Perception of secondary conditions in adults with spina bifida and impact on daily life.

Background: Spina bifida is a congenital defect of the neural tube resulting in motor and sensory disruption. Persons with spina bifida can also experience executive function impairments. Secondary conditions are physical, medical, cognitive, emotional, or psychosocial consequences to which persons with disabilities are more susceptible.

Seizing an opportunity: increasing use of cessation services following a tobacco tax increase.

Background: Tobacco tax increases are associated with increases in quitline calls and reductions in smoking prevalence. In 2013, ClearWay Minnesota(SM) conducted a six-week media campaign promoting QUITPLAN® Services (QUITPLAN Helpline and quitplan.com) to leverage the state's tax increase.

ESTIMATING BACTERIAL DIVERSITY IN (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE) VIA NEXT GENERATION SEQUENCING.

The last 2 decades have produced a better understanding of insect-microbial associations and yielded some important opportunities for insect control. However, most of our knowledge comes from model systems. Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) have been understudied despite their global importance as invasive species, plant pests and disease vectors.

De novo Assembly and Analysis of the Northern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens Transcriptome.

The northern leopard frog Rana (Lithobates) pipiens is an important animal model, being used extensively in cancer, neurology, physiology, and biomechanical studies. R. pipiens is a native North American frog whose range extends from northern Canada to southwest United States, but over the past few decades its populations have declined significantly and is now considered uncommon in large portions of the United States and Canada.

Characterization of the Asian Citrus Psyllid Transcriptome.

The Asian citrus psyllid, Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) is a vector for the causative agents of Huanglongbing, which threatens citrus production worldwide. This study reports and discusses the first transcriptomes, encompassing the three main life stages of , egg, nymph and adult. The transcriptomes were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) and insecticide-related genes within each life stage were identified to aid the development of future insecticides.

Maternal imprinting at the H19-Igf2 locus maintains adult haematopoietic stem cell quiescence.

The epigenetic regulation of imprinted genes by monoallelic DNA methylation of either maternal or paternal alleles is critical for embryonic growth and development. Imprinted genes were recently shown to be expressed in mammalian adult stem cells to support self-renewal of neural and lung stem cells; however, a role for imprinting per se in adult stem cells remains elusive. Here we show upregulation of growth-restricting imprinted genes, including in the H19-Igf2 locus, in long-term haematopoietic stem cells and their downregulation upon haematopoietic stem cell activation and proliferation.

The spring runoff in Nebraska's (USA) Elkhorn River watershed and its impact on two sentinel organisms.

The objectives of the present study were to determine 1) if temporal variability influenced the toxicity of Elkhorn River, Nebraska, USA, water, and 2) if the toxic effect was consistent between 2 sentinel organisms, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and the northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). During spring 2012, atrazine indicator strips were used to document the occurrence of agrichemical pulses in the Elkhorn River. Polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) were deployed for 14 d during both a pulse and a postpulse period as indicated by the atrazine strips.

Minnesota's smokefree policies: impact on cessation program participants.

Background: Smokefree policies are enacted to protect individuals from secondhand smoke; however, these laws may have broader cessation effects.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between Minnesota's local and statewide smokefree policies and quitting outcomes among cessation program enrollees.

Methods: Data were collected from 2006 to 2008 from two groups of participants (n=1644 pre-statewide law; n=1273 post-statewide law) and analyzed in 2009.

The relation between media promotions and service volume for a statewide tobacco quitline and a web-based cessation program.

Background: This observational study assessed the relation between mass media campaigns and service volume for a statewide tobacco cessation quitline and stand-alone web-based cessation program.

Methods: Multivariate regression analysis was used to identify how weekly calls to a cessation quitline and weekly registrations to a web-based cessation program are related to levels of broadcast media, media campaigns, and media types, controlling for the impact of external and earned media events.

Results: There was a positive relation between weekly broadcast targeted rating points and the number of weekly calls to a cessation quitline and the number of weekly registrations to a web-based cessation program.

The obesity epidemic in South Dakota: how big is the problem?

Obesity is an increasing problem both in the United States and South Dakota. Currently, 30.3 percent of South Dakota adults self-report being obese, which is higher than the national prevalence and also increasing at a faster rate than other states.

A multi-institutional study of the Family Conference Objective Structured Clinical Exam: a reliable assessment of professional communication.

Background: To test the value of a simulated Family Conference Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) for resident assessment purposes, we examined the generalizability and construct validity of its scores in a multi-institutional study.

Methods: Thirty-four first-year (PG1) and 27 third-year (PG3) surgery residents (n = 61) from 6 training programs were tested. The OSCE consisted of 2 cases (End-of-Life [EOL] and Disclosure of Complications [DOC]).

The comparative effectiveness of clinic, work-site, phone, and Web-based tobacco treatment programs.

Introduction: Tobacco treatment programs may be offered in clinical settings, at work-sites, via telephone helplines, or over the Internet. Little comparative data exist regarding the real-world effectiveness of these programs. This paper compares the reach, effectiveness, and costs of these different modes of cessation assistance.

Utilization of smoking cessation informational, interactive, and online community resources as predictors of abstinence: cohort study.

Background: The association between greater utilization of Web-assisted tobacco interventions and increased abstinence rates is well recognized. However, there is little information on how utilization of specific website features influences quitting.

Objective: To determine the association between utilization of informational, interactive, and online community resources (eg.

Expanding access to nicotine replacement therapy through Minnesota's QUITLINE partnership.

Background: Partnerships can expand the reach and effectiveness of quitlines while conserving limited tobacco control dollars.

Objective: To describe how the addition of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to the "QUITPLAN Helpline" in Minnesota influenced triage and transfer to health plan quitlines and how efforts taken to re-establish balance in the partnership expanded population based access to NRT.

Methods: NRT provision began in September 2002.