Propranolol blocks ventricular refractory period changes with orthostatic stress in humans

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that orthostatic stress shortens the right ventricular effective refractory period by reflex activation of beta-adrenergic receptors. Twelve patients undergoing electrophysiologic testing for standard clinical indications were studied. After a full electrophysiologic study, patients underwent graded lower body negative pressure before and after administration of either propranolol (0.2 mg/kg intravenously) in Group I or atropine (0.035 mg/kg intravenously) in Group II.Before the addition of drugs, lower body negative pressure produced decreases in systolic blood pressure and significant increases in sinus rate. The effective refractory period shortened from 214 ± 8 (mean ± SEM) to 206 ± 7 ms at −40 cm H2O and to 197 ± 4 ms at −60 cm H2O lower body negative pressure. After propranolol, Group I patients had no change in right ventricular effective refractory period despite similar changes in sinus rate and systolic blood pressure. In Group II patients, atropine did not alter effective refractory period responses to lower body negative pressure.Thus, reflex adjustments to orthostatic stress result in shortening of right ventricular effective refractory period mediated by way of beta-adrenergic mechanisms. These findings constitute the first evidence that sympathetic influences mobilized by the body can directly modulate ventricular electrophysiologic changes

Evaluation of a Telerehabilitation System for Community-Based Rehabilitation

The use of web-based portals, while increasing in popularity in the fields of medicine and research, are rarely reported on in community-based rehabilitation programs.  A program within the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation’s Hiram G. Andrews Center, the Cognitive Skills Enhancement Program (CSEP), sought to enhance organization of program and participant information and communication between part- and full-time employees, supervisors and consultants. A telerehab system was developed consisting of (1) a web-based portal to support a variety of clinical activities and (2) the Versatile Integrated System for Telerehabilitation (VISyTER) video-conferencing system to support the collaboration and delivery of rehabilitation services remotely.  This descriptive evaluation examines the usability of the telerehab system incorporating both the portal and VISyTER. Telerehab system users include CSEP staff members from three geographical locations and employed by two institutions. The IBM After-Scenario Questionnaire (ASQ) and Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ), the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ), and two demographic surveys were administered to gather both objective and subjective information. Results showed generally high levels of usability.  Users commented that the telerehabilitation system improved communication, increased access to information, improved speed of completing tasks, and had an appealing interface. Areas where users would like to see improvements, including ease of accessing/editing documents and searching for information, are discussed.        

Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition

Theodore Kalbfleisch et al. present an improved genome assembly for the domestic horse by combining short- and long-read data, as well as proximity ligation data. They improve contiguity of the assembly by 40-fold, with a 10-fold reduction in gaps

Improved reference genome for the domestic horse increases assembly contiguity and composition

Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and computational assembly methods have allowed scientists to improve reference genome assemblies in terms of contiguity and composition. EquCab2, a reference genome for the domestic horse, was released in 2007. Although of equal or better quality compared to other first-generation Sanger assemblies, it had many of the shortcomings common to them. In 2014, the equine genomics research community began a project to improve the reference sequence for the horse, building upon the solid foundation of EquCab2 and incorporating new short-read data, long-read data, and proximity ligation data. Here, we present EquCab3. The count of non-N bases in the incorporated chromosomes is improved from 2.33 Gb in EquCab2 to 2.41 Gb in EquCab3. Contiguity has also been improved nearly 40-fold with a contig N50 of 4.5 Mb and scaffold contiguity enhanced to where all but one of the 32 chromosomes is comprised of a single scaffold

Auditory Physiology

Contains reports on one research projects split into ten sections.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS18682)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS20322)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS20269)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 PO1 NS23734)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 T32 NS07047)Symbion, Inc

Signal Transmission in the Auditory System

Contains table of contents for Section 3, an introduction and reports on nine research projects.National Institutes of Health Grant 5 T32 NS07047National Institutes of Health Grant 5 P01 NS13126National Institutes of Health Grant 8 R01 DC00194National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 NS25995National Institutes of Health Grant 8 R01 DC00238National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 NS20322National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 DC00235National Institutes of Health Grant 5 R01 NS20269National Institutes of Health Grant 1 P01 NS23734Johnson and Johnson FoundationUnisys Corporation Doctoral Fellowshi

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

Signal Transmission in the Auditory System

Contains table of contents for Section 3 and reports on nine research projects.National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS13126)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 P01 NS23734)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS18682)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 RO1 NS25995)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS20269)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 R01 NS20322)National Institutes of Health (Grant 5 T32 NS07047)Johnson and Johnson Foundatio