Brain matters…in social sciences

Here we offer a general introduction to cognitive neuroscience and provide examples relevant to psychology, healthcare and bioethics, law and criminology, information studies, of how brain studies have influenced, are influencing or show the potential to influence the social sciences. We argue that social scientists should read, and be enabled to understand, primary sources of evidence in cognitive neuroscience. We encourage cognitive neuroscientists to reflect upon the resonance that their work may have across the social sciences and to facilitate a mutually enriching interdisciplinary dialogue

B-s -\u3e D(s)l nu form factors and the fragmentation fraction ratio f(s)/f(d)

We present a lattice quantum chromodynamics determination of the scalar and vector form factors for the B-s -\u3e D(s)l. decay over the full physical range of momentum transfer. In conjunction with future experimental data, our results will provide a new method to extract vertical bar V-cb vertical bar, which may elucidate the current tension between exclusive and inclusive determinations of this parameter. Combining the form factor results at nonzero recoil with recent HPQCD results for the B -\u3e Dl(v) form factors, we determine the ratios f(0)(Bs -\u3e Ds) (M-pi(2))/f(0)(B -\u3e D) (M-K(2))=1.000(62) and f(0)(Bs -\u3e Ds) (M-pi(2))/f(0)(B -\u3e D)(M-pi(2))=1.006(62). These results give the fragmentation fraction ratios f(s)/f(d) = 0.310(30)(stat)(21)(syst)(6)(theor)(38)(latt) and f(s)/f(d) = 0.307(16)(stat)(21)(syst)(23)(theor)(44)(latt), respectively. The fragmentation fraction ratio is an important ingredient in experimental determinations of Bs meson branching fractions at hadron colliders, in particular for the rare decay B(B-s -\u3emu(+)mu(-). In addition to the form factor results, we make the first prediction of the branching fraction ratio R(D-s) = B(B-s -\u3e D-s tau nu)/B(B-s -\u3e D-s tau nu)= 0.301(6), where l is an electron or muon. Current experimental measurements of the corresponding ratio for the semileptonic decays of B mesons disagree with Standard Model expectations at the level of nearly four standard deviations. Future experimental measurements of R(D-s) may help understand this discrepancy

Prevalence of prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes in patients with HFpEF and HFrEF and associated clinical outcomes

Purpose: The prevalence and consequences of prediabetic dysglycemia and undiagnosed diabetes is unknown in patients with heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and has not been compared to heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods: We examined the prevalence and outcomes associated with normoglycemia, prediabetic dysglycemia and diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) among individuals with a baseline glycated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c) measurement stratified by HFrEF or HFpEF in the Candesartan in Heart failure Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and morbidity programme (CHARM). We studied the primary outcome of HF hospitalization or cardiovascular (CV) death, and all-cause death, and estimated hazard ratios (HR) by use of multivariable Cox regression models. Results: HbA1c was measured at baseline in CHARM patients enrolled in the USA and Canada and was available in 1072/3023 (35%) of patients with HFpEF and 1578/4576 (34%) patients with HFrEF. 18 and 16% had normoglycemia (HbA1c < 6.0), 20 and 22% had prediabetes (HbA1c 6.0–6.4), respectively. Finally among patients with HFpEF 22% had undiagnosed diabetes (HbA1c > 6.4), and 40% had known diabetes (any HbA1c), with corresponding prevalence among HFrEF patients being 26 and 35%. The rates of both clinical outcomes of interest were higher in patients with undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes, compared to normoglycemic patients, irrespective of HF subtype, and in general higher among HFrEF patients. For the primary composite outcome among HFpEF patients, the HRs were 1.02 (95% CI 0.63–1.65) for prediabetes, HR 1.18 (0.75–1.86) for undiagnosed diabetes and 2.75 (1.83–4.11) for known diabetes, respectively, p value for trend across groups < 0.001. Dysglycemia was also associated with worse outcomes in HFrEF. Conclusions: These findings confirm the remarkably high prevalence of dysglycemia in heart failure irrespective of ejection fraction phenotype, and demonstrate that dysglycemia is associated with a higher risk of adverse clinical outcomes, even before the diagnosis of diabetes and institution of glucose lowering therapy in patients with HFpEF as well as HFrEF

Development and early experience from an intervention to facilitate teamwork between general practices and allied health providers: the Team-link study

Abstract. Background. This paper describes the development and implementation of an intervention to facilitate teamwork between general practice and outside allied and community health services and providers. Methods. A review of organizational theory and a qualitative study of 9 practices was used to design an intervention which was applied in four Divisions of General Practice and 26 urban practices. Clinical record review and qualitative interviews with participants were used to determine the key lessons from its implementation. Results. Facilitating teamwork across organizational boundaries was very challenging. The quality of the relationship between professionals was of key importance. This was enabled by joint education and direct communication between providers. Practice nurses were key links between general practices and allied and community health services. Conclusions. Current arrangements for Team Care planning provide increased opportunities for access to allied health. However the current paper based system is insufficient to build relationships or effectively share roles as part of a patient care team. Facilitation is feasible but constrained by barriers to communication and trust. 2010 Harris et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Course-based Science Research Promotes Learning in Diverse Students at Diverse Institutions

Course-based research experiences (CREs) are powerful strategies for spreading learning and improving persistence for all students, both science majors and nonscience majors. Here we address the crucial components of CREs (context, discovery, ownership, iteration, communication, presentation) found across a broad range of such courses at a variety of academic institutions. We also address how the design of a CRE should vary according to the background of student participants; no single CRE format is perfect. We provide a framework for implementing CREs across multiple institutional types and several disciplines throughout the typical four years of undergraduate work, designed to a variety of student backgrounds. Our experiences implementing CREs also provide guidance on overcoming barriers to their implementation

Reliability of heart rate variability threshold and parasympathetic reactivation after a submaximal exercise test

The objective of this study was to evaluate reproducibility of heart rate variability threshold (HRVT) and parasympathetic reactivation in physically active men (n= 16, 24.3 ± 5.1 years). During the test, HRVT was assessed by SD1 and r-MSSD dynamics. Immediately after exercise, r-MSSD was analyzed in segments of 60 seconds for a period of five minutes. High absolute and relatively reproducible analysis of HRVT were observed, as assessed by SD1 and r-MSSD dynamics (ICC = 0.92, CV = 10.8, SEM = 5.8). During the recovery phase, a moderate to high reproducibility was observed for r-MSSD from the first to the fifth minute (ICC = 0.69-0.95, CV = 7.5-14.2, SEM = 0.07-1.35). We conclude that HRVT and r-MSSD analysis after a submaximal stress test are highly reproducible measures that might be used to assess the acute and chronic effects of exercise training on cardiac autonomic modulation during and/or after a submaximal stress test

Erratum to: Psychosis associated with acute recreational drug toxicity: a European case series

Psychosis can be associated with acute recreational drug and novel psychoactive substance (NPS) toxicity. However, there is limited data available on how common this is and which drugs are most frequently implicated. We describe a European case series of psychosis associated with acute recreational drug toxicity, and estimate the frequency of psychosis for different recreational drugs.; The European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN) collects data on presentations to Emergency Departments (EDs) with acute recreational drug and NPS toxicity at 16 centres in ten countries. Euro-DEN data from October 2013 through September 2014 was retrospectively searched, and cases with psychosis were included. The proportion of cases with psychosis per drug was calculated in the searched Euro-DEN dataset.; Psychosis was present in 348 (6.3 %) of 5529 cases. The median (interquartile range) age was 29 (24-38) years, 276 (79.3 %) were male and 114 (32.8 %) were admitted to psychiatric ward. The drugs most commonly reported were cannabis in 90 (25.9 %) cases, amphetamine in 87 (25.0 %) and cocaine in 56 (16.1 %). More than one drug was taken in 189 (54.3 %) cases. Psychosis was frequent in those ED presentations involving tryptamines (4/7; 57.1 %), methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) (6/22; 27.3 %), methylphenidate (6/26; 23.1 %), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (18/86; 20.9 %), psilocybe mushrooms (3/16; 18.8 %), synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (4/26; 15.4 %) and amphetamine (87/593; 14.7 %), but less common in those involving mephedrone (14/245; 5.7 %), methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (20/461; 4.3 %) and methedrone (3/92; 3.3 %). Amphetamine was the most frequent drug associated with psychosis when only one agent was reported, with psychosis occurring in 32.4 % of these presentations.; The frequency of psychosis in acute recreational drug toxicity varies considerably between drugs, but is a major problem in amphetamine poisoning. In rapidly changing drug markets and patterns of use, the Euro-DEN sentinel network contributes to measuring the scale of drug-related harms in Europe beyond other more established indicators

DEFENS - Drug Exposure Feedback and Education for Nurses’ Safety: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Three decades of research findings have documented the health effects of handling hazardous drugs. Oncology nurses are vulnerable due to frequent administration of antineoplastics, low adherence to equipment use, reported barriers to use, and perceived low risk of health effects. No interventions have been tested in a controlled, multi-site trial to increase nurses’ use of protective equipment when handling hazardous drugs. The Drug Exposure Feedback and Education for Nurses’ Safety (DEFENS) study will compare the efficacy of education (control) versus an audit and feedback intervention (treatment) on nurses’ self-reported use of personal protective equipment when handling hazardous drugs. The treatment intervention will include tailored messages based on nurses’ reported barriers to protective equipment use. Methods/Design The DEFENS Study is a cluster randomized controlled trial. We are enrolling cancer centers and will recruit nurse participants in April 2015. Eligible cancer centers employ at least 20 eligible registered nurses in the chemotherapy infusion setting and have on-site phlebotomy resources. Eligible participants are nurses who work at least 0.40 full-time equivalent hours in the chemotherapy infusion setting and have not received an antineoplastic drug for a health problem in the past year. An encrypted, user-authenticated website will administer surveys and deliver control and treatment interventions. The primary endpoint is the change in score on nurses’ reports of the Revised Hazardous Drug Handling Questionnaire between baseline and approximately 18 months later. A baseline survey is completed after informed consent and is repeated 18 months later. Nurses in all sites who experience a drug spill will also report incidents as they occur; these reports inform the treatment intervention. Plasma will be obtained at baseline, approximately 18 months later (the primary endpoint), and with drug spill occurrences to measure hazardous drugs levels and to inform the treatment intervention. Potential mediators include knowledge of hazardous drug handling and perceived risk of drug exposure. We will examine whether personal factors and organizational factors moderate the intervention effects. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02283164 , registered 31 October 2014.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111045/1/13063_2015_Article_674.pd