Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group C Deficiency Alters Cigarette Smoke DNA Damage Cell Fate and Accelerates Emphysema Development

Cigarette smoke (CS) exposure is a major risk factor for the development of emphysema, a common disease characterized by loss of cells comprising the lung parenchyma. The mechanisms of cell injury leading to emphysema are not completely understood but are thought to involve persistent cytotoxic or mutagenic DNA damage induced by CS. Using complementary cell culture and mouse models of CS exposure, we investigated the role of the DNA repair protein, xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC), on CS-induced DNA damage repair and emphysema. Expression of XPC was decreased in mouse lungs after chronic CS exposure and XPC knockdown in cultured human lung epithelial cells decreased their survival after CS exposure due to activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Similarly, cell autophagy and apoptosis were increased in XPC-deficient mouse lungs and were further increased by CS exposure. XPC deficiency was associated with structural and functional changes characteristic of emphysema, which were worsened by age, similar to levels observed with chronic CS exposure. Taken together, these findings suggest that repair of DNA damage by XPC plays an important and previously unrecognized role in the maintenance of alveolar structures. These findings support that loss of XPC, possibly due to chronic CS exposure, promotes emphysema development and further supports a link between DNA damage, impaired DNA repair, and development of emphysema

Concert recording 2018-05-21

[Track 1]. Sonate Pathetique, op. 1. movement 1 / Ludwig van Beethoven arranged for solo tenor pan by Shelly Irvine & Ron Kerns -- [Track 2]. Beads of glass / Gordon Stout -- [Track 3]. Stillness for alto flute and marimba / Robert Paterson -- [Track 4]. Pulsor for snare drum and audio / Francisco Perez -- [Track 5]. How to be a deep thinker in Los Angeles / Jennifer Jolley -- [Track 6]. Sculpture in wood / Rudiger Pawasser -- [Track 7]. Karakurenai / Andy Akiho -- [Track 8]. Northern lights / Eric Ewazen -- [Track 9]. Moon chasers / Mark Ford

A scoping review of trauma informed approaches in acute, crisis, emergency, and residential mental health care

Experiences of trauma in childhood and adulthood are highly prevalent among service users accessing acute, crisis, emergency, and residential mental health services. These settings, and restraint and seclusion practices used, can be extremely traumatic, leading to a growing awareness for the need for trauma informed care (TIC). The aim of TIC is to acknowledge the prevalence and impact of trauma and create a safe environment to prevent re-traumatisation. This scoping review maps the TIC approaches delivered in these settings and reports related service user and staff experiences and attitudes, staff wellbeing, and service use outcomes.We searched seven databases (EMBASE; PsycINFO; MEDLINE; Web of Science; Social Policy and Practice; Maternity and Infant Care Database; Cochrane Library Trials Register) between 24/02/2022-10/03/2022, used backwards and forwards citation tracking, and consulted academic and lived experience experts, identifying 4244 potentially relevant studies. Thirty-one studies were included.Most studies (n = 23) were conducted in the USA and were based in acute mental health services (n = 16). We identified few trials, limiting inferences that can be drawn from the findings. The Six Core Strategies (n = 7) and the Sanctuary Model (n = 6) were the most commonly reported approaches. Rates of restraint and seclusion reportedly decreased. Some service users reported feeling trusted and cared for, while staff reported feeling empathy for service users and having a greater understanding of trauma. Staff reported needing training to deliver TIC effectively.TIC principles should be at the core of all mental health service delivery. Implementing TIC approaches may integrate best practice into mental health care, although significant time and financial resources are required to implement organisational change at scale. Most evidence is preliminary in nature, and confined to acute and residential services, with little evidence on community crisis or emergency services. Clinical and research developments should prioritise lived experience expertise in addressing these gaps

Fairness Expectations and Altruistic Sharing in 15-Month-Old Human Infants

Human cooperation is a key driving force behind the evolutionary success of our hominin lineage. At the proximate level, biologists and social scientists have identified other-regarding preferences – such as fairness based on egalitarian motives, and altruism – as likely candidates for fostering large-scale cooperation. A critical question concerns the ontogenetic origins of these constituents of cooperative behavior, as well as whether they emerge independently or in an interrelated fashion. The answer to this question will shed light on the interdisciplinary debate regarding the significance of such preferences for explaining how humans become such cooperative beings. We investigated 15-month-old infants' sensitivity to fairness, and their altruistic behavior, assessed via infants' reactions to a third-party resource distribution task, and via a sharing task. Our results challenge current models of the development of fairness and altruism in two ways. First, in contrast to past work suggesting that fairness and altruism may not emerge until early to mid-childhood, 15-month-old infants are sensitive to fairness and can engage in altruistic sharing. Second, infants' degree of sensitivity to fairness as a third-party observer was related to whether they shared toys altruistically or selfishly, indicating that moral evaluations and prosocial behavior are heavily interconnected from early in development. Our results present the first evidence that the roots of a basic sense of fairness and altruism can be found in infancy, and that these other-regarding preferences develop in a parallel and interwoven fashion. These findings support arguments for an evolutionary basis – most likely in dialectical manner including both biological and cultural mechanisms – of human egalitarianism given the rapidly developing nature of other-regarding preferences and their role in the evolution of human-specific forms of cooperation. Future work of this kind will help determine to what extent uniquely human sociality and morality depend on other-regarding preferences emerging early in life

American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research

McDonald D, Hyde E, Debelius JW, et al. American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems. 2018;3(3):e00031-18

Curriculum Evaluation: The Logistics, Process and Status of Personal Development, Health and Physical Education and School Sport in NSW Government Schools

Whilst in recent decades there have been international concerns regarding the health of school students, there have been concurrent, paradoxical challenges to the status of PDHPE and SS. This study provides empirical evidence to enhance understanding of the position of PDHPE and SS in schools by examining three aspects of curriculum implementation through the lens of the ecological paradigm; investigating (I) the logistics of ‘how’ PDHPE and SS are delivered, (II) the process and product of curriculum implementation, and (III) the status of this curriculum area. A survey of a proportional stratified sample investigated 556 government schools across NSW, representing almost 30% of the total population, collected both quantitative and qualitative data via an online questionnaire. In the absence of routine government evaluation, this study is the first to document disparities between relevant curriculum and policy and the implementation and enactment of PDHPE and SS across schools, with little assurance of quality. Amongst a plethora of findings, six key issues are highlighted. Schools report that (1) stakeholders all deem PDHPE to have a lower status than other curriculum areas; this is confirmed through the hidden curriculum. Low status may be exacerbated by the fact that, surprisingly, (2) non-specialists tend to be in charge of teaching PDHPE and SS, and most schools outsource programs and staff (87%). Low status also contributes to (3) the low prioritisation of time allocation to PDHPE, with schools falling short of mandates. Other findings highlight poor equity in provision, with (4) frequent student exclusion practices; and differentiation of curriculum implementation according to (5) school socio-educational status and (6) geographical location. This exploratory study uncovered a range of complex issues, particularly relating to the status and equity of provision in this important educational domain, that need further research and should spark new discussions

Cancer in Cole County Missouri : quit smoking

"As health administrators, to identify evidence- based population health solutions to lung cancer in Cole County, Missouri."--Objective