Biomedical subjects

Barbara J Bowers

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara J Bowers.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Ethanol differentially enhances hippocampal GABA A receptor-mediated responses in protein kinase C gamma (PKC gamma) and PKC epsilon null mice.

Ethanol intoxication results partly from actions of ethanol at specific ligand-gated ion channels. One such channel is the GABA(A) receptor complex, although ethanol's effects on GABA(A) receptors are variable. For example, we found that hippocampal neurons from selectively bred mice and rats with high hypnotic sensitivity to ethanol have increased GABA(A) receptor-mediated synaptic responses during acute ethanol treatment compared with mice and rats that display low behavioral sensitivity to ethanol. Here we investigate whether specific protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes modulate hypnotic and GABA(A) receptor sensitivity to ethanol. We examined acute effects of ethanol on GABA(A) receptor-mediated inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in mice lacking either PKCgamma (PKCgamma(-/-)) or PKCepsilon (PKCepsilon(-/-)) isozymes and compared the results to those from corresponding wild-type littermates (PKCgamma(+/+) and PKCepsilon(+/+)). GABA(A) receptor-mediated IPSCs were evoked in CA1 pyramidal neurons by electrical stimulation in stratum pyramidale, and the responses were recorded in voltage-clamp mode using whole-cell patch recording techniques. Ethanol (80 mM) enhanced the IPSC response amplitude and area in PKCgamma(+/+) mice, but not in the PKCgamma(-/-) mice. In contrast, ethanol markedly potentiated IPSCs in the PKCepsilon(-/-) mice, but not in PKCepsilon(+/+) littermates. There was a positive correlation between ethanol potentiation of IPSCs and the ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex such that mice with larger ethanol-induced increases in GABA(A) receptor-mediated IPSCs also had higher hypnotic sensitivity to ethanol. These results suggest that PKCgamma and PKCepsilon signaling pathways reciprocally modulate both ethanol enhancement of GABA(A) receptor function and hypnotic sensitivity to ethanol.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Deciding whether to continue, share, or relinquish caregiving: caregiver views.

Using grounded theory, the authors explore informal caregiving and develop the beginnings of a substantive caregiving theory explaining some of the decision making involved in providing care to an older family member. Sixteen caregivers (CGs) participated in the study. Line-by-line and dimensional analyses reveal various purposes of caregiving for an older family member. These purposes influence whether and how CGs continue to provide the care or decide to share or relinquish caregiving to health care providers. This study suggests that a broader conceptualization of caregiving is needed to illuminate fully the complexity involved in providing care to older adults.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2003

Turnover reinterpreted CNAs talk about why they leave.

This study's purpose was to contribute to the development of a theory of turnover by understanding how CNAs employed in long-term care facilities conceptualize the factors that cause them to leave their jobs. Using grounded dimensional analysis, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with CNAs currently and formerly employed by three nursing homes. The CNAs' perception that they are unappreciated and undervalued by the organizations for which they work contributes significantly to turnover. The origins of this perception lie in policies and practices that lead, CNAs to feel personally and professionally dismissed. The authors suggest how long-term care facilities might change their staffing and personnel policies to better demonstrate respect and appreciation, thus reducing turnover and enhancing the quality of work and care.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Patient-centered interventions.

Patient-centered care is valued in nursing. However, until recently, nurse-researchers have focused on testing the effects of standardized rather than patient-centered interventions (PCIs). The latter are those interventions that are altered to address selected patient characteristics (e.g., beliefs, habits, or goals). PCIs have been well received, and in some studies they have been associated with improved health outcomes. In this article we describe briefly the concept patient centered, summarize the development of research on PCIs, discuss kinds of PCIs, provide examples of PCIs and how they have been derived and implemented, and raise issues for theory and future research.

Forecasting↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Understanding how disability is defined and conceptualized in the literature.

A goal of rehabilitation nursing is to advance the care of persons with chronic disabling conditions by minimizing disability. There are two distinct perpectives in the literature about how to conceptualize disability. Definitions and models of disability that inform rehabilitation nursing practice are based on a functionalist perspective of illness and locate disability as a problem of individual functioning. Alternatively, there are definitions and models that have evolved from the civil rights and social justice perspectives, and that locate the problem of disability within a disabling society. Recent attempts to integrate these two perspectives are based on earlier rehabilitation models and the functionalist assumptions remain. Rehabilitation nursing research and practice based on either of these two perspectives is fragmented and incomplete. To know how to define and approach disability-related issues, it is important to understand how people living with disability perceive its influences on their lives.

Attitude to Health↗