Counseling Update: A Flexible Monitoring Method for the Client and Practitioner

Recent years have seen a number of articles questioning both the utility and practicality of single-case designs. The authors propose a flexible monitoring method for practice evaluation. The proposed method is presented as a dynamic model, one that utilizes the existing evaluative procedures of the practitioner. This flexible method is proposed within the general outlines of developmental research. It is proposed as a method designed to lead practitioners toward an empirical model of practice. Some case examples are provided to substantiate the utility and value of the model.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68429/2/10.1177_104973159300300203.pd

Understanding and measuring child welfare outcomes

The new Children\u27s and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) process focuses on the effectiveness of services to children and families by measuring client outcomes. This article reviews the research literature related to child welfare outcomes in order to provide a context for federal accountability efforts. It also summarizes the 2001 federal mandate to hold states accountable for child welfare outcomes and describes California\u27s response to this mandate. Implications of the outcomes literature review and measurement problems in the CFSR process suggest CSFR measures do not always capture meaningful outcomes. Recommendations for change are made

Animal models of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A machine-assisted systematic review and meta-analysis

We report a systematic review and meta-analysis of research using animal models of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). We systematically searched 5 online databases in September 2012 and updated the search in November 2015 using machine learning and text mining to reduce the screening for inclusion workload and improve accuracy. For each comparison, we calculated a standardised mean difference (SMD) effect size, and then combined effects in a random-effects meta-analysis. We assessed the impact of study design factors and reporting of measures to reduce risks of bias. We present power analyses for the most frequently reported behavioural tests; 337 publications were included. Most studies (84%) used male animals only. The most frequently reported outcome measure was evoked limb withdrawal in response to mechanical monofilaments. There was modest reporting of measures to reduce risks of bias. The number of animals required to obtain 80% power with a significance level of 0.05 varied substantially across behavioural tests. In this comprehensive summary of the use of animal models of CIPN, we have identified areas in which the value of preclinical CIPN studies might be increased. Using both sexes of animals in the modelling of CIPN, ensuring that outcome measures align with those most relevant in the clinic, and the animal's pain contextualised ethology will likely improve external validity. Measures to reduce risk of bias should be employed to increase the internal validity of studies. Different outcome measures have different statistical power, and this can refine our approaches in the modelling of CIPN

Comparative genomics of Cluster O mycobacteriophages

Mycobacteriophages - viruses of mycobacterial hosts - are genetically diverse but morphologically are all classified in the Caudovirales with double-stranded DNA and tails. We describe here a group of five closely related mycobacteriophages - Corndog, Catdawg, Dylan, Firecracker, and YungJamal - designated as Cluster O with long flexible tails but with unusual prolate capsids. Proteomic analysis of phage Corndog particles, Catdawg particles, and Corndog-infected cells confirms expression of half of the predicted gene products and indicates a non-canonical mechanism for translation of the Corndog tape measure protein. Bioinformatic analysis identifies 8-9 strongly predicted SigA promoters and all five Cluster O genomes contain more than 30 copies of a 17 bp repeat sequence with dyad symmetry located throughout the genomes. Comparison of the Cluster O phages provides insights into phage genome evolution including the processes of gene flux by horizontal genetic exchange

Clinical and biomarker changes in premanifest Huntington disease show trial feasibility: A decade of the PREDICT-HD study

There is growing consensus that intervention and treatment of Huntington disease (HD) should occur at the earliest stage possible. Various early-intervention methods for this fatal neurodegenerative disease have been identified, but preventive clinical trials for HD are limited by a lack of knowledge of the natural history of the disease and a dearth of appropriate outcome measures. Objectives of the current study are to document the natural history of premanifest HD progression in the largest cohort ever studied and to develop a battery of imaging and clinical markers of premanifest HD progression that can be used as outcome measures in preventive clinical trials. Neurobiological predictors of Huntington’s disease is a 32-site, international, observational study of premanifest HD, with annual examination of 1013 participants with premanifest HD and 301 gene-expansion negative controls between 2001 and 2012. Findings document 39 variables representing imaging, motor, cognitive, functional, and psychiatric domains, showing different rates of decline between premanifest HD and controls. Required sample size and models of premanifest HD are presented to inform future design of clinical and preclinical research. Preventive clinical trials in premanifest HD with participants who have a medium or high probability of motor onset are calculated to be as resource-effective as those conducted in diagnosed HD and could interrupt disease 7–12years earlier. Methods and measures for preventive clinical trials in premanifest HD more than a dozen years from motor onset are also feasible. These findings represent the most thorough documentation of a clinical battery for experimental therapeutics in stages of premanifest HD, the time period for which effective intervention may provide the most positive possible outcome for patients and their families affected by this devastating disease

The search for translational pain outcomes to refine analgesic development: Where did we come from and where are we going?

Pain measures traditionally used in rodents record mere reflexes evoked by sensory stimuli; the results thus may not fully reflect the human pain phenotype. Alterations in physical and emotional functioning, pain-depressed behaviors and facial pain expressions were recently proposed as additional pain outcomes to provide a more accurate measure of clinical pain in rodents, and hence to potentially enhance analgesic drug development. We aimed to review how preclinical pain assessment has evolved since the development of the tail flick test in 1941, with a particular focus on a critical analysis of some nonstandard pain outcomes, and a consideration of how sex differences may affect the performance of these pain surrogates. We tracked original research articles in Medline for the following periods: 1973-1977, 1983-1987, 1993-1997, 2003-2007, and 2014-2018. We identified 606 research articles about alternative surrogate pain measures, 473 of which were published between 2014 and 2018. This indicates that preclinical pain assessment is moving toward the use of these measures, which may soon become standard procedures in preclinical pain laboratories.FPU grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and SportsSpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, grant SAF2016-80540-R)Ramón Areces FoundationJunta de Andalucía (grant CTS 109)Esteve PharmaceuticalsEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF

Determination of upper limb manipulation for children with the use of virtual reality technology

Wykorzystanie nowoczesnych systemów Technologii Wirtualnej Rzeczywistości takich jak kaski 3D, cieszących się dużym powodzeniem w wybranych procesach terapeutycznych lub systemów typu Cave, pozwala w bardzo dobrym stopniu odwzorować rzeczywistość. Stosowanie tego typu systemów pozwala zindywidualizować procesy diagnostyczne i terapeutyczne, tworzy system bardzo uniwersalny. Głównym celem przeprowadzonych w ramach artykułu badań było określenie zdolności manipulacyjnych i koordynacji wzrokowo-przestrzennej dla dzieci z zaburzeniami neurologicznymi w systemie wykorzystującym Technologię Wirtualnej Rzeczywistości. Przeprowadzone badania wykazały znaczny wpływ skomplikowania wykonywanego ćwiczenia na sprawność z jaką dzieci wykonywały ruch – czym zadany do wykonania ruch był bardziej skomplikowany tym dzieci miały większe problemy z wykonaniem ćwiczenia. Zaobserwowano również, iż terapia z wykorzystaniem wirtualnej rzeczywistości wzmacnia motywacje do wykonywania żmudnych ćwiczeń poprawiających sprawność fizyczną i intelektualną.The using of modern technology and Virtual Reality systems turns out to be successful in selected therapeutic processes The use of this type of system allows you to customize the diagnostic and therapeutic processes, creates a very versatile system. The main aim of this article as part of the study was to determine the ability of manipulation and coordination for children with neurological disorders in a system using Virtual Reality technology. The study showed a significant effect of complexity of exercises performed on the efficiency with which children perform movement. It was also observed that therapy using virtual reality reinforces the motivation to perform strenuous exercises and improvement of physical and intellectual skills

Determination of loads of musculoskeletal system in upper limb joints during performing of diagnostic motions

W przeprowadzonych badaniach wykorzystano narzędzie inżynierskie jakie stanowi identyfikacja obciążeń w układzie mięśniowo-szkieletowym do diagnostyki osób z problemami neurologicznymi w obrębie kończyn górnych. Diagnostykę przeprowadzono w odniesieniu do wyników dla grupy 23 osób zdrowych. Obliczenia modelowe przeprowadzono z wykorzystaniem oprogramowania AnyBody i zweryfikowanego modelu Free Posture Move.In this study it was used the engineering tool such as the identification of loads of a muscle-skeletal system to diagnose of people with neurological problems in the upper limbs area. Diagnosis was carried out according to a group of 23 healthy subjects. Model calculations were computed using the Anybody software and using verified Free Posture Move model

Influence of changing frequency and various sceneries on stabilometric parameters and on the effect of adaptation in an immersive 3D virtual environment

Purpose: The aim of the study was to examine the influence of different types of virtual sceneries and frequencies of movement of visual disturbances on stabilometric values as well as whether individual sceneries and changing frequency can minimize effect of adaptation of tested person to applied disturbances. Methods: There were 23 healthy participants. A person has been standing on a Zebris stabilometric platform. Virtual 3D environment was displayed by means of HMD Oculus Rift system. An open (a meadow) and closed (a room) sceneries were used. The sceneries moved along the sagittal axis and rotated around horizontal axis. The measurement lasted 30 seconds and in the middle of it frequency of translational movement was changed from 0.7 Hz to 1.4 Hz or from 1.4 Hz to 0.7 Hz. Results: The data were reported as medians of COP velocity and ellipse area. Visual disturbances caused the increase of these values in comparison with the tests conducted with open eyes. Results divided into periods (the first and the second 15 seconds) showed that in the first half of the test values were higher compared to the second half. The comparison of values obtained for open and closed scenery showed that higher values were recorded for open scenery. Conclusions: The comparison of both types of sceneries on the basis of COP velocity and ellipse area showed that open scenery had a greater impact on the measured stabilometric values. It was found out as well that people got accustomed to the applied disturbances, but this effect was lower in the open scenery