PolyHeart: Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in ‘Western Civilization.’ Lifestyle modification (ie regular exercise and healthy diet) greatly reduces the risk for CVD. It is unclear whether faculty at Cal Poly, who are exposed to positive benefits of lifestyle modification are at risk for CVD. The purpose of this study was to assess Cal Poly’s faculties’ cardiovascular health status, as specified by the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) seven cardiovascular disease risk factors. Both the researchers and participants benefit from this study because awareness of CVD risk factors may help prevent progression of risk factors and may improve quality of life. Twelve faculty (7 Men, 5 Women) at Cal Poly participated in this study. Height, body weight, and body fat assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis were measured. Participants completed a health history questionnaire, and then a fasting blood sample was taken to assess a lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL) and glucose concentrations. Each subject completed a sub-maximal treadmill (Treadwalk Test), using three successive speeds and grades to achieve steady state heart rate to estimate VO2 peak. Using the mean of all seven risk factors (body mass index, blood pressure, glucose concentrations, lipid profile, estimated oxidative capacity), the Cal Poly faculty were classified at low risk for CVD. However, individual data showed that two subjects were at high risk for CVD evidenced by high glucose concentrations, high blood pressure, and dyslipidemia. These data suggest that Cal Poly faculty, who are exposed and aware of the benefits of regular exercise and a healthy diet, are at low risk for cardiovascular disease. Future studies should focus on identifying members of the Cal Poly community at high risk for cardiovascular disease, and providing a behavioral intervention to lower the risk for CVD in those individuals

Comparison of Two Phonological Treatment Procedures for a Child with Phonological Deviations

Choosing an effective and efficient phonological treatment approach is an important decision for clinicians when treating children with phonological deviations. Current research supports the effectiveness of phonological treatment, but few studies have compared two approaches. More comparative studies are essential to support clinical intervention for children who are highly unintelligible. This single-subject study was designed to compare the effectiveness of two phonologically-based treatment approaches in facilitating an intelligible speech production system for one highly unintelligible preschool female. Multiple baselines across behaviors with an alternating treatment design were used in this descriptive study. This study sought to answer the following questions: (a) Is there a clinically significant difference between the effectiveness of the cycling approach and the minimal pairs approach in treating a child with phonological disorders? and (b) Do the phonological cycling and/or the minimal pairs treatment approaches result in generalization of treated sounds in a targeted pattern to untrained words containing the treated sounds and to untreated sounds/sound contexts in the same phonological pattern? Using the phonological assessment instrument, the APP-R in conjunction with the CAPD, four phonological deviations were chosen for phonological remediation. Two deviations were assigned to the phonological cycling approach (Hodson & Paden, 1991) and two to the minimal pairs approach (Blache, 1989; Fokes, 1982). Remediation alternated between the two approaches every 6 sessions, beginning with the cycling approach, for a total of 24 sessions. Treated sounds from each targeted deviation were taught and reassessed using the APP-R to compare treatment effectiveness. To examine generalization of targeted phonological patterns to phonemes in other contexts, periodic probes of treated sounds within untrained words and untreated sounds/sound contexts in the same pattern were administered. Results of the CAPD indicate that both treatment methods were effective in improving some of the treated phonological deviations for this subject though neither method was more effective than the other. Probe words indicated generalization to untrained words and untreated sounds/sound contexts in some phonological patterns. These findings support the phonologically-based theory of remediation: the goal of phonological treatment is developing a whole phonological system, rather than perfecting targeted deviations

Alien Registration- Vaughan, Katherine A. (Gorham, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/31595/thumbnail.jp

A Chart Review of Acute Care Inter-Hospital Transfers from Rural WV Hospitals

Abstract Objective: To document the characteristics of acute care patient transfers from rural West Virginia hospitals. Data Sources/Study Setting: Hospital patient charts in rural West Virginia hospitals Design: We examined 40 acute care patient transfers from rural West Virginia hospitals for patients’ age, gender, race and primary health insurance, the diagnosis and desired specialty service. We compared patients who were not transferred. For each transfer we collected data on the reason for transfer, the availability of beds of the appropriate acuity level as well as the availability of the relevant specialty at the time of transfer. Principal Findings: Transferred patients were more likely than non-transferred patients to be younger, severely ill and diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. The relevant specialist was available at the transferring hospital in 6 out of 30 transfers. Beds were available in all cases. Conclusions: This pilot study provides an agenda for future research into the decision to transfer patients for acute care from rural hospitals

The forgotten flies:The importance of non-syrphid Diptera as pollinators

Bees, hoverflies and butterflies are taxa frequently studied as pollinators in agricultural and conservation contexts. Although there are many records of non-syrphid Diptera visiting flowers, they are generally not regarded as important pollinators. We use data from 30 pollen-transport networks and 71 pollinator-visitation networks to compare the importance of various flower-visiting taxa as pollen-vectors. We specifically compare non-syrphid Diptera and Syrphidae to determine whether neglect of the former in the literature is justified. We found no significant difference in pollen-loads between the syrphid and non-syrphid Diptera. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the level of specialization between the two groups in the pollen-transport networks, though the Syrphidae had significantly greater visitation evenness. Flower visitation data from 33 farms showed that non-syrphid Diptera made up the majority of the flower-visiting Diptera in the agricultural studies (on average 82% abundance and 73% species richness), and we estimate that non-syrphid Diptera carry 84% of total pollen carried by farmland Diptera. As important pollinators, such as bees, have suffered serious declines, it would be prudent to improve our understanding of the role of non-syrphid Diptera as pollinators

Childhood trauma and post-trauma environment affect fear memory and alcohol use differently in male and female mice

Background: Childhood trauma is associated with the development of adult mental health and substance use disorders, with females generally being more at risk. Alcohol is commonly used for coping with trauma, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) affects ~14.4 million adult Americans annually. Research investigating sex differences in the environmental modification of anxiety and alcohol use following childhood trauma will extend our understanding of the etiology of AUD. Here, we sought to model the interacting effects of a single-episode late childhood trauma with post-trauma environment on adult alcohol use using male and female mice. Methods: C57Bl6/J mice (d22) exposed to predator odor (TMT) or water were reared in standard environments (SE) or environmental enrichment (EE). Mice were assessed for adolescent anxiety and conditioned fear, and for adult alcohol use in a limited access, response non-contingent, alcohol exposure paradigm. Results: A single exposure to predator odor was an effective stressor, inducing long-term sex- dependent changes in conditioned fear and alcohol behaviors that interacted with post-trauma environment. Adolescent EE females showed more conditioned freezing to the trauma-associated context. Adult EE mice consumed less total alcohol than SE mice. However, alcohol use across time differed for males and females. Exposure to a childhood stressor increased alcohol use significantly in females, but not males. EE males, but not EE females, drank less than SE counterparts. Conclusions: Findings from this model recapitulate greater vulnerability to childhood trauma in females and support sex differences in post-trauma development of conditioned fear and alcohol use that are modified by environment

Acute myeloid leukaemia in the Johannesburg public sector: A laboratory-based study

Background: Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a haematological malignancy stratified into low, intermediate and high-risk groups according to the genetic abnormalities present at diagnosis. Data relating to the epidemiology and outcomes of AML in Africa is sparse. Aim: This study aimed to assess the AML risk profile, selected clinico-pathological features and follow-up of AML in Johannesburg. Setting: The Johannesburg state sector. Methods: All new cases of AML diagnosed on flow cytometry at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) over 42 months between 2016 and 2019 were retrospectively identified. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the laboratory information system. Results: A total of 277 AMLs were identified, with a median age of 37.5 years. Conclusive risk-stratification was possible in 183 patients, with the low-risk group predominating (51.9%). The distribution of high, intermediate and low-risk cases was similar between the adults 60 years of age and the children 15 years, while high-risk disease was significantly more common among older adults. High-risk disease was associated with lower long-term survival rates in younger adults and children, while outcomes appeared universally poor in older adults (irrespective of risk status). Early drop-off was common in low-risk disease, with an unexpectedly high rate of relapse in some low-risk entities. Conclusion: Low-risk AML predominates in the Johannesburg state sector, but outcomes appear guarded. Exploration of measures to reduce sepsis-related mortality and further study of differences in local disease biology are required. Contribution: This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge of AML in South Africa

Parental Perceptions of Water Safety among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are twice as likely to die from unintentional drowning compared to same-age children without ASD emphasizing the importance of water-safety skills and knowledge. Yet little research has been published on perceptions of water safety for this population. The objective of the study was to investigate parental perceptions of water safety amongst children with ASD. An online questionnaire focusing on parental perceptions of water safety was distributed to parents of children with ASD associated with autism support groups across Canada. Forty-nine parents completed the self-report questionnaire with items related to demographics, swimming proficiency and lessons, adult supervision, and emergency safety procedures. Most parents (70%) believed that swimming ability was more important than supervision in ensuring water safety amongst children with ASD. Results highlighted discrepancies between reported and actual knowledge of emergency resuscitation procedures amongst parents of children with ASD. Parents of children with ASD may underestimate the importance of supervision and overestimate the role of swimming proficiency in ensuring the safety of children with ASD in aquatic environments. Future studies may benefit from exploring ways to promote effective strategies for encouraging water safety in this population

Modest enhancements to conventional grassland diversity improve the provision of pollination services

Grassland for livestock production is a major form of land use throughout Europe and its intensive management threatens biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in agricultural landscapes. Modest increases to conventional grassland biodiversity could have considerable positive impacts on the provision of ecosystem services, such as pollination, to surrounding habitats. Using a field-scale experiment in which grassland seed mixes and sward management were manipulated, complemented by surveys on working farms and phytometer experiments, the impact of conventional grassland diversity and management on the functional diversity and ecosystem service provision of pollinator communities were investigated. Increasing plant richness, by the addition of both legumes and forbs, was associated with significant enhancements in the functional diversity of grassland pollinator communities. This was associated with increased temporal stability of flower–visitor interactions at the community level. Visitation networks revealed pasture species Taraxacum sp. (Wigg.) (dandelion) and Cirsium arvense (Scop.) (creeping thistle) to have the highest pollinator visitation frequency and richness. Cichorium intybus (L.) (chichory) was highlighted as an important species having both high pollinator visitation and desirable agronomic properties. Increased sward richness was associated with an increase in the pollination of two phytometer species; Fragaria × ananassa (strawberry) and Silene dioica (red campion), but not Vicia faba (broad bean). Enhanced functional diversity, richness and abundance of the pollinator communities associated with more diverse neighbouring pastures were found to be potential mechanisms for improved pollination. Synthesis and applications. A modest increase in conventional grassland plant diversity with legumes and forbs, achievable with the expertise and resources available to most grassland farmers, could enhance pollinator functional diversity, richness and abundance. Moreover, our results suggest that this could improve pollination services and consequently surrounding crop yields (e.g. strawberry) and wildflower reproduction in agro-ecosystems

“Chains Weigh Heavy”: Body Mapping Embodied Experiences of Anxiety

Anxiety has both cognitive and somatic dimensions as is ubiquitous at a population level. We report on an arts-based research workshop gathering data on embodied experiences of anxiety and non-anxiety. We developed an innovative short body mapping workshop to collect data and undertook thematic analysis to analyse textual and visual data. 35 body maps were produced. “Tightness,” “pain,” and “heaviness” were the most frequently expressed embodied sensations of anxiety. By contrast, when not feeling anxious, participants’ bodies primarily felt “energetic,” “ordered,” and “open.” Anxiety was most frequently felt in the stomach, head and heart. 35 Participants mostly used an abstracted, rather than figurative, visual language to depict anxiety. Conclusions: Participants reported diverse bodily experiences of anxiety, some of which correlate with commonly identified somatic symptoms of anxiety. Other symptoms were unique to participants. The richness and diversity of anxiety experiences elicited during workshops indicates that the brief body mapping approach has potential application in future research, and in other settings