Evaluating the Effect of Mental Illness Stigma on Voting Behaviors

Mental health stigma is defined as stereotypes and prejudice resulting from misconceptions about mental illness (Corrigan Watson, 2002 Boor 1978 found simulated college voters cast fewer votes for a candidate when it was known the candidate had consulted a psychotherapist, indicating negative attitudes indeed exist towards perceived psychological treatment even in the absence of a diagnosed mental illness This poses a significant problem, as research suggests that voters may sense a desire to “get even” with political candidates in electoral context for perceived wrongdoings and may make suboptimal choices when casting a ballot Bechwati Morrin 2007 Coupled with the above, this is indicative of a link between voting behavior and negative treatment of those with a mental illness Despite this, little research has been done on how mental health issues attributed to the candidate affects voting behaviors Six candidate vignettes for a hypothetical Kansas Governor election were created with gender neutral names and indicative of policies aligning with participant views Two vignettes of each had symptoms related to a mental illness, a diagnosis, or neutral Participants were also asked questions regarding their personal attitudes and general stigma toward mental illness Results indicated participants were more likely to endorse statements suggesting general stereotypes than statements indicating negative attitudes towards individuals with a mental illness Our study did show that voters had an aversion toward candidates with a mental health diagnosis which partially supports our initial hypothesi

Lymphocyte blastogenesis and neutrophil function in cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus

Neutrophil function and mononuclear cell proliferative responses to mitogens were determined in healthy cattle and in cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus. Uptake of[3H]thymidine by resting and mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells was significantly lower in cattle persistently infected with BVD virus than in healthy cattle. Neutrophils from cattle persistently infected with BVD virus had significantly impaired capability to ingest Staphylococcus aureus, but were normal in respect to random migration under agarose, cytochrome C reduction, iodination, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Impairment ofneutrophil function in cattle persistently infected with BVD virus differs from impairment of neutrophil function reported in healthy cattle mounting an immune response to recent BVD virus infection

Religious scruples and the politics of anticommunism in Oklahoma, 1917-1951

Scope and Method of Study: This study surveys the progression and interaction between anticommunism and religious faith in Oklahoma state and local politics from 1917 to 1951. Employing primary source materials that include newspapers, state legislative records, manuscript collections, court records, and census records, the author reconstructs the development of communist-control legislation culminating in the loyalty oath law of 1951. This dissertation is a comparative study encompassing the evolution of the Oklahoma oath, with a special focus on the interaction between religious faith, political regulation, and patriotism.Findings and Conclusions: Research revealed that anticommunist sentiment had very deep roots in Oklahoma political history. Beginning in World War I, and continuing through the Korean War, state leaders had an abiding interest in promoting unity of purpose among citizens and defending against subversive radicals. Employing a variety of pledge drives and oaths, politicians sought to promote security and loyalty during times of national crises. This study argues that anticommunism in Oklahoma was part of a recurring populist style of politics, which intended to rid the state of subversive and communist influences but managed instead to victimize political and religious non-conformists. The anticommunist oath controversies of 1941 and 1951 are illustrative of this recurring style. Both episodes were part of a long-term political effort in Oklahoma to rid state government and, in particular state schools, of subversive influences, which resulted not in the purging of communists but political and religious nonconformists statewide

Overt Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Infection: An Infrequent Occurrence in Archived Tissue from False TB Reactor Cattle in Michigan, USA

The objective of this study was to retrospectively determine whether or not cattle from the state of Michigan which were classified as bovine tuberculosis reactors, based on currently approved field and laboratory testing methods, were overtly infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). Included in this study were 384 adult cattle submitted to the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health over a seven-year period. Cattle were tested utilizing standard methods to confirm that all cattle were lesion and culture negative for infection with Mycobacterium bovis at postmortem examination. Retrospective analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of ileum and ileocecal lymph node were evaluated by histopathology, acid-fast staining, and PCR assays to detect MAP. Overall, only 1.04 percent of cattle showed overt infection with MAP on visual examination of sections of ileum and/or ileo-cecal lymph node. This increased slightly to 2.1 percent of cattle likely infected with MAP after additional testing using a PCR assay. Based on these results, we found no evidence that overt infection with MAP plays a major role in the false tuberculosis reactor test results for cattle examined in this study

Differential Gene Expression Segregates Cattle Confirmed Positive for Bovine Tuberculosis from Antemortem Tuberculosis Test-False Positive Cattle Originating from Herds Free of Bovine Tuberculosis

Antemortem tests for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) currently used in the US measure cell-mediated immune responses against Mycobacterium bovis. Postmortem tests for bTB rely on observation of gross and histologic lesions of bTB, followed by bacterial isolation or molecular diagnostics. Cumulative data from the state of Michigan indicates that 98 to 99% of cattle that react positively in antemortem tests are not confirmed positive for bTB at postmortem examination. Understanding the fundamental differences in gene regulation between antemortem test-false positive cattle and cattle that have bTB may allow identification of molecular markers that can be exploited to better separate infected from noninfected cattle. An immunospecific cDNA microarray was used to identify altered gene expression (P ≤ 0.01) of 122 gene features between antemortem test-false positive cattle and bTB-infected cattle following a 4-hour stimulation of whole blood with tuberculin. Further analysis using quantitative real-time PCR assays validated altered expression of 8 genes that had differential power (adj  P ≤ 0.05) to segregate cattle confirmed positive for bovine tuberculosis from antemortem tuberculosis test-false positive cattle originating from herds free of bovine tuberculosis

Obstetricians\u27 and gynecologists\u27 knowledge, education, and practices regarding chronic hepatitis B in pregnancy.

Background: In pregnant women with high viral loads, third-trimester initiation of antiviral agents can reduce the risk of vertical transmission. We aimed to assess obstetricians\u27 and gynecologists\u27 (OB-GYN) knowledge and clinical practice when treating pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). Methods: All program directors (PDs) from 250 US OB-GYN residency programs were invited to anonymously complete an 18-item questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated and analyzed. Results: A total of 323 participants responded, including both PDs (n=51, response rate 21%) and residents (n=272, response rate 11%). Responding PDs (62% university-based vs. 32% community-based) came from various practice types. All PDs and 95.2% of residents reported screening for chronic HBV in pregnant patients on the first prenatal visit. A majority of PDs (85.5%) and residents (85%) correctly interpreted HBV serologies. Referral patterns showed that 66.7% of PDs and 65.5% of residents refer to a specialist regardless of viral load. A minority of respondents (19.6% PDs and 12.6% residents) knew that third-trimester antiviral therapy is recommended for women with high viral loads (\u3e200,000 IU/mL). Few respondents had prescribed HBV antivirals (9.8% PDs and 6.0% residents), with residents more commonly prescribing tenofovir and less frequently lamivudine. Half the PDs believed trainees from their programs were comfortable managing HBV in pregnancy, but only 41.8% of residents reported being comfortable managing pregnant patients with HBV. Conclusion: OB-GYNs report screening almost all pregnant patients for chronic HBV, though significant gaps still exist in practitioner comfort and training regarding the management of HBV during pregnancy

Novel Calicivirus Identified in Rabbits, Michigan, USA

This virus is distinct from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Radiation induced angiosarcoma a sequela of radiotherapy for breast cancer following conservative surgery

Radiation induced angiosarcomas (RIA) can affect breast cancer patients who had radiotherapy following conservative breast surgery. They are very rare tumors and often their diagnosis is delayed due to their benign appearance and difficulty in differentiation from radiation induced skin changes. Therefore it is very important that clinicians are aware of their existence. We report here a case of RIA followed by discussion and review of literature