Occupational Therapy and People Living with Scoliosis and Undermineralized Bones

Poster highlights work with 7 year old boy Brendan. Created Prone Pillow which can be used as a back rest. It also features a handle for carrying and a removable cover.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/id/1000/thumbnail.jp

Conferring legal personality on the world\u27s rivers: A brief intellectual assessment

The following compilation is substantially reproduced and adapted from a series of essays that appeared in the blog of the International Water Law Project (www.inter nationalwaterlaw.org). The series was solicited in response to the unique recent phenomenon in which a number of courts and legislatures around the world have conferred legal personality on particular rivers. What resulted is a fantastic, thoughtprovoking and timely compilation. In effect, various water bodies around the world have been accorded legal rights – some though legislative actions and others via judicial decisions – that in some jurisdictions, equate with those recognized in human beings. Although there may be interesting parallels in rights accorded to corporations, children and the intellectually challenged, the practical implications of these particular actions are still not well recognized or understood. Harkening back to Christopher Stone’s remarkable 1972 article ‘Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects’, the series pursued some of the most fascinating and perplexing issues surrounding legal personality in rivers. What actual rights might such legal personality provide? How does a river represent itself in court and before other societal institutions? If a river can suffer harm and sue alleged perpetrators of that harm, might it be subject to lawsuits for damages it might inflict as a result of flooding? What resources might a river have at its disposal to protect its rights? Does the recognition of such rights comport with the rights, interests and perspective of indigenous peoples? These are just some of the unique issues considered in these provocative essays. The legislative and judicial actions discussed in this series are a novel legal approach to the management of critical freshwater resources. These mechanisms, however, have yet to be fully evaluated, scrutinized and tested. The essays that follow constitute a thought-provoking effort to contribute to that assessment. Moreover, they were written with the sincere objective of ensuring the sustainability of unique freshwater resources around the world. The International Water Law Project is itself a unique institution. Existing solely on the Internet, the website is one of the premier resources and clearinghouses for information on international water law and policy. Its purpose is to educate and provide relevant resources to researchers and the public and to facilitate cooperation over the world’s freshwater resources

Prevalence and Predictors of Diabetic Retinopathy, Its Progression and Regression in Indian Children and Youth With Type-1 Diabetes

Objective:: There are very few reports on the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in children and youth with type-1 diabetes (T1D). Studies have also found very low rates of referral for DR screening in children and youth with T1D. We conducted this study to determine the prevalence of DR, to study the reliability of ISPAD screening recommendations and to identify predictors of DR, its progression and regression in Indian children and youth with T1D. Methods:: This study included 882 children and youth with T1D. Demographic data, anthropometry, blood pressure, sexual maturity rating, ophthalmological examination (slit lamp for cataract) and biochemical measurements were performed using standard protocols. Fundus images were captured using the Forus Health 3netra classic digital non-mydriatic fundus camera by the same experienced operator. De-identified images were assessed by a senior grader and ophthalmologist (Belfast Ophthalmic Reading Center). Severity of DR was graded as per the UK National Health Service (NHS) DR classification scale. Result:: We report 6.4% and 0.2% prevalence of DR and cataract in Indian children and youth with T1D, respectively. All the subjects with DR had early non-proliferative DR. We report that amongst subjects with DR, only 2 subjects were aged less than 11 years and had duration of illness less than 2 years. Presence of hypertension and older age were significant predictors of DR (P < .05). Subjects with DR had significantly higher triglyceride concentrations (P < .05), of these, 6.9% had progression and 2.9% had regression at 1 year follow up; the change in glycaemic control was a significant positive predictor of progression of DR (P < .05). None of the participants included in the study progressed to develop sight-threatening DR. Conclusion:: DR is not uncommon in Indian children and youth with T1D, thus screening for DR needs to be initiated early, particularly in older individuals with higher disease duration. Controlling blood pressure and triglyceride concentrations may prevent occurrence of DR. Improving glycaemic control may prevent progression of DR in Indian children and youth with T1D

Analyzing Tweeting Patterns and Public Engagement on Twitter During the Recognition Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of Two U.S. States

The abundance of available information on social media can provide invaluable insights into people\u27s responses to health information and public health guidance concerning COVID-19. This study examines tweeting patterns and public engagement on Twitter, as forms of social media, related to public health messaging in two U.S. states (Washington and Louisiana) during the early stage of the pandemic. We analyze more than 7M tweets and 571K COVID-19-related tweets posted by users in the two states over the first 25 days of the pandemic in the U.S. (Feb. 23, 2020, to Mar. 18, 2020). We also qualitatively code and examine 460 tweets posted by selected governmental official accounts during the same period for public engagement analysis. We use various methods for analyzing the data, including statistical analysis, sentiment analysis, and word usage metrics, to find inter- and intra-state disparities of tweeting patterns and public engagement with health messaging. Our findings reveal that users in Washington were more active on Twitter than users in Louisiana in terms of the total number and density of COVID-19-related tweets during the early stage of the pandemic. Our correlation analysis results for counties or parishes show that the Twitter activities (tweet density, COVID-19 tweet density, and user density) were positively correlated with population density in both states at the 0.01 level of significance. Our sentiment analysis results demonstrate that the average daily sentiment scores of all and COVID-19-related tweets in Washington were consistently higher than those in Louisiana during this period. While the daily average sentiment scores of COVID-19-related tweets were in the negative range, the scores of all tweets were in the positive range in both states. Lastly, our analysis of governmental Twitter accounts found that these accounts\u27 messages were most commonly meant to spread information about the pandemic, but that users were most likely to engage with tweets that requested readers take action, such as hand washing

Elizabeth Koch, oboe and John Warren, clarinet

Kennnesaw State University School of Music presents Faculty Recital: Elizabeth Koch, oboe and John Warren, clarinet.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1546/thumbnail.jp

Persistent increased severity of cannabis use disorder symptoms in adolescents compared to adults: a one-year longitudinal study

Adolescence is a developmental period characterised by increased vulnerability to cannabis use disorder (CUD). However, previous investigations of this vulnerability have relied on cross-sectional comparisons and lack a detailed assessment of cannabis quantity, a potentially important confounding factor. Here, we aimed to investigate the one-year course of CUD in adolescents compared to adults who currently use cannabis, adjusting for a comprehensive measure of cannabis quantity. Data are from a one-year observational longitudinal study (CannTeen) of adolescents and adults who currently used cannabis regularly with five waves of assessment at 3-monthly intervals, based in London, UK. Participants were n = 70 adults (26-29, 45.7% female), who did not regularly use cannabis when they were under age 18, and n = 76 adolescents (16-17, 50.0% female). The exposure was adolescent (compared to adult) frequent cannabis use. The primary outcome was CUD symptoms measured using the cannabis use disorder identification test revised (CUDIT-R) at five time points. Models were adjusted for cannabis quantity using mean weekly standard THC units (one unit = 5 mg THC). Other covariates included gender, and whether each session occurred before or during the COVID-19 pandemic. In models adjusted for pre-registered covariates, adolescents scored 3.7 points higher on the CUDIT-R compared to the adult group across the 5 assessment waves (3.66 95% CIs 1.99, 5.34). There was also evidence of a linear reduction in symptoms over time in both groups (-0.47, 95%CIs -0.67, -0.27). Adolescents had persistently increased CUD symptoms compared to adults across the 12-month period. This association was robust after adjusting for the quantity of cannabis consumed and other covariates.</p

Enhanced cannabis timeline followback (EC-TLFB):Comprehensive assessment of cannabis use including standard THC units and validation through biological measures

AIMS: The aims of this study were to present an enhanced cannabis timeline followback (EC-TLFB) enabling comprehensive assessment of cannabis use measures, including standard tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) units, and to validate these against objectively indexed urinary 11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) concentrations.DESIGN: We used cross-sectional baseline data from the 'CannTeen' observational longitudinal study.SETTING: The study was conducted in London, UK.PARTICIPANTS: A total of 147 participants who used cannabis regularly took part in the study (n = 71 female, n = 76 male; mean age = 21.90, standard deviation = 5.32).MEASUREMENTS: The EC-TLFB was used to calculate frequency of cannabis use, method of administration, including co-administration with tobacco, amount of cannabis used (measured with unaided self-report and also using pictorial aided self-report) and type of cannabis product (flower, hash) which was used to estimate THC concentration (both from published data on THC concentration of products and analysis of cannabis samples donated by participants in this study). We calculated total weekly standard THC units (i.e. 5 mg THC for all cannabis products and methods of administration) using the EC-TLFB. The outcome variable for validation of past week EC-TLFB assessments was creatinine-normalized carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in urine.FINDINGS: All measures of cannabis exposure included in this analysis were positively correlated with levels of THC-COOH in urine (r = 0.41-0.52). Standard THC units, calculated with average concentrations of THC in cannabis in the UK and unaided self-report measures of amount of cannabis used in grams showed the strongest correlation with THC-COOH in urine (r = 0.52, 95% bias-corrected and accelerated = 0.26-0.70).CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced cannabis timeline followback (EC-TLFB) can provide a valid assessment of a comprehensive set of cannabis use measures including standard tetrahydrocannabinol units as well as and traditional TLFB assessments (e.g. frequency of use and grams of cannabis use).</p

Associations between regular cannabis use and brain resting-state functional connectivity in adolescents and adults

Background/aim: Cannabis use is highly prevalent in adolescents; however, little is known about its effects on adolescent brain function. Method: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used in matched groups of regular cannabis users (N = 70, 35 adolescents: 16–17 years old, 35 adults: 26–29 years old) and non-regular-using controls (N = 70, 35 adolescents/35 adults). Pre-registered analyses examined the connectivity of seven major cortical and sub-cortical brain networks (default mode network, executive control network (ECN), salience network, hippocampal network and three striatal networks) using seed-based analysis methods with cross-sectional comparisons between user groups and age groups. Results: The regular cannabis use group (across both age groups), relative to controls, showed localised increases in connectivity only in the ECN analysis. All networks showed localised connectivity differences based on age group, with the adolescents generally showing weaker connectivity than adults, consistent with the developmental effects. Mean connectivity across entire network regions of interest (ROIs) was also significantly decreased in the ECN in adolescents. However, there were no significant interactions found between age group and user group in any of the seed-based or ROI analyses. There were also no associations found between cannabis use frequency and any of the derived connectivity measures. Conclusion: Regular cannabis use is associated with changes in connectivity of the ECN, which may reflect allostatic or compensatory changes in response to regular cannabis intoxication. However, these associations were not significantly different in adolescents compared to adults.</p

Associations between regular cannabis use and brain resting-state functional connectivity in adolescents and adults

BACKGROUND/AIM: Cannabis use is highly prevalent in adolescents; however, little is known about its effects on adolescent brain function. METHOD: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used in matched groups of regular cannabis users (N = 70, 35 adolescents: 16-17 years old, 35 adults: 26-29 years old) and non-regular-using controls (N = 70, 35 adolescents/35 adults). Pre-registered analyses examined the connectivity of seven major cortical and sub-cortical brain networks (default mode network, executive control network (ECN), salience network, hippocampal network and three striatal networks) using seed-based analysis methods with cross-sectional comparisons between user groups and age groups. RESULTS: The regular cannabis use group (across both age groups), relative to controls, showed localised increases in connectivity only in the ECN analysis. All networks showed localised connectivity differences based on age group, with the adolescents generally showing weaker connectivity than adults, consistent with the developmental effects. Mean connectivity across entire network regions of interest (ROIs) was also significantly decreased in the ECN in adolescents. However, there were no significant interactions found between age group and user group in any of the seed-based or ROI analyses. There were also no associations found between cannabis use frequency and any of the derived connectivity measures. CONCLUSION: Regular cannabis use is associated with changes in connectivity of the ECN, which may reflect allostatic or compensatory changes in response to regular cannabis intoxication. However, these associations were not significantly different in adolescents compared to adults

Reducing Our Waste in Bloomington-Normal, IL

The purpose of this report is to inform public officials, the Ecology Action Center, and Bloomington/Normal residents of current habits, unmet needs and areas for improvement concerning community recycling programs. The findings are based on a survey of 290 Bloomington/Normal households, as well as interviews conducted with key stakeholders in the community. One of the more significant findings was the almost universal support for the expansion of the curbside recycling program in the area. Respondents also reported a general dissatisfaction with the current state of apartment recycling efforts, and support of the implementation of mandatory recycling in school districts. To conclude, we make recommendations for improvement of the Bloomington/Normal recycling programs