Invasive Species Handbook: A Resource for Educators - Grades 3-8

This handbook includes six chapters that discuss invasive species and their environmental, economic, and health impacts. It also reviews pathways of invasive species spread and prevention, monitoring, and control. The handbook is a resource for educators teaching children in grades 3 through 8. Learning objectives, activities, and vocabulary are also included

Mammals of Cedar Breaks National Monument

This document is the result of a study of the terrestrial mammals found at Cedar Breaks National Monument from 2017-2019. During this time, we conducted a survey of mammals using a series of trail cameras. We used survey results to provide an index of terrestrial mammals (excluding bats) within the park. Our goal is to provide a beginner’s guide to the mammals at Cedar Breaks National Monument. We include information regarding appearance, diet, habitat, and population status according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The guide represents the species a visitor to Cedar Breaks National Monument will most likely encounter during a visit. In addition to the traditional photographs, we provide many photos collected during our study. In some cases, these photos may be of lesser quality, but they provide a realistic example of what these species look like at the park, and while they are on-the-move

Hospital staff, volunteers’ and patients’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators to communication following stroke in an acute and a rehabilitation private hospital ward: A qualitative description study

Objectives To explore barriers and facilitators to patient communication in an acute and rehabilitation ward setting from the perspectives of hospital staff, volunteers and patients following stroke. Design A qualitative descriptive study as part of a larger study which aimed to develop and test a Communication Enhanced Environment model in an acute and a rehabilitation ward. Setting A metropolitan Australian private hospital. Participants Focus groups with acute and rehabilitation doctors, nurses, allied health staff and volunteers (n=51), and interviews with patients following stroke (n=7), including three with aphasia, were conducted. Results The key themes related to barriers and facilitators to communication, contained subcategories related to hospital, staff and patient factors. Hospital-related barriers to communication were private rooms, mixed wards, the physical hospital environment, hospital policies, the power imbalance between staff and patients, and task-specific communication. Staff-related barriers to communication were staff perception of time pressures, underutilisation of available resources, staff individual factors such as personality, role perception and lack of knowledge and skills regarding communication strategies. The patient-related barrier to communication involved patients’ functional and medical status. Hospital-related facilitators to communication were shared rooms/co-location of patients, visitors and volunteers. Staff-related facilitators to communication were utilisation of resources, speech pathology support, staff knowledge and utilisation of communication strategies, and individual staff factors such as personality. No patient-related facilitators to communication were reported by staff, volunteers or patients. Conclusion Barriers and facilitators to communication appeared to interconnect with potential to influence one another. This suggests communication access may vary between patients within the same setting. Practical changes may promote communication opportunities for patients in hospital early after stroke such as access to areas for patient co-location as well as areas for privacy, encouraging visitors, enhancing patient autonomy, and providing communication-trained health staff and volunteers

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Patients’ experiences of a communication enhanced environment model on an acute/slow stream rehabilitation and a rehabilitation ward following stroke: A qualitative description approach

Background Patients in hospital following stroke express a desire to continue therapy tasks outside of treatment activities. However, they commonly describe experiences of boredom and inactivity. An enriched environment aims to provide opportunities for physical, cognitive and social activity and informed the development of a Communication Enhanced Environment (CEE) model to promote patient engagement in language activities. Purpose Explore patient perceptions of a CEE model, and barriers and facilitators to engagement in the model. Methods A qualitative description study from a larger project that implemented a CEE model into acute and rehabilitation private hospital wards in Western Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven patients, including four with aphasia, within 22 days post-stroke who had access to the CEE model. Results Patients described variable experiences accessing different elements of the CEE model which were influenced by individual patient factors, staff factors, hospital features as well as staff time pressures. Those who were able to access elements of the CEE model described positive opportunities for engagement in language activities. Conclusions While findings are encouraging, further exploration of the feasibility of a CEE model in this complex setting is indicated to inform the development of this intervention. Implications for rehabilitation Patient access to a CEE model is challenging in a hospital setting. Patients who were able to access elements of the CEE model described positive opportunities for engagement in language activities. Patients’ access to the CEE model was influenced by patient factors, staff factors, hospital features as well as staff time pressures

Medical Cannabis: A Review from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience

Cannabinoids have recently gained a renewed interest due to their potential applicability to various medical conditions, specifically the management of chronic pain conditions. Unlike many other medications, medical cannabis is not associated with serious adverse events, and no overdose deaths have been reported. However, both safety and efficacy data for medical cannabis treatment of chronic, nonmalignant pain conditions are lacking. Therefore, representatives from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience summarize the evidence, according to level and grade, for medical cannabis treatment of several different pain conditions. Treatment of cancer-related pain has prospective evidentiary support for the use of medical cannabis. Although 3 large and well-designed randomized controlled trials investigated cannabis treatment of cancer-related pain, the evidence yielded only a grade D recommendation. Neuropathic pain has been investigated in prospective studies, but a lack of high-quality evidence renders cannabis treatment for this indication a grade C recommendation. Both safety and efficacy data are lacking for use of medical cannabis to treat chronic nonmalignant pain conditions

Social Media and Professional Conduct (SMART): Best Practice Guidelines from the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN)

Social media has revolutionized internet communication and become ubiquitous in modern life. Though it originated as a medium for friendship, social media has evolved into an ideal venue for professional networking, scientific exchange, and brand building. As such, it is a powerful tool with which interventional pain physicians should become familiar. However, given the permanence and visibility of online posts, it is prudent for interventional pain physicians to utilize social media in a manner that is consistent with the ethical and professionalism standards to which they are held by their patients, employers, peers, and state medical boards. While there are extensive publications of professional codes of conduct by medical societies, there is a paucity of literature regarding social media best practices guidelines. Further, to date there have been no social media best practices recommendations specific to interventional pain medicine physicians. While not exhaustive, the aim of this document is to provide recommendations to pain physicians on how to maintain an effective professional and ethical online presence. Specifically, we provide guidance on online persona and professional image, patient-physician interactions online, patient privacy, industry relations, patient education, and brand building

The role of adjuvant therapy in stage IA serous and clear cell uterine cancer: A multi-institutional pooled analysis.

OBJECTIVE: As the optimal adjuvant management of stage IA serous or clear cell endometrial cancer is controversial, a multi-institutional review was conducted with the objective of evaluating the appropriateness of various strategies including observation. METHODS: Retrospective chart reviews for 414 consecutive patients who underwent hysterectomy for FIGO stage IA endometrial cancer with serous, clear cell or mixed histology between 2004 and 2015 were conducted in 6 North American centers. Time-to-event outcomes were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier estimates, log-rank test, univariable and multivariable cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS: Post-operative management included observation (50%), chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) (27%), RT only (16%) and chemotherapy only (7%). The 178 RT patients received external beam (EBRT, 16%), vaginal vault brachytherapy (VVB, 56%) or both (28%). Among patients without any adjuvant treatment, 5-year local control (LC), disease free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were 82% (95% confidence interval: 74-88), 70% (62-78) and 90% (82-94), respectively. CSS in patients without adjuvant treatment was improved with adequate surgical staging (100% vs. 87% (77-92), log-rank p=0.022). Adjuvant VVB was associated with improved LC (5-year 96% (91-99) vs. 84% (76-89), log-rank p=0.007) and DFS (5-year 79% (66-88) vs. 71% (63-77), log-rank p=0.033). Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with better LC (5-year 96% (90-98) vs. 84% (77-89), log-rank p=0.014) and DFS (5-year 84% (74-91) vs. 69% (61-76), log-rank p=0.009). On multivariable analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy and VVB were associated with improved LC while adjuvant chemotherapy and age were significant for DFS. CONCLUSIONS: In stage IA serous or clear cell uterine cancer, adjuvant RT and chemotherapy were associated with better LC and DFS. Observation may be appropriate in patients who have had adequate surgical staging

The role of adjuvant therapy in stage IA serous and clear cell uterine cancer: A multi-institutional pooled analysis

OBJECTIVE: As the optimal adjuvant management of stage IA serous or clear cell endometrial cancer is controversial, a multi-institutional review was conducted with the objective of evaluating the appropriateness of various strategies including observation. METHODS: Retrospective chart reviews for 414 consecutive patients who underwent hysterectomy for FIGO stage IA endometrial cancer with serous, clear cell or mixed histology between 2004 and 2015 were conducted in 6 North American centers. Time-to-event outcomes were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier estimates, log-rank test, univariable and multivariable cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS: Post-operative management included observation (50%), chemotherapy and radiotherapy (RT) (27%), RT only (16%) and chemotherapy only (7%). The 178 RT patients received external beam (EBRT, 16%), vaginal vault brachytherapy (VVB, 56%) or both (28%). Among patients without any adjuvant treatment, 5-year local control (LC), disease free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were 82% (95% confidence interval: 74-88), 70% (62-78) and 90% (82-94), respectively. CSS in patients without adjuvant treatment was improved with adequate surgical staging (100% vs. 87% (77-92), log-rank p=0.022). Adjuvant VVB was associated with improved LC (5-year 96% (91-99) vs. 84% (76-89), log-rank p=0.007) and DFS (5-year 79% (66-88) vs. 71% (63-77), log-rank p=0.033). Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with better LC (5-year 96% (90-98) vs. 84% (77-89), log-rank p=0.014) and DFS (5-year 84% (74-91) vs. 69% (61-76), log-rank p=0.009). On multivariable analysis, adjuvant chemotherapy and VVB were associated with improved LC while adjuvant chemotherapy and age were significant for DFS. CONCLUSIONS: In stage IA serous or clear cell uterine cancer, adjuvant RT and chemotherapy were associated with better LC and DFS. Observation may be appropriate in patients who have had adequate surgical staging