Deathly Drool: Evolutionary and Ecological Basis of Septic Bacteria in Komodo Dragon Mouths

Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizard, dispatch their large ungulate prey by biting and tearing flesh. If a prey escapes, oral bacteria inoculated into the wound reputedly induce a sepsis that augments later prey capture by the same or other lizards. However, the ecological and evolutionary basis of sepsis in Komodo prey acquisition is controversial. Two models have been proposed. The “bacteria as venom” model postulates that the oral flora directly benefits the lizard in prey capture irrespective of any benefit to the bacteria. The “passive acquisition” model is that the oral flora of lizards reflects the bacteria found in carrion and sick prey, with no relevance to the ability to induce sepsis in subsequent prey. A third model is proposed and analyzed here, the “lizard-lizard epidemic” model. In this model, bacteria are spread indirectly from one lizard mouth to another. Prey escaping an initial attack act as vectors in infecting new lizards. This model requires specific life history characteristics and ways to refute the model based on these characteristics are proposed and tested. Dragon life histories (some details of which are reported here) prove remarkably consistent with the model, especially that multiple, unrelated lizards feed communally on large carcasses and that escaping, wounded prey are ultimately fed on by other lizards. The identities and evolutionary histories of bacteria in the oral flora may yield the most useful additional insights for further testing the epidemic model and can now be obtained with new technologies

BEST PRACTICE NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS FOR MOTHERS WITH POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION

Purpose: To develop evidence-based best practice recommendations for nursing care professionals to reference when caring for postpartum women in regard to postpartum depression (PPD). Background: Postpartum women are at a significant risk for developing PPD. This condition is highly undertreated and underreported and is also poorly treated with typical methods such as antidepressant medications. Integrative, non-pharmacological modalities to combat symptoms of PPD may be effective when mothers are properly educated about how to implement them. Approach to practice: These best practice recommendations have been collected from a literature review conducted by searching PubMed and Google Scholar with the following keywords: “postpartum depression treatment” and “postpartum depression intervention”. The articles included in this search were published from 2015 to 2019. Nine articles were included in this literature review. Outcomes: The best practice recommendations for care presented in this thesis have been compiled for nursing professionals to reference when caring for postpartum women in order to reduce symptoms of PPD. Depending on the specific intervention, some may be best implemented prior to the birth of the child, while others may be most effective in the postpartum period. Conclusions: Postpartum depression is a complex condition that may plague any new mother. With the use of these best practice recommendations for care of postpartum mothers, PPD symptoms may be reduced, providing for a better quality of life for both the mother and her child

Efficacy of Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): A Literature Review and Proposed Study

vi, 80 p.Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a diagnosis listed in the DSM-IV-TR under anxiety disorders and is defined specifically by the excessive amount of worry the patient experiences (AP A, 2000). Many different treatments and treatment techniques are used to treat GAD symptoms including cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, pharmacology, and complementary and alternative medications. The efficacy of these general treatments will be reviewed with an emphasis on neurofeedback. Finally, a study to demonstrate that neurofeedback training can reduce GAD symptoms is proposed. Previous studies have focused on training the alpha or theta brain wave to reduce anxiety. However, these studies have generated many conflicting results. In this study it is proposed that suppressing the beta brain wave, a brain wave found to be associated with anxiety. It is hypothesized that suppressing beta will significantly reduce anxiety symptoms in participants