IL-5 mediates monocyte phenotype and pain outcomes in fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by widespread chronic pain, fatigue, and somatic symptoms. The influence of phenotypic changes in monocytes on symptoms associated with FM is not fully understood. The primary aim of this study was to take a comprehensive whole-body to molecular approach in characterizing relationships between monocyte phenotype and FM symptoms in relevant clinical populations.

Clinical Update for Physical Therapists: Coagulopathy and COVID-19.

Physical therapists have a unique role in both prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) through the promotion of early mobility and physical activity and diagnosis through discovery of signs and symptoms of VTE. This Perspective updates clinicians on the latest information regarding pathophysiology of coagulopathy associated with COVID-19 and applies VTE clinical practice guidelines to COVID-19 in order to provide guidance on physical therapist management.

Rapid evolution and plasticity of genitalia.

Genital morphology exhibits tremendous variation and is intimately linked with fitness. Sexual selection, nonmating natural selection and neutral forces have been explored as potential drivers of genital divergence. Though less explored, genitalia may also be plastic in response to the developmental environment.

Assimilation of the Pediatric Essential Core Competencies by Professional Physical Therapist Education Programs.

Purpose: This study examined the degree to which pediatric essential core competencies (ECCs) are meeting their intended purpose to provide guidance to pediatric educators in professional physical therapy (PT) education programs and to determine facilitators, barriers, and recommendations to implementation of ECCs in curricula.

Methods: Pediatric PT educators from professional PT education programs were recruited to participate in a survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze close-ended questions for frequency of responses and content analysis to generate themes.

Relationship between soleus H-reflex asymmetry and postural control in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Impaired postural control is a common symptom in people with multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis frequently presents with asymmetric motor involvement. One measurement yet to be evaluated for asymmetry in people with multiple sclerosis is the soleus Hoffmann reflex.

Evaluation is treatment for low back pain.

: To investigate the effect of the examination process (history taking and physical examination) on pain and function. : An observational cohort trial of patients presenting to outpatient physical therapy clinics for the first time with low back pain (n = 34, 57.7 ± 18.

Light availability and rhizobium variation interactively mediate the outcomes of legume-rhizobium symbiosis.

Premise: Nutrients, light, water, and temperature are key factors limiting the growth of individual plants in nature. Mutualistic interactions between plants and microbes often mediate resource limitation for both partners. In the mutualism between legumes and rhizobia, plants provide rhizobia with carbon in exchange for fixed nitrogen.

Nurse Continuity at Discharge and Return to Hospital.

Background: Promoting continuity of nurse assignment during discharge care has the potential to increase patient readiness for discharge-which has been associated with fewer readmissions and emergency department visits. The few studies that examined nurse continuity during acute care hospitalizations did not focus on discharge or postdischarge outcomes.

Objectives: The aim of this research was to examine the association of continuity in nurse assignment to patients prior to hospital discharge with return to hospital (readmission and emergency department or observation visits), including exploration of the mediating pathway through patient readiness for discharge and moderating effects of unit environment and unit nurse characteristics.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Reduces Movement-Evoked Pain and Fatigue: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Objective: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by pain and fatigue, particularly during physical activity. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) activates endogenous pain inhibitory mechanisms. This study was undertaken to investigate if using TENS during activity would improve movement-evoked pain and other patient-reported outcomes in women with FM.

Participants' Perceptions and the Implementation of a Physical Fitness Screen for Aging Adults.

Background And Purpose: Physical therapists have been called upon to conduct annual screens focused on optimizing movement and slowing the progression of impairments in body functions. Screens are thought to be important, especially in an aging population, but there are limited data on participants' impression of screening and their implementation into practice. The first objective of this study was to examine aging adults' perception of a physical therapist-led physical fitness screening tool, the Adult Functional Independence Test (A-Fit).

Authentic Science with Dissemination Increases Self-Efficacy of Middle School Students.

Ethnically and gender diverse groups are more efficient, creative, and productive than homogeneous groups, yet women and minorities are underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. One contributor is unequal access to high-quality STEM education based on socioeconomic status and race, which we may be able to address through inquiry-based out-of-school time programs. Here we describe a 6-month after-school program that allows an underrepresented community of middle school students to conduct original scientific research that they present at a conference each year.

Individual Nurse Productivity in Preparing Patients for Discharge Is Associated With Patient Likelihood of 30-Day Return to Hospital.

Objective: Applied to value-based health care, the economic term "individual productivity" refers to the quality of an outcome attributable through a care process to an individual clinician. This study aimed to (1) estimate and describe the discharge preparation productivities of individual acute care nurses and (2) examine the association between the discharge preparation productivity of the discharging nurse and the patient's likelihood of a 30-day return to hospital [readmission and emergency department (ED) visits].

Research Design: Secondary analysis of patient-nurse data from a cluster-randomized multisite study of patient discharge readiness and readmission.

Immediate effect of pain neuroscience education for recent onset low back pain: an exploratory single arm trial.

: A prospective, single-arm, pre-postintervention study.: To determine the preliminary usefulness of providing pain neuroscience education (PNE) on improving pain and movement in patients presenting with non-chronic mechanical low back pain (LBP).: PNE has been shown to be an effective intervention for the treatment of chronic LBP but its usefulness in patients with non-chronic LBP has not been examined.

Modeling and economic analysis of waste tire gasification in fluidized and fixed bed gasifiers.

Waste tires have an organic-matter composition of more than 90% and have been proposed as an excellent calorific fuel material. The objective of this study is to find an economic and efficient pathway for producing syngas by waste tires gasification. To achieve this goal, two most commonly used gasifier types of fluidized bed and fixed bed have been simulated and compared by using a semi-empirical model and a one-dimensional kinetics model, respectively.

Effects of Pain Neuroscience Education on Physician Assistant Students Understanding of Pain and Attitudes and Beliefs About Pain.

Purpose: Evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of two different pain neuroscience education (PNE) lectures provided to physician assistant (PA) students. Primary outcomes explored were knowledge of pain and shift in attitudes and beliefs about chronic pain after the lecture.

Methods: A PNE lecture was provided at two separate university PA programs.

Effect of Implementing Discharge Readiness Assessment in Adult Medical-Surgical Units on 30-Day Return to Hospital: The READI Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The downward trend in readmissions has recently slowed. New enhancements to hospital readmission reduction efforts are needed. Structured assessment of patient readiness for discharge has been recommended as an addition to discharge preparation standards of care to assist with tailoring of risk-mitigating actions.

White Paper: Movement System Diagnoses in Neurologic Physical Therapy.

Background And Purpose: The APTA recently established a vision for physical therapists to transform society by optimizing movement to promote health and wellness, mitigate impairments, and prevent disability. An important element of this vision entails the integration of the movement system into the profession, and necessitates the development of movement system diagnoses by physical therapists. At this point in time, the profession as a whole has not agreed upon diagnostic classifications or guidelines to assist in developing movement system diagnoses that will consistently capture an individual's movement problems.

Review of differentiated approaches to antiretroviral therapy distribution.

In response to global trends of maximizing the number of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), this review summarizes literature describing differentiated models of ART distribution at facility and community levels in order to highlight promising strategies and identify evidence gaps. Databases and gray literature were searched, yielding thirteen final articles on differentiated ART distribution models supporting stable adult patients. Of these, seven articles focused on distribution at facility level and six at community level.

The effect of manual therapy and neuroplasticity education on chronic low back pain: a randomized clinical trial.

Objective: To determine if a neuroplasticity educational explanation for a manual therapy technique will produce a different outcome compared to a traditional mechanical explanation.

Methods: Sixty-two patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) were recruited for the study. Following consent, demographic data were obtained as well as pain ratings for low back pain (LBP) and leg pain (Numeric Pain Rating Scale), disability (Oswestry Disability Index), fear-avoidance (Fear-Avoidance-Beliefs Questionnaire), forward flexion (fingertips-to-floor), and straight leg raise (SLR) (inclinometer).

Effect of Heterogeneous Sediment Distributions on Hyporheic Flow in Physical and Numerical Models.

Variations in permeability have been found to significantly affect the flow of water though hyporheic systems, especially in regions with discontinuous transitions between distinct streambed lithologies. In this study, we probabilistically arranged two sediments (sand and sandy gravel) in a grid framework and imposed a single hyporheic flow cell across the grid to investigate how discontinuous permeability fields influence volumetric flow and residence time distributions. We used both a physical system and computer simulations to model flow through this sediment grid.

Addressing neurodynamic irritability in a patient with adhesive capsulitis: a case report.

Background: Patients with adhesive capsulitis are commonly seen by physical therapists. Pain and limited shoulder motion from adhesive capsulitis have at times been linked to neural irritation. The purpose of this case is to describe the examination and intervention of a patient with adhesive capsulitis who appeared to have a coexisting, underlying neural irritation.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Leads to Improvements in Activity Limitations.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to identify the number of participants who enter cardiac rehabilitation with an activity limitation and assess whether a cardiac rehabilitation program leads to improvements in activity, demonstrated through changes in gait speed and the 5-times-sit-to-stand test (FTSST).

Methods: This study utilized a 1-group pretest-posttest design. Gait speed and FTSST were measured at the start and end of cardiac rehabilitation.

A randomised controlled trial of 'clockwise' ultrasound for low back pain.

Aims: To examine how the choice of words explaining ultrasound (US) may influence the outcome of physiotherapy treatment for low back pain (LBP).

Methods: Sixty-seven patients with LBP < 3 months were randomly allocated to one of three groups - traditional education about US (control group [CG]), inflated education about US (experimental group [EG]) or extra-inflated education about US (extra-experimental group [EEG]). Each patient received the exact same application of US that has shown clinical efficacy for LBP (1.

Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), diabetes and trajectories of change in episodic memory performance.

Background: As the ageing population grows, it is important to identify strategies to moderate cognitive ageing.

Objective: We examined glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and diabetes in relation to level and change in episodic memory in older adults with and without diabetes.

Methods: Data from 4419 older adults with (n=950) and without (n=3469) diabetes participating in a nationally representative longitudinal panel study (the Health and Retirement Study) were examined.