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PubMed2006

The environment versus genetics in controlling the contribution of MAP kinases to synaptic plasticity.

BACKGROUND: A challenge in biomedical research is to design experimental paradigms that reflect a natural setting. Even when freshly isolated tissues are used, they are almost always derived from animals housed in cages that poorly reflect the animal's native environment. This issue is highlighted by studies on brain function, where mice housed in a more natural "enriched environment" display enhanced learning and memory and delayed onset of symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases compared to mice housed conventionally. How the environment mediates its effects on brain function is poorly understood. RESULTS: We show that after exposure of adolescent mice to an "enriched environment," the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP), a form of synaptic plasticity that is thought to contribute to learning and memory, involves a novel signal transduction pathway that is nonfunctional in comparable mice housed conventionally. This environmentally gated signaling pathway, which rescues defective LTP induction in adolescent Ras-GRF knockout mice, consists of NMDA glutamate receptor activation of p38, a MAP kinase that does not contribute to LTP in mice housed conventionally. Interestingly, the same exposure to environmental enrichment does not have this effect in adult mice. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a new level of cell signaling control whereby environmental factors gate the efficacy of a specific signaling cascade to control how LTP is induced in adolescent animals. The suppression of this gating mechanism in mature animals represents a new form of age-dependent decline in brain plasticity.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2006

Development of a measure to assess invalidating childhood environments in the eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The role of childhood abuse is well recognised within the eating disorders. However, the impact of parental invalidation of the child's emotional needs has not been investigated. Such invalidation is potentially important because it appears to be associated with the difficulties in tolerating distress that are often seen in adults with eating disorders. This study aims to develop a measure of childhood invalidating environments (Invalidating Childhood Environments Scale; ICES). It also investigated the relationship between childhood experiences, levels of distress tolerance and eating pathology. METHOD: Seventy-three eating-disordered women and 62 non-eating-disordered women completed a newly developed measure of invalidating environments (ICES), the Eating Disorders Inventory, and a Distress Tolerance Scale. RESULTS: The ICES had acceptable psychometric and clinical validity. Women who scored highly on the ICES had greater levels of eating disturbance. Within the clinical sample, the data were compatible with a model where difficulties in tolerating distress partially mediate the relationship between perceived invalidation by the father and eating pathology. CONCLUSIONS: Parental invalidation is a potentially important construct in the eating disorders. This paper demonstrates that the ICES is a valid measure of that construct. This study suggests a clear framework for working with patients, where evidence of an invalidating childhood environment indicates a need to work with patients on their capacity to tolerate distress.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2006

Work environment and workforce problems: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of hospital nurses in Belgium.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated Belgian hospital nurses' perceptions on work environment and workforce issues, quality of care, job satisfaction and professional decision making. METHODS: All eligible nurses in a selection of 22 hospitals received the BELIMAGE questionnaire for a total of 13,958 potential respondents. Of these, 9941 returned study materials (response rate=71.2%) of which 9638 were valid and useable for statistical analysis (valid response rate=69.1%). RESULTS: The study identified several areas of tension in the nursing profession. The commitment to being competent providers of quality care was remarkably strong among the nurses, but they also perceived the barriers in the work environment to be multiple and complex. Concerns about the quality of leadership and management, insufficient staff, time demands and stressful work environment are experienced as obstacles in providing good nursing care. Four out of ten nurses (39.2%) would not choose nursing again as a career and more than half of the nurses (54.3%) have contemplated leaving the profession at some point in time. CONCLUSIONS: To effectively tackle the professional and workforce issues in nursing, investments should focus on redesigning a work environment that supports nurses in providing comprehensive professional care.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Evaluation of an educational "toolbox" for improving nursing staff competence and psychosocial work environment in elderly care: results of a prospective, non-randomized controlled intervention.

BACKGROUND: Lack of professional development opportunities among nursing staff is a major concern in elderly care and has been associated with work dissatisfaction and staff turnover. There is a lack of prospective, controlled studies evaluating the effects of educational interventions on nursing competence and work satisfaction. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of an educational "toolbox" intervention on nursing staff ratings of their competence, psychosocial work environment and overall work satisfaction. DESIGN: The study was a prospective, non-randomized, controlled intervention. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: Nursing staff in two municipal elderly care organizations in western Sweden. METHODS: In an initial questionnaire survey, nursing staff in the intervention municipality described several areas in which they felt a need for competence development. Measurement instruments and educational materials for improving staff knowledge and work practices were then collated by researchers and managers in a "toolbox." Nursing staff ratings of their competence and work were measured pre and post-intervention by questionnaire. Staff ratings in the intervention municipality were compared to staff ratings in the reference municipality, where no toolbox was introduced. RESULTS: Nursing staff ratings of their competence and psychosocial work environment, including overall work satisfaction, improved significantly over time in the intervention municipality, compared to the reference group. Both competence and work environment ratings were largely unchanged among reference municipality staff. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant interaction effect between municipalities over time for nursing staff ratings of participation, leadership, performance feedback and skills' development. Staff ratings for these four scales improved significantly in the intervention municipality as compared to the reference municipality. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to a reference municipality, nursing staff ratings of their competence and the psychosocial work environment improved in the municipality where the toolbox was introduced.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Pathways to adolescent alcohol use: family environment, peer influence, and parental expectations.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the relationships among family environment, peer influence, stress, self-efficacy, and adolescent alcohol use and to test for the potential moderating effects of parental expectations regarding adolescent alcohol use. METHODS: Data were obtained from questionnaires completed by high school students (n = 2573) participating in a longitudinal study of substance use and other problem behaviors. Variables were lagged across three time points to reflect a causal sequence relating family environment to adolescent alcohol use through self-efficacy, peer influence, and stress. A latent measure of family environment included adolescents' perceptions of parental acceptance, parental monitoring, and communication with parents. The latent measure of peer influence included use of alcohol by same-age peers and friends and friends' approval of alcohol use. Observed scale scores were used for self-efficacy and stress measures, and the latent measure of alcohol behaviors included quantity, frequency, and associated problems. RESULTS: Structural equation modeling indicated good model fit, chi(2) (144) = 831.69, p < .001, comparative fit index (CFI) = .992, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .043 (.040, .046). Family environment exerted significant indirect effects on adolescent alcohol use through peer influence, self-efficacy, and stress, and parental expectations significantly moderated all structural paths. CONCLUSIONS: Parental expectations of adolescent alcohol use significantly moderated all structural relationships, and greater parental disapproval was associated with less involvement with friends and peers who use alcohol, less peer influence to use alcohol, greater self-efficacy for avoiding alcohol use, and lower subsequent alcohol use and related problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Perceived smoking environment and smoking initiation among multi-ethnic urban girls.

PURPOSE: To examine associations between the perceived smoking environment and smoking initiation among urban multi-ethnic adolescent girls in New York City. METHODS: Self-report surveys completed in grades 7, 8, and 9 assessed girls' (n = 858) smoking initiation, and perceived smoking environment (family smoking, friends' smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability). Carbon monoxide breath samples were collected from girls using a variation of the bogus pipeline procedure. RESULTS: Differences were found in smoking prevalence with white girls reporting the highest prevalence of smoking at baseline and greatest increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade. Black girls reported an initial increase in smoking prevalence from seventh to eighth grade followed by a decrease from eighth to ninth grade. Family smoking, friends' smoking, smoking norms, and cigarette availability were all associated with smoking initiation at eighth grade but only friends' smoking was associated with smoking initiation at ninth grade. Few ethnic differences were found in risk factors at baseline and racial/ethnic group did not modify associations between risk and smoking initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Urban adolescent girls of different racial/ethnic backgrounds had similar perceptions of the smoking environment. Despite the similarity of risk factors across racial/ethnic groups, urban white girls are at increased risk to initiate smoking. Preventive interventions that target girls' perceived smoking environment during early adolescence should be effective across ethnic groups.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2026

Engineering local nitrogen coordination environments of Palladium subnanometric clusters in metal-organic frameworks for efficient hydrogenation.

Subnanometric clusters (SCs) bridge the gap between single-atom catalysts and nanoparticles by combining high atomic utilization with cooperative multi-atom effects. However, stabilizing low-coordinated SCs while maintaining accessible active sites remains challenging. Here, we introduce pyrazole-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (PZDC), pyridine-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (PDC), and pyrrole-3,5-dicarboxylic acid (PPy) as secondary ligands in metal-organic frameworks to regulate the local nitrogen (N) coordination environment of Pd SCs (∼0.6 nm). Specifically, PZDC provides a chemically differentiated pyrazolic dual-N environment containing formally pyridinic-like and pyrrolic-like N sites. Aberration-corrected high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (AC HAADF-STEM) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) confirm the formation of low-coordinated Pd clusters containing PdN and PdPd interactions, while CO diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (CO-DRIFTS) reveals a distinctive adsorption environment characterized by geminal dicarbonyl species and strongly suppressed bridge-bonded CO adsorption. Within this catalyst series, the PZDC-functionalized material exhibits the highest activity and tetrahydrocyclopentadiene (THDCPD) selectivity in dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) hydrogenation. These results demonstrate that modification of the local N environment can regulate the average coordination structure, adsorption behavior, and catalytic properties of MOF-supported Pd SCs.

Hydrogenation catalysis↗

PubMed2006

Enriched environment improves motor function in intact and unilateral dopamine-depleted rats.

Previous studies have suggested that experience and environmental conditions can affect the progression and severity of symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, earlier reports have indicated that enriched environment promotes the survival of dopaminergic grafts in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Here we investigated whether environmental enrichment affects normal motor function and the severity of dopamine depletion in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Adult female Long-Evans rats were pre-trained and tested daily in a skilled reaching task. One group of rats was placed in an enriched environment while one group was housed under standard conditions. During this time period, reaching success of animals exposed to the enriched environment improved as compared with animals living in standard housing. The animals remained in the two housing conditions for six weeks prior to receiving unilateral infusion of the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine into the nigrostriatal bundle. The daily behavioral testing continued up to four weeks after lesion. The observations showed that rats housed in an enriched environment significantly improved in reaching success during the first three weeks after lesion as compared with rats housed in the standard condition. Qualitative movement analysis, drug-induced rotation and histological findings indicate that compensatory processes in particular might have accounted for the behavioral improvements. These data are discussed in relation to possible mechanisms of experience-dependent modulation of the pathology of Parkinson's disease.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to different novel environments is a consistent individual trait in adult male outbred rats.

Susceptibility to some stress-induced pathologies may be strongly related to individual differences in the responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to stressors. However, there have been few attempts in rodents to study the reliability of the individual differences in the responsiveness of the HPA to stressors and the relationship to resting corticosterone levels. In the present work, we used a normal population of Sprague-Dawley rats, with a within-subject design. Our objectives were to study: (a) the reliability of the ACTH and corticosterone response to three different novel environments widely used in psychopharmacology and (b) the relationship between stress levels of HPA hormones and the daily pattern of corticosterone secretion (six samples over a 24-h-period). Animals were repeatedly sampled using tail-nick procedure. The novel environments were the elevated plus-maze, the hole-board and the circular corridor. Animals were sampled just after 15 min exposure to the tests and again at 15 and 30 min after the termination of exposure to them (post-tests). The hormonal levels just after the tests indicate that the hole-board seems to be more stressful than the circular corridor and the elevated plus-maze, the latter being characterized by the lowest defecation rate. Correlational analysis revealed that daily pattern of resting plasma corticosterone levels did not correlate to HPA responsiveness to the tests, suggesting no relationship between resting and stress levels of HPA hormones. In contrast, the present study demonstrates, for the first time, a good within-subject reliability of the ACTH and corticosterone responses to the three environments, suggesting that HPA responsiveness to these kind of stressors is a consistent individual trait in adult rats, despite differences in the physical characteristics of the novel environments.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMed2006

Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction.

OBJECTIVES: Shinrin-yoku (walking and/or staying in forests in order to promote health) is a major form of relaxation in Japan; however, its effects have yet to be completely clarified. The aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate the psychological effects of shinrin-yoku in a large number of participants; and (2) to identify the factors related to these effects. METHODS: Four hundred and ninety-eight healthy volunteers took part in the study. Surveys were conducted twice in a forest on the same day (forest day) and twice on a control day. Outcome measures were evaluated using the Multiple Mood Scale-Short Form (hostility, depression, boredom, friendliness, wellbeing and liveliness) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory A-State Scale. Statistical analyses were conducted using analysis of variance and multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Hostility (P<0.001) and depression (P<0.001) scores decreased significantly, and liveliness (P=0.001) scores increased significantly on the forest day compared with the control day. The main effect of environment was also observed with all outcomes except for hostility, and the forest environment was advantageous. Stress levels were shown to be related to the magnitude of the shinrin-yoku effect; the higher the stress level, the greater the effect. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that forest environments are advantageous with respect to acute emotions, especially among those experiencing chronic stress. Accordingly, shinrin-yoku may be employed as a stress reduction method, and forest environments can be viewed as therapeutic landscapes. Therefore, customary shinrin-yoku may help to decrease the risk of psychosocial stress-related diseases, and evaluation of the long-term effects of shinrin-yoku is warranted.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The impact of the physical and urban environment on mental well-being.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the strength of association between physical and social factors in the built environment and mental well-being, and to determine which factors are the most important. STUDY DESIGN: A postal survey based on a theoretical model of domains that might link the physical and urban environment with mental well-being was sent to 2696 adults aged 18 years or over, in four areas of Greenwich, London. Mental health was measured using the SF36 subscales for mental health (MH) and vitality (V). Additional household and area level data were appended for each respondent from a range of sources. RESULTS: 1012 questionnaires were returned (38% response rate). At the univariate level significant confounders that were associated with poorer mental well-being were being female, 85+ years, unemployed or retired, on housing benefit, council tenant, two or more children, and having requested re-housing Better mental well-being was associated with being aged 65 years to 84 years (better MH and V). Within domain analysis, adjusting for each of the confounding factors, resulted in the following factors being significantly associated with being in the lowest quartile for MH score: (i) control over the internal environment (damp), (ii) design and maintenance (not liking the look of the estate/road, (iii) noise (neighbour noise), (iv) density and escape (feeling over-crowded in the home, being dissatisfied with green spaces, dissatisfied with social and entertainment facilities) being dissatisfied with community facilities (such as libraries and community centres) was only significant for vitality, (v) fear of crime and harassment (feeling unsafe to go out in the day, feeling unsafe to go out at night, agreeing that needles and syringes left lying around are a problem) (vi) social participation (not enough events to get people together, not enough places to stop and chat). When these 12 factors were entered into a single model with the significant confounders five remained significantly associated with being in the lowest quartile for MH or V: neighbour noise MH OR 2.71 [95% CI 1.48, 4.98]; feeling over-crowded in the home MH OR 2.22 [1.42, 3.48]; being dissatisfied with access to green open spaces MH OR 1.69 [1.05, 2.74]; access to community facilities V OR 1.92, [1.24, 3.00]; feeling unsafe to go out in the day MH OR 1.64 [1.02, 2.64]; V OR 1.58 [1.00, 2.49]. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms an association between the physical environment and mental well-being across a range of domains. The most important factors that operate independently are neighbour noise, sense of over-crowding in the home and escape facilities such as green spaces and community facilities, and fear of crime. This study highlights the need to intervene on both design and social features of residential areas to promote mental well-being.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Perceived Neighborhood Environments and physical activity in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: There is a reason to believe that physical environments variables play an especially important role in the level of physical activity. Few studies have examined the association between environmental variables and level of physical activity in adolescents. OBJECTIVES: This study aims were: (1) to evaluate differences in perceived neighborhood environment according to physical activity level and (2) to determine which, if any, perceived neighborhood environmental variables were associated with reported physical activity levels in an adolescent population. METHODS: The sample comprised of 1123 adolescents, which were classified according to physical activity levels into actives (n = 589) and non-active (n = 534). A questionnaire assessed Perceived Neighborhood Environments. Physical activity was assessed by questionnaire and used as the dependent variable. RESULTS: More active children were reported to more significantly (P < 0.05) agree with the importance of the accessibility of shops, the social environment, neighbors with recreational facilities, and aesthetics. Logistic regression analysis showed that aesthetic (OR = 1.302; P = 0.05) and recreational facilities (OR = 1.297; P = 0.05) domains were related to being physically active. CONCLUSIONS: Some perceived neighborhood environmental attributes were found to be associated with level of physical activity in adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

A systematic review of the impact of work environment on smoking cessation, relapse and amount smoked.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is an important issue for the majority of the world's working population. It is important to explore in which ways the workplace might contribute to changes in smoking status and smoking behavior. The present article provides a systematic review and quality assessment of studies that have addressed the impact of factors in the work environment on smoking behavior. METHODS: An evaluation of the methodological quality of 22 prospective studies was based on 14 explicit criteria, which included features of study design, statistical analysis, sampling issues and measurement. The level of scientific evidence was evaluated for each study. RESULTS: There was strong evidence for an effect of the work environment on the amount smoked, but insufficient or mixed evidence regarding cessation and relapse. Summarizing the results, high job demands were associated with higher amount smoked and with increased likelihood of cessation. Resources at work and social support were positively associated with cessation and negatively associated with relapse and the amount smoked. CONCLUSIONS: The results supported the overall hypothesis that the work environment influences aspects of smoking behavior. Recommendations are made for more intervention studies where changes in work environment are carried out in combination with health promotion interventions.

Health Behavior↗

PubMed2002

Delayed kindling epileptogenesis and increased neurogenesis in adult rats housed in an enriched environment.

Environmental risk factors such as stressful experiences have long been recognized to affect seizure susceptibility, but little attention has been paid to the potential effects of improving housing conditions. In this study, we investigated the influence of an enriched environment on epileptogenesis. Epileptic susceptibility was assessed in animals housed in an enriched environment either before and during (group I) or only during (group II) a kindling procedure and in animals placed in isolated conditions (group III). The kindling paradigm provides a reliable assessment of the capacity to develop seizures following repeated daily low-frequency electrical stimulations. As both enriched environment and seizures are known to interfere with hippocampal neurogenesis, the number of newly generated dentate cells was assessed before and after the kindling procedure to investigate in more detail the relationship between epileptogenesis and neurogenesis. We found that susceptibility to developing epilepsy differed in animals housed in complex enriched environments and in those housed in isolated conditions. Kindling epileptogenesis occurred significantly later in animals housed in enriched conditions throughout the procedure (group I) than in animals from groups II and III. We also demonstrated that cells generated during kindling survived for at least 42 days and that these cells were more numerous on both sides of the brain following environmental enrichment than in rats housed in isolated conditions. As similar values were obtained regardless of the duration of the period of enrichment, these cellular changes may not play a major role in delaying kindling development. We suggest that the increase response in neurogenesis following seizures may be an adaptative rather an epileptogenic response.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Enriched environment delays the onset of hippocampal damage after global cerebral ischemia in rats.

An enriched environment has been shown to improve cognitive, behavioral and histopathological outcome after focal cerebral ischemia and head trauma. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an enriched environment on histopathology following global cerebral ischemia. Wistar rats (21 weeks of age) were placed in different environments [standard cages (SC) or enriched environment (EE) cages] for 2 months before and either 6 days or 2 months after ischemia. Rats underwent 10 min of global ischemia by bilateral carotid artery occlusions plus hypotension. Five groups (n=4-5 in each group) were studied: (1) rats kept in SC before and 2 months after ischemia; (2) rats kept in SC before ischemia but transferred to an EE for 2 months after ischemia; (3) rats kept in EE before and after ischemia for 2 months; (4) rats kept in SC before and 6 days after ischemia; (5) rats kept in EE before and 6 days after ischemia. At 7 days or 2 months after ischemia, brains were perfusion-fixed, and ischemic injury was assessed by counting numbers of normal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 sector. Physiological variables showed no inter-group differences. Rats housed in EE for 2 months before and for 6 days (but not 2 months) after global ischemia showed significantly better preservation of pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 area when compared to control animals (middle CA1, 20.5+/-5.4 vs. 2.8+/-0.6; lateral CA1, 31.5+/-7.2 vs. 2.6+/-0.6, respectively). The present data suggest that housing in EE for 2 months before and 6 days after ischemia can delay the onset of damage to hippocampal pyramidal neurons, which eventually occurs despite 2-month EE.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Changing perspective within and across environments.

Perspective change within a single environment is a slow and effortful process. However, little research has addressed perspective change across multiple environments. Using a task-set switching paradigm, subjects judged spatial relationships between target locations from differing perspectives. Response times were longer when successive trials probed different perspectives. However, this cost was greater when perspective was changed within a single environment compared to when it was changed across two environments. This result indicates that the processing of perspective change, and perhaps general spatial reasoning, differs in these two cases. Implications for theories of perspective change and environmental knowledge are discussed.

Cues↗

PubMed2002

Associations between student learning outcomes from their clinical placement and their perceptions of the social climate of the clinical learning environment.

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between student learning outcomes from their clinical placement and their perceptions of the social climate of the clinical learning environment. The Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI) was used to collect data. The final sample group consisted of 108 second-year nursing students undertaking clinical placement in 14 metropolitan hospitals in South Australia. Findings from the study suggested that students' perceptions of the outcomes of their clinical placement are strongly associated with all five scales of the CLEI namely; Individualisation, Innovation, Involvement, Personalisation and Task Orientation. It is interesting to note that student who perceived the outcomes of their clinical placement as greatly positive, have placed high expectations on the scale, Task Orientation. The study also found that there were significant differences between students' perceptions of the actual clinical learning environment with their preferred clinical learning environment. The value of this study lies in the resulting implication for nursing education and future research. A better understanding of what constitutes quality clinical education from the students' perspective would be valuable in providing better educational experiences.

Education, Nursing↗

PubMed1986

Home Screening Questionnaire: its validity in assessing home environment.

To develop a quick, practical tool to identify home environments likely to be suboptimal for the development of children, we adapted segments of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, which assesses the environments of children from birth to 6 years, and devised the Home Screening Questionnaire (HSQ). Whereas the HOME Inventory requires a home visit, the HSQ consists of two forms, one for children from birth to 3 years, another for 3 to 6 years, that are completed by parents without a home visit. The questions are formulated at the third to sixth grade reading level and can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes. Scoring and interpretation by a professional takes 5 minutes. HSQ questions were answered by more than 1500 parents of low-income families. Between 81% and 86% of the environments determined to be of concern by the HOME Inventory were identified by the briefer and less expensive HSQ. Thus the HSQ readily lends itself to use by health care providers who serve low-income families.

Child↗