A comparative study on the efficacy of High Schools That Work in vocational high schools in Massachusetts.

The purpose of this study was to review successful models for school reform with a focus on the efficacy of the High Schools That Work model in vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts. This study compared and analyzed the results of learner outcomes in Massachusetts vocational-technical high schools by using the results in the Failing category from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, which is a high-stakes test based on increased standards (The Massachusetts Frameworks). The study compared an equal number of Massachusetts vocational-technical high schools that are members of the High Schools That Work network with an equal number of those that are nonmembers. The study compared the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System Failing category results in English Language Arts and Mathematics from 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 between High Schools That Work vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts and non-High Schools That Work vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts. Students not in the Failing category for English Language Arts and Mathematics would be eligible to receive a high school diploma, while those students in the Failing categories would not be eligible to receive diplomas. The study also compared dropout rates between 1999, 2000, and 2001 to learn if increased standards and highstakes testing have led to a significant increase in the dropout rate in High Schools That Work vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts when compared to dropout rates in non-High Schools That Work vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts. Based on the comparative results of the dropout rates, this study has concluded that implementing the High Schools That Work model in vocational-technical high schools in Massachusetts has done no harm in terms of significant increases in the dropout rates. Based on these results, this study has concluded that implementing the High Schools That Work model in Massachusetts vocational-technical high schools has done some significant good in effectively increasing learner outcomes on high-standards, high-stakes testing. (Abstract shortened by UMI.

Pneumonia Caused by Klebsiella spp. in 46 Horses.

BackgroundKlebsiella spp. are implicated as a common cause of bacterial pneumonia in horses, but few reports describe clinical presentation and disease progression.Hypothesis/objectivesTo describe the signalment, clinicopathologic data, radiographic and ultrasonographic findings, antimicrobial susceptibility, outcome, and pathologic lesions associated with Klebsiella spp. pneumonia in horses.AnimalsForty-six horses from which Klebsiella spp. was isolated from the lower respiratory tract.MethodsRetrospective study. Medical records from 1993 to 2013 at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California, Davis were reviewed. Exact logistic regression was performed to determine if any variables were associated with survival to hospital discharge.ResultsSurvival in horses <1 year old was 73%. Overall survival in adults was 63%. For adults in which Klebsiella pneumoniae was the primary isolate, survival was 52%. Mechanical ventilation preceded development of pneumonia in 11 horses. Complications occurred in 25/46 horses, with thrombophlebitis and laminitis occurring most frequently. Multi-drug resistance was found in 47% of bacterial isolates. Variables that significantly impacted survival included hemorrhagic nasal discharge, laminitis, and thoracic radiographs with a sharp demarcation between marked caudal pulmonary alveolar infiltration and more normal-appearing caudodorsal lung.Conclusions and clinical importanceKlebsiella spp. should be considered as a differential diagnosis for horses presenting with hemorrhagic pneumonia and for horses developing pneumonia after mechanical ventilation. Multi-drug resistance is common. Prognosis for survival generally is fair, but is guarded for adult horses in which K. pneumoniae is isolated as the primary organism

Autistic Traits and Social Anxiety Predict Differential Performance on Social Cognitive Tasks in Typically Developing Young Adults

The current work examined the unique contribution that autistic traits and social anxiety have on tasks examining attention and emotion processing. In Study 1, 119 typically-developing college students completed a flanker task assessing the control of attention to target faces and away from distracting faces during emotion identification. In Study 2, 208 typically-developing college students performed a visual search task which required identification of whether a series of 8 or 16 emotional faces depicted the same or different emotions. Participants with more self-reported autistic traits performed more slowly on the flanker task in Study 1 than those with fewer autistic traits when stimuli depicted complex emotions. In Study 2, participants higher in social anxiety performed less accurately on trials showing all complex faces; participants with autistic traits showed no differences. These studies suggest that traits related to autism and to social anxiety differentially impact social cognitive processing

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Interactions with Chaplains and Nursing Northwell Health Outcomes: A Survey Study

© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of nursing Northwell Health (n = 51) in an academic hospital finding a significant inverse relationship between the frequency of chaplaincy interaction and perceived stress (r = − 0.27, p = 0.05). We also found a significant positive relationship between rated importance of having a chaplain at the hospital and secondary trauma (r = 0.30, p = 0.03). There was a significant positive relationship between religiosity and rated importance for having a chaplain (r = 0.30, p = 0.03) and rated helpfulness of chaplains (r = 0.32, p = 0.02). Similarly, there was a significant positive relationship between spirituality and average length of conversations with a chaplain, rated importance for having a chaplain, and helpfulness of chaplains (r = 0.32, p = 0.03; r = 0.44, p = 0.001; and r = 0.52, p = 0.0001, respectively). Interaction with chaplains is associated with decreased employee perceived stress for nursing Northwell Health who provide care for severely ill patients

Metformin and Myocardial Injury in Patients With Diabetes and ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis

BACKGROUND: Although animal studies have documented metformin's cardioprotective effects, the impact in humans remains elusive. The study objective was to explore the association between metformin and myocardial infarct size in patients with diabetes presenting with ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data extraction used the National Cardiovascular Data CathPCI Registry in all patients with diabetes aged >18 years presenting with ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction at 2 academic medical centers from January 2010 to December 2013. The exposure of interest was ongoing metformin use before the event. Propensity score matching was used for the metformin and nonmetformin groups on key prognostic variables. All matched pairs had acceptable D scores of <10%, confirming an efficient matching procedure. The primary outcome was myocardial infarct size, reflected by peak serum creatine kinase–myocardial band, troponin T, and hospital discharge left ventricular ejection fraction. Of all 1726 ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction cases reviewed, 493 patients had diabetes (28.5%), with 208 metformin users (42.1%) and 285 nonusers. Matched pairs analysis yielded 137 cases per group. The difference between metformin and nonmetformin groups was −18.1 ng/mL (95% CI −55.0 to 18.8; P=0.56) for total peak serum creatine kinase–myocardial band and −1.1 ng/mL (95% CI −2.8 to 0.5; P=0.41) for troponin T. Median discharge left ventricular ejection fraction in both groups was 45, and the difference between metformin and nonmetformin users was 0.7% (95% CI −2.2 to 3.6; P=0.99). CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant association of cardioprotection was found between metformin and myocardial infarct size in patients with diabetes and acute ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction

A Telehealth-Delivered Pulmonary Rehabilitation Intervention in Underserved Hispanic and African American Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach.

BACKGROUND:Although home telemonitoring (TM) is a promising approach for patients managing their chronic disease, rehabilitation using home TM has not been tested for use with individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) residing in underserved communities. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to analyze qualitative data from focus groups with key stakeholders to ensure the acceptability and usability of the TM COPD intervention. METHODS:We utilized a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt a home TM COPD intervention to facilitate acceptability and feasibility in low-income African American and Hispanic patients. The study engaged community stakeholders in the process of modifying the intervention in the context of 2 community advisory board meetings. Discussions were audio recorded and professionally transcribed and lasted approximately 2 hours each. Structural coding was used to mark responses to topical questions in interview guides. RESULTS:We describe herein the formative process of a CBPR study aimed at optimizing telehealth utilization among African American and Latino patients with COPD from underserved communities. A total of 5 major themes emerged from qualitative analyses of community discussions: equipment changes, recruitment process, study logistics, self-efficacy, and access. The identification of themes was instrumental in understanding the concerns of patients and other stakeholders in adapting the pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) home intervention for acceptability for patients with COPD from underserved communities. CONCLUSIONS:These findings identify important adaptation recommendations from the stakeholder perspective that should be considered when implementing in-home PR via TM for underserved COPD patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03007485; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03007485

Utilization of an In Vivo Reporter for High Throughput Identification of Branched Small Molecule Regulators of Hypoxic Adaptation

SummarySmall molecules inhibiting hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) are the focus of drug development efforts directed toward the treatment of ischemia and metabolic imbalance. A cell-based reporter produced by fusing HIF-1α oxygen degradable domain (ODD) to luciferase was shown to work as a capture assay monitoring stability of the overexpressed luciferase-labeled HIF PHD substrate under conditions more physiological than in vitro test tubes. High throughput screening identified novel catechol and oxyquinoline pharmacophores with a “branching motif” immediately adjacent to a Fe-binding motif that fits selectively into the HIF PHD active site in in silico models. In accord with their structure-activity relationship in the primary screen, the best “hits” stabilize HIF1α, upregulate known HIF target genes in a human neuronal line, and exert neuroprotective effects in established model of oxidative stress in cortical neurons