Consumer knowledge of mental health conditions, awareness of mental health support services, and perception of community pharmacists' role in mental health promotion

OBJECTIVE

To explore community pharmacy consumers' knowledge and attitudes of mental illness, support services, and community pharmacists' role in supporting people living with mental illness (PLMI).

METHODS

This survey was conducted in 15 community pharmacies between June and September 2019. Participants were aged 18 years or older without prior or ongoing history of mental illness and/or with close family members with mental illness. Open-ended responses to the anonymous questionnaire were analysed using content analysis.

KEY FINDINGS

Majority of the 380 participants were female (57.4%) with a mean age 52.9 years and 33.7% having completed university. Most (70.3%) believed that people with mental illness had a negative image due to poor health literacy providing possible solutions of 'awareness campaigns', 'education and training', and 'increased government funding for mental health (MH) support services'. Only 33.7% and 63.7% of participants were aware of Mental Health Week and the R U OK? Campaign, respectively. Whilst 12.4% of participants had participated in MH campaigns, only 3.4% were aware of community pharmacists-led MH educational activities. There were significant differences between adults (<65 years) and older adults (≥65 years old) with the latter reporting a more negative image for mental illness (P < 0.05) and having less exposure and engagement with MH resources (P < 0.001) and campaigns (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Despite awareness, participants reported low engagement with MH campaigns. Additionally, older adults had lower MH literacy and exposure to resources and campaigns. This study highlighted that the community lacked awareness of what pharmacists can offer to support PLMIs.

Abstract 252: Endocardial Cushion-derived Cardiovascular Progenitor Cells

Introduction: Regenerative therapies utilizing cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) have the potential to regenerate damaged myocardium post-myocardial infarctions. Previous studies have identified multipotent progenitors localized in the endocardial cushions of the developing mouse heart. Recent data in mice have also shown that the loss of a single transcription factor, Scl, enabled robust cardiomyogenic potential in these progenitor cells. Further analyses have delineated that these progenitors can be identified by co-expression of CD31 and PDGFRα. Recapitulation of this phenotypic progenitor cell from hESCs may have potential for clinical regenerative therapies.

Hypothesis: We hypothesize that CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells sorted from wild type mouse and human fetal heart tissue possess nascent cardiomyogenic potential. In addition, we believe that close mimicry of the in vivo developmental process of cushion formation would generate a hESC-derived CPC expressing CD31 and PDGFRα.

Methods: CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells sorted from wild type mouse heart and human fetal heart are plated in cardiac differentiation medium. Through a stage-specific differentiation protocol, hESCs are first differentiated into mesodermal progenitor cells, which then are sorted for the endothelial marker CD31. Under cardiac culture conditions, these CD31 + cells express the CPC marker PDGFRα. The CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells are then isolated and characterized through quantitative PCR, immunostaining, and functional assays.

Results: Wild type mouse heart CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells, when isolated at E14.5 and plated in cardiac differentiation medium, develop beating colonies. In addition, CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells are present in human fetal hearts. Moreover, hESC-derived CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells, when cultured in cardiac medium, show increased expression of cardiomyogenic markers.

Conclusions: We conclude that endogenous hESC-derived CD31 + /PDGFRα + cells have cardiogenic potential through in vitro differentiation, exhibited by their expression of cardiomyocyte characteristics and ability to beat. These cells may represent putative endocardial cushion-derived CPCs.

Nitric oxide control of steroidogenesis: endocrine effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine and comparisons to alcohol

Recent studies suggest that nitric oxide (NO) may regulate hormone biosynthesis and secretion. This was tested by treating male rats with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (NAME), a NO synthase inhibitor, and measuring serum and testicular interstitial fluid testosterone and serum corticosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin (PRL). The effect of NG-nitro-L-arginine (NA), a less-soluble form of the same NO synthase inhibitor, on the reproductive suppressant actions of alcohol was also examined. NAME increased testosterone and corticosterone secretion dose-dependently without affecting LH and PRL secretion. The alcohol-induced suppression of testosterone or LH secretion was not altered by treatment with NA. Although effects of NAME and NA on other systems may be involved, these results indicate that testicular and adrenal steroidogenesis are negatively regulated by endogenous NO and that NO does not regulate LH and PRL secretion or inhibit the testicular steroidogenic pathway in the same way as alcohol.