A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CASUAL VIDEO GAMES IN REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY

Anxiety is a natural reaction to stress. However, when anxiety becomes excessive it can develop into a debilitating disorder. Interventions are needed to ameliorate and prevent the development of anxiety related health disorders. Casual video games (CVGs) are fun, easy to play, spontaneous, and extremely popular. In this randomized controlled study the efficacy of CVGs in reducing symptoms of anxiety in a depressed population was tested by comparing individuals in the experimental group, who were prescribed a CVG to utilize over a one month period, with a no-treatment control group. The methodology included participants in the experimental group playing a CVG three times a week for 30 minutes each session, over a one-month period. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to measure participants' state and trait anxiety pre-post intervention. Results from both state and trait measures demonstrated that the intervention was effective in reducing state and trait anxiety symptom severity scores for the experimental group when compared to the control group. These findings demonstrate the use of prescriptive interventions that utilize CVGs as a way to treat anxiety, as well as, implications that include the potential expansion of applications of CVGs as an adjunct to medicine and other medical therapies being utilized alone.  M.S

Active compensation of extrinsic polarization errors using adaptive optics

We present a scheme for active compensation of complex extrinsic polarization perturbations introduced into an optical system. Imaging polarimeter is used to measure the polarization state across a beam profile and a liquid crystal spatial light modulator controls the polarization of the input beam. A sequence of measurements permits determination of the birefringence properties of a perturbing specimen. The necessary correction is calculated and fed back to the polarization modulator to compensate for the polarization perturbation. The system capabilities are demonstrated on a range of birefringent specimens

A review of the anti-tumor potential of current therapeutics targeting the mitochondrial protease ClpP in H3K27-altered, diffuse midline glioma

Diffuse midline gliomas (DMGs) are devastating pediatric brain tumors recognized as the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. DMGs are high-grade gliomas (HGGs) diagnosed along the brain's midline. Euchromatin is the hallmark feature of DMG, caused by global hypomethylation of H3K27 either through point mutations in histone H3 genes (H3K27M), or by overexpression of the enhancer of zeste homolog inhibitory protein (EZHIP). In a clinical trial for adults with progressive HGGs, a 22-year-old patient with a thalamic H3K27-altered DMG, showed remarkable clinical and radiological responses to dordaviprone (ONC201). This response in a H3K27-altered HGG patient, coupled with the lack of response of patients harboring wildtype-H3 tumors, has increased the clinical interest in dordaviprone for the treatment of DMG. Additional reports of clinical benefit have emerged, but research defining mechanisms of action (MOA) fall behind dordaviprone's clinical use, with biomarkers of response unresolved. Here, we summarize dordaviprone's safety, interrogate its preclinical MOA- identifying the mitochondrial protease 'ClpP' as a biomarker of response, and discuss other ClpP-agonists, expanding the arsenal of potential weapons in the fight against DMG. Finally, we discuss combination strategies including ClpP-agonists, and its immunomodulatory effects suggestive of a role for the tumor microenvironment in DMG patients' response

Curriculum Development by Design Thinking: Analyzing a Program for Social Determinants of Health Screening by Pre-Clerkship Medical Students.

Problem: Health systems science (HSS) curricula in medical schools facilitate an understanding of social determinants of health (SDOH) and their impact on health outcomes. After implementation of an experiential, patient-centered program based around SDOH screening, however, our medical college noted poor student receptivity and engagement. In order to improve the program, we chose a design thinking approach based on the perceived value of actively engaging learners in the design of education. The role of design thinking in curricular quality improvement, however, remains unclear. Intervention: We sought to determine if a current educational model for SDOH screening could be improved by reforming the curriculum using a design thinking workshop involving student and faculty stakeholders. Context: The current study is a retrospective analysis of first-year medical student, end-of-year evaluations of the Clinical Experience (CE) program at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College before (2018-19) and after (2019-20) implementation of the design thinking workshop and subsequent curriculum changes Impact: Overall positive results significantly increased across all survey questions after the curricular intervention (p \u3c 0.01), indicating increased student satisfaction with the revised curriculum. Lessons Learned: Few studies assess outcomes of design thinking-driven curricular changes. The current study of an SDOH screening program details the implementation of initiatives that originated from a design thinking sprint and assesses program evaluations following these curricular changes. Most of the well-received curricular changes concerned improvements in student training, patient screening and follow-up, and the leveraging of existing technology. The study reinforces the importance of co-creation among stakeholders when redesigning medical curricula