Criminal charges prior to and after initiation of office-based buprenorphine treatment

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is little data on the impact of office-based buprenorphine therapy on criminal activity. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of primary care clinic-based buprenorphine maintenance therapy on rates of criminal charges and the factors associated with criminal charges in the 2 years after initiation of treatment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We collected demographic and outcome data on 252 patients who were given at least one prescription for buprenorphine. We searched a public database of criminal charges and recorded criminal charges prior to and after enrollment. We compared the total number of criminal cases and drug cases 2 years before versus 2 years after initiation of treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was at least one criminal charge made against 38% of the subjects in the 2 years after initiation of treatment; these subjects were more likely to have used heroin, to have injected drugs, to have had any prior criminal charges, and recent criminal charges. There was no significant difference in the number of subjects with any criminal charge or a drug charge before and after initiation of treatment. Likewise, the mean number of all cases and drug cases was not significantly different between the two periods. However, among those who were opioid-negative for 6 or more months in the first year of treatment, there was a significant decline in criminal cases. On multivariable analysis, having recent criminal charges was significantly associated with criminal charges after initiation of treatment (adjusted odds ratio 3.92); subjects who were on opioid maintenance treatment prior to enrollment were significantly less likely to have subsequent criminal charges (adjusted odds ratio 0.52).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Among subjects with prior criminal charges, initiation of office-based buprenorphine treatment did not appear to have a significant impact on subsequent criminal charges.</p

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families: Connecting Local Libraries with NASA Scientists and Education Programs to Engage Girls in STEM

NASA Science4Girls and Their Families (NS4G) partners NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education programs with public libraries to provide hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities and career information for girls and their families, along with training for librarians, in conjunction with Women's History Month (March). NS4G is a collaboration among education teams within the four NASA SMD education and public outreach (E/PO) Forums: Planetary, Earth, Astrophysics, and Heliophysics. It began in 2012 as an Astrophysics-led program (Astro4Girls) with 9 events around the country. Upon expanding among the four Forums, over 73 events were held in Spring 2013 (Fig. 1), with preparations underway for events in Spring 2014. All events are individually evaluated by both the student participants and participating librarians to assess their effectiveness in addressing audience needs

Propagated infra-slow intrinsic brain activity reorganizes across wake and slow wave sleep

Propagation of slow intrinsic brain activity has been widely observed in electrophysiogical studies of slow wave sleep (SWS). However, in human resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI), intrinsic activity has been understood predominantly in terms of zero-lag temporal synchrony (functional connectivity) within systems known as resting state networks (RSNs). Prior rs-fMRI studies have found that RSNs are generally preserved across wake and sleep. Here, we use a recently developed analysis technique to study propagation of infra-slow intrinsic blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals in normal adults during wake and SWS. This analysis reveals marked changes in propagation patterns in SWS vs. wake. Broadly, ordered propagation is preserved within traditionally defined RSNs but lost between RSNs. Additionally, propagation between cerebral cortex and subcortical structures reverses directions, and intra-cortical propagation becomes reorganized, especially in visual and sensorimotor cortices. These findings show that propagated rs-fMRI activity informs theoretical accounts of the neural functions of sleep

Building International Capacity for Citizen Scientist Engagement in Mosquito Surveillance and Mitigation: The GLOBE Program&rsquo;s GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper

The GLOBE Program&rsquo;s GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper is a no-cost citizen scientist data collection tool compatible with Android and iOS devices. Available in 14 languages and 126 countries, it supports mosquito vector surveillance, mitigation, and education by interested individuals and as part of participatory community surveillance programs. For low-resource communities where mosquito control services are inadequate, the Mosquito Habitat Mapper supports local health action, empowerment, and environmental justice. The tangible benefits to human health supported by the Mosquito Habitat Mapper have encouraged its wide adoption, with more than 32,000 observations submitted from 84 countries. The Mosquito Habitat Mapper surveillance and data collection tool is complemented by an open database, a map visualization interface, data processing and analysis tools, and a supporting education and outreach campaign. The mobile app tool and associated research and education assets can be rapidly deployed in the event of a pandemic or local disease outbreak, contributing to global readiness and resilience in the face of mosquito-borne disease. Here, we describe the app, the Mosquito Habitat Mapper information system, examples of Mosquito Habitat Mapper deployment in scientific research, and the outreach campaign that supports volunteer training and STEM education of students worldwide

Epidemiology of naps: association with sleep, ethnicity, and age

Common knowledge supports the belief that occasional napping is a ubiquitous human behavior, yet epidemiological reports on napping vary in methodological quality and tend to focus on specific sub-groups of the lifespan. A notable weakness in the napping literature is a lack of data on African Americans, and an ongoing question is whether daytime napping has a negative impact on nighttime sleep. Given these limitations in the literature another study seemed warranted. The present study uses a high quality epidemiological data set collected via random digit dialing that includes 50 men and women in each age decade ranging from 20 to 80+, and a substantial proportion of African Americans, to answer the following questions. What is typical napping Behavior? Are there ethnic or gender differences in napping behavior? How does napping behavior change across the adult lifespan? Do persons with insomnia nap more than normal sleepers? Is there a relation between daytime napping and quality of nighttime sleep? The results suggested that a majority of people nap and naps are more frequent in African Americans and persons with insomnia, with older adults napping more frequently, but taking briefer naps. A significant relation was also found between daytime napping and nighttime sleep with daytime napping relating to increased onset latency and decreased total sleep time on the following night but with daytime napping also relating to increased wake time in the middle of the night and decreased total sleep time on the previous night. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries