Associations between methamphetamine use, psychiatric comorbidities and treatment outcome in two inpatient rehabilitation centers.

The use of methamphetamine is spreading globally and provokes the need for effective treatment options. Previous research showed increased psychiatric comorbidities in methamphetamine users, but its impact on treatment success is still unclear. This study investigates data from two German addiction rehabilitation centers including 108 methamphetamine using individuals.

Effects of timing parameter changes on the gait of functional electrical stimulation users with drop foot.

Introduction: Functional electrical stimulation uses clinician-set parameters to modify stimulation. This study aimed to investigate whether timing parameters in the ODFS Pace functional electrical stimulation device have an effect on the gait of the general population of functional electrical stimulation users who have a foot drop.

Methods: Twelve functional electrical stimulation users with foot drop resulting from upper motor neurone disorders were recruited from the functional electrical stimulation Service in Leeds, UK.

Relationship between change in in-vivo exposure distress and PTSD symptoms during exposure therapy for active duty soldiers.

Objective: The current study sought to examine the relationship between changes in distress for items on in-vivo exposure hierarchies and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom change over the course of exposure therapy.

Methods: Active duty army soldiers (N = 108) were recruited from a military base in the U.S.

Bone resorption and body reorganization during maturation induce maternal transfer of toxic metals in anguillid eels.

During their once-in-a-lifetime transoceanic spawning migration, anguillid eels do not feed, instead rely on energy stores to fuel the demands of locomotion and reproduction while they reorganize their bodies by depleting body reserves and building up gonadal tissue. Here we show how the European eel () breaks down its skeleton to redistribute phosphorus and calcium from hard to soft tissues during its sexual development. Using multiple analytical and imaging techniques, we characterize the spatial and temporal degradation of the skeletal framework from initial to final gonadal maturation and use elemental mass ratios in bone, muscle, liver, and gonadal tissue to determine the fluxes and fates of selected minerals and metals in the eels' bodies.

Unraveling the Radiative Pathways of Hot Carriers upon Intense Photoexcitation of Lead Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals.

The slowdown of carrier cooling in lead halide perovskites (LHP) may allow the realization of efficient hot carrier solar cells. Much of the current effort focuses on the understanding of the mechanisms that retard the carrier relaxation, while proof-of-principle demonstrations of hot carrier harvesting have started to emerge. Less attention has been placed on the impact that the energy and momentum relaxation slowdown imparts on the spontaneous and stimulated light-emission process.

Size or hierarchical dependence of the elastic modulus of three ceramic-composite CAD/CAM materials.

Objective: To measure the elastic modulus of three ceramic-composite CAD/CAM materials at three different microstructural dimensions: macro, micro, and nano.

Methods: Three novel ceramic-composite CAD/CAM materials (Enamic, Lava Ultimate, and Cerasmart) were investigated. Rectangular cross-sections 10 × 5.

Methods for Replicating Leaf Vibrations Induced by Insect Herbivores.

Testing plant responses to natural sources of mechanical vibration requires methods that can precisely reproduce complex vibrational stimuli. Here we describe a method for conducting high-fidelity vibrational playbacks using consumer audio equipment and custom-written signal processing software.

Use of Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging in the Electromyography Clinic: A Case Series.

Introduction: Foot drop often results from denervation of the dorsiflexor muscles in the leg. Neurological evaluation begins with lower extremity motor testing followed by electromyography needle electrode examination (EMG-NEE). We explored digital infrared thermography (IRT) as a complementary tool in diagnosing peripheral nerve disorders.

Fully Three-Dimensional Bioprinted Skin Equivalent Constructs with Validated Morphology and Barrier Function.

This article describes a method for the biofabrication of skin tissue equivalents in a multiwell plate format. The technique and results overcome shortcomings of previously published engineering methods, and show good architecture and barrier function from well to well; thus it may be used for compound functional testing and for the development of disease tissue models for screening.

Causes of adult mortality in two populations of New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri).

The New Zealand sea lion is an endangered species endemic to New Zealand. While causes of death are well described for pups of this species, mortality in adults is poorly characterised. This study investigated causes of death in 136 New Zealand sea lions in two different populations: a major breeding site on remote, uninhabited Enderby Island in the sub-Antarctic, and a slowly increasing recolonising population on the inhabited mainland.

Physical Education Policies in US Schools: Differences by School Characteristics.

Background: We assessed the extent to which schools in the United States implement physical education policies identified in SHAPE America's Essential Components of Physical Education document and how implementation of these policies varies by school characteristics.

Methods: School policy data were collected as part of the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study via computer-assisted personal interviews in a nationally representative sample of K-12 schools and were linked to extant data on school characteristics. Bivariate analyses and Poisson regression model were used to examine how physical education policies differed by school characteristics.

Causes of mortality and severe morbidity requiring euthanasia in captive Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) in Tasmania.

Background: Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is a contagious cancer causing marked population declines in wild Tasmanian devils. In response to this threat, a captive insurance population has been established. This study investigated causes of death in captive Tasmanian devils.

Delayed Recognition of Acute Stroke by Emergency Department Staff Following Failure to Activate Stroke by Emergency Medical Services.

Introduction: Early recognition and pre-notification by emergency medical services (EMS) improves the timeliness of emergency department (ED) stroke care; however, little is known regarding the effects on care should EMS providers fail to pre-notify. We sought to determine if potential stroke patients transported by EMS, but for whom EMS did not provide pre-notification, suffer delays in ED door-to-stroke-team activation (DTA) as compared to the other available cohort of patients for whom the ED is not pre-notified-those arriving by private vehicle.

Methods: We queried our prospective stroke registry to identify consecutive stroke team activation patients over 12 months and retrospectively reviewed the electronic health record for each patient to validate registry data and abstract other clinical and operational data.

Mitochondrial dynamics modulation as a critical contribution for Shenmai injection in attenuating hypoxia/reoxygenation injury.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Shenmai injection (SMI) is a CFDA-approved and widely prescribed herbal medicine injection in China for treating cardiac dysfunction, especially myocardial ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, despite of its known clinical efficacy, the cardioprotective mechanisms of SMI remain to be established.

Aim Of Study: The present study aimed to investigate the role of SMI on mitophagy and mitochondrial dynamics in cardiomyocytes with a hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) injury setting.

High-Throughput Screening for Drug Combinations.

The identification of drug combinations as alternatives to single-agent therapeutics has traditionally been a slow, largely manual process. In the last 10 years, high-throughput screening platforms have been developed that enable routine screening of thousands of drug pairs in an in vitro setting. In this chapter, we describe the workflow involved in screening a single agent versus a library of mechanistically annotated, investigation, and approved drugs using a full dose-response matrix scheme using viability as the readout.

Practices That Support and Sustain Health in Schools: An Analysis of SHPPS Data.

Background: The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model provides an organizing framework for schools to develop and implement school health policies, practices, and programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the presence of practices that support school health for each component of the WSCC model in US schools.

Methods: Data from the School Health Policies and Practices Study 2014 were analyzed to determine the percentage of schools with practices in place that support school health for WSCC components.

Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound assisted conventional transbronchial needle aspiration in the diagnosis of solitary peribronchial pulmonary lesion located in the segmental bronchi.

The diagnosis of peribronchial pulmonary lesions located in the tertiary bronchi, also known as segmental bronchi, as well as, the 4th order and 5th order segmental bronchi is very difficult. Histopathological specimens cannot be easily obtained by endobronchial biopsies (EBBX) due to the patent but small segmental bronchial lumen. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and safety of the novel technique with radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) assisted conventional transbronchial needle aspiration (C-TBNA) in the diagnosis of solitary peribronchial pulmonary lesions located in segmental bronchi from 3th to 5th order.

Capturing sequence diversity in metagenomes with comprehensive and scalable probe design.

Metagenomic sequencing has the potential to transform microbial detection and characterization, but new tools are needed to improve its sensitivity. Here we present CATCH, a computational method to enhance nucleic acid capture for enrichment of diverse microbial taxa. CATCH designs optimal probe sets, with a specified number of oligonucleotides, that achieve full coverage of, and scale well with, known sequence diversity.

Detecting Secretory Proteins by Acoustic Droplet Ejection in Multiplexed High-Throughput Applications.

Nearly one-third of the encoded proteome is comprised of secretory proteins that enable communication between cells and organ systems, playing a ubiquitous role in human health and disease. High-throughput detection of secreted proteins would enhance efforts to identify therapies for secretion-related diseases. Using the Z mutant of alpha-1 antitrypsin as a human secretory model, we have developed 1536-well high-throughput screening assays that utilize acoustic droplet ejection to transfer nanoliter volumes of sample for protein quantification.

A Content Analysis of the ACGME Specialty Milestones to Identify Performance Indicators Pertaining to the Development of Residents as Educators.

For curriculum development purposes, this study examined how the development of residents as educators is reflected in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones. Residents teach patients, families, medical students, physicians, and other health professionals during and beyond their training. Despite this expectation, it is unclear how the development of residents as educators is reflected in the specialty-specific Milestones.