VALIDATION OF THE CONFLICT IN ADOLESCENT DATING RELATIONSHIPS INVENTORY (CADRI) IN YOUNG ADOLESCENTS: AN ANALYSIS OF CONSTRUCT VALIDITY AND MEASUREMENT INVARIANCE

Adolescent dating violence, defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional aggression within a dating relationship, including stalking,” among adolescents in intimate relationships is a serious public health concern (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Per the 2017 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) survey of high school students in the United States, 10.7 percent of females and 2.8 percent of males that reported a romantic relationship in the prior 12 months experienced sexual dating violence (Kann et al., 2018). Additionally, 9.1 percent of females and 6.5 percent of males reported physical dating violence, which included but was not limited to, being hit, punched, slammed into a wall, or otherwise injured (Kann et al., 2018). Dating violence occurs not only in high school-aged adolescents (i.e. 14-18 years old), but in younger adolescents as well. The baseline survey of the Dating Matters initiative found that among sixth, seventh, and eighth graders (ages 11-13) who had dated, 77 percent had perpetrated verbal or emotional abuse, 32 percent physical abuse, and 15 percent sexual abuse (Niolon et al., 2015). Dating violence among adolescents can result in serious mental and physical health outcomes. Longitudinal studies have shown that compared to individuals who did not experience dating violence, victimized adolescents are at greater risk of tobacco and marijuana use, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, heavy episodic drinking and binge eating, and antisocial behavior (Ackard, Eisenberg, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2007; D. Exner-Cortens, Eckenrode, & Rothman, 2013). Adolescents who experience dating violence are also at greater 2 risk of future victimization in late adolescence and adulthood when compared to those who have not experienced dating violence (D. Exner-Cortens et al., 2013; Deinera Exner-Cortens, Eckenrode, Bunge, & Rothman, 2017)

Water quality validation and implications for future programming: a case study from Ethiopia

Monitoring the quality of water that is available through improved water sources is important to ensure it is safe for human consumption. This study sought to validate a prior study that found high levels of microbial contamination among water systems in Ethiopia installed by a consortium of implementers led by the Millennium Water Alliance. The prior study assessed water systems installed or rehabilitated by all implementers, so this study is also an attempt to compare the overall results with those from one of the implementing agencies: Living Water International Ethiopia. Our study found that levels of contamination varied across different projects, which could be the result of several factors, including: seasonality of water quality, differing data collection methodologies, or even quality of project engineering. Additionally, this study further highlights the need for health promotion programs, such as Water Safety Planning, to prevent microbial contamination of the water during storage and at point-of-use

The use of social media to communicate child health information to low-income parents: A formative study

The Internet, and specifically web 2.0 social media applications, offers an innovative method for communicating child health information to low-income parents. The main objective of this study was to use qualitative data to determine the value of using social media to reach low-income parents with child health information. A qualitative formative evaluation employing focus groups was used to determine the value of using social media for dissemination of child health information. Inclusion criteria included: (1) a parent with a child that attends a school in a designated Central Texas school district; and (2) English-speaking. The students who attend these schools are generally economically disadvantaged and are predominately Hispanic. The classic analysis strategy was used for data analysis. Focus group participants (n=19) were female (95%); White (53%), Hispanic (42%) or African American (5%); and received government assistance (63%). Most had access to the Internet (74%) and were likely to have low health literacy (53%). The most preferred source of child health information was the family pediatrician or general practitioner. Many participants were familiar with social media applications and had profiles on popular social networking sites, but used them infrequently. Objections to social media sites as sources of child health information included lack of credibility and parent time. Social media has excellent potential for reaching low-income parents when used as part of a multi-channel communication campaign. Further research should focus on the most effective type and format of messages that can promote behavior change in this population, such as story-telling

Clinical significance of BPI-ANCA in patients with cystic fibrosis: a single center prospective study

Abstract Recurrent pulmonary exacerbation due to infection and inflammation remain the major cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Increased levels of BPI-ANCA have been linked to Pseudomonas colonization and pulmonary exacerbations in patients with CF. The majority of these studies were done in Europe, and it is unclear whether similar findings are true in CF patients who lives in United States. In our single center study of 47 patients with CF, the prevalence of BPI-ANCA was 19% at baseline and 15% at annual follow-up visit. Overall, there were no statistical differences noted in FEV1 and frequency of pulmonary exacerbations in CF patients who were positive for BPI-ANCA compared to those who were negative for BPI-ANCA. The role of BPI-ANCA in patients with CF still remains unclear

Racial Disparities and Upward Trend in Bowel Preparation for Elective Colectomy in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Procedure Targeted Dataset: 2012 to 2018

Objective:. The primary objective of this study was to assess trends in bowel preparation among patients who had elective colectomy between 2012 and 2018. The secondary objective was to assess patient and procedure-related factors predictive of bowel preparation use or lack thereof. Background:. Numerous studies have demonstrated that bowel preparation before elective colorectal surgery can reduce the risk of postoperative complications. Studies of surgeon practices found 75% to 98% prescribe bowel preparation to their patients, although biases in the study design may lead to overestimation of bowel preparation practice. Methods:. Cross-sectional study of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program colectomy procedure targeted dataset. We included patients from 18 to 90 years old who underwent elective colectomy (n = 101,096). The primary outcomes were bowel preparation before elective colectomy, including oral antibiotic only, mechanical only, both oral and mechanical, or none. Results:. Twenty percent of patients did not do any bowel preparation before elective colectomy. Almost all covariates were independently associated with any bowel preparation, although some were not clinically relevant. The odds that Black/African American or Hispanic patients had any bowel preparation were lower than that of White patients. Additionally, the odds minimally invasive colectomy patients completed any bowel preparation was 1.46 times that of open surgery patients. Conclusions:. This study is the first of its kind to assess trends in bowel preparation using an objective dataset. Our study highlights disparities in bowel preparation. Further studies should focus on delineating the root cause of this disparity, identifying the barriers, and finding solutions

Incisional infiltration versus transversus abdominis plane block of liposomal bupivacaine after midline vertical laparotomy for suspected gynecologic malignancy: a pilot study

Background: To evaluate whether incisional infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine would decrease opioid requirement and pain scores after midline vertical laparotomy for suspected or known gynecologic malignancy compared with transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block with liposomal bupivacaine. Methods: A prospective, single blind randomized controlled trial compared incisional infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine plus 0.5% bupivacaine versus TAP block with liposomal bupivacaine plus 0.5% bupivacaine. In the incisional infiltration group, patients received 266 mg free base liposomal bupivacaine with 150 mg bupivacaine hydrochloride. In the TAP block group, 266 mg free base bupivacaine with 150 mg bupivacaine hydrochloride was administered bilaterally. The primary outcome was total opioid use during the first 48-hour postoperative period. Secondary outcomes included pain scores at rest and with exertion at 2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after surgery. Results: Forty three patients were evaluated. After interim analysis, a three-fold higher sample size than originally calculated was required to detect a statistically significant difference. There was no clinical difference between the two arms in mean opioid requirement (morphine milligram equivalents) for the first 48 h after surgery (59.9 vs. 80.8, p = 0.13). There were no differences in pain scores at rest or with exertion between the two groups at pre-specified time intervals. Conclusion: In this pilot study, incisional infiltration of liposomal bupivacaine and TAP block with liposomal bupivacaine demonstrated clinically similar opioid requirement after gynecologic laparotomy for suspected or known gynecologic cancer. Given the underpowered study, these findings cannot support the superiority of either modality after open gynecologic surgery