Semi-parametric sensitivity analysis for trials with irregular and informative assessment times.

Many trials are designed to collect outcomes at or around pre-specified times after randomization. If there is variability in the times when participants are actually assessed, this can pose a challenge to learning the effect of treatment, since not all participants have outcome assessments at the times of interest. Furthermore, observed outcome values may not be representative of all participants' outcomes at a given time.

Regression models for partially localized fMRI connectivity analyses.

Background: Brain functional connectivity analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is typically performed in a standardized template space assuming consistency of connections across subjects. Analysis methods can come in the form of one-edge-at-a-time analyses or dimension reduction/decomposition methods. Common to these approaches is an assumption that brain regions are functionally aligned across subjects; however, it is known that this functional alignment assumption is often violated.

Regression models for partially localized fMRI connectivity analyses.

Brain functional connectivity analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data is typically performed in a standardized template space assuming consistency of connections across subjects. This can come in the form of one-edge-at-a-time analyses or dimension reduction/decomposition methods. Common to these approaches is the assumption of complete localization (or spatial alignment) of brain regions across subjects.

The feasibility of screening for malnutrition in the outpatient setting and the prevalence of malnutrition in patients with newly-diagnosed ovarian carcinoma.

Introduction: Malnutrition is an independent risk factor for poor surgical outcomes, early chemotherapy discontinuation, and increased mortality. We evaluated the feasibility of outpatient malnutrition screening in patients with suspected gynecologic malignancy. We estimated the prevalence of malnutrition using Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (AND-ASPEN) criteria in patients undergoing surgery for newly-diagnosed ovarian carcinoma (OC).

Discussion of Weight Loss Surgery in Instagram Posts: Successive Sampling Study.

Background: The majority of American adults search for health and illness information on the internet. However, the quality and accuracy of this information are notoriously variable. With the advent of social media, US individuals have increasingly shared their own health and illness experiences, including those related to bariatric surgery, on social media platforms.

Focused Microbiome Shifts in Reconstructed Wetlands Correlated with Elevated Copper Concentrations Originating from Micronized Copper Azole-Treated Wood.

Micronized copper (Cu) azole (MCA) wood preservative formulations include Cu in nano form, and relatively little is known about longer term effects of Cu leached from MCA into wetland ecosystems. We tested the hypothesis that changes in soil microbiomes within reconstructed freshwater wetlands will be associated with exposure to elevated Cu concentrations originating from immersed MCA-treated wood stakes. Eight replicate communities were assembled with Willamette Valley (OR, USA) flood plain soil and clonally propagated wetland plants within mesocosms.

Where to from here? Identifying and prioritising future directions for addressing drug-resistant infection in Australia.

Background: The Australian National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy calls for a collaborative effort to change practices that have contributed to the development of drug-resistance and for implementation of new initiatives to reduce antibiotic use.

Methods: A facilitated workshop was undertaken at the 2019 National Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Forum to explore the complexity of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) implementation in Australia and prioritise future action. Participants engaged in rotating rounds of discussion using a world café format addressing six topics relating to AMS implementation.

Douglas-Fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) Transcriptome Profile Changes Induced by Diesel Emissions Generated with CeO Nanoparticle Fuel Borne Catalyst.

It is important to understand molecular effects on plants exposed to compounds released from use of products containing engineered nanomaterials. Here, we present mRNA sequencing data on transcriptome impacts to Douglas-fir following 2 weeks of sublethal exposure to 30:1 diluted airborne emissions released from combustion of diesel fuel containing engineered CeO nanoparticle catalysts (DECe). Our hypothesis was that chamber exposure to DECe would induce distinct transcriptome changes in seedling needles compared with responses to conventional diesel exhaust (DE) or filtered DECe Gas Phase.

Clinical Validation of a Test for the Diagnosis of Vaginitis.

Objective: Vaginitis may be diagnosed as bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal candidiasis, trichomoniasis, or coinfection. A new molecular test assays the vaginal microbiome and organisms that cause three common infections. The objective of the trial was to evaluate the clinical accuracy of the investigational test for vaginal swabs collected by patients (self) or clinicians.

Performance of the BD CTQx and GCQx Amplified Assays on the BD Viper LT Compared With the BD Viper XTR System.

We evaluated the BD Viper LT System for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae using samples collected from symptomatic patients that included urine, vaginal swabs, and cervical samples in liquid-based cytology media. Results were compared with those obtained using the BD Viper XTR platform. The positive and negative percent agreements for all sample types were at least 95.

An association of premature loss of primary maxillary incisors with speech production of bilingual children.

Purpose: Early childhood caries is prevalent in the United States, especially among Hispanic children. One consequence may be premature loss of primary teeth, raising concern about developmental challenges. This study examined speech sound articulation errors association with premature loss of the primary maxillary incisors of bilingual children (Spanish/English).

Effect of patient handling education on radiation therapy students.

Objective: To assess the influence of an educational intervention on the knowledge, attitude, behavior and intention to use safe patient handling and movement (SPHM) of radiation therapy students during their initial clinical education experience.

Method: Seventeen first-year students in a 2-year radiation therapy baccalaureate program received education on traditional manual patient handling and SPHM through 2 1-hour lectures and a 2-hour skills laboratory. Questionnaires and a group discussion were used to collect data on the students' knowledge, attitude, behavior and intention to use SPHM in clinical practice.

Changes in constructed Brassica communities treated with glyphosate drift.

We constructed a mixed-species community designed to simulate roadside and field edge plant communities and exposed it to glyphosate drift in order to test three hypotheses: (1) higher fitness in transgenic Brassica carrying the CP4 EPSPS transgene that confers resistance to glyphosate will result in significant changes in the plant community relative to control communities; (2) given repeated years of glyphosate drift selective pressure, the increased fitness of the transgenic Brassica with CP4 EPSPS will contribute to an increase in the proportion of transgenic progeny produced in plant communities; and (3) the increased fitness of Brassica carrying the CP4 EPSPS transgene will contribute to decreased levels of mycorrhizal infection and biomass in a host species (Trifolium incarnatum). Due to regulatory constraints that prevented the use of outdoor plots for our studies, in 2005 we established multispecies communities in five large cylindrical outdoor sunlit mesocosms (plastic greenhouses) designed for pollen confinement. Three of the community members were sexually compatible Brassica spp.

Patient factors related to voice therapy attendance and outcomes.

Limited information is available concerning factors that may be associated with attendance and outcomes among patients referred for voice therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patient-related factors could be identified which distinguished patients who attended voice therapy and had positive voice change from those who did not. This retrospective study included medical record information for 100 patients seen at a major urban, academic medical center.

Influence of palatal expanders on oral comfort, speech, and mastication.

Introduction: It is not known whether the design of the expander has an effect on initial adaptation, comfort level, speech, chewing, and swallowing, or whether age is a crucial aspect when dealing with speech adaptations. The objectives of this study were to assess whether patients of different age groups undergoing palatal expansion with various types of expanders experienced discomfort, speech impairment, chewing difficulty, and swallowing disturbances.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to patients who had received palatal expanders in the preceding 3 to 12 months.

My thoughts on teaching.

The Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award, presented annually to a faculty member at each college or school of veterinary medicine in the United States, is the most prestigious teaching award in veterinary medicine. Originally this award was known as the Norden Award, named in honor of Carl J. Norden, founder of Norden Laboratories, but since 1963 it has been sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health.

Late-gestation ventricular myocardial reduction in fetuses of hyperglycemic CD1 mice is associated with increased apoptosis.

Background: Previous work in our laboratory showed reduced myocardium and dilated ventricular chambers in gestation day (GD) 17 hearts that were collected from hyperglycemic CD1 mouse dams. Pre-breeding maternal immune stimulation, using Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA), diminished the severity of these fetal heart lesions. The following experiments were performed to detect possible changes in fetal heart apoptotic cell death, under hyperglycemic conditions and with or without maternal immune stimulation.

Long-term effects of orthodontic therapy on the maxillary dental arch and nasal cavity.

Introduction: Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) can enlarge the maxillary dental arch while increasing nasal cavity volume and nasal valve area, and decreasing upper airway resistance over time. However, the long-term effects of RME on arch morphology and nasal cavity geometry in patients treated with RME compared with the general population are unclear.

Methods: Three-dimensional morphometic analysis and acoustic rhinometry were used to evaluate the maxillary dental arches and nasal cavities in a post-RME-treatment group (n = 25) and a control group (n = 25).

Heart changes in 17-day-old fetuses of diabetic ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) mothers: improvement with maternal immune stimulation.

Maternal diabetes mellitus is associated with increased fetal teratogenesis, including cardiovascular defects. Non-specific maternal immune stimulation with Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) or interferon gamma (IFNgamma) has been associated with protection against birth malformations. Using a diabetic mouse model, late-gestation fetal heart and great vessel morphology were analyzed.

Atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery: does prophylactic therapy decrease adverse outcomes associated with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is a common problem following cardiac surgery. Atrial fibrillation occurs in 30% to 50% patients during postoperative period. Postoperative atrial fibrillation often results in increased length of hospital stay, increased cost of postoperative hospitalization, heart failure, and, less frequently, cerebrovascular accident and death.

Relationship between rapid maxillary expansion and nasal cavity size and airway resistance: short- and long-term effects.

Introduction: The availability of new, reliable, objective, and 3-dimensional techniques to assess the effects of rapid maxillary expansion on the morphology of the maxillary dental arch, nasal cavity dimensions, and nasal airway resistance led to the development of this research.

Methods: Thirty-eight subjects participated in this study (mean age, 13 years). Data were collected before expansion, when the expander was stabilized, when the expander was removed, and 9 to 12 months after the expander was removed.

Study of the vasculature of the caprine reproductive organs using the tissue-clearing technique, with special reference to the angioarchitecture of the utero-ovarian vessels and the adaptation of the ovarian and/or vaginal arteries to multiple pregnancies.

Arteries of the reproductive tracts of nonpregnant does and does at 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 18 weeks of gestation were injected in situ with Microfil. The tracts were fixed, dehydrated, and rendered transparent to reveal the paths of arteries. The tortuous ovarian artery lay in close apposition to the uterine tributary of the ovarian vein, an arrangement that may serve as a local utero-ovarian pathway for the corpus luteum (CL) luteolysis at the end of nonfertile estrous cycle.

Speech evaluation of velopharyngeal dysfunction.

This article reviews concepts basic to the evaluation of the speech of persons with velopharyngeal dysfunction. It defines velopharyngeal dysfunction as well as reviews normal and abnormal velopharyngeal function for speech. It defines the common speech characteristics of persons with velopharyngeal dysfunction, including hypernasality, hyponasality, nasal emission, compensatory articulations, and weak pressure consonants.