Evaluation of Helmeting Therapy Duration After Endoscopic Strip Craniectomy for Metopic and Sagittal Craniosynostosis.

Introduction: Endoscopic strip craniectomy (ESC) is a minimally invasive option for early surgical treatment of metopic (MC) and sagittal craniosynostosis (SC). For ESC, however, the postoperative duration and compliance of helmet therapy are crucial to correct MC and SC asymmetry. The purpose of this study is to assess the period of postoperative band therapy and determine differences, if any, between MC and SC.

Characterization of Regional Morphological Changes in Sagittal Craniosynostosis Following Endoscopic Strip Craniectomy With Post-operative Helmeting: Predictors for Success.

Background: Sagittal craniosynostosis (SC) restricts craniofacial growth perpendicular to the sagittal plane resulting in scaphocephaly. The cranium grows in the anterior-posterior dimension causing disproportionate changes, which can be corrected with either cranial vault reconstruction (CVR) or endoscopic strip craniectomy (ESC) combined with post-operative helmet therapy. ESC is performed at an earlier age, and studies demonstrate benefits in risk profile and morbidity compared to CVR, with comparable results if the post-operative banding protocol is strictly upheld.

Use of methylene blue to treat vasoplegia syndrome in cystic fibrosis patients undergoing lung transplantation: A case series.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated the utility of methylene blue (MB) to treat vasoplegic syndrome (VS), but some have cautioned against its routine use in lung transplantation with only two cases described in prominent literature. Cystic fibrosis patients commonly have chronic infections which predispose them to a systemic inflammatory syndrome-like vasoplegic response during lung transplantation. We present 13 cystic fibrosis patients who underwent lung transplantation and received MB for vasoplegic syndrome while on cardiopulmonary bypass, with or without inhaled pulmonary vasodilator therapy.

Psychometric properties of two mental health screening tools in southeast Liberia: The Liberian Distress Screener and Patient Health Questionnaire.

Evidence suggests that locally developed and/or adapted screening tools for mental ill-health can have higher validity than directly translated tools developed in other settings. We administered the locally developed Liberian Distress Screener (LDS) and the Liberian-adapted Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9L) to a random sample of 142 outpatients at a regional hospital in Maryland County, Liberia. In the LDS, seven items demonstrated poor model fit and were excluded, resulting in an 11-item screener (LDS-11).

Is the Message Clear? Evaluation of Readability Levels for Cleft Lip, Cleft Palate, and Craniofacial Websites.

Web-based health information is the leading source of medical knowledge for patients and families. The American Medical Association (AMA) and US Department of Health and Human Services recommend reading material be at or below a sixth-grade reading level. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the readability of the most popularly searched cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and other craniofacial syndrome (CFS) websites.

Project-based engineering learning in college: associations with self-efficacy, effort regulation, interest, skills, and performance.

This quantitative study examined student participation in an introductory project-based engineering course offered in fully face-to-face and hybrid course modes ( = 160). This course attempted to counteract trends of decreased student motivation and high attrition rates among engineering majors. Mixed-design analysis of variance examined differences in motivational constructs including student self-efficacy, effort regulation, and interest in engineering, as well as engineering skills throughout the course and across instructional modes.

Model for the Temperature-Induced Conformational Change in Xanthan Polysaccharide.

Xanthan is an extracellular bacterial polysaccharide. It is manufactured commercially by fermentation of and used extensively in food and other industries to control the viscosity and texture of various products. Its useful properties stem from its occurrence both as a relatively rigid double-helical polymer and as a branched polymer network presumably crosslinked by the same noncovalent interactions that stabilize the double-helical form.

Trauma Healing Club: Utilizing Culturally Responsive Processes in the Implementation of an After-School Group Intervention to Address Trauma Among African Refugees.

The State of Tennessee granted appropriations to an urban university in the West Tennessee region to address the needs of at-risk African refugee children and families who have experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Action oriented research efforts were conducted to address the needs of youth in the local region by developing, implementing, and evaluating a community-based intervention that was not only trauma responsive but culturally competent. The Trauma Healing Club was a treatment package developed and researched for this purpose and offered in an after school support program.

Distraction osteogenesis with temporal bone remodeling for unicoronal craniosynostosis.

Unicoronal craniosynostosis correction with fronto-orbital advancement and cranial vault remodeling has traditionally been the gold standard. Distraction osteogenesis has the advantage of increased size of movement without constriction of the scalp and decreased morbidity. Although fronto-orbital advancement and cranial vault remodeling are usually performed at 6 months of age or later, distraction osteogenesis is performed at a younger age, between 3 and 6 months, to take advantage of the infant bony physiology.

Improved Student Outcomes after Pathophysiology Course Revisions.

The value of a nursing course revision for the purpose of improved student learning and outcomes is discussed in this descriptive, quasi-experimental study. An instructor of a nursing pathophysiology course devised and implemented the study to determine if outcomes would differ between two groups of first semester baccalaureate nursing students taking the required pathophysiology course. The revisions, which were applied and then evaluated, demonstrated improvement in student learning.

The Potential Impact of Plastic Surgery Expertise on Body Contouring Procedure Outcomes.

Background: With the increasing demand for body contouring procedures in the United States over the past 2 decades, more surgeons with diverse specialty training are performing these procedures. However, little is known regarding the comparative outcomes of these patients.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of body contouring procedures based on the specialty training of the surgeon.

The heavy price of conversion from laparoscopic to open procedures for emergent cholecystectomies.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the standard operative intervention for gallbladder disease. Complications may necessitate conversion to an open cholecystectomy (OC). This study aims to determine the cost-consequences of laparoscopic-to-open conversion using a nationally-representative sample.

Influence of viral infection on the relationships between airway cytokines and lung function in asthmatic children.

Background: Few longitudinal studies examine inflammation and lung function in asthma. We sought to determine the cytokines that reduce airflow, and the influence of respiratory viral infections on these relationships.

Methods: Children underwent home collections of nasal lavage during scheduled surveillance periods and self-reported respiratory illnesses.

Impact of community respiratory viral infections in urban children with asthma.

Background: Upper respiratory tract viral infections cause asthma exacerbations in children. However, the impact of natural colds on children with asthma in the community, particularly in the high-risk urban environment, is less well defined.

Objective: We hypothesized that children with high-symptom upper respiratory viral infections have reduced airway function and greater respiratory tract inflammation than children with virus-positive low-symptom illnesses or virus-negative upper respiratory tract symptoms.

"My Heart Die in Me": Idioms of Distress and the Development of a Screening Tool for Mental Suffering in Southeast Liberia.

The integration of culturally salient idioms of distress into mental healthcare delivery is essential for effective screening, diagnosis, and treatment. This study systematically explored idioms, explanatory models, and conceptualizations in Maryland County, Liberia to develop a culturally-resonant screening tool for mental distress. We employed a sequential mixed-methods process of: (1) free-lists and semi-structured interviews (n = 20); patient chart reviews (n = 315); (2) pile-sort exercises, (n = 31); and (3) confirmatory focus group discussions (FGDs); (n = 3) from June to December 2017.

Development of a Wearable Controller for Gesture-Recognition-Based Applications Using Polyvinylidene Fluoride.

This paper reports on a wearable gesture-based controller fabricated using the sensing capabilities of the flexible thin-film piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) which is shown to repeatedly and accurately discern, in real time, between right and left hand gestures. The PVDF is affixed to a compression sleeve worn on the forearm to create a wearable device that is flexible, adaptable, and highly shape conforming. Forearm muscle movements, which drive hand motions, are detected by the PVDF which outputs its voltage signal to a developed microcontroller-based board and processed by an artificial neural network that was trained to recognize the generated voltage profile of right and left hand gestures.

CRISPR/Cas9 β-globin gene targeting in human haematopoietic stem cells.

The β-haemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassaemia, are caused by mutations in the β-globin (HBB) gene and affect millions of people worldwide. Ex vivo gene correction in patient-derived haematopoietic stem cells followed by autologous transplantation could be used to cure β-haemoglobinopathies. Here we present a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system that combines Cas9 ribonucleoproteins and adeno-associated viral vector delivery of a homologous donor to achieve homologous recombination at the HBB gene in haematopoietic stem cells.

Family factors that characterize adolescents with severe obesity and their role in weight loss surgery outcomes.

Objective: To comprehensively assess family characteristics of adolescents with severe obesity and whether family factors impact weight loss outcomes following weight loss surgery (WLS).

Methods: Multisite prospective data from 138 adolescents undergoing WLS and primary caregivers (adolescent: M  = 16.9; M = 51.

Alcohol use risk in adolescents 2 years after bariatric surgery.

Background: Problematic alcohol use and increased sensitivity postoperatively in adult weight loss surgery patients heightens concerns. No data have characterized these behaviors in adolescents-a gap, given adolescent alcohol use and heavy drinking are public health concerns.

Objective: To examine alcohol use behavior in adolescents who underwent weight loss surgery across the first two post-operative years in comparison to nonsurgical adolescents.

Information needs among adolescent bariatric surgery patients and their caregivers.

Background: Bariatric surgery is an invasive medical treatment for morbid obesity that requires behavioral maintenance for physical success. Patient knowledge, motivation, and adherence are important factors in optimizing results.

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to identify perceived informational gaps of adolescent and young adult bariatric surgery patients with morbid obesity (body mass index≥40 kg/m(2)).

Mutations in the nuclear bile acid receptor FXR cause progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis.

Neonatal cholestasis is a potentially life-threatening condition requiring prompt diagnosis. Mutations in several different genes can cause progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis, but known genes cannot account for all familial cases. Here we report four individuals from two unrelated families with neonatal cholestasis and mutations in NR1H4, which encodes the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a bile acid-activated nuclear hormone receptor that regulates bile acid metabolism.

A multisite view of psychosocial risks in patients presenting for bariatric surgery.

Objective: The psychosocial health of adolescents with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 120% for age and gender) has only recently been the focus of empirical work.

Methods: This multisite study-an ancillary to a prospective longitudinal observational study documenting health in adolescents having weight loss surgery (WLS)-presents preoperative/baseline data from 141 WLS adolescents and 83 nonsurgical comparisons (NSComps). Self-report data from adolescent and caregiver dyads characterize adolescent psychopathology and potential correlates.

The theory of interpersonal relations applied to the preceptor-new graduate relationship.

This article presents research results applying Peplau's Theory of Interpersonal Relations to the preceptor-new graduate relationship and describes implications for successful transition. These results will help nursing professional development educators with more appropriate preparation and assignment of preceptors.

Manipulating replisome dynamics to enhance lambda Red-mediated multiplex genome engineering.

Disrupting the interaction between primase and helicase in Escherichia coli increases Okazaki fragment (OF) length due to less frequent primer synthesis. We exploited this feature to increase the amount of ssDNA at the lagging strand of the replication fork that is available for λ Red-mediated Multiplex Automatable Genome Engineering (MAGE). Supporting this concept, we demonstrate that MAGE enhancements correlate with OF length.