Prospects for transgenesis in the chick

Research to develop a useful method for genetic modification of the chick has been on-going since the first demonstrations in the mouse in the 1980s that genetic modification is an invaluable tool for the study of gene function. Manipulation of the chick zygote is possible but inefficient. Considerable progress has been made in developing potentially pluripotent embryo stem cells and their contribution to somatic chimeric birds well-established. Germ line transmission of gametes derived from genetically modified embryo cells has not been described. Transfer of primordial germ cells from a donor embryo to a recipient and production of functional gametes from the donor-derived cells is possible. Genetic modification of primordial germ cells before transfer and their recovery through the germ line has not been achieved. The first transgenic birds described were generated using retroviral vectors. The use of lentiviral vectors may make this approach a feasible method for transgenic production, although there are limitations to the applications of these vectors. It is likely that a method will be developed in the next few years that will enable the use of transgenesis as a tool in the study of development in the chick and for many other applications in basic research and biotechnology

Examining the Relationship Between Modifiable Risk Factors and Levels of Functioning Among Appalachian Patients With Heart Failure

Background: Heart failure is becoming more prevalent in the United States due to our aging population. More than 10% of people over the age of 70 have heart failure. Risk factors include coronary artery disease (CAD), which includes myocardial infarction and angina. Hypertension precedes heart failure in 75% of cases. Risk factors for CAD include obesity, high glycemic intake, high dietary sodium intake, sedentary lifestyle, and cigarette smoking. In West Virginia, the heart failure death rate is 32.6 per 100,000 population, accounting for 3% of all deaths. The highest rates of hospitalization for heart failure in the nation are found in Appalachia yet a gap exists in the literature on how modifiable risk factors are related to the well-being of people living in this region.;Aims: The aims of this study were to determine the relationship between nutrition, obesity, physical activity, and smoking on physical, social, and emotional well-being among Appalachian patients with heart failure.;Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study using a convenience sample of 115 patients from a nursing home, two outpatient clinics, and a tertiary-care hospital was conducted to examine the relationship between modifiable risk factors and well-being as measured by the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). Modifiable risk factors were measured using (1) the American Heart Association Life\u27s Simple 7 Questionnaire to assess nutrition habits, (2) BMI as a measure of obesity, (3) the Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) for physical activity, and (4) the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) to determine smoking status. Bivariate and descriptive analyses were performed and nonparametric analogs were used to examine the relationship between predictor and outcome variables. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to further analyze risk factors in relation to levels of well-being.;Results: A majority of participants in this study were older, white, obese or overweight, and of lower socioeconomic status and had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV disease. Statistically significant findings included higher levels of physical activity being related to enhanced levels of physical, social, and emotional well-being. Nutritional status was found to be significantly related to higher levels of social well-being.;Conclusion: Knowledge of modifiable risk factors and their relationship to the well-being of individuals with heart failure in Appalachia is necessary to develop appropriate secondary prevention measures aimed at reducing or eliminating these risk factors. Physical activity programs may have the greatest impact on physical, social, and emotional well-being in this study population. Identifying resources in rural areas of Appalachia is necessary to promote behavior modification to reduce modifiable risks to ultimately minimize disease progression

Getting to the Heart of It: Examining Intergenerational Sensemaking of Heart Disease

Using Communicated Narrative Sense-Making Theory (Koenig Kellas, 2018), this study tested how grandchildren’s perceptions of risk and knowledge about heart disease in the family, as well as relational satisfaction, changed over the course of 3 weeks as a result of engaging in a storytelling experiment. Participants included 17 grandchild participants who interviewed their grandparents to tell stories about family heart health or discuss everyday events based on random assignment into a treatment or comparison group. Additionally, participants completed measures surrounding their knowledge of heart disease, relational satisfaction with their grandparent, and their perception of risk to develop heart disease in their lifetime. Thematic analysis of the stories revealed three parts to the storytelling sequence: (a) the HD Family Tree, (b) the grandparent’s story and reaction, and (c) advice/lessons learned. Story themes included (a) confusion/shock, (b) acceptance of their health, and (c) disjointed reporting. Statistical analyses revealed trends for an increase in heart disease knowledge in the treatment group over time, as well as increased perceptions of dread risk over time, although relational satisfaction for grandchildren in their grandparent-grandchild relationship did not change over the 3 weeks. The results of this study provide a deeper look into how grandparents may help to socialize their grandchildren in this understudied family relationship, especially in regards to health. Moreover, these results also help to shed light on how CNSM’s proposition relating to intergenerational values, attitudes, and beliefs are communicated through retrospective stories about health and what living family members should be aware of for their own health moving forward. Advisor: Jody Koenig Kella

Caring in traditional and non-traditional nursing students

Session presented on Saturday, November 7, 2015 and Sunday, November 8, 2015: The purpose of this study was to examine traditional and non-traditional nursing students to determine if there are significant differences in caring. A descriptive comparative design was conducted using a convenience sampling with nursing students in an associate degree nursing program in northeastern Ohio. A demographic survey and the Caring Efficacy Scale (CES) were given to the students to complete. Data was analyzed to determine the measures of central tendency including frequencies, means, and standard deviation (SD). Independent t-tests were used for the mean responses and SD utilized to measure the dispersion of the data. The total number of students participating was 249. Traditional students were identified as 29.7% of the total while the non-traditional students were 70.3% of the group. The total scores for the CES of the traditional students were 157.24 with a SD of 13.31 and non-traditional students\u27 total scores were 158.63 with a SD of 14.49. Results indicated that there were no significant differences identified between the two groups. Despite the findings, nurse educators must analyze the types of students who are entering nursing programs while assessing for those with caring as a part of their personality and interest for joining nursing. Without caring, patient outcomes may be affected. The results of this study indicated that caring, as the key to the nursing profession, is a needed attribute for those entering and pursuing care for individuals they are assigned to nurse

Nursing students\u27 caring behavior as an outcome of instructors\u27 caring: First results from an international study

Session presented on Tuesday, November 10, 2015: Theoretically, caring relationships between faculty and student generates a caring moment. However, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence about how caring interactions with faculty can enhance students\u27 caring outcomes. The aim of this study wasto identify the levels of students\u27 and instructors\u27 caring behavior and to investigate if there is a correlation between instructors\u27 and students\u27 caring behavior. A descriptive, non-experimental design wasused in this study. Data Collection wasbased on interviews using two standardized questionnaires; the Nursing Students\u27 Perception of Instructor Caring (NSPIC) and the Caring Behavior Inventory (CBI). Respondents consist of nursing students from identified schools and colleges of nursing in different countries. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, percentages and standard deviations are been utilized. Inferential statistics such aspearson r correlationand regression analysis have been used to determined correlations between relevant variables. Level of significance accepted is p \u3c 0.05.The sample consists of 368 nursing students (91% female, 9% male) from seven countries (26% Philippines, 31.5% Greece, 1% Kenya, 0.5 Oman, 35.5% India, 5% Nigeria, 0.5% Saudi Arabia). Forty two percent of students are in the second years of studies, 13% in the third year and 45% in the fourth year. The mean score of NSPIC is 4.020.30 and the mean of CBI is 4.560.13. The mean for each factor of NSPIC is 4.390.13 for the factor instills confidence through caring , 3.920.212 for supportive learning climate , 4.060.06 for appreciation of life\u27s meaning , 3.660.11 for control versus flexibility and 4.010.48 for respectful sharing . The mean for each factor of CBI is 4.630.11 for the factor assurance , 4.580.06 for knowledge and skills , 4.550.18 for respectful and 4.470.14 for connectedness . Correlation analysis showed statistically significance between relevant variables.Instructors\u27 caring behavior affects nursing students\u27 caring behavior. Through positive faculty modeling and role modeling, nursing students can be professionally trained to develop the competence of caring. Moreover, when the climate of nursing education is perceived as caring, students acquire a professional way of being and learn to care as a professional nurse

5-hydroxymethyl-cytosine enrichment of non-committed cells is not a universal feature of vertebrate development

5-hydroxymethyl-cytosine (5-hmc) is a cytosine modification that is relatively abundant in mammalian pre-implantation embryos and embryonic stem cells (Esc) derived from mammalian blastocysts. Recent observations imply that both 5-hmc and Tet1/2/3 proteins, catalyzing the conversion of 5-methyl-cytosine to 5-hmc, may play an important role in self renewal and differentiation of Escs. here we assessed the distribution of 5-hmc in zebrafish and chick embryos and found that, unlike in mammals, 5-hmc is immunochemically undetectable in these systems before the onset of organogenesis. In addition, Tet1/2/3 transcripts are either low or undetectable at corresponding stages of zebrafish development. however, 5-hmc is enriched in later zebrafish and chick embryos and exhibits tissue-specific distribution in adult zebrafish. Our findings show that 5-hmc enrichment of non-committed cells is not a universal feature of vertebrate development and give insights both into evolution of embryonic pluripotency and the potential role of 5-hmc in its regulation

Study Protocol of Coaching End-of-Life Palliative Care for Advanced Heart Failure Patients and Their family Caregivers in Rural Appalachia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Heart failure (HF) afflicts 6.5 million Americans with devastating consequences to patients and their family caregivers. Families are rarely prepared for worsening HF and are not informed about end-of-life and palliative care (EOLPC) conservative comfort options especially during the end stage. West Virginia (WV) has the highest rate of HF deaths in the U.S. where 14% of the population over 65 years have HF. Thus, there is a need to investigate a new family EOLPC intervention (FamPALcare), where nurses coach family-managed advanced HF care at home. Methods This study uses a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design stratified by gender to determine any differences in the FamPALcare HF patients and their family caregiver outcomes versus standard care group outcomes (N = 72). Aim 1 is to test the FamPALcare nursing care intervention with patients and family members managing home supportive EOLPC for advanced HF. Aim 2 is to assess implementation of the FamPALcare intervention and research procedures for subsequent clinical trials. Intervention group will receive routine standard care, plus 5-weekly FamPALcare intervention delivered by community-based nurses. The intervention sessions involve coaching patients and family caregivers in advanced HF home care and supporting EOLPC discussions based on patients’ preferences. Data are collected at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Recruitment is from sites affiliated with a large regional hospital in WV and community centers across the state. Discussion The outcomes of this clinical trial will result in new knowledge on coaching techniques for EOLPC and approaches to palliative and end-of-life rural home care. The HF population in WV will benefit from a reduction in suffering from the most common advanced HF symptoms, selecting their preferred EOLPC care options, determining their advance directives, and increasing skills and resources for advanced HF home care. The study will provide a long-term collaboration with rural community leaders, and collection of data on the implementation and research procedures for a subsequent large multi-site clinical trial of the FamPALcare intervention. Multidisciplinary students have opportunity to engage in the research process. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04153890, Registered on 4 November 201

Cryopreservation of specialised Chicken Lines using cultured primordial germ cells

Biosecurity and sustainability in poultry production requires reliable germplasm conservation. Germplasm conservation in poultry is more challenging in comparison to other livestock species. Embryo cryopreservation is not feasible for egg-laying animals, and chicken semen conservation has variable success for different chicken breeds. A potential solution is the cryopreservation of the committed diploid stem cell precursors to the gametes, the primordial germ cells (PGCs). Primordial germ cells are the lineage-restricted cells found at early embryonic stages in birds and form the sperm and eggs. We demonstrate here, using flocks of partially inbred, lower-fertility, major histocompatibility complex- (MHC-) restricted lines of chicken, that we can easily derive and cryopreserve a sufficient number of independent lines of male and female PGCs that would be sufficient to reconstitute a poultry breed. We demonstrate that germ-line transmission can be attained from these PGCs using a commercial layer line of chickens as a surrogate host. This research is a major step in developing and demonstrating that cryopreserved PGCs could be used for the biobanking of specialized flocks of birds used in research settings. The prospective application of this technology to poultry production will further increase sustainability to meet current and future production needs