At what risk? A research note on interviewer burden.

BACKGROUND: We report on our methodological experiences during an investigation of how institutional racism functions in healthcare. We found tension between balancing methodological rigor with the unanticipated consequence of interviewer burden. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and qualitatively analyzed using thematic content analysis. Interviewers also participated in weekly debriefing sessions and reported experiences with patients. RESULTS: Interviewers repeatedly experienced negative encounters with white patients during interviews. Themes included privilege to avoid racism, denial of racism, non-verbal discomfort, falsely claiming Native identities, and intimidation. These experiences were most pronounced with Black interviewers. DISCUSSION: Interviewer burden may need to be a consideration taken up in a variety of research contexts.

GBS hyaluronidase mediates immune suppression in a TLR2/4- and IL-10-dependent manner during pregnancy-associated infection.

IMPORTANCE: Bacteria such as GBS can cause infections during pregnancy leading to preterm births, stillbirths, and neonatal infections. The interaction between host and bacterial factors during infections in the placenta is not fully understood. GBS secretes a hyaluronidase enzyme that is thought to digest host hyaluronan into immunosuppressive disaccharides that dampen TLR2/4 signaling, leading to increased bacterial dissemination and adverse outcomes. In this study, we show that GBS HylB mediates immune suppression and promotes bacterial infection during pregnancy that requires TLR2, TLR4, and IL-10. Understanding the interaction between host and bacterial factors can inform future therapeutic strategies to mitigate GBS infections.

CD1 and iNKT cells mediate immune responses against the GBS hemolytic lipid toxin induced by a non-toxic analog.

Although hemolytic lipids have been discovered from many human pathogens including Group B Streptococcus (GBS), strategies that neutralize their function are lacking. GBS is a leading cause of pregnancy-associated neonatal infections, and adult GBS infections are on the rise. The GBS hemolytic lipid toxin or granadaene, is cytotoxic to many immune cells including T and B cells. We previously showed that mice immunized with a synthetic nontoxic analog of granadaene known as R-P4 had reduced bacterial dissemination during systemic infection. However, mechanisms important for R-P4 mediated immune protection was not understood. Here, we show that immune serum from R-P4-immunized mice facilitate GBS opsonophagocytic killing and protect naïve mice from GBS infection. Further, CD4+ T cells isolated from R-P4-immunized mice proliferated in response to R-P4 stimulation in a CD1d- and iNKT cell-dependent manner. Consistent with these observations, R-P4 immunized mice lacking CD1d or CD1d-restricted iNKT cells exhibit elevated bacterial burden. Additionally, adoptive transfer of iNKT cells from R-P4 vaccinated mice significantly reduced GBS dissemination compared to adjuvant controls. Finally, maternal R-P4 vaccination provided protection against ascending GBS infection during pregnancy. These findings are relevant in the development of therapeutic strategies targeting lipid cytotoxins.

Using Progressive Time Delay to Increase Levels of Peer Imitation During Sculpting Play.

A multiple probe across participants with an embedded withdrawal single case research design was used to examine the effectiveness of a progressive time delay (PTD) procedure to teach preschoolers with disabilities to imitate their peers during a sculpting play activity. Data indicated the presence of a functional relation between the use of PTD and contingent reinforcement on increased levels of peer imitation across participants; levels also decreased when PTD was withdrawn, although not to baseline levels. Overall levels of peer imitation had a greater magnitude of change than demonstrated in previous research.

Mast cell-derived factor XIIIA contributes to sexual dimorphic defense against group B streptococcal infections.

Invasive bacterial infections remain a major cause of human morbidity. Group B streptococcus (GBS) are Gram-positive bacteria that cause invasive infections in humans. Here, we show that factor XIIIA-deficient (FXIIIA-deficient) female mice exhibited significantly increased susceptibility to GBS infections. Additionally, female WT mice had increased levels of FXIIIA and were more resistant to GBS infection compared with isogenic male mice. We observed that administration of exogenous FXIIIA to male mice increased host resistance to GBS infection. Conversely, administration of a FXIIIA transglutaminase inhibitor to female mice decreased host resistance to GBS infection. Interestingly, male gonadectomized mice exhibited decreased sensitivity to GBS infection, suggesting a role for gonadal androgens in host susceptibility. FXIIIA promoted GBS entrapment within fibrin clots by crosslinking fibronectin with ScpB, a fibronectin-binding GBS surface protein. Thus, ScpB-deficient GBS exhibited decreased entrapment within fibrin clots in vitro and increased dissemination during systemic infections. Finally, using mice in which FXIIIA expression was depleted in mast cells, we observed that mast cell-derived FXIIIA contributes to host defense against GBS infection. Our studies provide insights into the effects of sexual dimorphism and mast cells on FXIIIA expression and its interactions with GBS adhesins that mediate bacterial dissemination and pathogenesis.

Elementary School Nurses' Perceptions Regarding Menstruation Education: An Exploratory Study.

Menarche can be a difficult transition for young people. With appropriate education, youth can feel more positively about the menstrual experience. Since many elementary teachers are not equipped with menstrual health knowledge, the education falls to the school nurse. However, it is unknown if school nurses feel comfortable communicating about menstruation with young people. The purpose of this study was to explore school nurses' perceptions regarding menstrual health education in elementary schools (grades K-5).An online mixed-methods survey was established using Qualtrics. Through snowball sampling, 30 elementary school nurses responded. Using the Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) as a framework, a deductive semantic thematic analysis was used to identify themes for each question.Data suggested that elementary school nurses would participate in professional development regarding menstrual health and hygiene. School health nurses are receiving limited knowledge/skills surrounding pedagogy and are not familiar with cultural differences when it comes to menstrual health.

Parent Perceptions regarding High School Drug Testing.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent drug use remains a critical public health issue. Almost 38 percent of school districts currently implement student drug testing, and more schools may be considering implementation due to emerging recreational drug use laws. Parents are an essential key stakeholder and decision-maker in school policies. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine Colorado parents' perceptions regarding high school drug testing. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used to assess parental support for implementing drug testing in public high schools. A total of 205 participants completed a survey evaluating support, attitude, and beliefs regarding this policy. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the data. Results: The majority of parents perceived that alcohol (68.3%), cannabis (77.6%), and illicit drugs (51.2%) were a problem amongst students at their child's high school. Parents overall were supportive of drug testing students (61.9%), except for parents who were current cannabis users (p = .002). The majority of parents are supportive of drug testing because they believe it could help students resist peer pressure (65.9%), facilitate early intervention (e.g. counseling; 71.2%), while not violating student privacy rights (57.6%) or creating a negative school climate (50.7%). Conclusions/Importance: Parents recognize there may be an adolescent drug use problem. Parental support of drug testing is an important consideration for superintendents/school districts who are contemplating implementation of a drug testing policy for high schools.

Teaching Object Play to Young Children With Disabilities: A Systematic Review of Methods and Rigor.

In this systematic review, we examined the rigor and outcomes across 27 object play intervention studies using single-case research methodology. We focused on studies including children age 5 years or younger and examined several descriptive characteristics including materials, instructional packages, and settings. We also analyzed the facilitation and measurement of generalized play and several methodological features including quality, rigor, and visual analysis procedures. Overall, the identified studies demonstrated positive outcomes, although quality and rigor limited interpretations of the outcomes. Previous reviews also have noted strong outcomes and weak to moderate quality for single-case studies. Our results should be interpreted with caution given previous reviews of play intervention studies identified strong outcomes and quality from group-design studies. Additional replications testing robust interventions using single-case research with strong methodological rigor are warranted.

Decreasing Food Stealing of Child with Prader-Willi Syndrome Through Function-Based Differential Reinforcement.

Challenging behaviors involving food are common for individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and often lead to obesity and other chronic health conditions. Efforts to decrease these behaviors, such as isolation during meals and strict monitoring of food consumption, can be stigmatizing. To decrease the food stealing of a 7 year-old girl with PWS, therapists conducted a latency-based functional analysis in a clinic setting before implementing a function-based intervention to facilitate her inclusion at the family dinner table. Intervention components entailed differential reinforcement procedures which incorporated a token board and schedule thinning. The intervention successfully generalized to the home setting and across food preferences and implementers.

A Social Marketing Intervention to Prevent Drowning Among Inner-City Youth.

BACKGROUND: Water-related injuries and fatalities pose serious public health issues, especially to African American youth, a demographic group that drowns at disproportionately high rates. AIM: The purpose of this study was to determine if a social marketing intervention targeting the parents and guardians of inner-city youth (U.S. Midwest) could positively influence their perceptions concerning water safety. METHOD: Researchers employed a quasi-experimental design using matched pairs to evaluate the intervention. Participants consisted of parents who enrolled their children in a six-session survival-swimming course. Guided by the Health Belief Model, the researchers disseminated six prevention messages using six different channels (brochure, e-mail, SMS text message, postcard, Facebook, and window cling). RESULTS: The findings from a two-way analysis of covariance revealed that treatment group participants' knowledge and perceptions of water-related threat all changed favorably. Additionally, all participants planned to reenroll their children in swim lessons. DISCUSSION: A social marketing campaign using the Health Belief Model improved inner-city parents' knowledge regarding water safety and enhanced their self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: This study provides practitioners with feasible strategies (prevention messages) to supplement swim lessons, with the ultimate goal of preventing drowning among at-risk youth.