Improvements in Research Orientation and Reductions in Barriers to Research Utilization among Undergraduate Students in Health Sciences

Purpose: Developing research skills while improving research orientation among undergraduate students may increase evidence-based practice later in their professional careers. Method: Undergraduate Health Science students (n=241) participated in a pretest-posttest design to determine the impact of a course that includes team-based, student initiated research projects completed within one semester. Modified versions of the Edmonton Research Orientation Survey (EROS) and the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BARRIERS) were completed at the beginning and end of the semesters. Results: Students reported gains in six research skills and improvements in two of the Edmonton Research Orientation Survey subscales: involvement in research and evidence-based practice. Students reported reductions in all four Barriers to Research Utilization Scale subscales: adopter, organization, innovation, and communication. Conclusion: Improvements in research orientation and reductions in perceived barriers due to high-impact learning activities may eventually facilitate evidence-based practice

Barriers to development strategies that may promote physical activity: a mixed-method study of the planning and development process in the Triad region of North Carolina

From a socio-ecological perspective, a built environment that provides safe, convenient, attractive places for transportation or recreational physical activity is a prerequisite for increasing physical activity levels of the population. Support from decision-makers, including urban planners and developers, will be necessary to alter the built environment through policy change and innovative development strategies. The purposes of this mixed-method study are to develop an understanding of how built environments that are conducive to transportation and recreational physical activity can result from the planning and development process in urbanized areas. The study aims are to: 1) characterize barriers to developments that support physical activity that occur during the planning and development process from urban planners and developers and 2) develop a theoretical framework to explain the relationships among these barriers to developments that support physical activity. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve (12) planners from the four most populous municipalities in the Greensboro--Winston-Salem--High Point, North Carolina Combined Statistical Area and six (6) residential developers who were currently involved in one or more of these jurisdictions. Typical case sampling was used to select planners from each of the municipalities while theoretical sampling was used to select the developers. The digitally recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using NVivo 8. Quantitative data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics in SPSS. The study finds that the purposes of land-use regulation as defined by planners and developers do not include health promotion. Participants perceived that recreational opportunities were more important to residents than opportunities for transportation physical activity. Through the use of images, participants agreed that isolated single-use developments provided fewer opportunities for physical activity. While high density, mixed-use developments with a variety of housing and transportation choice and meaningful open space provide opportunities for physical activity, these development strategies can cause conflict during the planning and development process. Three types of conflict were identified as barriers to development strategies that promote physical activity: 1) Professional Conflict between planners and developers, 2) Resident Conflict between developers and residents, and 3) Historical Conflict within local governments. Differences in the value systems of planners, developers, and residents used to make decisions serve as catalysts for these conflicts. The theoretical framework for increased physical activity through development strategies illustrates the relationships between the development strategies, the central phenomenon of conflict, and the value systems. The findings suggest that development strategies that may promote physical activity are unlikely to be widely adopted without intervention in the development process. The theoretical framework provides guidance for selecting effective intervention strategies and targets

Neuronal pentraxins mediate synaptic refinement in the developing visual system

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The assessment of circulating volume using inferior vena cava collapse index and carotid Doppler velocity time integral in healthy volunteers: a pilot study

International audienceBackground: Assessment of circulating volume and the requirement for fluid replacement are fundamental to resuscitation but remain largely empirical. Passive leg raise (PLR) may determine fluid responders while avoiding potential fluid overload. We hypothesised that inferior vena cava collapse index (IVCCI) and carotid artery blood flow would change predictably in response to PLR, potentially providing a non-invasive tool to assess circulating volume and identifying fluid responsive patients.Methods: We conducted a prospective proof of concept pilot study on fasted healthy volunteers. One operator measured IVC diameter during quiet respiration and sniff, and carotid artery flow. Stroke volume (SV) was also measured using suprasternal Doppler. Our primary endpoint was change in IVCCI after PLR. We also studied changes in IVCCI after “sniff”, and correlation between carotid artery flow and SV.Results: Passive leg raise was associated with significant reduction in the mean inferior vena cava collapsibility index from 0.24 to 0.17 (p < 0.01). Mean stroke volume increased from 56.0 to 69.2 mL (p < 0.01). There was no significant change in common carotid artery blood flow. Changes in physiology consequent upon passive leg raise normalised rapidly.Discussion: Passive leg raise is associated with a decrease of IVCCI and increase in stroke volume. However, the wide range of values observed suggests that factors other than circulating volume predominate in determining the proportion of collapse with respiration.Conclusion: In contrast to other studies, we did not find that carotid blood flow increased with passive leg raise. Rapid normalisation of post-PLR physiology may account for this

A large genome-wide association study of age-related macular degeneration highlights contributions of rare and common variants.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng.3448Advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly, with limited therapeutic options. Here we report on a study of >12 million variants, including 163,714 directly genotyped, mostly rare, protein-altering variants. Analyzing 16,144 patients and 17,832 controls, we identify 52 independently associated common and rare variants (P < 5 × 10(-8)) distributed across 34 loci. Although wet and dry AMD subtypes exhibit predominantly shared genetics, we identify the first genetic association signal specific to wet AMD, near MMP9 (difference P value = 4.1 × 10(-10)). Very rare coding variants (frequency <0.1%) in CFH, CFI and TIMP3 suggest causal roles for these genes, as does a splice variant in SLC16A8. Our results support the hypothesis that rare coding variants can pinpoint causal genes within known genetic loci and illustrate that applying the approach systematically to detect new loci requires extremely large sample sizes.We thank all participants of all the studies included for enabling this research by their participation in these studies. Computer resources for this project have been provided by the high-performance computing centers of the University of Michigan and the University of Regensburg. Group-specific acknowledgments can be found in the Supplementary Note. The Center for Inherited Diseases Research (CIDR) Program contract number is HHSN268201200008I. This and the main consortium work were predominantly funded by 1X01HG006934-01 to G.R.A. and R01 EY022310 to J.L.H

Depolarizing bipolar cell dysfunction due to a Trpm1 point mutation.

Mutations in TRPM1 are found in humans with an autosomal recessive form of complete congenital stationary night blindness (cCSNB). The Trpm1(-/-) mouse has been an important animal model for this condition. Here we report a new mouse mutant, tvrm27, identified in a chemical mutagenesis screen. Genetic mapping of the no b-wave electroretinogram (ERG) phenotype of tvrm27 localized the mutation to a chromosomal region that included Trpm1. Complementation testing with Trpm1(-/-) mice confirmed a mutation in Trpm1. Sequencing identified a nucleotide change in exon 23, converting a highly conserved alanine within the pore domain to threonine (p.A1068T). Consistent with prior studies of Trpm1(-/-) mice, no anatomical changes were noted in the Trpm1(tvrm27/tvrm27) retina. The Trpm1(tvrm27/tvrm27) phenotype is distinguished from that of Trpm1(-/-) by the retention of TRPM1 expression on the dendritic tips of depolarizing bipolar cells (DBCs). While ERG b-wave amplitudes of Trpm1(+/-) heterozygotes are comparable to wild type, those of Trpm1(+/tvrm27) mice are reduced by 32%. A similar reduction in the response of Trpm1(+/tvrm27) DBCs to LY341495 or capsaicin is evident in whole cell recordings. These data indicate that the p.A1068T mutant TRPM1 acts as a dominant negative with respect to TRPM1 channel function. Furthermore, these data indicate that the number of functional TRPM1 channels at the DBC dendritic tips is a key factor in defining DBC response amplitude. The Trpm1(tvrm27/tvrm27) mutant will be useful for elucidating the role of TRPM1 in DBC signal transduction, for determining how Trpm1 mutations impact central visual processing, and for evaluating experimental therapies for cCSNB