Completing the Translation

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154355/1/onco13114_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154355/2/onco13114.pd

Duration judgements in patients with schizophrenia

Background. The ability to encode time cues underlies many cognitive processes. In the light of schizophrenic patients' compromised cognitive abilities in a variety of domains, it is noteworthy that there are numerous reports of these patients displaying impaired timing abilities. However, the timing intervals that patients have been evaluated on in prior studies vary considerably in magnitude (e.g. 1 s, 1 min, 1 h etc.). Method. In order to obviate differences in abilities in chronometric counting and place minimal demands on cognitive processing, we chose tasks that involve making judgements about brief durations of time (<1 s). Results. On a temporal generalization task, patients were less accurate than controls at recognizing a standard duration. The performance of patients was also significantly different from controls on a temporal bisection task, in which participants categorized durations as short or long. Although time estimation may be closely intertwined with working memory, patients' working memory as measured by the digit span task did not correlate significantly with their performance on the duration judgement tasks. Moreover, lowered intelligence scores could not completely account for the findings. Conclusions. We take these results to suggest that patients with schizophrenia are less accurate at estimating brief time periods. These deficits may reflect dysfunction of biopsychological timing processes

Protection from themselves : the domestic consequences of international hierarchy

textIn recent years, international relations scholarship has begun to take seriously the role that hierarchy plays in shaping international order. The conclusion of this research program is that hierarchical ordering principles primarily work to structure relations among states in the international system. This dissertation offers an alternative view of international hierarchy. More specifically, this project explores the implications that international hierarchy has for political developments within -- rather than between -- states. I first argue that international hierarchy is oriented around the securing of favorable leadership within other states. I find that "dominant states" can alter the willingness of groups within "subordinate states" to compete for domestic political power by shaping the value these groups place on holding office. This argument has three empirical implications. First, I show that by conditionally promising resources like foreign aid to groups within subordinate states, dominant states can bring new, friendly leaders to power, in effect "purchasing" regime change. Second, I find that dominant states are able to deter challenges to their preferred regimes within subordinate states by providing foreign aid and by threatening unfriendly groups with coercion. Finally, I show that the disappearance of hierarchy -- and its attendant regime security -- generate incentives for civil conflict.Governmen

Assessment of the abdominal aorta and its visceral branches by contrast-enhanced dynamic volumetric hepatic parallel magnetic resonance imaging: feasibility, reliability and accuracy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new three-dimensional gradient-echo (GRE) MR sequence performed with a parallel acquisition technique to shorten breath-hold times (parallel GRE MRI) in the detection of arterial variants and stenosis of the abdominal aorta and its visceral branches. A total of 102 patients underwent dynamic parallel GRE MRI, timed to the arterial phase by a test bolus (mean breath-hold time, 17s). For both quantitative and qualitative analysis, the abdominal aorta and its visceral branches were divided into 13 arterial segments. In a subanalysis of 55/102 patients, the accuracy of parallel GRE MRI compared to MDCT in the detection arterial variants and stenosis was calculated for two independent readers. Mean SNRs and CNRs were 47.2 and 35.6, respectively. Image quality was rated good or excellent in 1,234/1,326 segments (93%). Hepatic and renal arterial variants were identified with an accuracy of 93 and 95%, respectively (reader 1) and 98 and 100%, respectively (reader 2). Both readers detected arterial stenosis with an accuracy of 98%. Interobserver agreement was good to excellent for the detection of hepatic (κ=0.69) and renal (κ=0.92) variants and for the diagnosis of stenosis (κ=0.96). Dynamic three-dimensional parallel GRE MRI is feasible and allows a reliable and accurate diagnosis of arterial variants and stenosis of the abdominal aorta and its visceral branches in a short breath-hold-tim

Prospective intraindividual comparison between respiratory-triggered balanced steady-state free precession and breath-hold gradient-echo and time-of-flight magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of portal and hepatic veins

The purpose of this study was to compare respiratory-triggered balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) with breath-hold contrast-enhanced dynamic two-dimensional (2D) gradient-echo (GRE) and time-of-flight (TOF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for portal and hepatic vein visualization and assessment of portal and hepatic venous variants. Sixty patients with liver disease underwent nonenhanced bSSFP and contrast-enhanced GRE, bSSFP, and TOF imaging. Contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) for portal and hepatic veins were measured. Two readers rated the quality of portal and hepatic vein visualization on a 5-point Likert scale. The diagnostic performance of each MRI series in the detection of portal and hepatic venous variants was assessed in 40/60 patients who also underwent contrast-enhanced multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT). CNRs for portal and hepatic veins were highest on contrast-enhanced bSSFP images. Image quality of portal and hepatic veins was rated higher for nonenhanced bSSFP than for contrast-enhanced GRE (p<0.03) and TOF (p<0.003) and higher for contrast-enhanced than for nonenhanced bSSFP (p<0.003). Compared with MDCT, portal and hepatic venous variants were identified with an accuracy of 99% on bSSFP images, with an excellent interobserver agreement (κ=0.97). Compared with MDCT, presence of surgically important portal and hepatic venous anatomical variants can be predicted with high accuracy on bSSFP image

Voices for food: Methodologies for Implementing a Multi-state Community-based Intervention in Rural, High Poverty communities.

BACKGROUND: Rural communities experience unique barriers to food access when compared to urban areas and food security is a public health issue in rural, high poverty communities. A multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention to develop food policy councils (FPCs), and improve food security in rural communities was created. Methods to carry out such an intervention were developed and are described.METHODS: A longitudinal, matched treatment and comparison study was conducted in 24 rural, high poverty counties in South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska and Ohio. Counties were assigned to a treatment (n = 12) or comparison (n = 12) group. Intervention activities focus on three key components that impact food security: 1) community coaching by Extension Educators/field staff, 2) FPC development, and 3) development of a MyChoice food pantry. Community coaching was only provided to intervention counties. Evaluation components focus on three levels of the intervention: 1) Community (FPCs), 2) Food Pantry Organization, and 3) Pantry Client & Families. Participants in this study were community stakeholders, food pantry directors, staff/volunteers and food pantry clients. Pantry food access/availability including pantry food quality and quantity, household food security and pantry client dietary intake are dependent variables.DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide a framework for utilizing a multi-leveled socio-ecological intervention with the purpose of improving food security in rural, high poverty communities. Additionally, the results of this study will yield evidence-based best practices and tools for both FPC development and the transition to a guided-client choice model of distribution in food pantries. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov; NCT03566095 . Retrospectively registered on June, 21, 2018

Iodine status in western Kenya: a community-based cross-sectional survey of urinary and drinking water iodine concentrations

Spot urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) are presented for 248 individuals from western Kenya with paired drinking water collected between 2016 and 2018. The median UIC was 271 µg L−1, ranging from 9 to 3146 µg L−1, unadjusted for hydration status/dilution. From these data, 12% were potentially iodine deficient ( 300 µg L−1). The application of hydration status/urinary dilution correction methods was evaluated for UICs, using creatinine, osmolality and specific gravity. The use of specific gravity correction for spot urine samples to account for hydration status/urinary dilution presents a practical approach for studies with limited budgets, rather than relying on unadjusted UICs, 24 h sampling, use of significantly large sample size in a cross-sectional study and other reported measures to smooth out the urinary dilution effect. Urinary corrections did influence boundary assessment for deficiency–sufficiency–excess for this group of participants, ranging from 31 to 44% having excess iodine intake, albeit for a study of this size. However, comparison of the correction methods did highlight that 22% of the variation in UICs was due to urinary dilution, highlighting the need for such correction, although creatinine performed poorly, yet specific gravity as a low-cost method was comparable to osmolality corrections as the often stated ‘gold standard’ metric for urinary concentration. Paired drinking water samples contained a median iodine concentration of 3.2 µg L−1 (0.2–304.1 µg L−1). A weak correlation was observed between UIC and water-I concentrations (R = 0.11)

Acute Fish Oil supplementation and Aspirin treatment modulates lipid profile in Platelet Rich Plasma: a randomized pilot trial

Aims: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been used in tissue repair to treat numerous inflammatory pathophysiologies. Recent studies have elucidated that the bioactive lipid fraction of PRP significantly contributes towards the resolution of inflammation. There has been great interest in how therapeutics could modulate the PRP lipidome to formulate a more pro-resolving matrix. Many of the pathways used to produce either pro-resolving or pro-inflammatory lipids are shared between ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Here, we explored the separate and interacting effects acute exogenous ω-3 PUFA supplementation and aspirin had on the lipidome of PRP within 6 hours. Methods:PRP from 45 patients was obtained at baseline and after 6-hours from either control or those receiving one 1400 mg fish oil tablet, Bayer low-dose aspirin (81mg), or combinational therapy. Lipids were acquired by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Spearman rank correlation analysis visually assessed what effects treatments had on the relative abundance of PUFA derivatives. The control group was referenced for lipid selection across groups; lipids were selected on the basis that they significantly (p Results: Fish oil ω-3 PUFA supplementation and aspirin had separate and interacting effects on oxylipin and neutral lipid correlations. Strongly correlated (rho \u3e 0.65) ω-6 PUFA metabolites were reversed or reduced in magnitude following either treatment. A total of 24 lipid species were significantly modulated in the fish oil treatment group, with notable (p4), and lipoxin A4 (LXA4). Conclusion: We can confirm that fish oil supplementation and aspirin do exert modulatory effects on the lipid fraction of PRP within a short period of time (6-hours). The PUFAs composing fish oil impacted a wide range of the lipidome – possibly though a mechanism of ω-3/ω-6 enzymatic competition. Our results support that ω-3 PUFA supplementation may improve the efficacy of PRP for short-term use

Cohort profile:Scotland’s record-linkage e-cohorts of people with intellectual disabilities, and autistic people (SCIDA)

Purpose: To investigate health, mortality and healthcare inequalities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities, and autistic people, and their determinants; an important step towards identifying and implementing solutions to reduce inequalities. This paper describes the cohorts, record-linkages and variables that will be used. Participants: Scotland’s Census, 2011 was used to identify Scotland’s citizens with intellectual disabilities, and autistic citizens, and representative general population samples with neither. Using Scotland’s community health index, the Census data (demography, household, employment, long-term conditions) were linked with routinely collected health, death and healthcare data: Scotland’s register of deaths, Scottish morbidity data 06 (SMR06: cancer incidence, mortality, treatments), Prescribing Information System (identifying asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; angina/congestive heart failure/hypertension; peptic ulcer/reflux; constipation; diabetes; thyroid disorder; depression; bipolar disorders; anxiety/sleep; psychosis; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; epilepsy; glaucoma), SMR01 (general/acute hospital admissions and causes, ambulatory care sensitive admissions), SMR04 (mental health admissions and causes), Scottish Care Information–Diabetes Collaboration (diabetic care quality, diabetic outcomes), national bowel screening programme and cervical screening. Findings to date: Of the whole population, 0.5% had intellectual disabilities, and 0.6% were autistic. Linkage was successful for &gt;92%. The resultant e-cohorts include: (1) 22 538 people with intellectual disabilities (12 837 men and 9701 women), 4509 of whom are children &lt;16 years, (2) 27 741 autistic people (21 390 men and 6351 women), 15 387 of whom are children &lt;16 years and (3) representative general population samples with neither condition. Very good general health was reported for only 3389 (15.0%) people with intellectual disabilities, 10 510 (38.0%) autistic people, compared with 52.4% general population. Mental health conditions were reported for 4755 (21.1%) people with intellectual disabilities, 3998 (14.4%) autistic people, compared with 4.2% general population. Future plans: Analyses will determine the extent of premature mortality, causes of death, and avoidable deaths, profile of health conditions and cancers, healthcare quality and screening and determinants of mortality and healthcare