Nurse and midwife researcher collaboration in eastern sub-Saharan Africa: a social network analysis.

AIM: To investigate the collaborative networks among expert clinical nurse and midwifery researchers in eastern and southern Africa. METHODS: Thirty-eight clinical nurse and midwifery researchers completed an online survey to analyse collaboration between respondents. Data were analysed using social network analysis, generating a network map and associated measurements. RESULTS: Regional collaboration was poor. Those links that did exist centred on geographic proximity and participation in regional and international organizations. CONCLUSION: These results help us to understand better ways to strengthen and support nursing and midwifery clinical research in eastern and southern Africa. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: Clinical nursing and midwifery research capacity building efforts should focus on supporting collaboration networks among individuals and institutions in the region.

Mammary carcinogenesis in rats in relation to age at time of N-nitroso-N-methylurea administration.

The effects on mammary carcinogenesis when N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU) is administered to rats of different ages were studied. Female outbred Sprague-Dawley rats received two iv injections of NMU (5 mg/100 g body wt/injection) 1 week apart beginning at either 35, 50, 80, 140, or 200 days of age. Animals were killed 6 months after the initial NMU injection, and all mammary tumors were histologically classified. The percent incidence of mammary carcinomas for each age group was as follows: 100%, 35 days old; 94%, 80 days old; 59%, 80 days old; 30%, 140 days old; and 22%, 200 days old. Rats receiving NMU at a young age also exhibited a greater number of carcinomas per rat with latent periods that were in general shorter than those of rats treated at later ages. Since NMU does not require metabolic activation, the observed decrease in chemically induced mammary tumors in aging rats appears to be primarily due to changes occurring within the mammary gland.