Salivary cortisol levels in students challenged with a testing stressor.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was twofold. The focus of the study was primarily to determine if the stress of a particularly difficult exam could cause students to lose the normal diurnal variation seen in human cortisol levels and secondarily, to validate the use of a competitive enzyme immunoassay for salivary cortisol. DESIGN: Physical therapy students enrolled in Research Design were asked to participate in the study by collecting baseline evening and morning salivary cortisols during what was regarded as a relatively stress free time in the Fall of 2009. The following spring, the same students were asked for samples the evening before and morning of their first Kinesiology test, traditionally a stressful time. Method validation was accomplished using instrumentation owned by the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Program and analysis was performed by MLS faculty and a second year MLS student. SETTING: Participants were enrolled in the College of Health Sciences at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Sample collection and testing was performed in the student laboratory of the Medical Laboratory Science Program. PARTICIPANTS: Physical therapy students in their first year of a three-year entry level doctorate program, DPT. RESULTS: This group of students did not lose their diurnal variation of cortisol. However, an unexpected finding was noted: the students' salivary cortisol specimen collected in the morning of the fall semester was significantly higher than the salivary cortisol specimen collected the morning of the test in the spring semester (p = .019). Method validation was successful demonstrating a strong correlation ( r = 0.915) when compared to the reference laboratory. CONCLUSIONS: Cortisol diurnal variation was not lost in the study participants, but further studies should be performed due to the low percentage of students completing the study and the lack of demographic diversity. Even though the method validation in the student laboratory setting demonstrates that it is indeed possible to obtain the same excellent correlation as is seen in a clinical setting, the student laboratory is not CLIA certified, so assays can be performed for research use only.

Career Satisfaction in the Profession of Medical Laboratory Science.

The purpose of this research was to determine which job features create motivation and career satisfaction to retain personnel in the medical laboratory profession. Four research questions based on Wlodkowski's theory of motivation guided the study: Is there a difference in perceived career satisfaction among medical laboratory scientists who: a) feel included by practitioners in other healthcare professions, b) have choices on the job that are personally relevant, c) feel more challenged, and d) feel more competent in their daily work? In order to answer these questions, a survey composed of 33 questions was developed to capture the opinions of medical laboratory professionals who worked in the United States and had at least 1 year of experience. The survey was deployed online and posted on social media sites. Results, based on responses from 333 participants, showed that medical laboratory personnel are more satisfied with their career when they feel included with other healthcare professionals, make choices that are personally relevant, and feel challenged in their work. If current professionals are more satisfied in their work, they might remain in the workforce, and new professionals might be attracted to join the profession, helping to alleviate the shortage of medical laboratory scientists.

Identification of the J and K genes in the bacteriophage Mu genome sequence.

Bacteriophage Mu was the first transposable phage to be discovered and still serves as the model for a large family of related transposable phages and prophages. The Mu genome sequence is known (NC-000929.1 GI:9633494), but not all of the genes have been assigned to the ORFs in the genome sequence. For this paper, we have sequenced an approximately 3-kb DNA region containing four predicted ORFs, Mup35-Mup38, from lysogens containing amber mutant prophages defective in either the J or the K gene. Amber mutations in prophages with J gene mutations mapped to the Mup36 ORF, and those in the K gene were found in Mup37, identifying the ORFs corresponding to these genes.