Glutathione deficiency and alterations in the sulfur amino acid homeostasis during early postnatal development as potential triggering factors for schizophrenia-like behavior in adult rats

Impaired glutathione (GSH) synthesis and dopaminergic transmission are important factors in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Our research aimed to assess the effects of l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), a GSH synthesis inhibitor, and GBR 12909, a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, administered alone or in combination, to Sprague-Dawley rats during early postnatal development (p5-p16), on the levels of GSH, sulfur amino acids, global DNA methylation, and schizophrenia-like behavior. GSH, methionine (Met), homocysteine (Hcy), and cysteine (Cys) contents were determined in the liver, kidney, and in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP) of 16-day-old rats. DNA methylation in the PFC and HIP and schizophrenia-like behavior were assessed in adulthood (p90-p93). BSO caused the tissue-dependent decreases in GSH content and alterations in Met, Hcy, and Cys levels in the peripheral tissues and in the PFC and HIP. The changes in these parameters were accompanied by alterations in the global DNA methylation in the studied brain structures. Parallel to changes in the global DNA methylation, deficits in the social behaviors and cognitive functions were observed in adulthood. Only BSO + GBR 12909-treated rats exhibited behavioral alterations resembling positive symptoms in schizophrenia patients. Our results suggest the usefulness of this neurodevelopmental model for research on the pathomechanism of schizophrenia

The mediating effect of hope agency on perceived stress and professional burnout among Polish corporate employees

Abstract Job burnout is considered an outcome of prolonged exposure of employees to stress. Although many studies have focused on the presence of a direct association between stress and burnout, we still know very little about mediators that indirectly play a role in this relationship. Previous analyses have determined that self-efficacy acts as a mechanism that explains the overall relationship between stress and burnout. However, there is no such evidence to support the mediatory function of hope. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to verify whether self-efficacy, hope pathways, and hope agency are mediators in this relationship. The study included 408 Polish-speaking adults who completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Dispositional Hope Scale. The outcomes indicated a positive correlation of stress with the overall burnout score, as well as all subscales. Moreover, hope agency was a mediator, thus suggesting that there is also an indirect relationship between stress and job burnout. Therefore, it can be assumed that higher stress is associated with lower motivation to generate and sustain the actions needed to reach the goals. Consequently, lower hope agency may lead stressed employees to greater exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment

Teamwork and safety climate in Polish long-term care facilities: questionnaire reliability and usability

Abstract The Teamwork and Safety Climate Survey (TSCS) is one of the questionnaires used to measure patient safety. The questionnaire includes two scales: teamwork climate and safety climate. The objective of the study is the linguistic and cultural adaptation of the TSCS to Polish conditions and checking the reliability and usability of the tool in long-term care facilities. Firstly, the TSCS was translated into Polish. Then, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among the medical and auxiliary personnel of long-term care facilities all over Poland. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were analysed (including Cronbach’s alpha coefficient). Correlations between the areas of the questionnaire and individual variables relating to facility parameters were also calculated. Respondents (n = 558) working in 26 different long-term care facilities participated in the study. The analysis has provided four scales instead of two of the original version of the questionnaire (teamwork climate, safety climate, ability to speak up and following the rules, work organisation). Correlation analysis revealed a number of significant correlations between the scales and individual variables corresponding to the parameters of long-term care facilities and respondents themselves. In conclusion, the Polish version of the TSCS may be a useful tool to measure aspects related to patient safety culture in long-term care facilities

Interventions to increase patient safety in long-term care facilities - umbrella review

Introduction: Patient safety in long-term care is becoming an increasingly popular subject in the scientific literature. Organizational problems such as shortages of medical staff, insufficient numbers of facilities or underfunding increase the risk of adverse events, and aging populations in many countries suggests that these problems will become more and more serious with each passing year. The objective of the study is to identify interventions that can contribute to increasing patient safety in long-term care facilities. Method: A systematic review of secondary studies was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Collaboration guidelines. Searches were conducted in Medline (via PubMed), Embase (via OVID) and Cochrane Library. The quality of the included studies was assessed using AMSTAR2. Results: Ultimately, 10 studies were included in the analysis. They concerned three main areas: promoting safety culture, reducing the level of occupational stress and burnout, and increasing the safety of medication use. Promising methods that have an impact on increasing patient safety include: preventing occupational burnout of medical staff, e.g., by using mindfulness-based interventions; preventing incidents resulting from improper administration of medications, e.g., by using structured methods of patient transfer; and the use of information technology that is more effective than the classic (paper) method or preventing nosocomial infections, e.g., through programs to improve the quality of care in institutions and the implementation of an effective infection control system. Conclusions: Taking into account the scientific evidence found and the guidelines of institutions dealing with patient safety, it is necessary for each long-term care facility to individually implement interventions aimed at continuous improvement of the quality of care and patient safety culture at the level of medical staff and management staff

Substituent and Solvent Effects on the Excited State Deactivation Channels in Anils and Boranils

Differently substituted anils (Schiff bases) and their boranil counterparts lacking the proton-transfer functionality have been studied using stationary and femtosecond time-resolved absorption, fluorescence, and IR techniques, combined with quantum mechanical modelling. Dual fluorescence observed in anils was attributed to excited state intramolecular proton transfer. The rate of this process varies upon changing solvent polarity. In the nitro-substituted anil, proton translocation is accompanied by intramolecular electron transfer coupled with twisting of the nitrophenyl group. The same type of structure is responsible for the emission of the corresponding boranil. A general model was proposed to explain different photophysical responses to different substitution patterns in anils and boranils. It is based on the analysis of changes in the lengths of CN and CC bonds linking the phenyl moieties. The model allows predicting the contributions of different channels that involve torsional dynamics to excited state depopulation