More than Just Buying a Van: Lessons Learned from a Mobile Telehealth HCV Testing and Treatment Study.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) disproportionately affects people who inject drugs (PWID). Although HCV has become universally curable since the arrival of direct-acting antivirals, barriers exist to facilitating care and cure in this historically hard-to-reach population, including limited testing and healthcare services and healthcare stigma, issues that are compounded in rural areas. Telehealth is effective in increasing access to HCV care and cure, but innovative approaches of testing and care are required to fully address the need among rural PWID, which led to our study examining a mobile telehealth model for treating HCV.

Prescribe to Save Lives: An Intervention to Increase Naloxone Prescribing Among HIV Clinicians.

Objectives: Overdose is a major cause of preventable death among persons living with HIV. This study aimed to increase HIV clinicians' naloxone prescribing, which can reduce overdose mortality.

Methods: We enrolled 22 Ryan White-funded HIV practices and implemented onsite, peer-to-peer training, posttraining academic detailing, and pharmacy peer-to-peer contact around naloxone prescribing in a nonrandomized stepped wedge design.

COVID-19 impact on opioid overdose after jail release in Massachusetts.

Introduction: Release from incarceration is a high-risk period for opioid overdose. Concern about COVID-19 spread in jails led to early releases; it is unknown whether pandemic era releases of persons with opioid use disorder (OUD) contributed to increases in community overdose rates.

Methods: Observational data compared overdose rates three months after release among jailed persons with OUD released before (9/1/2019-3/9/2020) and during the pandemic (3/10/2020-8/10/2020) from seven jails in Massachusetts.

Prescribe to Save Lives: Improving Buprenorphine Prescribing Among HIV Clinicians.

Background: HIV clinicians are uniquely positioned to treat their patients with opioid use disorder using buprenorphine to prevent overdose death. The Prescribe to Save Lives (PtSL) study aimed to increase HIV clinicians' buprenorphine prescribing via an overdose prevention intervention.

Methods: The quasi-experimental stepped-wedge study enrolled 22 Ryan White-funded HIV clinics and delivered a peer-to-peer training to clinicians with follow-up academic detailing that included overdose prevention education and introduced buprenorphine prescribing.

Massachusetts Justice Community Opioid Innovation Network (MassJCOIN).

A major driver of the U.S. opioid crisis is limited access to effective medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) that reduce overdose risks.

The opioid epidemic in rural northern New England: An approach to epidemiologic, policy, and legal surveillance.

The opioid crisis presents substantial challenges to public health in New England's rural states, where access to pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder (OUD), harm reduction, HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) services vary widely. We present an approach to characterizing the epidemiology, policy and resource environment for OUD and its consequences, with a focus on eleven rural counties in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont between 2014 and 2018. We developed health policy summaries and logic models to facilitate comparison of opioid epidemic-related polices across the three states that could influence the risk environment and access to services.

Initiation of extended release naltrexone (XR-NTX) for opioid use disorder prior to release from prison.

Background: Opioid use disorder is common in prison populations, and prison release is a high-risk time for relapse and overdose. Initiation of extended release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX)) prior to prison release might decrease relapse among opioid-dependent persons.

Objective: This pilot study examined the feasibility and acceptability of XR-NTX injection prior to prison release among adult inmates with opioid use disorder, followed by six months of community XR-NTX treatment.

Do patient characteristics moderate the effect of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) for opioid use disorder?

Background: Extended release naltrexone (XR-NTX) injected intramuscularly monthly has been shown to reduce relapse in persons with opioid use disorder. Baseline factors, including patients' demographics, comorbidities and lifestyle, may help identify patients who will benefit most or least from XR-NTX treatment.

Methods: Potential moderators of XR-NTX's effect were examined in the largest North American randomized open-label effectiveness trial of XR-NTX.

The Need for Psychosocial Interventions to Facilitate the Transition to Extended-Release Naltrexone (XR-NTX) Treatment for Opioid Dependence: A Concise Review of the Literature.

Given the increase of opioid dependence and opioid-related morbidity and mortality, improving treatment options for individuals with opioid dependence warrants increased attention. This article provides a concise review of work in this area. Remission from opioid dependence can be very difficult to sustain, particularly in the absence of opioid replacement or opioid antagonist therapy.

Extended-Release Naltrexone to Prevent Opioid Relapse in Criminal Justice Offenders.

Background: Extended-release naltrexone, a sustained-release monthly injectable formulation of the full mu-opioid receptor antagonist, is effective for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence. Data supporting its effectiveness in U.S.

Fitness activity classification by using multiclass support vector machines on head-worn sensors.

Fitness activity classification on wearable devices can provide activity-specific information and generate more accurate performance metrics. Recently, optical head-mounted displays (OHMD) like Google Glass, Sony SmartEyeglass and Recon Jet have emerged. This paper presents a novel method to classify fitness activities using head-worn accelerometer, barometric pressure sensor and GPS, with comparisons to other common mounting locations on the body.

Compact near-eye display system using a superlens-based microlens array magnifier.

A new type of very compact optical element for a near-eye display (NED) that uses a pair of microlens arrays (MLAs) is presented. The MLA pair works in conjunction to form a magnifier (collimator). The purpose of this is to aid in the accommodation of the eye on a head-up display that is positioned within several centimeters from the eye; the MLA pair collimates the light rays departing from the display thereby generating a virtual image of the display at optical infinity.

Extended-release naltrexone to prevent relapse among opioid dependent, criminal justice system involved adults: rationale and design of a randomized controlled effectiveness trial.

Background: Extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX, Vivitrol; Alkermes Inc.) is an injectable monthly sustained-release mu opioid receptor antagonist. XR-NTX is a potentially effective intervention for opioid use disorders and as relapse prevention among criminal justice system (CJS) populations.

A cascaded two-step Kalman filter for estimation of human body segment orientation using MEMS-IMU.

Orientation of human body segments is an important quantity in many biomechanical analyses. To get robust and drift-free 3-D orientation, raw data from miniature body worn MEMS-based inertial measurement units (IMU) should be blended in a Kalman filter. Aiming at less computational cost, this work presents a novel cascaded two-step Kalman filter orientation estimation algorithm.

Medication-assisted treatment in criminal justice agencies affiliated with the criminal justice-drug abuse treatment studies (CJ-DATS): availability, barriers, and intentions.

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is underutilized in the treatment of drug-dependent, criminal justice populations. This study surveyed criminal justice agencies affiliated with the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJ-DATS) to assess use of MAT and factors influencing use of MAT. A convenience sample (N = 50) of criminal justice agency respondents (e.

Front-loaded versus weekly counseling for treatment of tobacco addiction.

Introduction: Approximately 60%-70% of cigarette smokers who try to quit relapse by 2 weeks postcessation. We tested the efficacy of a front-loaded (FL) counseling intervention whose goal was to increase the likelihood of successful early abstinence and subsequent long-term abstinence.

Methods: We randomized 278 adult smokers to an FL or weekly behavioral smoking cessation counseling schedule.

A prospective study of persistence in the prediction of smoking cessation outcome: results from a randomized clinical trial.

Research has had mixed success in identifying pretreatment variables which can be used to guide treatment and enhance outcome. A critical first step in the process is to identify variables that reliably predict outcome. Some recent studies, largely retrospective, have found mixed evidence on the relationship between task persistence and smoking outcome measures.

High-dynamic range image projection using an auxiliary MEMS mirror array.

We introduce a new concept to improve the contrast and peak brightness of conventional data projectors. Our method provides a non-homogenous light source by dynamically directing fractions of the light from the projector lamp before it reaches the display mechanism. This will supply more light to the areas that need it most, at the expense of the darker parts of the image.

The influence of gender, race, and menthol content on tobacco exposure measures.

Research has suggested that race, gender, and menthol cigarette use influence tobacco-smoke exposure measures and smoking-related disease risk. For example, a high proportion of Black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes and, despite smoking fewer cigarettes per day (CPD) than do Whites, tend to have higher cotinine levels. Additionally, Black males are more at risk for smoking-related lung cancer.

Physical separation of straw stem components to reduce silica.

In this paper, we describe ongoing efforts to solve challenges to using straw for bioenergy and bioproducts. Among these, silica in straw forms a low-melting eutectic with potassium, causing slag deposits, and chlorides cause corrosion beneath the deposits. Straw consists principally of stems, leaves, sheaths, nodes, awns, and chaff.

Immunization of sheep against GnRH early in life: effects on reproductive function and hormones in ewes.

Groups of Merino ewe lambs were immunized against GnRH either soon after birth (prepubertal) or around puberty (peripubertal) with a prototype commercial preparation and were studied over the following 2 years to determine the long-term effects on reproductive development, function and hormone concentrations. At least 60% of the GnRH-immunized ewes in either treatment group did not experience oestrus and possessed small uteri and small ovaries that lacked follicular development. Growth rates of immunized and control ewes were similar throughout the study.

Immunization of sheep against GnRH early in life: effects on reproductive function and hormones in rams.

Groups of Merino ram lambs were immunized against GnRH either soon after birth (prepubertal) or around puberty (peripubertal) with a prototype commercial preparation and studied over the following 2 years to determine the long-term effects of such immunization on reproductive development, function and hormone concentrations. The treatment was equally effective in suppressing reproductive function and hormones when given at either time. Growth rates of immunized and controls rams were similar throughout the study.

Effect of immunization against melatonin on seasonal fleece growth in feral goats.

Four vaccination protocols were utilized to investigate the effects of immunoneutralizing circulating melatonin on the annual cashmere growth cycle and cashmere production in Australian feral goats. A fluctuating anti-melatonin antibody response, achieved by repeated booster vaccinations, resulted in an acceleration of the growth cycle in goats which exhibited a significant immune response, compared to sham-immunized controls. Responding goats showed two cycles of cashmere length growth in the first 16 months and increased annual cashmere production in the first year.

A preliminary study of immunological castration in colts.

This study tested the effectiveness of a conjugated GnRH vaccine for stimulating antibody production, suppressing testosterone secretion and depressing testicular development in yearling colts. Two colts were allocated to each of three groups, (1) control, (2) subcutaneous and (3) intramuscular vaccinations. Two injections of the vaccine were given 11 weeks apart.

Immunization of ovariectomized ewes against progesterone, oestrogen or cortisol to detect effects of adrenal steroids on reproduction.

Ovariectomized ewes were immunized against cortisol, oestrogen or progesterone to determine whether steroids of non-ovarian origin occur in sufficient amounts to influence the reproductive system. Ewes immunized against oestrogen (oestrone + oestradiol) had smaller uteri (P less than 0.05) and a lower concentration of oestradiol in uterine tissue (P less than 0.