Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Treatment of Acute Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.

There has been no major advancement in a quarter of a century for the treatment of acute severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This review summarizes 40 years of clinical and pre-clinical research on the treatment of acute TBI with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) in the context of an impending National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke-funded, multi-center, randomized, adaptive Phase II clinical trial -the Hyperbaric Oxygen Brain Injury Treatment (HOBIT) trial. Thirty studies (eight clinical and 22 pre-clinical) that administered HBO within 30 days of a TBI were identified from PubMed searches.

Prophylactic Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Obese Patients Following Cesarean Delivery.

Objective: Negative pressure therapy (NPT) offers the potential to reduce infection in obese patients. The goal of this study was to explore the association between NPT use and infection after cesarean delivery among obese women.

Methods: We initiated a hospital protocol wherein women with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 kg/m or greater who delivered after January 1, 2011 were to receive NPT following cesarean section.

Evaluating Patient Preferences for Different Incentive Programs to Optimize Pharmacist-Provided Patient Care Program Enrollment.

Background: Employers have increased efforts to engage employees in health and wellness programs. Providing employees with incentives to participate in these programs has been shown to improve overall enrollment and engagement. One program that has had challenges with enrollment and engagement is medication therapy management (MTM).

Weight Loss Strategies Utilized in a Men's Weight Loss Intervention.

Men are underrepresented in weight loss programs and little is currently known about the weight loss strategies men prefer. This study describes the weight loss strategies used by men during a men-only weight loss program. At baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, participants reported how frequently they used 45 weight loss strategies including strategies frequently recommended by the program (i.

Is the Assessment of Personality Comparable in Persons Who Have and Have Not Experienced Depressive, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders? An Examination of Measurement Invariance.

Numerous studies have focused on characterizing personality differences between individuals with and without psychopathology. For drawing valid conclusions for these comparisons, the personality instruments used must demonstrate psychometric equivalence. However, we are unaware of any studies that examine measurement invariance in personality across individuals with and without psychopathology.

Strategies for Developing Family Nursing Communities of Practice Through Social Media.

This discussion article presents communities of practice (CoPs) and bridging social capital as conceptual frameworks to demonstrate how social media can be leveraged for family nursing knowledge, scholarship, and practice. CoPs require a shared domain of interest, exchange of resources, and dedication to expanding group knowledge. Used strategically and with a professional presence, mainstream social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube can support the family nurse in developing and contributing to CoPs related to family nursing.

Intravenous Vancomycin Associated With the Development of Nephrotoxicity in Patients With Class III Obesity.

Background: A consensus statement recommends initial intravenous (IV) vancomycin dosing of 15-20 mg/kg every 8- 24 hours, with an optional 25- to 30-mg/kg loading dose. Although some studies have shown an association between weight and the development of vancomycin-associated nephrotoxicity, results have been inconsistent.

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between incidence of nephrotoxicity associated with weight-based IV vancomycin dosing strategies in nonobese and obese patients.

Does Health Coaching Grow Capacity in Cancer Survivors? A Systematic Review.

Interventions that grow patient capacity to do the work of health care and life are needed to support the health of cancer survivors. Health coaching may grow capacity. This systematic review of health coaching interventions explored coaching's ability to grow capacity of cancer survivors.

Increasing Social Support for Breakfast: Project BreakFAST.

Unlabelled: High school students in the United States are known to be frequent skippers of breakfast. Social support is one key element needed to encourage adolescents to consume school breakfast. This article presents an analysis of the influence of a school policy and environment change intervention on the social support of adolescents to eat breakfast.

Initially intact neural responses to pain in autism are diminished during sustained pain.

Pain assessments typically depend on self-report of the pain experience. Yet, in individuals with autism spectrum disorders, this can be an unreliable due to communication difficulties. Importantly, observations of behavioral hypo- and hyperresponsivity to pain suggest altered pain sensitivity in autism spectrum disorder.

Correlates of Human Papillomavirus Infection Among a National Sample of Sexual Minority Women.

Background: Many sexual minority women are infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), yet little is known about correlates of HPV infection among this population.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed data from a national sample of sexual minority women (i.e.

The Stoplight Program: A Proactive Physical Therapy Intervention for Children With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Chemotherapy may cause neuromuscular impairments that can have life-long effects. The Stoplight Program (SLP) was developed as a proactive physical therapy (PT) intervention directed at impairments in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this program evaluation, we assessed the feasibility of the SLP delivered as part of standard care and identified body function and activity patterns in patients who received the intervention.

Establishing a Large-Animal Model for In Vivo Reprogramming of Bile Duct Cells into Insulin-Secreting Cells to Treat Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes manifests as autoimmune destruction of beta cells requiring metabolic management with an exogenous replacement of insulin, either by repeated injection of recombinant insulin or by transplantation of allogeneic islets from cadaveric donors. Both of these approaches have severe limitations. Repeated insulin injection requires intensive blood glucose monitoring, is expensive, and is associated with decreased quality-of-life measures.

Antimicrobial Peptides: Mechanisms of Action and Resistance.

More than 40 antimicrobial peptides and proteins (AMPs) are expressed in the oral cavity. These AMPs have been organized into 6 functional groups, 1 of which, cationic AMPs, has received extensive attention in recent years for their promise as potential antibiotics. The goal of this review is to describe recent advances in our understanding of the diverse mechanisms of action of cationic AMPs and the bacterial resistance against these peptides.

Self-Control and Emotional and Verbal Aggression in Dating Relationships: A Dyadic Understanding.

Guided by the dynamic developmental systems perspective, this study extends past research by examining the association between self-control and emotional and verbal aggression (EVA) using a dyadic multi-method design. Guided by empirical research and the dynamic developmental systems perspective, we hypothesized that (a) there would be a negative association between one's own self-control and one's own perpetration of EVA and (b) there would also be a negative association between one's partner's self-control and one's own perpetration of EVA. One hundred twenty heterosexual dating couples (ages 18-25 years) provided data on self-control (Grasmick et al.

Soil Correlates and Mortality from Giraffe Skin Disease in Tanzania.

Giraffe skin disease (GSD) is a disorder of undetermined etiology that causes lesions on the forelimbs of Masai giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) in Tanzania, East Africa. We examined soil correlates of prevalence of GSD from 951 giraffe in 14 sites in Tanzania, and estimated mortality using 3 yr of longitudinal mark-recapture data from 382 giraffe with and without GSD lesions, in Tarangire National Park (TNP). Spatial variation in GSD prevalence was best explained by soil fertility, measured as cation exchange capacity.

Evaluation of a Potential Interaction Between New Regimens to Treat Hepatitis C and Warfarin.

Objective: New regimens to treat hepatitis C virus infection have expanded the eligible patient population to include more patients receiving concurrent warfarin. The primary objective of this study was to assess whether a drug interaction occurs when these regimens are added to warfarin therapy.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort design using a nationwide database of the Veterans Affairs Health System.

Impact of a Vitamin D Protocol in Pregnancy at an Urban Women's Health Clinic.

Background: Adequate vitamin D levels are important during pregnancy for maternal and fetal health. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and appropriate treatment during pregnancy are not well documented.

Objectives: This study aims to identify the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women and analyze the impact of a vitamin D protocol on achieving sufficient vitamin D levels.

Psychometric analysis of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags for autism spectrum disorder in toddlers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags as an observational level-two screening measure to detect risk for autism spectrum disorder in toddlers when used with a video-recorded administration of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales. Psychometric properties of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags were examined in a sample of 247 toddlers of 16- to 24 months old: 130 with autism spectrum disorder, 61 with developmental delays, and 56 typically developing. Individual items were examined for performance to create an algorithm with improved sensitivity and specificity, yielding a total Composite score and Domain scores for Social Communication and Restricted Repetitive Behaviors.

Adapting Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Service Use to Examine Risk Factors for Hypertension Among U.S. MSM.

Hypertension affects nearly a third of U.S. adult males and is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but there is a paucity of hypertension research among men who have sex with men (MSM).

Double- and Triple-Duty Caregiving Men: An Examination of Subjective Stress and Perceived Schedule Control.

Based on the stress process model of family caregiving, this study examined subjective stress appraisals and perceived schedule control among men employed in the long-term care industry (workplace-only caregivers) who concurrently occupied unpaid family caregiving roles for children (double-duty child caregivers), older adults (double-duty elder caregivers), and both children and older adults (triple-duty caregivers). Survey responses from 123 men working in nursing home facilities in the United States were analyzed using multiple linear regression models. Results indicated that workplace-only and double- and triple-duty caregivers' appraised primary stress similarly.

Relationships of Attention and Executive Functions to Oral Language, Reading, and Writing Skills and Systems in Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence.

Relationships between attention/executive functions and language learning were investigated in students in Grades 4 to 9 ( N = 88) with and without specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in multiword syntax in oral and written language (OWL LD), word reading and spelling (dyslexia), and subword letter writing (dysgraphia). Prior attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis was correlated only with impaired handwriting. Parental ratings of inattention, but not hyperactivity, correlated with measures of written language but not oral language.

Is Women's Empowerment Associated With Help-Seeking for Spousal Violence in India?

Violence against women by their husbands is a problem for women worldwide. However, the majority of women do not seek help. This article presents findings from a national survey in India on empowerment-related correlates of help-seeking behaviors for currently married women who experienced spousal violence.

Does the Volume of Post-Acute Care Affect Quality of Life in Nursing Homes?

Although short-stay, post-acute nursing home stays are increasing, little is known about the impact of volume of post-acute care on quality of life (QOL) within nursing homes. We analyzed data from the 2010 Minnesota QOL and Consumer Satisfaction survey ( N = 13,433 residents within 377 facilities) and federal Minimum Data Set to determine the influence of living in a facility with an above-average proportion of post-acute care residents on six domains of resident QOL. In bivariate analyses, an above-average proportion of Medicare-funded post-acute care had a significant negative influence on four domains (mood, environment, food, engagement) and overall facility QOL.

Reactive Liftoff of Crystalline Cellulose Particles.

The condition of heat transfer to lignocellulosic biomass particles during thermal processing at high temperature (>400 °C) dramatically alters the yield and quality of renewable energy and fuels. In this work, crystalline cellulose particles were discovered to lift off heated surfaces by high speed photography similar to the Leidenfrost effect in hot, volatile liquids. Order of magnitude variation in heat transfer rates and cellulose particle lifetimes was observed as intermediate liquid cellulose droplets transitioned from low temperature wetting (500-600 °C) to fully de-wetted, skittering droplets on polished surfaces (>700 °C).