Occupational Justice: Staff Member's Understanding of the Role of Occupational Therapy within Organizations Serving Persons Experiencing Homelessness.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the understanding of occupational justice and occupational therapy's role among staff members working within organizations serving persons experiencing homelessness. A survey was developed to determine if staff (N = 43) understood what occupational therapists can do to help persons experiencing homelessness. Responses were split almost equally between agree/strongly agree and disagree/strongly disagree. Most or 95% (n = 38) of respondents stated their organization would be interested in increasing programming to support the ideas of occupational justice. This suggests that occupational therapy can fill a need in these organizations to promote occupational justice.

Uteroglobin: a potential novel tumor suppressor and molecular therapeutic for prostate cancer.

Currently, there are very few diagnostic or therapeutic strategies targeted at controlling tumor growth and progression towards metastasis. Uteroglobin (UG) is a naturally occurring, small, stable, secretory protein that is normally expressed by most cells of epithelial origin but is known to be lost during the progression of prostate, lung, and uterine cancers to invasive malignancy. Uteroglobin -/- knockout mice appear to be extremely cancer prone. Both pharmacological and transgenic reconstitution of recombinant human UG (rhUG) to prostate, lung, and endometrial tumor cell lines markedly inhibits their invasiveness and antagonizes the neoplastic phenotype. In preliminary studies, rhUG inhibited angiogenesis in the ex vivo rat aorta model and showed antitumor activity against human prostate tumor cells (PC-3) in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay, reducing both tumor volume and vascularity. A recent in vivo pilot study showed that twice daily dosing with rhUG resulted in a statistically significant increase in survival without evidence of toxicity in severe combined immunodeficient mice challenged with a PC-3 cell metastasizing tumor. Thus, rhUG may slow the progression of cancer by inhibiting both tumor cell invasiveness and tumor angiogenesis. It therefore holds the potential to serve as a new weapon in the arsenal of cytostatic, antimetastatic, adjuvant treatment for cancer. In this paper, we will briefly discuss the therapeutic potential of uteroglobin-based strategies for managing prostate cancer.

Ultrafast polarization dynamics and noise in pulsed vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

We have measured on ps time scales the temporal behavior of the intensity noise of, and correlations between, orthogonally polarized modes in an optically pumped VCSEL. Measurements were made in both the circular and the linear bases. Sub-ps optical pumping with circular polarization leads to positively correlated intensity noise for emission in orthogonal linear polarizations. Optical pumping with linear polarization leads to anti-correlated intensity noise for emission in orthogonal linear polarizations, due to random orientation of linearly polarized emission. Intensity noise for circularly polarized emission is uncorrelated or anti-correlated depending on spin-flip rates which determine the strength of gain competition. We have generalized the theoretical treatment of San Miguel, Feng, and Moloney to successfully model these phenomena.

Application of the Neuman Systems Model to teaching health assessment and nursing process.

TOPIC: A nursing theory framework for teaching health assessment. PURPOSE: To improve teaching of health assessment and nursing process to beginning-level baccalaureate nursing students. SOURCES: The Assessment and Analysis Guideline Tool, published and unpublished literature, personal observation, and faculty feedback were used in tool development. CONCLUSIONS: Faculty concluded that students who could envision the connection of the Neuman Systems Model and NANDA nursing diagnoses through the nursing process would be better able to understand the nursing model and choose appropriate nursing diagnoses for client care.

Protease inhibitor-induced urolithiasis.

OBJECTIVES: To describe protease inhibitor-induced urinary stone disease in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who are taking indinavir sulfate (Crixivan), a protease inhibitor, for the treatment of AIDS. METHODS: Patients with HIV/AIDS and symptomatic renal colic temporally related to the initiation of indinavir sulfate therapy were prospectively identified. Seven patients (mean age 42 years; all men) with HIV and renal colic who were taking indinavir were identified. Retrospective chart reviews and patient interviews were performed. RESULTS: Indinavir therapy averaged 5.7 months prior to presentation with renal colic. All patients had microscopic hematuria. One patient presented with acute azotemia from bilateral urinary obstruction. Six patients had no history of urinary stones prior to initiating indinavir. The median number of symptomatic urinary stone episodes after initiating indinavir was two stones per patient. All patients had moderate- to high-grade urinary obstruction from radiolucent calculi. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) demonstrated hydronephrosis without urinary calcifications. Three patients spontaneously passed stones and 4 required intervention. Yellow debris and/or brown matrix-like material was seen endoscopically. Stone analysis revealed pure protease inhibitor. Six patients (86%) eventually discontinued protease inhibitor therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Protease inhibitor-induced urinary stones are radiolucent and can cause high-grade ureteral obstruction. Protease inhibitor-induced urinary stones were not identified on unenhanced abdominal CT scans. The radiolucent gelatinous nature of such stones makes lithotripsy a poor choice of treatment. Ureteral stenting may allow spontaneous stone passage if symptomatic obstruction occurs. Urologists may encounter a greater number of patients with symptomatic protease inhibitor-induced urinary calculi as these medications become more popular.

Database filter: optoelectronic design and implementation.

The results of a successful demonstration of the selection module of an optoelectronic parallel-processing database filter is presented. The module utilizes 4 x 4 arrays of AND and XOR logic gates that respectively perform the functions of reducing the data fields and determining a match between the input data and a selection argument. The logic arrays were fabricated with InGaP/GaAs heterojunction phototransistors that drive vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL's). The VCSEL's provide the free-space optical interconnection between stages. The design of the system and the optical power budget are discussed.