Changes in Substance Use Diagnoses in the Great Plains during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As drug overdose mortality rises in the United States, healthcare visits present critical opportunities to mitigate this trend. This study examines changes in healthcare visits for substance use disorders (SUDs) and remission prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Great Plains, with a focus on identifying the characteristics of those served. Data were analyzed from 109,671 patient visits (mode = one visit per patient), encompassing diverse demographics, including sex, age, race, ethnicity, and geographic location.

Using Precision Medicine to Disentangle Genotype-Phenotype Relationships in Twins with Rett Syndrome: A Case Report.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a paediatric neurodevelopmental disorder spanning four developmental stages. This multi-system disorder offers a unique window to explore genotype-phenotype relationships in a disease model. However, genetic prognosticators of RTT have limited clinical value due to the disorder's heterogeneity on multiple levels.

Co-Occurring Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase () rs1801133 and rs1801131 Genotypes as Associative Genetic Modifiers of Clinical Severity in Rett Syndrome.

Aim: Remethylation disorders such as 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase () deficiency reduce the remethylation of homocysteine to methionine. The resulting hyperhomocysteinemia can lead to serious neurological consequences and multisystem toxicity. The role of genotypes has not been investigated in patients with Rett Syndrome (RTT).

Development and validation of systems for genetic manipulation of the Old World tick-borne relapsing fever spirochete, Borrelia duttonii.

Relapsing fever (RF), a vector-borne disease caused by Borrelia spp., is characterized by recurring febrile episodes due to repeated bouts of bacteremia. RF spirochetes can be geographically and phylogenetically divided into two distinct groups; Old World RF Borrelia (found in Africa, Asia, and Europe) and New World RF Borrelia (found in the Americas).

Analysis of Wastewater Samples to Explore Community Substance Use in the United States: Pilot Correlative and Machine Learning Study.

Background: Substance use disorder and associated deaths have increased in the United States, but methods for detecting and monitoring substance use using rapid and unbiased techniques are lacking. Wastewater-based surveillance is a cost-effective method for monitoring community drug use. However, the examination of the results often focuses on descriptive analysis.

Unique SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Tourism Metrics, and B.1.2 Emergence in Early COVID-19 Pandemic: A Correlation Analysis in South Dakota.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which is the source of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic in the March of 2020. Travel and tourism were severely impacted as restrictions were imposed to help slow the disease spread, but some states took alternative approaches to travel restrictions. This study investigated the spread of COVID-19 in South Dakota during the early pandemic period to better understand how tourism affected the movement of the virus within the region.

Using wastewater to overcome health disparities among rural residents.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted the need for novel tools to promote health equity. There has been a historical legacy around the location and allocation of public facilities (such as health care) focused on efficiency, which is not attainable in rural, low-density, United States areas. Differences in the spread of the disease and outcomes of infections have been observed between urban and rural populations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changes in buprenorphine visits in frontier and remote locations: Effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Background: The pandemic has changed many aspects of healthcare, including the treatment of people with opioid use disorder with buprenorphine. Prior to the pandemic, rural health disparities existed in the accessibility of this treatment. Rural and frontier areas of the United States, particularly the Great Plains, had few or no providers of this evidence-based treatment.

Population Health Metrics During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Correlative Pilot Study.

Background: COVID-19 has caused nearly 1 million deaths in the United States, not to mention job losses, business and school closures, stay-at-home orders, and mask mandates. Many people have suffered increased anxiety and depression since the pandemic began. Not only have mental health symptoms become more prevalent, but alcohol consumption has also increased during this time.

Implementation and evaluation of simulations in a required course to improve empathy of pharmacy students.

Introduction: It is essential for health care professionals to display empathy when communicating with patients. Therefore, empathy is an important skill to teach health care professional students. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a course enhancement consisting of formal instruction and application-based simulations on empathy in pharmacy students.

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Substance Use and Related Mental Health Disorders Research within South Dakota: A Review of the Summer Program for Undergraduate Research in Addiction (SPURA).

Background: The Summer Program for Undergraduate Research in Addiction (SPURA) at the University of South Dakota provides research opportunities to better understand substance use and related mental health disorders. The program was initiated in 2014 from funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse with a mission to provide high-quality mentorship and research experiences for undergraduate students, including those underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Methods: Students from the University of South Dakota were recruited to participate in this program.

The emergence of cardiac changes following the self-administration of methamphetamine.

Background: Clinical observations suggest an association between methamphetamine (METH) use and cardiovascular disease, but preclinical studies are lacking. The purpose of the current study was to explore changes in left ventricular function as a potential precursor to cardiovascular disease in a rodent model of METH use.

Methods: Male rats were allowed to self-administer either METH or saline for 9 d.

Interaction of stress and stimulants in female rats: Role of chronic stress on later reactivity to methamphetamine.

Previous research in humans and animals suggests that prior exposure to stress alters responsivity to drugs of abuse, including psychostimulants. Male rats show an augmented striatal dopamine response to methamphetamine following exposure to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). Compared to males, female rats have been shown to be highly sensitive to the effects of stimulants and stress independently, however few studies have examined the interaction between stress and stimulants in female rats.

Optogenetic inhibition of the medial prefrontal cortex reduces methamphetamine-primed reinstatement in male and female rats.

Preclinical findings suggest sex-differences exist in drug-seeking behavior following methamphetamine (METH) self-administration. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is thought to contribute to the reinstatement of drug-seeking in males. Glutamatergic neurons project from the prelimbic portion of the mPFC to various brain regions modulating activity including the nucleus accumbens; thus the prelimbic region of the mPFC is thought to contribute to drug-seeking behaviors.

Do adolescents with cerebral palsy meet recommendations for healthy weight and physical activity behaviours?

Describe physical activity energy expenditure, body composition, and nutritional intake in adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) in the context of health recommendations. A cross-sectional study of 12 adolescents, aged 12-19 years, with CP, classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System levels II-V. Actiheart accelerometry assessed daily physical activity energy expenditure; Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) and skinfold assessment measured percentage body fat; the Modified Nutrition Questionnaire for children aged 12-18 years assessed nutritional intake.

Decreasing Unexpected Returns to Orthopedic Hand Clinic: Improving Efficiency of Health Care Delivery.

Purpose: An unexpected return to clinic (URTC) visit can place a substantial financial burden on patients and families while stressing the health care system. Our SMART aim was to decrease the rate of URTC visits from 1.8 per 100 patient follow-up visits by 50% using quality improvement methodology.

Behavioral and Serotonergic Changes in the Frontal Cortex Following Methamphetamine Self-Administration.

Background: Methamphetamine use is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, including psychosis. The frontal cortex serotonin receptors are thought to contribute to psychosis-like behaviors. This study investigated changes in serotonergic markers in the frontal cortex following methamphetamine self-administration and hallucinogenic drug-induced behavior.

The neurochemical consequences of methamphetamine self-administration in male and female rats.

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is an addictive substance that is used in both males and females. Few preclinical studies have focused on understanding sex-differences in the neurochemical consequences of contingent METH. The purpose of the current study was to investigate potential sex-differences in the neurochemical consequences of METH self-administration.

Localized aliphatic organic material on the surface of Ceres.

Organic compounds occur in some chondritic meteorites, and their signatures on solar system bodies have been sought for decades. Spectral signatures of organics have not been unambiguously identified on the surfaces of asteroids, whereas they have been detected on cometary nuclei. Data returned by the Visible and InfraRed Mapping Spectrometer on board the Dawn spacecraft show a clear detection of an organic absorption feature at 3.

Trajectory Optimization for Missions to Small Bodies with a Focus on Scientific Merit.

Trajectory design for missions to small bodies is tightly coupled both with the selection of targets for a mission and with the choice of spacecraft power, propulsion, and other hardware. Traditional methods of trajectory optimization have focused on finding the optimal trajectory for an selection of destinations and spacecraft parameters. Recent research has expanded the field of trajectory optimization to multidisciplinary systems optimization that includes spacecraft parameters.

Dawn arrives at Ceres: Exploration of a small, volatile-rich world.

On 6 March 2015, Dawn arrived at Ceres to find a dark, desiccated surface punctuated by small, bright areas. Parts of Ceres' surface are heavily cratered, but the largest expected craters are absent. Ceres appears gravitationally relaxed at only the longest wavelengths, implying a mechanically strong lithosphere with a weaker deep interior.

Cryovolcanism on Ceres.

Volcanic edifices are abundant on rocky bodies of the inner solar system. In the cold outer solar system, volcanism can occur on solid bodies with a water-ice shell, but derived cryovolcanic constructs have proved elusive. We report the discovery, using Dawn Framing Camera images, of a landform on dwarf planet Ceres that we argue represents a viscous cryovolcanic dome.

Distribution of phyllosilicates on the surface of Ceres.

The dwarf planet Ceres is known to host phyllosilicate minerals at its surface, but their distribution and origin have not previously been determined. We used the spectrometer onboard the Dawn spacecraft to map their spatial distribution on the basis of diagnostic absorption features in the visible and near-infrared spectral range (0.25 to 5.

Bright carbonate deposits as evidence of aqueous alteration on (1) Ceres.

The typically dark surface of the dwarf planet Ceres is punctuated by areas of much higher albedo, most prominently in the Occator crater. These small bright areas have been tentatively interpreted as containing a large amount of hydrated magnesium sulfate, in contrast to the average surface, which is a mixture of low-albedo materials and magnesium phyllosilicates, ammoniated phyllosilicates and carbonates. Here we report high spatial and spectral resolution near-infrared observations of the bright areas in the Occator crater on Ceres.