Promoting Reproductive Health Using Telemedicine: A Prospective Study Among Rural Appalachian High School Teens

Introduction: Telemedicine allows rural underserved populations access to medical resources that may not be available in their communities. Following promising results with a telemedicine project aimed at educating female students in McDowell County, West Virginia on reproductive health (RH) in 2015, we conducted a follow-up study including both male and female high school students during the 2016 school year. Materials and Methods: Telemedicine sessions on RH were incorporated into existing afterschool programs at two rural high schools. Students’ knowledge on RH was assessed via pre-test, immediate post-test, and 6-month post-test evaluations. RH was taught by medical students and faculty at a distal university. Results: 77 students participated and 37 students completed a 6-month follow-up survey. Statistically significant increases in knowledge scores regarding both birth control and sexually transmitted disease prevention were noted at 6-month follow-up. A larger proportion of students reported “always” utilizing birth control (35.3% vs. 64.7%) as well as condom usage (46.2% vs. 58.8%) at six months compared to before the intervention, but was not statistically significant. The intervention was rated as “effective” or “very effective” by 91.9% of participants, and 75.6% stated they were “very likely” to participate the future. Discussion: Telemedicine is a promising and sustainable tool in teaching RH to rural underserved areas

Physiological and perceptual responses to Nintendo® Wii Fit™ in young and older adults

Physically active video gaming (AVG) provides a technologically-modern, convenient means of increasing physical activity (PA). This study examined cardiovascular, metabolic, and perceptual responses in young adult (AP) and older adult (OP) participants engaging in Wii Fitä AVG play, and compared PA levels during play to recommended PA levels. Heart rate (HR), percent heart rate reserve (%HRR), oxygen consumption (VO2), energy expenditure (EE), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), enjoyment level (EL), and step count data were obtained from 10 YP and 10 OP during 15 minutes of rest and four 15-minute bouts of Wii Fitä activities (yoga, balance, aerobics, strength). For all participants, AVG significantly increased HR, VO2, and EE measures above rest, with significant between-activity differences. Responses were similar between YP and OP, except that the activities were more intense for OP, in terms of %HRR and RPE. Most games elicited responses consistent with light-intensity PA, though peak HR and VO2 values for aerobic and strength games met or approached recommended PA intensities. Wii Fitä appears to provide an enjoyable form of light PA for both YP and OP, which can reduce inactive screen time and provide beneficial cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and metabolic stimulation

Exploiting the inter-strain divergence of Fusarium oxysporum for microbial bioprocessing of lignocellulose to bioethanol

Microbial bioprocessing of lignocellulose to bioethanol still poses challenges in terms of substrate catabolism. A targeted evolution-based study was undertaken to determine if inter-strain microbial variability could be exploited for bioprocessing of lignocellulose to bioethanol. The microorganism studied was Fusarium oxysporum because of its capacity to both saccharify and ferment lignocellulose. Strains of F. oxysporum were isolated and assessed for their genetic variability. Using optimised solid-state straw culture conditions, experiments were conducted that compared fungal strains in terms of their growth, enzyme activities (cellulases, xylanase and alcohol dehydrogenase) and yield of bioethanol and the undesirable by-products acetic acid and xylitol. Significant inter-strain divergence was recorded in regards to the capacity of studied F. oxysporum strains to produce alcohol from untreated straw. No correlation was observed between bioethanol synthesis and either the biomass production or microbial enzyme activity. A strong correlation was observed between both acetic acid and xylitol production and bioethanol yield. The level of diversity recorded in the alcohol production capacity among closely-related microorganism means that a targeted screening of populations of selected microbial species could greatly improve bioprocessing yields, in terms of providing both new host strains and candidate genes for the bioethanol industry

Development of NASA's Sample Cartridge Assembly: Summary of GEDS Design, Development Testing, and Thermal Analyses

NASA's Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) project is responsible for designing and validating a payload that contains materials research samples in a sealed environment. The SCA will be heated in the European Space Agency's (ESA) Low Gradient Furnace (LGF) that is housed inside the Material Science Research Rack (MSRR) located on the International Space Station (ISS). The first Principle Investigator (PI) to utilize the SCA will focus on Gravitational Effects on Distortion in Sintering (GEDS) research. This paper will give a summary of the design and development test effort for the GEDS SCA and will discuss the role of thermal analysis in developing test profiles to meet the science and engineering requirements. Lessons learned will be reviewed and salient design features that may differ for each PI will be discussed

Cost-Effectiveness of Second-Line Chemotherapy/Biologics among Elderly Metastatic Colon Cancer Patients

INTRODUCTION: Advancements in chemotherapy treatment have improved the clinical management of metastatic colon cancer (mCC) patients. An increasing number of elderly mCC patients receive various combinations of regimens in second-line chemotherapy/biologics treatment (Tx2) after first-line treatment (Tx1) to prolong survival and/or palliate symptoms, but these regimens have higher costs. This analysis investigated the survival benefit and incremental cost associated with Tx2 among elderly mCC patients. METHODS: Elderly (aged ≥66 years) SEER-Medicare patients diagnosed with mCC in 2003–2007 were identified and followed until death or the end of 2009. Cox regression and partitioned least squares regression were utilized to obtain the survival benefit and incremental cost associated with Tx2 within a 5-year study period. A time-varying model was used to reduce bias due to sequential ordering of Tx1 and Tx2. The regressions controlled for patient demographic characteristics, clinical variables, and a proxy for poor performance. Bootstrapping was used to generate 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Of the 3,266 elderly mCC patients who received Tx1, 2,744 (84%) died within the observation period; 1,440 (44%) received Tx2. The survival benefit associated with receipt of Tx2 was 0.33 years (95% CI 0.19–0.43), and the associated incremental cost was $40,888 (95$123,903 per life year gained (95% CI 9,600–216,082). CONCLUSION: The estimated survival benefit of receiving second-line chemotherapy/biologics was about 4 months, which is consistent with evidence from clinical trials. This improved survival was associated with an ICER that exceeds the traditional threshold. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12325-014-0134-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Marshall University Music Department Presents the Low Brass Studio Recital

https://mds.marshall.edu/music_perf/1298/thumbnail.jp

Principles of small-scale aquaponics

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311

Novel implementation of experiential learning in health and wellbeing in a university setting

[EN] Healthy UCD is a health promotion initiative in University College Dublin (UCD) which aims to create a sustainable healthy campus for all members of the UCD community. In recent years, Healthy UCD has worked with staff from across the university to provide opportunities for experiential learning to UCD students in areas related to health and wellbeing. The initiative currently has involvement in three modules: 1) Practice Placement – a core MSc in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics module where students plan and implement a university-wide Healthy Eating Week, 2) Event Management – a core module undertaken by second-year BSc Sport & Exercise Management students, and 3) Student Health & Wellbeing – an undergraduate elective module which challenges students to reflect on issues which affect their own health and wellbeing and that of those around them and then develop a student-focused Healthy UCD campaign. This paper will outline how experiential learning is implemented in these modules, how students are assessed, and the perceptions of students who complete these modules.Heffernan, M.; Fitzpatrick, P.; Bermingham, A.; Neville, R.; Dervan, N.; Corish, C.; Murrin, C.... (2021). Novel implementation of experiential learning in health and wellbeing in a university setting. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1035-1042. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13069OCS1035104

Site-Specific Immunomodulator: A Novel Treatment for Crohn\u27s Disease

We investigated the mechanism of action, safety, and efficacy of the Site-Specific Immunomodulator (SSI) QBECO, a novel immunotherapy for Crohn’s disease (CD). Using human monocytic THP-1 cells, we demonstrate that SSI QBECO (derived from the common colon bacteria E. coli) activates macrophages to an M1 phenotype (associated with enhanced capacity to eliminate bacteria and activate innate immune responses). We assessed SSI QBECO in a compassionate use protocol of ten adult patients with active CD. Patients with moderate to severe clinical symptoms receiving conventional CD treatments and/or complementary therapies were included, except patients receiving anti-TNF medications. SSI QBECO was self-administered subcutaneously every second day, for a minimum of 2.5 months and a maximum of 11 months. All 10 patients reported improvement of symptoms while on the SSI QBECO treatment. Seven patients reported full resolution of clinical symptoms during a course of SSI QBECO of at least three months. Three patients have experienced ongoing sustained clinical remission after discontinuing all medications, including SSI treatment. The longest case of clinical remission is still ongoing (\u3e4 years). No serious severe adverse clinical events were reported. Collectively, we conclude that treatment with the immunoactive SSI QBECO was well tolerated and effective for treatment of Crohn’s disease in this case series