Activity-based mindfulness: large-scale assessment of an online program on perceived stress and mindfulness.

Background And Objective: Mindfulness has emerged as key construct in mental health over past decades. While current mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are usually rooted in Asian contemplative traditions, mindfulness practices can equally be found in other knowledge systems, including integrative medicine systems such as anthroposophic medicine (AM). The (ABSR) program incorporates the latter as part of an 8-week-long online intervention combining mindfulness exercises, behavioral self-observation, and mindful movement practices derived from this integrative medicine frame.

Online eurythmy therapy for cancer-related fatigue: a prospective repeated-measures observational study exploring fatigue, stress, and mindfulness.

Introduction: Cancer is a debilitating disease with an often chronic course. One of the most taxing and prevalent sequelae in this context is cancer-related fatigue (CRF) resulting from the disease and/or associated treatments. Over the last years mindfulness-based interventions such as eurythmy therapy (ERYT), a mindful-movement therapy from anthroposophic medicine, have emerged as promising adjunct therapies in oncology.

Efficacy and Safety of Phytotherapy and Anthroposophic Medicine in Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) is a common health condition that is associated with an increased risk for bronchial asthma. Besides conventional medicine, treatments from traditional, complementary and integrative medicine are widely used by individuals with SAR. This review aims to systematically summarize evidence on the efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of European/Western phytotherapy (PT) and medications from anthroposophic medicine (AM) in individuals with SAR.

Potential Prodromal Digital Postural Sway Markers for Fragile X-Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome (FXTAS) Detected via Dual-Tasking and Sensory Manipulation.

FXTAS is a neurodegenerative disorder occurring in some Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein 1 () gene premutation carriers (PMCs) and is characterized by cerebellar ataxia, tremor, and cognitive deficits that negatively impact balance and gait and increase fall risk. Dual-tasking (DT) cognitive-motor paradigms and challenging balance conditions may have the capacity to reveal markers of FXTAS onset. Our objectives were to determine the impact of dual-tasking and sensory and stance manipulation on balance in FXTAS and potentially detect subtle postural sway deficits in PMCs who are asymptomatic for signs of FXTAS on clinical exam.

Digital gait markers to potentially distinguish fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, Parkinson's disease, and essential tremor.

Background: Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a neurodegenerative disease that affects carriers of a 55-200 CGG repeat expansion in the () gene, may be given an incorrect initial diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) or essential tremor (ET) due to overlapping motor symptoms. It is critical to characterize distinct phenotypes in FXTAS compared to PD and ET to improve diagnostic accuracy. Fast as possible (FP) speed and dual-task (DT) paradigms have the potential to distinguish differences in gait performance between the three movement disorders.

Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins in Cell Entry: Control Elements in the Amino-Terminal Domains.

Selective pressures drive adaptive changes in the coronavirus spike proteins directing virus-cell entry. These changes are concentrated in the amino-terminal domains (NTDs) and the receptor-binding domains (RBDs) of complex modular spike protein trimers. The impact of this hypervariability on virus entry is often unclear, particularly with respect to sarbecovirus NTD variations.

Addressing personal protective equipment (PPE) decontamination: Methylene blue and light inactivates severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on N95 respirators and medical masks with maintenance of integrity and fit.

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), underscoring the urgent need for simple, efficient, and inexpensive methods to decontaminate masks and respirators exposed to severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We hypothesized that methylene blue (MB) photochemical treatment, which has various clinical applications, could decontaminate PPE contaminated with coronavirus.

Design: The 2 arms of the study included (1) PPE inoculation with coronaviruses followed by MB with light (MBL) decontamination treatment and (2) PPE treatment with MBL for 5 cycles of decontamination to determine maintenance of PPE performance.

Assembly and Entry of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2): Evaluation Using Virus-Like Particles.

Research on infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) is currently restricted to BSL-3 laboratories. SARS-CoV2 virus-like particles (VLPs) offer a BSL-1, replication-incompetent system that can be used to evaluate virus assembly and virus-cell entry processes in tractable cell culture conditions. Here, we describe a SARS-CoV2 VLP system that utilizes nanoluciferase (Nluc) fragment complementation to track assembly and entry.

Memory category fluency, memory specificity, and the fading affect bias for positive and negative autobiographical events: Performance on a good day-bad day task in healthy and depressed individuals.

In mentally healthy individuals, autobiographical memory is typically biased toward positive events, which may help to maintain psychological well-being. Our aim was to assess a range of important positive memory biases in the mentally healthy and explore the possibility that these biases are mitigated in those with mental health problems. We administered a novel recall paradigm that required recollection of multiple good and bad past events (the Good Day-Bad Day task) to healthy and depressed individuals.

Ensuring the Right to Rest: City Ordinances and Access to Rest Breaks for Workers in the Construction Industry.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of city Rest Break Ordinance (RBO) policies in expanding access to rest at work.

Methods: We use data from surveys of construction workers in Austin and Dallas, Texas, in 2009, 2012, and 2015 (n = 557) to calculate the odds of receiving a rest break in pre- versus post-RBO Austin and in post-RBO Austin versus pre-RBO Dallas, controlling for demographic and employment characteristics.

Results: Construction workers were 35% more likely to report receiving a rest break in Austin post-RBO and 16% less likely in Dallas without a RBO as compared to Austin with a RBO.

Safety Considerations and Guideline-Based Safe Use Recommendations for "Bolus-Dose" Vasopressors in the Emergency Department.

The use of intermittently administered doses of vasopressors to correct hypotension in the emergency department (ED), commonly referred to as bolus-dose pressors, push-dose pressors, Neo-sticks, or phenyl sticks, has been widely advocated outside of the traditional printed medical literature. No outcomes data of this practice exist to demonstrate benefits over traditional continuous infusion of vasopressors. Use of bolus-dose vasopressors in the ED setting raises a number of patient safety concerns, and misuse and errors in the preparation and administration of bolus-dose vasopressors may result in patient harm.

ABCG2-mediated DyeCycle Violet efflux defined side population in benign and malignant prostate.

The efflux of Hoechst 33342 by ATP-binding cassette protein G2 (ABCG2) membrane pump allows reproducible identification of a subpopulation of cells by flow cytometric analysis termed the "side population" (SP). The SP identified by constitutive Hoechst efflux contains the stem/progenitor cell population from bone marrow and many solid organs, including prostate. DyeCycle Violet (DCV) is a cell membrane permeable, fluorescent vital dye that intercalates into DNA and is a substrate for ABCG2-mediated efflux.

Increased human buccal cell autofluorescence is a candidate biomarker of tobacco smoking.

Human buccal cells display diverse changes that are associated with smoked and smokeless tobacco, and clinicopathologic studies have correlated human buccal cell changes with oral cancer. Reported herein are the results of studies that were undertaken to identify a high-throughput technology that would advance efforts to use human buccal cells. We report that (a) a relatively large (mean +/- SD, 2.

A method for measuring intracellular free magnesium concentration in platelets using flow cytometry.

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant cation in the body and is involved in over 302 enzymatic reactions. Basic science research has implicated magnesium deficiency as a cause of insulin resistance which is related to hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and increased cardiovascular risk. Research in magnesium deficiency states has been hindered because magnesium is an intracellular ion and difficult to measure.

Propofol infusion syndrome: an unusual cause of renal failure.

Propofol infusion syndrome has been increasingly recognized as a syndrome of unexplained myocardial failure, metabolic acidosis, and rhabdomyolysis with renal failure. It has been described only with acute neurologic injury or acute inflammatory diseases complicated by severe infections or sepsis. It appears to develop in the context of high-dose, prolonged propofol (100 microg/kg/min) treatment in combination with catecholamines and/or steroids.

Effects of concentrated ambient particles on normal and hypersecretory airways in rats.

Epidemiological studies have reported that elevated levels of particulate air pollution in urban communities are associated with increases in attacks of asthma based on evidence from hospital admissions and emergency department visits. Principal pathologic features of chronic airway diseases, like asthma, are airway inflammation and mucous hypersecretion with excessive amounts of luminal mucus and increased numbers of mucus-secreting cells in regions of the respiratory tract that normally have few or no mucous cells (ie, mucous cell metaplasia). The overall goal of the present project was to understand the adverse effects of urban air fine particulate matter (PM2.

Pulmonary retention of particulate matter is associated with airway inflammation in allergic rats exposed to air pollution in urban Detroit.

A collaborative research study was conducted in order to improve our understanding of the source-to-receptor pathway for ambient fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter < or = 2.5 mu m; PM2.5) and subsequently to investigate the identity and sources of toxic components in PM2.

Effects of concentrated fine ambient particles on rat plasma levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine.

The health effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) and its potential impact on vascular endothelial function have not been thoroughly investigated. As endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and its complications, we examined the effects of concentrated fine ambient particles (CAPs) on the plasma level of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) in a pilot study.

Brownfields: a case study in partnering with residents to develop an easy-to-read print guide.

At least three cultural circumstances have converged to make environmental health information critical, yet highly inaccessible, to many Americans: 1) the declining literacy levels of almost half the population, 2) the growing cultural diversity of the population, and 3) the complexity of environmental health information and science. This paper presents a case study of how literacy experts and environmental scientists partnered with a panel of inner-city residents to produce a community guide about brownfields, a process the authors refer to as "cooperative composing." The goal was to create low-barrier material (fifth-through-eight-grade reading level) that would inform people about brownfields issues so that they can meaningfully insert themselves into the process of planning for brownfields reuse and redevelopment.

Effects of thermal exposure on immunophenotyping combined with in situ PCR, measured by flow cytometry.

Background: The combination of in situ PCR and cell phenotyping by antibody labeling (ISPCR/Flow) allows for the identification of cell subsets carrying a particular genetic sequence. ISPCR utilizes thermal cycling for genetic amplification, which can reduce the effectiveness of surface antibody labeling. This study explored and characterized the effects of thermal exposure on antibody labeling using CD4 and CD45.

Amplification and detection of a Y-chromosome DNA sequence by fluorescence in situ polymerase chain reaction and flow cytometry using cells in suspension.

A procedure for amplifying and detecting nucleic acid sequences in situ using cells in suspension and flow cytometry has been developed. The process involves the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) protocol developed in our laboratory to detect the amplified PCR product. For these studies, a Y-chromosome specific repeat DNA sequence was amplified.

Adverse drug reaction reporting in a multicenter surveillance study.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of a multicenter, prospective surveillance program in identifying adverse events, and to seek explanations for misclassification bias.

Design: The design was a prospective observational study of patients with documented or suspected bacterial pneumonia.

Setting: Data were collected in 74 acute care hospitals across the US.

Quantitative RT-PCR for measuring gene expression.

Classical Northern blot analysis for measuring mRNA requires too many cells to be practical for cell sorting. Yet, measurement of gene expression in small subsets within a heterogeneous population of cells is often desired. The PCR in combination with prior reverse transcription (RT-PCR) of the mRNA of interest provides a means for measuring gene expression using as few as one cell.

Risk factors for acute renal insufficiency in patients with suspected or documented bacterial pneumonia.

Objective: To describe the incidence of acute renal insufficiency and identify potential risk factors associated with this adverse medical event.

Design: A cohort analytic study of patients with documented or suspected bacterial pneumonia.

Setting: Nationwide survey of 74 acute care hospitals across the US.