Acupuncture for migraine headaches

Acupuncture reduces the frequency of migraine headaches when used as an adjunct to, or in place of, medical management. (Strength of Recommendation: A, based on meta-analyses)

More Bang For Your Buck: Quorum-Sensing Capabilities Improve the Efficacy of Suicidal Altruism

Within the context of evolution, an altruistic act that benefits the receiving individual at the expense of the acting individual is a puzzling phenomenon. An extreme form of altruism can be found in colicinogenic E. coli. These suicidal altruists explode, releasing colicins that kill unrelated individuals, which are not colicin resistant. By committing suicide, the altruist makes it more likely that its kin will have less competition. The benefits of this strategy rely on the number of competitors and kin nearby. If the organism explodes at an inopportune time, the suicidal act may not harm any competitors. Communication could enable organisms to act altruistically when environmental conditions suggest that that strategy would be most beneficial. Quorum sensing is a form of communication in which bacteria produce a protein and gauge the amount of that protein around them. Quorum sensing is one means by which bacteria sense the biotic factors around them and determine when to produce products, such as antibiotics, that influence competition. Suicidal altruists could use quorum sensing to determine when exploding is most beneficial, but it is challenging to study the selective forces at work in microbes. To address these challenges, we use digital evolution (a form of experimental evolution that uses self-replicating computer programs as organisms) to investigate the effects of enabling altruistic organisms to communicate via quorum sensing. We found that quorum-sensing altruists killed a greater number of competitors per explosion, winning competitions against non-communicative altruists. These findings indicate that quorum sensing could increase the beneficial effect of altruism and the suite of conditions under which it will evolve.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, ALIFE '14 conferenc

How can pregnant women safely relieve low-back pain?

Acetaminophen is safe for use in pregnancy but lacks evidence of efficacy (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, usual practice). Both physical therapy and water aerobics reduce sick days caused by low-back pain (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, randomized controlled trial [RCT]). Acupuncture, including auricular acupuncture, also relieves low-back pain and improves function (SOR: B, 2 RCTs). Osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMT) slightly improves disability (SOR: B, RCT). Corticosteroid injection at the sacrospinous ligament insertion decreases pain (SOR: B, RCT). Insufficient evidence of efficacy exists for support garments (SOR: B, systematic review). No serious maternal or fetal adverse effects have been reported with any of these therapies

Relationships Among Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia Symptoms in Perinatal Women Seeking Mental Health Treatment

Background: Depression and anxiety symptoms are commonly experienced by women during the perinatal period. Changes in sleep and sleep quality are typical throughout pregnancy and early postpartum. However, little is known about relationships between insomnia symptoms and psychiatric symptoms in perinatal women. The objective of the present study is to characterize the burden of insomnia symptoms in perinatal women seeking outpatient psychiatric treatment and to examine relationships between insomnia and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Methods: Data from 257 pregnant or postpartum women who sought outpatient psychiatric treatment at a university hospital-affiliated clinic were extracted from an existing clinical management database. Data included validated self-report measures assessing insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]), mood (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale [EPDS]), and generalized anxiety (Penn State Worry Questionnaire [PSWQ]). Results: Fifty-two percent of women reported symptoms of insomnia, 75% reported symptoms of depression, and 61% reported symptoms of generalized anxiety. After controlling for PSWQ, the partial correlation between EPDS and ISI was 0.15 and 0.37 for pregnant and postpartum women, respectively. After controlling for EPDS, the partial correlation between PSWQ and ISI was 0.20 and 0.12 for pregnant and postpartum women, respectively. Women with clinically significant ISI scores had significantly higher odds for reporting symptoms consistent with depression (odds ratio [OR] 7.7) and generalized anxiety (OR 2.55) compared to women with lower ISI scores. Conclusions: Insomnia symptoms affected a significant proportion of the perinatal women in this sample. These symptoms are linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety in treatment-seeking pregnant and postpartum women. Perinatal women seen in psychiatric treatment settings should be routinely screened for sleep problems.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90453/1/jwh-2E2010-2E2371.pd

Effects of environment on children\u27s motor scores, eligibility status, and administration times

Best practices for assessing developmental skills in young children focus on naturalistic observation in everyday settings, but the effects of environment on test scores, eligibility status and administration time have not been explored. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2) was administered to 34 children aged 18 to 59 months in natural and pull-out settings. PDMS-2 total, gross, and fine motor quotient (TMQ, GMQ, and FMQ) scores were significantly lower in the natural environment (p’s≤.014). Based on our results, more children would qualify for services when tested in natural environments using TMQ and GMQ scores. It also took significantly longer to test children in the natural environment (p=.044). Pediatric service providers should consider the impact environment may have on children’s scores and resource utilization when planning assessment. Further, use of standardized tests of discrete motor skills, such as the PDMS-2, may be more appropriate in pull-out settings

The Trophic Life Cycle Stage of the Opportunistic Fungal Pathogen \u3cem\u3ePneumocystis murina\u3c/em\u3e Hinders the Ability of Dendritic Cells to Stimulate CD4\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e T Cell Responses

The life cycle of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Pneumocystis murina consists of a trophic stage and an ascus-like cystic stage. Infection with the cyst stage induces proinflammatory immune responses, while trophic forms suppress the cytokine response to multiple pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), including β-glucan. A targeted gene expression assay was used to evaluate the dendritic cell response following stimulation with trophic forms alone, with a normal mixture of trophic forms and cysts, or with β-glucan. We demonstrate that stimulation with trophic forms downregulated the expression of multiple genes normally associated with the response to infection, including genes encoding transcription factors. Trophic forms also suppressed the expression of genes related to antigen processing and presentation, including the gene encoding the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II transactivator, CIITA. Stimulation of dendritic cells with trophic forms, but not a mixture of trophic forms and cysts, reduced the expression of MHC class II and the costimulatory molecule CD40 on the surface of the cells. These defects in the expression of MHC class II and costimulatory molecules corresponded with a reduced capacity for trophic form-loaded dendritic cells to stimulate CD4+ T cell proliferation and polarization. These data are consistent with the delayed innate and adaptive responses previously observed in immunocompetent mice inoculated with trophic forms compared to responses in mice inoculated with a mixture of trophic forms and cysts. We propose that trophic forms broadly inhibit the ability of dendritic cells to fulfill their role as antigen-presenting cells

Macrosystems ecology: Understanding ecological patterns and processes at continental scales

Macrosystems ecology is the study of diverse ecological phenomena at the scale of regions to continents and their interactions with phenomena at other scales. This emerging subdiscipline addresses ecological questions and environmental problems at these broad scales. Here, we describe this new field, show how it relates to modern ecological study, and highlight opportunities that stem from taking a macrosystems perspective. We present a hierarchical framework for investigating macrosystems at any level of ecological organization and in relation to broader and finer scales. Building on well-established theory and concepts from other subdisciplines of ecology, we identify feedbacks, linkages among distant regions, and interactions that cross scales of space and time as the most likely sources of unexpected and novel behaviors in macrosystems. We present three examples that highlight the importance of this multiscaled systems perspective for understanding the ecology of regions to continents

The Journey Between There and Here: Stories of a Faculty Writing Group

Reflecting, sharing, and producing knowledge about the process of writing and collaboration in a writing group is the focus of this qualitative project, in which we explore a complex weaving of knowledge, subjectivity, and representation. In this group are eight women faculty, all of whom are individually working on writing projects in their own areas of expertise. Using a method of writing as inquiry, each person was asked to keep a reflective journal; an autoethnographic account of their experiences of writing during a three-month period. The group met weekly and each individual shared their reflections and writing experiences. In this project, our intention is to decentre notions of the alienated, isolated academic by writing and constructing knowledge as a collective. Using the metaphor of here and there, we ask how can a relational culture grow out of writing? How can competitive, hidden barriers be broken down and replaced by open, encouraging spaces

Faculty writing groups: a support for women balancing family and career on the academic tightrope

Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada license (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CA) appliesThis qualitative research project explored the experiences of women who juggle the demands of family or parenthood while engaging in academic careers at a faculty of education. The researcher-participants consisted of 11 women; 9 women provided a written narrative, and all women participated in the data analysis. The data consisted of the personal, reflective narratives of 9 women who participated in a faculty writing group. Analysis of narratives uncovered 5 themes common to the researchers and participants in this study: genderspecific experiences surrounding parenting, second-career academics, pressure surrounding academic work, human costs, and commitment to work and family. Implications of the findings are discussed with particular emphasis on how a faculty writing group framed by a relational model of interaction can be used to support untenured faculty who experience difficulty balancing the demands of family and academia.Ye