The ABC-X's of Stress among U.S. Emerging Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Relationship Quality, Financial Distress, and Mental Health

Many emerging adults have experienced increased financial distress and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, and isolation may have amplified the importance of close relationships (especially as parents' influence diminishes during this developmental stage). Using the ABC-X Model to frame our model, we tested whether financial distress (C) mediates the associations between COVID-19 impact (A) and anxiety and depressive symptoms (X), and whether or not romantic relationship quality (B) moderates these indirect associations. Our sample comprised of 1950 U.S. emerging adults in a romantic relationship. Mediation and first-stage moderated mediation were tested using structural equation modeling. Financial distress partially mediated the association between COVID-19 impact and anxiety symptoms and fully mediated the association between COVID-19 impact and depressive symptoms. Strong evidence of moderated mediation was found but in the opposite direction expected: the indirect associations of COVID-19 impact with anxiety and depressive symptoms (through financial distress) were stronger for those in high-quality romantic relationships. The findings may inform policy and practice aimed at optimizing the mental health of emerging adults, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: specifically, alleviating financial distress may improve the mental health of emerging adults, while focusing on the quality of their romantic relationships may not.

Parent Financial Socialization Scale: Development and preliminary validation

A theoretically grounded, validated measure of parent financial socialization is needed. This article describes the development and validation process of three new scales: the Parent Financial Modeling Scale (eight items), the Parent-Child Financial Discussion Scale (nine items), and the Experiential Learning of Finances Scale (three items). These may be treated as subscales of a multidimensional latent construct: the Parent Financial Socialization Scale (20 items). The three scales measure the three primary methods of family financial socialization. The scales are designed to be retrospective, with target participants being U.S. emerging adults (age 18-30). A rigorous development process was undertaken: an initial pool of items was generated, expert assessments were collected, cognitive interviews were conducted, and (following preliminary data collection) preliminary item reduction analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted. Final data were collected from a diverse (51.7% female, 47.6% male; 31.6% White, 22.0% Black, 19.8% Latinx, 14.6% Asian; 50.4% no parent with college degree, 47.4% parent with college degree) sample of 4,182 U.S. emerging adults. During validation, item reduction analysis, CFA, reliability tests, measurement invariance tests, and construct validity tests were conducted. The scales demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity, and invariance was established across sex, race, and parents' education level. These scales are unique in their ability to capture nuance and will allow for comparisons across studies. They will enhance the quality of family financial socialization research, expand the questions that can be answered, and allow for the development of programming that is effective for a wide range of families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Sexual Minority Stressors and Intimate Partner Violence Among Same-Sex Couples: Commitment as a Resource

Accumulating evidence has been found for the associations from sexual minority stressors to intimate partner violence (IPV) among same-sex couples. Yet key gaps still exist, including the rare utilization of couple dyadic data, the understudied moderating and mediating mechanisms, and the few studies conducted during the transitional period of same-sex marriage legalization. To address these gaps, we used cross-sectional, dyadic data collected from 144 US same-sex couples during the 2014-2015 national campaign for the legalization of same-sex marriage. Guided by the systemic transactional model (STM), we examined associations from sexual minority stressors (including both internalized homophobia and discrimination) to same-sex IPV and tested whether commitment moderated or mediated these associations. Overall, we found evidence supporting the STM: (1) High internalized homophobia and discrimination were related to high prevalence and/or frequency of IPV perpetration; (2) high commitment attenuated positive associations between high discrimination and high prevalence and/or frequency of IPV perpetration; and (3) high internalized homophobia was related to low commitment, which in turn was related to high prevalence and/or frequency of IPV perpetration. Collectively, our study identified commitment as both a moderator and mediator in associations from sexual minority stressors to same-sex IPV. Further, the roles of commitment (i.e., moderator or mediator) depend on whether the focal sexual minority stressors are distal and more intermittent (i.e., heterosexist discrimination) or proximal and more constant (i.e., internalized homophobia).

Coping profiles in the context of global environmental threats: a person-centered approach

Profound environmental changes will affect vast human populations, if not pose an existential threat to humanity, raising the question how individuals will adapt psychologically to address these changes and how they manage stress and anxiety in the face of chronic threats such as climate change. We propose that ecological coping (efforts to manage adaptational demands of a degrading environment) is an important construct. Our purpose is to use a person-centered approach to identify profiles of ecological coping and to determine how these profiles differ on mental health outcomes and pro-environmental behaviors in an online survey (N = 334 U.S. adults). Using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), we also investigate whether these profiles are explained based on general (demographics) or environment-specific (e.g., eco-stressors) factors. Results showed: (1) The identification of two profiles: Adaptive Approach Coping (P1; 69.46%) and Maladaptive Avoidance Coping (P2; 30.54%); (2) Environment-related factors (vs. health) are associated with the profiles; (3) All 6 environment-specific characteristics predicted profile membership. Future research and policy can use these profiles to develop interventions to increase pro-environmental engagement to address climate change.

The Evolution of Un Abrazo Para La Familia: Implications for Survivors of Cancer

Un Abrazo Para La Familia™ (Abrazo) is a 3-h modular preventive intervention designed for low-income caregivers who are co-survivors of cancer. Here we (1) consider the benefit to survivors of cancer, that is, the care recipients who participate in Abrazo; (2) summarize the literature specific to research outreach to low-income, underserved populations when they are faced with cancer; and (3) describe current steps being taken in Southern Arizona to reach these populations via Abrazo. Specific to considering the benefit to care recipients, we analyzed care recipient data derived from three existing cohorts of Abrazo participants. Analyses of the combined cohorts of these data demonstrate that Abrazo is effective with care recipients given statistically significant higher cancer knowledge and self-efficacy scores, pre- vs. post-intervention. We can now report benefit to care recipients who participate in Abrazo. This allows us, with confidence, to expand research recruitment efforts to include care recipients as part of the Abrazo intervention in our efforts to serve low-income, underserved populations when faced with cancer.

Finances, depressive symptoms, destructive conflict, and coparenting among lower-income, unmarried couples: A two-wave, cross-lagged analysis

Following from an adapted family stress model (FSM), we used two-wave, secondary data from the Building Strong Families project, focusing on 4,424 primarily lower-income, unmarried couples expecting their first child together. We used cross-lagged analyses to test the directionality of the associations among financial difficulties, depressive symptoms, destructive interparental conflict, and coparenting alliance for both fathers and mothers when children were 15 and 36 months old. Two of the three hypotheses provided support for the FSM. First, destructive conflict predicted coparenting alliance (but not the reverse). Specifically, higher destructive conflict at 15 months for both fathers and mothers predicted lower coparenting alliance at 36 months for both fathers and mothers. Second, depressive symptoms predicted destructive conflict (but not the reverse). Specifically, fathers' (but not mothers') higher depressive symptoms at 15 months predicted both their own and mothers' higher destructive conflict at 36 months. Contrary to predictions, financial difficulties did not predict depressive symptoms; instead, we found support for the reverse: For mothers only, higher depressive symptoms at 15 months predicted higher financial difficulties at 36 months. Collectively, the results support the use of the FSM to understand the directionality of associations among key risk factors, especially depressive symptoms and destructive conflict, for primarily lower-income, unmarried couples expecting their first child together. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Heteronormativity in the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Young People

Heteronormativity, as defined in queer theory, is the presumption and privileging of heterosexuality. Research on how young people make sense of and narrate heteronormativity in their own lives is needed to inform theories of heteronormativity. Using queer and intersectional frameworks, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 sexual and gender minority young people (ages 18 to 24), analyzed using thematic analysis, to examine how young adults make sense of heteronormativity. Participants discussed how gender expression informed both sexuality and sexual attraction. Participants prioritized biological parenthood over other family constructions but rarely discussed marriage. Gender, sexuality, and race contributed important contexts for how participants described heteronormativity in their lives and should be the focus of future research. Finally, binaries of gender, sexuality, and family intersected in participants' lives and their narrative constructions.

Constructive and destructive interparental conflict, parenting, and coparenting alliance

Guided by the spillover hypothesis of family systems theory, we used data from the Building Strong Families project to examine intrafamily relations between destructive and constructive interparental conflict, harsh and supportive parenting behaviors, and coparenting alliance across different family configurations: married, cohabiting, and noncohabiting (never married) parents. Our sample (N = 2,784 couples/parents) was racially diverse, low-income couples/parents who were unmarried at the conception of their child. All variables were measured when children were approximately 36 months of age. Interparental conflict was assessed through an instrument that included both parents' reported conflict in the relationship and the perception of the other parent's conflict behaviors. Parenting behaviors were measured through observational data and coparenting alliance was based on mothers' and fathers' reports. As expected, path analyses revealed that destructive interparental conflict was related to lower levels of coparenting alliance, whereas constructive interparental conflict was related to higher levels of coparenting alliance, for mothers and fathers. For fathers only, destructive interparental conflict related to harsh parenting, suggesting that paternal parenting is vulnerable to the quality of the relationship with the mother. None of the proposed associations differed by family structure. These findings suggest the need for intervention programs to focus on promoting adaptive conflict management behaviors rather than on family structure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Oregon's Familias en Acción replicates benefits for underserved cancer co-survivors through Un Abrazo Para la Familia

OBJECTIVE

Our goal in this study was to determine if we could replicate initial findings when providing the intervention, Un Abrazo Para La Familia ("Abrazo"). Abrazo is a community-focused psychoeducational preventive intervention addressing the cancer information and coping needs of low-income, underserved family members of cancer survivors, developed and first implemented in Tucson, Arizona.

METHODS

We used a preintervention and postintervention evaluation design to assess the effectiveness of replicating the Abrazo intervention with underserved Hispanic/Latino family members facing cancer as co-survivors. We describe lessons learned in an expansion of Abrazo from one region of the United States to another.

RESULTS

Portland promotoras demonstrated that when the Abrazo intervention is provided via a culturally congruent, accessible format, the significant gains in cancer knowledge and self-efficacy reported by underserved co-survivors can be replicated. This is important because Oregon represents a US region different from Abrazo's origins in the Southwest.

CONCLUSION

Our replication study provides a useful roadmap for others focusing on the psychosocial needs of Hispanic/Latino cosurviving family members of cancer. A manualized 12-hour training program based on the initial discovery and efficacy work was developed to train promotoras as a part of this study. The manual provides a clear protocol for others to replicate our intervention and evaluation procedures. Abrazo may be particularly important for family-centered care if the family does not have the cancer knowledge or self-confidence needed to fully participate.

Patterns of interparental conflict, parenting, and children's emotional insecurity: A person-centered approach

We examined the relations between interparental conflict (destructive and constructive), parenting behaviors (harshness and supportiveness) and children's emotional insecurity in early childhood when children were approximately 36 months of age. The sample consisted of low-income unmarried couples who were expectant/new parents who participated in the national Building Strong Families project. Interparental conflict was assessed through parents' reported perception of the other parent's conflict behavior. Parenting behaviors were measured through observational data, and children's emotional insecurity was based on parents' reports. Using latent profile analysis, three goals were addressed: (a) concordance or discord of mothers' and fathers' conflict behaviors, (b) the relation between couples' conflict behaviors and parenting, and (c) the association between couples' conflict behaviors and child emotional insecurity. Our findings revealed 4 profiles of couples that share similar characteristics, which in turn were differentially linked to aspects of parenting and child development. Further, results indicated that the vast majority of low-income unmarried couples engage in constructive conflict management behaviors. These findings highlight the need to consider the family unit when designing interventions or providing counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record

Intimacy Behaviors and Relationship Satisfaction for Cohabitors: Intimate Sacrifices Are Not Always Beneficial

Guided by interdependence theory, the authors examined how relationship satisfaction is explained by intimate behavior sacrifices in a sample of cohabitors (N = 200). Specifically, it was predicted that characteristics of intimate behavior sacrifices, such as ease and partner appreciation should alter the association of sacrifice frequency and relationship satisfaction. The pattern that emerged demonstrates lower satisfaction for cohabitors when they frequently made intimate sacrifices and their partners were less appreciative of the sacrifices. When making frequent, but less appreciated, intimacy sacrifices for their partner, cohabitors may struggle with intimacy behaviors that are partner oriented.

Un Abrazo Para La Familia: an evidenced-based rehabilitation approach in providing cancer education to low-SES Hispanic co-survivors

We discuss Un Abrazo Para La Familia as an effective, rehabilitation-informed evidence-based model of education, information-sharing, and skill teaching for use with low-income Hispanic co-survivors of cancer. Over 2 years, 120 co-survivors participated in the intervention. The majority of participants (96 %) were women and all but one reported being Hispanic. Both in years 1 and 2, we followed the same pre- and post-intervention evaluation design. Based on pre- and post-intervention assessments of cancer-related knowledge and self-efficacy, the percentage of questions answered correctly about cancer significantly increased for co-survivors. Self-efficacy significantly increased as well. Using item analysis, we explored skill teaching as a mechanism for the effective delivery of Un Abrazo and recommend the use of promotoras in providing the intervention. Of the 12 cancer knowledge items resulting in statistically significant increases of cancer knowledge, 5 were taught via interactive skill teaching. Given the projected rise in the incidence of cancer in Hispanic populations, coupled with the fact that people from low-income backgrounds face unique challenges in cancer prevention and management, implications of the Un Abrazo model for future research and policy regarding cancer and families are considered.

Information and support for co-survivors during or after cancer treatment: Consideration of Un Abrazo Para la Familia as a model for family-focused intervention in cancer rehabilitation

OBJECTIVE

The development and evaluation of Un Abrazo Para La Familia, [A Hug for the Family] is described. Un Abrazo is discussed as an effective model of education, information-sharing, and skill-building for use with low-income co-survivors of cancer.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty co-survivors participated. The majority were women and all reported being Hispanic.

METHODS

Using quantitative data (N=60), the needs, concerns, and characteristics of the co-survivor population served through Un Abrazo are presented. Further, we offer three qualitative case studies (with one co-survivor, one survivor, and one non-participant) to illustrate the model and its impact.

RESULTS

The median level of education level of co-survivors was 12 years. The majority were unemployed and/or identified as homemakers, and indicated receipt of services indicating low-income status. Half reported not having health insurance. The top four cancer-related needs or concerns were: Information, Concern for another person, Cost/health insurance, and Fears.

CONCLUSIONS

Recognizing the centrality of the family in addressing cancer allows for a wider view of the disease and the needs that arise during and after treatment. Key rehabilitation strategies appropriate for intervening with co-survivors of cancer include assessing and building upon strengths and abilities and making culturally-respectful cancer-related information and support accessible.

Daily hassles and uplifts: a diary study on understanding relationship quality

In this investigation, we use the Conservation of Resources (CoR) theory as a guide to examine how both uplifts and hassles are associated with positive (e.g., satisfaction, commitment) and negative (ambivalence, conflict) relational quality on a daily basis. In previous studies of hassles and uplifts, the focus has been primarily on negative outcomes at the individual level (e.g., affect). Here, we build on this previous research in examining both positive and negative events (i.e., uplifts and hassles) in associations with positive and negative relational qualities. Further, we focus on examining social and nonsocial events that are external to the relationship (i.e., do not involve the romantic partner) and how they are linked with relational qualities. Finally, we examine which patterns are confined to the same day and which carry over to subsequent days (i.e., lagged effects). Contrary to previous literature, we find that both social and nonsocial hassles are largely unrelated to relationship quality after accounting for the effects of social and nonsocial uplifts. In contrast, nonsocial uplifts bolster positive feelings about the relationship on that day. Results also show that hassles and uplifts may work together to explain relational commitment. Finally, we find that nonsocial uplifts experienced on one day are associated with trend-level declines in next day positive feelings about the relationship. Our findings suggest that preserving relationship quality through daily experiences is best achieved by equipping couples to recognize the benefits of uplifts to the relationship, especially uplifts that are nonsocial, in tandem with managing hassles.

Un Abrazo Para La Familia: providing low-income Hispanics with education and skills in coping with breast cancer and caregiving

OBJECTIVE

Un Abrazo Para La Familia (A Hug for the Family) is an intervention designed to increase the accessibility of cancer information to low-income and medically underserved co-survivors of cancer. Co-survivors are family members or friends of an individual diagnosed with cancer. Our goal was to increase socio-emotional support for these co-survivors and improve skills in coping with cancer. The purpose of our pilot study was to explore the effectiveness of the intervention in increasing cancer knowledge and self-efficacy among co-survivors.

METHODS

Un Abrazo consisted of three one-hour sessions, in either Spanish or English. Sessions were delivered by a trained promotora (community health worker), in partnership with a counselor. Sixty participants completed measures of cancer knowledge and self-efficacy preceding (pre-test) and following the intervention (post-test).

RESULTS

From pre-test to post-test, the percentage of questions answered correctly about cancer knowledge increased (p < 0.001), as did ratings of self-efficacy (p < 0.001). Decreases were seen in 'Do not know' responses for cancer knowledge (p < 0.01), with a negative correlation between number of 'Do not knows' on cancer knowledge at pre-test and ratings of self-efficacy at pre-test (r = -0.47, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

When provided an accessible format, co-survivors of cancer from underserved populations increase their cancer knowledge and self-efficacy. This is notable because research indicates that family members and friends with increased cancer knowledge assume more active involvement in the cancer care of their loved ones.

"Like a Mexican wedding": psychosocial intervention needs of predominately Hispanic low-income female co-survivors of cancer

Although recent work has recognized that the influence and consequences of cancer extend beyond the individual receiving the diagnosis, no studies have focused on the specific psychosocial intervention needs of female co-survivors in low-income populations. In this qualitative study, the co-survivors, 16 women, representing 10 low-income families and predominately Hispanic, were interviewed about their experience of having someone in their family diagnosed with cancer. Several themes emerged from the data, including family stress, lack of skill in coping with the effects of cancer (e.g., depression of their loved one), a need for financial help, a willingness to share with others, and reliance on faith to see them through the cancer experience. Whereas no agreement existed as to where and how to provide an intervention, participants reported that tailoring an intervention to family needs and delivering it in a way that was accessible to them was important.

Considerations of culture and social class for families facing cancer: the need for a new model for health promotion and psychosocial intervention

Cancer is a family experience, and family members often have as much, or more, difficulty in coping with cancer as does the person diagnosed with cancer. Using both family systems and sociocultural frameworks, we call for a new model of health promotion and psychosocial intervention that builds on the current understanding that family members, as well as the individuals diagnosed with cancer, are themselves survivors of cancer. We argue that considering culture, or the values, beliefs, and customs of the family, including their choice of language, is necessary to understand fully a family's response to cancer. Likewise, acknowledging social class is necessary to understand how access to, and understanding of, otherwise available interventions for families facing cancer can be limited. Components of the model as conceptualized are discussed and provide guidance for psychosocial cancer health disparities research and the development of family-focused, strength-based, interventions.

Oxidative stress in zebrafish cells: potential utility of transgenic zebrafish as a deployable sentinel for site hazard ranking

In order to quickly assess potential environmental hazards of forwardly deployed military bases, we have focussed our efforts on biochemical and molecular changes in vertebrate cells following exposure to aqueous soil extracts. To this end, we are designing a series of deployable transgenic fish. Fish exhibit many of the same general defenses against toxic chemicals as do mammals, including enzyme induction, and the generation of oxidative stress. In response to many foreign compounds that generate oxidative stress, the transcription of certain protective genes is induced via specific DNA motifs called electrophile response elements (EPREs). We have made a plasmid construct containing a single murine EPRE fused to a minimal promoter and the cDNA encoding firefly luciferase (EPRE-LUC). In this paper, we have shown that the treatment of zebrafish cell line ZEM2S with a variety of chemicals known to induce EPRE-dependent transcription in cultured mammalian cells, results in dose-dependent induction of the transiently-transfected EPRE-LUC reporter construct. Compounds tested include aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and organophosphates. We observed similar dose-dependent responses when we treated ZEM2S and human cells in vitro with identical aqueous extracts of soil from hazardous waste sites. This suggests that the mechanism by which these compounds activate transcription is well conserved between mammals and zebrafish, and that transgenic zebrafish lines containing EPRE-driven reporter constructs might be useful as sentinels for the early detection of oxidative stress-inducing chemicals.

Suppressed ion chromatography methods for the routine determination of ultra low level anions and cations in ice cores

The concentration of trace ionic species in snow and ice samples was determined using suppressed ion chromatography (IC) with conductivity detection and ultra-clean sample preparation techniques. Trace anion species were determined in a single 24-min run by combining sample preconcentration with gradient elution using Na2B4O7 eluent. The detection limits (ranging from 0.001 to 0.006 microM) are the lowest reported in the literature. Cation species were analysed by direct injection of 0.25 ml and isocratic elution with a H2SO4 eluent. The clean preparation techniques showed no evidence of a difference (Student's t-test) between Milli-Q water samples analysed directly and processed Milli-Q ice samples. These robust, ultra-clean IC methods were routinely applied to the analysis of large number of samples to produce a high-resolution trace ion ice core record from Law Dome, East Antarctica.

Distribution of mRNAs encoding the arylhydrocarbon receptor, arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator, and arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-2 in the rat brain and brainstem

Dioxin exposure alters a variety of neural functions, most likely through activation of the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway. Many of the adverse effects, including disruption of circadian changes in hormone release and depressed appetite, seem to be mediated by hypothalamic and/or brainstem neurons. However, it is unclear whether these effects are direct or indirect, because there have been no comprehensive studies mapping the expression of components of the AhR pathway in the brain. Therefore, we used a sensitive in situ hybridization histochemical (ISHH) method to map the neural expression of AhR mRNA, as well as those of the mRNAs encoding the AhR dimerization partners, arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) and ARNT2. We found that AhR, ARNT, and ARNT2 mRNAs were widely distributed throughout the brain and brainstem. There was no neuroanatomic evidence that AhR is preferentially colocalized with ARNT or ARNT2. However, ARNT2, unlike ARNT expression, was relatively high in most regions. The most noteworthy regions in which we found AhR, ARNT, and ARNT2 mRNA were several hypothalamic and brainstem regions involved in the regulation of appetite and circadian rhythms, functions that are disrupted by dioxin exposure. These regions included the arcuate nucleus (Arc), ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), and the dorsal and median raphe nuclei. This neuroanatomic information provides important clues as to the sites and mechanisms underlying the previously unexplained effects of dioxins in the central nervous system.

Assessing the feasibility of an in vitro cytotoxicity method to detect harmful ubiquitous chemicals (detection of non-warfare hazardous chemicals in the operational theater)

The objective of this work was to assess the feasibility of accomplishing aqueous extracts of soil samples and determining if the extracted solution induced adverse effects in the human myelomonocytic cell line, HL60. Dosing of HL60 cells was accomplished over a 24-hour period using 100% of extracted media from standard soil samples containing known contaminants. Assessments of viability, apoptosis, reduced thiols, and mitochondrial membrane integrity were accomplished by argon-ion laser flow cytometric analysis, using chemical labels specific for each end-point. The in vitro cytotoxicity data was compared with the results of Microtox and Mutatox tests as well as earthworm and plant toxicity tests. In vitro cytotoxicity tests' results exhibited good correlation with other tests' results.

Efficient transduction of nondividing cells by optimized feline immunodeficiency virus vectors

Second- and third-generation three-plasmid vector systems, termed FELIX, were constructed from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). To enhance vector production, the weak FIV long terminal repeat promoter was replaced with the human cytomegalovirus enhancer/promoter. To construct a minimal system in which Gag-Pol was the only viral protein present, the cytoplasmic transport element was used in place of the FIV Rev-RRE system to facilitate nuclear export of Gag-Pol and the transfer vector. Unconcentrated vector titers routinely exceeded 1 x 10(6) IU/mL for most constructs tested. Second- and optimized third-generation vectors were capable of efficiently infecting G1/S- and G2/M-arrested cells. FIV-based FELIX vectors transduced human dendritic cells, hepatocytes, and aortic smooth muscle with efficiencies similar to that of a control 3T3 cell line. All three of these primary cell types were transducible by both the second- and third-generation FELIX vectors, demonstrating that FIV Gag-Pol alone contains the determinants necessary for transduction of primary cells. In cross-packaging tests, we observed that HIV Gag-Pol does not substantially package FIV vectors; consequently, use of such vectors in human immunodeficiency virus-infected cells should not lead to efficient mobilization of the inserted gene. Thus, this FIV-based vector system offers high efficiency and stable delivery of genes to numerous nondividing and primary cell types, opening new avenues for biological inquiry into normal human cells.

Human amniotic fluid mathematical model: determination and effect of intramembranous sodium flux

OBJECTIVE

A recently described mathematical model of human amniotic fluid dynamics used known and estimated rates of fetal fluid production (lung liquid and urine) and composition (osmolality) to enable calculation of previously unmeasured routes of amniotic fluid resorption, including fetal swallowing and intramembranous (across the amnion) water flow. This "osmolar" model assumed that only free water resorption occurred across the intramembranous route. We hypothesized that intramembranous flow also may include solutes and electrolytes because significant concentration gradients exist between amniotic fluid and fetal plasma. We used mass balance analysis to determine the direction and magnitude of intramembranous sodium flux and to assess the ability of a newly described "sodium" model to predict changes in amniotic fluid volume in response to changes in intramembranous electrolyte flow. Mathematical modeling was used to predict changes in amniotic fluid volume in response to changes in intramembranous electrolyte flow.

STUDY DESIGN

Model predictions were calculated using published values for human amniotic fluid and fetal urine composition and volume. Ovine studies were used to derive lung fluid volumes and composition. Fetal swallowing and intramembranous flow were independently determined using net amniotic fluid osmolar (osmolality model) and sodium (sodium model) balance. Differences between osmolality and sodium model predictions were normalized to calculate the net intramembranous sodium flux, assuming a net balance of intramembranous osmotic solute flow.

RESULTS

Both sodium and osmolality models predicted swallowed volume to be greater than intramembranous flow until 28 to 32 weeks' gestation, after which the relationship reversed. However, the sodium model predicted greater intramembranous flow and lower swallowing rates compared with the osmolality model at all gestational ages. Osmolar mass balance required daily intramembranous sodium flux into the amniotic fluid, which increased with gestational age. Furthermore, assuming stable swallowing and intramembranous water flow, the model predicts that 5% increases or decreases in amniotic fluid solute concentrations caused by intramembranous flux result in polyhydramnios or oligohydramnios, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Sodium and osmolality models demonstrate similarities in determinations of amniotic fluid dynamics. However, mass balance equations demonstrate a net intramembranous flow of sodium into the amniotic fluid under normal conditions. Mathematical modeling suggests that small alterations in daily intramembranous sodium flux may evoke large changes in amniotic fluid volume.

Homeless patients: designing a database for nursing documentation

Care of the homeless in small out-patient clinic settings presents unique challenges in health care documentation. The transitory and infrequent episodic nature of client contact, as well as the inherent inefficiencies of the traditional paper chart, tend to minimize the collection of useful data for analyzing trends and patterns to identify and meet evolving health care needs.

Progesterone potentiation of bupivacaine arrhythmogenicity in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats and beating rat heart cell cultures

The effects of progesterone treatment on bupivacaine arrhythmogenicity in beating rat heart myocyte cultures and on anesthetized rats were determined. After determining the bupivacaine AD50 (the concentration of bupivacaine that caused 50% of all beating rat heart myocyte cultures to become arrhythmic), we determined the effect of 1-hour progesterone HCl exposure on myocyte contractile rhythm. Each concentration of progesterone (6.25, 12.5, 25, and 50 micrograms/ml) caused a significant and concentration-dependent reduction in the AD50 for bupivacaine. Estradiol treatment also increased the arrhythmogenicity of bupivacaine in myocyte cultures, but was only one fourth as potent as progesterone. Neither progesterone nor estradiol effects on bupivacaine arrhythmogenicity were potentiated by epinephrine. Chronic progesterone pretreatment (5 mg/kg/day for 21 days) caused a significant increase in bupivacaine arrhythmogenicity in intact pentobarbital-anesthetized rats. There was a significant decrease in the time to onset of arrhythmia as compared with control nonprogesterone-treated rats (6.2 +/- 1.3 vs. 30.8 +/- 2.5 min, mean +/- SE). The results of this study indicate that progesterone can potentiate bupivacaine arrhythmogenicity both in vivo and in vitro. Potentiation of bupivacaine arrhythmia in myocyte cultures suggests that this effect is at least partly mediated at the myocyte level.

Barbiturate anesthesia and alcohol tolerance in a rat model

Anesthetic responses to a variety of barbiturates were examined in adult male rats rendered alcohol-tolerant by administration of an ethanol-containing balanced liquid diet for 3 weeks. Within 9 hours of withdrawing the diets, groups of 10-15 ethanol-fed rats and pair-fed controls were injected intraperitoneally with one of the following drug/dose combinations: thiamylal 20, 40, or 60 mg/kg; methohexital 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg; secobarbital 20, 30, or 40 mg/kg; pentobarbital 10, 20, or 40 mg/kg; or phenobarbital 80, 120, or 160 mg/kg. Each animal was monitored for time to loss of righting reflex (onset of anesthesia), absence of response to a painful stimulus (analgesia), and sleeping time (duration of anesthesia). None of these three anesthetic responses differed significantly in ethanol-fed and control rats with any dose of thiamylal, methohexital, or secobarbital. In contrast, all three responses were significantly less in rats given the middle dose of pentobarbital (20 mg/kg) than they were in control rats. Onset and duration of anesthesia were also shorter with the middle dose of phenobarbital (120 mg/kg), but analgesia was not. The results of this study, in combination with others, suggest that 1) cross-tolerance to anesthetic effects of barbiturates in ethanol-tolerant rats is not uniform with all barbiturates: and 2) because shorter-acting barbiturates show negligible cross-tolerance with alcohol, higher doses of these agents may not be required for satisfactory anesthesia in chronically alcoholic humans.

Gambling away absenteeism

Current conditions in health care make the battle against absenteeism critical. Of all the various methods devised, one seems to be consistently effective: positive reinforcement through a simple lottery incentive system. The authors describe this system's impact on reducing absenteeism.

Effects of chronic alcohol intake on anesthetic responses to diazepam and thiopental in rats

The effect of chronic alcohol intake on anesthetic responses to alcohol, thiopental, or diazepam was examined in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats. Alcohol-fed animals were maintained solely on a complete balanced liquid diet containing 6.54% ethanol (w/w) for 21 days; pair-fed control animals received equal amounts of the same diet with alcohol isocalorically replaced by sucrose or dextrin. Nine hours after diets were withdrawn on the twenty-second day, the following drug/dose combinations were administered intraperitoneally to separate groups of alcohol-fed and control rats (10-15 animals in each group): ethanol 2.4, 3.2, and 4.0 g/kg; thiopental 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg; and diazepam 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg. Three different responses were assessed in every animal: 1) loss of righting reflex (induction of anesthesia); 2) response to a painful stimulus (analgesia); and 3) sleeping time (duration of anesthesia). Alcohol-fed rats compared with controls were significantly less tolerant of pain at an acute alcohol dose of 2.4 g/kg, and loss of righting reflex and sleeping time were reduced at 4.0 g/kg. All three anesthetic responses were also attenuated in alcohol-fed rats at a diazepam dose of 20 mg/kg. In contrast, none of the three responses was reduced in alcohol-fed rats at any of the three thiopental doses. Thus, chronic alcohol intake sufficient to produce tolerance to anesthetic doses of alcohol in rats also produced cross-tolerance to diazepam but not to thiopental in equianesthetic doses. These results suggest that blanket recommendations for adjusting intravenous anesthetic dosages in alcoholic humans may be inadequate as guides to anesthetic management.