A Qualitative Analysis of Self-Care Management Resources Among Caregivers of Children with Sickle Cell Disease for the Development of Parent Advocacy Toolkits

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder that affects 80,000 individuals in the United States. SCD is of public health significance as individuals with this disease are at risk of early mortality, morbidity, and disability. These conditions arise as a result inadequate clinical treatment and improper self-care management, which are potentially modifiable with optimum disease management. The Theory of Self-Care Management for Sickle Cell Disease proposes that self-care management resources have the ability to improve poor health outcomes; however, previous studies indicate that individuals with SCD and their caregivers lack appropriate resources. Consequently, this study was designed to qualitatively assess where caregivers receive self-care management resources; determine what type(s) of information has already been acquired; learn about the type(s) of self-care management resources that intended audiences need; and explore the most appropriate media and channels to disseminate self-care management resources. A focus group was conducted with ten caregivers of children with SCD to facilitate a discussion to address these specific questions. Transcripts were analyzed using the questions from the moderator's guide to generate a table to identify themes that emerged throughout the discussion. Results revealed that caregivers primarily relied on routine services to provide self-care management resources and sickle cell educational information was found to be the only self-care management resource provided. This resource provided "basic" information, causing caregivers to seek additional information from alternative sources like the internet and by asking questions. Caregivers did not acknowledge receiving additional resources, nor did they report receiving self-care management resources for their children. Caregivers acknowledged the importance of these resources and suggested that they be disseminated through all available media by obstetrician/gynecologist's offices and schools to caregivers based on their individual preferences for receiving the resources all at once or in stages. Furthermore, the caregivers began acknowledging that it may be their responsibility to provide information and education to their communities. Consequently, additional self-care management resources should be created by other caregivers and peers based on their experiences. Further research should be conducted to develop and pretest these self-care management resources and to determine their impact on health outcomes

Changes in Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) as an indicator of SOX9 transcription factor activity

Cells respond to their environment via an intricate cellular signaling network, directing cell fate. Changes in cell fate are characterized by changes in gene transcription, dictated by (master) transcription factor activity. SOX9 is the master transcription factor for chondrocyte development. Its impaired function is implicated in osteoarthritis and growth disorders, such as dwarfism. However, the factors regulating SOX9 transcriptional activity are not yet fully mapped. Current methods to study transcription factor activity are indirect and largely limited to quantification of SOX9 target gene and protein expression levels after several hours or days of stimulation, leading to poor temporal resolution. We used Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) to study the mobility of SOX9 and correlated the changes in mobility to changes in its transcriptional activity by cross-validating with chromatin immunoprecipitation and qPCR. We show that using FRAP, we can quantify the changes in SOX9 mobility on short time scales as an indication of transcriptional activity, which correlated to changes of SOX9 DNA-binding and long-term target gene expression

The Iowa Homemaker vol.40, no.2

Let Art Speak, page 3 Dean LeBaron’s Travel Folio of Asia, Diane Houser, page 4 Iowa State, Husband-Hunting Grounds, Sylvia Noid, page 6 Two Ways to See Europe, Doris Post and Patty Anderson, page 7 Coffee House on the Left Bank, Beth Lambeth, page 8 Drip-Dry Through Europe, Myra Scholten, page 10 Memo to Suitcase Stuffers, Mary Ellen Muckenhirn, page 12 What’s Going On?, Carol Shellenbarger, page 1

Domestic Ducks and H5N1 Influenza Epidemic, Thailand

Traditional methods of raising ducks in Southeast Asia must be modified

The Iowa Homemaker vol.40, no.1

As Others See Us, Tom Emmerson, Beth Lambeth and Sue Guernsey, page 6 China Cues for Smart Shoppers, Doris Post, page 8 Reflections of You, Sylvia Noid, page 9 Campus Tours, Inc., Patty Anderson, page 10 Child Development Experts Study “Multiple Mother” Effects, Carol Calhoon, page 11 Behind the TV Camera, Carolynn DeLay, page 12 Gray Meals, One Subject of Food Technology, Mary Ellen Muckenhirn, page 14 Coed Chooses Spring Fashion’s Fancy, Laveda Jansonius, page 17 Expand Your World, Marty Keeney, page 18 RAIN, Diane Houser, page 21 What’s Going On?, Carol Shellenbarger, page 2

Phosphoethanolamine Transferase LptA in Haemophilus ducreyi Modifies Lipid A and Contributes to Human Defensin Resistance In Vitro

Haemophilus ducreyi resists the cytotoxic effects of human antimicrobial peptides (APs), including α-defensins, β-defensins, and the cathelicidin LL-37. Resistance to LL-37, mediated by the sensitive to antimicrobial peptide (Sap) transporter, is required for H. ducreyi virulence in humans. Cationic APs are attracted to the negatively charged bacterial cell surface. In other gram-negative bacteria, modification of lipopolysaccharide or lipooligosaccharide (LOS) by the addition of positively charged moieties, such as phosphoethanolamine (PEA), confers AP resistance by means of electrostatic repulsion. H. ducreyi LOS has PEA modifications at two sites, and we identified three genes (lptA, ptdA, and ptdB) in H. ducreyi with homology to a family of bacterial PEA transferases. We generated non-polar, unmarked mutants with deletions in one, two, or all three putative PEA transferase genes. The triple mutant was significantly more susceptible to both α- and β-defensins; complementation of all three genes restored parental levels of AP resistance. Deletion of all three PEA transferase genes also resulted in a significant increase in the negativity of the mutant cell surface. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that LptA was required for PEA modification of lipid A; PtdA and PtdB did not affect PEA modification of LOS. In human inoculation experiments, the triple mutant was as virulent as its parent strain. While this is the first identified mechanism of resistance to α-defensins in H. ducreyi, our in vivo data suggest that resistance to cathelicidin LL-37 may be more important than defensin resistance to H. ducreyi pathogenesis

A Research and Development (R&D) roadmap for influenza vaccines: Looking toward the future

Improved influenza vaccines are urgently needed to reduce the burden of seasonal influenza and to ensure a rapid and effective public-health response to future influenza pandemics. The Influenza Vaccines Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap (IVR) was created, through an extensive international stakeholder engagement process, to promote influenza vaccine R&D. The roadmap covers a 10-year timeframe and is organized into six sections: virology; immunology; vaccinology for seasonal influenza vaccines; vaccinology for universal influenza vaccines; animal and human influenza virus infection models; and policy, finance, and regulation. Each section identifies barriers, gaps, strategic goals, milestones, and additional R&D priorities germane to that area. The roadmap includes 113 specific R&D milestones, 37 of which have been designated high priority by the IVR expert taskforce. This report summarizes the major issues and priority areas of research outlined in the IVR. By identifying the key issues and steps to address them, the roadmap not only encourages research aimed at new solutions, but also provides guidance on the use of innovative tools to drive breakthroughs in influenza vaccine R&D.publishedVersio

Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) and International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) 2018 guidelines for the management of patients with bipolar disorder

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142934/1/bdi12609.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142934/2/bdi12609_am.pd