John Henryism-racial stressors among older black men with low back pain.

The relationship between adaptive pain-coping skills, such as John Henryism, and pain and function remains unclear in non-Hispanic Black populations. This cross-sectional, observational study included sixty older Black men with low back pain in Jacksonville, Florida. Key measures were: self-reported 0-10 pain intensity in the past 24 h, 13-item pain catastrophizing, functional performance from the Back Performance Scale, and the John Henryism Active Coping Scale.

Multichannel mapping of in vivo rat uterine myometrium exhibits both high and low frequency electrical activity in non-pregnancy.

The uterus exhibits intermittent electrophysiological activity in vivo. Although most active during labor, the non-pregnant uterus can exhibit activity of comparable magnitude to the early stages of labor. In this study, two types of flexible electrodes were utilized to measure the electrical activity of uterine smooth muscle in vivo in anesthetized, non-pregnant rats.

Steady-state approximations for Hodgkin-Huxley cell models: Reduction of order for uterine smooth muscle cell model.

Multi-scale mathematical bioelectrical models of organs such as the uterus, stomach or heart present challenges both for accuracy and computational tractability. These multi-scale models are typically founded on models of biological cells derived from the classic Hodkgin-Huxley (HH) formalism. Ion channel behaviour is tracked with dynamical variables representing activation or inactivation of currents that relax to steady-state dependencies on cellular membrane voltage.

A descriptive study of physical function and performance in older black men with low back pain.

The purpose of this paper is to describe physical function and performance scores and examine the relationships between measures of physical performance in older Black men with low back pain. The Mobility, Aging, Pain, and Disparities study used a cross-sectional, observational design to objectively measure physical performance on the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the Back Performance Scale (BPS), and the 400-meter Walk Test along with subjective ratings of pain intensity in the past 24 hours. Sixty community-based Black men aged 61-87 (x̄= 70 ± 6) years had an average BPS score of 7.

Improvement Opportunities for PAINReportIt Delivered on a Wireless Tablet: Rated by Black Older Men With Low Back Pain.

Health care professionals and researchers can implement technology to improve older adults' acceptability of providing health information and to better include older adults in sharing information with health providers. However, older adults' engagement with technology remains low. This study focused on 60 Black older men (mean age = 70 years, = 6 years) with low back pain who completed the 13-item Computer Acceptability Scale after using the PAINReportIt software on an Apple iPad.

Modeling and experimental approaches for elucidating multi-scale uterine smooth muscle electro- and mechano-physiology: A review.

The uterus provides protection and nourishment (via its blood supply) to a developing fetus, and contracts to deliver the baby at an appropriate time, thereby having a critical contribution to the life of every human. However, despite this vital role, it is an under-investigated organ, and gaps remain in our understanding of how contractions are initiated or coordinated. The uterus is a smooth muscle organ that undergoes variations in its contractile function in response to hormonal fluctuations, the extreme instance of this being during pregnancy and labor.

In silico modeling for the hepatic circulation and transport: From the liver organ to lobules.

The function of the liver depends critically on its blood supply. Numerous in silico models have been developed to study various aspects of the hepatic circulation, including not only the macro-hemodynamics at the organ level, but also the microcirculation at the lobular level. In addition, computational models of blood flow and bile flow have been used to study the transport, metabolism, and clearance of drugs in pharmacokinetic studies.

Avoidance-Endurance Model in Older Black Men with Low Back Pain: Exploring Relationships.

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate functional performance and pain intensity outcomes for associations with negative cognitive orientations, avoidance behaviors, and fear of pain in older Black men with low back pain (LBP).

Methods: Sixty Black men aged 60 and older (70 years[Formula: see text]) with LBP completed the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the 400-m walk test, and subjective measures of avoidance behaviors, back performance, pain intensity, and pain catastrophizing (i.e.

Global sensitivity analysis of a single-cell HBV model for viral dynamics in the liver.

The predictive accuracy of mathematical models representing anything ranging from the meteorological to the biological system profoundly depends on the quality of model parameters derived from experimental data. Hence, robust sensitivity analysis (SA) of these critical model parameters aids in sifting the influential from the negligible out of typically vast parameter regimes, thus illuminating key components of the system under study. We here move beyond traditional local sensitivity analysis to the adoption of global SA techniques.

Assessing Social Determinants of Health in a Prenatal and Perinatal Cultural Intervention for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Unlabelled: American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIANs) refer to cultural traditions and values to guide resilient and strength-based practices to address maternal and infant health disparities.

Methods: A case study of a culturally-based educational intervention on AIAN maternal and child health.

Results: Cultural teachings have successfully been applied in AIAN behavioral interventions using talking circles and cradleboards, but maternal and child health interventions are not well-represented in peer-reviewed literature.

Prevalence of violent advertisements in New York City subways.

Media advertisements displaying aggression and violence in public transit spaces represent a public health concern. The high visibility of ads likely contributes to increased levels of aggression among New York City (NYC) youths traveling across boroughs. Given the importance of the physical, psychological and social environment in shaping the lives of youth, additional attention is warranted regarding how media advertisements are promoted within public transit spaces across America.

Dynamics of Structured Networks of Winfree Oscillators.

Winfree oscillators are phase oscillator models of neurons, characterized by their phase response curve and pulsatile interaction function. We use the Ott/Antonsen ansatz to study large heterogeneous networks of Winfree oscillators, deriving low-dimensional differential equations which describe the evolution of the expected state of networks of oscillators. We consider the effects of correlations between an oscillator's in-degree and out-degree, and between the in- and out-degrees of an "upstream" and a "downstream" oscillator (degree assortativity).

A permutation method for network assembly.

We present a method for assembling directed networks given a prescribed bi-degree (in- and out-degree) sequence. This method utilises permutations of initial adjacency matrix assemblies that conform to the prescribed in-degree sequence, yet violate the given out-degree sequence. It combines directed edge-swapping and constrained Monte-Carlo edge-mixing for improving approximations to the given out-degree sequence until it is exactly matched.

A Pipeline for the Registration of Calcium Transient Data to Structural Networks of the Interstitial Cells of Cajal.

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) generate electrical pacemaker activity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract known as slow waves, which regulate GI motility. ICC express both the Kit receptor tyrosine kinase protein and a Ca-activated Cl-channel, encoded by the anoctamin1 (Ano1) protein, which is an essential contributor to the Ca cycling of ICC and slow wave pacemaking. Recent dye-loading imaging studies have demonstrated Ca transients in ICC in isolated tissue preparations.

A spatial-temporal model for zonal hepatotoxicity of acetaminophen.

The metabolism zonation in liver lobules is well known yet its incorporation into the mathematical models of acetaminophen (APAP) metabolism is still primitive - only the oxidation pathway via reaction with the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) has been considered, yet the zonal heterogeneity exhibits in all three pathways including sulphation, glucuronidation and oxidation. In this paper we present a novel computational method where an intracellular APAP metabolism model is integrated into a Finite Element Model (FEM) of sinusoids, and the zonal heterogeneity in three metabolism pathways are all incorporated. We demonstrate that the degradation of APAP, detoxification via glutathione (GSH) and the formation of hepatotoxicity, are all affected profoundly by the zonal difference.

Gain-of-function mutations in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (CSF3R) reveal distinct mechanisms of CSF3R activation.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF or CSF3) and its receptor CSF3R regulate granulopoiesis, neutrophil function, and hematopoietic stem cell mobilization. Recent studies have uncovered an oncogenic role of mutations in the gene in many hematologic malignancies. To find additional mutations that give rise to cell transformation, we performed a cellular transformation assay in which murine interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent Ba/F3 cells were transduced with WT CSF3R plasmid and screened for spontaneous growth in the absence of IL-3.

A multi-scale spatial model of hepatitis-B viral dynamics.

Chronic hepatitis B viral infection (HBV) afflicts around 250 million individuals globally and few options for treatment exist. Once infected, the virus entrenches itself in the liver with a notoriously resilient colonisation of viral DNA (covalently-closed circular DNA, cccDNA). The majority of infections are cleared, yet we do not understand why 5% of adult immune responses fail leading to the chronic state with its collateral morbid effects such as cirrhosis and eventual hepatic carcinoma.

Ambient noise forecasting with a large acoustic array in a complex shallow water environment.

Forecasting ambient noise levels in the ocean can be a useful way of characterizing the detection performance of sonar systems and projecting bounds on performance into the near future. The assertion is that noise forecasting can be improved with a priori knowledge of source positions coupled with the ability to resolve closely separated sources in bearing. One example of such a system is the large aperture research array located at the South Florida Test Facility.

A mathematical model of the effects of anoctamin-1 loss on intestinal slow wave entrainment.

The interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) generate electrophysiological events called slow waves that regulate the motility of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Recent studies have demonstrated that the Ca-activated Cl -channel, encoded by the anoctamin1 (Ano1) protein, has a major role in regulating intestinal slow waves and motility. The main aim of this study was to develop a multi-scale mathematical model capable of simulating both normal slow wave entrainment and the effects of Ano1 knockout (KO) on the normal activity.

Unpaired Extracellular Cysteine Mutations of CSF3R Mediate Gain or Loss of Function.

Exclusive of membrane-proximal mutations seen commonly in chronic neutrophilic leukemia (e.g., T618I), functionally defective mutations in the extracellular domain of the G-CSF receptor (CSF3R) have been reported only in severe congenital and idiopathic neutropenia patients.

Characterization of the leukemogenic potential of distal cytoplasmic CSF3R truncation and missense mutations.

An increasing number of variants of unknown significance are being identified in leukemia patients with the application of deep sequencing and these include CSF3R cytoplasmic mutations. Previous studies have demonstrated oncogenic potential of certain CSF3R truncation mutations prior to internalization motifs. However, the oncogenic potential of truncating the more distal region of CSF3R cytoplasmic domain as well as cytoplasmic missense mutations remains uncharacterized.

The impact of human and vector distributions on the spatial prevalence of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa.

Eradication of malaria from the world in the latter part of the twentieth century proved an elusive, albeit desirable, objective. Unfortunately, resurgence of malarial incidence is currently underway. Key to understanding effective control schemes such as indoor residual spraying (spraying insecticide inside houses to kill the malarial vector mosquitoes) is the impact of spatial distributions for communities exposed to the malarial vector mosquito populations.