Plasma vitamin D, past chest illness, and risk of future chest illness in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI): a longitudinal observational study.

Study Design: Observational study.

Objective: Assess associations between vitamin D levels and other risk factors on future chest illness in a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) cohort.

Setting: Veterans Affairs Boston and the Boston, MA community.

Correction: Clinical associations with telomere length in chronic spinal cord injury.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Rapid gastric emptying in diabetes mellitus: Pathophysiology and clinical importance.

Although slow gastric emptying (gastroparesis) is a well-known complication of chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus (DM), it recently has become clear that rapid gastric emptying also is a frequent and important diabetic complication. In contrast, acute hyperglycemia causes slow gastric emptying, and acute hypoglycemia causes rapid gastric emptying. Rapid gastric emptying is frequent in T2DM; however, it may also occur in T1DM, particularly in the early stages of the disease, but may persist even into late stages.

Comparison of Safety and Outcomes between Endoscopic and Surgical Resections of Small (≤ 5 cm) Primary Gastric Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors.

Background And Aims: Endoscopic resection is increasingly performed for gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). However, the safety and outcomes remain elusive. We aimed in this retrospective study to compare operative complications and prognosis between endoscopically and surgically resected small (≤ 5 cm) GIST tumor groups.

Clinical associations with telomere length in chronic spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study OBJECTIVES: To determine clinical factors associated with telomere length in persons with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI).

Setting: Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Boston, MA.

Methods: Two hundred seventy-eight participants with chronic SCI provided blood samples for measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and telomere length, completed respiratory health questionnaires, underwent dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess body fat, and completed spirometry.

Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Induce Intestinal Damage and Thrombotic Tendency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background And Aims: Despite the presence of neutrophil extracellular traps [NETs] in inflamed colon having been confirmed, the role of NETs, especially the circulating NETs, in the progression and thrombotic tendency of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] remains elusive. We extended our previous study to prove that NETs constitute a central component in the progression and prothrombotic state of IBD.

Methods: In all 48 consecutive patients with IBD were studied.

Workforce Analysis of Psychological Practice With Older Adults: Growing Crisis Requires Urgent Action.

As the proportion and sheer number of older adults in the United States continues to increase, we need to plan for their behavioral health care. Access to accurate data about current workforce characteristics in psychology can provide essential information to inform workforce planning. In this paper, we present results of the American Psychological Association's Center for Workforce Studies survey of psychologists, with a focus on older adults.

Risk Factors of Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with Early Pure and Mixed Signet Ring Cell Gastric Carcinomas.

: Early gastric carcinoma (EGC) with pure signet ring cell carcinoma (pSRCC) has been reported to have favourable prognosis and low risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM). However, risk factors of LNM and clinicopathological features for early gastric mixed signet ring cell carcinoma (mSRCC) remain poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors of LNM and compare clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of early gastric pSRCC with mSRCC.

Thalamic Reticular Nucleus Parvalbumin Neurons Regulate Sleep Spindles and Electrophysiological Aspects of Schizophrenia in Mice.

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is implicated in schizophrenia pathology. However, it remains unclear whether alterations of TRN activity can account for abnormal electroencephalographic activity observed in patients, namely reduced spindles (10-15 Hz) during sleep and increased delta (0.5-4 Hz) and gamma-band activity (30-80 Hz) during wakefulness.

Characteristics at the time of oxygen initiation associated with its adherence: Findings from the COPD Long-term Oxygen Treatment Trial.

Rationale: Characteristics associated with adherence to long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) in COPD remain unclear.

Objectives: To identify patient characteristics at the time of oxygen initiation associated with its adherence.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 359 COPD participants assigned to oxygen in the Long-term Oxygen Treatment Trial.

A National Survey on Didactic Curricula in Psychology Internship Training Programs.

Didactic curricula in psychology doctoral internship training programs in health service psychology are important components of the training experience. However, the nature of didactic curricula, including how they are developed and implemented, is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to describe characteristics of didactic programs, better understand their development, and identify barriers to implementation.

Ventral hippocampal overexpression of Cannabinoid Receptor Interacting Protein 1 (CNRIP1) produces a schizophrenia-like phenotype in the rat.

Adolescent cannabis use has been implicated as a risk factor for schizophrenia; however, it is neither necessary nor sufficient. Previous studies examining this association have focused primarily on the role of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) with relatively little known about a key regulatory protein, the cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1 (CNRIP1). CNRIP1 is an intracellular protein that interacts with the C-terminal tail of CB1R and regulates its intrinsic activity.

Validation of an automated sleep spindle detection method for mouse electroencephalography.

Study Objectives: Sleep spindles are abnormal in several neuropsychiatric conditions and have been implicated in associated cognitive symptoms. Accordingly, there is growing interest in elucidating the pathophysiology behind spindle abnormalities using rodent models of such disorders. However, whether sleep spindles can reliably be detected in mouse electroencephalography (EEG) is controversial necessitating careful validation of spindle detection and analysis techniques.

Randomized Trial of Endoscopic or Open Vein-Graft Harvesting for Coronary-Artery Bypass.

Background: The saphenous-vein graft is the most common conduit for coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG). The influence of the vein-graft harvesting technique on long-term clinical outcomes has not been well characterized.

Methods: We randomly assigned patients undergoing CABG at 16 Veterans Affairs cardiac surgery centers to either open or endoscopic vein-graft harvesting.

Partnerships in Neuroscience Research Between Small Colleges and Large Institutions: A Case Study.

There are advantages and limitations associated with a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at small, liberal arts colleges relative to larger universities. While there may be increased opportunity for personal attention and access to faculty, students at liberal arts colleges may not always have the opportunity to gain experience with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. Herein, we describe a case study of an inter-institutional partnership between Stonehill College and two neuroscience research laboratories which are part of the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System (VABHS).

Activation of basal forebrain purinergic P2 receptors promotes wakefulness in mice.

The functions of purinergic P2 receptors (P2Rs) for extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) are poorly understood. Here, for the first time, we show that activation of P2Rs in an important arousal region, the basal forebrain (BF), promotes wakefulness, whereas inhibition of P2Rs promotes sleep. Infusion of a non-hydrolysable P2R agonist, ATP-γ-S, into mouse BF increased wakefulness following sleep deprivation.

Pain is associated with continuing depression in cancer survivors.

Depression is common but under-diagnosed in cancer survivors. This study characterized depressive symptoms over one year in cancer survivors and examined disease-related and psychosocial predictors of depression severity. Participants (n = 122; M 65.

Indoor black carbon of outdoor origin and oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objectives: We assessed relationships between indoor black carbon (BC) exposure and urinary oxidative stress biomarkers, 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA), in participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: Eighty-two participants completed in-home air sampling for one week prior to providing urine samples up to four times in a year. Weekly indoor and daily outdoor concentrations were used to estimate indoor daily lags and moving averages.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and mortality in VA patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators.

Background: The association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mortality in patients undergoing implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placement has not been evaluated in US veterans.

Hypothesis: PTSD in veterans with ICD is associated with increased mortality.

Methods: We studied a retrospective cohort of 25 678 veterans who underwent ICD implantation between September 30, 2002, and December 31, 2011.

Assessment and Treatment Considerations for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at End of Life.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may first emerge, reemerge, or worsen as individuals approach end of life and may complicate the dying process. Unfortunately, lack of awareness of the occurrence and/or manifestation of PTSD at end of life can lead to PTSD going unaddressed. Even if PTSD is properly diagnosed, traditional evidence-based trauma-focused treatments may not be feasible or advisable with this group as many patients at end of life often lack the physical and mental stamina to participate in traditional psychotherapy.

A microengineered vascularized bleeding model that integrates the principal components of hemostasis.

Hemostasis encompasses an ensemble of interactions among platelets, coagulation factors, blood cells, endothelium, and hemodynamic forces, but current assays assess only isolated aspects of this complex process. Accordingly, here we develop a comprehensive in vitro mechanical injury bleeding model comprising an "endothelialized" microfluidic system coupled with a microengineered pneumatic valve that induces a vascular "injury". With perfusion of whole blood, hemostatic plug formation is visualized and "in vitro bleeding time" is measured.

High-grade serous ovarian and fallopian tube carcinomas with similar clinicopathological characteristics might originate from serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma in Chinese women.

Aims: This study aimed to compare the clinicopathological features, incidence, and prognosis between type II ovarian carcinoma (OC) and fallopian tube carcinoma (FTC) in Chinese women and to analyze the origin of high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC).

Methods: Three hundreds and seventy-four OC cases and 45 FTC cases were retrospectively studied with histomorphology, tissue microarray, and immunohistochemistry.

Results: Our data showed that the characteristics of OC and FTC in Chinese women were younger at diagnosis with worse prognosis.