Health Care Education: Understanding Graduate Students' Stress and Learning Strategy Preferences

Occupational and Adult Educatio

Willingness To Donate Blood During the Summer

Introduction. Each year donation rates fall in the summer months straining blood banks’ capacities to meet local demands. In hopes of identifying factors to increase summer donations, our study investigated donor reported barriers which influence summer donations habits.Methods. An anonymous 16 question survey investigating various donation factors was administered across multiple American Red Cross (ARC) donation centers in Vermont. Questions addressed donor demographics, frequency of blood donation, preference in appointment making modalities including smartphone app use, summer travel habits, willingness to donate during vacation, and factors that deter donors from donating on vacation.Results. A total of 292 surveys were received. Survey respondents across multiple demographic groups cited similar barriers to summer donation, namely “Too busy” (27.5 %) and “Traveling is a time for me to relax.” (30.6 %). Of the respondents who travel in the summer, very few reported donating while traveling (3.4 %). Summer donation rates between summertime travelers (36.5 %) and non-travelers (36.4 %) were essentially equivalent. The most preferred methods of scheduling appointments were via ARC website (45.6 %) and phone (28.4%). Willingness to use the ARC app was highest among respondents ages of 18 to 34 (45-55%) and lowest among ages 55 and older (13-15%). Of respondents with no prior knowledge of summer seasonal shortages (22 %), 2/3rds indicated newfound motivation to donate.Conclusion. Regardless of travel, increasing awareness of summer shortages may increase summer donations. Use of donor websites and smartphone apps may be instrumented as part of recruitment efforts.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1239/thumbnail.jp

Missoula Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Analysis, 2003-2008: Toward A Blueprint For Municipal Sustainability

The City of Missoula has been a signer on the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement for three mayor administrations, with Mayor John Engen renewing the pledge shortly after he took office in 2006. Mayor Engen and the City of Missoula formed a partnership in January 2009 with The University of Montana and Professor Robin Saha of the Environmental Studies Program to complete an emissions inventory of municipal operations. The specific goals of the report are: 1. To present a baseline greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the City of Missoula that quantifies total energy use and associated emissions for municipal operations. 2. To identify major sources of municipal GHG emissions and relative contributions within and among the various sectors examined. 3. To analyze changes and trends in energy use, costs and emissions from Fiscal Years (FY) 2003 to 2008. 4. To identify opportunities and offer recommendations to achieve future municipal GHG emission reductions and energy cost savings

Does Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation Impact Asymmetry and Dyscoordination of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease?

Background. Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment for selected Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Gait characteristics are often altered after surgery, but quantitative therapeutic effects are poorly described. Objective. The goal of this study was to systematically investigate modifications in asymmetry and dyscoordination of gait 6 months postoperatively in patients with PD and compare the outcomes with preoperative baseline and to asymptomatic controls without PD. Methods. A convenience sample of thirty-two patients with PD (19 with postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD) type and 13 with tremor dominant disease) and 51 asymptomatic controls participated. Parkinson patients were tested prior to the surgery in both OFF and ON medication states, and 6-months postoperatively in the ON stimulation condition. Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) I to IV and medication were compared to preoperative conditions. Asymmetry ratios, phase coordination index, and walking speed were assessed. Results. MDS-UPDRS I to IV at 6 months improved significantly, and levodopa equivalent daily dosages significantly decreased. STN-DBS increased step time asymmetry (hedges’ g effect sizes [95% confidence interval] between pre- and post-surgery: .27 [-.13, .73]) and phase coordination index (.29 [-.08, .67]). These effects were higher in the PIGD subgroup than the tremor dominant (step time asymmetry: .38 [-.06, .90] vs .09 [-.83, 1.0] and phase coordination index: .39 [-.04, .84] vs .13 [-.76, .96]). Conclusions. This study provides objective evidence of how STN-DBS increases asymmetry and dyscoordination of gait in patients with PD and suggests motor subtypes‐associated differences in the treatment response

Improved timed-mating, non-invasive method using fewer unproven female rats with pregnancy validation via early body mass increases

For studies requiring accurate conception-timing, reliable, efficient methods of detecting oestrus reduce time and costs, whilst improving welfare. Standard methods use vaginal cytology to stage cycle, and breeders are paired–up using approximately five proven females with proven males to achieve at least one conception on a specific day. We describe an alternative, fast, consistent, non-invasive method of timed-mating using detection of lordosis behaviour in Wistar and Lister-Hooded rats that used unproven females with high success rates. Rats under reverse-lighting had body masses recorded pre-mating, day (d) 3-4, d8, d10 and d18 of pregnancy. Using only the presence of the oestrus dance to time-mate females for 24-hrs, 89% Wistar and 88% Lister-Hooded rats successfully conceived. We did not observe behavioural oestrus in Sprague-Dawleys without males present. Significant body mass increases following mating distinguished pregnant from non-pregnant rats, as early as d4 of pregnancy (10% ± 1.0 increase cf 3% ± 1.2). The pattern of increases throughout gestation was similar for all pregnant rats until late pregnancy, when there were smaller increases for primi- and multiparous rats (32% ± 2.5; 25% ± 2.4), whereas nulliparous rats had highest gains (38% ± 1.5). This method demonstrated a distinct refinement of the previous timed-mating common practice used, as disturbance of females was minimised. Only the number required of nulli-, primi- or multiparous rats were mated, and body mass increases validated pregnancy status. This new breeding-management method is now established practice for two strains of rat and resulted in a reduction in animal use

Global Prevalence of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Very Low Birth Weight Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Importance: Large-scale estimates of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are warranted for adequate prevention and treatment. However, systematic approaches to ascertain global rates of BPD are lacking. Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the prevalence of BPD in very low birth weight (≤1,500 grams) or very low gestational age (\u3c32 \u3eweeks) neonates. Data sources: A search of MEDLINE from January 1990 until September 2019 using search terms related to BPD and prevalence was performed. Study selection: Randomized controlled trials and observational studies evaluating rates of BPD in very low birth weight or very low gestational age were eligible. Included studies defined BPD as positive pressure ventilation or oxygen requirement at 28 days (BPD28) or at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (BPD36). Data extraction and synthesis: Two reviewers independently conducted all stages of the review. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate the pooled prevalence. Subgroup analyses included gestational age group, birth weight group, setting, study period, continent, and gross domestic product. Meta-regression was performed to identify the impact of significant variables on study effect. Main outcomes and measures: Prevalence of BPD defined as BPD28, BPD36, AnyBPD (BPD 28 or BPD 36), and by subgroups. Results: A total of 82 articles and 696,881 patients were included in this review. The pooled prevalence was 23% (95% CI, 17%-30%) for BPD28 (n=29 studies, 101,848 neonates), 21% (95% CI, 17%-24%) for BPD36 (n=56 studies, 584,448 neonates), and 19% (95% CI, 16%-22%) for any BPD (n=70 studies, 607,653 neonates). In subgroup meta-analyses, birth weight was the strongest driver of the pooled prevalence of BPD. Conclusions and relevance: This study provides a global estimation of BPD prevalence in very low birth weight/low gestation neonates

Bostonia: 1998-1999, no. 1, 3-4

Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs

Refining the Candidate Environment: Interpersonal Stress, the Serotonin Transporter Polymorphism, and Gene-Environment Interactions in Major Depression.

Meta-analytic evidence supports a gene-environment (G×E) interaction between life stress and the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) on depression, but few studies have examined factors that influence detection of this effect, despite years of inconsistent results. We propose that the "candidate environment" (akin to a candidate gene) is key. Theory and evidence implicate major stressful life events (SLEs)-particularly major interpersonal SLEs-as well as chronic family stress. Participants (N = 400) from the Youth Emotion Project (which began with 627 high school juniors oversampled for high neuroticism) completed up to five annual diagnostic and life stress interviews and provided DNA samples. A significant G×E effect for major SLEs and S-carrier genotype was accounted for significantly by major interpersonal SLEs but not significantly by major non-interpersonal SLEs. S-carrier genotype and chronic family stress also significantly interacted. Identifying such candidate environments may facilitate future G×E research in depression and psychopathology more broadly

Validating New Summary Indices for the Childhood Trauma Interview: Associations with First Onsets of Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders

Childhood and adolescent adversity is of great interest in relation to risk for psychopathology, and interview measures of adversity are thought to be more reliable and valid than their questionnaire counterparts. One interview measure, the Childhood Trauma Interview (CTI; Fink et al., 1995), has been positively evaluated relative to similar measures, but there are some psychometric limitations to an existing scoring approach that limit the full potential of this measure. We propose several new summary indices for the CTI that permit examination of different types of adversity and different developmental periods. Our approach creates several summary indices: one sums the severity scores of adversities endorsed; another utilizes the number of minor and major (moderate to severe) adversities. The new indices were examined in association with first onsets of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders across a 5-year period using annual clinical diagnostic interviews (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM–IV–TR). Summary scores derived with the previously used approach were also examined for comparison. Data on 332 participants came from the Youth Emotion Project, a longitudinal study of risk for emotional disorders. Results support the predictive validity of the proposed summary scoring methods and indicate that several forms of major (but typically not minor) adversity are significantly associated with first onsets of MDD and anxiety disorders. Finally, multivariate regression models show that, in many instances, the new indices contributed significant unique variance predicting disorder onsets over and above the previously used summary indices