Psychologists Collaborating With Clergy

If a patient adheres to religious values and practices, should the treating psychologist get input from a clergyperson? How frequent is clergy-psychologist collaboration? What obstacles impede such collaboration? An exploratory survey questionnaire was sent to 200 clergy, 200 psychologists interested in religious issues, and 200 psychologists selected without regard to religious interests or values. Four themes were assessed: types of collaborative activities, frequency of collaboration, obstacles to collaboration, and ways to enhance collaboration. Strategies for promoting clergy-psychologist collaboration include challenging unidirectional referral assumptions, building trust through proximity and familiarity, and considering the importance of shared values and beliefs

Laparoscopic fundoplication compared with medical management for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease : cost effectiveness study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

2014-2015 Illinois Otter Trapper Report

llinois otter trapping was reinstated during the 2012-2013 Illinois Furbearer Trapping season. During 2014-2015, thethirdyear of reinstatement, 495 Illinois residents who trapped an otter were provided anotter permit; each otter trapper was mailed a 4-page questionnaire. We received 342 (74%) usable questionnaires. During the 2014-15 season, an average of 30 traps were set per trapper over the course of 43 days or nights. Respondents harvested an average of 2.2 otters (Lontra canadensis) for a total of 723 otters, which represented a 25% decrease from 2013-14. Participants also harvested 15,513 raccoons (Procyon lotor), 7,410 muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), and 2,557 opossum (Didelphis virginiana) during the 2014-2015 Illinois trapping season. Trapper attitudes toward wildlife related issuesand marketing practices were also examined.IDNR Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceFederal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24unpublishednot peer reviewe

College Students\u27 Knowledge Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus And Willingness To Participate In Screening

An estimated 1.2 million adults and adolescents are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States and approximately 50,000 are newly infected each year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 44% of HIV- infected youth ages 18-24 are unaware of their HIV status. HIV destroys CD4 cells and leads to a severely weakened immune system, which increases the risk for infection and other infection-related cancers. If HIV is left untreated, the disease will eventually progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV continues to be a concern in public health, yet the public perception about the severity of the HIV epidemic has declined in recent years. Although research suggests that college students are highly educated on modes of transmission for HIV, they continue to practice risky sexual behaviors that will increase their risk of HIV transmission. The researchers in this study utilized a descriptive, non-experimental, quantitative design to determine college students\u27 knowledge regarding HIV and their willingness to be tested for HIV. The researchers used a modified version of the HIV-KQ-18 questionnaire. This questionnaire was passed out to students at the Campus Health Center. The questionnaire contained fivedemographic questions regarding age, sex, gender, and race. In addition, the questionnaire contained 18 knowledge-based questions. Lastly, two questions were included regarding the history of HIV testing and willingness to test for HIV. The population surveyed were college students over the age of 18 who attended the Campus Health Center in the southeastern United States. A convenience sample was utilized to obtain a sample of 38 students. Data analysis revealed that college age students were not knowledgeable of HIV. The average score on the knowledge-based questions was 71.49%, which was below the benchmark of 72.2% set by the researchers. When evaluating self-reported practices of the sample population, only 28.9% percent reported having been tested for HIV in the past, but 92.1 % percent reported being willing to be tested for HIV. Findings revealed a great need for further education regarding HIV knowledge and HIV testing among college students in the southeastern United States

2014-2015 Illinois Hunter Harvest Report

A random sample of 3,000 hunters wasselected from 2014Illinois resident Habitat Stampand hunting licenseholdersandmailed an 8-page self-administered questionnaire designed to query hunters about their hunting activities and harvest in Illinois. We received1,296questionnaires,1,207of which were usable, for a 43% response rate. Illinois resident license salesdecreased1.0% from 2013(281,399) to the 2014seasons(278,546).Total days afield decreased for 12 game species (rabbit, dove, snipe, rail, crow, turkey, deer, raccoon, coyote, opossum, red and gray fox) from 2013-14, but increased for 4 species (woodcock, groundhog, and red and gray squirrel).Harvest decreased for 9game species(dove, woodcock, snipe, crow, raccoon, red and gray fox, coyote, and opossum) from 2013-2014, butincreasedfor 3species (groundhog, gray squirrel and fox squirrel). Harvestdid not change for onegame species (rail)and could not be compared for fourgame species (rabbit, wild quail, wild pheasant, and wild gray partridge).Hunters were also asked about small game hunting, applying for Free Upland Game Permits, and the effects of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) and Blue Tongue Virus (BTV) on deer hunting, as well as their opinionsabouthunting experiences and regulationsin Illinois.Federal Aid Project Number W-112-R-24IDNR Division of WildlifeU.S. Fish & Wildlife Serviceunpublishednot peer reviewe

Clinical stakeholders' opinions on the use of selective decontamination of the digestive tract in critically ill patients in intensive care units : an international Delphi study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Sacral agenesis: a pilot whole exome sequencing and copy number study

Background: Caudal regression syndrome (CRS) or sacral agenesis is a rare congenital disorder characterized by a constellation of congenital caudal anomalies affecting the caudal spine and spinal cord, the hindgut, the urogenital system, and the lower limbs. CRS is a complex condition, attributed to an abnormal development of the caudal mesoderm, likely caused by the effect of interacting genetic and environmental factors. A well-known risk factor is maternal type 1 diabetes. Method: Whole exome sequencing and copy number variation (CNV) analyses were conducted on 4 Caucasian trios to identify de novo and inherited rare mutations. Results: In this pilot study, exome sequencing and copy number variation (CNV) analyses implicate a number of candidate genes, including SPTBN5, MORN1, ZNF330, CLTCL1 and PDZD2. De novo mutations were found in SPTBN5, MORN1 and ZNF330 and inherited predicted damaging mutations in PDZD2 (homozygous) and CLTCL1 (compound heterozygous). Importantly, predicted damaging mutations in PTEN (heterozygous), in its direct regulator GLTSCR2 (compound heterozygous) and in VANGL1 (heterozygous) were identified. These genes had previously been linked with the CRS phenotype. Two CNV deletions, one de novo (chr3q13.13) and one homozygous (chr8p23.2), were detected in one of our CRS patients. These deletions overlapped with CNVs previously reported in patients with similar phenotype. Conclusion: Despite the genetic diversity and the complexity of the phenotype, this pilot study identified genetic features common across CRS patients

NALCN Dysfunction as a Cause of Disordered Respiratory Rhythm With Central Apnea

The sodium leak channel nonselective protein (NALCN) is a regulator of the pacemaker neurons that are responsible for rhythmic behavior (including respiration), maintaining the resting membrane potential, and are required for action potential production. NALCN-null mice show early death associated with disrupted respiratory rhythms, characterized by frequent and profound apneas. We report 3 children (2 siblings) with compound heterozygous mutations in NALCN associated with developmental impairment, hypotonia, and central sleep-disordered breathing causing apneas. Supplemental oxygen normalized the respiratory rhythm. NALCN mutations have been previously reported to cause severe hypotonia, speech impairment, and cognitive delay as well as infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy and facial dysmorphism. Nonsynonymous changes in the 2 affected extracellular loops may be responsible for the deleterious effect on the stability of the respiratory rhythm. Although oxygen is known to be a stabilizer of respiratory rhythm in central apnea in children, its role in NALCN dysfunction requires further investigation.</jats:p

Application of an Equilibrium Vaporization Model to the Ablation of Chondritic and Achondritic Meteoroids

We modeled equilibrium vaporization of chondritic and achondritic materials using the MAGMA code. We calculated both instantaneous and integrated element abundances of Na, Mg, Ca, Al, Fe, Si, Ti, and K in chondritic and achondritic meteors. Our results are qualitatively consistent with observations of meteor spectra.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures; in press, Earth, Moon, and Planets, Meteoroids 2004 conference proceeding