"I Honestly Would Not Have Known What to Do": An Exploratory Study of Perspectives on Client Suicide Among Vocational Rehabilitation Support Staff.

Despite the high prevalence of suicide both overall and among people with disabilities in particular, little research has explored suicide in the context of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) system or in counseling support staff in general. We analyzed the responses of 14 VR support staff who responded to an open-ended qualitative prompt regarding their experiences with suicide training and competency. Key themes included a perceived lack of and desire for more training regarding suicide, seeking and receiving suicide training outside of VR, and a perceived lack of resources for working with suicidal clients. Responses also underscored the heavy emotional impact of working with these clients, especially when one feels unprepared to do so. These results suggest that it is important to provide VR support staff with resources and training for addressing suicide in their client populations.

Altered chondrocyte differentiation and extracellular matrix homeostasis in a zebrafish model for mucolipidosis II.

Mucolipidosis II (ML-II) is a pediatric disorder caused by defects in the biosynthesis of mannose 6-phosphate, the carbohydrate recognition signal responsible for targeting certain acid hydrolases to lysosomes. The mechanisms underlying the developmental defects of ML-II are largely unknown due in part to the lack of suitable animal models. To overcome these limitations, we developed a model for ML-II in zebrafish by inhibiting the expression of N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase, the enzyme that initiates mannose 6-phosphate biosynthesis. Morphant embryos manifest craniofacial defects, impaired motility, and abnormal otolith and pectoral fin development. Decreased mannose phosphorylation of several lysosomal glycosidases was observed in morphant lysates, consistent with the reduction in phosphotransferase activity. Investigation of the craniofacial defects in the morphants uncovered striking changes in the timing and localization of both type II collagen and Sox9 expression, suggestive of an accelerated chondrocyte differentiation program. Accumulation of type II collagen was also noted within misshapen cartilage elements at later stages of development. Furthermore, we observed abnormal matrix formation and calcium deposition in morphant otoliths. Collectively, these data provide new insight into the developmental pathology of ML-II and suggest that altered production and/or homeostasis of extracellular matrix proteins are integral to the disease process. These findings highlight the potential of the zebrafish system in studying lysosomal disease pathogenesis.

Nodal signals mediate interactions between the extra-embryonic and embryonic tissues in zebrafish.

In many vertebrates, extra-embryonic tissues are important signaling centers that induce and pattern the germ layers. In teleosts, the mechanism by which the extra-embryonic yolk syncytial layer (YSL) patterns the embryo is not understood. Although the Nodal-related protein Squint is expressed in the YSL, its role in this tissue is not known. We generated a series of stable transgenic lines with GFP under the control of squint genomic sequences. In all species, nodal-related genes induce their own expression through a positive feedback loop. We show that two tissue specific enhancers in the zebrafish squint gene mediate the response to Nodal signals. Expression in the blastomeres depends upon a conserved Nodal response element (NRE) in the squint first intron, while expression in the extra-embryonic enveloping layer (EVL) is mediated by an element upstream of the transcription start site. Targeted depletion experiments demonstrate that the zebrafish Nodal-related proteins Squint and Cyclops are required in the YSL for endoderm and head mesoderm formation. Thus, Nodal signals mediate interactions between embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues in zebrafish that maintain nodal-related gene expression in the margin. Our results demonstrate a high degree of functional conservation between the extra-embryonic tissues of mouse and zebrafish.