the potential psychosocial benefits companion animals provide to humans. One way companion animals may influence psychosocial outcomes is through their ability to provide emotional comfort, though few studies have examined relationships between sexual and gender minority stressors (i.e. discrimination, victimization, rejection), human-animal interaction, and psychological wellbeing. To address this gap in the literature, the current study evaluates whether, and to what extent, the association between gender-based victimization and psychological wellbeing (i.e., anxiety, depression, self-esteem) varies as a function of emotional comfort from companion animals among emerging adults. Methods: Data were collected from young people between the ages of 18 and 21 years who self-identified as a sexual and/or gender minority (N = 134; 37.3% ethnic/racial minority; 49.2% gender minority; 98.5% sexual minority). We conducted three simple moderation analyses that examined whether, and to what extent, gender-based victimization was associated with mental health (i.e., anxiety, depression, self-esteem) as a function of comfort from companion animals. Additive multiple moderation models were also conducted to examine comfort from companion animals and social support as moderators between victimization and each psychological wellbeing indicator. Results: Results of the simple moderation models suggest that the effect of gender-based victimization on self-esteem was moderated by comfort from companion animals (ΔR2 = .03, F(1, 125) = 4.66, β = .22, t(125) = 2.16, p = .03) and that the relationship is statistically significant only at low levels of comfort from companion animals (β = -0.38, t = -2.41, p = .02). Further, our additive multiple moderation model with both comfort from companion animals and social support as moderators of the relation between victimization and self-esteem found that victimization was significantly moderated by comfort from animals (ΔR2 = .03, F(1, 123) = 5.38, β = .24, t(123) = 2.32, p = .02), but not social support. The relation between victimization and self-esteem was significant and negative at low levels of comfort from companion animals, but only for those with high levels of social support (β = -0.43, t = -2.65, p \u3c .01). In contrast, when high levels of comfort from companion animals were reported, the effect of victimization on self-esteem was no longer statistically significant, regardless of whether social support was low or high. We did not find evidence of moderation in models with either anxiety or depression as the dependent variable. Conclusion: These results suggest that high levels of comfort from companion animals may be a protective factor against the harmful effects of victimization on self-esteem. However, our results suggest that comfort from companion animals may not provide the same benefits for anxiety and depression. Further research is needed to replicate our results and to elucidate whether other aspects of HAI, such as attachment to pets or caretaking for pets, may play a role in associations between victimization and anxiety and depression. Given the harmful effects of gender-based victimization and other stressful circumstances that LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately at risk of experiencing (i.e., employment issues, housing insecurity), this study highlights the importance of exploring how, and for whom, comfort from companion animals and other aspects of HAI may provide protective benefits.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1145/thumbnail.jp

Effect of Applied Biosolids to Bahiagrass Pastures on Copper Status of Cattle

When grazing ruminants consume forages high in Mo but adequate in S, there is a risk of molybdenosis (a Mo-induced Cu deficiency). This occurs when Mo, S, and Cu join to form Cu-thiomolybdate complexes in the rumen that are not readily absorbed (Suttle, 1991). High dietary S reduces Cu absorption, possibly due to unabsorbable Cu sulphide formation, independent from its part in thiomolybdate complexes. The use of municipal sludge (biosolids) as a pasture fertiliser is of interest since some contain high Mo which may induce Cu deficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and Cu status of cattle grazing pastures fertilized with biosolids

Strong partnerships make good partners: Insights about physician-hospital relationships from a study of physician executives

While physicians are likely to respond favorably in concept to hospital-based disease management and other clinical programs, they are less likely to accept their structural and functional characteristics. Because of their role at the hospital-physician interface, hospital physician executives are often tasked with implementing such programs. Given the challenges involved, a deeper understanding of the role of these executives in building the hospital-physician relationship will therefore be an important contribution. To this end, we surveyed senior physician executives at hospitals and health systems (n = 326), to assess their view of the hospital-physician relationship at their institutions, focusing especially on the role of medical staff cohesion. This article presents several of our key findings, in particular that (1) many physician executives identified their medical staff as having relatively low cohesion and (2) the perceived level of medical staff cohesion correlated strongly with the level of physician support for organizational priorities, the degree of constructive physician involvement, and success in improving the physician-hospital relationship. In light of these findings, we conclude by offering concrete recommendations for physician executives and others seeking to build medical staff cohesion in the service of clinical improvement

The Moderating Effect of Comfort from Companion Animals and Social Support on the Relationship between Microaggressions and Mental Health in LGBTQ+ Emerging Adults

Introduction: Sexual and/or gender minority (SGM; e.g., lesbian, transgender, nonbinary, LGBTQ+) individuals are frequently exposed to various forms of minority stress that impact their mental health and wellbeing. Microaggressions, a form of minority stress, are defined as unconscious behaviors or statements directed at members of marginalized groups that reflect a hostile or discriminatory message. Microaggressions have been associated with several detrimental outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. Social support has been found to be an important protective factor for SGM emerging adults. Additionally, relationships with companion animals are an underexplored source of support that may be important for SGM individuals. This study aims to explore whether, and to what extent, social support from humans and comfort from companion animals moderates the relationship between SGM-related microaggressions and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Methods: We partnered with five community organizations to recruit our sample, which consisted of 134 SGM emerging adults between the ages of 18 and 21 (Mage = 19.31). Approximately 98.5% of our sample identified with a sexual minority identity, 49.5% identified with a gender minority identity, and 37.3% identified as a racial/ethnic minority. All participants had lived with a companion animal within the past year, with the majority of participants living with a dog and/or a cat. We conducted eight simple moderation analyses to explore whether, and to what extent, comfort from companion animals and human social support individually moderated the relationship between two forms of microaggressions (i.e., interpersonal, environmental) and anxiety and depressive symptoms. Further, we ran four additive moderation analyses to investigate whether comfort from companion animals and social support from humans moderated the relationship between each form of microaggressions and mental health symptoms, when the other moderator was held constant. Results: The results of our simple moderation analyses indicated that social support moderated the relationship between both forms of microaggressions and depressive symptoms (interpersonal: ΔR2 = 0.03, F(1, 125) = 4.74, ꞵ = -0.17, t(125) = -2.18, p = .03; environmental: ΔR2 = 0.02, F(1, 124) = 3.93, ꞵ = -0.19, t(124) = -1.98, p = .05). Our findings suggest that social support acted as a protective factor, because the relationship between exposure to microaggressions and depressive symptoms was not significant when participants reported high levels of social support. Comfort from companion animals also moderated the relationship between interpersonal microaggressions and depressive symptoms (ΔR2 = 0.03, F(1, 125) = 4.78, ꞵ = 0.18, t(125) = 2.19, p = .03). However, comfort from companion animals seemed to exacerbate the association between interpersonal microaggressions and depressive symptoms, as there was a positive and significant relationship between these two variables when participants reported medium or high levels of comfort from companion animals. The results of the additive moderation analyses found that the relationship between exposure to microaggressions and depressive symptoms was positive and significant when social support was low or medium and comfort from companion animals was high or medium. However, when social support was high, the relationship was no longer significant, regardless of the level of comfort from companion animals. Discussion: Our results suggest that social support from humans may be a key protective factor that buffers the relationship between microaggressions and depressive symptoms. Further, these findings also highlight the need to continue investigating the complex role of relationships with companion animals on mental health outcomes for SGM emerging adults. In particular, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the direction of these relationships, as we are unable to make causal inferences with this cross-sectional study. The results from this study have important implications for future research in this area and practice with SGM populations.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1142/thumbnail.jp

The impact of mining and mining exploration on range resources and pastoral pursuits in the Pilbara, Gascoyne, Murchison and Goldfields regions of Western Australia

Mining activity occurs very widely over relatively small areas of the rangelands. However, it is an intense landuse which can create significant offsite effects. Mining activity is most common around metamorphic \u27greenstone\u27 belts and broad drainages. Pastoralists reported both benefits and adverse affects as a consequence of mining activity. The main grievances related to unnecessary and excessive disturbance of pastoral land and the failure of operators to inform the pastoralist of their intentions

Phase Ib/II Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Combination Therapy with Multikinase VEGF Inhibitor Pazopanib and MEK Inhibitor Trametinib In Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcoma.

Purpose: Pazopanib, a multireceptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting primarily VEGFRs1–3, is approved for advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) and renal cell cancer. Downstream of VEGFR, trametinib is an FDA-approved MEK inhibitor used for melanoma. We hypothesized that vertical pathway inhibition using trametinib would synergize with pazopanib in advanced STS. Experimental Design: In an open-label, multicenter, investigator-initiated National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-sponsored trial, patients with metastatic or advanced STS received pazopanib 800 mg and 2 mg of trametinib continuously for 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was 4-month progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints were overall survival, response rate, and disease control rate. Results: Twenty-five patients were enrolled. The median age was 49 years (range, 22–77 years) and 52% were male. Median PFS was 2.27 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.9–3.9], and the 4-month PFS rate was 21.1% (95% CI, 9.7–45.9), which was not an improvement over the hypothesized null 4-month PFS rate of 28.3% (P ¼ 0.79). Median overall survival was 9.0 months (95% CI, 5.7–17.7). A partial response occurred in 2 (8%) of the evaluable patients (95% CI, 1.0–26.0), one with PIK3CA E542K-mutant embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and another with spindle cell sarcoma. The disease control rate was 14/25 (56%; 95% CI, 34.9–75.6). The most common adverse events were diarrhea (84%), nausea (64%), and fatigue (56%). Conclusions: The combination of pazopanib and trametinib was tolerable without indication of added activity of the combination in STS. Further study may be warranted in RAS/RAF aberrant sarcomas. ©2017 AACR