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Robust associations between adverse childhood experiences and shortened telomere length exist, but few studies have examined factors that may moderate this association, particularly with a resilience framework. The present study examined the association between exposure to childhood sexual abuse (and abuse severity) and mean telomere length, and whether social support and optimism moderated this association. The sample included 99 White monozygotic female twins, ranging in age from 35 to 70 (M.sub.age = 52.74, SD = 8.55 years), who provided a blood sample for telomere assay, and data on their childhood sexual abuse history, trait optimism, and current social support. Linear mixed effects models were employed to test study hypotheses. There were no effects of exposure to abuse or abuse severity on mean telomere length, nor were there main or moderating effects of optimism, in analyses of the full sample. However, in analyses that only included women exposed to abuse, there was an abuse type x support interaction: among women who experienced abuse in forms other than intercourse, higher levels of social support were associated with longer mean telomere length. Findings from the current study clarify the role of childhood sexual abuse in telomere attrition, and identify one factor that may protect against the negative biological effects of childhood sexual abuse., Author(s): David W. Sosnowski [sup.1] , Wendy Kliewer [sup.1] , Timothy P. York [sup.2] , Ananda B. Amstadter [sup.3] , Colleen K. Jackson-Cook [sup.4] , Marcia A. Winter [sup.1] Author [...]

BackgroundThe exciting discovery that telomere shortening is associated with many health conditions and that telomere lengths can be altered in response to social and environmental exposures has underscored the need for methods to accurately and consistently quantify telomere length.ObjectivesThe purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive summary that compares and contrasts the current technologies used to assess telomere length.DiscussionMultiple methods have been developed for the study of telomeres. These techniques include quantification of telomere length by terminal restriction fragmentation-which was one of the earliest tools used for length assessment-making it the gold standard in telomere biology. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction provides the advantage of being able to use smaller amounts of DNA, thereby making it amenable to epidemiology studies involving large numbers of people. An alternative method uses fluorescent probes to quantify not only mean telomere lengths but also chromosome-specific telomere lengths; however, the downside of this approach is that it can only be used on mitotically active cells. Additional methods that permit assessment of the length of a subset of chromosome-specific telomeres or the subset of telomeres that demonstrate shortening are also reviewed.ConclusionGiven the increased utility for telomere assessments as a biomarker in physiological, psychological, and biobehavioral research, it is important that investigators become familiar with the methodological nuances of the various procedures used for measuring telomere length. This will ensure that they are empowered to select an optimal assessment approach to meet the needs of their study designs. Gaining a better understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of various measurement techniques is important not only in individual studies, but also to further establish the science of telomere associations with biobehavioral phenomena.

Background: Identifying cytogenetic changes in tumors can aid in diagnosis/prognosis and disease management. Complete cytogenetic characterization has historically required a multimethod/time‐consuming approach. Optical genome mapping (OGM) offers a potential solution to this challenge by detecting both balanced and unbalanced abnormalities in a single assay. Methods: Genetic changes acquired with tumor‐forming potential in a prostate xenograft subline [M2205] (derived from a Black male) that were detected using cytogenetic versus OGM analyses were compared to assess the utility of OGM for analyzing solid tumors. Results: Cytogenetic/OGM concordance was noted for (a) copy number gains (16, 1p, 3q, 5q, 7p, 8q, 9q, 11p, 11q, 15q, 20q), (b) copy number losses (Y, 3p, 4p, 6p, 7p, 9p, 11q), and (c) structural changes, including multibreak rearrangements. Discordance was noted for two structural findings, both of which had breakpoints localized to repetitive sequences. The OGM studies identified new findings and confirmed/further characterized 8q24 structural abnormalities. It also detected genes gained/disrupted in the 8q24 region (e.g., MYC, DEPTOR, and EXT1); but recognizing a jumping translocation required cytogenetic analyses. Conclusion: These results support using OGM as a tool to analyze solid tumors in clinical/research settings. Moreover, this OGM analysis expanded the characterization of cytogenetic changes present in the M2205 subline, including alterations associated with tumors from Black males diagnosed with prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to explore library users' desired service quality levels on the twenty-two core LibQUAL+ items. Specifically, we explored similarities and differences in users' desired library service quality levels across user groups (i.e., undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty), across geographic locations (i.e., institutions using the American English version of the protocol, as against institutions using the British English language version); and across time (i.e., the years 2004-6, during which time the protocol was not altered). The sample consisted of 297,158 LibQUAL+ participants from the years 2004, 2005, and 2006, who completed either the American English ([eta][subscript AE] = 227,808) or the British English ([eta][subscript BE] = 69,350) version of the protocol. Here, the language version was used as a marker for whether the 297,158 respondents were located in North America or Europe. The heterogeneity of user desires across disciplines was also evaluated.

Describes a study of ARL (Association of Research Libraries) members called LibQUAL+ that identified users' perceptions of library service quality and measured gaps between expected service and perceived service. Discusses results of user interviews regarding information seeking behavior; self reliance; ubiquity and ease of access; and hours of operation and branch libraries. (LRW)

Investigated the psychometric integrity of scores from the LibQUAL+ evaluation of perceived library service quality conducted by ARL (Association of Research Libraries). Examines score structure, score reliability, score correlation and concurrent validity coefficients, scale means, and scale standardized norms, and considers the potential of the LibQUAL+ protocol. (Author/LRW)

The "LibQUAL+" diagnostic tool, product of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), shows that although a single factor dominates user thinking about library service quality, all items in the survey suffuse this factor. Several first-order factors contribute unique information to the notion of service quality. As different users place varying degrees of importance on first-order factors, the utility of the hierarchical model is demonstrated. (Author/AEF)

A study was conducted at Texas A&M University that compared the intactness (i.e., the presence or absence of a bibliographic record) and the accuracy of the bibliographic data in the public card catalog and in the online catalog (ALIS II). Results indicate the online catalog was less intact, but more accurate. (two references) (LRW)

Purpose: Hospital pharmacists contribute to patient safety and quality initiatives by overseeing the prescribing of antidiabetic medications. A pharmacist-driven glycemic control protocol was developed to reduce the rate of severe hypoglycemia events (SHE) in high-risk hospitalized patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the rates of SHE (defined as blood glucose ≤40 mg/dL), before and after instituting a pharmacist-driven glycemic control protocol over a 4-year period. A hospital glucose management team that included a lead Certified Diabetes Educator Pharmacist (CDEP), 5 pharmacists trained in diabetes, a lead hospitalist, critical care and hospital providers established a process to first identify patients at risk for severe hypoglycemia and then implement our protocol. Criteria from the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists was utilized to identify and treat patients at risk for SHE. We analyzed and compared the rate of SHE and physician acceptance rates before and after protocol initiation. Results: From January 2015 to March 2019, 18 297 patients met criteria for this study; 139 patients experienced a SHE and approximately 80% were considered high risk diabetes patients. Physician acceptance rates for the new protocol ranged from 77% to 81% from the year of initiation (2016) through 2018. The absolute risk reduction of SHE was 9 events per 1000 hospitalized diabetic patients and the relative risk reduction was 74% SHE from the start to the end of the protocol implementation. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that SHE decreased by 1.5 events per 1000 hospitalized diabetic patients (95% confidence interval, −1.54 to −1.48, P <.001) during the 2 years following the introduction of the protocol. This represents a 15% relative reduction of SHE per year. Conclusion: The pharmacist-driven glycemic control protocol was well accepted by our hospitalists and led to a significant reduction in SHE in high-risk diabetes patient groups at our hospital. It was cost effective and strengthened our physician-pharmacist relationship while improving diabetes care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromosomal translocations induced by ionizing radiation and radiomimetic drugs are thought to arise by incorrect joining of DNA double-strand breaks. To dissect such misrepair events at a molecular level, large-scale, bleomycin-induced rearrangements in the aprt gene of Chinese hamster ovary D422 cells were mapped, the breakpoints were sequenced, and the original non-aprt parental sequences involved in each rearrangement were recovered from nonmutant cells. Of seven rearrangements characterized, six were reciprocal exchanges between aprt and unrelated sequences. Consistent with a mechanism involving joining of exchanged double-strand break ends, there was, in most cases, no homology between the two parental sequences, no overlap in sequences retained at the two newly formed junctions, and little or no loss of parental sequences (usually [less than or equal to]2 bp) at the breakpoints. The breakpoints were strongly correlated (P < 0.0001) with expected sites of bleomycin-induced, doublestrand breaks. Fluorescence in situ hybridization indicated that, in six of the mutants, the rearrangement was accompanied by a chromosomal translocation at the aprt locus, because upstream and downstream flanking sequences were detected on separate chromosomes. The results suggest that repair of free radical-mediated, double-strand breaks in confluence-arrested cells is effected by a conservative, homology-independent, end-joining pathway that does not involve single-strand intermediate and that misjoining of exchanged ends by this pathway can directly result in chromosomal translocations.