The role of intermolecular coupling in the photophysics of disordered organic semiconductors: Aggregate emission in regioregular polythiophene

We address the role of excitonic coulping on the nature of photoexcitations in the conjugated polymer regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene). By means of temperature-dependent absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we show that optical emission is overwhelmingly dominated by weakly coupled H-aggregates. The relative absorbance of the 0-0 and 0-1 vibronic peaks provides a powerfully simple means to extract the magnitude of the intermolecular coupling energy, approximately 5 and 30 meV for films spun from isodurene and chloroform solutions respectively.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, published in Phys. Rev. Let

Homelessness and gambling: a complex relationship

Homelessness and gambling: a complex relationshi

Creative Methods for Improving Health Literacy in Underserved Communities

In 2003, Recovery Café was founded with the goal of providing long-term recovery support to those in the margins, including those experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges (Recovery Café, 2022). Recovery Café provides members with the support needed to gain and maintain access to housing, social and health services, healthy relationships, education, and employment (Recovery Café, 2022). Recovery Café provides this support by offering a safe space, with nutritious meals, fostering a loving community, and providing resources such as educational opportunities, 12-step meetings, and referral services (Recovery Café, 2022). In 2022, the Seattle Pacific University Lydia Green Nursing Program partnered with Recovery Café to determine and fulfill an unmet need of the organization and its members. After visiting Recovery Café and completing a windshield survey, the undergraduate nursing students determined a need for health information, presented in an appealing and accessible way. To address this need, a collection of double-sided educational sheets, with a word search puzzle on the front and information on the back, were created on the following topics: COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis. These sheets were designed to provide an educational resource about relevant health topics that is creative, fun, and utilizes easy readability and inclusive language. Background Health literacy refers to the ability of people to access, understand, and use information to make decisions related to their health (Castro-Sanchez et al., 2016). It has been estimated that a third of adults in the United States are considered low level in terms of health literacy, with prevalence in the populations of older adults, those with low income, and those with low education level (Netemeyer et al., 2019). Consequently, low health literacy levels are associated with poorer health outcomes, including increased use of emergency services, lower adherence to health protocols, and inaccurate assessments of disease risk (Netemeyer et al., 2019). Unfortunately, public health entities do not always take health literacy levels into consideration when developing and dispersing complex public health information to communities. In the process of determining community health needs at Recovery Café, it was found that 69% of members at the café were experiencing homelessness in 2020, while 87% of members had experienced homelessness sometime in the past (“2019-20 Annual Report”, 2021). A vast majority of members also possessed education and reading levels lower than the high-school level. These demographic statistics speak to the income and education level of members at Recovery Café, demonstrating how health literacy levels may be low as well. Considering the health literacy level of this community and the subsequent need for improved accessibility to appropriate public health information, the nursing students created digestible health education fact sheets with activities to increase understanding. Activities Studies have shown that crossword and word search puzzles are effective self-learning tools that can reinforce previously acquired knowledge (Nirmal et al., 2020). Utilizing this study, the team developed six educational fact sheets focused on community health needs with corresponding word search puzzles. The primary goal of the word search puzzles was to increase engagement with health material and increase information retention. Community health needs were determined through interviewing Recovery Café members and staff, leading students to focus on COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis. Each fact sheet provides essential health information and resources for the Recovery Café members, while the corresponding word search reinforces the material. The primary nursing diagnosis associated with the Recovery Café population was deficient knowledge of health topics. The team utilized up-to-date and peer-reviewed information to create our health sheets to increase health literacy in this population. The educational level of Recovery Café members also led to the decision to refine health information and present it so that any member, regardless of literacy level, could comprehend the information. The health education word searches were placed alongside the coloring sheets and community resources on the main activity table of Recovery Café. This puzzle-based learning engages the members of Recovery Café in the fact sheet\u27s material, thereby increasing their competence with the topic and their ability to retain the material (Nirmal et al., 2020). Outcomes The project’s first outcome goal was to educate the members of Recovery Café about different health concerns (e.g., COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis). A limitation was that there are many health concerns at Recovery Café that need to be addressed. To address this limitation, each group member focused on a specific health problem so that education could be provided on as many topics as possible. The next outcome goal was to create fact sheets that improve the health literacy among the members. A limitation to this goal was that most members at the Recovery Café read between 5th to 8th grade levels. To avoid these limitations, everyone took medical terms and simplified them as much as possible, and gave definitions within the word searches on words that might be harder to understand. The last outcome goal was to provide an incentive or an activity to keep the members engaged and want to learn more about these health concerns. A limitation was finding an activity that will encourage members to pick up the fact sheets and keep their interest. Avoiding this limitation was quite difficult, but since the Recovery Café has coloring nights, karaoke nights, and other engaging activities available, the team decided that a word search with the fact sheets might be the best way to keep the members engaged. However, due to time constraints, these are the desired outcomes, and the team will not be able to evaluate whether they have been met. Conclusion In conclusion, the student\u27s mission was to meet with the individuals at Recovery Café and discover what nursing students could do to provide the organization with the help that they might need. Learning about the history of this community center encouraged students to become more engaged in terms of figuring out some new methods to further provide for this community. The population at Recovery Café described a need for health education in a way that members can easily understand. This includes topics such as COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis. The idea of creating word search puzzles and fact sheets adequately demonstrates the main information these individuals need to know. Taking into consideration their education level and condition, the team made sure to create pieces of information that would make sense to them, are appealing to the eye, and would encourage them to become more engaged in learning more about these health topics. This method will further improve their knowledge deficit regarding topics that are important for them to be wary about and improve overall health literacy. References American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Help with insulin is a phone call away. https://insulinhelp.org/ Banta-Green, C., Kuszler, P., Coffin, P., & Schoeppe, J. (2011). Washington’s 911 Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Law - Initial Evaluation Results. Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington. http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/infobriefs/ADAI-IB-2011-05.pdf Carusone, S. C., Guta, A., Robinson, S., Tan, D. H., Cooper, C., O’Leary, B., Prinse, K. D., Cobb, G., Upshur, R., & Strike, C. (2019). Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care? —hospital care experiences of people who use drugs. Harm Reduction Journal, 16(1). https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-019-0285-7#citeas Castro-Sánchez, E., Chang, P. W. S., Vila-Candel, R., Escobedo, A. A., & Holmes, A. H. (2016). Health Literacy and Infectious Diseases: Why does it matter? International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 43, 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2015.12.019 Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (March 25, 2022). COVID-19 information for specific groups of people. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra- precautions/index.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (April 15, 2022). Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2020, September 9). Hepatitis B vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hepatitis-b-vaccine.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (Feb 25, 2022). How to protect yourself & others. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (July 14, 2021). How COVID-19 Spreads. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid- spreads.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2021, November 18). Key facts about seasonal flu vaccine.https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm#:~:text=to%2060%20percent.-,Flu%20vaccination%20has%20been%20shown%20in%20several%20studies%20to%20reduce,to%20those%20who%20were%20unvaccinated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 12). STD Facts - HIV/AIDS & stds. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/stdfact-std-hiv.htm Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (March 22, 2022). Symptoms of COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2021, August 6). Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Vaccine: What You Need to Know. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/tdap.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, September 27). Viral Hepatitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/index.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, July 28). What is Viral Hepatitis? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/abc/index.htm Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (March 22, 2022). What to do if you are sick. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2022, April 27). Why get a covid-19 vaccine. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html Country Doctor Community Health Centers. (2021). Country Doctor Community Clinic. https://cdchc.org/clinic/country-doctor/ Country Doctor Community Health Centers. (2021). After Hours Clinic. https://cdchc.org/clinic/after-hours-clinic/ Goyal, R., & Jialal, I. (2021, September 28). Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. National Library of Medicine: StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513253/ Hawk, M., Coulter, R. W., Egan, J. E., Fisk, S., Reuel Friedman, M., Tula, M., & Kinsky, S. (2017). Harm reduction principles for healthcare settings. Harm Reduction Journal, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0196-4 HealthPoint. (2022). Evergreen. https://www.healthpointchc.org/find-clinics/evergreen-campus HealthPoint. (2022). Cynthia A. Green family center. https://www.healthpointchc.org/find-clinics/cynthia-a-green-family-center Hinkle, J. L., Cheever, K. K. (2018). Assessment and management of patients with hepatic disorders. Lippincott’s CoursePoint for Hinkle & Cheever: Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, 14, 1377-1426. Koepsel, E. R. (2016). The power in pleasure: Practical implementation of pleasure in sex education classrooms. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 11(3), 205–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2016.1209451 Naisteter, M. A., & Sitron, J. A. (2010). Minimizing harm and maximizing pleasure: Considering the harm reduction paradigm for sexuality education. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 5(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2010.491046 Netemeyer, R. G., Dobolyi, D. G., Abbasi, A., Clifford, G., & Taylor, H. (2019). Health Literacy, health numeracy, and trust in doctor: Effects on key patient health outcomes. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 54(1), 3–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12267 Nirmal, L., Muthu, M., & Prasad, M. (2020). Use of Puzzles as an Effective Teaching-Learning Method for Dental Undergraduates. International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 13(6), 606–10. https://dx.doi.org/10.5005%2Fjp-journals-10005-1834 Miller, L. (2022, April 19). Drug overdose symptoms: What happens when you overdose. American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/overdose Our World In Data. (May 3, 2022). Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer? facet=none&uniformYAxis=0&Metric=Confirmed+cases&Interval=Cumulative&Relative+to+Population=false&Color+by+test+positivity=false&country=~USA Recovery Café. (2021, January 6). 2019-20 annual report. Recovery Café. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://recoverycafe.org/blog/rc_report/2019-20-annual-report/ Recovery Café. (2022). History/About. Recovery Café. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://recoverycafe.org/about/history/ Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Overdose education and Naloxone distribution. https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/drug-user-health/overdose-education-naloxone-distributio

Creative Methods for Improving Health Literacy in Underserved Communities

Creative Methods for Improving Health Literacy in Underserved Communities In 2003, Recovery Café was founded with the goal of providing long-term recovery support to those in the margins, including those experiencing homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges (Recovery Café, 2022). Recovery Café provides members with the support needed to gain and maintain access to housing, social and health services, healthy relationships, education, and employment (Recovery Café, 2022). Recovery Café provides this support by offering a safe space, with nutritious meals, fostering a loving community, and providing resources such as educational opportunities, 12-step meetings, and referral services (Recovery Café, 2022). In 2022, the Seattle Pacific University Lydia Green Nursing Program partnered with Recovery Café to determine and fulfill an unmet need of the organization and its members. After visiting Recovery Café and completing a windshield survey, the undergraduate nursing students determined a need for health information, presented in an appealing and accessible way. To address this need, a collection of double-sided educational sheets with a word search puzzle on the front and information on the back, were created on the following topics: COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis. These sheets were designed to provide an educational resource about relevant health topics that is creative, fun, and utilizes easy readability and inclusive language. Background Health literacy refers to the ability of people to access, understand, and use information to make decisions related to their health (Castro-Sanchez et al., 2016). It has been estimated that a third of adults in the United States are considered low level in terms of health literacy, with prevalence in the populations of older adults, those with low income, and those with low education level (Netemeyer et al., 2019). Consequently, low health literacy levels are associated with poorer health outcomes, including increased use of emergency services, lower adherence to health protocols, and inaccurate assessments of disease risk (Netemeyer et al., 2019). Unfortunately, public health entities do not always take health literacy levels into consideration when developing and dispersing complex public health information to communities. In the process of determining community health needs at Recovery Café, it was found that 69% of members at the café were experiencing homelessness in 2020, while 87% of members had experienced homelessness sometime in the past (“2019-20 Annual Report”, 2021). A vast majority of members also possessed education and reading levels lower than the high-school level. These demographic statistics speak to the income and education level of members at Recovery Café, demonstrating how health literacy levels may be low as well. Considering the health literacy level of this community and the subsequent need for improved accessibility to appropriate public health information, the nursing students created digestible health education fact sheets with activities to increase understanding. Activities Studies have shown that crossword and word search puzzles are effective self-learning tools that can reinforce previously acquired knowledge (Nirmal et al., 2020). Utilizing this study, the team developed six educational fact sheets focused on community health needs with corresponding word search puzzles. The primary goal of the word search puzzles was to increase engagement with health material and increase information retention. Community health needs were determined through interviewing Recovery Café members and staff, leading the students to focus on COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis. Each fact sheet provides essential health information and resources for the Recovery Café members, while the corresponding word search reinforces the material. The primary nursing diagnosis associated with the Recovery Café population was deficient knowledge of health topics. The team utilized up-to-date and peer-reviewed information to create our health sheets to increase health literacy in this population. The educational level of Recovery Café members also led to the decision to refine our health information and present it so that any member, regardless of literacy level, could comprehend the information. The health education word searches were placed alongside the coloring sheets and community resources on the main activity table of Recovery Café. This puzzle-based learning engages the members of Recovery Café in the fact sheet\u27s material, thereby increasing their competence with the topic and their ability to retain the material (Nirmal et al., 2020). Outcomes The project’s first outcome goal was to educate the members of Recovery Café about different health concerns (e.g., COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis). A limitation was that there are many health concerns at Recovery Café that need to be addressed. To address this limitation, each group member focused on a specific health problem so that education could be provided on as many topics as possible. The next outcome goal was to create fact sheets that improve the health literacy among the members. A limitation to this goal was that most members at the Recovery Café read between 5th to 8th grade levels. To avoid these limitations, the students took medical terms and simplified them as much as possible and gave definitions within the word searches on words that might be harder to understand. The last outcome goal was to provide an incentive or an activity to keep the members engaged and want to learn more about these health concerns. A limitation was finding an activity that will encourage members to pick up the fact sheets and keep their interest. Avoiding this limitation was quite difficult, but since the Recovery Café has coloring nights, karaoke nights and other engaging activities available, the team decided that a word search with the fact sheets might be the best way to keep the members engaged. However, due to time constraints, these are the desired outcomes, and the team will not be able to evaluate whether they have been met. Conclusion In conclusion, the mission was to meet with the individuals at Recovery Café and discover what nursing students could do to provide them with the help that they might need. Learning about the history of this community center encouraged us to become more engaged in terms of figuring out some new methods to further provide for this community. The population at Recovery Café described a need for health education in a way that members can easily understand. This includes topics such as COVID-19, drug overdose prevention, sexual health, Type 2 Diabetes, vaccinations, and Hepatitis. Our idea of creating word search puzzles and fact sheets adequately demonstrates the main information these individuals need to know. Taking into consideration their education level and condition, the students made sure to create pieces of information that would make sense to them, is appealing to the eye, and would encourage them to become more engaged in learning more about these health topics. This method will further improve their knowledge deficit regarding topics that are important for them to be wary about and improve overall health literacy. References American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Help with insulin is a phone call away. https://insulinhelp.org/ Banta-Green, C., Kuszler, P., Coffin, P., & Schoeppe, J. (2011). Washington’s 911 Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Law - Initial Evaluation Results. Alcohol & Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington. http://adai.uw.edu/pubs/infobriefs/ADAI-IB-2011- 05.pdf Carusone, S. C., Guta, A., Robinson, S., Tan, D. H., Cooper, C., O’Leary, B., Prinse, K. D., Cobb, G., Upshur, R., & Strike, C. (2019). Maybe if I stop the drugs, then maybe they’d care? —hospital care experiences of people who use drugs. Harm Reduction Journal, 16(1). https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-019- 0285-7#citeas Castro-Sánchez, E., Chang, P. W. S., Vila-Candel, R., Escobedo, A. A., & Holmes, A. H. (2016). Health Literacy and Infectious Diseases: Why does it matter? International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 43, 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2015.12.019 Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (March 25, 2022). COVID-19 information for specific groups of people. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra- precautions/index.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (April 15, 2022). Frequently asked questions about COVID-19 vaccination. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2020, September 9). Hepatitis B vaccines. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hepatitis-b-vaccine.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (Feb 25, 2022). How to protect yourself & others. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (July 14, 2021). How COVID-19 Spreads. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-covid- spreads.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2021, November 18). Key facts about seasonal flu vaccine.https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm#:~:text=to%2060%20percent.- ,Flu%20vaccination%20has%20been%20shown%20in%20several%20studies%20to%20 reduce,to%20those%20who%20were%20unvaccinated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, April 12). STD Facts - HIV/AIDS & stds. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/std/hiv/stdfact-std-hiv.htm Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (March 22, 2022). Symptoms of COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2021, August 6). Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis) Vaccine: What You Need to Know. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis- statements/tdap.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, September 27). Viral Hepatitis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/index.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, July 28). What is Viral Hepatitis? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/abc/index.htm Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (March 22, 2022). What to do if you are sick. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-when-sick.html Centers for Disease and Control Prevention. (2022, April 27). Why get a covid-19 vaccine. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html Country Doctor Community Health Centers. (2021). Country Doctor Community Clinic. https://cdchc.org/clinic/country-doctor/ Country Doctor Community Health Centers. (2021). After Hours Clinic. https://cdchc.org/clinic/after-hours-clinic/ Goyal, R., & Jialal, I. (2021, September 28). Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. National Library of Medicine: StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513253/ Hawk, M., Coulter, R. W., Egan, J. E., Fisk, S., Reuel Friedman, M., Tula, M., & Kinsky, S. (2017). Harm reduction principles for healthcare settings. Harm Reduction Journal, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0196-4 HealthPoint. (2022). Evergreen. https://www.healthpointchc.org/find-clinics/evergreen-campus HealthPoint. (2022). Cynthia A. Green family center. https://www.healthpointchc.org/find- clinics/cynthia-a-green-family-center Hinkle, J. L., Cheever, K. K. (2018). Assessment and management of patients with hepatic disorders. Lippincott’s CoursePoint for Hinkle & Cheever: Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, 14, 1377-1426. Koepsel, E. R. (2016). The power in pleasure: Practical implementation of pleasure in sex education classrooms. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 11(3), 205–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2016.1209451 Naisteter, M. A., & Sitron, J. A. (2010). Minimizing harm and maximizing pleasure: Considering the harm reduction paradigm for sexuality education. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 5(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2010.491046 Netemeyer, R. G., Dobolyi, D. G., Abbasi, A., Clifford, G., & Taylor, H. (2019). Health Literacy, health numeracy, and trust in doctor: Effects on key patient health outcomes. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 54(1), 3–42. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12267 Nirmal, L., Muthu, M., & Prasad, M. (2020). Use of Puzzles as an Effective Teaching-Learning Method for Dental Undergraduates. International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry, 13(6), 606–10. https://dx.doi.org/10.5005%2Fjp-journals-10005-1834 Miller, L. (2022, April 19). Drug overdose symptoms: What happens when you overdose. American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/overdose Our World In Data. (May 3, 2022). Cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/coronavirus-data-explorer? facet=none&uniformYAxis=0&Metric=Confirmed+cases&Interval=Cumulative &Relative+to+Population=false&Color+by+test+positivity=false&country=~USA Recovery Café. (2021, January 6). 2019-20 annual report. Recovery Café. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://recoverycafe.org/blog/rc_report/2019-20-annual-report/ Recovery Café. (2022). History/About. Recovery Café. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://recoverycafe.org/about/history/ Washington State Department of Health. (n.d.). Overdose education and Naloxone distribution. https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/drug-user-health/overdose-education-naloxone- distributio

Superoxide dismutase downregulation in osteoarthritis progression and end-stage disease

Oxidative stress is proposed as an important factor in osteoarthritis (OA). To investigate the expression of the three superoxide dismutase (SOD) antioxidant enzymes in OA. SOD expression was determined by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry using human femoral head cartilage. SOD2 expression in Dunkin–Hartley guinea pig knee articular cartilage was determined by immunohistochemistry. The DNA methylation status of the SOD2 promoter was determined using bisulphite sequencing. RNA interference was used to determine the consequence of SOD2 depletion on the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using MitoSOX and collagenases, matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) and MMP-13, gene expression. All three SOD were abundantly expressed in human cartilage but were markedly downregulated in end-stage OA cartilage, especially SOD2. In the Dunkin–Hartley guinea pig spontaneous OA model, SOD2 expression was decreased in the medial tibial condyle cartilage before, and after, the development of OA-like lesions. The SOD2 promoter had significant DNA methylation alterations in OA cartilage. Depletion of SOD2 in chondrocytes increased ROS but decreased collagenase expression. This is the first comprehensive expression profile of all SOD genes in cartilage and, importantly, using an animal model, it has been shown that a reduction in SOD2 is associated with the earliest stages of OA. A decrease in SOD2 was found to be associated with an increase in ROS but a reduction of collagenase gene expression, demonstrating the complexities of ROS function

Differential involvement of the microtubule cytoskeleton in insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and IRS-2 signaling to AKT determines the response to microtubule disruption in breast carcinoma cells

The insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins serve as essential signaling intermediates for the activation of PI3K by both the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) and its close family member, the insulin receptor (IR). Although IRS-1 and IRS-2 share significant homology, they regulate distinct cellular responses downstream of these receptors and play divergent roles in breast cancer. To investigate the mechanism by which signaling through IRS-1 and IRS-2 results in differential outcomes, we assessed the involvement of the microtubule cytoskeleton in IRS-dependent signaling. Treatment with drugs that either stabilize or disrupt microtubules reveal that an intact microtubule cytoskeleton contributes to IRS-2- but not IRS-1-mediated activation of AKT by IGF-1. Proximal IGF-1R signaling events, including IRS tyrosine phosphorylation and recruitment of PI3K, are not inhibited by microtubule disruption, indicating that IRS-2 requires the microtubule cytoskeleton at the level of downstream effector activation. IRS-2 colocalization with tubulin is enhanced upon Taxol-mediated microtubule stabilization, which, together with the signaling data, suggests that the microtubule cytoskeleton may facilitate access of IRS-2 to downstream effectors such as AKT. Of clinical relevance is that our data reveal that expression of IRS-2 sensitizes breast carcinoma cells to apoptosis in response to treatment with microtubule-disrupting drugs, identifying IRS-2 as a potential biomarker for the response of breast cancer patients to Vinca alkaloid drug treatment

The Radio Quiescence of Active Galaxies with High Accretion Rates

We present 6 cm Very Large Array observations of the Greene & Ho (2004) sample of 19 low-mass active galaxies with high accretion rates. This is one of the only studies of a uniform sample of narrow-line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) galaxies with such high sensitivity and resolution. Although we detect only one source, the entire sample is very radio-quiet down to strong limits. GH10 was found to have a radio power of 8.5 x 10^21 W/Hz, and a ratio R = f(6 cm)/f(4400 A) of 2.8. The 3 sigma upper limits for the remaining nondetections correspond to radio powers from 3 x 10^20 to 8 x 10^21 W/Hz and 0.47 < R <9.9. Stacking all nondetections yields an even stronger upper limit of R < 0.27. An assessment of existing observations in the literature confirms our finding that NLS1s are consistently radio-quiet, with a radio-loud fraction of 0%-6%, which is significantly lower than the 10%-20% observed in the general quasar population. By analogy with stellar-mass black holes, we argue that AGNs undergo a state transition at L_bol/L_Edd~0.01. Below this value a radiatively inefficient accretion flow effectively drives an outflow, which disappears when the flow turns into an optically thick, geometrically thin disk, or a radiation pressure-dominated slim disk at still higher L_bol/L_Edd.Comment: To appear in ApJ; 8 pages, 3 figures; uses emulateapj5.st

The Effect of Smoking on Kentucky’s Workforce

Excerpt from the Executive Summary: Smoking has been estimated to increase health care costs in the United States by $167.5 billion annually (Xu et al. 2015). In Kentucky, smoking adds$2.5 billion in health care expenditures each year. Most of these costs were paid by public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare. While these costs are significant, they represent only a portion of the costs that smoking imposes on society. Smoking also leads to poorer labor market outcomes. Smokers are more likely to be unemployed, earn lower wages, and die prematurely than non-smokers. These negative labor market effects reduce economic activity and lower tax revenues, adding to the social costs and fiscal impact that smoking imposes. Past research shows that smokers generally earn four to eleven percent less than similar nonsmokers. Some of this wage penalty is due to the negative health consequences of smoking. Smoking can reduce workers’ health, causing them to be less productive, have higher health insurance costs, and incur greater rates of absenteeism. As a result, smokers tend to earn lower wages. However, the wage penalty might also reflect differences between those who decide to smoke and those who do not rather than being caused directly by smoking

The Economic Impact of Diabetes in Kentucky

Excerpt from the Executive Summary: The Kentucky Department of Public Health is responsible for improving the health and safety of Kentucky’s residents by preventing disease and injuries and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The department administers nearly 150 programs that address critical health issues affecting Kentuckians. These programs screen newborns for health problems, prevent the spread of infectious diseases, promote oral health, and provide numerous other services. Diabetes represents a growing health concern for the nation and Kentucky. It is a chronic condition that causes blood sugar levels to rise and contributes to other serious health conditions such as heart and kidney disease. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists diabetes as the 7th leading cause of death in the nation. The disease imposes significant costs on the country’s economy. The American Diabetes Association estimates that the U.S. spends $237 billion annually on diabetes-related health care. In addition, diabetes also adversely affects the nation’s workforce. As the disease progresses, individuals may find it more difficult to work. This can reduce employment, productivity, wages, and tax revenue. To better understand how diabetes affects Kentucky residents, the Kentucky Department of Public Health contracted with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research to study the economic impacts of the disease. This study has three main goals: estimate the effect diabetes has on Kentucky’s workforce; estimate the short-run and long-run effects diabetes has on state tax revenues; and examine how prevention and education programs could affect the health of those with diabetes and how they could potentially affect the state’s workforce and tax revenues

The Effects of Opioids on Kentucky\u27s Workforce

From the executive summary: Opioid abuse represents a significant and growing public health issue for both the nation and Kentucky. In 2016, opioids contributed to more than 62,000 deaths nationally and 1,406 deaths in Kentucky. National studies have placed the societal costs of opioid abuse at $55.7 billion in 2007 and$78.5 billion in 2013 (Birbaum et al. (2011) and Florence et al. (2016)). These costs included increased health care expenditures, higher criminal justice costs, and lost earnings due to reduced employment and premature deaths. The While House Council of Economic Advisors (2017) estimated the societal costs of opioid abuse to be much higher when the value of lives lost are included. They estimated the cost of opioid abuse to be $504 billion in 2015. Growth in opioid abuse creates fiscal pressures for state and local agencies by increasing the needs for foster care, health care, criminal justice programs, and many other types of public services. Because opioid abuse can also reduce employment and earnings, it adds to these fiscal pressures by reducing tax collections. To better understand these fiscal pressures, the Department of Public Health contracted with the University of Kentucky’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) to study how opioid abuse affects the state’s workforce. This study has three main goals: estimate the effect opioid abuse has on Kentucky’s workforce; estimate the effect opioid abuse has on state tax revenues; and examine how public programs designed to address opioid abuse could affect the state’s workforce and tax revenues