Expression patterns of adhesion molecules P-selectin, von Willebrand factor and PECAM-1 in lungs: a comparative study in cases of burn shock and hemorrhagic shock

For comparative examination of the pathological findings in burn shock and hemorrhagic shock, histological and immunohistochemical investigations of the lungs were performed. Histological specimens of 30 cases each were examined by means of immunohistological staining with P-selectin, von Willebrand factor (vWF) and PECAM-1. The results showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. There was strong staining for P-selectin (especially in the lumina of the blood vessels) and vWF (especially in the endothelium of medium-sized blood vessels) in the specimens of burn shock fatalities. In cases of rapid death after exposure to fire the strong expression of adhesion molecules, which are mainly responsible for the initial inflammatory reaction of leucocytes and platelets in burn shock, suggests prompt activation of inflammatory cells in the lung tissue. In cases of hemorrhagic shock, this reaction was much less distinct in the early stages. The same is true of the expression of PECAM-1, which was lower in lungs from burn shock fatalities than in those from hemorrhagic shock fatalities. The low expression of PECAM-1 in burn shock is a clue to the migration/diapedesis of leucocytes into the areas of burn damage. In total, the results of the investigation indicate different pathophysiological processes even in the very early stages of burn shock and hemorrhagic shock.     

School-based health services for urban adolescents: Psychosocial characteristics of clinic users vs nonusers

Evaluated psychosocial differences between adolescent users and nonusers of an urban school-based health clinic, considering the influence of gender. As expected, a number of gender differences were found (e.g., girls reported more fear, were rated as more likeable by peers than boys). Examination of differences based purely on clinic use indicated that nonusers were rated as more socially withdrawn by their peers than clinic users; otherwise, these two groups did not differ on psychosocial measures. Gender by clinic-status interaction effects were found for academic measures (e.g., nonusing boys had more absences and lower grades than boys who used the clinic). A group of intensive clinic users (n=14) reported higher levels of emotional distress than other students, and surprisingly, most of these students were not receiving mental health services.Received Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1991. Research interests include evaluation of school mental health services, empirical development of interventions for children, and the impact of violence on urban youth.Received B.A. from Loyola College. Interested in applied work with adolescents and adults.Received B.A. from Cornell University. Interests include stress and coping in children, identification of resilience factors, and evaluation of child mental health systems of care.Received Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1967. Research interests in psychophysiology, sleep disorders, and biofeedback and instrumentation.Received M.D. from Duke University in 1968. Research interests include training in child and adolescent psychiatry, adolescent psychopathology, and the development of school mental health programs.     

The ethical dilemma codification: equity?

For the past seven years, the governing council of the American Society for Public Administration and its subcommittee on Professional Standards and Ethics have tried to write a code of ethics. This paper suggests that when one explores the overlapping domains: professional ethics, which includes dilemmas of choice--social justice and administrative discretion with the merit system, larger questions should be raised. That is, is becoming a profession ethical? Will existing inequities be magnified? Can questions of political philosophy be ignored?     

A National Picture of Prison Downsizing Strategies

Abstract

Many states faced fiscal pressures on their corrections budgets as the country entered a deep recession in 2008. A 2011 survey by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) asked corrections officials in all 50 states about changes in correctional facilities, focusing on closures, new facilities, and altering existing facilities as a response to budget pressures. States employed a combination of these strategies. Between fiscal year (FY) 2007–2008 and FY 2011–2012, 148 facilities were closed, 29 new facilities were opened, and 23 states added 22,740 beds to existing facilities, resulting in about a 19,000 net bed reduction overall. Closures did not necessarily appear to be related to fiscal pressures or always related to reductions in the prison population. Despite the Great Recession, correctional funding is still a large part of state expenses and many states’ correctional populations continue to grow.     

Client abilities to assist counsel and make decisions in criminal cases

Three studies of attorney-client decision making were conducted in a public defender office. In studies 1 and 2 a structured interview was used to debrief attorneys regarding clients' participation in their cases. Study 1 examined a sample of 200 felony and misdemeanor cases selected prospectively and resolved by any means (92.5% by plea); study 2 examined 200 felony and misdemeanor cases resolved by trial. Study 3 involved debriefing both attroneys and clients regarding perceptions of client participation in 35 recently closed felony cases. Attorneys doubted the competence of 8%–15% of clients charged with felonies and 3%–8% of clients charged with misdemeanors. In cases involving clients of doubted competence, attorneys often responded by means other than referral to mental health professionals for competence evaluations. As compared with clients whose competence was presumed, attorneys tended to view clients whose competence was doubted as less helpful and as less actively involved in their cases, but as actively involved in making key decisions. Defendants' perceptions appeared to be roughly consistent with attorneys' perceptions, allaying concerns that attorneys' reports may be distorted in order to conform to expected norms.