Emotional Responses of Mothers of Late‐Preterm and Term Infants

To compare the emotional responses of mothers of late-preterm infants "(34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks gestation) with those of mothers of full-term infants

FlywheelTools: Data Curation and Manipulation on the Flywheel Platform

The recent and growing focus on reproducibility in neuroimaging studies has led many major academic centers to use cloud-based imaging databases for storing, analyzing, and sharing complex imaging data. Flywheel is one such database platform that offers easily accessible, large-scale data management, along with a framework for reproducible analyses through containerized pipelines. The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is the de facto standard for neuroimaging data, but curating neuroimaging data into BIDS can be a challenging and time-consuming task. In particular, standard solutions for BIDS curation are limited on Flywheel. To address these challenges, we developed “FlywheelTools,” a software toolbox for reproducible data curation and manipulation on Flywheel. FlywheelTools includes two elements: fw-heudiconv, for heuristic-driven curation of data into BIDS, and flaudit, which audits and inventories projects on Flywheel. Together, these tools accelerate reproducible neuroscience research on the widely used Flywheel platform

Factors Associated with Revision Surgery after Internal Fixation of Hip Fractures

Background: Femoral neck fractures are associated with high rates of revision surgery after management with internal fixation. Using data from the Fixation using Alternative Implants for the Treatment of Hip fractures (FAITH) trial evaluating methods of internal fixation in patients with femoral neck fractures, we investigated associations between baseline and surgical factors and the need for revision surgery to promote healing, relieve pain, treat infection or improve function over 24 months postsurgery. Additionally, we investigated factors associated with (1) hardware removal and (2) implant exchange from cancellous screws (CS) or sliding hip screw (SHS) to total hip arthroplasty, hemiarthroplasty, or another internal fixation device. Methods: We identified 15 potential factors a priori that may be associated with revision surgery, 7 with hardware removal, and 14 with implant exchange. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses in our investigation. Results: Factors associated with increased risk of revision surgery included: female sex, [hazard ratio (HR) 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.50; P = 0.001], higher body mass index (fo

Microbial Variability in Relation to Student Traffic and the Prevalence of Illness

The halfway point of each semester amplifies factors including weakened immune systems, due to stress from midterm exams and lack of sleep, and increased commingling amongst student populations. This is the perfect formula that leads to a potential rise in communicable diseases amongst college students. Leading up to midterms and mid-semester breaks, students tend to populate the indoor community spaces due to the cold climate of Ithaca, NY and the high volume of coursework that needs to be completed. The Center for Health Sciences (CHS) computer lab is a commonly populated area on the Ithaca College campus due to the printing resources offered and its proximity to a commonly used lunch space, the CHS Café. Due to course load spikes during mid-semester, students are potentially more inclined to stay on campus regardless of their health status, working in shared spaces, leading to a rise of transmission of communicable disease. Previously, scientists Ross and Neufeld assessed biogeography and microbial variability on university campuses utilizing the 16srRNA gene analysis method. 16srRNA is a universal microbial gene commonly used to identify organisms based on signature sequences. Their study provided evidence supporting flourishing biodiversity of microorganisms related to increased interaction between students, faculty, and staff on university campuses (Ross, Neufeld, 2015). They suggested that an increase in microbial variability on university campuses may correlate to increased infection among student and staff populations. Based on this data, we propose that microbial variability will be higher during midterms week and will be decreased in the week subsequent due to reduced stress and student traffic. Previous conducted studies during Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 aimed to identify and quantify the effect of microbial variability and load in relation to student traffic. Microbial variability was assessed via aseptic swabbing protocol previously described by Chase et al. with some modifications (Chase et al, 2016). Swabbing of these surfaces took place during the middle of midterm exam week and the first day following mid-term break at three different time points (9:00AM, 1:00PM, & 4:00PM). Sterile cotton swabs were immersed in sterile distilled water and swiped onto selected surfaces, including Dell and Mac spacebars and mouses, to collect microbial samples. Samples were immediately swiped onto plates containing Mueller Hinton microbiological growth media, followed by 48-hour incubation at 37 degrees Celsius. Following incubation, microbial growth was assessed macroscopically by colony morphology and microscopically via Gram Stain. We hypothesized that timing of the biogeographical assessment affects the microbial variability outcomes due to high volumes of student traffic. Specifically, the expectation was to detect a greater microbial variability on commonly utilized surfaces during both midterm exam weeks than if these surfaces were assessed immediately following midterm exam breaks. Additionally, variability and load were predicted to increase throughout each day as student traffic progressed. In comparison to research conducted during Spring 2019, further observation was conducted to assess microbial load and variability regarding different computer materials in these community spaces. Mac and Dell computers were assessed to determine differences in variability on computer type. However, it was found that microbial variability and load are higher following midterm exam breaks. Data collected were analyzed and provided evidence of less microbial diversity during midterm week of both semesters. Due to the high prevalence of Gram-Negative species found following swabbing and staining, we can infer that many of these species are potentially pathogenic. This in conjunction with the highest microbial load and variability found at the start of the day during Fall 2019, suggests that computers need to be included in regular disinfection and cleaning processes, to reduce microbial load and variability, and potentially reducing bacterial and fungal transmission. These observations have possible implications in many public settings, especially educational institutions. These data show that current sanitation methods might not be effective at microbial removal to outpace microbial resistance and could put more students at risk of infection. To further support our findings future work would include longitudinal surveying of individuals who use the computer lab to track their infection rates while continued swabbing; to provide evidence in support that microbial load and variability in the lab may be linked to infection. References: Chase J., Fouquier J., Zare M, Sonderegger D. L., Knight R., Kelley S. T., Siegel J., Caporaso J.G. (2016). Geography and location are the primary drivers of office microbiome composition. mSystems, 1(2):e00022-16. doi:10.1128/mSystems.00022-16 Ross, A. A., & Neufeld, J. D. (2015). Microbial biogeography of a university campus. Microbiome,3(1). doi:10.1186/s40168-015-0135-

ModelArray: An R package for statistical analysis of fixel-wise data

ABSTRACT: Diffusion MRI is the dominant non-invasive imaging method used to characterize white matter organization in health and disease. Increasingly, fiber-specific properties within a voxel are analyzed using fixels. While tools for conducting statistical analyses of fixel-wise data exist, currently available tools support only a limited number of statistical models. Here we introduce ModelArray, an R package for mass-univariate statistical analysis of fixel-wise data. At present, ModelArray supports linear models as well as generalized additive models (GAMs), which are particularly useful for studying nonlinear effects in lifespan data. In addition, ModelArray also aims for scalable analysis. With only several lines of code, even large fixel-wise datasets can be analyzed using a standard personal computer. Detailed memory profiling revealed that ModelArray required only limited memory even for large datasets. As an example, we applied ModelArray to fixel-wise data derived from diffusion images acquired as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (n = 938). ModelArray revealed anticipated nonlinear developmental effects in white matter. Moving forward, ModelArray is supported by an open-source software development model that can incorporate additional statistical models and other imaging data types. Taken together, ModelArray provides a flexible and efficient platform for statistical analysis of fixel-wise data

Emotional Responses of Mothers of Late‐Preterm and Term Infants

OBJECTIVE: To compare the emotional responses of mothers of late-preterm infants "(34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks gestation) with those of mothers of full-term infants. DESIGN: A mixed method comparative study. SETTING: A southeastern tertiary academic medical center postpartum unit. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty mothers: 29 mothers of late-preterm infants and 31 mothers of full-term infants. METHODS: Measures of maternal emotional distress "(four standardized measures of anxiety, postpartum depression, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and worry about infant health) and open-ended semistructured maternal interviews were conducted in the hospital following birth and by phone at one month postpartum. RESULTS: Mothers of late-preterm infants experienced significantly greater emotional distress immediately following delivery, and their distress levels continued to be higher at one month postpartum on each of the standardized measures. Mothers of late-preterm infants also discussed the altered trajectories in their birth and postpartum experiences and feeling unprepared for these unexpected events as a source of ongoing emotional distress. CONCLUSION: Mothers of late-preterm infants have greater emotional distress than mothers of term infants for at least one month after delivery. Our findings suggest that it may not be a single event that leads to different distress levels in mothers of late-preterm and full-term infants but rather the interaction of multiple alterations in the labor and delivery process and the poorer-than-expected infant health outcomes. In the future, researchers need to examine how and when mothers’ emotional responses change over time and how their responses relate to parenting and infant health and development

ASLPrep: a platform for processing of arterial spin labeled MRI and quantification of regional brain perfusion

Arterial spin labeled (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the primary method for noninvasively measuring regional brain perfusion in humans. We introduce ASLPrep, a suite of software pipelines that ensure the reproducible and generalizable processing of ASL MRI data

De Novo Pathogenic Variants in CACNA1E Cause Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy with Contractures, Macrocephaly, and Dyskinesias

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) are severe neurodevelopmental disorders often beginning in infancy or early childhood that are characterized by intractable seizures, abundant epileptiform activity on EEG, and developmental impairment or regression. CACNA1E is highly expressed in the central nervous system and encodes the α1-subunit of the voltage-gated CaV2.3 channel, which conducts high voltage-activated R-type calcium currents that initiate synaptic transmission. Using next-generation sequencing techniques, we identified de novo CACNA1E variants in 30 individuals with DEE, characterized by refractory infantile-onset seizures, severe hypotonia, and profound developmental impairment, often with congenital contractures, macrocephaly, hyperkinetic movement disorders, and early death. Most of the 14, partially recurring, variants cluster within the cytoplasmic ends of all four S6 segments, which form the presumed CaV2.3 channel activation gate. Functional analysis of several S6 variants revealed consistent gain-of-function effects comprising facilitated voltage-dependent activation and slowed inactivation. Another variant located in the domain II S4-S5 linker results in facilitated activation and increased current density. Five participants achieved seizure freedom on the anti-epileptic drug topiramate, which blocks R-type calcium channels. We establish pathogenic variants in CACNA1E as a cause of DEEs and suggest facilitated R-type calcium currents as a disease mechanism for human epilepsy and developmental disorders