A state-level study of opioid use disorder treatment access and neonatal abstinence syndrome

Background Adult opioid use and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) are growing public health problems in the United States (U.S.). Our objective was to determine how opioid use disorder treatment access impacts the relationship between adult opioid use and NAS. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional state-level ecologic study using 36 states with available Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases in 2014. Opioid use disorder treatment access was determined by the: 1) proportion of people needing but not receiving substance use treatment, 2) density of buprenorphine-waivered physicians, and 3) proportion of individuals in outpatient treatment programs (OTPs). The incidence of NAS was defined as ICD-9 code 779.5 (drug withdrawal syndrome in newborn) from any discharge diagnosis field per 1000 live births in that state. Results Unmet need for substance use disorder treatment correlated with NAS (r = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.26–0.73). The correlation between adult illicit drug use/dependence and NAS was higher in states with a lower density of buprenorphine-waivered physicians and individuals in OTPs. Conclusions Measures of opioid use disorder treatment access dampened the correlation between illicit drug use/dependence and NAS. Future studies using community- or individual-level data may be better poised to answer the question of whether or not opioid use disorder treatment access improves NAS relative to adult opioid use

The Effect of Greenspace on Physical Activity and Social Cohesion in Baltimore, MD

Given increasing trends in urbanization, there is an increasing need for sustainable city design solutions that will improve citizens’ health, well-being, and efficiency in highdensity environments. One large contributor to urban well-being is greenspace. Thus, this paper seeks to analyze the effect of greenspace on physical activity rates and social cohesion in Baltimore, MD. Using Landsat 4-5 imagery, NDVI calculations were used to measure greenspace as the percentage of healthy vegetation within zip codes and census tracts. Repeated cross-sectional data at each geographic area is available in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study Telephone Survey from 1999 to 2011. As noted in Baltimore’s Sustainability Plan, the city of Baltimore intentionally targets increased greenspace for low-income, African-American, and minority residents, which means greenspace is nonrandom. The fixed effects model accounts for this endogeneity and is applied at each geographic level to control for unobserved neighborhood characteristics. The results find a statistically significant positive relationship between greenspace and social cohesion, but inconclusive results on the relationship between greenspace and physical activity.Bachelor of Art

Beyond the Hype: Assessing the Performance, Trustworthiness, and Clinical Suitability of GPT3.5

The use of large language models (LLMs) in healthcare is gaining popularity, but their practicality and safety in clinical settings have not been thoroughly assessed. In high-stakes environments like medical settings, trust and safety are critical issues for LLMs. To address these concerns, we present an approach to evaluate the performance and trustworthiness of a GPT3.5 model for medical image protocol assignment. We compare it with a fine-tuned BERT model and a radiologist. In addition, we have a radiologist review the GPT3.5 output to evaluate its decision-making process. Our evaluation dataset consists of 4,700 physician entries across 11 imaging protocol classes spanning the entire head. Our findings suggest that the GPT3.5 performance falls behind BERT and a radiologist. However, GPT3.5 outperforms BERT in its ability to explain its decision, detect relevant word indicators, and model calibration. Furthermore, by analyzing the explanations of GPT3.5 for misclassifications, we reveal systematic errors that need to be resolved to enhance its safety and suitability for clinical use

Selective deletion of cochlear hair cells causes rapid age-dependent changes in spiral ganglion and cochlear nucleus neurons

During nervous system development, critical periods are usually defined as early periods during which manipulations dramatically change neuronal structure or function, whereas the same manipulations in mature animals have little or no effect on the same property. Neurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus (CN) are dependent on excitatory afferent input for survival during a critical period of development. Cochlear removal in young mammals and birds results in rapid death of target neurons in the CN. Cochlear removal in older animals results in little or no neuron death. However, the extent to which hair-cell-specific afferent activity prevents neuronal death in the neonatal brain is unknown. We further explore this phenomenon using a new mouse model that allows temporal control of cochlear hair cell deletion. Hair cells express the human diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor behind the Pou4f3 promoter. Injections of DT resulted in nearly complete loss of organ of Corti hair cells within 1 week of injection regardless of the age of injection. Injection of DT did not influence surrounding supporting cells directly in the sensory epithelium or spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Loss of hair cells in neonates resulted in rapid and profound neuronal loss in the ventral CN, but not when hair cells were eliminated at a more mature age. In addition, normal survival of SGNs was dependent on hair cell integrity early in development and less so in mature animals. This defines a previously undocumented critical period for SGN survival

Infection of laboratory-colonized Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes by Plasmodium vivax.

Anopheles darlingi Root is the most important malaria vector in the Amazonia region of South America. However, continuous propagation of An. darlingi in the laboratory has been elusive, limiting entomological, genetic/genomic, and vector-pathogen interaction studies of this mosquito species. Here, we report the establishment of an An. darlingi colony derived from wild-caught mosquitoes obtained in the northeastern Peruvian Amazon region of Iquitos in the Loreto Department. We show that the numbers of eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults continue to rise at least to the F6 generation. Comparison of feeding Plasmodium vivax ex vivo of F4 and F5 to F1 generation mosquitoes showed the comparable presence of oocysts and sporozoites, with numbers that corresponded to blood-stage asexual parasitemia and gametocytemia, confirming P. vivax vectorial capacity in the colonized mosquitoes. These results provide new avenues for research on An. darlingi biology and study of An. darlingi-Plasmodium interactions

Role of aspartyl-(asparaginyl)-β-hydroxylase mediated notch signaling in cerebellar development and function

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Aspartyl-(Asparaginyl)-β-Hydroxylase (AAH) is a hydroxylating enzyme that promotes cell motility by enhancing Notch-Jagged-HES-1 signaling. Ethanol impaired cerebellar neuron migration during development is associated with reduced expression of AAH.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To further characterize the role of AAH in relation to cerebellar development, structure, and function, we utilized an in vivo model of early postnatal (P2) intracerebro-ventricular gene delivery to silence AAH with small interfering RNA (siAAH), or over-express it with recombinant plasmid DNA (pAAH). On P20, we assessed cerebellar motor function by rotarod testing. Cerebella harvested on P21 were used to measure AAH, genes/proteins that mediate AAH's downstream signaling, i.e. Notch-1, Jagged-1, and HES-1, and immunoreactivity corresponding to neuronal and glial elements.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The findings demonstrated that: 1) siAAH transfection impaired motor performance and blunted cerebellar foliation, and decreased expression of neuronal and glial specific genes; 2) pAAH transfection enhanced motor performance and increased expression of neuronal and glial cytoskeletal proteins; and 3) alterations in AAH expression produced similar shifts in Notch-1, Jagged-1, and HES-1 protein or gene expression.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results support our hypothesis that AAH is an important mediator of cerebellar development and function, and link AAH expression to Notch signaling pathways in the developing brain.</p

The CEFR Impact on English Language Educators teaching Engineering Programmes in a Private University in Malaysia

&nbsp;This paper presents some preliminary findings of a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary research. It explores the experience of language educators on the newly implemented policy by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia. The implementation of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a policy that develops through a whole continuum: from primary schools to universities. The paper fills the gap in terms of impact studies of the CEFR especially on engineering programmes where the desired CEFR levels are higher. This implementation affects language educators at university in various domains such as the required CEFR levels for language educators, teaching materials and support systems. The methodological framework used in this study is phenomenological study. It aims to explore the experience of the language educators. Interviews were conducted on three language educators teaching engineering programmes at a private university. Snowballing technique was used in identifying the research interviewees. Data gathered were analysed using Atlas.Ti, a qualitative analysis software. Preliminary result indicates that language educators were positive and welcome enthusiastically the change. However, challenges were immense and critical. This paper concludes that the implementation of the CEFR is a wise move for Malaysian students towards a higher level of proficiency in English

Relación entre clima organizacional, satisfacción laboral y motivación de los colaboradores del Colegio de Ingenieros de Lambayeque durante el año 2016

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo establecer la relación entre clima organizacional, satisfacción laboral y motivación de los colaboradores del Colegio de Ingenieros del Perú -Consejo Departamental de Lambayeque durante el año 2016. Es un estudio descriptivo correlacional, que se realizó con 32 participantes que laboran en dicha institución. Se utilizó la escala de Clima Laboral y Satisfacción laboral de Sonia Palma y la escala de Motivación Laboral de Gagné, Forest, Gilbert, Aubé, Morin y Malorni. Para el procesamiento de datos se utilizó el Microsoft Office (Excel 2013) para la confección de base de datos y éstos fueron sometidos a análisis estadísticos (descriptivos e inferenciales) como la correlación de Pearson en el IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Se encontró que existe una relación directa y significativa entre Clima y satisfacción laboral (r=,468); pero, no se encontró relación entre clima y motivación laboral ni entre satisfacción y motivación laboral

The Use of Virtual Reality For Student Training on Bias And Microaggressions

Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive innovative technology that can be used with occupational therapy students for bias training in preparation for fieldwork and clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of VR as a complementary educational tool in bias and microaggressions (MA) training for entry-level occupational therapy students. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected in an 8-week course on diversity, equity, inclusion, and professional skills with a total of 48 first-year entry-level occupational therapy students. We used eight simulated VR cases for all students. Data was collected using a mixed-method survey to capture the students’ experiences with VR. The results showed that the majority of students found the VR module helpful in identifying bias and MA (n=47; 97.92%), enhancing their confidence to report bias and MA (n=48; 100%), offering opportunities to respond to bias and MA (n=39; 81.25%), and articulating why certain behaviors can be perceived as MA (n=45; 93.75%). Thematic analysis of qualitative data showed that the VR enhanced students’ ability to detect bias and MA, and increased the sense of empathy, and ability to be an ally or advocate for targets of bias. The findings indicate that VR is an immersive, engaging technology that can be used for bias and MA training for students and potentially clinicians. It offers a private, inclusive, pressure-reduced learning space for students to learn about bias and MA in preparation for fieldwork education and clinical practice