Patient Demographics at an Urban Acupuncture Teaching Clinic

The primary aim of our study was to describe the demographic characteristics of acupuncture patients in an urban teaching clinic and the diagnoses of those patients. The demographics of those seeking acupuncture treatments at the University of Bridgeport Acupuncture Institute clinic are primarily female, mostly Caucasian, with an average age of 55.7 years. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) patient demographics at an urban teaching clinic match those in other settings around the world

Patient safety & satisfaction with Electroacupuncture in a teaching clinic, a survey of interns and patients

Acupuncture, including electroacupuncture, is an important modality in TCM therapies. Acupuncture is increasingly used in Europe and North America. Its widening acceptance demands continual safety assessment. This pilot study was to evaluate the frequency and severity of adverse events (AEs) for electroacupuncture in a teaching clinic. Needle-only acupuncture has a high patient satisfaction rate and low adverse event (AE) rate. Our study demonstrated that the satisfaction with and safety of electroacupuncture and needle-only acupuncture are similar

The Effects of Mind Mapping Activities on Students\u27 Motivation

We examined how students‟ motivation differed when they participated in three different types of mind mapping activities: one activity that was completed individually outside of class time, one that was completed individually in class with the instructor available for help, and one that was completed in class with other students and the instructor available for help. Using the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation (Jones, 2009) as a framework, we implemented a concurrent mixed methods design using identical samples whereby the quantitative component was dominant over the qualitative component. Participants included 40 undergraduate students enrolled in an educational psychology course at a U.S. university. After each of the mind mapping activities, study participants completed questionnaires that included open- and closed-ended items. Although the three activities had similar effects on students‟ motivation-related beliefs, some differences were documented in their preferences of mind mapping activities. Instructional implications are provided

Next-generation sequencing of prostate cancer: genomic and pathway alterations, potential actionability patterns, and relative rate of use of clinical-grade testing.

Despite being one of the most common cancers, treatment options for prostate cancer are limited. Novel approaches for advanced disease are needed. We evaluated the relative rate of use of clinical-grade next generation sequencing (NGS) in prostate cancer, as well as genomic alterations identified and their potential actionability. Of 4864 patients from multiple institutions for whom NGS was ordered by physicians, only 67 (1.4%) had prostate cancer, representing 1/10 the ordering rate for lung cancer. Prostate cancers harbored 148 unique alterations affecting 63 distinct genes. No two patients had an identical molecular portfolio. The median number of characterized genomic alterations per patient was 3 (range, 1 to 9). Fifty-six of 67 patients (84%) had ≥ 1 potentially actionable alteration. TMPRSS2 fusions affected 28.4% of patients. Genomic aberrations were most frequently detected in TP53 (55.2% of patients), PTEN (29.9%), MYC (17.9%), PIK3CA (13.4%), APC (9.0%), BRCA2 (9.0%), CCND1 (9.0%), and RB1 genes (9.0%). The PI3K (52.2% of patients), WNT (13.5%), DNA repair (17.9%), cell cycle (19.4%), and MAPK (14.9%) machinery were commonly impacted. A minority of patients harbored BRAF, NTRK, ERBB2, or mismatch repair gene abnormalities, which are highly druggable in some cancers. Only ~ 10% of prostate cancer trials (clinicaltrials.gov, year 2017) applied a (non-hormone) biomarker before intervention. In conclusion, though use of clinical-grade NGS is relatively low and only a minority of trials deploy DNA-based biomarkers, many prostate cancer-associated molecular alterations may be pharmacologically tractable with genomcially targeted therapy or, in the case of mismatch repair anomalies, with checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy

Preference-for-Solitude and Adjustment Difficulties in Early and Late Adolescence

Social withdrawal has been associated with adjustment difficulties across development. Although much is known about shyness, little is known about preference-for-solitude; even less is known about its relations with adjustment across different periods of adolescence. We examined whether preference-for-solitude might be differentially associated with adjustment difficulties in early and late adolescence. Self- and parent-reports of withdrawal motivations and adjustment were collected from 234 eighth graders (113 boys; M age = 13.43) and 204 twelfth graders (91 boys; M age = 17.25). Results from structural equation modeling demonstrated that above and beyond the effects of shyness, preference-for-solitude was more strongly associated with adjustment difficulties in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Preference-for-solitude was associated with greater anxiety/depression, emotion dysregulation, and lower self-esteem in 8th grade; these relations were not found in 12th grade. Although preference-for-solitude was associated with lower social competence in both 8th and 12th grades, this relation was significantly stronger in 8th grade than in 12th grade. Findings suggest preference-for-solitude has closer ties to maladjustment in early adolescence than in late adolescence. Interventions targeting preferred-solitary youth in early adolescence may be particularly fruitfu

A Monographic Revision Of The Genus \u3ci\u3eHoplopyga\u3c/i\u3e Thomson, 1880 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini)

A comprehensive revision of the genus Hoplopyga Thomson, 1880 is presented. Eighteen species are redescribed, and two new species are described. A key for identification, distribution maps, and images of the 20 species are provided. Hoplopyga ruteri Antoine is removed from the genus and placed in junior synonymy with Macrocranius similis Schürhoff. Lectotypes are designated for Hoplopyga brasiliensis (Gory and Percheron), Hoplopyga corumbana Schürhoff, and Hoplopyga multipunctata (Gory and Percheron). The following new synonymies are established: Hoplopyga lucidiventris (Thomson) is Hoplopyga foeda (Schaum); Hoplopyga spurca (Janson) is Hoplopyga liturata (Olivier); Hoplopyga monacha (Gory and Percheron) and Hoplopyga rubida (Gory and Percheron) are Hoplopyga singularis (Gory and Percheron). Hoplopyga pseudomiliaris Shaughney and Ratcliffe from Guatemala and Hoplopyga riparia Shaughney and Ratcliffe from Peru and Brazil are described as new species

Dual GPCR and GAG mimicry by the M3 chemokine decoy receptor

Viruses have evolved a myriad of evasion strategies focused on undermining chemokine-mediated immune surveillance, exemplified by the mouse γ-herpesvirus 68 M3 decoy receptor. Crystal structures of M3 in complex with C chemokine ligand 1/lymphotactin and CC chemokine ligand 2/monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 reveal that invariant chemokine features associated with G protein–coupled receptor binding are primarily recognized by the decoy C-terminal domain, whereas the N-terminal domain (NTD) reconfigures to engage divergent basic residue clusters on the surface of chemokines. Favorable electrostatic forces dramatically enhance the association kinetics of chemokine binding by M3, with a primary role ascribed to acidic NTD regions that effectively mimic glycosaminoglycan interactions. Thus, M3 employs two distinct mechanisms of chemical imitation to potently sequester chemokines, thereby inhibiting chemokine receptor binding events as well as the formation of chemotactic gradients necessary for directed leukocyte trafficking