Using Technology Solutions to Support Home Health, Safety, and Greater Independence and Quality of Life.

Supporting individuals with intellectual disability or related neurodevelopmental disabilities should access all available and types of supports that can enhance their personal independence, autonomy, health, safety, and overall quality of life. Herein we discuss the value of exploring the use of technology solutions as a under-utilized type of support used in our field. We briefly present the availability and benefits of using "smart home" technologies and remote support services technologies that can meet the support needs of this population and may also be a viable alternative to the heavy reliance on direct support professionals.

Patient-reported outcomes as a prognostic marker of survival in patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer treated with immunotherapy.

There has been minimal research on the prognostic value of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The relative performance of PROs compared to established markers such as Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG-PS) and the Lung Immune Prognostic Index (LIPI) is unknown. In our study, data from the advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) single-arm atezolizumab trials BIRCH, FIR and randomised-trials OAK, POPLAR (atezolizumab vs docetaxel) were pooled.

Identification and early anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation in the emergency department.

Background: Emergency departments (ED) in the United States see more than half a million atrial fibrillation visits a year, however guideline recommended anticoagulation is prescribed in <55% of eligible patients.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure guideline recommended anticoagulation prescribing in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) presenting to the ED, with the goal of closing any treatment gap established.

Methods: We conducted an observational, prospective cohort study in consecutive patients presenting to the ED with a diagnosis of NVAF.

Using technology and remote support services to promote independent living of adults with intellectual disability and related developmental disabilities.

Background: The use of remote support technologies is a newer form of service that can contribute to increased independence while giving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a sense of home safety. This research reviewed the use of remote support services, which is a waiver service that includes smart home technologies and remote support staff that can be called upon, when needed.

Method: Using focus groups and telephone interviews, the present authors asked users of remote support services about their experience, including what they liked most and least about their experience with these technologies.

Technology Tools: Increasing Our Reach in National Surveillance of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Challenges in collecting comprehensive health surveillance data on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are numerous. A number of important issues and strategies are discussed in the articles contained in this special issue of . In this article, we focus on the advances and tools available in the area of technology.

Mechanisms of Mas1 Receptor-Mediated Signaling in the Vascular Endothelium.

Objective: Angiotensin II (AngII) has been shown to regulate angiogenesis and at high pathophysiological doses to cause vasoconstriction through the AngII receptor type 1. Angiotensin 1 to 7 (Ang-(1-7)) acting through the Mas1 receptor can act antagonistically to high pathophysiological levels of AngII by inducing vasodilation, whereas the effects of Ang-(1-7) signaling on angiogenesis are less defined. To complicate the matter, there is growing evidence that a subpressor dose of AngII produces phenotypes similar to Ang-(1-7).

Incidence, admission rates, and economic burden of pediatric emergency department visits for urinary tract infection: data from the nationwide emergency department sample, 2006 to 2011.

Background: The Emergency Department (ED) is being increasingly utilized as a pathway for management of acute conditions such as the urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Objective: We sought to assess the contemporary trends in pediatric UTI associated ED visits, subsequent hospitalization, and corresponding financial expenditure, using a large nationally representative pediatric cohort. Further, we describe the predictors of admission following a UTI associated ED visit.

From foe to friend: using animal toxins to investigate ion channel function.

Ion channels are vital contributors to cellular communication in a wide range of organisms, a distinct feature that renders this ubiquitous family of membrane-spanning proteins a prime target for toxins found in animal venom. For many years, the unique properties of these naturally occurring molecules have enabled researchers to probe the structural and functional features of ion channels and to define their physiological roles in normal and diseased tissues. To illustrate their considerable impact on the ion channel field, this review will highlight fundamental insights into toxin-channel interactions and recently developed toxin screening methods and practical applications of engineered toxins.

A distinct sodium channel voltage-sensor locus determines insect selectivity of the spider toxin Dc1a.

β-Diguetoxin-Dc1a (Dc1a) is a toxin from the desert bush spider Diguetia canities that incapacitates insects at concentrations that are non-toxic to mammals. Dc1a promotes opening of German cockroach voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels (BgNav1), whereas human Nav channels are insensitive. Here, by transplanting commonly targeted S3b-S4 paddle motifs within BgNav1 voltage sensors into Kv2.

Preventing diseases and outbreaks at child care centers using an education, evaluation, and inspection method.

From 2005 to 2008, Washoe County, Nevada, child care centers experienced an increase in illnesses from communicable disease outbreaks. The number of ill children and caregivers from these outbreaks went from 26 in 2005 to 266 in 2008, an increase of 923%. A clear need to reverse this trend existed.

Vascular endothelial growth factor-A signaling in bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells exposed to hypoxic stress.

Bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (BM-EPCs) are stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) and other potent proangiogenic factors. During angiogenesis, an increase in VEGF-A expression stimulates BM-EPCs to enhance endothelial tube formation and contribute to an increase in microvessel density. Hypoxia is known to produce an enhanced angiogenic response and heightened levels of VEGF-A have been seen in oxygen deprived epithelial and endothelial cells, yet the pathways for VEGF-A signaling in BM-EPCs have not been described.

Development and preclinical evaluation of an alphavirus replicon vaccine for influenza.

We used a propagation-defective, single-cycle, alphavirus replicon vector system to produce virus-like replicon particles (VRP) expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins from influenza A/Wyoming/03/2003 (H3N2). Efficient production methods were scaled to produce pilot lots of HA VRP and NA VRP and clinical lots of HA VRP. HA VRP-induced high-titered antibody responses in mice, rabbits and rhesus macaques, as measured by ELISA or hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays, and robust cellular immune responses in mice and rhesus macaques, as measured by IFN-gamma ELISPOT.

Multicolored Asian lady beetle hypersensitivity: a case series and allergist survey.

Background: Multicolored Asian lady beetles (Harmonia axyridis) have been used as a biological control agent against crop-destroying aphids in the United States. Outside their natural habitat, H. axyridis seeks refuge in homes during fall and winter, leading to patient complaints and symptoms of rhinitis, wheezing, and urticaria on exposure to the beetles.

Cross-allergenicity among celery, cucumber, carrot, and watermelon.

Cross-reactive allergens may be responsible for the clustering of food allergies seen in patients hypersensitive to fruits and vegetables. The pooled sera of six individuals were used to investigate cross-antigenicity among freshly prepared extracts of celery (Cy), cucumber (Cc), carrot (Ct), and watermelon (W). Each patient demonstrated clinical allergy to one or more study foods and, with the exception of Ct in two cases, had IgE to all four extracts by skin test or ELISA.