Analgesic prescribing trends in a national sample of older veterans with osteoarthritis: 2012-2017

Few investigations examine patterns of opioid and nonopioid analgesic prescribing and concurrent pain intensity ratings before and after institution of safer prescribing programs such as the October 2013 Veterans Health Administration system-wide Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) implementation. We conducted a quasi-experimental pre–post observational study of all older U.S. veterans (≥50 years old) with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. All associated outpatient analgesic prescriptions and outpatient pain intensity ratings from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016, were analyzed with segmented regression of interrupted time series. Standardized monthly rates for each analgesic class (total, opioid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, acetaminophen, and other study analgesics) were analyzed with segmented negative binomial regression models with overall slope, step, and slope change. Similarly, segmented linear regression was used to analyze pain intensity ratings and percentage of those reporting pain. All models were additionally adjusted for age, sex, and race. Before OSI implementation, total analgesic prescriptions showed a steady rise, abruptly decreasing to a flat trajectory after OSI implementation. This trend was primarily due to a decrease in opioid prescribing after OSI. Total prescribing after OSI implementation was partially compensated by continuing increased prescribing of other study analgesics as well as a significant rise in acetaminophen prescriptions (post-OSI). No changes in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug prescribing were seen. A small rise in the percentage of those reporting pain but not mean pain intensity ratings continued over the study period with no changes associated with OSI. Changes in analgesic prescribing trends were not paralleled by changes in reported pain intensity for older veterans with osteoarthritis

Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, Location, and Causes

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has experienced a population growth rate of approximately 4% for multiple decades (Butler et al., 2014a; Miller et al., 1974). Population growth for long-lived species of birds is generally highly sensitive to variation in adult mortality rates (Sæther and Bakke, 2000). A population model for endangered Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in Japan conforms to this pattern, where growth rate is most sensitive to adult mortality (Masatomi et al., 2007). Earlier analyses observed that the AWBP growth rate increased in the mid-1950s and that this increase was likely caused by reduced annual mortality rates, even while the population experienced slightly decreasing natality (Binkley and Miller, 1988; Miller et al., 1974). A more contemporary analysis of the AWBP determined that approximately 50% of variation in annual population growth could be explained by variation in annual mortality (Butler et al., 2014a). Therefore, as a vital rate, mortality is critical to the maintained growth of the AWBP

Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, Location, and Causes

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has experienced a population growth rate of approximately 4% for multiple decades (Butler et al., 2014a; Miller et al., 1974). Population growth for long-lived species of birds is generally highly sensitive to variation in adult mortality rates (Sæther and Bakke, 2000). A population model for endangered Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in Japan conforms to this pattern, where growth rate is most sensitive to adult mortality (Masatomi et al., 2007). Earlier analyses observed that the AWBP growth rate increased in the mid-1950s and that this increase was likely caused by reduced annual mortality rates, even while the population experienced slightly decreasing natality (Binkley and Miller, 1988; Miller et al., 1974). A more contemporary analysis of the AWBP determined that approximately 50% of variation in annual population growth could be explained by variation in annual mortality (Butler et al., 2014a). Therefore, as a vital rate, mortality is critical to the maintained growth of the AWBP

Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, Location, and Causes

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has experienced a population growth rate of approximately 4% for multiple decades (Butler et al., 2014a; Miller et al., 1974). Population growth for long-lived species of birds is generally highly sensitive to variation in adult mortality rates (Sæther and Bakke, 2000). A population model for endangered Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in Japan conforms to this pattern, where growth rate is most sensitive to adult mortality (Masatomi et al., 2007). Earlier analyses observed that the AWBP growth rate increased in the mid-1950s and that this increase was likely caused by reduced annual mortality rates, even while the population experienced slightly decreasing natality (Binkley and Miller, 1988; Miller et al., 1974). A more contemporary analysis of the AWBP determined that approximately 50% of variation in annual population growth could be explained by variation in annual mortality (Butler et al., 2014a). Therefore, as a vital rate, mortality is critical to the maintained growth of the AWBP

Mortality in Aransas-Wood Buffalo Whooping Cranes: Timing, Location, and Causes

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) has experienced a population growth rate of approximately 4% for multiple decades (Butler et al., 2014a; Miller et al., 1974). Population growth for long-lived species of birds is generally highly sensitive to variation in adult mortality rates (Sæther and Bakke, 2000). A population model for endangered Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) in Japan conforms to this pattern, where growth rate is most sensitive to adult mortality (Masatomi et al., 2007). Earlier analyses observed that the AWBP growth rate increased in the mid-1950s and that this increase was likely caused by reduced annual mortality rates, even while the population experienced slightly decreasing natality (Binkley and Miller, 1988; Miller et al., 1974). A more contemporary analysis of the AWBP determined that approximately 50% of variation in annual population growth could be explained by variation in annual mortality (Butler et al., 2014a). Therefore, as a vital rate, mortality is critical to the maintained growth of the AWBP

韓国における体育教員の現職教育に関する現状

研究期間:平成15-17年度 ; 研究種目:科学研究費補助金(基盤研究B ; 課題番号:15300214 ; 「実践的力量を形成する体育教師教育プログラム開発のための実証的研究 」第4章「諸外国の教師教育制度における体育教師教育プログラムの動向」第2

Vasopressin, depression, pain & preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PreE) is a prevalent hypertensive disorder of pregnancy leading to a death every minute worldwide. Predictive and preventative challenges in PreE stems from its unclear early-pregnancy etiology. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion, as measured by copeptin, activates the stress response system and is a novel, early pregnancy predictor of PreE. In addition, elevated AVP is associated with stress, depression and pain. Our Precision Healthcare goal is to understand how AVP-associated changes in depression and pain affect the phenotype of PreE to develop preventative and therapeutic modalities against it. We hypothesize that in humans, antecedent depression and pain affects early pregnancy AVP secretion/copeptin which will be differentially predictive of PreE. To address this hypothesis we aim to 1) determine the association of maternal plasma copeptin and measures of depression and pain throughout human gestation and 2) determine how depression and pain through gestation affects an early pregnancy copeptin based prediction model of preeclampsia

Introducing e-consents in a clinical setting

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multiorgan hypertensive-disorder in pregnancy that causes significant maternal-fetal mortality and morbidity. The diagnostics and therapeutics for PE are limited due to its unclear etiology. Using the UI Maternal Fetal Tissue Bank, our lab has demonstrated that copeptin is robustly predictive of PE. To investigate copeptin further, we developed the Rule Out Pre-Eclampsia Study (ROPE). The ROPE study recruits women admitted to Labor and Delivery for evaluation of PE. Women are admitted for PE evaluation at all hours. Research team members are not available at all times to obtain consent which limits recruitment. Our project aimed to develop an electronic informed consent (e-IC) that is compliant with the Federal Regulation for Human Research Protection and is easy to use and readily understood by study participants. After obtaining IRB approval, simulated patients were given an iPad on which to read and evaluate the e-IC using a validated questionnaire, the Quality of Informed Consent (QuIC). Based on the QuIC, the e-IC was modified and re-tested. Participants demonstrated good comprehension of the e-IC as evidence by QuIC scores ranging from 61 to 96. Based on our results, the e-IC is an effective and efficient method for the Informed Consent process

Personality perception based on LinkedIn profiles

__Purpose:__ Job-related social networking websites (e.g. LinkedIn) are often used in the recruitment process because the profiles contain valuable information such as education level and work experience. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether people can accurately infer a profile owner’s self-rated personality traits based on the profile on a job-related social networking site. __Design/methodology/approach:__ In two studies, raters inferred personality traits (the Big Five and self-presentation) from LinkedIn profiles (total n=275). The authors related those inferences to self-rated personality by the profile owner to test if the inferences were accurate. __Findings:__ Using information gained from a LinkedIn profile allowed for better inferences of extraversion and self-presentation of the profile owner (r’s of 0.24-0.29). __Practical implications:__ When using a LinkedIn profile to estimate trait extraversion or self-presentation, one becomes 1.5 times as likely to actually select the person with higher trait extraversion compared to the person with lower trait extraversion. __Originality/value:__ Although prior research tested whether profiles of social networking sites (such as Facebook) can be used to accurately infer self-rated personality, this was not yet tested for job-related social networking sites (such as LinkedIn). The results indicate that profiles at job-related social networks, in spite of containing only relatively standardized information, “leak” information about the owner’s personality

A multidomain spectral method for solving elliptic equations

We present a new solver for coupled nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs). The solver is based on pseudo-spectral collocation with domain decomposition and can handle one- to three-dimensional problems. It has three distinct features. First, the combined problem of solving the PDE, satisfying the boundary conditions, and matching between different subdomains is cast into one set of equations readily accessible to standard linear and nonlinear solvers. Second, touching as well as overlapping subdomains are supported; both rectangular blocks with Chebyshev basis functions as well as spherical shells with an expansion in spherical harmonics are implemented. Third, the code is very flexible: The domain decomposition as well as the distribution of collocation points in each domain can be chosen at run time, and the solver is easily adaptable to new PDEs. The code has been used to solve the equations of the initial value problem of general relativity and should be useful in many other problems. We compare the new method to finite difference codes and find it superior in both runtime and accuracy, at least for the smooth problems considered here.Comment: 31 pages, 8 figure