Mental health and social support among public safety personnel.

BACKGROUND: Social support may be a protective factor for the mental health of public safety personnel (PSP), who are frequently exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events and report substantial post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms. Research examining perceived social support and its association with PTSD and MDD in different PSP categories (e.g. firefighters, paramedics) is limited. AIMS: To examine differences in perceived social support across PSP and determine whether perceived social support is associated with differences in rates of MDD and PTSD. METHODS: We asked Canadian PSP, including correctional workers and officers, public safety communications officials, firefighters, paramedics, municipal and provincial police officers, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers, to complete an online anonymous survey that assessed socio-demographic information (e.g. occupation, sex, marital status, service years), social supports and symptoms of mental disorders, including PTSD and MDD. Analyses included ANOVA and logistic regression models. RESULTS: Perceived social support differed by PSP occupation. RCMP officers reported lower social support than all other PSP except paramedics. For most PSP categories, PSP who reported greater social support were less likely to screen positive for PTSD (adjusted odds ratios [AORs]: 0.90-0.93). Across all PSP categories, greater perceived social support was associated with a decreased likelihood of screening positive for MDD (AORs: 0.85-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived social support differs across some PSP categories and predicts PTSD and MDD diagnostic status. Studies involving diagnostic clinical interviews, longitudinal designs and social support interventions are needed to replicate and extend our results.

Laparoscopic excision of mesenteric cysts: a report of two cases.

The authors report two cases of mesenteric cysts that were excised laparoscopically. Resection was accomplished with standard minimally invasive techniques and use of an ultrasonic scalpel. Both patients recovered promptly with minimal morbidity and returned to full activity within a short time. This reveals the suitability of minimally invasive surgery for this particular disease process.

16q loss of heterozygosity and microsatellite instability in Wilms' tumor.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Wilms' tumor is the most common renal malignancy of childhood. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 16q is seen in about 17% of cases and has been associated with a poor prognosis. To more precisely define the pattern of 16q deletion exhibited by Wilms' tumor, the authors performed a detailed LOH analysis of 96 specimens using polymorphic microsatellite repeat markers. The authors also evaluated the neoplasms for the presence of microsatellite instability (MSI). METHODS: A total of 96 DNA samples were studied using polymerase chain reaction-based LOH analyses amplifying polymorphic microsatellite repeat markers. Screening for MSI using 2 additional genetic markers also was carried out. RESULTS: The authors found 16q LOH in 14 of the specimens evaluated. Comprehensive analysis of these LOH-positive specimens showed a region of loss spanning 16p11.2-q22.1 and a separate distal region of LOH at 16q23.2-24.2. The distal region of deletion is very small, estimated to be approximately 2.4 megabases. In addition to the observed LOH, 2 specimens were found to consistently exhibit MSI, which has not been reported previously in Wilms' tumor. CONCLUSIONS: The smallest consensus region of deletion in our analysis of Wilms' tumor 16q LOH measures 2.4 megabases at 16q23.2-q24.2. Additionally, MSI was present in a subset of tumor specimens suggesting that defects in DNA mismatch repair may contribute to the pathogenesis of Wilms' tumor.

Superb customer service comes from within.

The pressures and complexities of providing nursing care and well-health education in a reduced time frame can lead to suboptimum customer service. To maintain high quality, you must internalize superior customer service as lifestyle habit.

Relation of body fat distribution to reproductive factors in pre- and postmenopausal women.

The cross-sectional relations of several reproductive characteristics with self-reported waist-to-hip circumference ratio were evaluated in 44,487 pre- and postmenopausal women 40 to 65 years of age who were free of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. All results were adjusted for age, body mass index, cigarette smoking, physical activity, and alcohol intake. Current use of postmenopausal hormones was associated with a significantly lower waist-to-hip ratio than either past or never use independent of type of menopause (0.778 versus 0.784, p = 0.0001 and 0.787, p = 0.0001, respectively), although associations with type (unopposed estrogens versus combined estrogen and progesterone) and duration of hormone therapy were not noted. Waist-to-hip ratio did not differ between pre- and postmenopausal women, but demonstrated weak positive associations with age at menarche, parity, and age at first birth, and a weak inverse association with past duration of breast-feeding. These data confirm relations of several reproductive factors and use of hormone replacement therapy with body fat distribution. Epidemiologic studies relating body fat distribution to disease outcomes in women should consider these factors as potential confounders.

Mechanical properties of microcallus in human cancellous bone.

Until now, the mechanical properties of the microcalluses that form in human cancellous bone have been unexplained. We measured the microhardnesses of microcalluses in cancellous bone, of the trabeculae within the microcalluses, of the trabeculae adjacent to microcalluses, and of trabeculae lacking microcalluses in a human tibia and femur. We observed no important differences between materials at the four different sites. Because the microhardness of bone is very closely related to its stiffness, this finding indicates that microcalluses are likely to stiffen the trabeculae in which they are formed, even though they may surround unhealed fractures of the cancellous trabeculae.

Simple isolation of antimycin A1 and some of its toxicological properties.

An unidentified actinomycete, RTI 246, was found to produce antimycin A(1) in high yield on a high protein cereal medium. The antibiotic compound was extracted from the cells and isolated in pure form by crystallization. It was identified by ultraviolet, infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectroscopy and by alkaline hydrolysis to antimycic acid and a neutral lactone. The intravenous LD(50) was 1.0 mg/kg in white mice, whereas the intraperitoneal LD(50) was 1.50 +/- 0.19 mg/kg. Animals receiving an intraperitoneal injection displayed an incoordination of the hind limbs and impaired reflexes before showing signs of respiratory distress. These findings indicated that antimycin A(1) possesses a neurotoxic property separate from its well-documented property as a respiratory poison.