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IntroductionOur study set out to identify the benefits for veterinary workers of structured daily well-being practices on compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Suggested origins of high rates of psychological stress and burnout are significant occupational concerns for veterinary workers. Many professional helpers experience an extreme state of tension and preoccupation from exposure to the suffering of those being helped. Veterinary workers are further impacted by negative associations and moral distress experienced due to limitations in the provision of quality medical care for veterinary patients. These negative experiences exist despite veterinary professionals’ work being worthwhile and highly valued.MethodsA randomized controlled study was performed over 6 months. Volunteer participants were members of a team of veterinary workers at a 24-h emergency and specialty hospital. Study participants were asked to incorporate daily well-being practice(s) into existing routines whereas control participants were not. Measures of well-being and the negative impacts of serving as veterinary helpers were assessed by having participants complete the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) self-assessment at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6 months. Composite scores for compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress were calculated.ResultsBaseline ProQOL scores were similar between study participants and controls. Baseline compassion satisfaction (CS), burnout scores (BS), and secondary traumatic stress (STS) scores for those instituting well-being practices were 37.6 (+/− 3.6), 26 (+/− 5.3), and 26.6 (+/− 5.2). Study participants had higher compassion satisfaction scores at 6 months with mean CS scores (n = 15) of 40.1 (+/− 6.8) and adjusted scores that were on average 3.0 (95% CI 0–6.1) higher than the control group (p = 0.048). Significant differences in BS or STS scores were not seen.DiscussionImprovements were seen in CS but not BO/STS for those caregivers who implemented well-being practices into their daily routines. Factors that likely contributed to successful implementation of well-being practices include educational resources, supportive leadership, accessibility, and consistent acknowledgement and positive rewards. Proposed supportive elements and resources for maintenance of well-being practices within a team of veterinary workers include provision of a psychologically safe community and team support (including formal or informal “buddy systems”).

Functional changes in dopamine transporter (DAT) are related to various psychiatric conditions, including bipolar disorder (BD) symptoms. In experimental research, the inhibition of DAT induces behavioral alterations that recapitulate symptoms found in BD patients, including mania and depressive mood. Thus, developing novel animal models that mimic BD-related conditions by pharmacologically modulating the dopaminergic signaling is relevant. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been considered a suitable vertebrate system for modeling BD-like responses, due to the well-characterized behavioral responses and evolutionarily conservation of the dopaminergic system of this species. Here, we investigate whether GBR 12909, a selective inhibitor of DAT, causes neurobehavioral alterations in zebrafish similar to those observed in BD patients. Behaviors were recorded after a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of GBR 12909 at different doses (3.75, 7.5, 15 and 30 mg/kg). To observe temporal effects on behavior, swim path parameters were measured immediately after the administration period during 30 min. Locomotion, anxiety-like behavior, social preference, aggression, despair-like behavior, and oxidative stress-related biomarkers in the brain were measured 30 min post administration. GBR 12909 induced prominent effects on locomotor activity and vertical exploration during the 30-min period. Hyperactivity was observed in GBR 30 group after 25 min, while all doses markedly reduced vertical drifts. GBR 12909 elicited hyperlocomotion, anxiety-like behavior, decreased social preference, aggression, and induced depressive-like behavior in a behavioral despair task. Depending on the dose, GBR 12909 also decreased SOD activity and TBARS levels, as well as increased GR activity and NPSH content. Collectively, our novel findings show that a single GBR 12909 administration evokes neurobehavioral changes that recapitulate manic- and depressive-like states observed in rodents, fostering the use of zebrafish models to explore BD-like responses in translational neuroscience research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that no conflict of interest exists., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Coccidioides is an endemic fungus that causes infections ranging from mild respiratory illness to life-threatening disease, and immunocompromised hosts such as solid organ transplant recipients are at higher risk for disseminated infection and mortality. Our center administers fluconazole prophylaxis to kidney transplant recipients residing in geographic areas with higher incidences of coccidioidomycosis. However, because drug-drug interactions occur between triazoles and immunosuppressants used in transplant medicine, we undertook a study to ascertain whether fluconazole prophylaxis was associated with any important safety outcomes in kidney transplant recipients. This retrospective study evaluated patients who had undergone kidney transplantation between 2016 and 2019. Data on patient demographics, transplant-related clinical information, use of fluconazole prophylaxis (200 mg daily for 6-12 months post-transplant), and patient outcomes were obtained. The primary outcome was mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 12 months, comparing those who received fluconazole prophylaxis to those who did not. Secondary outcomes included mean eGFR at 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months post-transplant, patient survival, biopsy-proven graft rejection, graft loss, or a new requirement for post-transplant dialysis, all within 12 months post-transplant. The mean eGFR at 12 months was similar between both groups, with 66.4 ml/min/1.73 m² in the fluconazole prophylaxis group vs. 64.3 ml/min/1.73 m² in the non-fluconazole prophylaxis group (P = 0.55). Secondary outcomes were similar across both groups. Multivariable linear regression found no significant association between fluconazole use and graft function. Fluconazole prophylaxis for prevention of coccidioidomycosis was not associated with adverse graft outcomes in kidney transplant recipients., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.)

Over two-thirds of pregnant women in the U.S. have insufficient 25(OH)D (Vitamin D) concentrations, which can adversely impact fetal health. Several pollutants have been associated with 25(OH)D, but have not been considered in the context of chemical co-exposures. We aimed to determine associations between a broad mixture of prenatal environmental chemical exposures and 25(OH)D concentrations in mid-pregnancy. Stored mid-pregnancy serum samples were assayed from 421 women delivering live births in Southern California in 2000-2003. 25(OH)D, six BFRs, eleven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and two organochlorine pesticides were detected in ≥60% of specimens. Gestational exposures to airborne particulate matter ≤ 10 μm (PM 10 ) and ≤ 2.5 μm (PM 2.5 ), nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and ozone concentrations were derived from monitoring station data. Bayesian Hierarchical Modeling (BHM) and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) analyses estimated overall mixture and individual chemical associations accounting for co-exposures and covariates with mean 25(OH)D levels, and BHM was used to estimate associations with insufficient (<75 nMol/L) 25(OH)D levels. Non-mixture associations for each chemical were estimated with linear and logistic models. PM 10 [BHM estimate: -0.133 nmol/l 95% Credible Interval (-0.240, -0.026)] was associated with lower 25(OH)D in BHM and BKMR. Higher quantiles of combined exposures were associated with lower 25(OH)D, though with wide credible intervals. In non-mixture models, PM 10 , PM 2.5 , NO, and NO 2 were associated with lower concentrations, while O 3 and PBDE153 were associated with higher 25(OH)D and/or lower insufficiency. While some chemicals were associated with increased and others with decreased 25(OH)D concentrations, the overall mixture was associated with lower concentrations. Mixture analyses differed from non-mixture regressions, highlighting the importance of mixtures approaches for estimating real-world associations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)