Retrospective characterization of geriatric patients with fractures below the hip, and comparison of this patient population with geriatric hip fracture patients [abstract]

Hip fractures are commonly responsible for increased morbidity and mortality in the geriatric population. Many studies have discussed the management and outcomes of geriatric hip fracture patients. However, little attention has been given to the management of elderly patients with lower extremity fractures below the subtrochanteric region of the femur. The purpose of the study was to retrospectively characterize the population of geriatric-below-the-hip fracture patients and to compare this patient population to the geriatric hip fracture population at the University Hospital over the same period of time. The data collected on 142 patients included patient demographics, pre-fracture residential status, injury characteristics, hospitalization characteristics, discharge status and outcomes. Broad descriptive based statistical measures were used to assess the data and etect significance. Statistical analysis of this study's data is pending

Unified approach to cosmic acceleration

We present a unified framework for the study of late time cosmic acceleration. Using methods of effective field theory, we show that existing proposals for late time acceleration can be subsumed in a single framework, rather than many compartmentalized theories. We construct the most general action consistent with symmetry principles, derive the background and perturbation evolution equations, and demonstrate that for special choices of our parameters we can reproduce results already existing in the literature. Lastly, we lay the foundation for future work placing phenomenological constraints on the parameters of the effective theory. Although in this paper we focus on late time acceleration, our construction also generalizes the effective field theory of inflation to the scalar-tensor and multifield case for perturbatively constructed backgrounds

Treatment of Auditory Processing in Noise in Individuals With Mild Aphasia: Pilot Study

Purpose: Listening in noise challenges listeners with auditory comprehension impairments in aphasia. We examined the effects of Trivia Game, a computerized program with questions spoken in increasing levels of background noise with success in the game. Methods: We piloted Trivia Game in four individuals with chronic aphasia and mild auditory comprehension impairments. Participants played Trivia Game for 12 twenty-minute sessions. In addition to the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB), we measured outcomes on Quick Speech in Noise (QSIN), a sentence repetition test, administered in auditory (AUD) and auditory+visual (AV) conditions as signal-to-noise ratio varied from 25 to 0 dB. Results: All four participants showed progress within the game in the noise level attained. Increases in repetition accuracy were seen in two participants for the QSIN AUD condition (average of 5.5 words), and in three participants for QSIN AV (average of 16.5 words). One individual increased performance on the WAB. Conclusions: Use of Trivia Game led to improved auditory processing abilities in all four individuals with aphasia. Greater gains noted in the AV condition over AUD suggest that Trivia Game may facilitate speech-reading skills to support comprehension of speech in situations with background noise

Feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of functional strength training for people between six months and five years after stroke: FeSTivaLS trial

Background: Functional Strength Training (FST) could enhance recovery late after stroke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a subsequent fully powered, randomized controlled trial. Methods: The study was designed as a randomized, observer-blind trial. Both interventions were provided for up to one hour a day, four days a week, for six weeks. Evaluation points were before randomization (baseline), after six weeks intervention (outcome), and six weeks thereafter (follow-up). The study took place in participants’ own homes. Participants (n = 52) were a mean of 24.4 months after stroke with a mean age of 68.3 years with 67.3% male. All had difficulty using their paretic upper (UL) and lower limb (LL). Participants were allocated to FST-UL or FST-LL by an independent randomization service. The outcome measures were recruitment rate, attrition rate, practicality of recruitment strategies, occurrence of adverse reactions, acceptability of FST, and estimation of sample size for a subsequent trial. Primary clinical efficacy outcomes were the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and the Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC). Analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of participants’ views of FST. A power calculation used estimates of clinical efficacy variance to estimate sample size for a subsequent trial. Results: The screening process identified 1,127 stroke survivors of whom 52 (4.6%) were recruited. The recruitment rate was higher for referral from community therapists than for systematic identification of people discharged from an acute stroke unit. The attrition rate was 15.5% at the outcome and follow-up time-points. None of the participants experienced an adverse reaction. The participants who remained in the study at outcome had received 68% of the total possible amount of therapy. Participants reported that their experience of FST provided a sense of purpose and involvement and increased their confidence in performing activities. The power calculation provides estimation that 150 participants in each group will be required for a subsequent clinical trial. Conclusions: This study found that a subsequent clinical trial was feasible with modifications to the recruitment strategy to be used

A Unified Approach to Cosmic Acceleration

We present a unified framework for the study of late time cosmic acceleration. Using methods of effective field theory, we show that existing proposals for late time acceleration can be subsumed in a single framework, rather than many compartmentalized theories. We construct the most general action consistent with symmetry principles, derive the background and perturbation evolution equations, and demonstrate that for special choices of our parameters we can reproduce results already existing in the literature. Lastly, we lay the foundation for future work placing phenomenological constraints on the parameters of the effective theory. Although in this paper we focus on late time acceleration, our construction also generalizes the effective field theory of inflation to the scalar-tensor and multi-field case for perturbatively constructed backgrounds

Quantitative changes in intracellular calcium and extracellular-regulated kinase activation measured in parallel in CHO cells stably expressing serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT2A or 5-HT2C receptors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The serotonin (5-HT) 2A and 2C receptors (5-HT_2AR and 5-HT_2CR) are involved in a wide range of physiological and behavioral processes in the mammalian central and peripheral nervous systems. These receptors share a high degree of homology, have overlapping pharmacological profiles, and utilize many of the same and richly diverse second messenger signaling systems. We have developed quantitative assays for cells stably expressing these two receptors involving minimal cell sample manipulations that dramatically improve parallel assessments of two signaling responses: intracellular calcium (<it>Ca_i</it>⁺⁺) changes and activation (phosphorylation) of downstream kinases. Such profiles are needed to begin to understand the simultaneous contributions from the multiplicity of signaling cascades likely to be initiated by serotonergic ligands.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We optimized the <it>Ca_i</it>⁺⁺assay for stable cell lines expressing either 5-HT_2AR or 5-HT_2CR (including dye use and measurement parameters; cell density and serum requirements). We adapted a quantitative 96-well plate immunoassay for pERK in the same cell lines. Similar cell density optima and time courses were observed for 5-HT_2AR- and 5-HT_2CR-expressing cells in generating both types of signaling. Both cell lines also require serum-free preincubation for maximal agonist responses in the pERK assay. However, 5-HT_2AR-expressing cells showed significant release of <it>Ca_i</it>⁺⁺in response to 5-HT stimulation even when preincubated in serum-replete medium, while the response was completely eliminated by serum in 5-HT_2CR-expressing cells. Response to another serotonergic ligand (DOI) was eliminated by serum-replete preincubation in both cells lines.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data expand our knowledge of differences in ligand-stimulated signaling cascades between 5-HT_2AR and 5-HT_2CR. Our parallel assays can be applied to other cell and receptor systems for monitoring and dissecting concurrent signaling responses.</p

Stress in nurses : stress-related affect and its determinants examined over the nursing day

Peer reviewedPostprin

The Vehicle, Spring 1999

Vol. 40, No. 2 Table of Contents Poetry Eve\u27s DaughterSylvia Whippopage 1 When We Wore Canoes On Our ShouldersMandy Watsonpage 2 This Is Not A Poem About GrandpaJake Tolbertpage 3 Old relationshipsBrandi Kinneypage 5 UntitledErin Winnerpage 6 BraverySylvia Whippopage 6 deep dark closetNicole Smithpage 7 Belly EarthTara Coburnpage 9 The River and FireJake Tolbertpage 10 UntitledAutumn Williamspage 12 Action PotentialKim Evanspage 13 Chimerical (a song for children)D.M. Attrapepage 14 UntitledAutumn Williamspage 16 UntitledMatthew Armstrongpage 18 Building YouSylvia Whippopage 19 RunningKim Evanspage 20 Walking Jenn to WorkJake Tolbertpage 22 Looking InKim Hunterpage 23 Void Between Me and WisconsinMandy Watsonpage 24 Artwork UntitledWendy Finchpage 4 MeditationJennifer Lundpage 8 UntitledSteve Drakepage 15 MemoriesJennifer Lundpage 21 UntitledKathryn Kolasinskipage 25 Prose FoundKim Hunterpage 26 A Day in the Life of William Baxter, DriverDaniel Fitzgeraldpage 32https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1072/thumbnail.jp

The Vehicle, Spring 1999

Vol. 40, No. 2 Table of Contents Poetry Eve\u27s DaughterSylvia Whippopage 1 When We Wore Canoes On Our ShouldersMandy Watsonpage 2 This Is Not A Poem About GrandpaJake Tolbertpage 3 Old relationshipsBrandi Kinneypage 5 UntitledErin Winnerpage 6 BraverySylvia Whippopage 6 deep dark closetNicole Smithpage 7 Belly EarthTara Coburnpage 9 The River and FireJake Tolbertpage 10 UntitledAutumn Williamspage 12 Action PotentialKim Evanspage 13 Chimerical (a song for children)D.M. Attrapepage 14 UntitledAutumn Williamspage 16 UntitledMatthew Armstrongpage 18 Building YouSylvia Whippopage 19 RunningKim Evanspage 20 Walking Jenn to WorkJake Tolbertpage 22 Looking InKim Hunterpage 23 Void Between Me and WisconsinMandy Watsonpage 24 Artwork UntitledWendy Finchpage 4 MeditationJennifer Lundpage 8 UntitledSteve Drakepage 15 MemoriesJennifer Lundpage 21 UntitledKathryn Kolasinskipage 25 Prose FoundKim Hunterpage 26 A Day in the Life of William Baxter, DriverDaniel Fitzgeraldpage 32https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1072/thumbnail.jp