Proteins can form reversible mixed disulfides with glutathione (GSH). It has been hypothesized that protein glutathionylation may represent a mechanism of redox regulation, in a fashion similar to ...that mediated by protein phosphorylation. We investigated whether GSH has a signaling role in the response of HL60 cells to hydrogen peroxide ( H2O2), in addition to its obvious antioxidant role. We identified early changes in gene expression induced at different times by H2O2treatment, under conditions that increase protein glutathionylation and minimal toxicity. We then investigated the effect of prior GSH depletion by buthionine sulfoximine and diethylmaleate on this response. The analysis revealed 2,016 genes regulated by H2O2. Of these, 215 genes showed GSH-dependent expression changes, classifiable into four clusters displaying down- or up-regulation by H2O2, either potentiated or inhibited by GSH depletion. The modulation of 20 selected genes was validated by real-time RT-PCR. The biological process categories overrepresented in the largest cluster (genes whose up-regulation was inhibited by GSH depletion) were NF-κB activation, transcription, and DNA methylation. This cluster also included several cytokine and chemokine ligands and receptors, the redox regulator thioredoxin interacting protein, and the histone deacetylase sirtuin. The cluster of genes whose up-regulation was potentiated by GSH depletion included two HSPs (HSP40 and HSP70) and the AP-1 transcription factor components Fos and FosB. This work demonstrates that GSH, in addition to its antioxidant and protective function against oxidative stress, has a specific signaling role in redox regulation.
In adults over 65 years of age, aortic valve stenosis has been found to be present in 2-9% within this group. Furthermore, aortic valve replacements in patients whom have had a previous coronary ...artery bypass grafting surgery have a mortality rate as high as 18%. A non-conventional effective surgical approach of bypassing the aortic valve by inserting an apicoaortic valve conduit (AVC) connecting the left ventricular apex to the descending thoracic aorta has been previously documented. We describe the case of a successful implantation of an AVC in a 64-year-old Caucasian male using cardiopulmonary bypass.
Abstract
Background
Previous studies have shown that African Americans are more likely than Caucasians to receive a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Once diagnosed, African Americans are slower to seek ...treatment, more likely to underutilize mental health services, tend to display lower rates of medication adherence, and respond more slowly to psychosocial interventions. This disparity in diagnoses is due to multiple factors. One notable issue is the under-diagnosis of mood symptoms in African Americans with psychosis. Specifically, studies have shown that African Americans are more likely than Caucasians to receive a non-affective psychosis diagnosis, even though the rates of current mood episodes between the Caucasians and African Americans are similar. This is seen more with regards to depressive symptoms than those of mania. These disparities in diagnosis may contribute to decreased treatment efficacy, erosion of trust in treatment providers, and increased attrition in African Americans. Therefore, this issue is one deserving of further understanding. In the current study we sought to explore differences in mood diagnoses in a sample of help-seeking individuals with comorbid psychosis spectrum and mood symptoms.
Methods
A sample of 537 individuals were selected from an outpatient clinic serving lower income individuals with Medicaid. Investigators reviewed records from previous providers and compared them with gold-standard semi-structured assessments. A researcher who received training in cultural humility and differences in mood symptom presentation across racial and ethnic minorities was blinded to demographics and reviewed each client’s records and determined if individuals presented with significant mood symptoms that would criteria for a major mood diagnosis (MDE, Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder). Of the 537 records reviewed 167 individuals endorsed mood symptoms during the structured assessment and to at least 1 outside provider. The sample of clients was then analyzed to determine whether mood symptoms were under-diagnosed (i.e. symptoms appear to warrant a mood diagnosis that was not given by the previous provider).
Results
The sample of 167 individuals with mood symptoms was sufficiently diverse; 25% were Caucasian, 45% were African American, 20% Other, 1% Asian or Pacific Islander. We performed a Chi Square Test of Independence to ascertain whether or not Race had an impact on the likelihood that participants would have under diagnosed mood symptoms. The relationship between variables was statistically significant, χ2 (1) = 3.964, p < .05. Of the 53 individuals who were under diagnosed 61% were African American compared to 13% that were Caucasian.
Discussion
The results of this study indicate a differential rate of diagnosing mood symptoms in African Americans with psychosis compared to Caucasians. These discrepancies may indicate a need for understanding cultural differences in symptoms presentation (e.g. apathy vs. sadness, greater somaticization in minorities, etc.). This study indicates a need for further investigation to better understand factors impacting differences in diagnosis of mood symptoms in African Americans.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Impostor Phenomenon (IP) and Perceived Organizational Support (POS) on Professional Quality of Life in Psychology doctoral ...interns. A quantitative research design was used to examine if IP and POS scores impacted Burnout (BO), Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS), Compassion Satisfaction (CS) scores. The sample size consisted of 149 doctoral interns from Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology programs. The data was analyzed using a Pearson correlation and a two-way MANOVA. Results suggest that IP was positively related to BO and STS and that POS was negatively related to BO. Limitations of the study included recruitment, homogeneity of sample, self-report bias, and self-selection bias. This research provides additional information about the impact of both IP and POS on Professional Quality of Life in Psychology doctoral interns and has implications for their overall well-being. It would be helpful if future research continued exploring the relationship between these phenomena, by examining other contributing factors and gathering longitudinal data.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the Impostor Phenomenon's (IP's) relationship to perfectionistic cognitions, depression, anxiety, achievement motives, self-efficacy, self-compassion, and ...self-esteem in clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students. Further, this study sought to investigate how IP interferes with academic, practicum, and internship performance of these students and how IP manifests throughout a psychology doctoral program. Eighty-four clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students responded to an online survey. The data was analyzed using a Pearson's product-moment correlation and a multiple linear regression. Perhaps the most striking finding of the study is that 88% of students in the sample reported at least moderate feelings of the IP. This study also found significant positive correlations between the IP and perfectionistic cognitions, depression, anxiety, and self-compassion. In addition, as anticipated, one significant negative correlation emerged with achievement motives. Further, seven variables statistically significantly predicted feelings of the IP, with perfectionistic cognitions, depression, and achievement motives, adding statistical significance to the prediction. These findings add to existing literature regarding how IP manifests itself and impacts psychology doctoral student academic success. Further continued investigations will help educators and trainers understand more clearly how students are affected by the IP. Faculty and clinical supervisors should take a supportive approach to assist students to diminish feelings of the IP and enhance their competence and confidence to provide effective services to their clients.
Public Significance Statement
This article provides an exploration of the relationship between the Impostor Phenomenon and perfectionistic cognitions, depression, anxiety, achievement motives, self-efficacy, self-compassion, and self-esteem, in clinical and counseling psychology students. Recommendations to help faculty and staff aid students effectively manage and reduce their experiences of the Impostor Phenomenon are provided.
Objectives: This cross-sectional study examined whether spirituality moderates the association between depression symptom severity and meaning in life among treatment-seeking adults.
Method: ...Participants were 55 adults (≥60 years of age) newly seeking outpatient mental health treatment for mood, anxiety, or adjustment disorders. Self-report questionnaires measured depression symptom severity (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), spirituality (Spirituality Transcendence Index), and meaning in life (Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale-Meaning in Life subscale).
Results: Results indicated a significant interaction between spirituality and depression symptom severity on meaning in life scores (β = .26, p = .02). A significant negative association between depression symptom severity and meaning in life was observed at lower but not the highest levels of spirituality.
Conclusion: In the presence of elevated depressive symptomatology, those participants who reported high levels of spirituality reported comparable levels of meaning in life to those without elevated depressive symptomatology. Assessment of older adult patients' spirituality can reveal ways that spiritual beliefs and practices can be can be incorporated into therapy to enhance meaning in life.
Placement of a nasogastric enteral access device (NG-EAD), often referred to as a nasogastric tube, is common practice and largely in the domain of nursing care. Most often an NG-EAD is placed at the ...bedside without radiographic assistance. Correct initial placement and ongoing location verification are the primary challenges surrounding NG-EAD use and have implications for patient safety. Although considered an innocuous procedure, placement of an NG-EAD carries risk of serious and potentially lethal complications. Despite acknowledgment that an abdominal radiograph is the gold standard, other methods of verifying placement location are widely used and have success rates from 80% to 85%. The long-standing challenges surrounding bedside placement of NG-EADs and a practice alert issued by the Child Health Patient Safety Organization on this issue were the stimuli for the conception of The New Opportunities for Verification of Enteral Tube Location Project sponsored by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Its mission is to identify and promote best practices with the potential of technology development that will enable accurate determination of NG-EAD placement for both the inpatient and outpatient pediatric populations. This article presents the challenges of bedside NG-EAD placement and ongoing location verification in children through an overview of the current state of the science. It is important for all health care professionals to be knowledgeable about the current literature, to be vigilant for possible complications, and to avoid complacency with NG-EAD placement and ongoing verification of tube location.
Diindolylmethane (DIM), a biologically active congener of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) derived from cruciferous vegetables, is a promising agent for the prevention of estrogen-sensitive cancers. Both DIM ...and estrogen affect transcription of genes by binding receptors, such as aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) or estrogen receptors (ER). Gene regulation by DIM and estradiol (E2) can be very complex. While DIM typically binds the AhR, this complex can directly associate with the ER, recruit co-activators that bind to estrogen-responsive promoters, and activate transcription. Alternately, DIM can bind the ER directly. In this study, we have analyzed gene expression using microarray profiling and quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction in MCF7 breast cancer cells treated with E2 (1 nM) or DIM (25 microM) alone or in combination for 16 h. The interplay of E2 and DIM was reflected in the expression of a subset of genes (<90) in which the combination of E2 and DIM acted either additively or antagonistically to alter gene expression.
The emerging pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) presents an unprecedented challenge for healthcare systems ...globally. The clinical course of COVID-19 and its ability to rapidly create widespread infection has major implications, warranting vigorous infection prevention and control measures. As the confirmed number of cases has surpassed 5.6 million worldwide and continues to grow, the potential severity of the disease and its deadly complications requires urgent development of novel therapeutic agents to both prevent and treat COVID-19. Although vaccines and specific drug therapies have yet to be discovered, ongoing research and clinical trials are being conducted to investigate the efficacy of repurposed drugs for treating COVID-19. In the present review, the drug candidates that have been suggested to treat COVID-19 will be discussed. These include anti-viral agents (remdesivir, ribavirin, lopinavir-ritonavir, favipiravir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, oseltamivir, umifenovir), immunomodulatory agents (tocilizumab, interferons, plasma transfusions), and adjunctive agents (azithromycin, corticosteroids), among other miscellaneous agents. The mechanisms of action and further pharmacological properties will be explored, with a particular focus on the evidence-based safety and efficacy of each agent.
Failure to precisely distinguish malignant from healthy tissue has severe implications for breast cancer surgical outcomes. Clinical prognoses depend on precisely distinguishing healthy from ...malignant tissue during surgery. Laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS) has been previously shown to differentiate benign from malignant tissue in real time. However, the cost, assembly effort, and technical expertise needed for construction and implementation of the technique have prohibited widespread adoption. Recently, Raman spectrometers have been developed for non-medical uses and have become commercially available and affordable. Here we demonstrate that this current generation of Raman spectrometers can readily identify cancer in breast surgical specimens. We evaluated two commercially available, portable, near-infrared Raman systems operating at excitation wavelengths of either 785 nm or 1064 nm, collecting a total of 164 Raman spectra from cancerous, benign, and transitional regions of resected breast tissue from six patients undergoing mastectomy. The spectra were classified using standard multivariate statistical techniques. We identified a minimal set of spectral bands sufficient to reliably distinguish between healthy and malignant tissue using either the 1064 nm or 785 nm system. Our results indicate that current generation Raman spectrometers can be used as a rapid diagnostic technique distinguishing benign from malignant tissue during surgery.
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