Who said words can never hurt? : an investigation of child weight status, childhood psycosocial variables, and later adult quality of life

The first purpose of the research project was to examine the relationship between child weight status and adult quality of life. The second purpose of the research project was to test psychosocial variables as mediators of the relationship between child weight status and adult quality of life. A total of 164 undergraduate and graduate students from Louisiana State University participated in the study. The students completed five online questionnaires that were used to assess variables such as child weight status, adult weight status, history of childhood teasing experiences, child self-concept, and adult quality of life. Several statistical analyses were employed to test the project’s 23 hypotheses. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe the project’s participants. Correlational analyses were run to determine if there were associations between some of the independent and dependent variables. Hierarchical regression analyses were also used to test the significance of the mediation models. Results of the project showed that child weight status was negatively associated with adult quality of life. Variables that significantly mediated the relationship between child weight status and adult quality of life, such as low child self-concept and a history of being teased during childhood, were also identified. Recognizing the influence that teasing and child self-concept have on an overweight or obese child’s future quality of life stresses the importance of addressing the psychosocial variables when working with children who struggle with weight management

Using Lamina Emergent Mechanisms to Address Needs for a Space Environment

Technology that will be used in a space environment must meet certain design contraints. These include the ability to endure the harsh environment as well as be efficiently transported. The use of compliance in the design of space technologies addresses some of these issues. Compliant mechanisms are mechanisms which use the deflection of flexible members to achieve a particular motion or transmit energy. The use of deflection allows for the elimination of parts and thus reduces weight. A subset of compliant mechanisms is lamina emergent mechanisms (LEMs). They have a flat initial state with motion emerging from the fabrication plane. The purpose of this research was to identify design strategies for LEMs. We propose the use of origami and kirigami for the identification of design strategies since they are essentially LEMs

Radiation Induced Bullous Pemphigoid: When Radiation Dermatitis Is Not The Answer

History: A 78-year old black female with history of invasive ductal carcinoma in the left breast status post lumpectomy and cytotoxic chemotherapy presented with acute onset blistering of the left breast with onset during the 24th cycle of radiation therapy which was diagnosed as radiation dermatitis by her radiation oncologist. New bullae on the left breast continued to arise after cessation of radiation therapy (RT). Within 4 weeks, patient was hospitalized with dysphagia, odynophagia, and oral ulcerations. At 8 weeks, patient developed new tense bullae on extremities and presented to dermatology. Examination: The entirety of the left breast extending onto the left flank had multiple flaccid serosanguinous filled bullae and erosions interspersed by well-demarcated depigmented patches with perifollicular macules of re-pigmentation. Three tense serosanguinous bullae were present on the right medial thigh, right medial lower leg and left calcaneal area. Two linear erythematous erosions with mild fibrinous debris extended from the hard palate down the oropharynx. Nikolsky sign was negative. There was no involvement of ocular or genital mucosa.Course and therapy: Punch biopsy of a bulla on the right medial thigh revealed subepidermal blisters with sparse infiltrate of lymphocytes and eosinophils in the underlying dermis. Direct immunofluorescence revealed 3+ linear IgG and C3 staining at the basement membrane zone. Salt split skin analysis revealed localization of linear IgG and C3 to the epidermal side of the dermal-epidermal junction, confirming the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid (BP). Patient was treated with oral prednisone taper, high potency topical corticosteroids, and doxycycline 100 mg BID with niacinamide 500 mg BID in order to avoid immunosuppression.Discussion: Radiation dermatitis is a common cutaneous side effect of RT; however, persistent bullous eruption with spreads outside the radiation field requires further workup. BP is a rare complication of RT most often seen in breast cancer patients, but may occur in carcinomas of the lung, vulva, or esophagus. Etiology is unclear but may involve RT altering the basal membrane and expression of a mixture of hemidesmosome phenotypes by malignant breast cells which would serve as an antigen for antibody production inducing BP. The majority of cases occur during or up to 6 months after RT and tend to remain localized to RT-treated areas; rarely is there involvement of the oral mucosa. RT-associated BP appears more indolent than traditional BP and may respond to topical and non-systemic corticosteroid use.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2019caserpt/1022/thumbnail.jp

An updated interactive database for 1692 genetic variants in coagulation Factor IX provides detailed insights into haemophilia B

BACKGROUND: Genetic variants in coagulation factor IX (FIX) are associated with haemophilia B, a rare bleeding disease. F9 variants are widespread across the gene and were summarised in our FIX variant database introduced in 2013. OBJECTIVE: We rationalise the molecular basis for 598 new F9 variants and 1645 new clinical cases, making a total of 1692 F9 variants and 5358 related patient cases. METHODS: New F9 variants were identified from publications and on-line resources, and compiled into a MySQL database for comparison with the human FIXa protein structure. RESULTS: The new total of 1692 F9 variants correspond to 406 (88%) of the 461 FIX residues and now include 70 additional residues. These comprise 945 unique point variants, 281 deletions, 352 polymorphisms, 63 insertions, and 51 others. Most FIX variants were point variants, although their proportion (56%) has reduced compared to 2013 (73%), while the proportion of polymorphisms has increased from 5% to 21%.The 764 unique mild severity variants in the mature protein with known phenotypes include 74 (9.7%) quantitative type I variants and 116 (15.2%) predominantly qualitative type II variants. The remaining 574 variants types are unspecified. Inhibitors are associated with 152 haemophilia B cases out of 5358 patients (2.8%), an increase of 93 from the previous database. CONCLUSION: The even distribution of the F9 variants revealed few mutational hotspots, and most variants were associated with small perturbations in the FIX protein structure. The updated database will assist clinicians and researchers in assessing treatments for haemophilia B patients

Bayesian meta-analysis across genome-wide association studies of diverse phenotypes

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful tool for understanding the genetic basis of diseases and traits, but most studies have been conducted in isolation, with a focus on either a single or a set of closely related phenotypes. We describe MetABF, a simple Bayesian framework for performing integrative meta-analysis across multiple GWAS using summary statistics. The approach is applicable across a wide range of study designs and can increase the power by 50% compared with standard frequentist tests when only a subset of studies have a true effect. We demonstrate its utility in a meta-analysis of 20 diverse GWAS which were part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2. The novelty of the approach is its ability to explore, and assess the evidence for a range of possible true patterns of association across studies in a computationally efficient framework.Peer reviewe

Rapid Exchange Cooling with Trapped Ions

The trapped-ion quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) architecture is a leading candidate for advanced quantum information processing. In current QCCD implementations, imperfect ion transport and anomalous heating can excite ion motion during a calculation. To counteract this, intermediate cooling is necessary to maintain high-fidelity gate performance. Cooling the computational ions sympathetically with ions of another species, a commonly employed strategy, creates a significant runtime bottleneck. Here, we demonstrate a different approach we call exchange cooling. Unlike sympathetic cooling, exchange cooling does not require trapping two different atomic species. The protocol introduces a bank of $"$coolant$"$ ions which are repeatedly laser cooled. A computational ion can then be cooled by transporting a coolant ion into its proximity. We test this concept experimentally with two ions, executing the necessary transport in 107 $\mu s$, an order of magnitude faster than typical sympathetic cooling durations. We remove over 96%, and as many as 102(5) quanta, of axial motional energy from the computational ion. We verify that re-cooling the coolant ion does not decohere the computational ion. This approach validates the feasibility of a single-species QCCD processor, capable of fast quantum simulation and computation

Associations of Polypharmacy and Inappropriate Medications with Adverse Outcomes in Older Adults with Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

© AlphaMed Press 2019 Background: Polypharmacy (PP) and potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are highly prevalent in older adults with cancer. This study systematically reviews the associations of PP and/or PIM with outcomes and, through a meta-analysis, obtains estimates of postoperative outcomes associated with PP in this population. Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Register of Clinical Trials using standardized terms for concepts of PP, PIM, and cancer. Eligible studies included cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, meta-analyses, and clinical trials which examined outcomes associated with PP and/or PIM and included older adults with cancer. A random effects model included studies in which definitions of PP were consistent to examine the association of PP with postoperative complications. Results: Forty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. PP was defined as five or more medications in 57% of the studies. Commonly examined outcomes included chemotherapy toxicities, postoperative complications, functional decline, hospitalization, and overall survival. PP was associated with chemotherapy toxicities (4/9 studies), falls (3/3 studies), functional decline (3/3 studies), and overall survival (2/11 studies). A meta-analysis of four studies indicated an association between PP (≥5 medications) and postoperative complications (overall odds ratio, 1.3; 95% confidence interval [1.3–2.8]). PIM was associated with adverse outcomes in 3 of 11 studies. Conclusion: PP is associated with postoperative complications, chemotherapy toxicities, and physical and functional decline. Only three studies showed an association between PIM and outcomes. However, because of inconsistent definitions, heterogeneous populations, and variable study designs, these associations should be further investigated in prospective studies. Implications for Practice: Polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications (PIM) are prevalent in older adults with cancer. This systematic review summarizes the associations of polypharmacy and PIM with health outcomes in older patients with cancer. Polypharmacy and PIM have been associated with postoperative complications, frailty, falls, medication nonadherence, chemotherapy toxicity, and mortality. These findings emphasize the prognostic importance of careful medication review and identification of PIM by oncology teams. They also underscore the need to develop and test interventions to address polypharmacy and PIM in older patients with cancer, with the goal of improving outcomes in these patients

Implementing Service Learning in Pre-service Teacher Coursework

Service learning remains a topic of interest in higher education. It has become more prevalent in teacher preparation programs with the intent of providing the opportunity for pre-service teachers to become engaged with individuals who have different life experiences than their own. Lessons can be learned through a review of the literature and the examination of existing models of service learning, including an honest discussion of the advantages and potential barriers for all stakeholders

The Grizzly, April 29, 2010

Active Minds Hosts Art Fair to Benefit Mental Health • Students Say Farewell Through Presidential Celebration • UCDC Hosts Spring Concert in Lenfest Theater • Dr. Spencer Foreman: Counting Down the Reasons • Workout and Have Fun at Ursinus Zumba-Thon! • Music and Diplomacy Converge to Help Alleviate HIV and AIDS • Professor Mudd\u27s CIE III Class Explores Happiness and the UC Student Body • Class of 2010 Spotlight: Seniors Reflect on UC Memories • Ursinus College Mourns the Loss of a Legend • Senior Spotlight: Mark Worrilow, Footballhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1813/thumbnail.jp