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Buffer Zones Through the Lens of Golf: A Negligence Case Content Analysis
Get PDFBuffer zones are a risk management strategy used within sport and recreation to protect participants and spectators from injury. Within the recreational golf sector, buffer zone standards do not exist. Recreational golf courses serve a wide range of customers in terms of age, skill level, and experience. A legal case content analysis of 1,561 golf negligence lawsuits answered research questions related to locations of incidents, circumstances, and injuries or damages that resulted from errant golf shots. A Westlaw search provided 133 cases within the scope of this study, 85 of which could have been possibly prevented with proper buffer zones. In lawsuits in which the golf course was sued, the course prevailed 47.5% of the time and most cases specifically alleged a failure to provide reasonably safe conditions or negligent course design. This article concludes by providing practical recommendations for practitioners to protect golf courses from litigation stemming from errant golf balls
Heart Rate, Oxygen Uptake and Anaerobic Thresholds During a Maximal Treadmill Test with World Class Mixed Martial Arts Fighters
Get PDFMeasuring heart rate responses during a competitive mixed martial arts (MMA) fight is not feasible; therefore, a method is needed to assess physiological responses in MMA fighters outside of competition. Quantifying and evaluating heart rate, oxygen uptake, and anaerobic threshold during a maximal treadmill test can provide interpretation for in-competition physiological responses of MMA fighters The retrospective analysis was conducted on 20 world-class MMA fighters predating the beginning of their fight camps (ages 29.0 ± 4.8 years old). A maximal treadmill test utilizing a ramp protocol was conducted eight weeks prior to a professional competition. Fighters’ data were divided in two groups based on weight status: lighter, < 185 pounds (n = 12) and heavier, ≥ 185 pounds (n = 8) weight groups. Heart rate (HR), anaerobic thresholds from respiratory exchange rate (RER-AT), and oxygen uptake (VO2max) were recorded and compared between weight groups. VO2max was the only physiological variable measured that differed between lighter (53.4 ± 4.5 ml . kg−1 . min−1) and heavier (48.1 ± 5.7 ml . kg−1 . min−1) fighters (p = 0.033). Previous literature has commonly used 1.0 RER to determine the breaking point in anaerobic thresholds. All other variables were not different (p ≥ 0.204) between groups. Differences in VO2max between lighter and heavier fighters is likely due to differences in body mass. While there were no differences in heart rates at RER-AT or time to exhaustion between weight status groups, using RER-AT at 0.95 or 1.0 RER may be a valuable way to ensure an MMA athlete achieve anaerobic training in fight preparation. Performance coaches may utilize physiological variables such as RER-AT acquired from maximal treadmill testing to guide the training demands of MMA competition
YebC Modulates OspC and VlsE Inverse Regulation and VlsE Expression in Persistent Lyme Disease
Get PDFBackground & Hypothesis: Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common vector-borne infectious disease in the United States. Although easily treated with antibiotics, undiagnosed cases may develop into persistent infections with complications including Lyme carditis, neuroborreliosis, & arthritis. VlsE antigen variation is one of the major mechanisms employed by B. burgdorferi to establish persistent infection. We hypothesize that YebC modulates VlsE expression and antigen variation, enabling the shift from acute to persistent infection.
Materials & Methods: C3H/HeN or C3H/SCID mice were infected with the B. burgdorferi strain 5A4NP1, yebC mutant, and yebC complement at a dose of 105 or 106 spirochetes. Mice were sacrificed at days 7, 30, 60, and 90 post-infection and tissue samples were subjected to RNA and DNA extraction.
Results: YebC levels were closely associated with the upregulation of vlsE and the downregulation of ospC in vitro and in vivo. The yebC mutant displayed loss of infectivity in C3H/HeN mice, and reduced VlsE antigen variation.
Conclusion & Impact: This data demonstrates that YebC of B burgdorferi can regulate the frequency of vlsE recombination and modulates the inverse regulation of OspC and VlsE. This new factor may serve as an avenue for developing drugs which can target vlsE recombination to combat complications of persistent Lyme disease
TRIM31: A Protein With an Oncogenic Role in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Get PDFBackground: Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a major cancer in the United States with increasing incidence. It is an aggressive cancer involving columnar-type cells different from the normal esophageal (NE) squamous cells. This metaplasia often involves an intermediary morphology called Barrett’s esophagus (BE), which occurs from repeated acid exposure of the esophagus from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD leading to BE is a common pre-occurrence in EAC patients, but the mechanism remains obscure. To explore the mechanism and its components, we compared gene expression in BE and EAC cells with normal cells and discovered the overexpression of TRIM31 in the pathogenic cells. Although previous studies have shown oncogenic potential of TRIM31 in some cancers, its role in EAC is yet to be understood.
Methods: RNA sequencing and transcriptomic profiling were performed on human NE, BE, and EAC epithelial tissue samples. TRIM31 expression in NE cell line (Het-1A) and EAC cell lines (OE19, Flo-1, OE33, SK-GT-2, and OACM5.1C) were identified by Western blot. The Het-1A cell line, after exposure to acidic pH and bile acid, was assessed for variable TRIM31 expression. Cell viability analysis of NE and EAC cell lines after exposure to acidic pH and bile acids was observed by WST-1 assay.
Results: RNA sequencing, transcriptomic profiling, and western blot revealed overexpression of TRIM31 in BE and EAC epithelium. Exposure of Het-1A cells to bile acids in acidic pH changed the cell morphology with enhanced expression of TRIM31. WST-1 revealed that EAC cells were more resistant to acidic pH and bile acid exposure.
Conclusions and potential impact: Our data suggests that increased TRIM31 expression correlates with esophageal epithelium resistance when exposed to bile acids and acidic pH. Consequently, TRIM31 may be a key player in the metaplasia of GERD-induced EAC development and may be an innovative therapeutic target and marker for EAC
Pharmacological Inhibition of PAK1 for the Treatment of NF2-Associated Vestibular Schwannoma
Get PDFNeurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) is an autosomal-dominant genetic disorder characterized by loss of Merlin, a tumor suppressor in Schwann cells, resulting in pathognomonic bilateral vestibular schwannoma, among other complications. Depletion of Merlin results in pathologic elevation of p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1), which promotes tumor cell proliferation, survival, and motility. Previous studies investigating the Nf2flox/flox; PAK1-/-; Postn-Cre+ genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) revealed that PAK1 genetic knockout in Nf2-cKO mice mitigated tumor size and preserved hearing. This study builds upon this previous work to identify efficacious therapeutic agents that target PAK1. In vitro dose response curves evaluated the efficacy of five PAK inhibitors in merlin-deficient immortalized Schwann cells (MS03). Dose response curves revealed variable IC50s among the five PAK inhibitors tested. Synergy screensrevealed synergy between PAK inhibitors NVS-PAK1-1 or BGJ-398 and selumetinib, a MEK inhibitor FDA-approved for the treatment of NF1. Colony formation assays revealed robust inhibition with NVS-PAK1-1 in combination with VS6766, a RAF/MEK inhibitor currently being evaluated in clinical trial in other cancers. Western blot analysis revealed marked decrease in downstream effectors of PAK1, including phospho-ERK1/2 in cells treated with BGJ-398, NVSPAK1-1, and PAKi plus selumetinib. Together, these findings suggest that inhibition of PAK1 and MEK pathways may be an efficacious therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NF2- associated vestibular schwannoma. Establishing reproducibility of these results in cells derived from human vestibular schwannoma is necessary to continue investigating pharmacological PAK1 and MEK inhibition. Further studies are needed to verify tolerability and therapeuticefficacy of PAK1 and MEK pharmacological inhibition in vivo
Lessons Learned from the CSWE Task Force to Advance Anti-Racism in the Social Work Education Policy and Accreditation Standards: : Praxis in a Racially Volatile Society
Get PDFOn May 25, 2020, Mr. George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a White police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In response to this disgusting display of police brutality, thousands of people all over the world began protesting Mr. Floyd’s killing. The Capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, became one of many flashpoints for the public’s rage against white supremacy and systemic racism as thousands of people flooded the historic Monument District to topple, dismantle and re-frame Confederate monuments with protest slogans. Policing in the United States is rooted in the historical memory of enslavement, the unrestrained and authorized misuse of power by law enforcement, and conflicting values of discourse community. Protestors employed historical memory, which includes resistance, tolerance and strength in the face of tremendously difficult circumstances (Corredor, Wills-Obregon, Asensio-Brouard, 2018, 184). This groundswell of protests merged with those that sprang up for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and others slain by police violence, producing a demand for racial justice that could not be stymied. Racial disparate treatment is embedded in police brutality and in all societal institutions. This movement calls into question social justice accountability within social work education, practice, and policy. Have the protests been enough? Will the profession of social work address its own complicity in maintaining racism?
To advance anti-racist social work education, the CSWE Task Force for Advance Anti-Racism was conceptualized in summer 2020 to center anti-racism pedagogies and anti-racist learning environments. Several diverse social work leaders, educators, researchers, community organizers, and students came together to explore how the profession should be re-imagined as a profession that advances anti-racism and the decentering of whiteness. The task force members met to develop, discuss, and refine recommendations for CSWE on Education Policy and Accreditation (EPA). Employing content analysis, the authors identified major themes that emanated from the work of the Task Force. Content themes include how racism, white supremacy and ethnocracy underscores social work as an applied social science that maintains information structures, paradigms, theories, and practices ensconced in academia. The praxis recommendations of the task force include adapting theoretical frameworks for anti-racist social work education; incorporating anti-racism and critical theories, such as Critical Race Theory; updating social work competencies; promoting equitable approaches to hiring and retaining BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) faculty in different positions; and, creating a new anti-racism commission to continue anti-racism work.  
Grassroots Activism Impacting Rural LGBTQIA+ Communities: Implications for Social Work
Get PDFIn 2022, the American Civil Liberties Union tracked over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills in the legislative session. Policy protections for LGBTQIA+ people can only advance when large numbers of people push for change, which requires greater public awareness of the implicit and explicit barriers for LGBTQIA+ persons. One promising practice for increasing visibility and public awareness is through grassroots activism. Grassroots work spans micro, mezzo, and macro social work practice as it builds local power to influence improvements in services and the well-being for a particular group or issue. LGBTQIA+ grassroots activism provides visibility and community and builds relationships with local resources and leaders to address specific needs. This paper looks at the impact of rural grassroots work on policy change, specifically emphasizing the influence of LGBTQIA+ people leading local efforts to establish greater equity in their communities. The authors provide three examples of LGBTQIA+ organizations doing grassroots work in rural areas in order to increase attention to this foundational level of policy change. These organizations and many more across the country must be acknowledged and supported by social workers to increase the important momentum of self-represented movements for justice
“People Will Judge You…So Be Ready”: Advice to Pregnant Doctoral Students
Get PDFDoctoral program attrition is a significant issue, with 50% of doctoral students leaving their program before completion. Personal life events, such as marriage and children, are risk factors for attrition, but little research has focused on factors that positively affect persistence and success through these life events. In a nationwide survey project, individuals who had been pregnant during their doctoral program in the United States (n=626) suggested strategies and approaches that pregnant students could implement to support continued success in doctoral education, highlighting the voices of those with lived experience with doctoral education and pregnancy. Thematic analysis identified four primary themes in the responses: the creation of systems that support success, the need for clear expectations, the importance of productivity, and the feasibility of success. Implications for doctoral programs and social work educators include the need to identify ways that programs can activity support students through pregnancy, remain informed about supports and accommodations for pregnant students, and consider options to allow for a slow-down in productivity without penalty to the student
Impact of Trauma on the Lives of Black Men With Multiple Arrests: I Feel Like That the Violence Needs to Stop Now”
Get PDFA mixed-methods study was carried out to better characterize the life course experiences, with a focus on trauma, of men who had perpetrated gun violence and other violent crime, and who had multiple arrests and incarcerations. A small sample of 13 men with a history of a minimum of 12 arrests each as well as histories of gun violence, other violent crime, and incarceration was drawn from a social program providing cognitive therapy and job skills training in a major urban center. Participants completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and completed an in-depth interview. Results demonstrated that the participants had extraordinarily significant levels of trauma exposure but that they had minimal avowed trauma symptoms. The exception is that every participant demonstrated a clinically relevant score on the Arousal subscale (Criterion E). Participants in interviews discussed a number of characteristics of their developmental years. They described near constant exposure to traumatic events, in some cases starting from very young ages. Most participants described a personal experience of numbing or desensitization to their experiences. They described the impact of gangs on both protecting them from trauma and exposing them to trauma, and they described their subsequent experiences of incarceration. They offered recommendations for strategies to minimize violent crime in communities
Injustice is Ahistorical: A Case Study of St. Louis
Get PDFThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of historical context in social work practice, research, and teaching. Understanding the evolution of racist policies and practices is necessary for developing antiracist practices that promote racial equity. Using St. Louis as a case study, the manuscript describes how racist policies and practices evolved over time between the 1900s and 1970s. These policies and practices will be examined at three levels: individual, local governance, and federal policy. The discussion section describes the implications of this history for contemporary social work research, practice, and education. In practice, understanding our history is necessary so we can identify when using racialized practices and hoping for different results. Understanding the historical context of our research can identify when our results provide support that racist policies and practices are working as designed. The interconnectedness of racist policy and practice necessitates re-thinking social work education, particularly as it relates to the divide of micro and macro social work practice