COMT Val158Met Polymorphism and Symptom Improvement Following a Cognitively Focused Intervention for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Background: Our nurse-delivered comprehensive self-management (CSM) program, a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention, is effective in reducing gastrointestinal and psychological distress symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Findings from non-IBS studies indicate that the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism may moderate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy. It is unknown whether this COMT polymorphism is associated with symptom improvements in patients with IBS.

Relation of Adolescents' Physical Activity to After-School Recreation Environment.

Background: The after-school period provides an opportune context for adolescent physical activity. This study examined how characteristics of after-school recreation environments related to adolescent physical activity.

Methods: Participants were 889 adolescents aged 12 to 17 (mean = 14.

Predictors of aggressive response towards simulated intruders depend on context and sex in Crimson Finches (Neochmia phaeton).

Quantifying differences in aggressive behaviour across contexts can be useful in developing an understanding of life histories and breeding systems, as well as the relative costs and benefits of such behaviour. We investigated whether age, relative body size and colouration, sex, and breeding stage influenced levels of aggressive behaviour in two contexts, towards conspecific and heterospecific intruders (mounts) around active nests of group living Crimson Finches (Neochmia phaeton). We found that when responding to a conspecific mount, relative body size, and age were important in predicting the aggressive response of males toward a conspecific, with older males and those close in size to their opponent showing a higher aggressive response.

Habitat structure is linked to the evolution of plumage colour in female, but not male, fairy-wrens.

Background: Both natural and sexual selection may drive the evolution of plumage colouration in birds. This can lead to great variation in plumage not only across species, but also between sexes within species. Australasian fairy-wrens are famous for their brightly coloured males, which exhibit colours ranging from bright blue to red and black.

Pilot implementation of a contact tracing intervention for tuberculosis case detection in Kisumu County, Kenya.

Leveraging an existing community health strategy, a contact tracing intervention was piloted under routine programmatic conditions at three facilities in Kisumu County, Kenya. Data collected during a 6-month period were compared to existing programmatic data. After implementation of the intervention, we found enhanced programmatic contact tracing practices, noting an increase in the proportions of index cases traced, symptomatic contacts referred, referred contacts presenting to a facility for tuberculosis screening, and eligible contacts started on isoniazid preventive therapy.

International comparison of observation-specific spatial buffers: maximizing the ability to estimate physical activity.

Background: Advancements in geographic information systems over the past two decades have increased the specificity by which an individual's neighborhood environment may be spatially defined for physical activity and health research. This study investigated how different types of street network buffering methods compared in measuring a set of commonly used built environment measures (BEMs) and tested their performance on associations with physical activity outcomes.

Methods: An internationally-developed set of objective BEMs using three different spatial buffering techniques were used to evaluate the relative differences in resulting explanatory power on self-reported physical activity outcomes.

Muslim American adolescents' explanations of changing religious practices: Cultural tools in cultural contexts.

To examine the culturally embedded nature of religious practices, we conducted a mixed-methods study in which Muslim American adolescents described how and why their religious practices had changed in recent years (see Etengoff & Daiute, 2013, J. Adolesc. Res.

Comparison of complex Yield and Contamination Rates using Lowenstein-Jensen with and without Antibiotics in Western Kenya.

Background: While molecular methods have been recently endorsed for diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB), mycobacterial culture remains the gold standard. Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) is often used for the cultivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC); however contamination often renders a subset of cultures useless. We compared the MTBC yield and contamination rate of processed sputum inoculated on LJ with antibiotics (LJ PACT) to LJ without antibiotics (LJ).

The Eye of the Medusa: XRF Imaging Reveals Unknown Traces of Antique Polychromy.

The colorful decoration of statues and buildings in antique times is commonly described by the term antique polychromy. It is well-known among scholars but less so to the general public, and its exact form is the subject of research. In this paper we discuss results obtained from the frieze of the Siphnian Treasury in the Sanctuary of Delphi (Greece).

Performance of Clinical Screening Algorithms for Tuberculosis Intensified Case Finding among People Living with HIV in Western Kenya.

Objective: To assess the performance of symptom-based screening for tuberculosis (TB), alone and with chest radiography among people living with HIV (PLHIV), including pregnant women, in Western Kenya.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Methods: PLHIV from 15 randomly-selected HIV clinics were screened with three clinical algorithms [World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry of Health (MOH), and "Improving Diagnosis of TB in HIV-infected persons" (ID-TB/HIV) study], underwent chest radiography (unless pregnant), and provided two or more sputum specimens for smear microscopy, liquid culture, and Xpert MTB/RIF.

Professional practices and opinions about services available to bilingual children with developmental disabilities: An international study.

This study aimed to gather information from school- and clinic-based professionals about their practices and opinions pertaining to the provision of bilingual supports to students with developmental disabilities. Using an online survey, data were collected in six socio-culturally and linguistically diverse locations across four countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. In total, 361 surveys were included in the analysis from respondents who were primarily teachers and speech-language pathologists working in schools, daycares/preschools, or community-based clinics.

Access to Opportunities for Bilingualism for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Key Informant Interviews.

The purpose of this article is to describe the results of a thematic analysis of 79 semi-structured interviews collected at six research sites in four countries in relation to the inclusion and exclusion of students with developmental disabilities (DD) in and from special education and bilingual opportunities. The participants were individuals with expertise either in special needs and/or language education to support bilingualism (e.g.

A multi-site review of policies affecting opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to become bilingual.

This review of special education and language-in-education policies at six sites in four countries (Canada, United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands) aimed to determine the opportunities for bilingualism provided at school for children with developmental disabilities (DD). While research has demonstrated that children with DD are capable of learning more than one language (see Kay Raining Bird, Genesee, & Verhoeven, this issue), it was not clear whether recent policies reflect these findings. The review, conducted using the same protocol across sites, showed that special education policies rarely addressed second language learning explicitly.

GIS-measured walkability, transit, and recreation environments in relation to older Adults' physical activity: A latent profile analysis.

An infrequently studied question is how diverse combinations of built environment (BE) features relate to physical activity (PA) for older adults. We derived patterns of geographic information systems- (GIS) measured BE features and explored how they accounted for differences in objective and self-reported PA, sedentary time, and BMI in a sample of older adults. Senior Neighborhood Quality of Life Study participants (N=714, aged 66-97years, 52.

Testosterone production ability predicts breeding success and tracks breeding stage in male finches.

Testosterone (T) is an important mediator of reproductive behaviours and potential target for selection. However, there are few data relating natural variation in T to fitness estimates. Here, we used the GnRH challenge (an injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone which stimulates maximal T release), to examine how individual differences in T relate to reproductive success and how T changes across date and breeding stage.

Caspase-8 tyrosine-380 phosphorylation inhibits CD95 DISC function by preventing procaspase-8 maturation and cycling within the complex.

Caspase-8 is a key initiator of apoptotic cell death where it functions as the apical protease in death receptor-mediated apoptosis triggered via the death-inducing signalling complex (DISC). However, the observation that caspase-8 is upregulated in many common tumour types led to the discovery of alternative non-apoptotic, pro-survival functions, many of which are contingent on phosphorylation of a tyrosine residue (Y380) found in the linker region between the two catalytic domains of the enzyme. Furthermore, Src-mediated Y380 phosphorylation leads to increased resistance to CD95-induced apoptosis; however, the mechanism underlying this impaired response to extrinsic apoptotic stimuli has not been identified.

Construct Validity of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Africa.

Purpose: The development of valid measures of built environments relevant for physical activity is an important step toward controlling the global epidemic of physical inactivity-related noncommunicable diseases and deaths. This study assessed the construct validity of a self-report neighborhood environment walkability scale adapted for Africa (NEWS-Africa), by examining relationships with self-reported walking for transportation and recreation using pooled data from six sub-Saharan African countries.

Methods: NEWS was systematically adapted to assess urban, periurban, and rural environments in sub-Saharan Africa.

Under-reporting of sputum smear-positive tuberculosis cases in Kenya.

Background: Although an estimated three million tuberculosis (TB) cases worldwide are missed by national TB programs annually, the level of under-reporting of diagnosed cases in high TB burden settings is largely unknown.

Objective: To quantify and describe under-reporting of sputum smear-positive TB cases in Kenya.

Design: A national-level retrospective TB inventory study was conducted.

Children's processing and comprehension of complex sentences containing temporal connectives: The influence of memory on the time course of accurate responses.

In a touch-screen paradigm, we recorded 3- to 7-year-olds' (N = 108) accuracy and response times (RTs) to assess their comprehension of 2-clause sentences containing before and after. Children were influenced by order: performance was most accurate when the presentation order of the 2 clauses matched the chronological order of events: "She drank the juice, before she walked in the park" (chronological order) versus "Before she walked in the park, she drank the juice" (reverse order). Differences in RTs for correct responses varied by sentence type: accurate responses were made more speedily for sentences that afforded an incremental processing of meaning.

Physical Activity in Older Adults: an Ecological Approach.

Background: Studies identifying correlates of physical activity (PA) at all levels of the ecological model can provide an empirical basis for designing interventions to increase older adults' PA.

Purpose: Applying ecological model principles, this study concurrently examined individual, psychosocial, and environmental correlates of older adults' PA to determine whether built environment factors contribute to PA over and above individual/demographic and psychosocial variables.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional observational design, 726 adults, aged ≥66 years, were recruited from two US regions.

iPads and the Use of "Apps" by Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Do They Promote Learning?

The advent of electronic tablets, such as Apple's iPad, has opened up the field of learning via technology, and the use of electronic applications ("apps") on these devices continues to dramatically rise. Children with communication and social impairment, specifically those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), often use educational and recreational apps within the context of their home and school settings. Here we examine in which contexts learning via this medium may be beneficial, and outline recommendations for the use of electronic tablets and the design features for apps to promote learning in this population that is characterized by a unique profile of needs and heterogeneous ability levels.

Intravenous Acetaminophen as an Adjunct Analgesic in Cardiac Surgery Reduces Opioid Consumption But Not Opioid-Related Adverse Effects: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: The authors hypothesized that intravenous acetaminophen as an adjunct analgesic would significantly decrease 24-hour postoperative opioid consumption.

Design: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting: A single academic medical center.

What Is the Real Rate of Surgical Site Infection?

Purpose: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with patient morbidity and increased health care costs. Although several national organizations including the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP), and the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) monitor SSI, there is no standard reporting methodology.

Methods: We queried the UHC, NSQIP, and NHSN databases from July 2012 to June 2014 for SSI after gynecologic surgery at our institution.

Optimization of efficacy of a live attenuated Flavobacterium psychrophilum immersion vaccine.

This study was aimed at optimizing the efficacy of a recently developed live attenuated immersion vaccine (B.17-ILM) as a promising vaccine against bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum in salmonids. Rainbow trout (RBT) fry were vaccinated by immersion, and different parameters affecting vaccination such as fish size, vaccine delivery time, dose, duration of protection, booster regimes and vaccine growth incubation time were optimized.