Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: Previous What Matters Most (WMM) research identified and verified patient-important concepts among a diverse population of people living with Alzheimer's disease (PLWAD) and their care partners across all stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Additionally, a conceptual model of disease was developed using hypothesized domains and was further refined using qualitative data (Figure 1). This next phase of WMM research aims to quantify the importance of concepts, impacts, and outcomes and to determine priorities among PLWAD and care partners within a diverse sample including underrepresented ethnic and racial groups at each level of disease severity.

Dementia Care Practice.

Background: With the recent approval of disease modifying therapies (DMT) for early Alzheimer's disease, there is a need for prescribing physicians to accurately communicate expectations of treatment effects to patients and their care partners. To better understand potential challenges and solutions to enhance this communication, physicians were surveyed, after which patients and care partners participated in focus groups.

Method: Step one consisted of an online survey of 100 US-based neurologists, geriatric medicine specialists and Alzheimer's disease specialists to ascertain physician perspectives on meaningful benefits associated with anti-amyloid monoclonal antibody treatment (DMT) over currently available symptomatic treatments.

Opioid Hair Concentrations Using Retrospective Prescription Data From a United States Workplace Testing Population.

Opioids are widely prescribed pain medications that have the potential for misuse and abuse. As part of a routine procedure, our laboratory frequently encounters questions from clients/Medical Review Officers (MROs) regarding opioid hair concentrations in relation to the amount of opioid taken as part of a prescription. In this manuscript, we have analyzed a large number of real-world examples of opioid hair concentrations following self-reported consumption of an opioid prescription regimen.

Characterization of a Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) in Hirudo Verbana.

The endocannabinoid system plays a critical role in modulating both peripheral and central nervous system function. Despite being present throughout the animal kingdom, there has been relatively little investigation of the endocannabinoid system beyond traditional animal models. In this study, we report on the identification and characterization of a putative fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) in the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana.

Comparing patterns of recent and remote Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection determined using the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus assay in a high TB burden setting.

One quarter of the world's population is estimated to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Identifying recent TB infection (TBI) offers an avenue to targeted TB preventative therapy provision, and prevention to disease progression. However, detecting recent TBI remains challenging.

Characterization of a Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) in Hirudo verbana.

The endocannabinoid system plays a critical role in modulating both peripheral and central nervous system function. Despite being present throughout the animal kingdom, there has been relatively little investigation of the endocannabinoid system beyond the traditional animal model systems. In this study, we report on the identification and characterization of a fatty acid aminohydrolase (FAAH) in the medicinal leech, .

Multi-modal deep learning for joint prediction of otitis media and diagnostic difficulty.

Objectives: In this study, we propose a diagnostic model for automatic detection of otitis media based on combined input of otoscopy images and wideband tympanometry measurements.

Methods: We present a neural network-based model for the joint prediction of otitis media and diagnostic difficulty. We use the subclassifications acute otitis media and otitis media with effusion.

A cross-sectional review of contact allergens in popular self-tanning products.

Background: In recent years, self-tanners have become a well-liked alternative to sun tanning and tanning bed usage, as strikingly similar results can be achieved without the harmful side effects of ultraviolet exposure.

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the presence and prevalence of potential allergens in the most popular self-tanning products.

Methods: Five major retailers in the United States were evaluated, from which 17 different brands and 44 unique self-tanning products were analyzed.

Deep reinforcement learning and convolutional autoencoders for anomaly detection of congenital inner ear malformations in clinical CT images.

Detection of abnormalities within the inner ear is a challenging task even for experienced clinicians. In this study, we propose an automated method for automatic abnormality detection to provide support for the diagnosis and clinical management of various otological disorders. We propose a framework for inner ear abnormality detection based on deep reinforcement learning for landmark detection which is trained uniquely in normative data.

Evaluating Elements of the Care Partner Experience in Individuals Who Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease Across the Severity Spectrum.

Introduction: Non-professional care partners play an important and often evolving role in the care of persons living with Alzheimer's disease (PLWAD). We investigated two elements of the care partner experience, namely time and strain incurred by care partners providing care to PLWAD across the severity spectrum.

Methods: Data gathered from the Alzheimer's Disease Patient and Caregiver Engagement (AD PACE) What Matters Most (WMM) study series were analyzed to determine how much time care partners spent providing care to PLWAD based on where the care recipients lived.

ANDA: an open-source tool for automated image analysis of in vitro neuronal cells.

Background: Imaging of in vitro neuronal differentiation and measurements of cell morphologies have led to novel insights into neuronal development. Live-cell imaging techniques and large datasets of images have increased the demand for automated pipelines for quantitative analysis of neuronal morphological metrics.

Results: ANDA is an analysis workflow that quantifies various aspects of neuronal morphology from high-throughput live-cell imaging screens of in vitro neuronal cell types.

Distribution of morphine and methadone to the brain in a developmental chicken embryo model.

The use and/or misuse of opioids by pregnant women would expose the fetuses to these drugs during critical stages of development with serious effects for the newborn, like the neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). We have revisited an established chicken model for NAS to describe the distribution of morphine and methadone to the brain and explore its validity as a valuable alternative to rodent models. For this purpose, chicken eggs were injected with a single dose of 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg morphine or 20 mg/kg methadone onto the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) on embryonal day 13.

Prevalence and risk factors of M tuberculosis infection in young people across 14 communities in Zambia and South Africa.

Background: From 2018-2021 the TB Reduction through Expanded Antiretroviral Treatment and TB Screening (TREATS) project took place in 21 Zambian and South African communities. The TREATS Incidence of TB Infection Cohort Study was conducted in adolescents and young people (AYP), aged 15-24 years in 14 communities. We describe the baseline prevalence and risk factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.

Ceramic-on-Ceramic Total Hip Arthroplasty and Noises: A Prospective Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial of Influence of Component Design.

Background: Noises have been associated with ceramic-on-ceramic bearings in total hip arthroplasties. The etiology is multifactorial, but a high prevalence of noises was reported in studies using a specific acetabular component system. We examined if specific ceramic component designs are associated with the prevalence of noises in 2 commonly used component systems.

Antidepressants escitalopram and venlafaxine up-regulate BDNF promoter IV but down-regulate neurite outgrowth in differentiating SH-SY5Y neurons.

Antidepressants are used to treat depression and some anxiety disorders, including use in pregnant patients. The pharmacological actions of these drugs generally determine the uptake and metabolism of a series of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine, along with an increase in BDNF expression. However, many aspects of antidepressant action remain unknown, particularly whether antidepressants interfere with normal neurodevelopment when taken by pregnant women.

The impact of a combined TB/HIV intervention on the incidence of TB infection among adolescents and young adults in the HPTN 071 (PopART) trial communities in Zambia and South Africa.

Background: HPTN071 (PopART) was a cluster randomized trial conducted in Zambian and South African (SA) communities, between 2013-2018. The PopART intervention (universal HIV-testing and treatment (UTT) combined with population-level TB symptom screening) was implemented in 14 communities. The TREATS study (2017-2021) was conducted to evaluate the impact of the PopART intervention on TB outcomes.

Caring for Dementia Caregivers: Understanding Caregiver Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

More than 16 million Americans provide unpaid care for someone with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). During the COVID-19 pandemic, unpaid caregivers experienced increased chronic severe stress from widespread closures and social distancing. We conducted eight surveys from March 2020 to March 2021 among a cohort of over 10,000 individuals.

ANDA: An open-source tool for automated image analysis of neuronal differentiation.

Background: Imaging of neuronal differentiation and measurements of cell morphologies has led to novel insights into neuronal development. Live-cell imaging techniques and large datasets of images has increased the demand for automated pipelines for quantitative analysis of neuronal morphological metrics.

Results: We present ANDA, an analysis workflow for quantification of various aspects of neuronal morphology from high-throughput live-cell imaging screens.

Expanding the use of brief cognitive assessments to detect suspected early-stage cognitive impairment in primary care.

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment remains substantially underdiagnosed, especially in disadvantaged populations. Failure to diagnose deprives patients and families of the opportunity to treat reversible causes, make necessary life and lifestyle changes and receive disease-modifying treatments if caused by Alzheimer's disease. Primary care, as the entry point for most, plays a critical role in improving detection rates.

Student loan debt and the career choices of college graduates with majors in the arts.

This study looks to test the impact of student loan debt on the career choices of college graduates with majors in the arts in the USA. As earnings are on average lower and more variable for arts graduates when compared to graduates of many other fields, I hypothesize that student loan debt will decrease the likelihood arts graduates will work in jobs related to their major fields of study. National Survey of College Graduates data is used to test this hypothesis.

Heterosynaptic long-term potentiation of non-nociceptive synapses requires endocannabinoids, NMDARs, CamKII, and PKCζ.

Noxious stimuli or injury can trigger long-lasting sensitization to non-nociceptive stimuli (referred to as allodynia in mammals). Long-term potentiation (LTP) of nociceptive synapses has been shown to contribute to nociceptive sensitization (hyperalgesia) and there is even evidence of heterosynaptic spread of LTP contributing to this type of sensitization. This study will focus on how activation of nociceptors elicits heterosynaptic LTP (hetLTP) in non-nociceptive synapses.

Technical Review of Clinical Outcomes Assessments Across the Continuum of Alzheimer's Disease.

Introduction: Insight into the relationship between concepts that matter to the people affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the clinical outcome assessments (COAs) commonly used in AD clinical studies is limited. Phases 1 and 2 of the What Matters Most (WMM) study series identified and quantitatively confirmed 42 treatment-related outcomes that are important to people affected by AD.

Methods: We compared WMM concepts rated as "very important" or higher to items included in COAs used commonly in AD studies.

Assessing What Matters to People Affected by Alzheimer's Disease: A Quantitative Analysis.

Introduction: In this phase of the ongoing What Matters Most study series, designed to evaluate concepts that are meaningful to people affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD), we quantified the importance of symptoms, impacts, and outcomes of AD to people at risk for or with AD and care partners of people with AD.

Methods: We administered a web-based survey to individuals at risk for or with AD (Group 1: unimpaired cognition with evidence of AD pathology; Group 2: AD risk factors and subjective cognitive complaints/mild cognitive impairment; Group 3: mild AD) and to care partners of individuals with moderate AD (Group 4) or severe AD (Group 5). Respondents rated the importance of 42 symptoms, impacts, and outcomes on a scale ranging from 1 ("not at all important") to 5 ("extremely important").