Dynamic treeline and cryosphere response to pronounced mid-Holocene climatic variability in the US Rocky Mountains.

Climate-driven changes in high-elevation forest distribution and reductions in snow and ice cover have major implications for ecosystems and global water security. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of the Rocky Mountains (United States), recent melting of a high-elevation (3,091 m asl) ice patch exposed a mature stand of whitebark pine () trees, located ~180 m in elevation above modern treeline, that date to the mid-Holocene (c. 5,950 to 5,440 cal y BP).

Lunar eclipses illuminate timing and climate impact of medieval volcanism.

Explosive volcanism is a key contributor to climate variability on interannual to centennial timescales. Understanding the far-field societal impacts of eruption-forced climatic changes requires firm event chronologies and reliable estimates of both the burden and altitude (that is, tropospheric versus stratospheric) of volcanic sulfate aerosol. However, despite progress in ice-core dating, uncertainties remain in these key factors.

Papillitis and uveitis complicating Bacillus Calmette-Guérin immunotherapy.

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) administration was used to treat bladder carcinoma in a woman in her 60s. Severe bilateral non-granulomatous anterior uveitis and gross papillitis developed subsequently. The severe BCG-induced bilateral uveitis and papillitis were treated with high dose oral corticosteroids, with topical steroids and cycloplegics.

A re-appraisal of the ENSO response to volcanism with paleoclimate data assimilation.

The potential for explosive volcanism to affect the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been debated since the 1980s. Several observational studies, based largely on tree-ring proxies, have since found support for a positive ENSO phase in the year following large eruptions. In contrast, recent coral data from the heart of the tropical Pacific suggest no uniform ENSO response to explosive volcanism over the last millennium.

Do orthorexia and intolerance of uncertainty mediate the relationship between autism spectrum traits and disordered eating symptoms?

Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder traits have been implicated in the psychopathology of eating disorders and may also be relevant for the development of orthorexia symptoms. Further, intolerance of uncertainty (IUS) may indirectly contribute to the development of disordered eating, as the displacement of anxiety onto food may help achieve a sense of control and maximise certainty. We examined a new cognitive model of eating pathology which assessed the role of IU and orthorexia symptoms as potential mediators of the relationship between autistic traits and disordered eating in a community sample.

Enriching street-vended zobo (Hibiscus sabdariffa) drink with turmeric (Curcuma longa) to increase its health-supporting properties.

Street-vended foods are cheap, readily available and have been currently identified as possible means for micronutrient fortification in an effort to prevent malnutrition in developing countries. The effect of enriching street-vended zobo drink (Hibiscus sabdariffa) with turmeric (Curcuma longa) was studied to assess the potential to increase health-supporting properties for its consumers. Two processing methods were tested: boiled turmeric root in zobo and addition of fresh turmeric paste to zobo in different concentrations.

Global temperature modes shed light on the Holocene temperature conundrum.

Reconstructions of the global mean annual temperature evolution during the Holocene yield conflicting results. One temperature reconstruction shows global cooling during the late Holocene. The other reconstruction reveals global warming.

Irritability characteristics and parameters in an international sample.

Background: Irritability is a symptom of fifteen psychiatric disorders and is widely known to scholars and the public. However, little is known about irritability as an individual construct. The purpose of the current study is to identify conceptualizations of specific characteristics of irritability.

Defining and measuring irritability: Construct clarification and differentiation.

Irritability is a symptom of 15 disorders in the DSM-5 and is included in Mood Disorders, Addictive Disorders, Personality Disorders, and more (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, the term irritability is defined and measured inconsistently in the scholarly literature. In this article, we reviewed the scholarly definitions of irritability and the item content of irritability measures.

Caregiver Positive and Negative Appraisals: Effects of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Family-to-Family Intervention.

The 3-month-long Family-to-Family intervention (FTF) has been shown to increase empowerment, knowledge, and coping and to reduce distress among caregivers of people with serious mental illness. We sought to determine the influence of FTF on caregivers' appraisal of their caregiving experience. Family members of individuals with mental illness who sought enrollment in FTF (n = 318) were randomly assigned to FTF or a waitlist condition.

Developing a guide for community-based groups to reduce alcohol-related harm among African migrants.

Issue addressed Alcohol-related harm is an issue of concern for African migrant communities living in Australia. However, there has been little information available to guide workers in developing culturally sensitive health promotion strategies. Methods A three-step approach, comprising a literature review, community consultations and an external review, was undertaken to develop a guide to assist organisations and health promotion groups working with African migrant communities to address alcohol-related harms.

Anger and its Association with Substance Use Treatment Outcomes in a Sample of Adolescents.

Anger is a common affective experience, yet it is relatively understudied in the substance use treatment literature. This study explored anger as a predictor of treatment outcomes in a large sample of adolescents. Data were extracted from the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study for Adolescents (DATOS-A).

Physical activity predicts quality of life and happiness in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Purpose: To examine the associations between physical activity, health-related quality of life and happiness in young people with cerebral palsy.

Method: A total of 70 young people with cerebral palsy (45 males, 25 females; mean age 13 years 11 months, SD 2 years 0 month) took part in a cross-sectional, descriptive postal survey assessing physical activity (Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents), functional ability (Gross Motor Function Classification System), quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0) and happiness (single Likert-scale item).

Fatigue is a major issue for children and adolescents with physical disabilities.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate fatigue, and its correlates, in children and adolescents with physical disabilities.

Method: Sixty-five young people aged 8 to 17 years (35 males, 30 females; mean age 13y 2mo, SD 2y 8mo) with mild to moderate physical disabilities (Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire levels 7-10) were recruited. Self-reported fatigue was measured using the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.

An adapted, four-week mind-body skills group for medical students: reducing stress, increasing mindfulness, and enhancing self-care.

Objective: Despite the well-known stress of medical school, including adverse consequences for mental and behavioral health, there is little consensus about how to best intervene in a way that accommodates students׳ intense training demands, interest in science, and desire to avoid being stigmatized. The objective of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effectiveness of an adapted, four-week stress management and self-care workshop for medical students, which was based on the science and practice of mind-body medicine.

Methods: The current study used a prospective, observational, and mixed methods design, with pretest and posttest evaluations.

A pedometer based physical activity self-management program for children and adolescents with physical disability - design and methods of the StepUp study.

Background: Physical activity affords a wide range of physiological and psychological benefits for children and adolescents, yet many children with physical disabilities are insufficiently active to achieve these benefits. The StepUp program is a newly developed 6-week pedometer-based self-management program for children and adolescents with physical disability. Participants use a pedometer to undertake a 6-week physical activity challenge, with personalised daily step count goals set in consultation with a physiotherapist.

Cost-effectiveness of sirolimus therapy with early cyclosporin withdrawal vs. long-term cyclosporin therapy in Australia.

Cyclosporin (CsA) is Australia's most widely used immunosuppressant following renal transplantation. Randomized clinical trials demonstrate that sirolimus use for immunosuppression is associated with significantly lower incidence rates of nephrotoxicity and chronic graft rejection, and lower serum creatinine levels, suggesting long-term benefits if used as a replacement therapy for CsA. The cost-effectiveness of replacing CsA with sirolimus after 2-4 months (as approved by Australian regulatory authorities) was assessed relative to continued CsA plus low-dose sirolimus.

Hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome: prevalence, lens morphology, spectrum of mutations, and clinical presentations.

Objectives: To provide a comprehensive description of the clinical presentations, cataract morphology, and molecular basis of hereditary hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome (HHCS) in 4 Australian pedigrees and to estimate its prevalence.

Methods: All known cases of HHCS in southeastern Australia were ascertained. Family members provided a medical history and underwent physical examination, lens photography, and venipuncture for measurement of serum ferritin levels and DNA extraction.

A comparison of two methods for identifying surgical site infections following orthopaedic surgery.

Many infection control practitioners (ICPs) dedicate a significant amount of time and resources to surveillance of surgical site infections (SSIs). Alternative surveillance methods need to be explored to reflect the changes to the healthcare system and the increasing economic constraints placed on infection control units. This study was undertaken to compare two methods of identifying SSIs in orthopaedic surgery.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors are lower in African-American vegans compared to lacto-ovo-vegetarians.

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine if African-American strict vegetarians (vegans) exhibit lower blood pressure (BP) and a more favorable serum lipid profile than their lacto-ovo vegetarian (LOV) counterparts, and if plasma ascorbic acid (AA) concentrations could explain any group differences in these cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

Methods: Habitual dietary intake, anthropometric characteristics, blood pressure, and blood lipids and ascorbic acid concentrations were determined in African-American study participants (male vegans, n = 14, age = 45.6 years; male LOV, n = 49, age = 49.

Blood pressure and blood lipids among vegetarian, semivegetarian, and nonvegetarian African Americans.

Blood pressure (BP) and serum lipids were compared among three dietary groups of Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) African-American adults: vegetarians (VEGs: no consumption of animal flesh, n = 66), semivegetarians (SEMIVEGs: one to three servings of animal flesh per week, n = 56), and nonvegetarians (NONVEGs: daily consumption of animal flesh, n = 45). VEGs had a lower mean waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and lower dietary intakes of protein, saturated fat, and cholesterol compared with the NONVEGs. Only 16% of the VEGs were confirmed to be hypertensive compared with 35.