Test-Retest Reliability of a Timeline Follow-back Method to Assess Opioid Use and Treatment.

Background: Calendar-based timeline follow-back (TLFB) instruments have been used to assess alcohol use, smoking, and other behaviors. We assessed test-retest reliability of an adapted TLFB addressing opioid-related outcomes over 120 days among opioid overdose survivors using nonprescribed opioids.

Methods: The Repeated-dose Behavioral intervention to reduce Opioid Overdose Trial utilized a TLFB that collected data over the preceding 120 days.

Early life seizures and olfactory communication in rats.

Objective: Early life seizures (ELS) are commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the exact role of ELS in the pathology is unknown. Prior studies have demonstrated social deficits, a core feature of ASD, following ELS; consequently, alterations in sensory modalities may contribute to the overall social deficits. Considering the speculated contribution of sensory deficit to social communication, we examined the developmental consequences of early postnatal kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures on olfactory preference and neural markers in the olfactory bulb in both male and female Sprague Dawley rats.

Perception and Correlates of Opioid Overdose Risk Among Overdose Survivors Who Use Nonprescribed Opioids in San Francisco and Boston.

Background: Understanding opioid overdose risk perception may inform overdose prevention strategies.

Methods: We used baseline data from a randomized overdose prevention trial, in San Francisco, CA, and Boston, MA, among people who used nonprescribed opioids, survived an overdose in the past 3 years, and had received naloxone. Participants were asked how likely they were to overdose in the next 4 months.

Getting a handle on rat familiarization: The impact of handling protocols on classic tests of stress in .

Experimenter familiarization with laboratory rodents through handling prior to experimentation is an important practice in neurobehavioral research and is implicated in stress, study variability, and replicability. Unfortunately, different handling protocols have not been thoroughly examined. Determining optimal experimenter familiarization protocols is expected to reduce animal stress and thus improve welfare and data consistency.

Microencapsulation and incubation methodology for the cultivation of marine bacteria.

Environmental microorganisms are important sources of biotechnology innovations; however, the discovery process is hampered by the inability to culture the overwhelming majority of microbes. To drive the discovery of new biotechnology products from previously unculturable microbes, several methods such as modification of media composition, incubation conditions, single-cell isolation, and incubation, have been employed to improve microbial recovery from environmental samples. To improve microbial recovery, we examined the effect of microencapsulation followed by incubation on the abundance, viability, and diversity of bacteria recovered from marine sediment.

The Effects of Rearing in a Shelved Environment on Behavioral and Physiological Markers of Welfare in Rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Early-life experiences are critical modifiers of development. An important component of early-life experience is the nature of maternal interactions, which can be modified by stress. During rearing, mothers are typically allocated to single-level cages where they are readily accessible to pups, a potentially stressful scenario not reflective of nature.

Effects of Matrix Composition and Temperature on Viability and Metabolic Activity of Microencapsulated Marine Bacteria.

To enhance the discovery of novel natural products, various innovations have been developed to aid in the cultivation of previously unculturable microbial species. One approach involving the microencapsulation of bacteria has been gaining popularity as a new cultivation technique, with promising applications. Previous studies demonstrated the success of bacterial encapsulation; however, they highlighted that a key limitation of encapsulating bacteria within agarose is the high temperature required for encapsulation.

Physical Presence during Moral Action in Immersive Virtual Reality.

Research on morality has focused on differences in moral judgment and action. In this study, we investigated self-reported moral reasoning after a hypothetical moral dilemma was presented on paper, and moral reasoning after that very same dilemma was experienced in immersive virtual reality (IVR). We asked open-ended questions and used content analysis to determine moral reasoning in a sample of 107 participants.

Development of a microbe domestication pod (MD Pod) for in situ cultivation of micro-encapsulated marine bacteria.

Microbial marine natural products hold significant potential for the discovery of new bioactive therapeutics such as antibiotics. Unfortunately, this discovery is hindered by the inability to culture the majority of microbes using traditional laboratory approaches. While many new methods have been developed to increase cultivability, a high-throughput in situ incubation chamber capable of simultaneously isolating individual microbes while allowing cellular communication has not previously been reported.

Social stress shortens lifespan in mice.

Stress and low socioeconomic status in humans confer increased vulnerability to morbidity and mortality. However, this association is not mechanistically understood nor has its causation been explored in animal models thus far. Recently, cellular senescence has been suggested as a potential mechanism linking lifelong stress to age-related diseases and shorter life expectancy in humans.

Infant Oral Mutilation.

refers to the practice of removing primary canine tooth follicles in infants without anesthetic by African traditional healers or elders using unsterilized instruments. This report describes a case of or infant oral mutilation (IOM) and associated sequelae in a child adopted from a remote African tribe. The intraoral examination revealed that the patient was missing his primary maxillary and mandibular canines.

Imprinting defects at human 14q32 locus alters gene expression and is associated with the pathobiology of osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy affecting children and adolescents. Although several genetic predisposing conditions have been associated with osteosarcoma, our understanding of its pathobiology is rather limited. Here we show that, first, an imprinting defect at human 14q32-locus is highly prevalent (87%) and specifically associated with osteosarcoma patients < 30 years of age.

Isotope composition and volume of Earth's early oceans.

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of Earth's seawater are controlled by volatile fluxes among mantle, lithospheric (oceanic and continental crust), and atmospheric reservoirs. Throughout geologic time the oxygen mass budget was likely conserved within these Earth system reservoirs, but hydrogen's was not, as it can escape to space. Isotopic properties of serpentine from the approximately 3.

Serpentinite and the dawn of life.

Submarine hydrothermal vents above serpentinite produce chemical potential gradients of aqueous and ionic hydrogen, thus providing a very attractive venue for the origin of life. This environment was most favourable before Earth's massive CO(2) atmosphere was subducted into the mantle, which occurred tens to approximately 100 Myr after the moon-forming impact; thermophile to clement conditions persisted for several million years while atmospheric pCO(2) dropped from approximately 25 bar to below 1 bar. The ocean was weakly acid (pH ∼ 6), and a large pH gradient existed for nascent life with pH 9-11 fluids venting from serpentinite on the seafloor.