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TNF Receptor Family Member BCMA (B Cell Maturation)
Associates with TNF Receptor-Associated Factor (TRAF) 1,
TRAF2, and TRAF3 and Activates NF-?B, Elk-1, c-Jun
N-Terminal Kinase, and p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein
Anastassia Hatzoglou,2* Je ´ro ˆme Roussel,2†Marie-Franc ¸oise Bourgeade,2†Edith Rogier,†
Christine Madry,†Junichiro Inoue,‡Odile Devergne,†and Andreas Tsapis3†
BCMA (B cell maturation) is a nonglycosylated integral membrane type I protein that is preferentially expressed in mature B
lymphocytes. Previously, we reported in a human malignant myeloma cell line that BCMA is not primarily present on the cell
surface but lies in a perinuclear structure that partially overlaps the Golgi apparatus. We now show that in transiently or stably
transfected cells, BCMA is located on the cell surface, as well as in a perinulear Golgi-like structure. We also show that overex-
pression of BCMA in 293 cells activates NF-?B, Elk-1, the c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.
Coimmunoprecipitation experiments performed in transfected cells showed that BCMA associates with TNFR-associated factor
(TRAF) 1, TRAF2, and TRAF3 adaptor proteins. Analysis of deletion mutants of the intracytoplasmic tail of BCMA showed that
the 25-aa protein segment, from position 119 to 143, conserved between mouse and human BCMA, is essential for its association
with the TRAFs and the activation of NF-?B, Elk-1, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. BCMA belongs structurally to the TNFR family.
Its unique TNFR motif corresponds to a variant motif present in the fourth repeat of the TNFRI molecule. This study confirms
that BCMA is a functional member of the TNFR superfamily. Furthermore, as BCMA is lacking a "death domain" and its
overexpression activates NF-?B and c-Jun N-terminal kinase, we can reasonably hypothesize that upon binding of its correspond-
ing ligand BCMA transduces signals for cell survival and proliferation. The Journal of Immunology, 2000, 165: 1322–1330.
through cell-to-cell contact, and those that are secreted proteins act
on distant target cells. The TNFR are a heterologous family, of
which 18 members are known. They mediate the action of TNF-
related cytokines leading to cell death or cell proliferation and
differentiation (1, 2). Most members of the TNFR family are type
I transmembrane proteins with an extracellular ligand-binding do-
main, a single membrane-spanning region, and a cytoplasmic re-
gion that activates cell functions (3). The common characteristic of
all TNFR family members is the repetition of a six-cysteine motif
in the extracellular N-terminal part of the molecule. In contrast to
the extracellular parts of the receptors, the sequences of the cyto-
plasmic tails are generally dissimilar, and none possess sequences
he TNF-related cytokines are a large family of pleiotropic
mediators of host defense and immune system regulators.
Those that are integral membrane proteins act locally
suggestive of catalytic activity. However, several motifs in the
C-terminal part of TNFR have been shown to bind protein factors
transducing the signal initiated by ligand binding and receptor tri-
merization. One of these motifs, the "death domain," is present in
TNFRI, Fas, DR3, DR4, and DR5 and is responsible for the ca-
pacity of these receptors to induce apoptosis (4, 5). A second group
of motifs binds signal transducers, TNFR-associated factors
(TRAFs).4TRAFs interact directly with several TNFRs, like
TNFRII, CD40, CD30, and lymphotoxin ? receptor (6–9) and
with the EBV oncogene LMP1 (10). TRAF2, TRAF5, and TRAF6
mediate the activation of the transcriptional factor NF-?B (11–13)
and activate the c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK) (14).
TRAF6 also mediates the activation of extracellular signal-regu-
lated kinase (ERK) (15).
Recently, we identified of a novel TNFR (16, 17) through the
molecular analysis of a t(4;16) translocation (16, 18), characteristic
of a malignant human T cell lymphoma. The gene product is se-
lectively expressed in mature B lymphocytes (19) and was there-
fore named BCMA for B cell maturation protein. The BCMA gene
codes for a nonglycosylated integral membrane type I protein. The
N-terminal part of both mouse and human proteins contains a con-
served six-cysteine motif (17). A sensitive method of sequence
analysis, hydrophobic cluster analysis (20), indicated that this con-
served motif is similar to the six-cysteine repeat motif found in the
*Laboratory of Experimental Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, University of
Crete, Heraklion, Greece;†Institut National de la Sante ´ et de la Recherche Me ´dicale,
Unite ´ 131, Institut Paris-Sud sur les Cytokines, Clamart, France; and‡Department of
Oncology, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Received for publication January 10, 2000. Accepted for publication May 18, 2000.
The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page
charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance
with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1This work was supported in part by a grant from the Comite ´ Departmental des Hauts
de Seine de la Ligue Nationale contre le Cancer (to A.T.) and by a grant from the
Association de Recherche contre le Cancer (Grant 9907 to A.T.).
2A.H., J.R., and M.-F.B. contributed equally to this work.
3Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Andreas Tsapis, Institut Na-
tional de la Sante ´ et de la Recherche Me ´dicale Unite ´ 131, Institut Paris-Sud sur les
Cytokines, 32, rue des Carnets, 92140 Clamart, France. E-mail address:
4Abbreviations used in this paper: TRAF, TNFR-associated factor; JNK, c-Jun
N-terminal kinase; ERK, extracellular signal-related kinase; BCMA, B cell matura-
tion; HA, hemagglutinin; h, human; m, mouse; ATF, activating transcription factor;
GFP, green fluorescence protein; MEK, MAPK/ERK kinase; MEKK, MEK kinase;
PI3-K, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.
Copyright © 2000 by The American Association of Immunologists0022-1767/00/$02.00
Page 2
extracellular part of TNFRs. There are two notable differences be-
tween the BCMA protein and other members of the TNFR family.
The first is that BCMA contains only one six-cysteine-rich motif,
whereas the members of the TNFR family contain more than one
copy. The second is that the six-cysteine motif of BCMA is not the
canonical motif of TNFRs but corresponds to a variant motif
present in the fourth repeat of the TNFRI molecule. The full name
for BCMA in the new TNF nomenclature scheme is TNFRSF17.
The human BCMA gene is the first TNFR gene that has been
implicated in chromosome translocation.
We report a study of the cellular localization of BCMA in tran-
siently and stably transfected cells. We show that overexpression
of BCMA activates the NF-?B, Elk-1, p38, and JNK. We also
studied the association of the six known TRAFs with BCMA and
defined the region of the BCMA protein responsible for this
Materials and Methods
Abs and reagents
The rabbit polyclonal anti-TRAF1 (H-132), anti-TRAF2 (C-20), anti-
TRAF3 (H-122), anti-TRAF5 (H-257), anti-JNK1 (sc-474), and goat poly-
clonal anti-TRAF4 (N-16) and anti-goat HRP-conjugated Abs were pur-
chased from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). M2 anti-FLAG
mAb, M2 mAb bound to agarose beads, and FLAG peptide and protease
inhibitor mixture were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO).
Anti-F mAb was a generous gift from M. C. Rio (Institut National de la
Sante ´ et de la Recherche Me ´dicale, Unite ´ 184, Strasbourg, France). 12CA5
anti-hemagglutinin (anti-HA) mAb was purchased from Roche Diagnostics
(Somerville, NJ). PE-, FITC-, and HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG
polyclonal Abs and HRP-conjugated donkey anti-rabbit IgG polyclonal
Abs were purchased from Immunotech (Marseille, France). Rabbit poly-
clonal anti-phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3-K) p85 Abs were obtained
from Upstate Biotechnology (Lake Placid, NY). RPMI 1640, DMEM,
FCS, additional reagents for cell culture, optimem, and lipofectamine were
purchased from Life Technologies (Grand Island, NY).
The following primers were used in this study: BCMA5?ATG (5?-
GAATAATTTC-3?), and BFL5 (5?-CGGGATCCTTAGTTTTTAAACTC
GTCCTTTAATG-3?). All primers used in this study were purchased from
Genset (Paris, France).
Expression vectors
A full-length human BCMA (h184) was amplified by PCR from human
cDNA using the BCMA5?ATG and BCMA3?TAA primers; a fragment
encoding the N-terminal and transmembrane parts of hBCMA (h84) was
amplified by PCR using primers 37 and 43. The PCR fragments were
digested with BamHI and HindIII restriction enzymes and ligated into the
BamHI and HindIII sites of the vector pcDNA3 (Invitrogen, Groningen,
The Netherlands).
A full-length mouse BCMA was amplified by PCR from a mouse cDNA
library with the primers AH9 and AH10. The PCR fragment was digested
with XhoI and BglII and ligated into the XhoI and BglII sites of the vector
pDEB (21), giving rise to a fusion encoding a N-terminal HA-tagged
mouse BCMA (HAm185). The HA-tagged mBCMA was digested with
EcoRI and NotI and ligated into the EcoRI and NotI sites of the vector
N-terminal FLAG-tagged hBCMA deletion mutants were constructed
by PCR amplification using the following pairs of primers: BFL1 and AH7
for FLAG-hBCMA without deletion (Fh184), BFL1 and BFL2 for FLAG-
hBCMA?165–184 (Fh164), BFL1 and BFL3 for FLAG-hBCMA?144–
184 (Fh143), BFL1 and BFL4 for FLAG-hBCMA?119–184 (Fh118), and
BFL1 and BFL5 for FLAG-hBCMA?92–184 (Fh91). All PCR products
were digested with PstI and BamHI and ligated between the PstI and
BamHI sites of the vector pSG5-FLAG (22). All expression vectors were
constructed by standard recombinant DNA procedures. The sequence of
the plasmids constructed by PCR amplification were subsequently verified
by dideoxy sequencing.
The vectors pSG5hTRAF1 (10), pSG5hTRAF2, pSG5FLAGhTRAF2
(23), pSG5FLAGhTRAF1, pSG5hTRAF3, pSG5FLAGhTRAF3 (24),
pMEFLAGmTRAF5 (13), pMEFLAGmTRAF6 (25), pEBBhTRAF5 (26),
pcLMP1 (27), pcDNA3TRAF2.DN (TRAF2?6–86) (23), pGEX-Jun(1–
79), pcDNA3-HA-JNK (28), and the ?-galactosidase expression vector
(pGK-?gal), in which expression is driven by the phosphoglucokinase pro-
moter (22), have been already described. pAT3FhTRAF4 encoding human
FLAG-tagged TRAF4 was a generous gift from Dr. Catherine Regnier
(Strasbourg, France).
Cell lines and transfections
Human embryonic kidney 293, 293T, and 293EBNA and simian kidney
COS7 cells were maintained in high-glucose DMEM supplemented with
10% heat-inactivated FCS, 2 mM glutamine, 100 U/ml of penicillin, and
100 ?g/ml of streptomycin and were grown at 37°C in 5% CO2. The
293EBNA cell line was purchased from Invitrogen and maintained in cul-
ture according to the supplier's instructions. The BJAB cell line is an
EBV-negative Burkitt lymphoma cell line (29) and was cultured in RPMI
1640 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FCS, 2 mM glutamine, 100
U/ml of penicillin, and 100 ?g/ml of streptomycin and grown at 37°C in
5% CO2. Adherent cells were seeded in six-well plates (5 ? 105cells per
well) in 2 ml of complete medium, incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2for 20–24
h, and transfected with lipofectamine according to the manufacturer's in-
structions, using 1 ?g of total plasmid DNA, for 6 h. BJAB cells were
transfected by electroporation (960 ?F, 210 V) in 400 ?l optimem medium
using a Bio-Rad Gene Pulser apparatus (Bio-Rad, Richmond, CA). Cell
extracts were tested for gene expression 24–48 h after transfection. To
establish cells stably expressing BCMA, 293 cells were transfected with
HAm185-expressing vector and were selected in high-glucose DMEM,
10% FCS, in presence of 400 ?g/ml geneticin. Geneticin-resistant clones
were screened by immunoblotting for BCMA expression.
Luciferase reporter system for NF-?B, Elk-1, and JNK
The NF-?B, Elk-1, and JNK activation assays were performed using the
corresponding luciferase reporter PathDetect Reporting systems purchased
from Stratagene (La Jolla, CA).
Luciferase and ?-galactosidase assays
Transfected cells were washed twice with PBS and lysed with reporter lysis
buffer (Promega, Madison, WI). The luciferase activity was measured us-
ing the reporter assay system (Promega). ?-galactosidase activity was mea-
sured using the luminescent ?-galactosidase reporter system (Clontech,
Palo Alto, CA) in a Packard luminometer analyzer (Packard, Meriden, CT).
Measurements of luciferase were normalized to ?-galactosidase activity
and are expressed as a ratio to values obtained from cells treated with
vector alone. The relative luciferase activities given are representative of
triplicate assays in three independent experiments.
Determination of JNK activity
JNK activity was determined as described previously (28) with minor mod-
ifications. Transfected cells were lysed in 10 mM Tris, pH 7.4, 150 mM
NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 1% Triton X-100, 0.5% Nonidet P-40,
0.5 mM sodium vanadate, 0.2 mM PMSF, and 10% glycerol. Lysates were
clarified by centrifugation, and HA-tagged JNK was immunoprecipitated
using anti-HA mAb 12CA5. Immune complexes were collected on pro-
tein-G Agarose beads, washed three times in lysis buffer, once in kinase
reaction buffer (12.5 mM MOPS, pH 7.5, 12.5 mM ?-glycerophoshate, 7.5
mM MgCl2, 0.5 mM EGTA, 0.5 mM NaF, 0.5 mM sodium vanadate), and
resuspended in 30 ?l of the same buffer containing 2 ?g of GST-Jun, 20
?M unlabeled ATP, and 5 ?Ci [?-32P]ATP. After incubation at 20°C for
30 min, kinase reaction products were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and auto-
radiography. Part of the immunoprecipitated material was resolved by
SDS-PAGE, transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane, and im-
munoblotted with anti-JNK polyclonal Abs to check that the same amount
of HA-JNK was used in each case.
Determination of p38 and ERK activity
The activity of these two kinases was assayed using the corresponding
assay kit purchased from New England Biolabs (Beverly, MA). Briefly,
transfected cells were lyzed, and the active phosphorylated kinase was
immunoprecipitated using specific mAbs. The immunoprecipitated protein
was assayed for its ability to phosphorylate activating transcription factor
1323The Journal of Immunology
Page 3
(ATF) 2 (p38) or Elk-1 (ERK) substrates. Analysis of phosphorylated sub-
strates was performed by Western blotting using specific polyclonal
Coimmunoprecipitation experiments
COS7 cells were cotransfected with one vector encoding a TRAF and one
vector encoding one of the various FLAG-tagged BCMA constructs. Eigh-
teen to 24 h after transfection, cells were lysed in lysis buffer (50 mM Tris,
pH 7.4, 150 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM EDTA, 10% glycerol, 0.1% Nonidet P-40,
and a protease inhibitor mixture) by incubation for 1 h at 4°C, and the
supernatant was then clarified by centrifugation. One-fortieth of this lysate
(input) was conserved to test the efficiency of transfection, and the rest was
incubated for 2 h, at 4°C, with M2 monoclonal anti-FLAG Ab, covalently
bound to agarose beads. The beads were washed three times with the lysis
buffer, and the bound proteins were eluted twice by addition of 250 ?M
FLAG peptide diluted in PBS. The eluate and the input were analyzed by
PAGE and transferred onto a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane (Hy-
bond-P; Amersham, Little Chalfont, U.K.). The presence of BCMA and of
the various TRAFs was tested by immunoblotting using M2 Ab to evidence
FLAG-tagged BCMA constructs and the corresponding anti-TRAF Ab for
each TRAF. HRP-conjugated anti-rabbit, anti-goat, and anti-mouse IgG
and SuperSignal Chemiluminescent substrate (Pierce, Rockford, IL) were
used to reveal the blots.
Immunofluorescence staining and FACS analysis
For immunofluorescence observation, transfected ells were stained with
M2 mAb then incubated with fluorescein-conjugated goat anti-mouse Ab
before analysis under a Leica DM microscope (Leica, Deerfield, IL) as
previously described (30). For FACS analysis, ?5 ? 105cells per condi-
tion were stained with saturating concentrations of Ab, then incubated with
PE-conjugated goat anti-mouse Ab before analysis in a FACScan flow
cytometer (Becton Dickinson, San Diego, CA), as previously described
(31). A minimum of 10,000 events per sample was analyzed. CellQuest
software (Becton Dickinson) was used for data analysis.
BCMA is present on both the surface of cells and in an
intracellular perinuclear structure
In a previous study of BCMA localization, in the human myeloma
cell line U266, we found most BCMA in a perinuclear Golgi-like
structure (30). We further analyzed the localization of BCMA by
transfection experiments in two cell lines: the human B lympho-
cyte BJAB cell line and the monkey kidney COS7 cell line. BJAB
cell line has been chosen because it expresses detectable amount of
BCMA mRNA, has nondetectable amounts of BCMA protein
(data not shown), and can be transiently transfected with high ef-
ficiency (50–60%). On the contrary, COS7 cell line does not ex-
press BCMA. The cell lines were transfected with two vectors, one
coding for a FLAG-tagged full-length hBCMA (Fh184) and a sec-
ond one coding for a FLAG-tagged hBCMA construct lacking the
entire intracellular cytoplasmic tail (Fh91), together with a green
fluorescence protein (GFP) expression vector. Eighteen hours after
transfection, cells were stained with M2 anti-FLAG Ab and a sec-
ondary PE-conjugated anti-mouse IgG. The GFP-expressing cell
population was gated, and the presence of FLAG-tagged proteins
on the surface and intracellularly was determined by two-color
cytofluorometry (Fig. 1A). Full-length hBCMA and the mutant hB-
CMA missing its cytoplasmic tail were similarly distributed in
both BJAB and COS7 cell lines. Both proteins displayed an intra-
cytoplasmic localization, but were also present on the cell surface.
The localization of full-length hBCMA was further examined by
fluorescence microscopy. Our results (Fig. 1B) confirmed that
BCMA was present on the cell surface. As previously observed in
the myeloma U266 cell line, intracellular BCMA was detected in
a perinuclear Golgi-like structure in both transfected BJAB and
COS7 cell lines.
The cell localization of BCMA was also examined in stably
transfected cells. To this end, 293 cell lines stably expressing HA-
tagged mBCMA (HAm185) were derived and tested by flow cy-
tometry for surface and intracytoplasmic expression of HAm185.
The results obtained for one clone (clone 12) are shown in Fig. 2
and indicate both surface and intracytoplasmic localization of
COS7 cell lines. The cell lines were transfected with two vectors, one
coding for a N-terminal FLAG-tagged full-length hBCMA (Fh184) and a
second one coding for a N-terminal FLAG-tagged hBCMA construct lack-
ing the entire intracellular cytoplasmic tail (Fh91), together with a GFP
expression vector. Eighteen hours after transfection, the cells were stained
with the M2 anti-FLAG mAb and a secondary PE-conjugated anti-mouse
IgG Ab, in the absence (for surface localization) and the presence (for
intracellular localization) of permeabilizing detergent and analyzed by two-
color flow cytometry (A). The GFP-expressing cell population was gated
and further analyzed for FLAG-tagged protein expression (Fig. 1A). The
intracellular and surface localization of Fh184 in BJAB and COS7 cells
was also analyzed by fluorescence microscopy (B).
Transient expression of hBCMA in transfected BJAB and
1324 BCMA ASSOCIATES WITH TRAFS AND ACTIVATES NF-?B, p38, AND JNK
Page 4
HAm185. Similar results have been obtained in two other clones
tested (data not shown).
BCMA-mediated NF-?B activation
Most TNFRs, when overexpressed, activate NF-?B. To determine
whether BCMA overexpression also results in NF-?B activation,
293 cells were cotransfected with CMV promoter-driven BCMA
expression vectors together with a NF-?B luciferase reporter plas-
mid. Overexpression of hBCMA (h184) induced a 12-fold activa-
tion of NF-?B over the activation level obtained using the empty
vector (Fig. 3A). Similarly, overexpression of mBCMA (HAm185)
gave rise to a 10-fold activation of NF-?B. These activation levels
were in the range of that observed (12-fold) using LMP1, a known
activator of this nuclear factor. A dose-response curve was plotted
and showed that 100 ng of hBCMA or mBCMA expression vec-
tors were sufficient for maximal NF-?B activation (data not
shown). As expected, transfection of 293 cells with the deletion
mutant of hBCMA, lacking the intracytoplasmic tail of the mole-
cule, (h84), failed to activate NF-?B, confirming that the cytoplas-
mic tail of BCMA is essential for transducing a signal and acti-
vating NF-?B.
To determine which sequence within BCMA cytoplasmic tail is
necessary for NF-?B induction, we constructed a series of SV40
promoter-driven vectors encoding N-terminal FLAG-tagged dele-
tion mutants of hBCMA and tested these mutants for NF-?B ac-
tivation (Fig. 3C) in 293T cells. The deletion mutants Fh164 and
Fh143, lacking the C-terminal 20 and 41 aa, respectively, had the
same NF-?B activation capacity as the full-length BCMA mole-
cule, Fh184. In contrast, mutants Fh118 and Fh91 did not activate
NF-?B. The level of expression of the deletion mutant proteins
was tested by immunoblotting and was found to be approximately
similar (Fig. 3D). Therefore, the protein segment between amino
acid residues 119 and 143 of BCMA is necessary for the activation
of NF-?B. Interestingly, this sequence is highly conserved in hB-
CMA and mBCMA (Fig. 3B).
BCMA activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)
We next examined the activation of the nuclear factor Elk-1 using
a luciferase reporter system. Elk-1 is a substrate for the MAPKs:
293 cell line was transfected with HA-tagged mBCMA pcDNA3 express-
ing vector (HAm185). The cells were selected with 400 ?g/ml of geneticin,
and seven clones were isolated. The expression of HAm185 protein was
tested in these clones by immunoblotting using the 12CA5 anti-HA mAb.
Nontransfected 293 cells were used as negative control. The 293cl12 cells
were stained with the 12CA5 anti-HA mAb and a secondary PE-conjugated
anti-mouse IgG Ab, in the absence (for surface localization) and the pres-
ence (for intracellular localization) of permeabilizing detergent and ana-
lyzed by flow cytometry.
Stable expression of mBCMA in transfected 293 cells. The
(vector), pcDNA3LMP1 (LMP1), pcDNA3-hBCMA (full-length hBCMA),
pcDNA3-HA tagged mBCMA185 (full-length mBCMA), and pcDNA3-
hBCMA84(h84), which contains only the extracellular and transmembrane re-
gions of hBCMA. B, Truncations of hBCMA cytoplasmic tail were obtained by
standard PCR in pSG5FLAG. A schematic representation of these mutants is
shown. Black blocks denote the transmembrane region (TM), gray blocks denote
positions 119 and 143 essential for the activation of NF-?B. The sequences of
human and mouse BCMA proteins in this region are shown to illustrate the sim-
ilarity. C, 293T cells were cotransfected with luciferase reporter plasmid and 100
ng of one of empty vector (F), Fh184, Fh164, Fh143, Fh118, and Fh91. NF-?B
activation was measured as described in Materials and Methods. The pGK-?-
to normalize transfection efficiencies. Forty-eight hours after transfection, cells
were harvested, lysed, and analyzed for luciferase and ?-galactosidase activity.
Luciferase values were normalized to ?-galactosidase activity, and the results are
displayed as a multiple of the induction by vector alone. A representative result of
three independent experiments is shown. Error bars denote SDs for triplicate sam-
ples. D, The level of production of deletion mutant proteins in 293T cells was
tested by Western blot using the M2 anti-FLAG mAb.
BCMA overexpression induces NF-?B activation. A, 293 cells
1325The Journal of Immunology
Page 5
JNK, p38, and ERK. Overexpression of hBCMA in 293 cells ac-
tivated Elk-1 to a level 4.5-fold higher than that obtained using the
empty vector (Fig. 4A). Similar results were obtained using mB-
CMA (3.5-fold activation). As expected, the mutant hBCMA h84
failed to activate Elk-1. MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) 1 overexpres-
sion was used as a positive control for Elk-1 activation (10-fold).
The activation of Elk-1 by the different deletion mutants of BCMA
was also studied in 293T cells (Fig. 4B). Fh184, Fh164, and Fh143
constructions activated Elk-1 3.5-, 5-, and 2-fold, respectively,
whereas Fh118 and Fh91 mutants gave no activation of this nu-
clear factor. The level of expression of the deletion mutant proteins
was tested by immunoblotting and was found similar (Fig. 4C).
Therefore the protein segment between amino acid residues 119
and 143 of BCMA is essential for the activation of the nuclear
factor Elk-1.
To assess the ability of BCMA to activate JNK, we transiently
cotransfected 293 cells with an HA-tagged JNK vector together
with one of pcDNA vectors expressing h184, HAm185, h84,
pcDNA3, and pFRMEKK vectors. The activation of JNK was ex-
amined by measuring phosphorylation of its substrate, GST-Jun.
Overexpression of MEK kinase (MEKK) was used as a positive
control. The overexpression of either human or mouse BCMA sig-
nificantly increased the amount of phosphorylated GST-Jun, as
compared with that of the cells transfected with the empty vector
or with the h84 mutant of hBCMA, the mutant lacking the cyto-
plasmic tail (Fig. 5A). These data indicate that overexpression of
BCMA activates JNK. We also tested the level of activation of
c-Jun by the SV40 promoter-driven vectors expressing deletion
mutants of BCMA using a luciferase reporter system. As the back-
ground level was high in 293T cells, we have used 293EBNA cells
in which we have obtained a lower background. The expression of
Fh184, Fh164, and Fh143 mutants resulted in a 2-fold activation of
293 cells were cotransfected with the corresponding Pathfinder reporter
system plasmids and 100 ng of empty vector (vector), LMP1, full-length
hBCMA, HA-tagged full-length mBCMA, or h84, which contains only the
extracellular/transmembrane region of hBCMA. MEK1-encoding plasmid
was used as a positive control. B, 293T cells were cotransfected with the
corresponding Pathfinder reporter system plasmids and 100 ng of empty
pSG5FLAG (vector), Fh184, Fh164, Fh143, Fh118, or Fh91. Elk-1 acti-
vation was measured as described in Materials and Methods. The pGK-
?-galactosidase plasmid encoding ?-galactosidase was cotransfected in ev-
ery sample to normalize transfection efficiencies. Twenty-four (for 293
cells) and 48 h (for 293T cells) after transfection, cells were harvested,
lysed, and analyzed for luciferase and ?-galactosidase activities. Luciferase
values were normalized to ?-galactosidase activity, and the results are dis-
played as a multiple of the induction by vector alone. A representative
result of three independent experiments is shown. Error bars denote SDs
for triplicate samples. C, The level of expression of deletion mutant pro-
teins in 293T cells was tested by Western blot using the M2 anti-
FLAG mAb.
BCMA overexpression activates Elk-1 nuclear factor. A,
cotransfected with 100 ng of HA-JNK plasmid and 100 ng of empty vector
(vector), pFRMEKK vector from Stratagene's Pathfinder reporter system
(MEKK), full-length hBCMA, HA-tagged full-length mBCMA, or h84,
which contains only the extracellular/transmembrane region of human
BCMA. The immunoprecipitated HA-JNK was used in in vitro phosphor-
ylation experiments of GST-Jun substrate, and the radioactively phosphor-
ylated GST-Jun was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. Blot-
ting with anti-JNK polyclonal Abs confirmed that the same amount of JNK
was present in each of the phosphorylation mixtures. B, 293EBNA cells
were cotransfected with the corresponding Pathfinder reporter system plas-
mids and 100 ng of empty pSG5FLAG (vector), Fh184, Fh164, Fh143,
Fh118, or Fh91. c-Jun-dependent luciferase activity was measured 48 h
after transfection. The MEKK plasmid was used as a positive control for
JNK activation. Vector encoding ?-galactosidase was cotransfected in ev-
ery sample to normalize transfection efficiencies. Data are shown as the
mean ? SD of triplicate samples and represent one of the four independent
experiments, all of which gave similar results. C, The level of expression
of deletion mutant proteins in 293EBNA cells was tested by Western blot
using the M2 anti-FLAG mAb.
Overexpression of BCMA activates JNK. A, 293 cells were
1326BCMA ASSOCIATES WITH TRAFS AND ACTIVATES NF-?B, p38, AND JNK


text:
Letter: Old days, better ways
Jean Biedron, Naples
Old days, better ways
I am reminiscing how proud our country used to be.
I am 91.
Our laws protected us. We were the envy of the world.
Now we are being divided by our religions, race, skin color or gender.
I worry about our own people giving their country up to foreign ideology. We were the top of the world! Why would anyone want to change that?
President Barack Obama, we were the best!
Imagine, you can be arrested for having an expired tag on your car, but not for being here illegally. Is this the best way to spend trillions more of taxpayers' money? Stripping away amendments from the Constitution really protects people's rights?
Since when is the state responsible for providing for our children? When I was growing up, it was my parents. When did this kind of thinking happen to us?
Remember, God helps those who help themselves.
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Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks
A conversation with musician and songwriter Dan Hicks about his colorful career, and coming back to performing after a bout with cancer.
A conversation with musician and songwriter Dan Hicks about his colorful career, and coming back to performing after a bout with cancer.
Annual summer trips educate University of Arizona students about the culture, politics and daily life of an isolated island nation.
A trio of virtuoso musicians play a traditional Chinese folk melody, perfom at the Confucius Institute's New Year Celebration.
The composer, arranger, producer and performer presents an evening of his best-known songs as a guest of the Tucson Jazz Festival.
A new documentary pays tribute to "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas", an entertainer who blazed trails for women in music, comedy, and business.
Film writer Chris Dashiell chooses his favorite performances from an actor who later became a space hero in a galaxy far, far away.
Laurence Luckinbill's acting career spans from Shakespeare to Star Trek. He visits Tucson this weekend to perform a one-man show about the private side of American President Theodore Roosevelt.
Listen to the sly, bluesy songs of one of Tucson's most in demand musicians
Acclaimed singer talks about new album, embracing the rhythms of New York, and loving a life of music.
Pianist & cultural historian Richard Glazier shares stories about some of the great American popular composers of the 20th century, including the Gershwins and Irving Berlin.
Hear about the origin of a punk rock legend, and re-imaging X's music for the next phase of a four-decade career.
Holocaust scholar says there is much to learn from the recovered journal of a French Jewish woman who died in a concentration camp five days before liberation.
Bassist and musical director Ben Jaffe talks about being an ambassador for the New Orleans sound and spirit.
The third amigo shares memories from his early career, and explains the origins of his most beloved characters.
Comedian and actress brings her own personal playground "Sandyland" to Rialto Theatre, invites her audience to enjoy the ride.
Greenland folk-pop singer builds musical bridge to Tucson; creates harmonious blend of fanciful melodies and lyrics.
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Tel: (910)879-5500
1,251 students
Public institution
Public institution
Bladen Community College is dedicated to the educational and cultural enrichment of the people of Bladen and surrounding counties. The College operates as a constituent institution to the North Carolina Community College System and is committed to opening the door to opportunity for citizens seeking to improve their lives and well-being by providing education, training, and retraining for the workplace, including basic skills, literacy, occupational, and college transfer programs; support for economic development through services to business and industry; and services which improve the quality of life for individuals and for our community.
School Highlights:
Bladen Community College serves 1,251 students (45.48% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 15:1 is lower than the community college average of 21:1.
Minority enrollment is 58% of the student body (majority Black), which is more than the state average of 43%.
School Overview
The teacher population of 81 teachers has declined by 5% over five years.
|Total Enrollment
|1,251 students
|1,296 students
|Student : Teacher Ratio
|# Full-Time Students
|569 students
|815 students
|# Part-Time Students
|682 students
|1,025 students
|% American Indian/Alaskan
|% Hispanic
|% Black
|% White
|% Two or more races
|Diversity ScoreThe chance that two students selected at random would be members of a different ethnic group. Scored from 0 to 1, a diversity score closer to 1 indicates a more diverse student body.
School Notes:
- Bladen Community College formally opened on December 16, 1967, as Bladen Technical Institute. Bladen Community College was initially located in a complex of rented buildings in Elizabeth town. The College began operation on a full-scale basis in September of 1968. Initially, curriculum programs were offered in Cosmetology, Executive Secretarial Science, Business Administration, Industrial Engineering and Agricultural Engineering Technologies, Industrial Maintenance, Automotive Mechanics and Nursing Assistant. A complete battery of extension and other part-time adult programs was started during the evenings to complement day programs. The name of the institution was changed to Bladen Technical College in 1979 and to Bladen Community College in October of 1987. A site for a permanent campus near Dublin was secured, and phase one of the College building program began in the spring of 1970. The College moved to its permanent 25-acre campus in July 1971. Two buildings totaling 27,000 square feet were included in the initial building phase and housed administrative offices, classrooms, laboratories, shops, a student lounge, and library. Bladen Community College offers post-secondary certificate, diploma, and degree programs. Occupational and vocational courses and programs are also offered through a variety of Continuing Education offerings. Workforce development is a priority of the college along with numerous programs directed at improving basic educational skills, advancing economic development, and improving the quality of life of Bladen citizens. The college is accreditated by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Nearby Schools:
- College Location Mi. Students
Lumberton5160 Fayetteville Rd
Lumberton, NC 28360
(910)272-370015.89 Mi | 2,374 students
Whiteville4564 Chadbourn Hwy
Whiteville, NC 28472
910642714121.71 Mi | 1,403 students
Fayetteville2201 Hull Rd
Fayetteville, NC 28303
(910)678-840031.41 Mi | 11,324 students
ClintonHighway 24 West
Clinton, NC 28329
(9.1)059-280833.30 Mi | 1,540 students
Kenansville133 James Sprunt Drive
Kenansville, NC 28349
(910)296-240047.61 Mi | 1,310 students
Recent Articles
Short Term Commitment – Long Term Benefits: Three Study-Abroad Options for Community College Students
Updated September 15, 2015
While study abroad has long been considered an option only for students at four-year colleges and universities, there are actually many options for community college students who would like to experience studying in another country.
Recently, a measure passed that allows community colleges in California to offer 4 year degrees. Until now such offerings have been the sole province of other institutions. Now, the game has changed.
Air traffic controllers enjoy secure, interesting work. Earning a degree in ATC at a community college is an excellent first step to securing a job.


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Allergy & Immunology Specialist, Pediatrician
40 years of experience
40 years of experience
222 Route 59
Suffern, NY 10901 Phone number & directions
Suffern, NY 10901 Phone number & directions
License & Identifications
A medical license is required for a doctor to practice medicine in a particular state. Requirements vary by state but most require, at a minimum, post-graduate training in the doctor's specific specialty. An NPI number is a national identifier unique to an individual health care provider and is managed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Learn more about Dr. Richard Roth:
View the full profile to get information on:
- Qualifications
- What's important to you
View full profile
Patient Reviews
Have you visited Dr. Roth? Share your experience.
Write a Review
Write a Review
Prepare before visiting Dr. Roth
Specialties & Research
Dr. Richard Roth, MD is board certified in Allergy & Immunology and Pediatrics.
- He has special expertise in 7 areas:
- Asthma
- Atopic Dermatitis
- Eczema
- Hay Fever (Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis)
- Hives (Urticaria)
- Nasal Allergy (Rhinitis)
- Sinus Infection (Sinusitis)
Education & Awards
Dr. Roth graduated from Saint Louis University.
Dr. Roth has 3 hospital affiliations:
- Kaiser Permanente Orange County - Anaheim Medical Center
- Nyack Hospital
- West Anaheim Medical Center
Home > Find an Allergist > NY > Suffern Allergists > Dr. Richard Roth, MD
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- Additional Information
- Dr. Richard Michael Roth MD is a male Allergist & Immunologist, has 40 years of experience and practices in Allergy & Immunology and Pediatrics.
- Where does Dr. Richard M. Roth practice?
- Dr. Richard Roth has 4 office locations.
Dr. Richard Roth practices Allergy & Immunology and Pediatrics near Suffern, NY.
Additional practice locations include: Harriman, NY and Garden Grove, CA.
See Suffern Allergists and Suffern Pediatricians.


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Marietta College graduates receive degrees
June 27, 2015 More than 250 Marietta College seniors graduated and received their degrees during the 178th commencement at Marietta College on May 3, 2015: Michael Arnott of Saint Marys, W.Va. more »»
Belpre Homecomng pageant applications available
June 26, 2015 Applications for Belpre Homecoming pageant program are available. New this year is an increased scholarship award for Miss Belpre for young ladies age 17 to 20. more »»
Marietta College high honors list
June 26, 2015 About 130 Marietta College students were named to the spring 2015 dean's high honors list, which features any full-time student completing at least 15 credit hours with a grade point average of 3. more »»
Monroe Central High School honor rolls
June 26, 2015 Monroe Central High School students on the honor roll for the fourth nine weeks: Principal's list Ninth grade: Breanna Antill, Amy Brooks, McKinzey Dierkes, Mitchell Essig, Olivia Gauding, Jacquely... more »»
Belpre Senior Center calendar of events
June 26, 2015 Belpre Senior Center is located at 1614 Washington Blvd. Call 740-423-6022 for more information. Activity is free unless otherwise noted. Week of June 29-July 3 Monday 10 a.. more »»
Summer Crisis Program getting started
June 25, 2015 Washington-Morgan Community Action announces the beginning of the HEAP/Summer Crisis Program (SCP) on Wednesday, July 1. The SCP will end Aug. 31. more »»
Honor rolls
June 25, 2015 St. John Central Grade School St. John Central Grade School students named to the honor roll for the fourth period: All A's 4th grade: Olivia Schott, Hayden Suprano. more »»
Frontier High Reunion
June 22, 2015 aFrontier High School Alumni Association for classes 1969 to 1990 held their fifth annual class reunion on June 12 and 13 in the Grand Ballroom of the Quality Inn in Marietta. more »»
21st Red, White and Brews Festival July 3
June 20, 2015 The 21st annual Red White And Brews Festival will be taking place July 3 at the historic Lafayette Hotel parking lot. more »»
Celebrating Doll Day
June 20, 2015 The Parkersburg Doll Collectors' Club celebrated World Doll Day at a luncheon held at The Olive Garden. Attendees brought dolls with them to display and also dolls to give away. more »»
July 4th weekend activities abound in Canaan Valley
June 20, 2015 DAVIS, W.Va. — Independence Day Weekend offers a plethora of activities in Canaan Valley. From outdoor music concerts to heritage festivals there is something for everyone. more »»
Fine Arts Day Camp
June 20, 2015 Mid Ohio Valley Ballet and Academy of Fine Arts will sponsor Fine Arts Day Camp for two weeks, from June 22 to July 2, from noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. more »»
Belpre Senior Center schedule
June 20, 2015 Belpre Senior Center calendar of events Belpre Senior Center is located at 1614 Washington Blvd. Call 740-423-6022 for more information. Activity is free unless otherwise noted. more »»
Beverly church to offer free meal
June 20, 2015 The Beverly United Methodist Church will hold a free community meal from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 27. more »»
River Trails and Ales Festival Aug. 6-9
June 16, 2015 From local reports Bike, paddle and drink during Marietta's annual River Trails and Ales Festival. The festival will be held from Aug. more »»
Oglebay offers family-friendly entertainment
June 16, 2015 Oglebay is offering free family-friendly entertainment every Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday night this summer at The Hilltop area continuing through Sept. 20. more »»
Warren Local School district honor rolls
June 15, 2015 Students in the Warren Local School District earned academic honors during the fourth term: Warren Elementary Principal's list Grade 4 – Garrett Biddinger, Grant Hesson, Jacob Lang, Ashley Miller,... more »»
Washington State Community College awards scholarships
June 15, 2015 Washington State Community College announces that 35 local Ohio and West Virginia high school seniors have been awarded more than $76,000 in institutional college scholarships for the 2015-16... more »»
Belpre Senior Center schedule
June 15, 2015 Week of June 15-19 Belpre Senior Center is located at 1614 Washington Blvd. Call 740-423-6022 for more information. Activity is free unless otherwise noted. more »»


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Meet Hoosier dairy farm families who produce a wholesome, quality product for you every single day. We thank them for their hard work and willingness to share with us photos, recipes, and stories from their farms!
Who's your dairy farmer?
Today is National Walk to School Day and schools all over the country are encouraging their students to walk to school rather than ride the bus. As we continue to spread the word about our beloved health and wellness initiative, Fuel Up to Play 60, National Walk to School Day tends to be a natural and energetic..
One of my favorite fall memories from growing up is going to pumpkin patches and apple orchards. My family loved stuff like that. We even went to a Christmas tree farm one time and cut our own tree. That actually didn't turn out so well. That was the year Dad bought an artificial tree after..
Another Fuel Up to Play 60 Program Advisor Training Camp is in the books! A variety of people – from the Department of Education to an Indiana Dairy Farmer – were on hand to tell their story to our guests. Indiana Dairy Farmer Luke Minich tells the crowd about his farm and the support all..
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to the participating schools that sent in pictures from yesterday's World School Milk Day events! We APPRECIATE each and every entry! As a staff, we anonymously voted for the Top 3 entries, and of course, we ended with a tie! All four entries have been posted on our Instagram page (Instagram.com/INDairy), and the winner will be announced..
Mléko, leite, susu, mlijeko, lait, or leche – how do you spell M-I-L-K? Since 2000, the last Wednesday in September has been designated by the Food and Agriculture Organization as World School Milk Day. More than 40 countries celebrate the goodness of milk on this particular day. While we know that milk is an excellent..
Growing up, I was always told "No question is a stupid question" which is why I think it is interesting that there is a whole day dedicated to stupid questions. I have to tend to agree with what I was told growing up. I never am afraid to ask a question because I've realized that..
Today is National Teach Ag Day–a day to celebrate all the agriculture teachers in schools and universities around the country. I have a special spot in my heart for agriculture education because it helped an animal-crazy city girl turn in to this: Wow, camera phones in 2007 were HORRIBLE! Anyway, I'm the redheaded human leading..
It is always amazing to you may meet in the early hours before the Dairy Bar opens. This year I had the pleasure to meet Jay Abbott- yes the Abbotts candy guy! Yearly we received these great boxes of Abbott's caramels wrapped in white and yellow paper and they hardly get to the table before..
Summer is over which, for many of us, means the calendar is getting a complete makeover with school activities and watching football! Whether you have iCal or a day planner, are you scheduling healthy behaviors? It is easy to push your health aside during busy times of the year. Yet if your calendar is quickly..
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January 5, 2012
okay, who knows what is her nane?
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okay, who knows what is her nane?
shut up u 40 year old virgin


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Del Marcos Hotel
No prices found through our partners. Please contact the business directly or check some of our recommended alternatives.
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- Continental Breakfast
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- Swimming pool
- Refrigerator in room
- Non-smoking hotel
- Microwave in room
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Rich in history and blessed with gorgeous weather, Palm Springs is a preferred destination of holiday makers from all over the world. With seemingly endless sunshine, you can get a tee time at a local golf course (over 100 apparently), or consider a hike at Joshua Tree National Park. Food fans will love exploring restaurants in Palm Springs and the surrounding area. There's also incredible shopping, from ...
A broken string
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Couple days of hikes
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This is the weather I expected
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My Journey: A review...Part II.
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Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed a new, web-based tool that enables researchers to quickly and easily visualize and compare large amounts of genomic information resulting from high-throughput sequencing experiments. The free tool, called Epiviz, was described in a paper published online on August 3, 2014 in the journal Nature Methods.
Next-generation sequencing has revolutionized functional genomics. These techniques are key to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cell function in healthy and diseased individuals and the development of diseases like cancer. Data from multiple experiments need to be integrated, but the growing number of data sets makes a thorough comparison and analysis of results challenging.
To visualize and browse entire genomes, graphical interfaces that display information from a database of genomic datacalled "genome browsers"were created. Epiviz offers a major advantage over browsers currently available: Epiviz seamlessly integrates with the open-source Bioconductor analysis software widely used by genomic scientists, through its Epivizr Bioconductor package.
"Prior tools limited visualization to presentation and dissemination, rather than a hybrid tool integrating interactive visualization with algorithmic analysis," says Hctor Corrada Bravo, assistant professor in computer science at UMD. He also has an appointment in the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology of the university's Institute for Advanced Computer Studies.
Because Epiviz is based on the Bioconductor infrastructure, the tool supports many popular next-generation sequencing techniques, such as ChIP-seq, which is used to analyze protein interactions with DNA; RNA-seq, which reveals a comprehensive snapshot of the abundance of RNAs in cells; and DNA methylation analyses.
Epiviz implements multiple visualization methods for location-based data (such as genomic regions of in
|Contact: Abby Robinson
University of Maryland


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We offer discount to nonprofits, government agencies, and federal contractors
Recently the handling of civil immigration detainers by local law departments has been heavily scrutinized.
AILA Doc No. 14072348 | Dated July 23, 2014 | File Size: 501 KDownload the Document
Recommendations of the Republican working group assembled by Speaker Boehner (R-OH) and led by Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) in response to the humanitarian crisis in Central America.
[[To print the PDF on this page please use the print function in the PDF reader.]]
Cite as AILA Doc. No. 14072348.Open the Document
American Immigration Lawyers Association
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Washington, DC 20005
Copyright © 1993-2015
American Immigration Lawyers Association.


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Involving significant others in the care of opioid-dependent patients receiving methadone
ABSTRACT Positive, abstinence-oriented, social support is associated with good substance abuse treatment outcome but few interventions are designed to help patients improve their social supports. This article reports on a behavioral intervention designed to encourage opioid-dependent patients receiving methadone to include drug-free family members or friends in treatment and to use these individuals to facilitate development of a supportive, non-drug-using social network. This report uses data from a quality assurance program review of the treatment response of 59 opioid-dependent outpatients who identified a drug-free significant other to participate in their treatment. Fifty-five (93.2%) brought a significant other (most often the patient's mother, 29%) to both the initial evaluation session and at least one joint session. Social support activities were family- (33%), church- (28%), and self-help group-related (30%). Approximately 78% of patients who participated in the social support intervention achieved at least four consecutive weeks of abstinence. Women responded better than men. We conclude that methadone-maintained patients can and will include non-drug-using family members and friends in treatment, and these individuals can be mobilized to help patients improve their recovery.
Full-textDOI: · Available from: Karin J Neufeld, Sep 27, 2015
- SourceAvailable from: Karabi Nandy
- "Greater improvement in HCV knowledge occurred among those with non-drug using sex partners. Kidorf and colleagues [40] reported that positive social support is associated with positive outcomes among opioid-dependent patients. "
Article: Predictors of Hepatitis Knowledge Improvement Among Methadone Maintained Clients Enrolled in a Hepatitis Intervention Program[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: This randomized, controlled study (n = 256) was conducted to compare three interventions designed to promote hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination completion, among clients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. The participants were randomized into three groups: Motivational Interviewing-Single Session (MI-Single), Motivational Interviewing-Group (MI-Group), or Nurse-Led Hepatitis Health Promotion (HHP). All three treatment groups received the 3-series HAV/HBV vaccine. The MI sessions were provided by trained therapists, the Nurse-Led HHP sessions were delivered by a research nurse. The main outcome variable of interest was improvement in HBV and HCV knowledge, measured by a 6-item HBV and a 7-item HCV knowledge and attitude tool that was administered at baseline and at 6-month follow-up. The study results showed that there was a significant increase in HBV- and HCV-related knowledge across all three groups (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences found with respect to knowledge acquisition among the groups. Irrespective of treatment group, gender (P = 0.008), study site (P < 0.0001) and whether a participant was abused as a child (P = 0.017) were all found to be predictors of HCV knowledge improvement; only recruitment site (P < 0.0001) was found to be a predictor of HBV knowledge. The authors concluded that, although MI-Single, MI-Group and Nurse-Led HHP are all effective in promoting HBV and HCV knowledge acquisition among MMT clients, Nurse-Led HHP may be the method of choice for this population as it may be easier to integrate and with additional investigation may prove to be more cost efficient.Journal of Community Health 04/2010; 35(4):423-32. DOI:10.1007/s10900-010-9266-1 · 1.28 Impact Factor
[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
- "Evidence suggests that positive social supports are associated with higher rates of adherence to treatment protocols and successful treatment outcomes (Dawson et al., 2005; McKellar, Kelly, Harris & Moos, 2006; Moos & Moos, 2005; Schutte, Nichols, Brennan, & Moos, 2003). In addition, numerous studies have also shown that positive social supports are associated with a reduced risk of relapse to heroin and other drug use, and with an overall better treatment response (Booth, Russell, Soucek, & Laughlin, 1992; Broome, Simpson, & Joe, 2002; Cohen & Lichtenstein, 1990; Goehl, Nunes, Quitkin, & Hilton, 1993; Havassy, Hall, & Wasserman, 1991, Kidorf et al., 2005; Wasserman, Stewart, & Delucchi 2001; Yates, Booth, Reed, Brown, & Masterson, 1993). "
ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to explore barriers to the use, maintenance, and expansion of social supports in older adult methadone clients. The data for this analysis were derived from a qualitative study of the needs of aging methadone clients. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 24 methadone clients over the age of 50. A lack of trust was identified as a principal barrier to the use, maintenance, and expansion of the social supports of older adult methadone clients. Causes of this mistrust include issues associated with aging, past traumatic experiences, and difficult personal relationships. These findings imply that addressing the issue of self isolation and recognizing the reason older adult methadone clients engage in this behavior is a key element in getting this specific population to use, maintain, and foster healthy social supports. A common phrase echoed throughout the interviews is that a person cannot trust anybody. Because of this mistrust, some clients keep to themselves by electing to self-isolate and decline to use, maintain, or foster new relationships. As a result, these individuals are less likely foster and/or engage in healthy social relationships, which are a key component of substance abuse treatment and abstinence maintenance.Journal of Gerontological Social Work 10/2009; 52(7):653-67. DOI:10.1080/01634370802609049
Article: Adult family members and carers of dependent drug users: prevalence, social cost, resource savings and treatment