Breastfeeding Experiences of Women With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: To understand the perinatal experiences of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) who intended to breastfeed.

Design: Qualitative descriptive study.

Setting: Online focus groups conducted via Zoom.

Navigating tensions in climate change-related planned relocation.

The planned relocation of communities away from areas of climate-related risk has emerged as a critical strategy to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Empirical examples from around the world show, however, that such relocations often lead to poor outcomes for affected communities. To address this challenge, and contribute to developing guidelines for just and sustainable relocation processes, this paper calls attention to three fundamental tensions in planned relocation processes: (1) conceptualizations of risk and habitability; (2) community consultation and ownership; and (3) siloed policy frameworks and funding mechanisms.

Alcohol and cannabis use among rural university students: A quantitative analysis of barriers to care, student resilience, and school climate.

This article examines impacts of student resilience, school climate, and barriers to mental health care on problematic drinking behavior and cannabis use among rural university students. A total of 948 students from a public university in a southeastern state that completed the 2019-2020 Healthy Minds Study. Cross-tabulations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to test study hypotheses.

Engage coaching for caregivers: a pilot trial to reduce loneliness in dementia caregivers.

Objectives: There are no evidence-based interventions for reducing loneliness in family caregivers of people with dementia (ADRD caregivers), despite heightened risk. We examined feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a brief behavioral intervention, Engage Coaching for Caregivers, to reduce loneliness and increase social connection for older ADRD caregivers experiencing stress and loneliness.

Methods: A single-arm clinical trial of 8 individual sessions of Engage Coaching delivered remotely.

Assessing Social Functioning During COVID-19 and Beyond: Tools and Considerations for Nursing Home Staff.

Social functioning is defined as how a person operates in their unique social environment (ie, engagement in activities, connectedness with others, and contributions to social roles). Healthy social functioning is important for nursing home residents as they are at increased risk for loneliness and isolation. Social functioning has long been an underacknowledged aspect of nursing home residents' health, but now, with the COVID-19 pandemic, residents' risk for decreased social functioning is increased.

The Use of Robotic Pets with Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: We describe two robotic pet demonstration projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Key project components are stakeholders (settings), inputs (activities), and outputs (interest in programs and participant benefit).

Results: Stakeholders are an aging services organization in western NY (Lifespan) which served community-dwelling older adults, and a Veteran's Dementia Care Neighborhood (nursing home) that served 14 older Veterans.

A path forward for qualitative research on sustainability in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The unique strengths of qualitative research, through in-depth inquiry and identification of unexpected themes and linkages, is essential to our growing understanding of COVID-19's impacts on the social world and its intersection with sustainability science. However, many challenges-physical, psychological, and ethical in nature-face qualitative researchers during the pandemic, as social distancing and travel restrictions prevent in-person field work. In this paper, we outline the essential contributions of qualitative study to sustainability science, discuss current challenges, and in turn, provide recommendations for researchers.

Care Transitions to the Community from Veterans Affairs Nursing Homes: Experiences of Social Connection and Disconnection.

Objective: This study aimed to further knowledge of older Veterans' experiences with transitioning to the community from Veterans Affairs nursing homes (Community Living Centers or CLCs) with emphasis on social functioning.

Design: A qualitative study design was used in addition to administration of standardized depression and mental status screens.

Setting And Participants: Veterans (n = 18) and caregivers (n = 14) were purposively sampled and recruited from 2 rural CLCs in Upstate New York.

Volatomic analysis identifies compounds that can stratify non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background & Aims: Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath, 'volatomics', provides opportunities for non-invasive biomarker discovery and novel mechanistic insights into a variety of diseases. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare breath VOCs in an initial cohort of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and healthy controls.

Methods: Breath samples were collected from 15 participants with Child-Pugh class A NAFLD cirrhosis, 14 with non-cirrhotic NAFLD, and 14 healthy volunteers.

Mindfulness, Education, and Exercise for age-related cognitive decline: Study protocol, pilot study results, and description of the baseline sample.

Background/aims: Age-related cognitive decline is a pervasive problem in our aging population. To date, no pharmacological treatments to halt or reverse cognitive decline are available. Behavioral interventions, such as physical exercise and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, may reduce or reverse cognitive decline, but rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are needed to test the efficacy of such interventions.

Strategies to Promote Social Connections Among Older Adults During "Social Distancing" Restrictions.

Older age and medical comorbidity are factors associated with more severe illness and risk of death due to COVID-19 infection. Social distancing is an important public health strategy for controlling the spread of the virus and minimizing its impact on the older adult population. It comes at a cost, however.

The protandric life history of the Northern spot shrimp Pandalus platyceros: molecular insights and implications for fishery management.

The Northern spot shrimp, Pandalus platyceros, a protandric hermaphrodite of commercial importance in North America, is the primary target species for shrimp fisheries within Southeast Alaska. Fishery data obtained from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicate that spot shrimp populations have been declining significantly over the past 25 years. We collected spot shrimps in Southeast Alaska and measured reproductive-related morphological, gonadal and molecular changes during the entire life history.

Neuroticism predicts fear of falling after hip fracture.

Objectives: Fear of falling (FoF) is common and associated with poorer functional outcomes after hip fracture. We sought to differentiate patterns of FoF at 4 and 12 weeks after surgical repair for hip fracture and examine predictors of FoF.

Methods/design: Secondary analysis of existing data from a 52-week prospective study examining recovery after hip fracture.

Medical Cannabis: Effects on Opioid and Benzodiazepine Requirements for Pain Control.

There is currently little evidence regarding the use of medical cannabis for the treatment of intractable pain. Literature published on the subject to date has yielded mixed results concerning the efficacy of medical cannabis and has been limited by study design and regulatory issues. The objective of this study was to determine if the use of medical cannabis affects the amount of opioids and benzodiazepines used by patients on a daily basis.

Effect of Worry Level on Recall Memory for Odors in ApoE-ε4 Carriers and Non-Carriers.

Objective: Increased levels of worry, age, and presence of the apolipoprotein-E (ApoE)-ε4 allele are associated with the risk of developing cognitive declines and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Odor memory performance has been shown to vary as a function of age and ApoE genotype, and odor memory tests are sensitive to preclinical AD. Worry is known to influence verbal memory; however, its effects on odor memory are unknown.

A model for the evolution of prokaryotic DNA restriction-modification systems based upon the structural malleability of Type I restriction-modification enzymes.

Restriction Modification (RM) systems prevent the invasion of foreign genetic material into bacterial cells by restriction and protect the host's genetic material by methylation. They are therefore important in maintaining the integrity of the host genome. RM systems are currently classified into four types (I to IV) on the basis of differences in composition, target recognition, cofactors and the manner in which they cleave DNA.

Integrated Exposure Therapy and Exercise Reduces Fear of Falling and Avoidance in Older Adults: A Randomized Pilot Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and acceptability of a novel 8-week intervention integrating exercise, exposure therapy, cognitive restructuring, and a home safety evaluation, conducted by a physical therapist, in reducing fear of falling and activity avoidance. To collect preliminary evidence of efficacy.

Design: Randomized pilot study comparing the intervention to time- and attention-equivalent fall prevention education.