The Precursors and Products of Justice Climates: Group Leader Antecedents and Employee Attitudinal Consequences

Drawing on the organizational justice, organizational climate, leadership and personality, and social comparison theory literatures, we develop hypotheses about the effects of leader personality on the development of three types of justice climates (e.g., procedural, interpersonal, and informational), and the moderating effects of these climates on individual level justice- attitude relationships. Largely consistent with the theoretically-derived hypotheses, the results showed that leader (a) agreeableness was positively related to procedural, interpersonal and informational justice climates, (b) conscientiousness was positively related to a procedural justice climate, and (c) neuroticism was negatively related to all three types of justice climates. Further, consistent with social comparison theory, multilevel data analyses revealed that the relationship between individual justice perceptions and job attitudes (e.g., job satisfaction, commitment) was moderated by justice climate such that the relationships were stronger when justice climate was high

Lipoprotein ability to exchange and remove lipids from model membranes as a function of fatty acid saturation and presence of cholesterol

Lipoproteins play a central role in the development of atherosclerosis. High and low-density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL), known as 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol, respectively, remove and/or deposit lipids into the artery wall. Hence, insight into lipid exchange processes between lipoproteins and cell membranes is of particular importance in understanding the onset and development of cardiovascular disease. In order to elucidate the impact of phospholipid tail saturation and the presence of cholesterol in cell membranes on these processes, neutron reflection was employed in the present investigation to follow lipid exchange with both HDL and LDL against model membranes. Mirroring clinical risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis, lower exchange was observed in the presence of cholesterol, as well as for an unsaturated phospholipid, compared to faster exchange when using a fully saturated phospholipid. These results highlight the importance of membrane composition on the interaction with lipoproteins, chiefly the saturation level of the lipids and presence of cholesterol, and provide novel insight into factors of importance for build-up and reversibility of atherosclerotic plaque. In addition, the correlation between the results and well-established clinical risk factors suggests that the approach taken can be employed also for understanding a broader set of risk factors including, e.g., effects of triglycerides and oxidative stress, as well as local effects of drugs on atherosclerotic plaque formation

A qualitative study of naturopathy in rural practice: A focus upon naturopaths' experiences and perceptions of rural patients and demands for their services

Background. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use - of which naturopathy constitutes a significant proportion - accounts for approximately half of all health consultations and half of out-of-pocket expenditure in Australia. Data also suggest CAM use is highest amongst rural Australians. Unfortunately little is known about the grass-roots reality of naturopathy or other CAM use in rural regions. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 naturopaths practising in the Darling Downs region of South-East Queensland to assess their perceptions and experiences of rural patients and demand for their services. Results. Naturopaths described strong demand in rural areas for their services and perceived much of this demand as attributable to cultural traits in rural communities that served as pull factors for their naturopathic services. Such perceived traits included a cultural affinity for holistic approaches to health and disease and the preventive philosophy of naturopathy and an appreciation of the core tenet of naturopathic practice to develop closer therapeutic relationships. However, cost and a rural culture of self-reliance were seen as major barriers to naturopathic practice in rural areas. Conclusions. Demand for naturopathic services in rural areas may have strong underlying cultural and social drivers. Given the apparent affinity for and increasingly large role played by CAM services, including naturopathic medicine, in rural areas it is imperative that naturopathic medicine and the CAM sector more broadly become a core focus of rural health research

Maternal Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations and the Risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Evidence is accumulating for a role of vitamin D in maintaining normal glucose homeostasis. However, studies that prospectively examined circulating concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-[OH] D) in relation to diabetes risk are limited. Our objective is to determine the association between maternal plasma 25-[OH] D concentrations in early pregnancy and the risk for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods: A nested case-control study was conducted among a prospective cohort of 953 pregnant women. Among them, 57 incident GDM cases were ascertained and 114 women who were not diagnosed with GDM were selected as controls. Controls were frequency matched to cases for the estimated season of conception of the index pregnancy. Results: Among women who developed GDM, maternal plasma 25-[OH] D concentrations at an average of 16 weeks of gestation were significantly lower than controls (24.2 vs. 30.1 ng/ml, P<0.001). This difference remained significant (3.62 ng/ml lower on average in GDM cases than controls (P value = 0.018)) after the adjustment for maternal age, race, family history of diabetes, and pre-pregnancy BMI. Approximately 33% of GDM cases, compared with 14% of controls (P<0.001), had maternal plasma 25-[OH] D concentrations consistent with a pre-specified diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml). After adjustment for the aforementioned covariates including BMI, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 2.66-fold (OR (95% CI): 2.66 (1.01–7.02)) increased GDM risk. Moreover, each 5 ng/ml decrease in 25-[OH] D concentrations was related to a 1.29-fold increase in GDM risk (OR (95% CI): 1.29 (1.05–1.60)). Additional adjustment for season and physical activity did not change findings substantially. Conclusions: Findings from the present study suggest that maternal vitamin D deficiency in early pregnancy is significantly associated with an elevated risk for GDM

Topography-derived wetness indices are associated with household-level malaria risk in two communities in the western Kenyan highlands

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Transmission of <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>generally decreases with increasing elevation, in part because lower temperature slows the development of both parasites and mosquitoes. However, other aspects of the terrain, such as the shape of the land, may affect habitat suitability for <it>Anopheles </it>breeding and thus risk of malaria transmission. Understanding these local topographic effects may permit prediction of regions at high risk of malaria within the highlands at small spatial scales.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Hydrologic modelling techniques were adapted to predict the flow of water across the landscape surrounding households in two communities in the western Kenyan highlands. These surface analyses were used to generate indices describing predicted water accumulation in regions surrounding the study area. Households with and without malaria were compared for their proximity to regions of high and low predicted wetness. Predicted wetness and elevation variables were entered into bivariate and multivariate regression models to examine whether significant associations with malaria were observable at small spatial scales.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>On average, malaria case households (n = 423) were located 280 m closer to regions with very high wetness indices than non-malaria "control" households (n = 895) (t = 10.35, p < 0.0001). Distance to high wetness indices remained an independent predictor of risk after controlling for household elevation in multivariate regression (OR = 0.93 [95% confidence interval = 0.89–0.96] for a 100 m increase in distance). For every 10 m increase in household elevation, there was a 12% decrease in the odds of the house having a malaria case (OR = 0.88 [0.85–0.90]). However, after controlling for distance to regions of high predicted wetness and the community in which the house was located, this reduction in malaria risk was not statistically significant (OR = 0.98 [0.94–1.03]).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Proximity to terrain with high predicted water accumulation was significantly and consistently associated with increased household-level malaria incidence, even at small spatial scales with little variation in elevation variables. These results suggest that high wetness indices are not merely proxies for valley bottoms, and hydrologic flow models may prove valuable for predicting areas of high malaria risk in highland regions. Application in areas where malaria surveillance is limited could identify households at higher risk and help focus interventions.</p

Reduction of Plasma Gelsolin Levels Correlates with Development of Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome and Fatal Outcome in Burn Patients

BACKGROUND: Depletion of the circulating actin-binding protein, plasma gelsolin (pGSN) has been described in critically ill surgical patients. We hypothesized that the extent of pGSN reduction might correlate with different outcome of burn patients. The study was performed to evaluate the prognostic implications of pGSN levels on the development of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and fatal outcome in a group of severely burn patients. METHODS AND FINDINGS: 95 patients were included, and they were divided into three groups with different burn area: group I (n = 33), group II (n = 32) and group III (n = 30). According to whether there was development of MODS or not, patients were divided into MODS group (n = 28) and none-MODS group (n = 67); then the patients with MODS were further divided into non-survivor group (n = 17) and survivor group (n = 11). The peripheral blood samples were collected on postburn days (PBD) 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21. The levels of pGSN were determined and T cells were procured from the blood. The contents of cytokines (IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-γ) released by T cells were also measured. The related factors of prognosis were analyzed by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The results showed that pGSN concentrations, as well as the levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ, decreased markedly on PBD 1-21, whereas, the levels of IL-4 increased markedly in all burn groups as compared with normal controls (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and there were obviously differences between group I and group III (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The similar results were found in MODS patients and the non-survivor group as compared with those without MODS and the survival group on days 3-21 postburn (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Moreover, as the pGSN levels decreased, the incidence of septic complication as well as MODS remarkably increased. CONCLUSIONS: pGSN levels appear to be an early prognostic marker in patients suffering from major burns

Codon usage in vertebrates is associated with a low risk of acquiring nonsense mutations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Codon usage in genomes is biased towards specific subsets of codons. Codon usage bias affects translational speed and accuracy, and it is associated with the tRNA levels and the GC content of the genome. Spontaneous mutations drive genomes to a low GC content. Active cellular processes are needed to maintain a high GC content, which influences the codon usage of a species. Loss-of-function mutations, such as nonsense mutations, are the molecular basis of many recessive alleles, which can greatly affect the genome of an organism and are the cause of many genetic diseases in humans.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We developed an event based model to calculate the risk of acquiring nonsense mutations in coding sequences. Complete coding sequences and genomes of 40 eukaryotes were analyzed for GC and CpG content, codon usage, and the associated risk of acquiring nonsense mutations. We included one species per genus for all eukaryotes with available reference sequence.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We discovered that the codon usage bias detected in genomes of high GC content decreases the risk of acquiring nonsense mutations (Pearson's <it>r </it>= -0.95; <it>P </it>< 0.0001). In the genomes of all examined vertebrates, including humans, this risk was lower than expected (0.93 ± 0.02; mean ± SD) and lower than the risk in genomes of non-vertebrates (1.02 ± 0.13; <it>P </it>= 0.019).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While the maintenance of a high GC content is energetically costly, it is associated with a codon usage bias harboring a low risk of acquiring nonsense mutations. The reduced exposure to this risk may contribute to the fitness of vertebrates.</p

Eyewitness Testimony in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is estimated to affect around 1% of the population, and is characterised by impairments in social interaction, communication, and behavioural flexibility. A number of risk factors indicate that individuals with ASD may become victims or witnesses of crimes. In addition to their social and communication deficits, people with ASD also have very specific memory problems, which impacts on their abilities to recall eyewitnessed events. We begin this review with an overview of the memory difficulties that are experienced by individuals with ASD, before discussing the studies that have specifically examined eyewitness testimony in this group and the implications for investigative practice. Finally, we outline related areas that would be particularly fruitful for future research to explore