The effectiveness of assertiveness training on perceived communication handicap in hearing impaired individuals

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of assertiveness training on perceived communication handicap in hearing impaired adults. Twenty new hearing aid users served as the participants for this study. Half of the participants served as the control group and received no further counseling other than a typical hearing aid orientation. The other half served as the experimental group and received assertiveness training in addition to their hearing aid orientation. Each participant completed the Communication Profile for the Hearing Impaired (CPHI) at baseline (i.e., before training, if applicable) and one later (i.e., post-training, if applicable). CPHI scores were calculated using the CPHI scoring software. Means and standard deviations of the four dimensions (Communication Performance, Communication Environment, Communication Strategies, Personal Adjustment) of the CPHI were calculated for each group at baseline and post-fitting. The results suggested improvement in perceived communication handicap post-testing versus baseline CPHI scores for all participants. Specifically, pre- and post-measures showed a significant effect for the Communication Performance, Communication Strategies, and Personal Adjustment dimensions. The results further revealed similar findings for those in the control and experimental groups; however, results for group approached significance, possibly indicating the likelihood of reaching significance with more participants. It was concluded the use of hearing aids decreased participants perceived communication handicap; however, given the limited amount of participants, assertiveness training did not contribute to the reduction of perceived handicap. Clinical applications/implications are discussed

Engaging with Patients In-need through Public Health Partnerships

A public health partnership was established between a state Medicare Regional Care Collaborative Organization (RCCO), the state health department, a pharmacy school and three community pharmacies located in rural Colorado to optimize the utilization of a free public health service provided through each pharmacy.  Fourth-year pharmacy students were allocated year-round by the University of Colorado to support disease management and medication therapy management (MTM) services offered to patients in three rural towns served by the RCCO.  Faculty from the school of pharmacy reviewed data provided by the RCCO to identify patients who could benefit from MTM or disease state management (DSM) services.  These patients were contacted and encouraged to take advantage of these free pharmacy-based services.  Additionally, a number of targeted interventions were performed within these populations to optimize their health.  Concerted efforts were made to improve information flow and communication between these pharmacy sites and partnering medical offices.  Additionally, pharmacy students were successfully integrated in to medical offices to work alongside medical providers in these communities.  This manuscript describes the implementation and coordination of this project as well as the impact these pharmacies had on the communities they served.   Topic: Original Research &nbsp

Meeting GHG reduction targets requires accounting for all forest sector emissions

Atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs) must be reduced to avoid an unsustainable climate. Because carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and sequestered in forests and wood products, mitigation strategies to sustain and increase forest carbon sequestration are being developed. These strategies require full accounting of forest sector GHG budgets. Here, we describe a rigorous approach using over one million observations from forest inventory data and a regionally calibrated life-cycle assessment for calculating cradle-to-grave forest sector emissions and sequestration. We find that Western US forests are net sinks because there is a positive net balance of forest carbon uptake exceeding losses due to harvesting, wood product use, and combustion by wildfire. However, over 100 years of wood product usage is reducing the potential annual sink by an average of 21%, suggesting forest carbon storage can become more effective in climate mitigation through reduction in harvest, longer rotations, or more efficient wood product usage. Of the ∼10 700 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents removed from west coast forests since 1900, 81% of it has been returned to the atmosphere or deposited in landfills. Moreover, state and federal reporting have erroneously excluded some product-related emissions, resulting in 25%–55% underestimation of state total CO _2 emissions. For states seeking to reach GHG reduction mandates by 2030, it is important that state CO _2 budgets are effectively determined or claimed reductions will be insufficient to mitigate climate change

A rat model of childhood diet-induced obesity: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass induced changes in metabolic parameters and gastric peptide ghrelin

Childhood morbid obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass ( RYGB) results in many metabolic alterations, including changes in glucose and lipid metabolism, and changes in levels of the gastric hormone, ghrelin. As more children are undergoing RYGB, an animal model would be beneficial to further study RYGB and its subsequent metabolic effects. DIO Sprague Dawley rats underwent RYGB, sham jejunojejunostomy ( SH), or no operation ( HFC) after 6 weeks of high-fat diet. Non-obese rats fed standard chow ( SC) were a final control group. Animals were post-operatively fed standard chow for 7 days before sacrifice. At sacrifice, venous blood and gastric mucosa was collected for metabolic parameters and ghrelin determination. RYGB rats weighed less than SH and HFC ( 361 +/- 8.8 vs. 437 +/- 9.3 and 443 +/- 6.2 g, P < 0.05). Compared to HFC, RYGB animals had decreased plasma glucose ( 292 +/- 23 vs. 141 +/- 10 mg/dL), cholesterol ( 80 +/- 12 vs. 45 +/- 5 mg/dL), triglycerides ( 138 +/- 37 vs. 52 +/- 7 mg/dL), HDL ( 43 +/- 5 vs. 20 +/- 3 mg/dL), and free fatty acids ( 0.72 +/- 0.14 vs. 0.23 +/- 0.02 mEq/L), all P < 0.05. Plasma ghrelin increased in RYGB rats compared to SC and HFC ( 116.22 +/- 32.27 vs. 31.60 +/- 2.66 and 31.75 +/- 0.75 pg/mL, P < 0.05). In a rat model of RYGB, we demonstrated improved metabolic parameters and increased plasma and gastric mRNA ghrelin levels. The rat model for RYBG appears to be a reasonable model for future study of the cellular and molecular regulatory pathways of obesity and its surgical treatment

Bioactive Polyurethane–Poly(ethylene Glycol) Diacrylate Hydrogels for Applications in Tissue Engineering

Polyurethanes (PUs) are a highly adaptable class of biomaterials that are among some of the most researched materials for various biomedical applications. However, engineered tissue scaffolds composed of PU have not found their way into clinical application, mainly due to the difficulty of balancing the control of material properties with the desired cellular response. A simple method for the synthesis of tunable bioactive poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels containing photocurable PU is described. These hydrogels may be modified with PEGylated peptides or proteins to impart variable biological functions, and the mechanical properties of the hydrogels can be tuned based on the ratios of PU and PEGDA. Studies with human cells revealed that PU–PEG blended hydrogels support cell adhesion and viability when cell adhesion peptides are crosslinked within the hydrogel matrix. These hydrogels represent a unique and highly tailorable system for synthesizing PU-based synthetic extracellular matrices for tissue engineering applications

Asymptomatic Infection of Marburg Virus Reservoir Bats Is Explained by a Strategy of Immunoprotective Disease Tolerance

Marburg virus (MARV) is among the most virulent pathogens of primates, including humans. Contributors to severe MARV disease include immune response suppression and inflammatory gene dysregulation (“cytokine storm”), leading to systemic damage and often death. Conversely, MARV causes little to no clinical disease in its reservoir host, the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB). Previous genomic and in vitro data suggest that a tolerant ERB immune response may underlie MARV avirulence, but no significant examination of this response in vivo yet exists. Here, using colony-bred ERBs inoculated with a bat isolate of MARV, we use species-specific antibodies and an immune gene probe array (NanoString) to temporally characterize the transcriptional host response at sites of MARV replication relevant to primate pathogenesis and immunity, including CD14+ monocytes/macrophages, critical immune response mediators, primary MARV targets, and skin at the inoculation site, where highest viral loads and initial engagement of antiviral defenses are expected. Our analysis shows that ERBs upregulate canonical antiviral genes typical of mammalian systems, such as ISG15, IFIT1, and OAS3, yet demonstrate a remarkable lack of significant induction of proinflammatory genes classically implicated in primate filoviral pathogenesis, including CCL8, FAS, and IL6. Together, these findings offer the first in vivo functional evidence for disease tolerance as an immunological mechanism by which the bat reservoir asymptomatically hosts MARV. More broadly, these data highlight factors determining disparate outcomes between reservoir and spillover hosts and defensive strategies likely utilized by bat hosts of other emerging pathogens, knowledge that may guide development of effective antiviral therapies.Peer Reviewe

Community voices on factors influencing COVID-19 concerns and health decisions among racial and ethnic minorities in the school setting

Racial and ethnic minority communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, but the uptake of COVID-19 mitigation strategies like vaccination and testing have been slower in these populations. With the continued spread of COVID-19 while in-person learning is a priority, school-aged youth and their caregivers must make health-related decisions daily to ensure health at school. It is critical to understand factors associated with COVID-related health decisions such as vaccination, testing, and other health behaviors (e.g., wearing masks, hand washing). Community-engaged campaigns are necessary to overcome barriers to these health behaviors and promote health equity. The aim of this study was to examine COVID-19-related concerns and influences on health decisions in middle and high schools serving primarily racial and ethnic minority, low-income families. Seven focus groups were conducted with school staff, parents, and students (aged 16 years and older). Qualitative data were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Factors related to COVID-19 concerns and health decisions centered on (1) vaccine hesitancy, (2) testing hesitancy, (3) developmental stage (i.e., ability to engage in health behaviors based on developmental factors like age), (4) cultural and family traditions and beliefs, (5) compatibility of policies and places with recommended health behaviors, (6) reliability of information, and (7) perceived risk. We explore sub-themes in further detail. It is important to understand the community's level of concern and identify factors that influence COVID-19 medical decision making to better address disparities in COVID-19 testing and vaccination uptake