Suspect screening of maternal serum to identify new environmental chemical biomonitoring targets using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

The use and advantages of high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) as a discovery tool for environmental chemical monitoring has been demonstrated for environmental samples but not for biological samples. We developed a method using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight MS (LC-QTOF/MS) for discovery of previously unmeasured environmental chemicals in human serum. Using non-targeted data acquisition (full scan MS analysis) we were able to screen for environmental organic acids (EOAs) in 20 serum samples from second trimester pregnant women. We define EOAs as environmental organic compounds with at least one dissociable proton which are utilized in commerce. EOAs include environmental phenols, phthalate metabolites, perfluorinated compounds, phenolic metabolites of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls, and acidic pesticides and/or predicted acidic pesticide metabolites. Our validated method used solid phase extraction, reversed-phase chromatography in a C18 column with gradient elution, electrospray ionization in negative polarity and automated tandem MS (MS/MS) data acquisition to maximize true positive rates. We identified "suspect EOAs" using Agilent MassHunter Qualitative Analysis software, to match chemical formulas generated from each sample run with molecular formulas in our unique database of 693 EOAs assembled from multiple environmental literature sources. We found potential matches for 282 (41%) of the EOAs in our database. Sixty-five of these suspect EOAs were detected in at least 75% of the samples; only 19 of these compounds are currently biomonitored in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We confirmed two of three suspect EOAs by LC-QTOF/MS using a targeted method developed through LC-MS/MS, reporting the first confirmation of benzophenone-1 and bisphenol S in pregnant women's sera. Our suspect screening workflow provides an approach to comprehensively scan environmental chemical exposures in humans. This can provide a better source of exposure information to help improve exposure and risk evaluation of industrial chemicals

Occupational transitions: How do work-related factors influence the work-to-retirement transition process?

Background: The work-to-retirement transition process results in changes to life structure and identity making retirement from work a major occupational transition. This paper will explore the influence of work-related factors on the work-to-retirement transition. Findings will be discussed in terms of opportunities for occupational therapy in this occupational transition. Method: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with participants aged 50 years and over who had voluntarily retired within the past five years. Recruitment occurred via a range of mechanisms including through local services and organisations and the research teams' networks. Thematic analysis was conducted for each of the work-to-retirement transition stages (preparation, transition, and retired). Discussion/Outcomes: To date, eleven interviews (5 females, 6 males) have been conducted with people from a variety of pre-retirement occupations. Preliminary findings include themes around: time to move on, wrapping up work (preparation); work influencing retirement timing, work infiltrating retirement, feeling retired, (transition); freedom from work, identity reconceptualisation, filling retirement with work-like activities (retired). Conclusion: Work-related factors influence all stages of the work-to-retirement transition process. Occupational therapy's role encompasses vocational rehabilitation and ageing. Occupational therapy can also play an important role in facilitating the work-to-retirement transition process with the ultimate goal to enable active (and) healthy ageing

Occupational transitions: How do work-related factors influence the work-to-retirement transition process?

Background: The work-to-retirement transition process results in changes to life structure and identity making retirement from work a major occupational transition. This paper will explore the influence of work-related factors on the work-to-retirement transition. Findings will be discussed in terms of opportunities for occupational therapy in this occupational transition. Method: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with participants aged 50 years and over who had voluntarily retired within the past five years. Recruitment occurred via a range of mechanisms including through local services and organisations and the research teams' networks. Thematic analysis was conducted for each of the work-to-retirement transition stages (preparation, transition, and retired). Discussion/Outcomes: To date, eleven interviews (5 females, 6 males) have been conducted with people from a variety of pre-retirement occupations. Preliminary findings include themes around: time to move on, wrapping up work (preparation); work influencing retirement timing, work infiltrating retirement, feeling retired, (transition); freedom from work, identity reconceptualisation, filling retirement with work-like activities (retired). Conclusion: Work-related factors influence all stages of the work-to-retirement transition process. Occupational therapy's role encompasses vocational rehabilitation and ageing. Occupational therapy can also play an important role in facilitating the work-to-retirement transition process with the ultimate goal to enable active (and) healthy ageing

Adipocyte Lineage Cells Contribute to the Skin Stem Cell Niche to Drive Hair Cycling

SummaryIn mammalian skin, multiple types of resident cells are required to create a functional tissue and support tissue homeostasis and regeneration. The cells that compose the epithelial stem cell niche for skin homeostasis and regeneration are not well defined. Here, we identify adipose precursor cells within the skin and demonstrate that their dynamic regeneration parallels the activation of skin stem cells. Functional analysis of adipocyte lineage cells in mice with defects in adipogenesis and in transplantation experiments revealed that intradermal adipocyte lineage cells are necessary and sufficient to drive follicular stem cell activation. Furthermore, we implicate PDGF expression by immature adipocyte cells in the regulation of follicular stem cell activity. These data highlight adipogenic cells as skin niche cells that positively regulate skin stem cell activity, and suggest that adipocyte lineage cells may alter epithelial stem cell function clinically

The Synergistic Action of Melittin and Phospholipase A2 with Lipid Membranes: Development of Linear Dichroism for Membrane-Insertion Kinetics

Here we present data on the kinetics of insertion of melittin, a peptide from bee venom, into lipid membranes of different composition. Another component of bee venom is the enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA₂). We have examined the interaction of melittin and PLA₂ with liposomes both separately and combined and demonstrate that they work synergistically to disrupt the membranes. A dramatic difference in the action of melittin and PLA₂ is observed when the composition of the membrane is altered. Temperature also has a large effect on the kinetics of insertion and membrane disruption. We use a combination of techniques to measure liposome size (dynamic light scattering), peptide secondary structure (circular dichroism spectroscopy), peptide orientation relative to the membrane (linear dichroism spectroscopy) and enzymatic digestion of the lipids (mass spectrometry)

Automated Drone Calibration System

The final design review of the Inspired Flight Calibration Team senior project will detail the process used to complete a verification prototype of a drone calibration device and discuss lessons learned and suggestions for improving this device. Going from brainstorming and conceptual prototyping all the way through verification prototyping and testing, we were able to design a gyroscopic device that met Inspired Flight’s needs for the flight sensor calibration of their drones. The mechanical design involved comprehensive CAD models and hands-on manufacturing. The mechatronics side of the project worked heavily with electrical wiring and writing custom software to communicate and run the calibration sequences. While we were not able to complete as much of this project as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we delivered a working verification prototype along with our documented work to Inspired Flight so that it can be integrated into their calibration process

State Immigrant Rights Highlights 2021: Advancing Community Health and Well-Being

This report highlights the immigrant inclusive laws enacted in 2021, as well as some pending bills and campaigns. During this time, states adopted policies improving access to health care, higher education, and professional licenses for immigrants; protecting the rights of workers and tenants; investing in access to counsel; strengthening driver and consumer privacy; and limiting local entanglement in federal immigration enforcement efforts.As Congress considers options for providing a pathway to permanent status or temporary relief to millions of immigrants in the U.S., states and localities have taken significant action to improve the lives of their community members, regardless of their immigration status. In response to effective local organizing, almost half the states adopted immigrant-inclusive laws and policies in 2021

The Effects of Obesity on Outcomes in Trauma Injury: Overview of the Current Literature

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions and is now considered a chronic disease by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the West. Its impact on trauma outcomes is of particular interest with several studies presenting conflicting information. The present overview suggests a strong association between obesity and injury severity, hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) admission, pattern of injury, rate of complications and mortality. The nature of the observations may relate to an underlying physiological state of the obese patient and its associated comorbidities with a constant heightened inflammatory state aggravated by the second hit on an injury

Humane Orientation as a New Cultural Dimension of the GLOBE Project: A Validation Study of the GLOBE Scale and Out-Group Humane Orientation in 25 Countries

We validate, extend, and empirically and theoretically criticize the cultural dimension of humane orientation of the project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program). Theoretically, humane orientation is not just a one-dimensionally positive concept about being caring, altruistic, and kind to others as discussed by Kabasakal and Bodur (2004), but there is also a certain ambivalence to this concept. We suggest differentiating humane orientation toward in-group members from humane orientation toward out-group members. A multicountry construct validation study used student samples from 25 countries that were either high or low in humane orientation (N = 876) and studied their relation to the traditional GLOBE scale and other cultural-level measures (agreeableness, religiosity, authoritarianism, and welfare state score). Findings revealed a strong correlation between humane orientation and agreeableness, welfare state score, and religiosity. Out-group humane orientation proved to be the more relevant subfacet of the original humane orientation construct, suggesting that future research on humane orientation should make use of this measure instead of the vague original scale. The ambivalent character of out-group humane orientation is displayed in its positive correlation to high authoritarianism. Patriotism was used as a control variable for noncritical acceptance of one’s society but did not change the correlations. Our findings are discussed as an example of how rigid expectations and a lack of tolerance for diversity may help explain the ambivalent nature of humane orientatio