Using Liminality to Understand How Identity and Temporary Status Influence Interns’ Vulnerability

Viewing internships as a transitionary stage (i.e., a liminal space) where interns are shedding their student identity and developing their professional identity provides a useful lens for understanding the experiences of interns and holds implications for social and economic justice. As interns adapt to the temporary and transitionary space of the internship they experience powerlessness, ambiguity, and, in many cases exploitation, sexual harassment, and abuse. The stress and precarity of this status are compounded for interns from marginalized or underrepresented groups that must also conform to the (typically white male and middle class) hegemony of the workplace, all of which can impact their response to poor treatment during the internship and the development of their professional identity

Unballanced performance of parallel connected large format lithium ion batteries for electric vehicle application

The integration of cells that exhibit differing electrical characteristics, such as variations in energy capacity and internal resistance can degrade the overall performance of the energy storage system (ESS) when those cells are aggregated into single battery pack. When cells are connected electrically in parallel, such variations can lead to significant individual differences in battery load current, state of charge (SOC) and heat generation. Further, if consideration is given to small variations in cell interconnection resistance, the detrimental effect on load imbalance is amplified. Given that cell resistance is known to be a function of both SOC and temperature, the impact of the imbalance is compounded as the performance of cells further diverge under load. During extended periods of excitation, variations in cell depth of discharge (DOD) and the occurrence of temperature gradients across the parallel connection will accelerate cell ageing and, if unmanaged, may present safety concerns such as the onset of thermal runaway. In this paper the impact of varied SOC and temperature on the overall performance of the ESS with parallel connected cells has been investigated. The results highlight that 8% variation in the initial SOC can result in a current difference of 62% among the cells, while a temperature variation of 8℃ results in a current deviation of 14%. Moreover, it was found that the interconnection resistance can significantly increase the inhomogeneity

Diaper dermatitis prevalence and severity : global perspective on the impact of caregiver behavior

Objectives To compare prevalence and severity of diaper dermatitis (DD) in infants and toddlers (babies) across three countries (China, USA, and Germany), including diapered skin measures and caregiver practices. Methods A cross‐sectional study of 1791 babies (~600 from each country) was recruited at each clinical site. Based on regional toilet‐training habits, exclusively diaper‐wearing infants were recruited between ages 2‐8 months in China and 2‐18 months in the USA and Germany. DD was measured, as well as skin pH, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and relative humidity (RH) in the diapered region. Caregiver habits were collected via a questionnaire and included information on hygienic practices. Results Diaper dermatitis was highest in the perianal area, followed by the intertriginous, genital, and buttock regions. In general, DD was significantly lower in babies in China, highest in Germany, and intermediate in the USA. This rank ordering of DD by geography was also observed in baby age 2‐8 months. The lower DD observed in China was associated with lower skin pH and TEWL on diapered skin and decreased RH in the diaper. Chinese caregivers had the highest rate of prophylactic topical product usage, the most robust cleaning of the diapered area, lack of cleansing after urine‐only diaper changes, and Chinese infants spent the least time in an overnight diaper. Conclusions These data suggest caregiver behaviors including prophylactic use of topical products, thorough cleaning after stooling and reduced time in an overnight diaper are associated with less DD, lower superficial skin pH, and enhanced skin barrier

Mortalidad por cardiopatías congénitas en el menor de un año

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal con el objetivo de caracterizar la mortalidad por cardiopatías congénitas en el menor de un año en el servicio de neonatología del Hospital General Docente “Dr. Agostinho Neto” y el Hospital “Pedro A. Pérez”, en el período enero 1995-diciembre 2000. El universo estuvo constituido por los 57 niños menores de un año que fallecieron por la enfermedad durante el período de estudio. Se revisaron las historias clínicas de los pacientes y se procesaron los datos mediante el programa EPI INFO 6. Se determinaron las tasas de mortalidad proporcionada y la tendencia de la enfermedad. Se analizaron las variables: edad, sexo, peso al nacer, forma de presentación, tipo de cardiopatías, enfermedades asociadas. Se evidenció la mayor tasa de mortalidad proporcionada durante el año 1996, la tendencia fue descendente en el período. El mayor porcentaje de los fallecidos fue de menores de 7 días, del sexo femenino, de más de 2500 gramos de peso al nacer. La forma de presentación más común fue las asociadas y el tipo más frecuente, las cianóticas, entre las cuales predominó la transposición de grandes vasos. La desnutrición proteico–energética y las enfermedades genéticas fueron las principales enfermedades asociadas

Stress-induced dynamic regulation of mitochondrial STAT3 and its association with cyclophilin D reduces mitochondrial ROS production

Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) has been tied to various physiological and pathological functions, mainly as a transcription factor that translocates to the nucleus upon tyrosine phosphorylation induced by cytokine stimulation. In addition, a small pool of STAT3 resides in the mitochondria where it serves as a sensor for various metabolic stressors including reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondrially-localized STAT3 largely exerts its effects through direct or indirect regulation of the activity of the electron transport chain (ETC). It has been assumed that STAT3 amounts in the mitochondria are static. We showed that various stimuli, including oxidative stress and cytokines, triggered a signaling cascade that resulted in a rapid loss of mitochondrially-localized STAT3. Recovery of the mitochondrial pool of STAT3 over time depended upon phosphorylation of Ser727 in STAT3 and new protein synthesis. Under these conditions, mitochondrially-localized STAT3 also became competent to bind to cyclophilin D (CypD). Binding of STAT3 to CypD was mediated by the N-terminus of STAT3, which was also important for reducing mitochondrial ROS production after oxidative stress. These results outline a role for mitochondrially-localized STAT3 in sensing and responding to external stimuli

“Ten Commandments” for the Appropriate use of Antibiotics by the Practicing Physician in an Outpatient Setting

A multi-national working group on antibiotic stewardship, from the International Society of Chemotherapy, put together ten recommendations to physicians prescribing antibiotics to outpatients. These recommendations are: (1) use antibiotics only when needed; teach the patient how to manage symptoms of non-bacterial infections; (2) select the adequate ATB; precise targeting is better than shotgun therapy; (3) consider pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics when selecting an ATB; use the shortest ATB course that has proven clinical efficacy; (4) encourage patients’ compliance; (5) use antibiotic combinations only in specific situations; (6) avoid low quality and sub-standard drugs; prevent prescription changes at the drugstore; (7) discourage self-prescription; (8) follow only evidence-based guidelines; beware those sponsored by drug companies; (9) rely (rationally) upon the clinical microbiology lab; and (10) prescribe ATB empirically – but intelligently; know local susceptibility trends, and also surveillance limitations

Stress-induced decreases in local cerebral glucose utilization in specific regions of the mouse brain

BACKGROUND: Restraint stress in rodents has been reported to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and to increase c-fos expression in regions that express components of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system. We have previously reported that acute central administration of CRF increased a measure of relative local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU), a measure of neuronal activity in specific brain regions, and activated the HPA axis in mice. It was hypothesized that the involvement of the CRF system in the stress response would lead to similar changes in relative LCGU after restraint stress. In the present studies the effect of restraint stress on relative LCGU and on the HPA axis in C57BL/6N mice were examined. FINDINGS: Restraint stress activated the HPA axis in a restraint-duration dependent manner, but in contrast to the reported effects of CRF, significantly decreased relative LCGU in frontal cortical, thalamic, hippocampal and temporal dissected regions. These findings support evidence that stressors enforcing limited physical activity reduce relative LCGU, in contrast to high activity stressors such as swim stress. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the present studies do not support the hypothesis that stress-induced changes in relative LCGU are largely mediated by the CRF system. Further studies will help to delineate the role of the CRF system in the early phases of the relative LCGU response to stress and investigate the role of other neurotransmitter systems in this response

Inactivity of Peptidase ClpP Causes Primary Accumulation of Mitochondrial Disaggregase ClpX with Its Interacting Nucleoid Proteins, and of mtDNA

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-11-25, pub-electronic 2021-11-29Publication status: PublishedFunder: German Network for Mitochondrial Disorders; Grant(s): mitoNET, 01GM1906D, R01HL148153Funder: Action Medical Research; Grant(s): GN2494Funder: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health; Grant(s): W81XWH-17-1-0052, W81XWH-20-1-0150Biallelic pathogenic variants in CLPP, encoding mitochondrial matrix peptidase ClpP, cause a rare autosomal recessive condition, Perrault syndrome type 3 (PRLTS3). It is characterized by primary ovarian insufficiency and early sensorineural hearing loss, often associated with progressive neurological deficits. Mouse models showed that accumulations of (i) its main protein interactor, the substrate-selecting AAA+ ATPase ClpX, (ii) mitoribosomes, and (iii) mtDNA nucleoids are the main cellular consequences of ClpP absence. However, the sequence of these events and their validity in human remain unclear. Here, we studied global proteome profiles to define ClpP substrates among mitochondrial ClpX interactors, which accumulated consistently in ClpP-null mouse embryonal fibroblasts and brains. Validation work included novel ClpP-mutant patient fibroblast proteomics. ClpX co-accumulated in mitochondria with the nucleoid component POLDIP2, the mitochondrial poly(A) mRNA granule element LRPPRC, and tRNA processing factor GFM1 (in mouse, also GRSF1). Only in mouse did accumulated ClpX, GFM1, and GRSF1 appear in nuclear fractions. Mitoribosomal accumulation was minor. Consistent accumulations in murine and human fibroblasts also affected multimerizing factors not known as ClpX interactors, namely, OAT, ASS1, ACADVL, STOM, PRDX3, PC, MUT, ALDH2, PMPCB, UQCRC2, and ACADSB, but the impact on downstream metabolites was marginal. Our data demonstrate the primary impact of ClpXP on the assembly of proteins with nucleic acids and show nucleoid enlargement in human as a key consequence