Upregulated hepatic lipogenesis from dietary sugars in response to low palmitate feeding supplies brain palmitate

Palmitic acid (PAM) can be provided in the diet or synthesized via de novo lipogenesis (DNL), primarily, from glucose. Preclinical work on the origin of brain PAM during development is scarce and contrasts results in adults. In this work, we use naturally occurring carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C; δ13C) to uncover the origin of brain PAM at postnatal days 0, 10, 21 and 35, and RNA sequencing to identify the pathways involved in maintaining brain PAM, at day 35, in mice fed diets with low, medium, and high PAM from birth. Here we show that DNL from dietary sugars maintains the majority of brain PAM during development and is augmented in mice fed low PAM. Importantly, the upregulation of hepatic DNL genes, in response to low PAM at day 35, demonstrates the presence of a compensatory mechanism to maintain total brain PAM pools compared to the liver; suggesting the importance of brain PAM regulation.

Testing the effects of an empowerment-based leadership development programme: part 1 - leader outcomes

AIM

To determine if a leadership development programme based on an empowerment framework significantly increased leaders' use of empowering behaviours.

BACKGROUND

Leadership programmes are effective ways to prepare nurse leaders for their complex roles. Relational competencies, such as leader empowering behaviours, are associated with improved leader, staff and practice environment outcomes.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test design was used to compare perceptions and self-reported behaviours of leaders who participated in a year-long leadership programme with those of similar leaders who did not attend the programme. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate a conceptual framework of leader empowerment.

RESULTS

The leadership programme was directly associated with leaders' perceptions of using more empowering behaviours. Leader empowering behaviours were also associated with feelings of being structurally empowered, mediated through feelings of being psychologically empowered, although the source of empowerment needs further investigation.

CONCLUSIONS

Leaders' use of empowering behaviours can be increased through focused training and through a workplace empowerment process.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSE MANAGEMENT

Leader empowering behaviours have been shown to be associated with more engaged staff and healthier work environments. Based on study results, we suggest that these behaviours are teachable, and they should be emphasized in leadership development programmes.

DSM-III major depressive disorder in the community. A latent class analysis of data from the NIMH epidemiologic catchment area programme

The fit of the structure of DSM-III major depressive disorder to data from two large epidemiological surveys is assessed by latent class analysis. The surveys were conducted at the Baltimore and Raleigh-Durham sites of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program. Three classes are required to fit the data, and the third class bears a strong resemblance to major depressive disorder, although it requires slightly more symptoms to be present than DSM-III. The derived structure replicates successfully for Baltimore and Raleigh-Durham, with a prevalence of the major depression category of 0.9% for both sites.

Exploring dimensions of access to medical care

This paper examines the dimensions of the access concept with particular attention to the extent to which more parsimonious indicators of access can be developed. This process is especially useful to health policy makers, planners and researchers in need of cost-effective social indicators of access to monitor the need for and impact of innovative health care programs. Three stages of data reduction are used in the analysis, resulting in a reduced set of key indicators of the concept. Implication for subsequent data collection and measurement of access are discussed.