How useful are the stages of change for targeting interventions? randomized test of a brief intervention to reduce smoking

Objectives. To see whether the stages of change are useful for targeting a brief intervention to reduce smoking based on implementation intentions. A second objective was to rule out demand characteristics as an alternative explanation for the findings of intervention studies based on the transtheoretical model and implementation intentions. Design. Participants (N = 350) were randomized to a passive control condition (questionnaire only), active control condition (questionnaire-plus-instruction to plan to quit) or experimental condition (questionnaire, plan to quit, form an implementation intention). Their behavior and psychosocial orientation to quit were measured at baseline and 2-month follow-up. Main Outcome Measures. Theory of planned behavior variables, nicotine dependence and quitting. Results. Significantly more people quit smoking in the experimental condition than in the control conditions, and the planning instructions changed intention to quit and perceived control over quitting, but not behavior. Stage of change moderated these effects such that implementation intentions worked best for individuals who were in the preparation stage at baseline. Conclusion. Harnessing both motivational and volitional processes seems to enhance the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs, although further work is required to clarify inconsistencies in the literature using the stages of change.</p

New Developments in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT, is a form of treatment based on the inhalation of 100% pure oxygen while subjected to closed chamber or room at pressures greater than sea level (1 atmosphere, ATA) (Howell et al., 2018; Kocaman, 2020). HBOT is administered through either a mono-place chamber or a multi-place chamber. Mono-place chambers are pressurized with oxygen and are equipped to handle a single person at a time. Multi-place chambers, on the other hand, can accommodate up to 20 people at a time, including medical personnel and intubated patients. These chambers are pressurized with air, and pure oxygen is administered via facemask, hood tent, or endotracheal tube (Gill & Bell, 2004; Howell et al., 2018). Oxygen is primarily used by the body in the formation of ATP, the molecule responsible for fueling cellular processes. When body tissues are injured or damaged, the energetic demand increases, and consequently more oxygen is needed (Kahle & Cooper, 2020). HBOT increases the body’s arterial and tissue oxygen tension, augmenting the amount of oxygen that the blood plasma can carry. This can create a number of beneficial biochemical, cellular, and physiologic effects (Tibbles & Edelsberg, 1996)

The termite problem in Utah

journal articleTermites or " white ants" are present in all parts of Salt Lake City and are generally found in other cities and towns throughout the state. Three different species of termites have been found in Utah: Reticulitermes tibialis Banks, Reticuliterm.es tumiceps Banks, and Kalotervies minor Hagen. Reticulitermes tibialis Banks, the common termite found in Utah, is subterranean or " ground nesting" in habit and cannot live without moisture, which it obtains from the soil. This termite feeds almost entirely on wood or wood products. In Salt Lake City it has been observed feeding on the roots of several different kinds of growing shrubs and trees, on stumps, logs, posts, boards, paper, etc., as well as in the wood structures of many different types of buildings. The number of buildings infested with termites in the larger cities of the state seems to be increasing each year and the problem of termite control is gradually confronting a greater number of property owners

Stream Pollution- AQUATIC MACRO-INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES AS INDICATORS OF ORGANIC POLLUTION IN LYTLE CREEK

Year-round field studies of the com position and ecology of stream communities associated with the purification of organic wastes in streams were initiated on Lytle Creek in October, 1949. This creek, which is located about 45 miles northeast of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a tributary of the Little Miami River. Its drainage basin comprises 27 sq. mi., a third of which is contained within the city limits of Wilmington, Ohio, a city of some 7,412 person

Environmental Changes in a Polluted Stream During Winter

Year round studies of environmental conditions in Lytle Creek, a stream polluted with organic wastes, were initiated late in 1949, by the Biology Section of the Public Health Service\u27s Environmental Health Center.2 Lytle Creek is a tributary of the Little Miami River which enters the Ohio River at Cincinnati. It is about 11 miles long, and has an average width and depth of 15 feet and 1 foot respectively, during normal summer flows. Widths range from 3 to 35 feet and depths from a few inches to a maximum of 6 feet. Surface runoff comprises the major portion of the natural stream flow. During the summer months the stream has only one functional tributary below the outfall from the primary sewage treatment plant of the city of Wilmington which contributes 80 to 90 percent of the total stream flow. This large amount of organic waste quickly blots out normal stream conditions in the summer and a definite septic zone is established below the sewage outfall. However, all well recognized pollutional zones are established and the stream returns to essentially clean water conditions before it joins Todds Fork of the Little Miami River

Human rhinoviruses: coming in from the cold

Rhinovirus infections cause at least 70% of virus-related wheezing exacerbations and cold and flu-like illnesses. Infections are also associated with otitis media, sinusitis and pneumonia. The annual impact of human rhinovirus (HRV) infections costs billions of healthcare dollars. To date, 100 serotyped HRV or 'classical' strains have been divided between two genetically distinct species based on subgenomic sequences, but many more, apparently novel strains remain un-characterized, circulating in unknown patterns and causing undefined illnesses. Until recently, the genomes of less than half the classical strains had been sequenced. In April 2009, the remaining classical HRV genome sequences were reported. These data will inform therapeutic development and phylogenetic analysis for this subset of HRV strains but should be viewed as one step in a long road leading to comprehensive HRV characterization

Gender Differences: Smokers With and Without Substance Abuse History

poster abstractPrevious research suggests that individuals with chemical dependence history experience more intense nicotine addiction, and during smoking cessation may be more likely to demonstrate increased negative affect and unfavorable scores on psychometric assessments. It is unknown how men and women may differ in their susceptibilities to such undesirable outcomes. From 1992-2004, The Indiana University Nicotine Dependence Program (IUNDP) treated over 1200 patients using a Mayo Clinic-based protocol which assesses the behavioral, social, and physiological aspects of nicotine dependence. The IUNDP was instituted at Fairbanks Hospital’s addictions center to address tobacco use among the patients and staff. Charts of individuals who completed nicotine dependence treatment (1992-2011) were selected from IU School of Dentistry and Fairbanks Hospital for retrospective analysis. Chart selection criteria consisted of the availability of complete pre-and post quit measures for a minimum of four total appointments and two post-quit appointments. Reviewed were 107 charts from patients without a history of chemical dependence (ND) and 123 from those with a chemical dependence history (CD), including 120 men and 110 women. Student researchers used a standardized protocol to capture 16 tobacco use and demographic variables and 12 post-quit measures. Comparisons between CD and ND groups were made using Pearson chi-square tests for binary data, Wilcoxon rank sum tests for all other data, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests for changes between time periods. Despite similarities among CD and ND smokers, males and females appear to face distinct challenges. Results suggest CD males are significantly more negative in mood, and are more likely to have increased withdrawal symptoms at the end of treatment. Males were also more likely to experience adverse events with NRT. Both CD males and females experienced more increased appetite than their ND counterparts. Females scored higher on addiction-related sensorimotor manipulation and may have increased propensity for psychological dependence

Coping with the Senior Thesis Seminar: Some Thoughts for Both Students and Professors

Based on our experiences as professor and student. respectively, in. the undergraduate Senior Thesis Seminar, we offer our thoughts on the fundamental issues facing participants in this class. We speak to students about selecting a topic, choosing a supervisor, working with classmates, delivering the oral presentation, and coping with difficulties. We advise on professors helping students select a topic, monitoring student progress, adjusting to different types of students, approaching the oral presentations, interacting with faculty in the presence of students, and injecting themselves into student work. Consideration of these ideas-presented as a series of lessons--should promote more effective learning experiences in this course

Management of early pregnancy loss with mifepristone and misoprostol: clinical predictors of treatment success from a randomized trial.

BackgroundEarly pregnancy loss is a common event in the first trimester, occurring in 15%-20% of confirmed pregnancies. A common evidence-based medical regimen for early pregnancy loss uses misoprostol, a prostaglandin E1 analog, with a dosage of 800 μg, self-administered vaginally. The clinical utility of this regimen is limited by suboptimal effectiveness in patients with a closed cervical os, with 29% of patients experiencing early pregnancy loss requiring a second dose after 3 days and 16% of patients eventually requiring a uterine aspiration procedure.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate clinical predictors associated with treatment success in patients receiving medical management with mifepristone-misoprostol or misoprostol alone for early pregnancy loss.Study designWe performed a planned secondary analysis of a randomized trial comparing mifepristone-misoprostol with misoprostol alone for management of early pregnancy loss. The published prediction model for treatment success of single-dose misoprostol administered vaginally included the following variables: active bleeding, type of early pregnancy loss (anembryonic pregnancy or embryonic and/or fetal demise), parity, gestational age, and treatment site; previous significant predictors were vaginal bleeding within the past 24 hours and parity of 0 or 1 vs &gt;1. To determine if these characteristics predicted differential proportions of patients with treatment success or failure, we performed bivariate analyses; given the small proportion of treatment failures in the combined treatment arm, both arms were combined for analysis. Thereafter, we performed a logistic regression analysis to assess the effect of these predictors collectively in each of the 2 treatment groups separately as well as in the full cohort as a proxy for the combined treatment arm. Finally, by using receiver operating characteristic curves, we tested the ability of these predictors in association with misoprostol treatment success to discriminate between treatment success and treatment failure. To quantify the ability of the score to discriminate between treatment success and treatment failure in each treatment arm as well as in the entire cohort, we calculated the area under the curve. Using multivariable logistic regression, we then assessed our study population for other predictors of treatment success in both treatment groups, with and without mifepristone pretreatment.ResultsOverall, 297 evaluable participants were included in the primary study, with 148 in the mifepristone-misoprostol combined treatment group and 149 in the misoprostol-alone treatment group. Among patients who had vaginal bleeding at the time of treatment, 15 of 17 (88%) in the mifepristone-misoprostol combined treatment group and 12 of 17 (71%) in the misoprostol-alone treatment group experienced expulsion of pregnancy tissue. Among patients with a parity of 0 or 1, 94 of 108 (87%) in the mifepristone-misoprostol treatment group and 66 of 95 (69%) in the misoprostol-alone treatment group experienced expulsion of pregnancy tissue. These clinical characteristics did not predict treatment success in the combined cohort alone (area under the curve=0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.64). No other baseline clinical factors predicted treatment success in the misoprostol-alone treatment arm or mifepristone pretreatment arm. In the full cohort, the significant predictors of treatment success were pretreatment with mifepristone (adjusted odds ratio=2.51; 95% confidence interval, 1.43-4.43) and smoking (adjusted odds ratio=2.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-4.49).ConclusionNo baseline clinical factors predicted treatment success in women receiving medical management with misoprostol for early pregnancy loss. Adding mifepristone to the medical management regimen of early pregnancy loss improved treatment success; thus, mifepristone treatment should be considered for management of early pregnancy loss regardless of baseline clinical factors