Prolonged Fatigue in Ukraine and the United States: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Background: Prolonged, severe, unalleviated fatigue may be disabling whether it occurs on its own or in conjunction with medical or psychiatric conditions. This paper compares the prevalence and correlates of prolonged fatigue in general population samples in Ukraine versus the US. Methods: Population surveys were conducted in 2002 in both Ukraine (Ukraine World Mental Health [WMH] Survey) and the US (National Comorbidity Survey-Replication; NCS-R). Both surveys administered the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), which contained modules assessing: neurasthenia (prolonged fatigue); mood, anxiety, and alcohol/drug use disorders; chronic medical conditions; and demographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine risk factors in each country. Results:The lifetime prevalence of prolonged fatigue was higher in Ukraine (5.2%) than the US (3.7%). In both countries, one-fifth of individuals with prolonged fatigue had no medical or DSM-IV psychiatric condition. Also in both settings, fatigue was significantly associated with socio-demographic characteristics (being female, not working, and married before) as well as early onset and adult episodes of mood/anxiety disorder. Fatigue prevalence in Ukraine increased with age, but decreased in the US at age 70. Unique risk factors for fatigue in Ukraine included lower socio-economic status, Ukrainian versus Russian ethnicity, and cardiovascular disease. Unique risk factors in the US were parental depression/anxiety, adult episodes of alcohol/drugs, pain conditions, and other health problems. Conclusions: The lifetime prevalence of prolonged fatigue in Ukraine was 40% higher than that found in US data. In addition, fatigue prevalence increased sharply with age in Ukraine perhaps due to limited social and medical resources and greater comorbidity

Inclusive Scholarship: Developing Black Studies in the United States

Brings together four reports commissioned between 1982 and 2000 that examine the history of African American Studies, its impact, and its institutionalization. Reviews Ford's grantmaking to African American Studies programs from 1982 to 2007

Monitoring interval-training responses for swimming using the 3-min all-out exercise test.

International Journal of Exercise Science 9(5): 545-553, 2016. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the 3-min all-out exercise test (3MT) could be applied to create an off-season high intensity, interval training (HIIT) program to improve performance, specifically critical velocity (CV), in the sport of swimming. We tested a group of competitive female swimmers (age = 19 ± 1 yrs, height = 169 ± 7 cm, body mass = 69 ± 9 kg) to determine their swimming CV and finite energy capacity \u3eCV (D’), and created a four week (2 d∙wk-1) personalized interval training program. Participants were divided in to two groups, a 150yd interval group (n =11) and a 250yd interval group (n =6). Each group completed a series of intervals designed to deplete a given percentage of D’ at velocities exceeding CV. A 3MT following the training period was administered to assess for any changes in CV, D’, average velocity during the first 150s of the test (V150s) and total distance traveled (D). Both groups improved their CV (+0.04 m∙s-1), V150s (+0.03 m∙s-1) and D (+8.64 m) (p \u3c 0.05), however, significant interactions for D’ between groups was not observed (p \u3e 0.05). We conclude that HIIT prescriptions based on a 3MT can improve swim performance over a four-week period. Future research on the fidelity of measuring CV and D’ using a swimming 3MT is needed to help aid practitioners in interpreting true training adaptations

Photoactivatable genetically encoded calcium indicators for targeted neuronal imaging.

Circuit mapping requires knowledge of both structural and functional connectivity between cells. Although optical tools have been made to assess either the morphology and projections of neurons or their activity and functional connections, few probes integrate this information. We have generated a family of photoactivatable genetically encoded Ca(2+) indicators that combines attributes of high-contrast photolabeling with high-sensitivity Ca(2+) detection in a single-color protein sensor. We demonstrated in cultured neurons and in fruit fly and zebrafish larvae how single cells could be selected out of dense populations for visualization of morphology and high signal-to-noise measurements of activity, synaptic transmission and connectivity. Our design strategy is transferrable to other sensors based on circularly permutated GFP (cpGFP)

Electrocardiographic characteristics in patients with heart failure and normal ejection fraction: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Background: Little is known about ECG abnormalities in patients with heart failure and normal ejection fraction (HeFNEF) and how they relate to different etiologies or outcomes. Methods and Results: We searched the literature for peer‐reviewed studies describing ECG abnormalities in HeFNEF other than heart rhythm alone. Thirty five studies were identified and 32,006 participants. ECG abnormalities reported in patients with HeFNEF include atrial fibrillation (prevalence 12%–46%), long PR interval (11%–20%), left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH, 10%–30%), pathological Q waves (11%–18%), RBBB (6%–16%), LBBB (0%–8%), and long JTc (3%–4%). Atrial fibrillation is more common in patients with HeFNEF compared to those with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HeFREF). In contrast, long PR interval, LVH, Q waves, LBBB, and long JTc are more common in patients with HeFREF. A pooled effect estimate analysis showed that QRS duration ≥120 ms, although uncommon (13%–19%), is associated with worse outcomes in patients with HeFNEF. Conclusions: There is high variability in the prevalence of ECG abnormalities in patients with HeFNEF. Atrial fibrillation is more common in patients with HeFNEF compared to those with HeFREF. QRS duration ≥120 ms is associated with worse outcomes in patients with HeFNEF. Further studies are needed to address whether ECG abnormalities correlate with different phenotypes in HeFNEF

Electrical Control of 2D Magnetism in Bilayer CrI3

The challenge of controlling magnetism using electric fields raises fundamental questions and addresses technological needs such as low-dissipation magnetic memory. The recently reported two-dimensional (2D) magnets provide a new system for studying this problem owing to their unique magnetic properties. For instance, bilayer chromium triiodide (CrI3) behaves as a layered antiferromagnet with a magnetic field-driven metamagnetic transition. Here, we demonstrate electrostatic gate control of magnetism in CrI3 bilayers, probed by magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy. At fixed magnetic fields near the metamagnetic transition, we realize voltage-controlled switching between antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic states. At zero magnetic field, we demonstrate a time-reversal pair of layered antiferromagnetic states which exhibit spin-layer locking, leading to a remarkable linear dependence of their MOKE signals on gate voltage with opposite slopes. Our results pave the way for exploring new magnetoelectric phenomena and van der Waals spintronics based on 2D materials.Comment: To appear in Nature Nanotechnolog