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Biomedical subjects

Kathleen M Buckley

Publications and source records attributed to Kathleen M Buckley.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Benefits and challenges of transitioning preterm infants to at-breast feedings.

Upon hospital discharge it is not unusual for mothers of preterm infants to continue to meet all or most of their infants' nutritional needs through bottle feedings of expressed breast milk (EBM) because of infants' physiological immaturity and maternal concerns with an inadequacy of milk supply. Although for some mothers the challenge of transitioning the infant to feeding at the breast may be beyond their ability and resources, for others it appears to be based on a conscious choice. Mothers are often unaware of the advantages of breastfeeding at the breast. The purpose of this article is to examine some of the factors that may contribute to the inability and resistance of mothers to transition their preterm infants, and to report on the potential short and long-term advantages associated with feeding at the breast as opposed to feeding bottles of EBM.

Journal Article↗

p120-Catenin regulates clathrin-dependent endocytosis of VE-cadherin.

VE-cadherin is an adhesion molecule critical to vascular barrier function and angiogenesis. VE-cadherin expression levels are regulated by p120 catenin, which prevents lysosomal degradation of cadherins by unknown mechanisms. To test whether the VE-cadherin cytoplasmic domain mediates endocytosis, and to elucidate the nature of the endocytic machinery involved, the VE-cadherin tail was fused to the interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (IL-2R) extracellular domain. Internalization assays demonstrated that the VE-cadherin tail dramatically increased endocytosis of the IL-2R in a clathrin-dependent manner. Interestingly, p120 inhibited VE-cadherin endocytosis via a mechanism that required direct interactions between p120 and the VE-cadherin cytoplasmic tail. However, p120 did not inhibit transferrin internalization, demonstrating that p120 selectively regulates cadherin internalization rather than globally inhibiting clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Finally, cell surface labeling experiments in cells expressing green fluorescent protein-tagged p120 indicated that the VE-cadherin-p120 complex dissociates upon internalization. These results support a model in which the VE-cadherin tail mediates interactions with clathrin-dependent endocytic machinery, and this endocytic processing is inhibited by p120 binding to the cadherin tail. These findings suggest a novel mechanism by which a cytoplasmic binding partner for a transmembrane receptor can serve as a selective plasma membrane retention signal, thereby modulating the availability of the protein for endo-lysosomal processing.

Adolescent↗

Receptiveness, use and acceptance of telehealth by caregivers of stroke patients in the home.

This descriptive study identified factors that influenced the receptiveness, use and acceptance of telehealth videophones by 21 family caregivers of stroke patients in the home setting. Potential obstacles to the receptiveness towards videophones included concerns by the caregiver about maintaining home security, limited need for health care support, very low or high degree of burden in caregiving, and discomfort or disinterest in using technology. Identification of possible impediments to the use of videophones is vital prior to developing and evaluating programs using telehealth as a method of rehabilitative technology.

Adult↗

VE-cadherin: adhesion at arm's length.

VE-cadherin was first identified in the early 1990s and quickly emerged as an important endothelial cell adhesion molecule. The past decade of research has revealed key roles for VE-cadherin in vascular permeability and in the morphogenic events associated with vascular remodeling. The details of how VE-cadherin functions in adhesion became apparent with structure-function analysis of the cadherin extracellular domain and with the identification of the catenins, a series of cytoplasmic proteins that bind to the cadherin tail and mediate interactions between cadherins and the cytoskeleton. Whereas early work focused on the armadillo family proteins beta-catenin and plakoglobin, more recent investigations have identified p120-catenin (p120(ctn)) and a related group of armadillo family members as key binding partners for the cadherin tail. Furthermore, a series of new studies indicate a key role for p120(ctn) in regulating cadherin membrane trafficking in mammalian cells. These recent studies place p120(ctn) at the hub of a cadherin-catenin regulatory mechanism that controls cadherin plasma membrane levels in cells of both epithelial and endothelial origin.

Animals↗

Cellular levels of p120 catenin function as a set point for cadherin expression levels in microvascular endothelial cells.

The mechanisms by which catenins regulate cadherin function are not fully understood, and the precise function of p120 catenin (p120ctn) has remained particularly elusive. In microvascular endothelial cells, p120ctn colocalized extensively with cell surface VE-cadherin, but failed to colocalize with VE-cadherin that had entered intracellular degradative compartments. To test the possibility that p120ctn binding to VE-cadherin regulates VE-cadherin internalization, a series of approaches were undertaken to manipulate p120ctn availability to endogenous VE-cadherin. Expression of VE-cadherin mutants that competed for p120ctn binding triggered the degradation of endogenous VE-cadherin. Similarly, reducing levels of p120ctn using siRNA caused a dramatic and dose-related reduction in cellular levels of VE-cadherin. In contrast, overexpression of p120ctn increased VE-cadherin cell surface levels and inhibited entry of cell surface VE-cadherin into degradative compartments. These results demonstrate that cellular levels of p120ctn function as a set point mechanism that regulates cadherin expression levels, and that a major function of p120ctn is to control cadherin internalization and degradation.

Antigens, CD↗

Evaluation of classroom-based, Web-enhanced, and Web-based distance learning nutrition courses for undergraduate nursing.

A traditional classroom-based course was transitioned during three semesters to a Web-enhanced and then a Web-based course. This nutrition course was part of the core curriculum for 58 undergraduate nursing students. Evaluation data were collected and analyzed to compare the effectiveness of the traditional classroom, Web-enhanced, and Web-based courses. Areas of evaluation included mid-term and final examination scores and course grades, as well as student self-reports of instructor preparation, instructor-student interaction, testing, course objectives and assignments, textbooks, and strengths and weaknesses of the course. No differences were found in student learning outcomes. Although the Web-based course received the lowest mean course evaluation score, which was significantly different from the scores of the other two instructional methods, the students' qualitative comments revealed both positive and negative aspects of online instruction.

Education, Distance↗

Promoting active learning through on-line discussion boards.

The authors describe faculty experiences in developing and evaluating on-line discussion boards for an undergraduate nursing program. The advantages and limitations of on-line discussions as well as various applications of the methodology are presented. A variety of innovative applications for on-line discussions in undergraduate didactic and clinically based nursing courses are illustrated.

Attitude to Computers↗

The use of digital images in evaluating homecare nurses' knowledge of wound assessment.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate homecare nurses' knowledge of wound assessment using digital images and case studies. DESIGN: A descriptive design was used. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Subjects were a convenience sample of 33 registered nurses from a Washington, DC, metropolitan-based home health agency. METHODS: Participants were asked to complete a demographic data sheet and a wound assessment checklist, while viewing projected digital images of 10 different wounds. A case study accompanied each image and provided wound assessment data that could not be visualized. Frequencies were calculated to determine the percentage of homecare nurses who were accurate in their assessment. RESULTS: The most common error in staging was a lack of recognition of wounds that were not stageable. The majority of the homecare nurses were able to accurately identify wound bed and periwound characteristics; the greatest variability was found in the ratings for wound bed color. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the difficulty of interpreting digital images of wounds, the study findings support the value of using them to evaluate nurses' knowledge of the visual aspects of wound assessment as a basis for educational programs.

Adult↗