Using a Mock Trial Method to Enhance Effectiveness of Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing.

Traditional teaching methodologies may deter adult learning because of passive the exchange of knowledge. Teaching to the "evidence" substantiating best practice requires a systematic approach to transfer knowledge into clinical inquiry. A mock trial simulated role-play activity was selected to show the value of learning through active engagement. The nurse "defendant" was challenged to substantiate practice based on the evidence. Seminar participants (the jury) scrutinized testimony through deliberation before delivering the final verdict.

Communicative challenges of bystander intervention: impact of goals and message design logic on strategies college students use to intervene in drinking situations.

A key concern on college campuses is how to help students avoid negative outcomes related to alcohol use. One way to address this is to encourage students to intervene when they see others engaged in high-risk behavior. This approach, referred to as bystander intervention, requires that individuals seek to influence others; however, research on bystander intervention has not explored how students communicate when they intervene. Drawing from a multiple goals perspective, we examined individuals' goals during intervention, the types of messages individuals use to intervene, and the relationship of design logic to sense of efficacy and messages used. Participants (n = 212) identified their goals and indicated what they would say to intervene in two college-drinking scenarios. We found that differences in goals were related to the types of messages used, with more specific goals leading to messages better aligned with achieving those goals. Additionally, more sophisticated design logic was related to a higher sense of efficacy and was reflected in the types of messages individuals used to intervene. The study views bystander intervention as an influence process and highlights the communicative challenges that can impact how people intervene.

Nucleosome core particles containing a poly(dA.dT) sequence element exhibit a locally distorted DNA structure.

Poly(dA.dT) DNA sequence elements are thought to promote transcription by either excluding nucleosomes or by altering their structural or dynamic properties. Here, the stability and structure of a defined nucleosome core particle containing a 16 base-pair poly(dA.dT) element (A16 NCP) was investigated. The A16 NCP requires a significantly higher temperature for histone octamer sliding in vitro compared to comparable nucleosomes that do not contain a poly(dA.dT) element. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer showed that the interactions between the nucleosomal DNA ends and the histone octamer were destabilized in A16 NCP. The crystal structure of A16 NCP was determined to a resolution of 3.2 A. The overall structure was maintained except for local deviations in DNA conformation. These results are consistent with previous in vivo and in vitro observations that poly(dA.dT) elements cause only modest changes in DNA accessibility and modest increases in steady-state transcription levels.

The impact of a health campaign on hand hygiene and upper respiratory illness among college students living in residence halls.

Hand hygiene is a key element in preventing the transmission of cold and flu viruses. The authors conducted an experimental-control design study in 4 campus residence halls to determine whether a message campaign about hand hygiene and the availability of gel hand sanitizer could decrease cold and flu illness and school and work absenteeism. Their findings indicate that students who were exposed to the message campaign and provided with gel hand sanitizer increased their knowledge about the potential health benefits of hand washing and sanitizer use; they reported higher rates of hand washing and using sanitizer than did the control group. These students also experienced fewer cold and flu illnesses during the study than those in the control group and missed fewer class or work engagements because of colds or flu. Conducting a health promotion campaign in residence halls may therefore help prevent colds and flu and decrease absenteeism on university campuses.

Defined structural changes occur in a nucleosome upon Amt1 transcription factor binding.

Here, we study the binding of the transcription factor Amt1 to its recognition site near the dyad of a highly positioned nucleosome. We find that the DNA binding domain of Amt1 binds to nucleosomes with only threefold reduced affinity compared to free DNA. We show by fluorescence resonance energy transfer that factor binding at the nucleosomal dyad is accompanied by the partial dissociation of the DNA ends from the histone octamer surface; however, no dissociation or subtle rearrangements of histone subunits is observed. A poly(dA.dT) DNA sequence element adjacent to the transcription factor binding site appears to facilitate factor binding, but is not essential. The methods that we describe here characterize for the first time the subtle structural changes that occur upon transcription factor binding to nucleosomes, and demonstrate the ability of the nucleosome to structurally adapt in response to outside influences.

Crystal structures of histone Sin mutant nucleosomes reveal altered protein-DNA interactions.

Here we describe 11 crystal structures of nucleosome core particles containing individual point mutations in the structured regions of histones H3 and H4. The mutated residues are located at the two protein-DNA interfaces flanking the nucleosomal dyad. Five of the mutations partially restore the in vivo effects of SWI/SNF inactivation in yeast. We find that even nonconservative mutations of these residues (which exhibit a distinct phenotype in vivo) have only moderate effects on global nucleosome structure. Rather, local protein-DNA interactions are disrupted and weakened in a subtle and complex manner. The number of lost protein-DNA interactions correlates directly with an increased propensity of the histone octamer to reposition with respect to the DNA, and with an overall destabilization of the nucleosome. Thus, the disruption of only two to six of the approximately 120 direct histone-DNA interactions within the nucleosome has a pronounced effect on nucleosome mobility and stability. This has implications for our understanding of how these structures are made accessible to the transcription and replication machinery in vivo.

The effect of hand hygiene on illness rate among students in university residence halls.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have indicated a connection between hand sanitization and infection control in numerous settings such as extended care facilities, schools, and hospitals. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of both a hand-hygiene message campaign and the use of an alcohol gel hand sanitizer in decreasing the incidence of upper-respiratory illness among students living in university residence halls. METHOD: This study involved a total of 430 students recruited from 4 residence halls during the fall semester at the University of Colorado at the Boulder campus. Dormitories were paired into control and product groups. In the product groups, alcohol gel hand-sanitizer dispensers were installed in every room, bathroom, and dining hall. The data were statistically analyzed for the differences between product and control groups in reported symptoms, illness rates, and absenteeism from classes. RESULTS: The overall increase in hand-hygiene behavior and reduction in symptoms, illness rates, and absenteeism between the product group and control group was statistically significant. Reductions in upper respiratory-illness symptoms ranged from 14.8% to 39.9%. Total improvement in illness rate was 20%. The product group had 43% less missed school/work days. CONCLUSION: Hand-hygiene practices were improved with increased frequency of handwashing through increasing awareness of the importance of hand hygiene, and the use of alcohol gel hand sanitizer in university dormitories. This resulted in fewer upper respiratory-illness symptoms, lower illness rates, and lower absenteeism.

Crystal structures of nucleosome core particles in complex with minor groove DNA-binding ligands.

We determined the crystal structures of three nucleosome core particles in complex with site-specific DNA-binding ligands, the pyrrole-imidazole polyamides. While the structure of the histone octamer and its interaction with the DNA remain unaffected by ligand binding, nucleosomal DNA undergoes significant structural changes at the ligand-binding sites and in adjacent regions to accommodate the ligands. Our findings suggest that twist diffusion occurs over long distances through tightly bound nucleosomal DNA. This may be relevant to the mechanism of ATP-dependent and spontaneous nucleosome translocation, and to the effect of bound factors on nucleosome dynamics.