Applying the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System to Functional Communication Treatment Approaches for Aphasia.

There are many different approaches to the rehabilitation of patients with aphasia, a communication disorder that affects a person's understanding and expression of spoken and written language. One approach called "functional communication interventions" aims to enhance communication success as opposed to solely improving linguistic abilities. This approach encompasses many skills (eg, gesturing) and factors (eg, access to communication supports) that support sending and receiving messages in "real-world" daily activities and environments.

Sensitization of the UPR by loss of PPP1R15A promotes fibrosis and senescence in IPF.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a direct consequence of cellular endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and a key disease driving mechanism in IPF. The resolution of the UPR is directed by PPP1R15A (GADD34) and leads to the restoration of normal ribosomal activity. While the role of PPP1R15A has been explored in lung epithelial cells, the role of this UPR resolving factor has yet to be explored in lung mesenchymal cells.

Book-Sharing for Parenting and Child Development in South Africa: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study evaluated the impact of a parenting intervention on children's cognitive and socioemotional development in a group of caregivers and their 21-to-28-month-old children in a low-income South African township. A randomized controlled trial compared an experimental group (n = 70) receiving training in dialogic book-sharing (8 weekly group sessions) with a wait-list control group (n = 70). They were assessed before the intervention, immediately following it, and at a six month follow-up.

Digital Health Literacy About COVID-19 as a Factor Mediating the Association Between the Importance of Online Information Search and Subjective Well-Being Among University Students in Vietnam.

Digital health literacy (DHL) has recently been proposed as a means of enabling healthy decisions for protective behavior, preventive measures, and adherence with COVID-19 policies and recommendations especially in the era of the "infodemic". This study aimed to (1) identify COVID-19 related DHL and its association with online information seeking; (2) to elucidate COVID-19 related DHL as a mediator predictor between the importance of online information search and its association with subjective well-being among Vietnamese university students. A cross-sectional web-based survey was used to elicit the responses of Vietnamese students over 2 consecutive weeks (from April 25 to May 9, 2020, = 1,003, 70.

Large uncertainties in global hydroxyl projections tied to fate of reactive nitrogen and carbon.

The hydroxyl radical (OH) sets the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere and, thus, profoundly affects the removal rate of pollutants and reactive greenhouse gases. While observationally derived constraints exist for global annual mean present-day OH abundances and interannual variability, OH estimates for past and future periods rely primarily on global atmospheric chemistry models. These models disagree ± 30% in mean OH and in its changes from the preindustrial to late 21st century, even when forced with identical anthropogenic emissions.

Measuring respiratory symptoms in moderate/severe asthma: evaluation of a respiratory symptom tool, the E-RS®: COPD in asthma populations.

Background: Symptom constructs included in the Evaluating Respiratory Symptoms in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (E-RS®: COPD) tool may be relevant to patients with asthma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate content validity and psychometric performance of the E-RS: COPD in moderate/severe asthma patients.

Methods: Content validity of the E-RS: COPD was evaluated in patients with moderate/severe asthma using concept elicitation and cognitive debriefing interviews.

Sodium chloride or Plasmalyte-148 evaluation in severe diabetic ketoacidosis (SCOPE-DKA): a cluster, crossover, randomized, controlled trial.

Purpose: To determine whether treatment with Plasmalyte-148 (PL) compared to sodium chloride 0.9% (SC) results in faster resolution of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and whether the acetate in PL potentiates ketosis.

Methods: We conducted a cluster, crossover, open-label, randomized, controlled Phase 2 trial at seven hospitals in adults admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) with severe DKA with hospital randomised to PL or SC as fluid therapy.

The Added Value of Family Caregivers' Level of Mastery in Predicting Survival of Glioblastoma Patients: A Validation Study.

Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor. Patients commonly rely on family caregivers for physical and emotional support. We previously demonstrated that caregiver mastery measured shortly after diagnosis was predictive of GBM patient survival, corrected for known predictors of survival (n = 88).

Aprosodia Subsequent to Right Hemisphere Brain Damage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To identify which aspects of prosody are negatively affected subsequent to right hemisphere brain damage (RHD) and to evaluate the methodological quality of the constituent studies.

Method: Twenty-one electronic databases were searched to identify articles from 1970 to February 2020 by entering keywords. Eligibility criteria for articles included a focus on adults with acquired RHD, prosody as the primary research topic, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

The influence of tart cherries () on vascular function and the urinary metabolome: a randomised placebo-controlled pilot study.

Montmorency tart cherries (MC) have been found to modulate indices of vascular function with interventions of varying duration. The objective of this preliminary study was to identify the chronic effects of MC supplementation on vascular function and the potential for urinary metabolomics to provide mechanistic evidence. We performed a placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised study on 23 healthy individuals (18M, 7F) that consumed 30 ml MC or a placebo twice daily for 28 days.

Dose summation and image registration strategies for radiobiologically and anatomically corrected dose accumulation in pelvic re-irradiation.

Background: Re-irradiation (reRT) is a promising technique for patients with localized recurrence in a previously irradiated area but presents major challenges. These include how to deal with anatomical change between two courses of radiotherapy and integration of radiobiology when summating original and re-irradiation doses. The Support Tool for Re-Irradiation Decisions guided by Radiobiology (STRIDeR) project aims to develop a software tool for use in a commercial treatment planning system to facilitate more informed reRT by accounting for anatomical changes and incorporating radiobiology.

An international Delphi consensus for pelvic stereotactic ablative radiotherapy re-irradiation.

Introduction: Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) is increasingly used to treat metastatic oligorecurrence and locoregional recurrences but limited evidence/guidance exists in the setting of pelvic re-irradiation. An international Delphi study was performed to develop statements to guide practice regarding patient selection, pre-treatment investigations, treatment planning, delivery and cumulative organs at risk (OARs) constraints.

Materials And Methods: Forty-one radiation oncologists were invited to participate in three online surveys.

Intergenerational effects of violence on women's perinatal wellbeing and infant health outcomes: evidence from a birth cohort study in Central Vietnam.

Background: Girls exposed to violence have a high risk of being victimized as adults and are more likely than non-abused women to have children who are treated violently. This intergenerational transmission may be especially serious when women suffer violence during pregnancy and early motherhood, as it impairs maternal wellbeing and infant health and development. This study examined the intergenerational effects of being exposed to childhood maltreatment (CM) and prenatal intimate partner violence (p-IPV) on perinatal mental distress and birth outcomes in central Vietnam.

Spoken Discourse Assessment and Analysis in Aphasia: An International Survey of Current Practices.

Purpose Spoken discourse analysis is commonly employed in the assessment and treatment of people living with aphasia, yet there is no standardization in assessment, analysis, or reporting procedures, thereby precluding comparison/meta-analyses of data and hindering replication of findings. An important first step is to identify current practices in collecting and analyzing spoken discourse in aphasia. Thus, this study surveyed current practices, with the goal of working toward standardizing spoken discourse assessment first in research settings with subsequent implementation into clinical settings.

Calcium Chloride Infusions are Not Associated with Improved Outcomes in Neonates Undergoing Cardiac Operations.

Neonatal cardiac performance is dependent on calcium delivery to the myocardium. Little is known about the use and impact of calcium chloride infusions in neonates who undergo cardiac surgery. We hypothesized that the use of calcium chloride infusions would decrease the doses required of traditional inotropic and vasoactive medications by supporting cardiac output in this patient population.

A randomized-controlled trial of community-based transdiagnostic psychotherapy for veterans and internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

Background: There is limited research on community-based mental health interventions in former Soviet countries despite different contextual factors from where most research has been conducted. Ongoing military conflict has resulted in many displaced persons and veterans and their families with high burdens of mental health problems. Lack of community-based services and poor uptake of existing psychiatric services led to the current trial to determine the effectiveness of the common elements treatment approach (CETA) on anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) among conflict affected adults in Ukraine.

Moderator effects in a randomized controlled trial of the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) for intimate partner violence and hazardous alcohol use in Zambia.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and hazardous alcohol use are prevalent and co-occurring problems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While limited evidence suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) interventions can help address these problems, few randomized trials in LMICs have investigated moderators of treatment effectiveness. This study explores moderating factors impacting responsiveness to a CBT-based intervention for IPV and hazardous alcohol use among couples in Zambia.

Considerations for COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy.

Pregnant women are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant women. Despite limited safety data on use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy, many international societies have recommended their use when pregnant women are at particularly high risk of acquiring COVID-19, or have suggested that vaccines should not be withheld from pregnant women where no other contraindications to COVID-19 vaccination exist. A number of vaccines, including those against influenza, tetanus and pertussis, have been shown to reduce both maternal and infant morbidity and mortality when used antenatally.

A feasibility study of hyoscine butylbromide (buscopan) to improve image quality of cone beam computed tomography during abdominal/pelvic Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy.

Objectives: Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is used for image guidance of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), but it is susceptible to bowel motion artefacts. This trial evaluated the impact of hyoscine butylbromide (buscopan) on CBCT image quality and its feasibility within a radiotherapy workflow.

Methods: A single-centre feasibility trial (ISRCTN24362767) was performed in patients treated with SABR for abdominal/pelvic oligorecurrence.

Self-inflicted penetrating chest trauma from solar powered garden light: a case report.

Penetrating chest trauma is associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to direct injury to vital organs located within the thorax. This is a case of a 53-year-old man who presented with a self-inflicted penetrating chest trauma using a solar powered garden light. The light penetrated the left side of his chest resulting in a haemopneumothorax, diaphragmatic perforation and pericardial haematoma.

Intensive care doctors and nurses personal preferences for Intensive Care, as compared to the general population: a discrete choice experiment.

Background: To test the hypothesis that Intensive Care Unit (ICU) doctors and nurses differ in their personal preferences for treatment from the general population, and whether doctors and nurses make different choices when thinking about themselves, as compared to when they are treating a patient.

Methods: Cross sectional, observational study conducted in 13 ICUs in Australia in 2017 using a discrete choice experiment survey. Respondents completed a series of choice sets, based on hypothetical situations which varied in the severity or likelihood of: death, cognitive impairment, need for prolonged treatment, need for assistance with care or requiring residential care.

Efficacy of the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) for Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among Adults with HIV in Zambia: Results from a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

This randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of a multi-session, evidence-based, lay counselor-delivered transdiagnostic therapy, the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), in reducing unhealthy alcohol use and comorbidities among persons living with HIV (PLWH) in Zambia. Adult PLWH with (a) unhealthy alcohol use plus mental health or substance use comorbidities, or (b) severe unhealthy alcohol use were randomized to receive a single-session alcohol brief intervention (BI) alone or BI plus referral to CETA. Outcomes were measured at baseline and a 6-month follow-up and included Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score (primary), depression and trauma symptoms, and other substance use (secondary).

COVID-19 Outbreak in A Forward-Deployed Expeditionary Military Command: A Retrospective Review on Preventative Measures and Outbreak Characteristics.

Background: An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occured within a land based 2,000-member cohort stationed on a remote air base in the Middle East from June to August 2020. We retrospectively reviewed base characteristics and mitigation measures instituted during the outbreak. We also reviewed documentation on the individuals that were either quarantined or placed in isolation and provide data on demographics, real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) results, occupation, and workdays lost.