Working with Families and Children Affected by Child Abuse and Neglect: A Resource Guide for Professionals

This project attempts to help with a problem that professionals have that work with families and children affected by child abuse and neglect. This problem includes a lack of resources for the professionals. Although there are a variety of resources for these professionals, they are in a variety of locations, which makes it difficult to manage. This document allows for professionals to come to one location to find a wealth of information in regards to child abuse and neglect. Sections included are on the types of abuse, risk factors, effects of abuse, the non-offending caretaker, effective therapies, legal issues, preventing child abuse and neglect, and secondary traumatic stress. This resource guide includes information for a variety of scholarly sources and put together in a research paper format.B.S. (Bachelor of Science

Differences in responses of platelets to fluid shear stress in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and coronary artery disease (CAD).

Information on differences in platelet function between patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is limited. We sought to examine the differences in the platelets response to shear stress in patients with PAD compared to those with CAD. Men with symptomatic PAD (ankle brachial index [ABI] \u3c 0.9; n = 29) were compared with similarly aged men with CAD (post coronary artery bypass grafting; n = 40) but without PAD. All participants were on aspirin, and none were on clopidogrel. We measured changes in shear-induced platelet aggregation (SIPA) and shear-induced P-selectin expression (SIPE) under fluid shear rates of 5000 and 10,000 s(-1)which are typically found in arterioles and stenosed arteries, respectively. Aggregation was also induced by a combined stimulation of collagen, fluid shear stress, and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or epinephrine using a platelet function analyzer (PFA-100) as well as optical aggregometry (arachidonic acid, collagen and epinephrine). Analyses of covariance adjusted for age, aspirin dose, and statin use were used to estimate differences between the groups. Values of SIPA at fluid shear rates of 5000 and 10,000 s(-1) were significantly higher in the PAD group, while there were no differences between the PAD and CAD groups in SIPE at both fluid shear rates. However, baseline shear-induced P-selectin expression was higher in patients with PAD than CAD (mean fluorescence intensity [MFI] = 2.93 +/- 1.37 vs.1.94 +/- 0.67; p = 0.01), while the percentage increases in SIPA and SIPE at fluid shear rates of 5000 and 10,000 s(-1) were significantly higher in patients with CAD when compared to PAD (p \u3c 0.001 for all comparisons). Although there were several similarities in platelet function between men with PAD and men with CAD, significant differences in platelet responses to shear stress were observed in men with PAD when compared to those with CAD. Although the mechanism for these observed differences are not clear, we hypothesize that in vivo platelet activation in PAD patients may contribute to the differences and will need to be further investigated

Development of a novel classification system for anatomical variants of the puboprostatic ligaments with expert validation

Introduction: We propose a novel classification system with a validation study to help clinicians identify and typify commonly seen variants of the puboprostatic ligaments (PPL). Methods: A preliminary dissection of 6 male cadavers and a prospective dataset of over 300 robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomies (RARP) recorded on video were used to identify 4 distinct ligament types. Then the prospectively collected database of surgical videos was used to isolate images of the PPL from RARP. Over 300 surgical videos were reviewed and classified with 1 to 5 pictures saved for reference of the type of PPL. To validate the new classification system, we selected 5 independent, blinded expert robotic surgeons to classify 100 ligaments based on morphology into a 4-type system: parallel, V-shaped, inverted V-shape, and fused. One week later, a subset of 25 photographs was sent to the same experts and classified. Statistical analyses were performed to determine both the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the proposed system. Results: Inverted V-shaped ligaments were noted most frequently (29.97%), parallel and V-shaped ligaments were found at 19.19% and 11.11%, respectively and fused ligaments were noted less frequently (6.06%). There was good intra-rater agreement (ê = 0.66) and inter-rater agreement (ê = 0.67) for the classification system. Conclusions: This classification system provided standardized descriptions of ligament variations that could be adopted universally to help clinicians categorize the variants. The system, validated by several blinded expert surgeons, demonstrated that surgeons were able to learn and correctly classify the variants. The system may be useful in helping to predict peri- and postoperative outcomes; however, this will require further study

Recommendations and guidelines from the ISMRM Diffusion Study Group for preclinical diffusion MRI: Part 1 -- In vivo small-animal imaging

The value of in vivo preclinical diffusion MRI (dMRI) is substantial. Small-animal dMRI has been used for methodological development and validation, characterizing the biological basis of diffusion phenomena, and comparative anatomy. Many of the influential works in this field were first performed in small animals or ex vivo samples. The steps from animal setup and monitoring, to acquisition, analysis, and interpretation are complex, with many decisions that may ultimately affect what questions can be answered using the data. This work aims to serve as a reference, presenting selected recommendations and guidelines from the diffusion community, on best practices for preclinical dMRI of in vivo animals. In each section, we also highlight areas for which no guidelines exist (and why), and where future work should focus. We first describe the value that small animal imaging adds to the field of dMRI, followed by general considerations and foundational knowledge that must be considered when designing experiments. We briefly describe differences in animal species and disease models and discuss how they are appropriate for different studies. We then give guidelines for in vivo acquisition protocols, including decisions on hardware, animal preparation, imaging sequences and data processing, including pre-processing, model-fitting, and tractography. Finally, we provide an online resource which lists publicly available preclinical dMRI datasets and software packages, to promote responsible and reproducible research. An overarching goal herein is to enhance the rigor and reproducibility of small animal dMRI acquisitions and analyses, and thereby advance biomedical knowledge.Comment: 69 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Image1_Ileal and cecal microbiota response to Salmonella Typhimurium challenge in conventional and slow-growing broilers.pdf

Despite the negative impacts of Salmonella intestinal colonization on human health, Salmonella is a natural colonizer of the gastrointestinal tract and is not overtly pathogenic to the avian host. It is of interest to understand the impacts and colonization rates of Salmonella across selected genetic lines such as slow-growing (SG) and conventional (CONV) broilers. The objective of this study was to characterize the relationship between Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium challenge and selected broiler genetic lines on the ileal and cecal microbiome. Male chicks of two broiler breeds (n = 156/breed) were cohoused in an open floor pen until day 7. On day 13, the chicks were then separated into 12 isolators per breed (4 rooms, 6 isolators/room, 11 chicks/isolator). On day 14, chicks in the 12 treatment isolators (6 isolators/breed, 108 total) were challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) (1 × 108 CFU/ml) via oral gavage while the remaining chicks (n = 108) were given an oral gavage of sterile tryptic soy broth control (C). Ileal and cecal contents were collected on day 7 from 24 chicks of each breed, and on days 13, 17, 21, and 24 from two chicks per isolator. Samples underwent DNA extraction and PCR amplification to obtain 16S rRNA amplicons that were sequenced with Illumina MiSeq. Salmonella Typhimurium colonization in the cecum was not different in the two broiler breeds. The main effect of breed had the greatest impact on the ileum microbiota of broilers 7 days of age where SG broilers had significantly lower diversity and richness compared to CONV broilers (p < 0.05). Salmonella Typhimurium challenge consistently caused a change in beta diversity. Regardless of day or intestinal location, challenged broilers had many amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) with decreased abundance of likely beneficial bacteria such as Mollicutes RF39, Shuttleworthia, Flavonifractor, and Oscillibacter compared to broilers that were unchallenged with Salmonella Typhimurium (p < 0.05). Additionally, there was a difference in the timing of when the microbiota alpha and beta diversity of each breed responded to Salmonella Typhimurium challenge. Thus, both broiler breed and Salmonella Typhimurium can impact the intestinal microbiota.</p

Development of a novel classification system for anatomical variants of the puboprostatic ligaments with expert validation

INTRODUCTION: We propose a novel classification system with a validation study to help clinicians identify and typify commonly seen variants of the puboprostatic ligaments (PPL). METHODS: A preliminary dissection of 6 male cadavers and a prospective dataset of over 300 robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomies (RARP) recorded on video were used to identify 4 distinct ligament types. Then the prospectively collected database of surgical videos was used to isolate images of the PPL from RARP. Over 300 surgical videos were reviewed and classified with 1 to 5 pictures saved for reference of the type of PPL. To validate the new classification system, we selected 5 independent, blinded expert robotic surgeons to classify 100 ligaments based on morphology into a 4-type system: parallel, V-shaped, inverted V-shape, and fused. One week later, a subset of 25 photographs was sent to the same experts and classified. Statistical analyses were performed to determine both the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the proposed system. RESULTS: Inverted V-shaped ligaments were noted most frequently (29.97%), parallel and V-shaped ligaments were found at 19.19% and 11.11%, respectively and fused ligaments were noted less frequently (6.06%). There was good intra-rater agreement (κ = 0.66) and inter-rater agreement (κ = 0.67) for the classification system. CONCLUSIONS: This classification system provided standardized descriptions of ligament variations that could be adopted universally to help clinicians categorize the variants. The system, validated by several blinded expert surgeons, demonstrated that surgeons were able to learn and correctly classify the variants. The system may be useful in helping to predict peri- and postoperative outcomes; however, this will require further study

Visual Analytics for Robust Investigations of Placental Aquaporin Gene Expression in Response to Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The human placenta is a multifunctional, disc-shaped temporary fetal organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy, connecting the mother and the fetus. The availability of large-scale datasets on the gene expression of placental cell types and scholarly articles documenting adverse pregnancy outcomes from maternal infection warrants the use of computational resources to aid in knowledge generation from disparate data sources. Using maternal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection as a case study in microbial infection, we constructed integrated datasets and implemented visual analytics resources to facilitate robust investigations of placental gene expression data in the dimensions of flow, curation, and analytics. The visual analytics resources and associated datasets can support a greater understanding of SARS-CoV-2-induced changes to the human placental expression levels of 18,882 protein-coding genes and at least 1233 human gene groups/families. We focus this report on the human aquaporin gene family that encodes small integral membrane proteins initially studied for their roles in water transport across cell membranes. Aquaporin-9 (AQP9) was the only aquaporin downregulated in term placental villi from SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers. Previous studies have found that (1) oxygen signaling modulates placental development; (2) oxygen tension could modulate AQP9 expression in the human placenta; and (3) SARS-CoV-2 can disrupt the formation of oxygen-carrying red blood cells in the placenta. Thus, future research could be performed on microbial infection-induced changes to (1) the placental hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells; and (2) placental expression of human aquaporin genes, especially AQP9