Measuring pathways to care in first-episode psychosis : a systematic review

Background Adequately understanding and measuring pathways to care is a prerequisite for early detection and effective treatment of first-episode psychosis. Method We conducted a systematic review of studies on pathways to care in first-episode psychosis to establish what measures currently exist to assess pathways in first-episode psychosis and to compare these measures. Results We identified 15 studies which had used six different measures of pathways to care. Differences in aims, methodology and lack of psychometric data did not allow a direct comparison of pathways measures but certain common themes emerged. Discussion Pathways to care in first-episode psychosis are diverse and varied. There is no measure with established psychometric properties that has been devised on a well-developed theoretical or conceptual framework and had its psychometric properties established. The conflict between exploring the patient's narrative and journey through the healthcare system and developing an empirical measure of pathways with optimal outcomes has hindered the development of such a measure

Annexin A2 in Virus Infection

Viral life cycles consist of three main phases: (1) attachment and entry, (2) genome replication and expression, and (3) assembly, maturation, and egress. Each of these steps is intrinsically reliant on host cell factors and processes including cellular receptors, genetic replication machinery, endocytosis and exocytosis, and protein expression. Annexin A2 (AnxA2) is a membrane-associated protein with a wide range of intracellular functions and a recurrent host factor in a variety of viral infections. Spatially, AnxA2 is found in the nucleus and cytoplasm, vesicle-bound, and on the inner and outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. Structurally, AnxA2 exists as a monomer or in complex with S100A10 to form the AnxA2/S100A10 heterotetramer (A2t). Both AnxA2 and A2t have been implicated in a vast array of cellular functions such as endocytosis, exocytosis, membrane domain organization, and translational regulation through RNA binding. Accordingly, many discoveries have been made involving AnxA2 in viral pathogenesis, however, the reported work addressing AnxA2 in virology is highly compartmentalized. Therefore, the purpose of this mini review is to provide information regarding the role of AnxA2 in the lifecycle of multiple epithelial cell-targeting viruses to highlight recurrent themes, identify discrepancies, and reveal potential avenues for future research

Engineering a hyperactive TcBuster transposase for efficient gene delivery for cell therapy applications

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Annexin A2 antibodies but not inhibitors of the annexin A2 heterotetramer impair productive HIV-1 infection of macrophages in vitro

During sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), macrophages are initial targets for HIV infection. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) has been shown to protect against HIV infection of macrophages through interactions with annexin A2 (A2), which is found on the macrophage cell surface as a heterotetramer (A2t) consisting of A2 and S100A10. Therefore, we investigated potential protein-protein interactions between A2 and HIV-1 gp120 through a series of co-immunoprecipitation assays and a single molecule pulldown (SiMPull) technique. Additionally, inhibitors of A2t (A2ti) that target the interaction between A2 and S100A10 were tested for their ability to impair productive HIV-1 infection of macrophages. Our data suggest that interactions between HIV-1 gp120 and A2 exist, though this interaction may be indirect. Furthermore, an anti-A2 antibody impaired HIV-1 particle production in macrophages in vitro, whereas A2ti did not indicating that annexin A2 may promote HIV-1 infection of macrophages in its monomeric rather than tetrameric form

The 24/7 approach to promoting optimal welfare for captive wild animals

We have an ethical responsibility to provide captive animals with environments that allow them to experience good welfare. Husbandry activities are often scheduled for the convenience of care staff working within the constraints of the facility, rather than considering the biological and psychological requirements of the animals themselves. The animal welfare 24/7 across the lifespan concept provides a holistic framework to map features of the animal’s life cycle, taking into account their natural history, in relation to variations in the captive environment, across day and night, weekdays, weekends, and seasons. In order for animals to have the opportunity to thrive, we argue the need to consider their lifetime experience, integrated into the environments we provide, and with their perspective in mind. Here, we propose a welfare assessment tool based upon 14 criteria, to allow care staff to determine if their animals’ welfare needs are met. We conclude that animal habitat management will be enhanced with the use of integrated technologies that provide the animals with more opportunities to engineer their own environments, providing them with complexity, choice and control

Metacognitive functioning predicts positive and negative symptoms over 12 months in first episode psychosis

The negative symptoms of schizophrenia are a major source of impairment and distress but both pharmacological and psychological treatment options provide only modest benefit. Developing more effective psychological treatments for negative symptoms will require a more sophisticated understanding of the psychological processes that are implicated in their development and maintenance. We extended previous work by demonstrating that metacognitive functioning is related to negative symptom expression across the first 12 months of first episode psychosis (FEP). Previous studies in this area have either been cross-sectional or have used much older participants with long-standing symptoms. In this study, forty-five FEP participants were assessed three times over 12 months and provided data on PANSS rated symptoms, premorbid adjustment, metacognitive functioning, and DUP. Step-wise linear regression showed that adding metacognition scores to known predictors of negative symptoms (baseline symptom severity, gender, DUP, and premorbid academic and social adjustment) accounted for 62% of the variance in PANSS negative symptom scores at six months and 38% at 12 months. The same predictors also explained 47% of the variance in positive symptoms at both six and 12 months. However, exploration of the simple correlations between PANSS symptom scores and metacognition suggests a stronger univariate relationship between metacognition and negative symptoms. Overall, the results indicate that problems with mental state processing may be important determinants of negative symptom expression from the very early stages of psychosis. These results provide further evidence that metacognitive functioning is a potentially relevant target for psychological interventions

CHEM1140-CB.General Chemistry II.Sp15.Skeate,Melissa

Goals: To further develop the fundamental principles of analytical, biological, inorganic, physical and organic chemistry. Emphasis on the development of problem-solving techniques. The laboratory focuses on inorganic qualitative analysis. Content: Spontaneity and rates of chemical reactions; equilibrium involving gases, acids, bases and salts; acid-base theories; titration theory and practice, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, biochemistry, the chemical and physical properties of metals, non-metals and coordination compounds. Taught: Annually. Prerequisite: CHEM 1130 (grade C- or better). Credits: 4 credit

CHEM1500-B1.LAB: Advancd General Chemistry.F15.Skeate,Melissa

Goals: This course combines topics from both CHEM 1130 and CHEM 1140 and is meant to be an accelerated one-semester version of General Chemistry. Content: The course includes a rigorous treatment of atomic and molecular structure, explores chemical bonding, chemical thermodynamics and kinetics, equilibrium, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, and electrochemistry. Taught: Fall semester Prerequisite: Advanced high school chemistry (AP, Honors, IB, etc), ACT math score of 28 or greater or instructor permission NOTE: Students must concurrently register for a lecture and a corresponding 0-credit lab section of this course. Credits: