A national survey of skin health in nursing personnel.

BACKGROUND: Hand dermatitis is a well-established occupational risk in nursing staff. AIMS: To explore skin health in nursing staff and to develop resources and recommendations to promote good skincare at work. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: We analysed data from 1,545 surveys. Forty-six percent reported 'poor' skin health and the majority (93%) experienced at least one skin problem over the previous 12 months, with only 22% seeking help from their employer. Only 2% took time off work due to skin problems, with many expressing concerns that taking sick leave would be viewed negatively by others. Over half (53%) had reduced or stopped using antibacterial rubs and soap, and 18% had reduced the use of gloves. Most respondents used hand cream and over half used products they had purchased themselves. Only 42% received skin health care information from employers, with fewer (26%) receiving training on how to identify early signs of skin disease. Only 16% had access to skin surveillance in line with regulatory requirements. Only 26% of respondents were aware of the support offered by their professional nursing association. Suggestions for improving skin health included increasing publicity concerning the importance of skin health in healthcare settings, improving access to hand creams, better quality products, enhanced education and training and more involvement from Occupational Health (OH). CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm that poor skin health remains a persistent problem for nurses. Employers could do more to promote skin health and nurses need to be made more aware of the support and guidance offered by professional bodies.

HIV/AIDS knowledge and self-esteem among adolescents.

The incidence of HIV/AIDS is rapidly increasing among adolescents and young adults with some studies linking sexual risk taking and self-esteem. A convenience sample of 39 ethnically diverse adolescents, ages 14-18, participated in a pilot study designed to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and to build self-esteem. Adolescents selected from two centers in California completed the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and the Student Health Questionnaire (SHQ) before beginning and after completing a program of six 2-hour educational sessions. These sessions focused on HIV/AIDS knowledge and building self-esteem. Knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention and transmission increased by 2096 from pretest to posttest. Practitioners addressing the needs of adolescents should focus on in-depth information regarding HIV/AIDS, especially in the area of prevention strategies and cultural factors influencing levels of self-esteem.

The effects of medial preoptic area and amygdala lesions on maternal behavior in the juvenile rat.

The present study was designed to determine whether the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and the amygdala (AMYG) are involved in the expression of "maternal" behavior in juvenile rats as they are in the adult. Juveniles show many behaviors that are similar to the maternal behaviors shown by the postpartum female rat. Whether these behaviors are social in function, as opposed to parental, and hence mediated by different mechanisms from those regulating adult maternal behavior is not known. To test the roles of the MPOA and AMYG in mediating these behaviors, 21-day-old female juvenile rats received MPOA, AMYG, or SHAM (MPOA/AMYG) lesions and were tested at 22 days of age for maternal and other responses to pups. Major findings demonstrate that MPOA lesions disrupt components of maternal behavior, including retrieving and nest building, while AMYG lesions facilitate these behaviors. These findings indicate striking similarities between the juvenile and rat brain for parental responding.

Racism and health care access: a dialogue with childbearing women.

The rates of low birth weight and preterm delivery are twice as high for African Americans as they are for Whites in the United States. Racism and health care access may be factors in this twofold disparity. To investigate this possibility, we conducted a qualitative study with African American prenatal and postpartum women (N = 14). In 1- to 2-hr interviews, we asked the participants to describe their ability to access health care and their experiences of racism. We then independently and collectively coded the data until consensus (95%) was obtained. Data categories included access to care, treatment, differences in care, stereotypes, and racism. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (a) the pervasiveness of the stereotype of pregnant African American women; (b) a care that is indifferent, inaccessible, and undignified; and (c) the totality of racism. These themes encompass social, political, and economic factors affecting the experiences of childbearing African American families and mandate the need for further investigation and intervention.

Blood lead concentrations: apparent reduction over approximately one decade.

Blood lead concentrations of male subjects presenting for pre-employment examination during the period 1967-1969 have been compared with those obtained during the period 1978-1980. A statistically significant reduction of the geometric mean value from 20.2 microgram Pb/100 whole blood to 16.6 microgram Pb/100 ml whole blood has been found.

Studies related to the metabolism of anabolic steroids in the horse: a gas chromatographic mass spectrometric method to confirm the administration of 19-nortestosterone or its esters to horses.

A method is described to confirm the presence of 19-nortestosterone metabolites in urine after the administration of veterinary preparations of this anabolic steroid to horses. The method is based upon the detection, by gas chromatography mass spectrometry or selected ion monitoring, of an isomer of estrane-3,17-diol in the urine.