Developmental failure in cochlear hair cells from mouse models of Usher syndrome and the identification of an acid sensitive ionic current in Inner and Outer hair cells

Inner hair cells (IHCs) are the primary sensory receptors of the mammalian cochlea. I employed the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to study voltage responses and ionic currents of IHCs in mice bearing mutations in hair bundle proteins. These mutations, all associated with Usher syndrome, lead to structural and functional defects of the mechanosensory hair bundle. I observed developmental failure in the electrical properties of IHCs from these mutants: a continuation of neonatal spiking instead of the graded receptor potentials seen in control adult IHCs. Voltage-clamp recordings revealed the main cause as the absence of the adult fast potassium (IK,f) current. Outer hair cells (OHCs) are required to amplify the travelling wave to be detected by the IHCs. Optical and whole-cell patch clamp techniques in these same mutants were employed to investigate the development of adult OHCs. I observed a developmental failure in the electrical properties of these OHCs, seen by an absence of the potassium current IK,n. Electromotility and the associated non-linear capacitance were however observed, indicating that prestin is expressed in the mutants. Acid sensitive ion channels (ASICs) have recently been found to be present within the organ of Corti. Here I present data showing the presence of an acid sensitive ion current in both IHCs and OHCs. ASIC1b knockout mice show a response to changes in the extracellular pH suggesting that the current may be carried through a different channel subtype or that compensatory changes occur. The electrical properties of the IHCs develop to maturity in these mice, however the OHCs appear to remain functionally immature displaying a lack of expression of the IK,n current and electromotily. This lack of electromotile function suggests that ASIC1b may be required either for the function of prestins electromotility or for the targeting of prestin to the cell membrane

A Taxonomic Study of Hawaiian Marchantia

The genus Marchantia occurs world-wide. The greatest diversity of described species occurs in the tropical Pacific. Fourteen species of Marchantia have been reported at different times from the Hawaiian Islands but when this study began seven species were recognized. A new technique for clearing thallus material enabled me to see and compare ambiguous characters. From studies of types and numerous additional collections from the islands, I determined that the seven species accepted actually belong to three taxa and one previously undescribed species was discovered. Comparison of Hawaiian plants with specimens, drawings and descriptions of extra-Hawaiian Marchantiae showed clearly that the Hawaiian species are predominantly like those of New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific region. However, one tropical American species, Marchantia paleacea, does occur in Hawaii

Breathe the Machine

Breathe the Machine interspecies morph edition featuring a video conference and solo or synched blow-ins Teresa Carmody Dengke Chen Matt Roberts Terri Witek The FaaS were future-oriented. Every day, they contemplated the question: what kind of ancestor will you be? A collaborative group composed of a prose writer, new media artist, 3-D animator, and poet enter your personal computers and suggest that in this particularly viral moment, individual breaths + machines may be the closest we get to community touch. An animated video conference offers the project\u27s conceptual framework, including questions about invasive species and intimacy in this new world where we stand masked and apart, not quite meeting another’s onscreen eyes. Participants in Breathe the Machine will each breathe into their own computer mics to both create onscreen reactions and change an animated world. Each transformation will become part of a larger story built from the computers’ individual data. At a designated moment in the conference, we\u27ll combine breaths in a synched group Blow-In. Their conceiving mind quit avoiding their body; their body, they realized, had already FaaD. Donna Haraway is just one theorist who argues that as we acquire more mechanical parts, and as technology takes on increasingly human functions, we are already participants in interspecies interactions; a fact made disturbingly clear and re-capitalized by the unseen transmissions of a global pandemic. Breathe the Machine challenges us to think of screens as partners in new, combinatory narratives that converge technology and the human into uneasy, resilient allies. Each breath, then, can become a cross-species touch, an interactive installation, an archive, a fiction, a world and a landscape. A prompt. This is how we morph. Project website: https://btm19.weebly.com/ To participate in this event, download and open the app, then blow onto your computer’s microphone. Using this app, we will meet at a specific time to participate in a live streamed event. The app, instructions, and story of the FaaS can be found on our project website

Development of a Physical Therapy Faculty Workload Measurement Tool

Counting credit hours is not an equitable way to measure faculty workload in physical therapy education considering online delivery with heavy workloads negatively impacting satisfaction, learning outcomes, and research productivity. The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (USAHS) is a graduate-level institution in the United States, with seven Doctor of Physical Therapy programs offered in four US locations. USAHS faculty workload includes 50% teaching, 20% scholarship, 30% a combination of service, administration, release, and discretionary time. The aim of this study was to develop a faculty workload measurement tool that quantifies productivity, was easy to use, and equitable. Two large faculty pilots were completed; data and open-ended responses were used to develop a final version of the workload measurement tool to be fully implemented in late 2018. The task force developed a workload measurement tool that appears to be accurate, transparent, and impartial. With the addition of directions and the self-calculating formulas, the form provides quick, consistent information to faculty and their supervisors regarding the division of workload between the four main areas of faculty time

Predicting the Counterproductive Employee in a Child-to-Adult Prospective Study

Abstract The present research tested the relations between a battery of background factors and counterproductive work behaviors in a 23-year longitudinal study of young adults (N = 930). Background information, such as diagnosed adolescent conduct disorder, criminal conviction records, intelligence, and personality traits, was assessed before participants entered the labor force. These background factors were combined with work conditions at age 26 to predict counterproductive work behaviors at age 26. The results showed that people diagnosed with childhood conduct disorder were more prone to commit counterproductive work behaviors in young adulthood and that these associations were partially mediated by personality traits measured at age 18. Contrary to expectations, criminal convictions that occurred prior to entering the workforce were unrelated to counterproductive work behaviors. Job conditions and personality traits had independent effects on counterproductive work behaviors, above and beyond background factors

Clinicopathologic features of ovarian mixed mesodermal tumors and carcinosarcomas

Over a 27-year period there were 15 patients treated at the University of Michigan Medical center for carcinosarcomas or mixed mesodermal tumors of the ovary. Overall median survival was 11 months. Median survival was 4 months in patients with carcinosarcomas and 13 months in patients with mixed mesodermal tumors (P = 0.066). Patients with a chondrosarcomatous element had a significantly longer median survival than patients with mixed mesodermal tumors lacking cartilaginous differentiation (P = 0.031). The presence of a rhabdomyosarcomatous element did not affect survival. The size of the primary tumor, presence of ascites, FIGO stage, and degree of initial resection (optimal versus suboptimal) did not affect survival. There was no difference in survival between patients receiving postoperative chemotherapy and patients undergoing postoperative irradiation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28069/1/0000512.pd

Attitudes and Beliefs Regarding Pain in Interprofessional Education: A Multifaceted Dilemma

Purpose: To evaluate entry-level physical and occupational therapy student attitudes and beliefs toward treating a person with pain, at various levels of their didactic learning. Description: Across health professions, pain education varies considerably with its curricula of pain definitions, management principles, and interprofessional collaboration. The result of this discord has led to a broad range of behaviors and attitudes among health professions and their students, which can ultimately affect a person’s participation in society. Literature supports the importance of a curriculum that addresses students’ attitudes and beliefs toward treating people in pain in an attempt to preclude the formation of negative attitudes during clinical practice. Summary of Use: A modified open-ended sentence stem format was used to gather the qualitative data of 241 graduate students enrolled in occupational and physical therapy entry-level programs to assess their knowledge and attitudes toward pain. Students completed a questionnaire including two open-ended sentence stems. Verbatim transcripts of the students’ responses were thematically analyzed by five-blinded faculty, who constructed nine themes that reflected students’ responses. Interrater reliability was strong with an average of 89.4% agreement rating (range 68.1-97.6%). Analysis of the responses to the first stem, “People in pain are…” yielded four themes: 1) negative mood sate (suffering/unhappy); 2) negative trait or characteristic (wimpy/uncooperative); 3) needy; and 4) having real problems. The percentages of the students’ attitudes reflected in each theme were 28.8%, 5.1%, 42.7%, 23.4% respectively. Responses were dominated by themes related to a negative mood state and being needy. Negative attitudes toward treatment of persons in pain have been shown to contribute to disparities in pain care. Analysis of responses to the second stem question, “Working with patients in pain will be …” yielded five themes: 1) intellectually stimulating; 2) worthwhile/rewarding; 3) unpleasant/difficult; 4) challenging/complex; and 5) routine in practice. The frequency of responses were 8.3%, 33%, 19.8%, 38.9%, and 12.6% respectively and were dominated by themes suggesting that working with people in pain will be challenging yet rewarding. Importance to Member: Despite the frequency of pain problems in society, pain and the treatment of people in pain have not been major components of healthcare education. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) provides a guideline for knowledge of pain management for entry-level physical and occupational therapists. Knowing what preconceived attitudes and beliefs students have in treating persons with pain can help drive the development of a pain curriculum that is both academically inclusive and behaviorally influential. As educators, we have the opportunity to address this multifaceted dilemma to meet the IASP guidelines and bridge the gap between interprofessional pain education and the optimal treatment of those in pain

A large outbreak of Clostridium difficile‐associated disease with an unexpected proportion of deaths and colectomies at a teaching hospital following increased Fluoroquinolone use

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Fluoroquinolones have not been frequently implicated as a cause of Clostridium difficile outbreaks. Nosocornial C. difficile infections increased from 2.7 to 6.8 cases per 1,000 discharges (P < .001). During the first 2 years of the outbreak, there were 253 nosocomial C difficile infections; of these, 26 resulted in colectomy and 18 resulted in death. We conducted an investigation of a large C. difficile outbreak in our hospital to identify risk factors and characterize the outbreak