Adolescents and Suicide: Restoring the Kin Network

Hogg Foundation for Mental Healt

University counseling centers and student vets

posterMental health care is changing, as are the needs of student veterans, placing stress upon current mental health care models. As such, this study looked at the potential ability of university and counseling centers to meet the needs of student military veterans in transitioning to college life and dealing with any particular mental health issues ranging from depression to PTSD

Kidney growth following preterm birth: evaluation with renal parenchyma ultrasonography

Background: Preterm birth impairs nephrogenesis, leading to a reduced nephron endowment which is inextricably linked to hypertension and chronic kidney disease in adults. The aim of this study was to compare nephron endowment between preterm infants to that of intrauterine fetuses at the same gestational age (GA) using a novel indirect ultrasound measurement of the renal parenchymal thickness. We hypothesized that extrauterine and intrauterine renal parenchymal thickness would differ based on altered renal growth environments. Methods: In this observational study, appropriately grown preterm infants (birth weight of between the 5th and 95th percentile) born <32 weeks, admitted to the neonatal department were eligible to participate. Renal parenchymal thickness of the infants was measured at 32- and 37-weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). These measurements were compared to the intrauterine renal parenchymal thickness of appropriately grown fetuses (control). Results: At 32-weeks PMA, the preterm infants had a significantly thinner renal parenchyma compared to fetuses at 32-weeks GA suggesting they had less nephrons, however by 37-weeks there was no significant difference in renal parenchymal thickness. Conclusions: We propose that the differences in the extrauterine growth of the renal parenchyma in preterm infants may be due to a reduced number of nephrons and compensatory hyperfiltration. Impact: This article provides insight into the effects of prematurity on nephrogenesis by comparing extrauterine renal parenchymal growth of born preterm infants to the ideal intrauterine fetal growth. Renal parenchyma thickness measurement using ultrasonography is a novel non-invasive measurement of renal development for the determination of nephron endowment. Differences in the renal parenchymal thickness of the preterm infants may be due to a deficit in nephron number and compensatory hyperfiltration

The potential for circular dichroism as an additional facile and sensitive method of monitoring low-molecular-weight heparins and heparinoids

The ultraviolet circular dichroism (CD) spectra of commercial low-molecular-weight heparins, heparinoids and other anticoagulant preparations have been recorded between 180 and 260 nm. Principal component analysis of the spectra allowed their differentiation into a number of groups related to the means of their production reflecting the structural changes introduced by each process. The findings suggest that CD provides a complementary technique for the rapid analysis of heparin preparations

An unusual finding in a 57-year-old woman with new onset hypertension and a diastolic murmur.

CLINICAL INTRODUCTION: A 57-year-old woman presented to our clinic with breathlessness brought on while walking uphill. She had been recently diagnosed with systemic hypertension. There was no known family history of cardiac disease, or prior smoking habit. On examination, pulse was 73 bpm and blood pressure 155/73 mm Hg, which was asymmetrical in her arms. Auscultation revealed a readily audible early diastolic murmur in the aortic area and bilateral subclavian bruits. ECG showed sinus rhythm with no abnormality. Transthoracic echocardiography demonstrated mild-to-moderate aortic regurgitation, and normal left ventricular size and function. The ascending aorta was mildly dilated (41 mm), with para-aortic thickening noted. Owing to the abnormal appearance of the aortic wall, cardiac MRI, and subsequently 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) scan was performed (figure 1). QUESTION: Which complication of the underlying disease is evident in figure 1, panel C? Aortic aneurysmAortic dissectionAortic thrombusCoronary artery aneurysmCoronary sinus fistula

The bacterial gut microbiome of probiotic-treated very-preterm infants: changes from admission to discharge

Background: Preterm birth is associated with the development of acute and chronic disease, potentially, through the disruption of normal gut microbiome development. Probiotics may correct for microbial imbalances and mitigate disease risk. Here, we used amplicon sequencing to characterise the gut microbiome of probiotic-treated premature infants. We aimed to identify and understand variation in bacterial gut flora from admission to discharge and in association with clinical variables. Methods: Infants born <32 weeks gestation and <1500 g, and who received probiotic treatment, were recruited in North Queensland Australia. Meconium and faecal samples were collected at admission and discharge. All samples underwent 16S rRNA short amplicon sequencing, and subsequently, a combination of univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: 71 admission and 63 discharge samples were collected. Univariate analyses showed significant changes in the gut flora from admission to discharge. Mixed-effects modelling showed significantly lower alpha diversity in infants diagnosed with either sepsis or retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and those fed formula. In addition, chorioamnionitis, preeclampsia, sepsis, necrotising enterocolitis and ROP were also all associated with the differential abundance of several taxa. Conclusions: The lower microbial diversity seen in infants with diagnosed disorders or formula-fed, as well as differing abundances of several taxa across multiple variables, highlights the role of the microbiome in the development of health and disease. This study supports the need for promoting healthy microbiome development in preterm neonates

The impact of brand value on brand competitiveness

The role of brand value in driving brand competitiveness has recently received attention from marketing scholars like Winzar et al. (2018). From the perspectives of marketing and strategic orientation, we propose and test a framework that depicts the effects of these variables on brand competitiveness. Development of the framework was achieved by synthesising existing research from the marketing and management streams. A convenience sample of 374 retailers who worked with the brand as its business customers completed a survey questionnaire. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed model. We found that brand value, created for business customers, indirectly enhances brand competitiveness through marketing orientation, albeit not directly. Moreover, brand differentiation directly and positively influences brand competitiveness in addition to building brand value. Our study is one of the initial attempts to explore the capability of brand value to bring together market orientation and strategic orientation for brand competitiveness and also extend the periphery of current knowledge about the variables that drive the competitiveness of a brand