Increasing Confidence and Mental Health in Caregivers

The purpose of our critically appraised topic is to synthesize the highest-level evidence available regarding interventions for increasing confidence and mental health outcomes in caregivers taking loved ones home from inpatient rehabilitation. The final portfolio contains six research articles from peer-reviewed journals. Study designs include randomized control trials, a systematic review, and a pretest-posttest without a control group. All studies relate directly to the components of the PICO question. Four of the articles discussed both caregiver confidence and mental health while two articles discussed only mental health. There is strong evidence to support that in-person hands on training, in person discussion-based training, and/or virtual resources helped increase confidence in caregivers of patients. There is mixed evidence and only limited improvement to support mental health. The findings from this critically appraised topic will be used to draft new ideas for practice guidelines for addressing caregiver education and caregiver mental health in an inpatient rehabilitation facility

A circumpolar parasite: Evidence of a cryptic undescribed species of sucking louse, Linognathus sp., collected from Arctic foxes, Vulpes lagopus, in Nunavut (Canada) and Svalbard (Norway)

The North has experienced unprecedented rates of warming over the past few decades, impacting the survival and development of insects and the pathogens that they carry. Since 2019, Arctic foxes from Canada (Nunavut) have been observed with fur loss inconsistent with natural shedding of fur. Adult lice were collected from Arctic foxes from Nunavut (n = 1) and Svalbard (n = 2; Norway) and were identified as sucking lice (suborder Anoplura). Using conventional PCR targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (cox1), lice from Canada and Svalbard were 100% similar (8 pooled samples from Nunavut and 3 pooled samples from Svalbard), indicating that there is potential gene flow between ectoparasites on Scandinavian and North American Arctic fox populations. The cox1 sequences of Arctic fox lice and dog sucking lice (Linognathus setosus) had significant differences (87% identity), suggesting that foxes may harbour a cryptic species that has not previously been recognised. Conventional PCR targeting the gltA gene for Bartonella bacteria amplified DNA from an unknown gammaproteobacteria from two pooled louse samples collected from Svalbard foxes. The amplified sequences were 100% identical to each other but were only 78% like Proteus mirabilis reported in GenBank (CP053614), suggesting that lice on Arctic foxes may carry unique microorganisms that have yet to be described.publishedVersio

Fifteen species in one: deciphering the Brachionus plicatilis species complex (Rotifera, Monogononta) through DNA taxonomy

Understanding patterns and processes in biological diversity is a critical task given current and rapid environmental change. Such knowledge is even more essential when the taxa under consideration are important ecological and evolutionary models. One of these cases is the monogonont rotifer cryptic species complex Brachionus plicatilis, which is by far the most extensively studied group of rotifers, is widely used in aquaculture, and is known to host a large amount of unresolved diversity. Here we collate a dataset of previously available and newly generated sequences of COI and ITS1 for 1273 isolates of the B. plicatilis complex and apply three approaches in DNA taxonomy (i.e. ABGD, PTP, and GMYC) to identify and provide support for the existence of 15 species within the complex. We used these results to explore phylogenetic signal in morphometric and ecological traits, and to understand correlation among the traits using phylogenetic comparative models. Our results support niche conservatism for some traits (e.g. body length) and phylogenetic plasticity for others (e.g. genome size)

Hydrosilylation of Olefins Catalyzed by Well-Defined Cationic Aluminum Complexes: Lewis Acid versus Insertion Mechanisms

The cationic aluminum complex [NacNacAlH]⁺ (<b>2</b>; NacNac = CH­{C­(Me)­N­(2,6-Prⁱ₂C₆H₃)}₂) can be easily generated from NacNacAlH₂ by hydride abstraction and functions as a catalyst for the hydrosilylation of olefins and alkynes. Mechanistic studies suggest that, although olefin insertion into the Al–H bond is very facile, the catalysis does not proceed by an insertion/metathesis mechanism but likely by Lewis acid activation. Stoichiometric reactions of <b>2</b> with alkynes furnished unexpected products of CC addition across the NacNacAl moiety to give tripodal aluminum cations, which are also potent catalysts for the hydrosilylation of alkynes

Physiological Fear Response Amplitude in Visual Stimuli vs Audio-Visual Stimuli: A Comparative Gender Study

An article that appeared in JASS, issue 2014The comparison between unimodal stimuli (visual stimuli only) and bimodal stimuli (simultaneous audio-visual stimuli) is an under-studied but interesting subject in physiology. This study aims to explore gender differences in fear response by implementing and comparing both unimodal and bimodal stimuli. Across both genders, it was hypothesized that bimodal stimuli will induce a stronger fear response than unimodal stimuli. Specifically for the purpose of this study, it was also hypothesized that females will show a higher degree of fear response when compared to males. Fear response was defined by changes to heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate; and these physiological measures were taken before stimuli presentation and during both a unimodal and bimodal film clip. Analysis indicated that males and females had an increased fear response to bimodal stimuli than to unimodal stimuli, but between genders there was no significant difference in degree of response. Post-stimulus surveys reported that woman indicated that the film clips were significantly more frightening than their male counterparts. Further research will need to be conducted in order to understand this enhanced fear perception in females

BIOL 114: Brassica rapa Astroplants Height and Leaf Length

Brassica rapa is a small flowering plant that is often used in classroom experiments due to its small size, low-maintenance growing conditions, and quick life cycle. Several mutant lines have been bred and briefly described, although not much is known about the actual genetic changes and therefore all the downstream effects of that mutation. Nine different mutant lines of Brassica rapa were grown to more carefully identify the phenotypes affected by the mutations. The growth period of the Astroplants was four weeks, during which the height and the length of the leaves were measured. Our study revealed that the wild type plants were taller and had longer leaves, indicating that the Astroplants genome negatively influences its growth effects

E-Cigarette Use, Systemic Inflammation, and Depression

Background: E-cigarette use (vaping) is an emerging public health problem. Depression has been found to be associated with e-cigarette use, and vaping and depression are each associated with elevated systemic inflammation. To date, the role of inflammation in the relationship between vaping and depression has not been explored. Objective: To assess the independent associations between e-cigarette use, depression, and inflammation, and to investigate whether the likelihood of depression among current e-cigarette users is associated with systemic inflammation. Methods: Nationally representative NHANES data from 2015–2018 were used (n = 4961). Systemic inflammation was defined as serum C-reactive protein (CRP) ≥ 8.0 mg/L. Depressed individuals were characterized by a score ≥ 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Current e-cigarette users were defined as individuals who vaped at least once in the past 30 days and these individuals were stratified by use: exclusive users (reported smoking less than 100 combustible cigarettes in their lifetime), dual users (reported current use of electronic and combustible cigarettes), and e-cigarette users who were previous smokers. Bivariate analyses were used to assess independent associations between vaping, depression, and inflammation; and weighted logistic regression analyses adjusting for BMI, sex, and economic status were used to determine the odds ratios (ORs) for depression by e-cigarette category stratified by differential CRP levels. Results: Depression occurred in 16.7% of all e-cigarette users vs. 5.0% of those who never used e-cigarettes (p &lt; 0.001). In adjusted analyses, the following elevated ORs were found: all current e-cigarette users with CRP &lt;8 = 3.37 (95% CI: 2.06, 5.51) vs. CRP ≥8 = 6.70 (2.48, 18.11); exclusive e-cigarette users with CRP &lt;8 = 1.91 (0.78, 4.69) vs. those with CRP ≥8 = 5.09 (1.44, 18.02); and dual users with CRP &lt;8 = 4.31 (2.35, 7.89) vs. those with CRP ≥8 = 7.37 (1.85, 29.41). These ORs indicate that depression is associated with each category of e-cigarette use; however, we found this association did not vary by systemic inflammation level (interaction p-values &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: While a pattern of greater ORs for depression among e-cigarette users with elevated CRP provides provocative findings that might suggest a potential role of inflammation in the association between vaping and depression, we failed to find evidence that inflammation clearly moderates this association. While it is possible that depression among e-cigarette users may be influenced by systemic inflammation, a reproduction of the current study is necessary among a larger cohort to elucidate the effect of inflammation on depression among e-cigarette users

Proper Straight Cane Positioning to Decrease Upper Extremity Force on the Targeted Lower Extremity while Reaching in Preparation for an ADL Task

Purpose: This study assessed which cane height and reaching height elicits decreased upper extremity (UE) muscular force for optimal cane positioning. A cane can facilitate engagement in activities of daily living. It is proposed that incorrect cane height and usage requires increased energy. Limited research exists regarding the impact of cane height on energy expenditure during reaching. Method: Forty-seven adult participants performed reaching tasks at three heights utilizing two different cane heights. The triceps and wrist extensors on the cane UE and deltoid on the reaching UE were recorded by electromyography (EMG). Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the cane adjusted at wrist and one inch higher. Additional median EMG results for the 60-degree reaching height showed lower energy expenditure for both cane heights. Conclusions: These findings suggest that cane height does not significantly impact energy expenditure, although, increased energy conservation while reaching for items on shelf at a lower height was noted