Improving service performance in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability: an intervention focused on participation of families / A melhoria do desempenho do serviço em organizações para indivíduos com deficiência intelectual: uma intervenção com foco na participação das famílias / La mejora del desempeño del servicio en organizaciones para personas con discapacidad intelectual: una intervención centrada en la participación de las familias

To improve service performance in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability, the authors tested an intervention based on collaborative teams. Specifically, professionals and families cooperated in the design and implementation of projects to improve the quality of life of individuals with intellectual disability. We considered two service performance indicators reported by family members (N = 342; 78% women; and a mean age of 57.17 years): service quality and self-determination communication openness. Our results revealed that family members assigned to the experimental condition improved their service quality evaluations from pre-intervention to post-intervention, whereas family members assigned to the control condition did not change their evaluations. The intervention was not effective for communication openness. Perceptions remained stable in family members who participated in the teams (experimental condition), whereas communication openness decreased in family members in the control condition. We discuss the implications of our findings for service research.

Para melhorar o desempenho do serviço em organizações para indivíduos com deficiência intelectual, os autores testaram uma intervenção baseada em equipes colaborativas. Especificamente, profissionais e famílias cooperaram na concepção e implementação de projetos para melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas com deficiência intelectual. Foram considerados dois indicadores de desempenho do serviço relatados pelos familiares (N = 342; 78% mulheres; idade média de 57,17 anos): qualidade do serviço e abertura de comunicação autodeterminada. Nossos resultados revelaram que os membros da família atribuídos à condição experimental melhoraram suas avaliações de qualidade de serviço de pré-intervenção para pós-intervenção, enquanto os membros da família atribuídos à condição de controle não mudaram suas avaliações. A intervenção não foi eficaz para a abertura de comunicação. As percepções permaneceram estáveis ​​nos familiares que participaram das equipes (condição experimental), enquanto a abertura comunicativa diminuiu nos familiares na condição controle. Discutimos as implicações de nossas descobertas para a pesquisa de serviços.

Para mejorar el desempeño del servicio en organizaciones para personas con discapacidad intelectual, los autores pusieron a prueba una intervención basada en equipos colaborativos. En concreto, profesionales y familias colaboraron en el diseño e implementación de proyectos para mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas con discapacidad intelectual. Se consideraron dos indicadores de desempeño del servicio reportados por los miembros de la familia (N = 342; 78% mujeres; y una edad promedio de 57,17 años): calidad del servicio y apertura en comunicación sobre autodeterminación. Nuestros resultados revelaron que los miembros de la familia asignados a la condición experimental mejoraron sus evaluaciones de calidad del servicio desde la preintervención hasta la postintervención, mientras que los miembros de la familia asignados a la condición de control no cambiaron sus evaluaciones. La intervención no fue eficaz para la apertura en comunicación. Las percepciones se mantuvieron estables en los familiares que participaron en los equipos (condición experimental), mientras que la apertura en comunicación disminuyó en los familiares en la condición de control. Se analizan las implicaciones de nuestros hallazgos para la investigación de servicios.

Participation in collaborative projects as a precursor of trust in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability.

The present study focuses on organizations delivering services to individuals with intellectual disability, where trust relations between professionals and family members are required. More specifically, we examine the existence of significant differences in the degree to which family members and professionals trust each other. We also propose that their joint participation in collaborative teams (VI) will improve trust (VD). Specifically, our teams (experimental condition) designed and implemented collaborative projects with the participation of professionals and family members. Participants in the control condition did not participate in the collaborative projects. Our results confirmed that family members trust professionals more than professionals trust family members. Their joint participation in collaborative projects improved professionals' trust in family members over time, compared to the control condition. The effect of collaborative projects was not significant for family members' trust in professionals.

Correlates of Walking for Travel in Seven European Cities: The PASTA Project.

BACKGROUND: Although walking for travel can help in reaching the daily recommended levels of physical activity, we know relatively little about the correlates of walking for travel in the European context. OBJECTIVE: Within the framework of the European Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) project, we aimed to explore the correlates of walking for travel in European cities. METHODS: The same protocol was applied in seven European cities. Using a web-based questionnaire, we collected information on total minutes of walking per week, individual characteristics, mobility behavior, and attitude (N=7,875). Characteristics of the built environment (the home and the work/study addresses) were determined with geographic information system (GIS)-based techniques. We conducted negative binomial regression analyses, including city as a random effect. Factor and principal component analyses were also conducted to define profiles of the different variables of interest. RESULTS: Living in high-density residential areas with richness of facilities and density of public transport stations was associated with increased walking for travel, whereas the same characteristics at the work/study area were less strongly associated with the outcome when the residential and work/study environments were entered in the model jointly. A walk-friendly social environment was associated with walking for travel. All three factors describing different opinions about walking (ranging from good to bad) were associated with increased minutes of walking per week, although the importance given to certain criteria to choose a mode of transport provided different results according to the criteria. DISCUSSION: The present study supports findings from previous research regarding the role of the built environment in the promotion of walking for travel and provides new findings to help in achieving sustainable, healthy, livable, and walkable cities. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4603.

Why do people spend money to help vulnerable people?

Prosocial spending has been linked to positive benefits for individuals and societies. However, little is known about the precursors of prosocial spending directed to vulnerable people. We experimentally tested the effect of a first exposure to a prosocial donation decision on subsequent prosocial spending. We also examined the direct links from eudaimonic well-being beliefs (contribution-to-others and self-development) to prosocial spending, as well as the interaction between these beliefs and autonomy in predicting the money given. A total of 200 individuals participated in the study. Results showed that, compared to two control groups ("totally self-focused" and "no first-exposure"), an initial exposure to a prosocial donation decision increases subsequent prosocial spending. In addition, we observed an anchoring bias from the initial prosocial donation to subsequent prosocial spending. Regression analyses also confirmed the existence of a positive significant relationship between contribution-to-others beliefs and prosocial spending. Finally, we observed a significant interaction between autonomy and self-development well-being beliefs, such that autonomy strengthens the link from self-development beliefs to prosocial spending. In general, our results confirmed the significant role of exposure, anchoring, autonomy, and well-being beliefs in predicting the money spent to help vulnerable people.

Association study of dietary non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (NEAC) and colorectal cancer risk in the Spanish Multicase-Control Cancer (MCC-Spain) study.

PURPOSE: Studies attempting to link dietary non-enzymatic antioxidant activity (NEAC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk have reported mixed results. We examined this association in the Spanish Multicase-Control Study considering the likely influence of coffee and other dietary factors. METHODS: 1718 CRC cases and 3312 matched-controls provided information about diet through a validated 140-item food frequency questionnaire. Dietary NEAC was estimated for three methods [total radical-trapping antioxidant parameters (TRAP), ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) and TEAC-ABTS] using published values of NEAC content in food, with and without coffee's NEAC. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated through unconditional logistic regression models adjusted for lifestyle and dietary factors. RESULTS: Overall dietary intake of NEAC was significantly lower in cases compared to controls and associated with a significantly reduced CRC risk, in both men (ORQ5vsQ1 = 0.67, 95% CI 0.47-0.96 for FRAP) and women (ORQ5vsQ1 = 0.53, 95% CI 0.32-085 for FRAP), in multivariate models with and without the antioxidant contribution from coffee. The effect was similar for all the NEAC methods evaluated and for both colon and rectum. The association between dietary NEAC and CRC risk became non-significant when adjusting for fiber intake. However, intakes of NEAC and fiber were correlated. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that intake of an antioxidant-rich plant-based diet, both with and without NEAC from coffee, is associated with decreased CRC risk.

Rational development of synergistic combinations of chemotherapy and molecular targeted agents for colorectal cancer treatment.

BACKGROUND: The irinotecan-induced phosphokinome changes in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells were used to guide the selection of targeted agents to be tested in combination with irinotecan. METHODS: Phosphokinome profiling with peptide arrays of tumour samples from nude mice xenografted with HT29 cells and treated or not with an effective dose of irinotecan was used to identify signalling pathways activated by irinotecan treatment. Then, drugs targeting these pathways were combined in vitro with irinotecan to test potential synergistic effect. The interactions between these drug combinations were assessed by a dose matrix approach. Confirmation of the most potential combination has been confirmed in vivo in xenografted mice. RESULTS: Irinotecan induced in vivo the activation of AKT and MEK1 phosphorylation. The dose matrix approach showed that BKM120 (PI3K inhibitor) and MEK162 (MEK inhibitor) are synergistic in vitro and in vivo with a cytostatic and cytotoxic effect, while combination of BKM120 and irinotecan or MEK162 and irinotecan are only additive or even antagonistic. However, the triple combination of SN38, BKM120 and MEK162 showed a better synergistic effect that BKM120 and MEK162, indicating that the cells need to inhibit both AKT and ERK pathways to become more sensitive to irinotecan-based chemotherapies. CONCLUSION: Analysis of chemotherapy-induced phosphokinome changes helps to elucidate the mechanisms of drug resistance and to guide the selection of targets for combination therapies with synergistic activity.

Organizational performance focused on users' quality of life: The role of service climate and "contribution-to-others" wellbeing beliefs.

The investigation of organizational factors as precursors of the quality of life (QoL) of service users in organizations for individuals with intellectual disability has been relatively neglected.With this in mind, this study tests the mediation of service climate between employee's "contribution-to-others" wellbeing beliefs (COWBs) and organizational performance focused on the QoL of individuals with intellectual disability. A total of 104 organizations participated in the study. Data were collected from 885 employees and 809 family members of individuals with intellectual disability. The results of the multilevel mediation model supported the hypotheses. When employees believe that their own wellbeing depends on helping others (COWBs) service climate reported by employees is stimulated. Service climate in turn was associated with organizational performance focused on QoL of people with intellectual disability, assessed by family members. The manuscript concludes with theoretical and practical implications of the study.

Possible role of chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine for primary prevention of colorectal cancer. Results from the MCC-Spain study.

A safe and effective colorectal cancer (CRC) chemoprevention agent remains to be discovered. We aim to evaluate the association between the use of glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulphate and risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the MCC-Spain study, a case-control study performed in Spain that included 2140 cases of CRC and 3950 population controls. Subjects were interviewed on sociodemographic factors, lifestyle, family and medical history and regular drug use. Adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated. The reported frequency of chondroitin and/or glucosamine use was 2.03% in controls and 0.89% in cases. Users had a reduced risk of CRC (OR: 0.47; 95% CI: 0.28-0.79), but it was no longer significant when adjusted for NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) use (OR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.47-1.40). A meta-analysis with previous studies suggested a protective effect, overall and stratified by NSAID use (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.62-0.97). We have not found strong evidence of an independent preventive effect of CG on CRC in our population because the observed effects of our study could be attributed to NSAIDs concurrent use. These results merit further research due to the safety profile of these drugs.

Mesenchymal stem cells seeded on a human amniotic membrane improve liver regeneration and mouse survival after extended hepatectomy.

Liver failure remains the leading cause of post-operative mortality after hepatectomy. This study investigated the effect of treatment with allogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on survival and liver regeneration 48 hr and 7 days after 80% hepatectomy in C57Bl/6 mice. To optimize their biodistribution, MSCs were grown on acellular human amniotic membranes (HAM) and applied as a patch on the remnant liver. This approach was compared with MSC infusion and HAM patch alone. Hepatectomized mice without any treatment were used as control group. Survival rate was calculated and biological and histopathological parameters were analysed to monitor liver function and regeneration. MSCs grown on HAM retained their ability to proliferate, to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes and to respond to pro-inflammatory stimuli. Extended hepatectomy (80%) led to liver failure that resulted in death within 72 hr in 76% of mice. MSC infusion showed an early but transitory positive effect on survival. MSC/HAM patches stimulated regeneration and significantly improved survival rate (54% vs. 24% in the control group at 7 days). They also decreased the severity of hepatectomy-induced steatosis, suggesting a modulation of lipid metabolism in hepatocytes. MSCs were still present on HAM at Days 2 and 7 posthepatectomy. In conclusion, engineered tissue constructs that combine MSCs and HAM improve survival and liver regeneration after 80% hepatectomy in mice. These encouraging results pave the way to potential clinical application.

Linking Staff Burnout to Family Members' Satisfaction in Centers for People With Intellectual Disabilities: A Service Chain Approach.

Research in centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has somewhat neglected the relationship between workers' burnout and users' service evaluations. Two independent survey studies tested this connection. In the first study (100 centers, 714 workers, and 612 family members), results confirmed that burnout has a negative relationship with workers' perceptions of service quality. In turn, these perceptions are associated with the service quality perceptions of family members and their satisfaction with the service. In a replication sample (86 centers, 601 workers, and 819 family members), we reproduced these results and added situational constraints in the model. Both social and technical constraints correlated positively and significantly with burnout. These studies offer a view of the relationships between burnout and service quality.

Fruit and vegetable intake and vitamin C transporter gene (SLC23A2) polymorphisms in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

PURPOSE: There is currently no convincing epidemiological evidence that fruit and vegetable consumption, the primary source of vitamin C, plays a role in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) aetiology. We hypothesized that variations in vitamin C dietary intake as well as in genetic variability in vitamin C transporter gene SLC23A2 could explain some inconsistencies in the literature. METHODS: Fruit/vegetable/vitamin C consumption from food frequency questionnaires and six low-penetrance genetic susceptibility polymorphisms in vitamin C transporter gene SLC23A2 (rs1715364, rs6133175, rs1776948, rs6139587, rs369270 and rs6052937) were examined in 434 CLL cases and 1257 randomly selected controls from primary care centres with genetic data of whom 275 cases and 1094 controls having both diet and genetic information. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: CLL patients were more likely to have a higher fruit consumption than controls (highest versus lowest quartile in g/day OR: 1.48; 95 % CI: 1.00 to 2.18; P = 0.03), whereas no associations were found with vegetable or total vitamin C intake. Based on log-additive models, rs6133175_A > G (OR: 1.19, 95 % CI: 1.00 to 1.41; P = 0.05) and rs1776948_T > A (OR: 1.20; 95 %CI: 1.01 to 1.41; P = 0.04) were associated with CLL. The haplogenotype analysis (rs1715364, rs6133175) supported the genotype results. No gene-diet interactions in CLL remained statistically significant after correction for multiple testing. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that both fruit intake and genetic marker in SLC23A2 may play an independent role in CLL biology.

Surface acting and exhaustion: The moderating role of eudaimonia.

Surface acting (faking emotions) is one of the stressors experienced by contact employees during service interactions with customers, and it has implications for workers' exhaustion. One challenge of research and practice is to identify moderators that help to better understand the positive relationships between surface acting and exhaustion. The present study proposes the two dimensions of eudaimonia beliefs about well-being (self-development and contribution-to-others beliefs) as moderators between surface acting and exhaustion. We performed regression analyses with 817 contact employees working in 118 health-care organizations providing services to people with intellectual disability. Results confirmed the hypotheses, showing that contribution-to-others strengthens the link from surface acting to exhaustion, whereas self-development weakens this relationship. Therefore, self-development beliefs act as a protector for workers when they have to deal with situations that require surface acting.

The Moderating Role of Performance in the Link From Interactional Justice Climate to Mutual Trust Between Managers and Team Members.

The main goal of this study was to examine the interaction between team members' performance and interactional justice climate in predicting mutual trust between managers and team members. A total of 93 small centers devoted to the attention of people with intellectual disability participated in the study. In each center, the manager (N = 93) and a group of team members (N = 746) were surveyed. On average, team members were 36.2 years old (SD = 9.3), whereas managers were 41.2 years old (SD = 8.8). The interaction between interactional justice climate and performance was statistically significant. Team members' performance strengthened the link from interactional justice climate to mutual trust.

Stress, coping, and work engagement within the -specific job context: comment on Kaiseler, et Al. (2014).

This work discusses the use of tools that make use of context information. Comments are based on a previous study that looked into the relationship between stressors, coping, and work engagement (Kaiseler, Queirós, Passos & Sousa, 2014). A set of propositions are provided for research that will allow the design of contextualized stress interventions in specific job settings.

Intergroup conflict and rational decision making.

The literature has been relatively silent about post-conflict processes. However, understanding the way humans deal with post-conflict situations is a challenge in our societies. With this in mind, we focus the present study on the rationality of cooperative decision making after an intergroup conflict, i.e., the extent to which groups take advantage of post-conflict situations to obtain benefits from collaborating with the other group involved in the conflict. Based on dual-process theories of thinking and affect heuristic, we propose that intergroup conflict hinders the rationality of cooperative decision making. We also hypothesize that this rationality improves when groups are involved in an in-group deliberative discussion. Results of a laboratory experiment support the idea that intergroup conflict -associated with indicators of the activation of negative feelings (negative affect state and heart rate)- has a negative effect on the aforementioned rationality over time and on both group and individual decision making. Although intergroup conflict leads to sub-optimal decision making, rationality improves when groups and individuals subjected to intergroup conflict make decisions after an in-group deliberative discussion. Additionally, the increased rationality of the group decision making after the deliberative discussion is transferred to subsequent individual decision making.

El trabajo emocional desde una perspectiva clarificadora tras treinta años de investigación / The Emotional Work from a Clarifying Perspective after Thirty Years of Research

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo el análisis del concepto de "trabajo emocional". Específicamente, a través de un enfoque integrador, se pretende clarificar a qué hace referencia el trabajo emocional y diferenciarlo de conceptos con los que comúnmente se relaciona en la literatura existente. Además, se analiza una de las últimas propuestas sobre cómo se podría producir el trabajo emocional aplicado al contexto de las organizaciones de servicios. Por último, se analizan los antecedentes que la literatura señala como aspectos potenciales para la aparición del trabajo emocional y las consecuencias que éste puede ocasionar en los resultados organizacionales, como es la calidad de servicio y en la salud psicosocial de los trabajadores.

This paper aims to analyze the concept of Emotional Work. Specifically, through an integrated approach, it is intended to clarify what is Emotional Work and differentiate concepts that are commonly associated in the literature. Also, one of the latest proposals on how they could produce the Emotional Work applied to the context of service organizations is analyzed. Finally, the background literature identifies as potential issues for the appearance of emotional labor and the consequences it can have on organizational outcomes, such as quality of service and the psychosocial health of workers are analyzed.

BAG6/BAT3 modulates autophagy by affecting EP300/p300 intracellular localization.

We recently reported that BAG6/BAT3 (BCL2-associated athanogene 6) is essential for basal and starvation-induced autophagy in E18.5 bag6(-/-) mouse embryos and in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) through the modulation of the EP300/p300-dependent acetylation of TRP53 and autophagy-related (ATG) proteins. We observed that BAG6 increases TRP53 acetylation during starvation and pro-autophagic TRP53-target gene expression. BAG6 also decreases the EP300 dependent-acetylation of ATG5, ATG7, and LC3-I, posttranslational modifications that inhibit autophagy. In addition, in the absence of BAG6 or when using a mutant of BAG6 exclusively located in the cytoplasm, autophagy is inhibited, ATG7 is hyperacetylated, TRP53 acetylation is abrogated, and EP300 accumulates in the cytoplasm indicating that BAG6 is involved in the regulation of the nuclear localization of EP300. We also reported that the interaction between BAG6 and EP300 occurs in the cytoplasm rather than the nucleus. Moreover, during starvation, EP300 is transported to the nucleus in a BAG6-dependent manner. We concluded that BAG6 regulates autophagy by controlling the localization of EP300 and its accessibility to nuclear (TRP53) and cytoplasmic (ATGs) substrates.

BAT3 modulates p300-dependent acetylation of p53 and autophagy-related protein 7 (ATG7) during autophagy.

Autophagy is regulated by posttranslational modifications, including acetylation. Here we show that HLA-B-associated transcript 3 (BAT3) is essential for basal and starvation-induced autophagy in embryonic day 18.5 BAT3(-/-) mouse embryos and in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) through the modulation of p300-dependent acetylation of p53 and ATG7. Specifically, BAT3 increases p53 acetylation and proautophagic p53 target gene expression, while limiting p300-dependent acetylation of ATG7, a mechanism known to inhibit autophagy. In the absence of BAT3 or when BAT3 is located exclusively in the cytosol, autophagy is abrogated, ATG7 is hyperacetylated, p53 acetylation is abolished, and p300 accumulates in the cytosol, indicating that BAT3 regulates the nuclear localization of p300. In addition, the interaction between BAT3 and p300 is stronger in the cytosol than in the nucleus and, during starvation, the level of p300 decreases in the cytosol but increases in the nucleus only in the presence of BAT3. We conclude that BAT3 tightly controls autophagy by modulating p300 intracellular localization, affecting the accessibility of p300 to its substrates, p53 and ATG7.

Exposure to brominated trihalomethanes in drinking water and reproductive outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes. We evaluated exposure to DBPs through ingestion, inhalation and dermal absorption among pregnant women in Crete, in relation to birth weight and gestational age. METHODS: The mother-child birth cohort in Crete ('Rhea' study) enrolled 1359 pregnant women at the third month of pregnancy (2007-2008), residents in the prefecture of Heraklion. Exposures were assessed through three questionnaires administered during pregnancy requesting extensive information on personal water-related habits. Tap water samples were collected in representative mother homes on the basis of detailed water distribution patterns, and were analysed for major DBPs including trihalomethanes (THMs). Logistic and linear regression models were applied. RESULTS: Pregnant women reported a high consumption of bottled water at home (76%) and work (96%). More than half the women (59%) washed dishes by hand, nearly all women (94%) took showers rather than baths (1%), and only 2% attended a swimming pool. THM levels were low (<20 µg/l) with a high proportion of brominated compounds. When using quantitative estimates of residential exposure, we found no association with low birth weight (LBW, OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.4 to 1.4), small for gestational age for weight (SGAweight, OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.6 to 2.2) and preterm delivery (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.5 to 1.3). Similar results were observed when taking into account uptake of THMs through all exposure routes. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence for an increased risk of LBW, SGA and preterm delivery at the relatively low level exposure to THMs and particularly brominated THMs in Cretan drinking water.

Dystrophic neurites of senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease are deficient in cytochrome c oxidase.

Double-labeling immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy have been used to learn about the local relationship between amyloid, mitochondria, and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) in dystrophic neurites of senile plaques in the frontal cortex in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Dystrophic neurites surrounding amyloid plaques are filled with mitochondrial porin-immunoreactive structures. In contrast with tangle-bearing and non-tangle-bearing neurons, which express mitochondrial porin and COX subunit 4, porin-immunoreactive neurites of senile plaques lack COX subunit 4. Parallel western blot studies in mitochondria-enriched fractions of the frontal cortex in the same cases disclosed reduced expression levels of COX, but not of prohibitin, in AD stages VB/C of Braak. Co-localization of porin and lysosomal associated protein 1, as revealed by double-labeling immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, suggests that mitochondria may be engulfed by lysosomes in dystrophic neurites. These findings support a local link between amyloid deposition, abnormal mitochondria and impaired respiratory chain function (resulting from decrease of COX expression) in dystrophic neurites of senile plaques in AD.