Characteristics of post-separation families in the Netherlands: shared residence versus resident mother arrangements

Besides the traditional post-separation residential arrangement in which the children live with the mother and have regular contact with the father, new arrangements have emerged and become more widespread in which parents strive for a more equal division of tasks. We used an explanatory mixed methods research design to enhance insight into the life course characteristics of separated parents involved in shared residence arrangements. Survey data derived from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (NKPS) and Divorce in the Netherlands 1998 were supplemented with information from in-depth interviews with NKPS respondents. We found that shared residence parents seem to be a typical modern category of separated parents with a specific set of characteristics. The distance between the residences of the ex-partners plays a crucial role in maintaining a shared residence arrangement. Highly educated, dual-career ex-couples, and those with high incomes are also more likely to be involved in a shared residence arrangement. Shared residence arrangements were more likely when the woman had a new partner, but less likely when the man had a new partner. Our findings on gender differences are in line with the idea that involvement in non-traditional residential arrangements is a sign of increased paternal involvement, but decreased maternal involvement, compared with the traditional arrangements

Interactions of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Polymicrobial Wound Infection

Understanding the pathology resulting from Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa polymicrobial wound infections is of great importance due to their ubiquitous nature, increasing prevalence, growing resistance to antimicrobial agents, and ability to delay healing. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus USA300 is the leading cause of community-associated bacterial infections resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. We utilized a well-established porcine partial thickness wound healing model to study the synergistic effects of USA300 and P. aeruginosa on wound healing. Wound re-epithelialization was significantly delayed by mixed-species biofilms through suppression of keratinocyte growth factor 1. Pseudomonas showed an inhibitory effect on USA300 growth in vitro while both species co-existed in cutaneous wounds in vivo. Polymicrobial wound infection in the presence of P. aeruginosa resulted in induced expression of USA300 virulence factors Panton-Valentine leukocidin and α-hemolysin. These results provide evidence for the interaction of bacterial species within mixed-species biofilms in vivo and for the first time, the contribution of virulence factors to the severity of polymicrobial wound infections