A model to integrate data curation services with additional campus services related to research

posterThe University of Utah has three libraries: main, health sciences, and law. The librarians at the main and health sciences libraries are working together to improve current services and develop new services for researchers. A recent survey of research resources on campus and on the University website has revealed a plethora of access points and providers of resources and services. Terminology, audience, and areas of responsibility are not clear. Librarians are working to consolidate, organize, and clarify information about these resources and services based on the research/data life cycle. In addition, physical space in both libraries is being set aside for research oriented services, collaboration, and technical resources. The University has built a data center and the libraries are testing the current repository, USpace to determine the feasibility of using it as the interface to a data repository. As a result data curation and data services will be included within the new library spaces being developed for research assistance. These services include creating data management plans, finding data repositories for both the acquisition and deposition data, and referrals to computer programmers and statisticians when needed. Future plans include developing workshops covering best practices of data management and how to create good metadata

Re-evaluate your Library Website using card sorts

posterPoster explaining how members of the Web Content Team used card sorts to evaluate the current organization of the library website. Responses from the participants helped us make adjustments to the site's hierarch, improving its usability

Effective detection of rare variants in pooled DNA samples using Cross-pool tailcurve analysis

Sequencing targeted DNA regions in large samples is necessary to discover the full spectrum of rare variants. We report an effective Illumina sequencing strategy utilizing pooled samples with novel quality (Srfim) and filtering (SERVIC4E) algorithms. We sequenced 24 exons in two cohorts of 480 samples each, identifying 47 coding variants, including 30 present once per cohort. Validation by Sanger sequencing revealed an excellent combination of sensitivity and specificity for variant detection in pooled samples of both cohorts as compared to publicly available algorithms

Harm Reduction in Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education: A Systematic Scoping Review

BACKGROUND: Substance use increasingly contributes to early morbidity and mortality, which necessitates greater preparation of the healthcare workforce to mitigate its harm. The purpose of this systematic scoping review is to: 1) review published curricula on harm reduction for substance use implemented by undergraduate (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) in the United States and Canada, 2) develop a framework to describe a comprehensive approach to harm reduction medical education, and 3) propose additional content topics for future consideration. METHODS: PubMed, Scopus, ERIC: Education Resources Information Center (Ovid), and MedEdPORTAL were searched. Studies included any English language curricula about harm reduction within UME or GME in the United States or Canada from 1993 until Nov 22, 2021. Two authors independently reviewed and screened records for data extraction. Data were analyzed on trainee population, curricula objectives, format, content, and evaluation. RESULTS: Twenty-three articles describing 19 distinct educational programs across the United States were included in the final sample, most of which created their own curricula (n = 17). Data on educational content were categorized by content and approach. Most programs (85%) focused on introductory substance use knowledge and skills without an understanding of harm reduction principles. Based on our synthesis of the educational content in these curricula, we iteratively developed a Harm Reduction Educational Spectrum (HRES) framework to describe curricula and identified 17 discrete content topics grouped into 6 themes based on their reliance on harm reduction principles. CONCLUSIONS: Harm reduction is under-represented in published medical curricula. Because the drug supply market changes rapidly, the content of medical curricula may be quickly outmoded thus curricula that include foundational knowledge of harm reduction principles may be more enduring. Students should be grounded in harm reduction principles to develop the advanced skills necessary to reduce the physical harm associated with drugs while still simultaneously recognizing the possibility of patients\u27 ongoing substance use. We present the Harm Reduction Educational Spectrum as a new framework to guide future healthcare workforce development and to ultimately provide the highest-quality care for patients who use drugs

Pest population dynamics are related to a continental overwintering gradient

Overwintering success is an important determinant of arthropod populations that must be considered as climate change continues to influence the spatiotemporal population dynamics of agricultural pests. Using a long-term monitoring database and biologically relevant overwintering zones, we modeled the annual and seasonal population dynamics of a common pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), based on three overwintering suitability zones throughout North America using four decades of soil temperatures: the southern range (able to persist through winter), transitional zone (uncertain overwintering survivorship), and northern limits (unable to survive winter). Our model indicates H. zea population dynamics are hierarchically structured with continental-level effects that are partitioned into three geographic zones. Seasonal populations were initially detected in the southern range, where they experienced multiple large population peaks. All three zones experienced a final peak between late July (southern range) and mid-August to mid-September (transitional zone and northern limits). The southern range expanded by 3% since 1981 and is projected to increase by twofold by 2099 but the areas of other zones are expected to decrease in the future. These changes suggest larger populations may persist at higher latitudes in the future due to reduced low-temperature lethal events during winter. Because H. zea is a highly migratory pest, predicting when populations accumulate in one region can inform synchronous or lagged population development in other regions. We show the value of combining long-term datasets, remotely sensed data, and laboratory findings to inform forecasting of insect pests

The Librarian: Rounding to be Lean

Only 1 of 7 UUHC physicians use librarians for literature research; The literature shows that librarian search results are of a higher quality and save time; Expertise of librarians is not being used appropriately to inform physicians as they care for patients

Harm reduction in undergraduate and graduate medical education: a systematic scoping review

Abstract Background Substance use increasingly contributes to early morbidity and mortality, which necessitates greater preparation of the healthcare workforce to mitigate its harm. The purpose of this systematic scoping review is to: 1) review published curricula on harm reduction for substance use implemented by undergraduate (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) in the United States and Canada, 2) develop a framework to describe a comprehensive approach to harm reduction medical education, and 3) propose additional content topics for future consideration. Methods PubMed, Scopus, ERIC: Education Resources Information Center (Ovid), and MedEdPORTAL were searched. Studies included any English language curricula about harm reduction within UME or GME in the United States or Canada from 1993 until Nov 22, 2021. Two authors independently reviewed and screened records for data extraction. Data were analyzed on trainee population, curricula objectives, format, content, and evaluation. Results Twenty-three articles describing 19 distinct educational programs across the United States were included in the final sample, most of which created their own curricula (n = 17). Data on educational content were categorized by content and approach. Most programs (85%) focused on introductory substance use knowledge and skills without an understanding of harm reduction principles. Based on our synthesis of the educational content in these curricula, we iteratively developed a Harm Reduction Educational Spectrum (HRES) framework to describe curricula and identified 17 discrete content topics grouped into 6 themes based on their reliance on harm reduction principles. Conclusions Harm reduction is under-represented in published medical curricula. Because the drug supply market changes rapidly, the content of medical curricula may be quickly outmoded thus curricula that include foundational knowledge of harm reduction principles may be more enduring. Students should be grounded in harm reduction principles to develop the advanced skills necessary to reduce the physical harm associated with drugs while still simultaneously recognizing the possibility of patients’ ongoing substance use. We present the Harm Reduction Educational Spectrum as a new framework to guide future healthcare workforce development and to ultimately provide the highest-quality care for patients who use drugs

Genetic and functional studies of a missense variant in a glutamate transporter, SLC1A3, in Tourette syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Abnormalities in neurotransmission within the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuitry are implicated in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome. Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter and an important member in the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical circuitry. To explore the role of glutamatergic neurotransmission in genetic susceptibility of Tourette syndrome, we carried out the genetic and functional characterization of sequence variants in SLC1A3 gene, which encodes the main glutamate transporter in astrocytes in individuals with well-characterized Tourette syndrome (n=256) and normal controls (n=224). METHODS: Exon-containing regions of SLC1A3 gene were screened using capillary electrophoresis-single strand conformation polymorphism followed by direct sequencing. Sequence variants were genotyped by restriction enzyme digestion and studied using glutamate uptake assay and membrane protein pull-down for transporter function. RESULTS: A missense variant involving a highly conserved residue, E219D, was identified in 11 heterozygous individuals with Tourette syndrome and four in the controls. The allele frequency for E219D was 2.4 folds higher in the Tourette syndrome (0.022) compared with the control cohort (0.009) although the difference did not reach statistical significance in the current cohorts (P=0.09). A H-glutamate-uptake assay showed that E219D conveys a significant increase (1.66 fold) in the SLC1A3-mediated glutamate uptake in HEK293 cells. A biotin-mediated membrane pull-down analysis showed a similar increase (1.5 fold) of mutant SLC1A3 protein in the membrane fraction of transfected HEK293 cells compared with that in the wild type controls. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that E219D is a functional SLC1A3 variant that is presented in a small number of individuals with Tourette syndrome. Further studies on possible changes in glutamate transport in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome are warranted

Increased novelty-induced locomotion, sensitivity to amphetamine, and extracellular dopamine in striatum of Zdhhc15-deficient mice

Novelty-seeking behaviors and impulsivity are personality traits associated with several psychiatric illnesses including attention deficits hyperactivity disorders. The underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. We produced and characterized a line of knockout mice for zdhhc15, which encodes a neural palmitoyltransferase. Genetic defects of zdhhc15 were implicated in intellectual disability and behavioral anomalies in humans. Zdhhc15-KO mice showed normal spatial learning and working memory but exhibited a significant increase in novelty-induced locomotion in open field. Striatal dopamine content was reduced but extracellular dopamine levels were increased during the habituation phase to a novel environment. Administration of amphetamine and methylphenidate resulted in a significant increase in locomotion and extracellular dopamine levels in the ventral striatum of mutant mice compared to controls. Number and projections of dopaminergic neurons in the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic pathways were normal. No significant change in the basal palmitoylation of known ZDHHC15 substrates including DAT was detected in striatum of zdhhc15 KO mice using an acyl-biotin exchange assay. These results support that a transient, reversible, and novelty-induced elevation of extracellular dopamine in ventral striatum contributes to novelty-seeking behaviors in rodents and implicate ZDHHC15-mediated palmitoylation as a novel regulatory mechanism of dopamine in the striatum.NIH grants (R21NS085358, RO1HD052680, RO1MH112808 and R21NS085358