Violence, aggression and traumatic incidents in the workplace: a study of nursing staff employed in acute in-patient psychiatric care in Royal Dundee Liff Hospital

Nursing staff employed in acute psychiatric care are exposed to incidents of violence, aggression and trauma at a rate far higher than that of the general population. Such staff are at an increased risk of developing psychological symptomatology and/or burnout in response to such stressors. The aims of this study are to investigate the incidence of these and other stressors within a sample of nursing staff, to examine variables within this sample which might mediate or moderate the effects of such stressors, and to examine the outcomes or responses of individuals to these variables. This study investigates the relationship between these variables, and in so doing builds on existing research and models for understanding occupational stress. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire measures were carried out with a sample of fifty-nine members of nursing staff employed in acute in-patient psychiatric care in Royal Dundee Liff Hospital. The results are discussed in the context of the current literature, and the implications of high levels of psychological symptomatology and burnout in the nursing service are considered

Pedagogy - a holistic, personal approach to work with children and young people, across services: European models for practice, training, education and qualification

Today, provision for children and young people is developing rapidly at the level of policy, organisation, training, education, and qualifications. Research in these areas, carried out at the Thomas Coram Research Unit (TCRU), has included cross-national studies on service provision and its quality, the daily practice of staff, their training, education, qualification, recruitment and retention in the workforce. A central interest has been what, in continental Europe, is often called ‘social pedagogy’, a distinctive way of working with children and the basis for policy development

Site specific insertion of a transgene into the murine α-casein (CSN1S1) gene results in the predictable expression of a recombinant protein in milk

Gene loci of highly expressed genes provide ideal sites for transgene expression. Casein genes are highly expressed in mammals leading to the synthesis of substantial amounts of casein proteins in milk. We have assessed the α-casein (CSN1S1) gene as a site of transgene expression in transgenic mice and a mammary gland cell line. A transgene encoding an antibody light chain gene (A1L) was inserted into the α-casein gene using sequential homologous and site-specific recombination. Expression of the inserted transgene is directed by the α-casein promoter, is responsive to lactogenic hormone activation, leads to the synthesis of a chimeric α-casein/A1L transgene mRNA and secretion of the recombinant A1L protein into milk. Transgene expression is highly consistent in all transgenic lines, but lower than that of the α-casein gene (4%). Recombinant A1L protein accounted for 0.5% and 1.6% of total milk protein in heterozygous and homozygous transgenic mice, respectively. The absence of the α-casein protein in homozygous A1L transgenic mice leads to a reduction of total milk protein and delayed growth of the pups nursed by these mice. Overall, the data demonstrate that the insertion of a transgene into a highly expressed endogenous gene is insufficient to guarantee its abundant expression. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.</p

Differential associations between types of social media use and university students' non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal behavior

Under embargo until: 2022-11-2Objective To examine differential associations between types of social media use and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behaviors. Methods Participants were N = 40,065 Norwegian college and university students, age 18–25, from the 2018 Students' Health and Wellbeing (SHoT) study. Students reported on their use of social media for seven specific activities, which we categorized into active and passive non-social use, passive social use, active public social, and active private social use. We also considered students' tendency for negative social comparisons on social media. Outcomes were past-year NSSI, NSSI ideation, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt. Covariates were age, gender, total daily screen time and financial stress. Results Results of multiple logistic regression revealed differential associations between types of social media use and outcomes. Notably, active social private use (e.g., messaging friends) was associated with decreased odds of all outcomes, whereas active social public use (e.g., status updates) was associated with increased odds of NSSI ideation, NSSI, and suicide attempt. Social comparison was associated with increased odds of all outcomes. Conclusion Our results suggest that specific types of social media use are differentially associated with NSSI and suicidal outcomes among university students.acceptedVersio

Characteristics of symptoms and symptom change across different heart failure subtypes: a sex-stratified analysis

Aim: To examine sex-stratified differences in the association of left ventricular ejection fraction-based heart failure (HF) subtypes and the characteristics and correlates of self-reported changes in HF symptoms. Methods and Results: We report a secondary data analysis from 528 hospitalised individuals diagnosed with HF characterised by a reduced, mildly reduced, or preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF, HFmrEF, or HFpEF) who completed 12-month follow-up within a multicentre disease management trial. There were 302 men (71.1 ± 11.9 years, 58% with HFrEF) and 226 women (77.1 ± 10.6 years, 49% with HFpEF). The characteristics of self-reported symptoms measured by the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) at baseline and 12-month were analysed. At baseline, shortness of breath and fatigue predominated; with key differences according to HF subtypes in bilateral ankle oedema (both sexes), walking problems (women) and depressive symptoms (men). At 12month follow-up, most KCCQ scores had not significantly changed. However, 25% of individuals reported worse symptom. In women, those with HFpEF had worse symptoms than those with HFmrEF/HFrEF (p = 0.025). On an adjusted basis, women (OR 1.78, 95%CI 1.00-3.16 versus men), those with coronary artery disease (OR 2.01, 95%CI 1.21-3.31) and baseline acute pulmonary oedema (OR 1.67, 95%CI 1.02-2.75) were most likely to report worsening symptoms. Among men, worsening symptoms correlated with a history of hypertension (OR 2.16, 95%CI 1.07-4.35) and a non-English-speaking background (OR 2.30, 95%CI 1.02-5.20). Conclusion: We found significant heterogeneity (with potential clinical implications) in the symptomatic characteristics and subsequent symptom trajectory according to the sex and HF subtype of those hospitalised with the syndrome

Contact-controlled amoeboid motility induces dynamic cell trapping in 3D-microstructured surfaces.

On flat substrates, several cell types exhibit amoeboid migration, which is characterized by restless stochastic successions of pseudopod protrusions. The orientation and frequency of new membrane protrusions characterize efficient search modes, which can respond to external chemical stimuli as observed during chemotaxis in amoebae. To quantify the influence of mechanical stimuli induced by surface topography on the migration modes of the amoeboid model organism Dictyostelium discoideum, we apply high resolution motion analysis in microfabricated pillar arrays of defined density and geometry. Cell motion is analyzed by a two-state motility-model, distinguishing directed cellular runs from phases of isotropic migration that are characterized by randomly oriented cellular protrusions. Cells lacking myosin II or cells deprived of microtubules show significantly different behavior concerning migration velocities and migrational angle distribution, without pronounced attraction to pillars. We conclude that microtubules enhance cellular ability to react with external 3D structures. Our experiments on wild-type cells show that the switching from randomly formed pseudopods to a stabilized leading pseudopod is triggered by contact with surface structures. These alternating processes guide cells according to the available surface in their 3D environment, which we observed dynamically and in steady-state situations. As a consequence, cells perform "home-runs" in low-density pillar arrays, crawling from pillar to pillar, with a characteristic dwell time of 75 s. At the boundary between a flat surface and a 3D structured substrate, cells preferentially localize in contact with micropillars, due to the additionally available surface in the microstructured arrays. Such responses of cell motility to microstructures might open new possibilities for cell sorting in surface structured arrays

Association of season and herd size with somatic cell count for cows in Irish,English, and Welsh dairy herds

The aims of this study were to describe associations of time of year, and herd size with cow somatic cell count (SCC) for Irish, English, and Welsh dairy herds. Random samples of 497 and 493 Irish herds, and two samples of 200 English and Welsh (UK) herds were selected. Random effects models for the natural logarithm of individual cow test day SCC were developed using data from herds in one sub-dataset from each country. Data from the second sub-datasets were used for cross validation. Baseline model results showed that geometric mean cow SCC (GSCC) in Irish herds was highest from February to August, and ranged from 111,000 cells/mL in May to 61,000 cells/mL in October. For cows in UK herds, GSCC ranged from 84,000 cells/mL in February and June, to 66,000 cells/mL in October. The results highlight the importance of monitoring cow SCC during spring and summer despite low bulk milk SCC at this time for Irish herds. GSCC was lowest in Irish herds of up to 130 cows (63,000 cells/mL), and increased for larger herds, reaching 68,000 cells/mL in herds of up to 300 cows. GSCC in UK herds was lowest for herds of 130–180 cows (60,000 cells/mL) and increased to 63,000 cells/mL in herds of 30 cows, and 68,000 cells/mL in herds of 300 cows. Importantly, these results suggest expansion may be associated with increased cow SCC, highlighting the importance of appropriate management, to benefit from potential economies of scale, in terms of udder health

(Fluoro)quinolones and quinolone resistance genes in the aquatic environment: a river catchment perspective.

This study provides an insight into the prevalence of (fluoro)quinolones (FQs) and their specific quinolone qnrS resistance gene in the Avon river catchment area receiving treated wastewater from 5 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), serving 1.5 million people and accounting for 75% of inhabitants living in the catchment area in the South West of England. Ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and norfloxacin were found to be ubiquitous with daily loads reaching a few hundred g/day in wastewater influent and tens of g/day in receiving waters. This was in contrast to other FQs analysed: flumequine, nadifloxacin, lomefloxacin, ulifloxacin, prulifloxacin, besifloxacin and moxifloxacin, which were hardly quantified. Enantiomeric profiling revealed that ofloxacin was enriched with the S-(−)-enantiomer, likely deriving from its prescription as the more potent enantiomerically pure levofloxacin, alongside racemic ofloxacin. While ofloxacin's enantiomeric fraction (EF) remained constant, high stereoselectivity was observed in the case of its metabolite ofloxacin-N-oxide. The removal efficiency of quinolones during wastewater treatment at 5 WWTPs utilising either trickling filters (TF) or activated sludge (AS), was compound and wastewater treatment process dependent, with AS providing better efficiency than TF. The qnrS resistance gene was ubiquitous in wastewater. Its removal was WWTP treatment process dependent with TF performing best and resulting in significant removal of the gene (from 28 to 75%). AS underperformed with only 9% removal in the case of activated sludge and actual increase in the gene copy number within sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Interestingly, the data suggests that higher removal of antibiotics could be linked with high prevalence of the gene (SBR and WWTP E) and vice versa, low removal of antibiotic is correlated with lower prevalence of the gene in wastewater effluent (TF, WWTP B and D). This is especially prominent in the case of ofloxacin and could indicate that AS might be facilitating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence to higher extent than TF. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) was also applied to monitor any potential misuse (e.g. direct disposal) of FQs in the catchment. In most cases higher use of antibiotics with respect to official statistics (i.e. ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin) was observed, which suggests that FQs management practice require further attention