Deep Woodchip Litter: Hygiene, Feeding, and Behavioral Enhancement in Eight Primate Species

Sixty-seven animals from eight primate species were used to assess improved husbandry techniques. The presence of woodchips as a direct-contact litter decreased inactivity and fighting and increased time spent on the ground. Placing food in the deep litter led to further behavioral improvement. Frozen foods improved distribution and reduced fighting in most situations, especially when buried in the litter. With time, the litter became increasingly inhibitory to bacteria. The results suggest that inexpensive ways of increasing environmental complexity are effective in improving housing for primates

Effectiveness of an Intervention Regarding Weight Status of Selected New Mexico Kindergarten Children and their Parent’s Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to analyze pre-existing data of selected kindergarten children in New Mexico regarding the relationship between measured body mass index (BMI) and parents/guardians selfreported perceptions of their child’s weight status. The study is unique because it gives the opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of an intervention that is tailored to a child’s BMI. A total of six districts and 35 schools agreed to participate during this 2004-05 study. A total of 1,480 kindergarten children had their BMI measured by the school nurses. Two instruments were used to conduct the study, a bilingual pre- and post-intervention survey, and the CDC’s gender-specific body mass index for age percentile charts. The intervention materials included only literature for the parent/guardian to read. The largest variation in changes of perception occurred in the borderline categories of at risk of overweight and underweight. On the pre-intervention survey, 10% of the survey respondents accurately described their child as at risk of overweight and increased to 47% on the post- intervention survey. A total of 11% of survey respondents accurately described their child’s weight status as underweight on the pre- intervention survey and this increased to 23% on the post-intervention survey. This study was a seminal attempt to obtain information regarding childhood obesity in the state of New Mexico, particularly among kindergarten children. Interventions regarding childhood obesity should be tailored to the parent/guardian as well as the child. Different interventions are needed for parents/guardians of children in the definitive categories of overweight and normal weight than for those parents/guardians of children who are at risk of overweight and underweight

Grammar for Writing? An investigation into the effect of Contextualised Grammar Teaching on Student Writing

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleThe role of grammar instruction in the teaching of writing is contested in most Anglophone countries, with several robust meta-analyses finding no evidence of any beneficial effect. However, existing research is limited in that it only considers isolated grammar instruction and offers no theorisation of an instructional relationship between grammar and writing. This study, drawing on a theorised understanding of grammar as a meaning-making resource for writing development, set out to investigate the impact of contextualised grammar instruction on students’ writing performance. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, with a randomised controlled trial and a complementary qualitative study. The statistical analyses indicate a positive effect on writing performance for the intervention group (e = 0.21; p<0.001); but the study also indicates that the intervention impact differentially on different sub-groups, benefiting able writers more than weaker writers. The study is significant in being the first to supply rigorous, theorised evidence for the potential benefits of teaching grammar to support development in writing

Population Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Analysis of Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is a condition affecting newborns exposed to an opioid in utero. Symptoms of NAS include excessive crying, poor feeding, and disordered autonomic control. Up to 2/3 of infants will require pharmacologic therapies to reach symptom control. Opioids including morphine and methadone are the current first-line treatments. Buprenorphine is being investigated as a treatment of NAS. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of BUP in infants with NAS. Poster presented at American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT) 2017 Annual Meeting, March 15-18, 2017 in Washington DC.https://jdc.jefferson.edu/petposters/1004/thumbnail.jp

Population Growth Characteristics of Incipient Colonies of the Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Growth of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) incipient colonies during their first year was documented via a monthly destructive sampling census of 15 unique colonies, each headed by an inbred primary pair, for a total of 180 colonies. King and queen biomass greatly decreased during the first 2 months, coinciding with egg production and colony foundation, but their biomass remained relatively constant thereafter. Three cohorts of eggs were produced, with the greatest number of eggs (mean = 14.5) during the first month. Larvae were present at 1 month, and workers were first observed at 2 months. The survival rate of the initial brood was less than 100%, most likely due to cannibalism. A single soldier was first noted in some colonies at 6 months. Offspring biomass was equal to that of the reproductive pair at the 2-month census, double at 3 months, and quadruple at 11 months. One-year-old colonies ranged in size from 20 to 40 individuals, with an average of 28.9 individuals; total colony biomass was 39.8 mg. The growth rate of these R. flavipes colonies was much slower than was reported in other studies, but our observations are consistent with previous models and suggestions regarding colony growth

Cytoplasmic Domain of the 180-kD Bullous Pemphigoid Antigen, a Hemidesmosomal Component: Molecular and Cell Biologic Characterization

Using a serum sample of a bullous pemphigoid (BP) patient we have isolated a cDNA clone encoding a portion of a 180-kD polypeptide component of the hemidesmosome, the “BP180 autoantigen.” The identity of the clone was confirmed by the generation of a fusion protein antibody that recognizes BP180 in both a basal epithelial cell extract of bovine tongue and extract of human epidermal cells. Immunoelectron microscopy indicates that the 588-bp cDNA encodes a cytoplasmic fragment of BP180. Furthermore, the wide species reactivity of the fusion protein suggests that this portion of BP180 is highly conserved. In cultured human epidermal cells processed for confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, the fusion protein antibody generates a punctate cell substrate-associated staining pattern that is similar to that seen using BP230 antibodies. Using the original BP180 cDNA we have now isolated additional cDNA clones encoding approximately 1800bp of BP180 the 3' sequence of which overlaps with the sequence detailed in Giudice et al (J Clin Invest 87:734–738, 1991). Secondary structural analyses have been undertaken on the predicted amino acids encoded by the 1800bp. These suggest that the collagen-like sequences of BP180 described by Giudice et al (ibid.) are separated by a putative transmembrane region from the domain of BP180 recognized by our fusion protein antibody. Indeed, BP180 appears to belong to a relatively rare group of proteins in which the N-terminus is located in the cytoplasm and the C-terminus is extracellular. We detail some preliminary biochemical experiments in support of this hypothesis. We discuss possible functions of BP180 and BP230 in the hemidesmosome

Mobility of Vulnerable Elders (MOVE): study protocol to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of a mobility intervention in long-term care facilities

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Almost 90% of residents living in long-term care facilities have limited mobility which is associated with a loss of ability in activities of daily living, falls, increased risk of serious medical problems such as pressure ulcers, incontinence and a significant decline in health-related quality of life. For health workers caring for residents it may also increase the risk of injury. The effectiveness of rehabilitation to facilitate mobility has been studied with dedicated research assistants or extensively trained staff caregivers; however, few investigators have examined the effectiveness of techniques to encourage mobility by <it>usual caregivers </it>in long-term care facilities.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This longitudinal, quasi-experimental study is designed to demonstrate the effect of the sit-to-stand activity carried out by residents in the context of daily care with health care aides. In three intervention facilities health care aides will prompt residents to repeat the sit-to-stand action on two separate occasions during each day and each evening shift as part of daily care routines. In three control facilities residents will receive usual care. Intervention and control facilities are matched on the ownership model (public, private for-profit, voluntary not-for-profit) and facility size. The dose of the mobility intervention is assessed through the use of daily documentation flowsheets in the health record. Resident outcome measures include: 1) the 30-second sit-to-stand test; 2) the <it>Functional Independence Measure</it>; 3) the <it>Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and 3; </it>and, 4) the <it>Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease</it>.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>There are several compelling reasons for this study: the widespread prevalence of limited mobility in this population; the rapid decline in mobility after admission to a long-term care facility; the importance of mobility to quality of life; the increased time (and therefore cost) required to care for residents with limited mobility; and, the increased risk of injury for health workers caring for residents who are unable to stand. The importance of these issues is magnified when considering the increasing number of people living in long-term care facilities and an aging population.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>This clinical trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (trial registration number: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01474616">NCT01474616</a>).</p