Airway responses and inflammation in subjects with asthma after four days of repeated high-single-dose allergen challenge

Background: Both standard and low-dose allergen provocations are an established tool in asthma research to improve our understanding of the pathophysiological mechanism of allergic asthma. However, clinical symptoms are less likely to be induced. Therefore, we designed a protocol for repetitive high-dose bronchial allergen challenges to generate clinical symptoms and airway inflammation. Methods: A total of 27 patients aged 18 to 40 years with positive skin-prick tests and mild asthma underwent repetitive high-dose allergen challenges with household dust mites for four consecutive days. Pulmonary function and exhaled NO were measured at every visit. Induced sputum was analysed before and after the allergen challenges for cell counts, ECP, IL-5, INF-γ, IL-8, and the transcription factor Foxp3. Results: We found a significant decrease in pulmonary function, an increased use of salbutamol and the development of a late asthmatic response and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, as well as a significant induction of eNO, eosinophils, and Th-2 cytokines. Repeated provocation was feasible in the majority of patients. Two subjects had severe adverse events requiring prednisolone to cope with nocturnal asthma symptoms. Conclusions: Repeated high-dose bronchial allergen challenges resulted in severe asthma symptoms and marked Th-2-mediated allergic airway inflammation. The high-dose challenge model is suitable only in an attenuated form in diseased volunteers for proof-of-concept studies and in clinical settings to reduce the risk of severe asthma exacerbations. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.govNCT0067720

Abnormal auditory mismatch response in tinnitus sufferers with high-frequency hearing loss is associated with subjective distress level

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is an auditory sensation frequently following hearing loss. After cochlear injury, deafferented neurons become sensitive to neighbouring intact edge-frequencies, guiding an enhanced central representation of these frequencies. As psychoacoustical data [1-3] indicate enhanced frequency discrimination ability for edge-frequencies that may be related to a reorganization within the auditory cortex, the aim of the present study was twofold: 1) to search for abnormal auditory mismatch responses in tinnitus sufferers and 2) relate these to subjective indicators of tinnitus. RESULTS: Using EEG-mismatch negativity, we demonstrate abnormalities (N = 15) in tinnitus sufferers that are specific to frequencies located at the audiometrically normal lesion-edge as compared to normal hearing controls (N = 15). Groups also differed with respect to the cortical locations of mismatch responsiveness. Sources in the 90–135 ms latency window were generated in more anterior brain regions in the tinnitus group. Both measures of abnormality correlated with emotional-cognitive distress related to tinnitus (r ~ .76). While these two physiological variables were uncorrelated in the control group, they were correlated in the tinnitus group (r = .72). Concerning relationships with parameters of hearing loss (depth and slope), slope turned out to be an important variable. Generally, the steeper the hearing loss is the less distress related to tinnitus was reported. The associations between slope and the relevant neurophysiological variables are in agreement with this finding. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first to show near-to-complete separation of tinnitus sufferers from a normal hearing control group based on neurophysiological variables. The finding of lesion-edge specific effects and associations with slope of hearing loss corroborates the assumption that hearing loss is the basis for tinnitus development. It is likely that some central reorganization follow a damage to hearing receptors, even though the paradoxical results indicate that they most likely are somewhat different than originally assumed (see Background). One partial explanation might lie in the involvement of top-down (presumably frontal-lobe) controlled processes. A better comprehension of the exact mechanisms leading to the present results could have a broad impact on the understanding and perhaps treatment of tinnitus

Mindfulness for Chronic Pain Management

Chronic pain often occurs even after healing in the injury site because of changes in the way the brain perceives pain. Mindfulness is a simple mental activity, proven to reduce pain and the need for pain medication. Mindfulness increases the ability to mentally regulate pain, emotion, and behavior, alters the way the brain processes rewards, and restores positive feelings. Mindfulness can be learned in a class or at home and is an accessible alternative for managing pain

Public Health Violence Prevention: Supporting Law Enforcement

As frustrations over inequalities in policing and law enforcement continue despite attempted reforms (Beckett, 2016), many are asking for a more effective approach. A 2018 issue statement from the American Public Health Association (2018) highlights that violence is a public health issue that will not go away without the influence of a public health approach. The integrated biological-psychological-social model of health recognizes the complexity in the ways individuals are influenced by their situations, with violence as the unfortunate result of the wrong mix of circumstances. The public health approach to violence focuses on prevention as part of the solution. This fact sheet reviews public health approaches, examples of success, and what needs to happen next to bring public health and law enforcement together

Scaling Community Health Coalitions: The Well Connected Communities Pilot Initiative

We outline the process and development of the Well Connected Communities health initiative as undertaken in three Utah communities. This transformative community-focused alternative to addressing public health issues through Extension situates local communities as the origin for health decision making. The initiative recognizes the need for varied community statuses (i.e., planner, implementer, and innovator) based on varying levels of readiness and diversity of populations. We concluded that the Utah Well Connected Communities initiative aligns well with the 2014 Extension Committee on Organization and Policy National Framework for Health and Wellness. Replication requirements and implications for other Extension programs are presented

Professional Education to Reduce Provider Stigma Toward Harm Reduction and Pharmacotherapy

Aims: A novel professional training was developed to reduce stigma toward harm reduction and pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders. Methods: The training was delivered over three sessions to n = 147 health professionals in Utah between 2019 and 2020, including n = 40 substance use disorder treatment professionals. Pre and post-training survey measures provided evaluation information on knowledge, attitudes, and planned action regarding harm reduction and pharmacotherapy. Items were grouped into a stigma score, and multilevel modeling, regression analyses, and McNemar tests were used to quantify changes in overall stigma toward harm reduction interventions both before and after the training. Results: The training significantly decreased the total stigma score toward harm reduction (b = -0.09, p \u3c .001, β = -0.34). At the individual item level, 6 of the 22 items showed significant change in reduced stigma (all p \u3c .047), and all items moved in the direction of decreased stigma. These items include both attitudes and planned action aspects of the total stigma score. Conclusions: This study suggests that education targeting prejudice and discriminatory actions against harm reduction and pharmacotherapy interventions among healthcare professionals may contribute to stigma reduction. These results provide a basis for intervention effectiveness, addressing preconceived ideas, and show community need for such substance use interventions, as a component of future stigma reduction efforts

Fish by-products: a source of enzymes to generate circular bioactive hydrolysates

Fish viscera are usually discarded as waste, causing environmental problems, or as low-value by-products. This study describes a self-sufficient and zero waste approach to obtain enzymes and protein hydrolysates from fish by-products. Firstly, recovery steps of viscera enzymatic extract were applied, and the resulting raw extract was stable at a pH range of 8–9 and at temperatures between 40 and 50 °C. The application of the extracted enzymes and alcalase on fish by-products hydrolysis was also determined. The selected conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysis were 10% (E/S) for 6 h using viscera enzymatic extract and 3% (E/S) for 2 h using alcalase. Fish protein hydrolysates (FPH) proved to have a notable antioxidant capacity with similar activity, ~11 mg ascorbic acid/g dry extract (ABTS assay) and ~150 mg Trolox/g dry extract (ORAC assay). FPH were also able to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme, however, alcalase hydrolysates revealed a higher antihypertensive potential, IC50 of 101 µg of protein/mL. In general, FPH obtained by both enzymes systems maintained these bioactivities after the passage throughout a simulated gastrointestinal tract. The hydrolysates also displayed important technological properties, namely oil absorption capacity (~1 g oil/g sample) and emulsifying property (~40%). Therefore, it will be conceivable to use fish by-products based on a circular economy approach to generate added value compounds for animal and human nutritioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Educating Future Nursing Scientists: Recommendations for Integrating Omics Content in PhD Programs

Preparing the next generation of nursing scientists to conduct high-impact, competitive, sustainable, innovative, and interdisciplinary programs of research requires that the curricula for PhD programs keep pace with emerging areas of knowledge and health care/biomedical science. A field of inquiry that holds great potential to influence our understanding of the underlying biology and mechanisms of health and disease is omics. For the purpose of this article, omics refers to genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, exposomics, microbiomics, and metabolomics. Traditionally, most PhD programs in schools of nursing do not incorporate this content into their core curricula. As part of the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science\u27s Idea Festival for Nursing Science Education, a work group charged with addressing omics preparation for the next generation of nursing scientists was convened. The purpose of this article is to describe key findings and recommendations from the work group that unanimously and enthusiastically support the incorporation of omics content into the curricula of PhD programs in nursing. The work group also calls to action faculty in schools of nursing to develop strategies to enable students needing immersion in omics science and methods to execute their research goals

Severe Hemolytic Anemia due to De novo Hemoglobin Sabine in an argentinian newborn: first case in South America

Hemoglobin (Hb) Sabine is an unstable Hb variant that causes hemolytic anemia in heterozygous state, with inclusion bodies in the red blood cells (RBC). This hemoglobin is the result of a point mutation at codon 91(CTG)(CCG) of the beta-globin gene. We report, for the first time in South America, the identification of Hb Sabine in a nine-month-old female baby, referred to our laboratory bearing a severe hemolytic anemia. We emphasize the need for the correct characterization of this unstable hemoglobin mainly for therapeutic purposes and for genetic counseling.Fil: Perez, Susana. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Bragós, Irma. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Raviola, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Pratti, Arianna. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Detarsio, Germán. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Zirone, Sandra. Instituto Davoli; ArgentinaFil: Voss, María Eda. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Verón, Luciano. Instituto Davoli; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Irma. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; ArgentinaFil: Ojeda, Mara Jorgelina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Rosario. Instituto de Fisiología Experimental (i); Argentin

Opioid Fast Facts for Parents

This fact sheet explains what opioids are and how they are used--or misused, which can lead to opioid use disorder (OUD). The information provided can help parents understand what questions to ask if a doctor prescribes opioids, and ways parents can safeguard their child against opioid misuse. It also includes ideas for managing an emergency, namely, using naloxone to address overdose