Aquaculture Thesaurus: Descriptors Used in the National Aquaculture Information System

The Aquaculture Thesaurus consists of the descriptors used in entering material into the National Aquaculture Information System {NAIS). Terms have been arranged in a format similar to that used in the Thesaurus of Water Resources Terms published by the U. S. Department of the Interior. The National Aquaculture Information System is a NOAA project which provides computer assisted access to a broad range of information on growing marine, brackish and freshwater organisms. It was developed to answer the need for a centralized source of information in the U.S., and anyone with a need for information on aquaculture can use it

Development and validation of a short-form Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ-14)

Attitudes to pain medication are important aspects of adjustment to chronic pain. They are measured by the 47-item Pain Medication Attitudes Questionnaire (PMAQ). To measure those attitudes more quickly and easily, we developed and evaluated a 14-item PMAQ using data from three separate surveys of people with pain in the general population. In survey 1, participants (n=295) completed the 47-item PMAQ and measures of pain, analgesic use, analgesic dependence and attitudes to self-medication. For each of the seven PMAQ scales, the two items that best preserved the content of the parent scales were identified using correlation and regression. The 2-item and parent scales had very similar relationships with other measures, indicating validity had been maintained. The resulting 14-item PMAQ was then completed by participants in survey 2 (n=241) and survey 3 (n=147), along with the same other measures as in survey 1. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the 14-item PMAQ retained the 7-factor structure of the 47-item version, and correlations with other measures showed it retained the validity of the 47-item version. The PMAQ scale Need was the most significant independent predictor of analgesic dependence in each of four separate multiple regression analyses. This short form of the PMAQ allows attitudes to pain medications to be measured in a valid and more efficient way.Survey 1 was part of Doctoral research undertaken by Omimah Said. Survey 2 was part of a study funded by a small grant awarded to James Elander and Omimah Said from the University of Derby’s Research for Learning and Teaching Fund. Survey 3 was part of a study funded by a British Psychological Society Undergraduate Research Assistantship bursary awarded to Ada Dys, and by a University of Derby Undergraduate Research Scholarship Scheme bursary awarded to Hannah Collins

Pelvic pain correlates with peritoneal macrophage abundance not endometriosis

Endometriosis is a chronic neuroinflammatory pain condition affecting ~180 million women worldwide. Surgical removal or hormonal suppression of endometriosis lesions only relieves pain symptoms in some women and symptomatic relapse following treatment is common. Identifying factors that contribute to pain is key to developing new therapies. We collected peritoneal fluid samples and clinical data from a cohort of women receiving diagnostic laparoscopy for suspected endometriosis (n = 52). Peritoneal fluid immune cells were analysed by flow cytometry and data compared with pain scores determined using the pain domain of the Endometriosis Health Profile Questionnaire (EHP-30) in order to investigate the association between peritoneal immune cells and pain symptoms. Pain scores were not different between women with or without endometriosis, nor did they differ according to disease stage; consistent with a poor association between disease presentation and pain symptoms. However, linear regression and correlation analysis demonstrated that peritoneal macrophage abundance correlated with the severity of pelvic pain. CD14(high) peritoneal macrophages negatively correlated with pain scores whereas CD14(low) peritoneal macrophages were positively correlated, independent of diagnostic outcome at laparoscopy. Stratification by pain subtype, rather than endometriosis diagnosis, resulted in the most robust correlation between pain and macrophage adundance. Pain score strongly correlated with CD14(high) (P = 0.007) and CD14(low) (P = 0.008) macrophages in patients with non-menstrual pain and also in patients who reported dysmennorhea (CD14(high) P = 0.021, CD14(low) P = 0.019) or dysparunia (CD14(high) P = 0.027, CD14(low) P = 0.031). These results provide new insight into the association between peritoneal macrophages and pelvic pain which may aid the identification of future therapeutic targets. LAY SUMMARY: Endometriosis is a common condition where cells similar to those that line the womb are found elsewhere in the body. It is associated with inflammation and pain in the pelvis and affects ~180 million women worldwide. Current treatments are not effective for all patients and we, therefore, need to understand what causes pain in order to develop new treatments. We investigated the types of immune cells present within the pelvis of women undergoing investigation for suspected endometriosis. Disease diagnosis and stage (I–IV) was recorded along with pain score determined by questionnaire. We characterised the immune cells present and compared them to disease stage and pain score. We found that pelvic pain was linked to the abundance of immune cells but, surprisingly, not to disease stage. These findings suggest that immune cells are closely associated with pain severity in endometriosis and may be good targets for future endometriosis treatments

PRAME Is a Golgi-Targeted Protein That Associates with the Elongin BC Complex and Is Upregulated by Interferon-Gamma and Bacterial PAMPs

Preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma (PRAME) has been described as a cancer-testis antigen and is associated with leukaemias and solid tumours. Here we show that PRAME gene transcription in leukaemic cell lines is rapidly induced by exposure of cells to bacterial PAMPs (pathogen associated molecular patterns) in combination with type 2 interferon (IFNγ). Treatment of HL60 cells with lipopolysaccharide or peptidoglycan in combination with IFNγ resulted in a rapid and transient induction of PRAME transcription, and increased association of PRAME transcripts with polysomes. Moreover, treatment with PAMPs/IFNγ also modulated the subcellular localisation of PRAME proteins in HL60 and U937 cells, resulting in targeting of cytoplasmic PRAME to the Golgi. Affinity purification studies revealed that PRAME associates with Elongin B and Elongin C, components of Cullin E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes. This occurs via direct interaction of PRAME with Elongin C, and PRAME colocalises with Elongins in the Golgi after PAMP/IFNγ treatment. PRAME was also found to co-immunoprecipitate core histones, consistent with its partial localisation to the nucleus, and was found to bind directly to histone H3 in vitro. Thus, PRAME is upregulated by signalling pathways that are activated in response to infection/inflammation, and its product may have dual functions as a histone-binding protein, and in directing ubiquitylation of target proteins for processing in the Golgi

Design and rationale of the B-lines lung ultrasound guided emergency department management of acute heart failure (BLUSHED-AHF) pilot trial

Background Medical treatment for acute heart failure (AHF) has not changed substantially over the last four decades. Emergency department (ED)-based evidence for treatment is limited. Outcomes remain poor, with a 25% mortality or re-admission rate within 30 days post discharge. Targeting pulmonary congestion, which can be objectively assessed using lung ultrasound (LUS), may be associated with improved outcomes. Methods BLUSHED-AHF is a multicenter, randomized, pilot trial designed to test whether a strategy of care that utilizes a LUS-driven treatment protocol outperforms usual care for reducing pulmonary congestion in the ED. We will randomize 130 ED patients with AHF across five sites to, a) a structured treatment strategy guided by LUS vs. b) a structured treatment strategy guided by usual care. LUS-guided care will continue until there are ≤15 B-lines on LUS or 6h post enrollment. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with B-lines ≤ 15 at the conclusion of 6 h of management. Patients will continue to undergo serial LUS exams during hospitalization, to better understand the time course of pulmonary congestion. Follow up will occur through 90 days, exploring days-alive-and-out-of-hospital between the two arms. The study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03136198). Conclusion If successful, this pilot study will inform future, larger trial design on LUS driven therapy aimed at guiding treatment and improving outcomes in patients with AHF

Enhancing father engagement in parenting programs: Translating research into practice recommendations

Objective Given the increasing research and practice interest in father engagement, this article aimed to develop a clinical narrative integrating the extant research literature to distil key practice recommendations for enhancing father engagement in parenting interventions for child wellbeing. Method A narrative review of research on father engagement in interventions for child wellbeing was conducted, to identify and distil evidence‐based policies and practices to enhance father engagement for practitioners and organisations. Results Six broad policy and practice recommendations are provided that pertain to: engaging the parenting team, avoiding a father deficit model, increasing father awareness of parenting interventions, ensuring father‐inclusive program content and delivery, increasing organisational support for father‐inclusive practice, and increasing professional father engagement training. Conclusion This review provides practitioners with guidelines for enhancing father engagement based on the available research. It also provides recommendations for further research regarding the effectiveness of strategies to enhance father engagement