Multinational survey of chiropractic patients: reasons for seeking care

This is the publisher's version, copyright by the Canadian Chiropractic Association.This study explores the extent to which consumers seek wellness care when choosing chiropractors whose practice methods are known to include periodic evaluative and interventional methods to maintain wellness and prevent illness. Methods: Using an international convenience sample of Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) practitioners, 1316 consecutive patients attending 27 different chiropractic clinics in the USA, Europe and Australia completed a one-page survey on intake to assess reason for seeking care. A forced choice response was obtained characterizing the patient’s reason for seeking chiropractic care. Results: More than 40% of chiropractic patient visits were initiated for the purposes of health enhancement and/or disease prevention. Conclusion: Although prudence dictates great caution when generalizing from this study, if confirmed by subsequent research among other similar cohorts, the present results may lend support to continued arguments of consumer demand for a more comprehensive paradigm of chiropractic care, beyond routine musculoskeletal complaints, that conceptualizes the systemic, nonspecific effects of the chiropractic encounter in much broader terms

Effects of Art Intervention on Pediatric Anxiety and Pain in the Medical Setting

Introduction: Hospitalization and illness can be a painful and stressful time for a child. There may be anxiety over procedures and inpatient stays disrupt normal routines. Previous research found that for pre-school aged children, having parents around, having the help of the hospital staff, and playing an active role in alleviating their fears were the most helpful in reducing anxiety. Another study found that visual creative expressions can be meaningful experiences for young adult cancer survivors. Additionally, there is abundant literature on formal art therapy and its favorable effects on children in the hospital, however, there are fewer studies investigating less standardized “art intervention” in the same population. The purpose of our project was to assess whether art intervention reduces anxiety and pain in inpatient and outpatient pediatric patients.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1224/thumbnail.jp

Monitoring and Assessment of Aquatic Life in the Kaskaskia River for Evaluating IDNR Private Lands Programs: Phase II.

Sixty-five reaches were surveyed during summer 2017 (Table 3, Figure 2), bringing the total reaches over five survey seasons to 240 (Table 1). Several of these reaches have been surveyed in multiple years to allow for the evaluation of interannual variation or to compliment concurrent studies, and therefore the total number of monitoring events throughout the entire survey (i.e., efforts to characterize the physiochemical and biological attributes of a stream reach) is 1300. Water quality (temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, pH, total reactive phosphorus, ammonia nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and turbidity) was assessed at basin-wide assessment and paired reaches during the low flow index period. Water quality (temperature, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, pH, nitrate nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total nitrogen, phosphorus and total suspended solids) was assessed during three high flow events at a subset of paired reaches(between four and eight reaches assessed during each event). Forty continuous temperature recorders were deployed at basin-wide assessment and paired reaches in spring 2017 and will be retrieved in winter 2017-2018. Data from these recorders will be used to evaluate the thermal regime.Habitat evaluations were completed at each surveyed reach using the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI; OEPA 2006) and the Illinois Habitat Index (IHI; Sass, et al. 2010). The QHEI provides a qualitative index of habitat characteristics and can be viewed as a measure of biological potential. The IHI indexes landscape disturbance by qualifying relevant stream characteristics. Benthic macroinvertebrates were surveyed at basin-wide assessment reaches twenty times, paired reaches nine times and at student research reaches seventeen times using a standard rapid assessment method (IEPA 2011). Collected organisms were preserved in ethanol for processing at a later date. Benthic samples collected during the 2015 and 2016 surveys were sorted during calendar year 2017 and 300-count subsamples were shipped to EcoAnalysts, Inc. (Moscow, IA) for identification. Fish were surveyed using IDNR Basin Survey procedures (IDOC 1994) at all reaches. Length and weight of individuals from fish species identified as sensitive to sedimentation (Table 2) were measured at paired and sensitive species reaches. Mussels were surveyed at fourteen paired and two sensitive species reaches. Surveys employed tactile and visual techniques to locate mussels. Eight person-hours were expended at each reach, although 2 each hour was recorded separately to facilitate comparisons with previous IDNR and INHS surveys which use four person-hours.Progress towards a fish stock index occurred during the reporting period. IDNR electrofishing data (survey location, date, length and weight of individual fish) from non-wadeable streams of the Kaskaskia River basin were acquired, sorted and filtered in preparation for constructing this index.One full-time professional worked on objectives 1-3 , while one part-time professional provided assistance completing field work. Four student technicians aided field work. One full-time professional staff member provided GIS support to the IDNR CREP (objective 4).Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Resource Conservationunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Quantifying the contribution of established risk factors to cardiovascular mortality differences between Russia and Norway.

Surprisingly few attempts have been made to quantify the simultaneous contribution of well-established risk factors to CVD mortality differences between countries. We aimed to develop and critically appraise an approach to doing so, applying it to the substantial CVD mortality gap between Russia and Norway using survey data in three cities and mortality risks from the Emerging Risk Factor Collaboration. We estimated the absolute and relative differences in CVD mortality at ages 40-69 years between countries attributable to the risk factors, under the counterfactual that the age- and sex-specific risk factor profile in Russia was as in Norway, and vice-versa. Under the counterfactual that Russia had the Norwegian risk factor profile, the absolute age-standardized CVD mortality gap would decline by 33.3% (95% CI 25.1-40.1) among men and 22.1% (10.4-31.3) among women. In relative terms, the mortality rate ratio (Russia/Norway) would decline from 9-10 to 7-8. Under the counterfactual that Norway had the Russian risk factor profile, the mortality gap reduced less. Well-established CVD risk factors account for a third of the male and around a quarter of the female CVD mortality gap between Russia and Norway. However, these estimates are based on widely held epidemiological assumptions that deserve further scrutiny

Monitoring and Assessment of Aquatic Life in the Kaskaskia River for Evaluating IDNR Private Lands Programs: Phase II Final Report

Objectives for this monitoring effort facilitate assessment of CREP stream goals by evaluating physicochemical and biological trends in relation to conservation practices and providing technical support to the IDNR CREP. There were four main objectives for Phase II. Objective 1: Continue established monitoring program that provides a basin-wide assessment of status and trends for aquatic life in wadeable streams of the Kaskaskia River basin. Phase I resulted in three years of survey information at locations along a gradient of conservation program land cover, and Phase II continued this survey effort to monitor temporal trends and enhance assessment of spatial patterns. Objective 2: Expand sampling efforts in focal reaches to better characterize biological assemblages and physicochemical habitats of the four subbasins. Strategic selection of survey locations and additional measures of biotic response will aid assessment of CREP goals by evaluating a gradient of possible physicochemical and biological patterns relative to conservation practices. Objective 3: Conduct additional monitoring of key aquatic species populations within the Kaskaskia River basin. Response to conservation practices may differ among stream taxa, and employing additional biological measures for species that may be sensitive to conservation impacts provides opportunity for enhanced analytical resolution. Objective 4: Provide technical support for IDNR’s Private Lands Programs. INHS staff will assist the IDNR by managing spatial data, developing a process for prioritizing lands for reaching CREP goals and coordinating with State and Federal agencies that interact with Illinois CREP.Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Resource Conservationunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Regulation of meiotic prophase arrest in mouse oocytes by GPR3, a constitutive activator of the Gs G protein

The arrest of meiotic prophase in mouse oocytes within antral follicles requires the G protein Gs and an orphan member of the G protein–coupled receptor family, GPR3. To determine whether GPR3 activates Gs, the localization of Gαs in follicle-enclosed oocytes from Gpr3+/+ and Gpr3−/− mice was compared by using immunofluorescence and GαsGFP. GPR3 decreased the ratio of Gαs in the oocyte plasma membrane versus the cytoplasm and also decreased the amount of Gαs in the oocyte. Both of these properties indicate that GPR3 activates Gs. The follicle cells around the oocyte are also necessary to keep the oocyte in prophase, suggesting that they might activate GPR3. However, GPR3-dependent Gs activity was similar in follicle-enclosed and follicle-free oocytes. Thus, the maintenance of prophase arrest depends on the constitutive activity of GPR3 in the oocyte, and the follicle cell signal acts by a means other than increasing GPR3 activity

The Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI)

We demonstrate a novel technology that combines the power of the multi-object spectrograph with the spatial multiplex advantage of an integral field spectrograph (IFS). The Sydney-AAO Multi-object IFS (SAMI) is a prototype wide-field system at the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) that allows 13 imaging fibre bundles ("hexabundles") to be deployed over a 1-degree diameter field of view. Each hexabundle comprises 61 lightly-fused multimode fibres with reduced cladding and yields a 75 percent filling factor. Each fibre core diameter subtends 1.6 arcseconds on the sky and each hexabundle has a field of view of 15 arcseconds diameter. The fibres are fed to the flexible AAOmega double-beam spectrograph, which can be used at a range of spectral resolutions (R=lambda/delta(lambda) ~ 1700-13000) over the optical spectrum (3700-9500A). We present the first spectroscopic results obtained with SAMI for a sample of galaxies at z~0.05. We discuss the prospects of implementing hexabundles at a much higher multiplex over wider fields of view in order to carry out spatially--resolved spectroscopic surveys of 10^4 to 10^5 galaxies.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by MNRA

Cognitive Sparing in Proton versus Photon Radiotherapy for Pediatric Brain Tumor Is Associated with White Matter Integrity: An Exploratory Study

Radiotherapy for pediatric brain tumors is associated with reduced white matter structural integrity and neurocognitive decline. Superior cognitive outcomes have been reported following proton radiotherapy (PRT) compared to photon radiotherapy (XRT), presumably due to improved sparing of normal brain tissue. This exploratory study examined the relationship between white matter change and late cognitive effects in pediatric brain tumor survivors treated with XRT versus PRT. Pediatric brain tumor survivors treated with XRT

Association between depressive symptoms and incident cardiovascular diseases

Importance: It is uncertain whether depressive symptoms are independently associated with subsequent risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Objective: To characterize the association between depressive symptoms and CVD incidence across the spectrum of lower mood. Design, setting and participants: A pooled analysis of individual-participant-data from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (ERFC; 162,036 participants; 21 cohorts; baseline surveys, 1960-2008; latest follow-up, March 2020) and UK Biobank (UKB; 401,219 participants; baseline surveys, 2006-2010; latest follow-up, March 2020). Eligible participants had information about self-reported depressive symptoms and no CVD history at baseline. Exposure: Depressive symptoms were recorded using validated instruments. ERFC scores were harmonized across studies to a scale representative of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D; range 0-60; ≥16 indicates possible depressive disorder). UKB recorded the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2; range 0-6; ≥3 indicates possible depressive disorder). Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were incident fatal/nonfatal coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and CVD (composite of CHD and stroke). Hazard ratios (HRs) per 1-SD higher log-CES-D or PHQ-2 adjusted for age, sex, smoking and diabetes were reported. Results: Among 162,036 participants from the ERFC, 73% were female, mean (SD) age at baseline was 63 (9) years, and 5,078 CHD and 3,932 stroke events were recorded (median follow-up, 9.5-years). Associations with CHD, stroke and CVD were log-linear. HRs (95%CI) per 1SD higher depression score for CHD, stroke and CVD respectively were 1.07 (1.03-1.11), 1.05 (1.01-1.10), and 1.06 (1.04-1.08). This reflects, 36 versus 29 CHD events, 28 versus 25 stroke events, and 63 versus 54 CVD events per 1000 individuals over 10 years in the highest versus lowest quintile of CES-D (geometric mean CES-D score, 19 versus 1). Among 401,219 participants from the UKB, 55% were female, mean baseline age was 56 (8) years, and 4607 CHD and 3253 stroke events were recorded (median follow-up, 8.1-years). HRs per 1SD higher depression score for CHD, stroke and CVD respectively were 1.11 (1.08-1.14), 1.10 (1.06-1.14) and 1.10 (1.08-1.13). This reflects, 21 versus 14 CHD events, 15 versus 10 stroke events, and 36 versus 25 CVD events per 1000 individuals over 10 years in those with PHQ2 ≥4 versus 0. The magnitude and statistical significance of the HRs were not materially changed after adjustment for additional risk factors. Conclusions and Relevance: In a pooled analysis of 563,255 participants in 22 cohorts, baseline depressive symptoms were associated with CVD incidence, including at symptom levels below the threshold indicative of a depressive disorder. However, the magnitude of associations was modest.Lisa Pennells, Stephen Kaptoge and Sarah Spackman are funded by a British Heart Foundation Programme Grant (RG/18/13/33946). Steven Bell was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics (NIHR BTRU-2014-10024). Tom Bolton is funded by the National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Genomics (NIHR BTRU-2014-10024). Angela Wood is supported by a BHF-Turing Cardiovascular Data Science Award and by the EC-Innovative Medicines Initiative (BigData@Heart). John Danesh holds a British Heart Foundation Professorship and a National Institute for Health Research Senior Investigator Award.* *The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care