Experiences of Occupational Therapists Working in Rural Areas of Minnesota and North Dakota

There is limited research regarding the experiences of occupational therapy practitioners working in rural areas of the United States. The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of occupational therapy practitioners working in rural areas of Minnesota and North Dakota. Many of the occupational therapy practitioners working in these states encounter experiences that are unique to the rural context. These experiences help to form an occupational therapy practitioner’s professional identity. The Professional Identity Model (Tornebohm, 1991) was utilized to further understand the impact of the rural context on a practitioner’s professional identity. The four components of the Professional Identity Model (Tornebohm, 1991) guided data collection and analysis and include: (a) interests, (b) field of action view, (c) world view, and (d) competency (Tornebohm, 1991). The components of the model were utilized as predetermined codes. From the codes, ten themes emerged, and these themes were used to formulate the final assertion. The results from the data analysis indicated that a rural occupational therapy practitioner’s professional identity is impacted by personal interests and experiences. Practitioners indicated that all four areas of the Professional Identity Model (Tornebohm, 1991) can be developed and/or challenged by the rural context. Components of rural practice that practitioners did not appreciate included increased travel time and a lack of professional supports and networks. Positive aspects of rural practice include the variety of clientele, increased flexibility and freedom within practice, and feeling better connected to the community and/or facility. Due to the limited sample size, it is recommended future research be completed on a larger sample size and geographic area

The Effects of the Get Off Your Rocker Exercise Class on Balance

The purpose of this study was to determine if the six-week Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class, promoted by HealthSouth®, had a significant effect on balance in the geriatric population. If proven to be effective, this class could be an additional tool for physical therapists to utilize to aid in improving a patient\u27s balance. A total of 22 subjects volunteered to participate in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (n=1 0, 8 females and 2 males) and an exercise group (n=12, 8 females and 4 males). All subjects were high functioning and were found to be at a low risk for falls as determined by the Berg Balance Measure. The age of subjects ranged from 60-87, with a mean age of 74.77. The study included an initial and final evaluation using the Berg Balance Measure, Timed Up and Go Test (TU&GT), the Functional Reach Test, and ankle range of motion measurements. Following the initial assessment, the control group was instructed to continue their normal daily activities during the following six-week period. The exercise group participated in the balance exercise class three times per week for six weeks. The exercises they performed included single leg stance activities, Swiss Ball exercises, tandem walking, and activities that challenged the base of support. Following the six-week period, the Berg Balance Measure, TU&GT, Functional Reach, and ankle range of motion results were again obtained. An Analysis of Covariance was used to compare the control group to the exercise group using scores from the Berg Balance Measure, TU&GT, Functional Reach, and ankle range of motion measurements. An alpha level of p=O.OS was used to determine significance. Following six weeks of exercising, there was a significant difference between the control group and the exercise group on two tests [F (1,19) = 6.092, p=0.023 for the Berg; F (1,19) = 4.997, p=0.038 for the Functional Reach], with the exercise group demonstrating an increase in scores. There was no significant difference found between the groups for the TU&GT [F (1,19) = 0.442, p=0.S14] or for ankle range of motion measurements [F (1,19) = 0.110, p=0.743 for ankle dorsiflexion with knee extension; F (1,19) = 0.491, p=0.492 for ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexion]. This six-week balance exercise class significantly improved scores on the Berg Balance Measure and the Functional Reach Test. The Get Off Your Rocker balance exercise class can be an effective tool for physical therapists to use for balance training and promoting wellness among the elderly

Hepatocyte nuclear receptor SHP suppresses inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

This research was originally published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. An Zou, Nancy Magee, Fengyan Deng, Sarah Lehn, Cuncong Zhong, Yuxia Zhang. Hepatocyte nuclear receptor SHP suppresses inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. J. Biol. Chem. 2018; Vol:pp-pp. © The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a burgeoning health problem worldwide, ranging from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL, steatosis without hepatocellular injury) to the more aggressive nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, steatosis with ballooning, inflammation, or fibrosis). Although many studies have greatly contributed to the elucidation of NAFLD pathogenesis, the disease progression from NAFL to NASH remains incompletely understood. Nuclear receptor small heterodimer partner (Nr0b2, SHP) is a transcriptional regulator critical for the regulation of bile acid, glucose, and lipid metabolism. Here, we show that SHP levels are decreased in the livers of patients with NASH and in diet-induced mouse NASH. Exposing primary mouse hepatocytes to palmitic acid and lipopolysaccharide in vitro, we demonstrated that the suppression of Shp expression in hepatocytes is due to c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, which stimulates c-Jun–mediated transcriptional repression of Shp. Interestingly, in vivo induction of hepatocyte-specific SHP in steatotic mouse liver ameliorated NASH progression by attenuating liver inflammation and fibrosis, but not steatosis. Moreover, a key mechanism linking the anti-inflammatory role of hepatocyte-specific SHP expression to inflammation involved SHP-induced suppression of NF-κB p65-mediated induction of chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), which activates macrophage proinflammatory polarization and migration. In summary, our results indicate that a JNK/SHP/NF-κB/CCL2 regulatory network controls communications between hepatocytes and macrophages and contributes to the disease progression from NAFL to NASH. Our findings may benefit the development of new management or prevention strategies for NASH

FACE READERS: The Frontier of Computer Vision and Math Learning

The future of AI-assisted individualized learning includes computer vision to inform intelligent tutors and teachers about student affect, motivation and performance. Facial expression recognition is essential in recognizing subtle differences when students ask for hints or fail to solve problems. Facial features and classification labels enable intelligent tutors to predict students’ performance and recommend activities. Videos can capture students’ faces and model their effort and progress; machine learning classifiers can support intelligent tutors to provide interventions. One goal of this research is to support deep dives by teachers to identify students’ individual needs through facial expression and to provide immediate feedback. Another goal is to develop data-directed education to gauge students’ pre-existing knowledge and analyze real-time data that will engage both teachers and students in more individualized and precision teaching and learning. This paper identifies three phases in the process of recognizing and predicting student progress based on analyzing facial features: Phase I: Collecting datasets and identifying salient labels for facial features and student attention/engagement; Phase II: Building and training deep learning models of facial features; and Phase III: Predicting student problem-solving outcome. © 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors

Neighborhood variation in unsolved homicides: a retrospective cohort study in Indianapolis, Indiana, 2007–2017

Background Homicide is a widely acknowledged public health problem in the United States. The majority of homicides are committed with a firearm and have long-term health consequences for family members and entire communities. When left unsolved, violence may be perpetuated due to the retaliatory nature of homicides. Improving homicide clearance rates may help prevent future violence, however, we know little about the community-level social dynamics associated with unsolved homicides. Methods This study examines the individual-and-community-level social processes associated with low homicide clearance rates in Indianapolis, Indiana between 2007 and 2017. Homicide clearance is the primary outcome, defined as if a perpetrator was arrested for that homicide case between 2007 and 2017. Individual-level variables include the victim’s race/ethnicity, sex, and age. Community-level (i.e., census tracts) variables include the number of resident complaints against the police, resident complains of community disorder, income inequality, number of police interactions, and proportion of African American residents. Results In Indianapolis over a 11-year period, the homicide clearance rate decreased to a low of 38% in 2017, compared to a national clearance rate of 60%. Homicide case clearance was less likely for minority (OR 0.566; 95% CI, 0.407–0.787; p < 0.01) and male (OR 0.576; 95% CI, 0.411–0.807; p < 0.01) victims. Resident complaints of community disorder were associated with a decreased odds of case clearance (OR 0.687; 95% CI, 0.485–0.973; p < .01)., African American victim’s cases were less likely to be cleared in 2014–2017 (OR 0.640; 95% CI, 0.437–0.938; p < 0.05), compared to 2007. Conclusions Our study identified differences in neighborhood social processes associated with homicide clearance, indicating existing measures on these community factors are complex. Programs aimed at improving signs of community disorder and building community engagement may improve neighborhood clearance rates, lower violence, and improve the health of these communities

Single-cell RNA transcriptome analysis of CNS immune cells reveals CXCL16/CXCR6 as maintenance factors for tissue-resident T cells that drive synapse elimination

BACKGROUND: Emerging RNA viruses that target the central nervous system (CNS) lead to cognitive sequelae in survivors. Studies in humans and mice infected with West Nile virus (WNV), a re-emerging RNA virus associated with learning and memory deficits, revealed microglial-mediated synapse elimination within the hippocampus. Moreover, CNS-resident memory T (T METHODS: Here, we examined immune cells within the murine WNV-recovered forebrain using single-cell RNA sequencing to identify putative ligand-receptor pairs involved in intercellular communication between T cells and microglia. Clustering and differential gene analyses were followed by protein validation and genetic and antibody-based approaches utilizing an established murine model of WNV recovery in which microglia and complement promote ongoing hippocampal synaptic loss. RESULTS: Profiling of host transcriptome immune cells at 25 days post-infection in mice revealed a shift in forebrain homeostatic microglia to activated subpopulations with transcriptional signatures that have previously been observed in studies of neurodegenerative diseases. Importantly, CXCL16/CXCR6, a chemokine signaling pathway involved in T CONCLUSIONS: We provide a comprehensive assessment of the role of CXCL16/CXCR6 as an interaction link between microglia and CD