Differential Tissue Response to Growth Hormone in Mice

Growth hormone (GH) has been shown to act directly on multiple tissues throughout the body. Historically, it was believed that GH acted directly in the liver and only indirectly in other tissues via insulin‐like growth hormone 1 (IGF‐1). Despite extensive work to describe GH action in individual tissues, a comparative analysis of acute GH signaling in key metabolic tissues has not been performed. Herein, we address this knowledge gap. Acute tissue response to human recombinant GH was assessed in mice by measuring signaling via phospho‐STAT5 immunoblotting. STAT5 activation is an easily and reliably detected early marker of GH receptor engagement. We found differential tissue sensitivities; liver and kidney were equally GH‐sensitive and more sensitive than white adipose tissue, heart, and muscle (gastrocnemius). Gastrocnemius had the greatest maximal response compared to heart, liver, white adipose tissue, and whole kidney. Differences in maximum responsiveness were positively correlated with tissue STAT5 abundance, while differences in sensitivity were not explained by differences in GH receptor levels. Thus, GH sensitivity and responsiveness of distinct metabolic tissues differ and may impact physiology and disease

The development of a measure of social care outcome for older people. Funded/commissioned by: Department of Health

An essential element of identifying Best Value and monitoring cost-effective care is to be able to identify the outcomes of care. In the field of health services, use of utility-based health related quality of life measures has become widespread, indeed even required. If, in the new era of partnerships, social care outcomes are to be valued and included we need to develop measures that reflect utility or welfare gain from social care interventions. This paper reports on a study, commissioned as part of the Department of Health’s Outcomes of Social Care for Adults Initiative, that developed an instrument and associated utility indexes that provide a tool for evaluating social care interventions in both a research and service setting. Discrete choice conjoint analysis used to derive utility weights provided us with new insights into the relative importance of the core domains of social care to older people. Whilst discrete choice conjoint analysis is being increasingly used in health economics, this is the first study that has attempted to use it to derive a measure of outcome

Agreement between methods of measurement with multiple observations per individual

Limits of agreement provide a straightforward and intuitive approach to agreement between different methods for measuring the same quantity. When pairs of observations using the two methods are independent, i.e., on different subjects, the calculations are very simple and straightforward. Some authors collect repeated data, either as repeated pairs of measurements on the same subject, whose true value of the measured quantity may be changing, or more than one measurement by one or both methods of an unchanging underlying quantity. In this paper we describe methods for analysing such clustered observations, both when the underlying quantity is assumed to be changing and when it is not

Antecedents of support for social media content moderation and platform regulation: the role of presumed effects on self and others

This study examines support for regulation of and by platforms and provides insights into public perceptions of platform governance. While much of the public discourse surrounding platforms evolves at a policy level between think tanks, journalists, academics and political actors, little attention is paid to how people think about regulation of and by platforms. Through a representative survey study of US internet users (N = 1,022), we explore antecedents of support for social media content moderation by platforms, as well as for regulation of social media platforms by the government. We connect these findings to presumed effects on self (PME1) and others (PME3), concepts that lie at the core of third-person effect (TPE) and influence of presumed influence (IPI) scholarship. We identify third-person perceptions for social media content: Perceived negative effects are stronger for others than for oneself. A first-person perception operates on the platform level: The beneficial effects of social media platforms are perceived to be stronger for the self than for society. At the behavioral level, we identify age, education, opposition to censorship, and perceived negative effects of social media content on others (PME3) as significant predictors of support for content moderation. Concerning support for regulation of platforms by the government, we find significant effects of opposition to censorship, perceived intentional censorship, frequency of social media use, and trust in platforms. We argue that stakeholders involved in platform governance must take more seriously the attitudes of their constituents

Acceptability and Feasibility of Virtual Reality to Promote Health Literacy in Primary Care from the Health Professional’s view: A Qualitative Study

ObjectiveThe development of health literacy is important in the management of chronic pain and virtual reality may be an effective medium for its development. This study aims to understand the usability and acceptability of a virtual reality-based pain education system for the facilitation of health literacy.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with health professionals who had used a VR-based pain education system within their clinical practice, to explore perceptions of feasibility. Data collection and analyses were informed by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology and the Integrated Model of Health Literacy.ResultsFrom 10 participants, the VR-based system was considered feasible in providing immersive experiential learning which addressed patient understanding and health-related communication.ConclusionVR appears to be perceived as an acceptable and feasible technology to support the development of health literacy in people with chronic pain. Its largest perceived benefit was its capacity to provide an immersive and entertaining alternative to conventional methods of pain education.Practice ImplicationsVirtual reality is considered as a feasible method of facilitating patient understanding and health-related communication related to chronic pain. Feasibility of such a tool relies clinically on time available, social expectations of VR, and the role of immersive and experiential learning within the management of chronic pain

FMDV replicons encoding green fluorescent protein are replication competent

The study of replication of viruses that require high bio-secure facilities can be accomplished with less stringent containment using non-infectious 'replicon' systems. The FMDV replicon system (pT7rep) reported by Mclnerney et al. (2000) was modified by the replacement of sequences encoding chloramphenicol acetyl-transferase (CAT) with those encoding a functional L proteinase (Lpro) linked to a bi-functional fluorescent/antibiotic resistance fusion protein (green fluorescent protein/puromycin resistance, [GFP-PAC]). Cells were transfected with replicon-derived transcript RNA and GFP fluorescence quantified. Replication of transcript RNAs was readily detected by fluorescence, whilst the signal from replication-incompetent forms of the genome was >2-fold lower. Surprisingly, a form of the replicon lacking the Lpro showed a significantly stronger fluorescence signal, but appeared with slightly delayed kinetics. Replication can, therefore, be quantified simply by live-cell imaging and image analyses, providing a rapid and facile alternative to RT-qPCR or CAT assays

Predicting College Student Gambling Frequency Using the Theory of Planned Behvior: Does the Theory Work Differently for Disordered and Non-Disordered Gamblers?

We examined whether disordered gambling moderates the prediction of gambling behavior via the theory of planned behavior (TPB; i.e., intentions, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitudes) among college students. A convenience sample of undergraduate students (N=377) at a large, Southeastern university who gambled in the past year completed a classroom-based survey. Approximately half of participants were male (n = 205; 54.4%), and the majority were Caucasian (n = 310; 83.8%). Gambling frequency, gambling problems and gambling-specific TPB constructs were assessed via a cross-sectional survey. A series of regression analyses were conducted to test the utility of the TPB model to predict gambling behavior (i.e., frequency) among (1) non-disordered gamblers (N=342) and (2) disordered gamblers (N=35). Moderation analyses indicated that disordered gamblers might not proceed through the thought processes that guide gambling in non-disordered gamblers. However, findings should be interpreted cautiously, as our study was limited by a small number of lifetime disordered gamblers

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the reliability and validity of sensorimotor measurement instruments in people with chronic low back pain

Background: Deficits in the sensorimotor system and its peripheral and central processing of the affected body part might be a contributing factor to chronic low back pain (CLBP). Hence, sensorimotor assessment is important. Valid and reliable sensorimotor measurement instruments are needed. Objective: To investigate the reliability and validity of sensorimotor measurement instruments for people with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: The review was undertaken using the COSMIN guidelines. Databases were searched for studies investigating the clinimetric properties of sensorimotor tests in people with CLBP. The methodological study quality was rated by two independent reviewers using the COSMIN 4-point rating checklist. Results: Ten studies were included covering six sensorimotor measurement instruments with findings for reliability/measurement error, known-groups validity and convergent validity. The methodological quality ranged from poor to good, with only one study rated as good. There was insufficient evidence of enough quality to assess reliability/measurement error or convergent validity. Two-point discrimination, laterality judgement and movement control tests had moderate evidence supporting their ability to distinguish between healthy people and those with CLBP. Conclusions: Two-point discrimination, laterality judgment and movement control tests demonstrate the greatest level of known-groups validity for people with CLBP. However, as the reliability of these measurement tools has yet to be established, this validity data should be interpreted cautiously. Further research is warranted to investigate the clinimetric properties of these sensorimotor techniques.</p