701 research outputs found
Value of an Educational Program on Osteoporosis
Cooperative Extension helped initiate a community-based educational program on osteoporosis prevention and treatment. The program utilized a network of partners and coalitions. A team approach was taken in presenting the educational session, offered twice, and answering/discussing participant questions. Statistically significant differences were observed in the program participants\u27 reported knowledge of osteoporosis, taking of calcium supplements, eating of a calcium-rich diet, and performing weight-bearing exercises 1 month after the sessions as compared to prior. The results demonstrate that Cooperative Extension can play a leadership role in building partnerships that implement effective programs that improve the health behaviors of individuals and strengthen the community
High-Resolution Measurements of the Dark Matter Halo of NGC 2976: Evidence for a Shallow Density Profile
We have obtained two-dimensional velocity fields of the dwarf spiral galaxy
NGC 2976 in Halpha and CO. The high spatial (~75 pc) and spectral (13 km/s and
2 km/s, respectively) resolution of these observations, along with our
multicolor optical and near-infrared imaging, allow us to measure the shape of
the density profile of the dark matter halo with good precision. We find that
the total (baryonic plus dark matter) mass distribution of NGC 2976 follows a
rho_tot ~ r^(-0.27 +/- 0.09) power law out to a radius of 1.8 kpc, assuming
that the observed radial motions provide no support. The density profile
attributed to the dark halo is even shallower, consistent with a nearly
constant density of dark matter over the entire observed region. A maximal disk
fit yields an upper limit to the K-band stellar mass-to-light ratio (M*/L_K) of
0.09^{+0.15}_{-0.08} M_sun/L_sun,K (including systematic uncertainties), with
the caveat that for M*/L_K > 0.19 M_sun/L_sun,K the dark matter density
increases with radius, which is unphysical. Assuming 0.10 M_sun/L_sun,K <
M*/L_K < 0.19 M_sun/L_sun,K, the dark matter density profile lies between
rho_dm ~ r^-0.17 and rho_dm ~ r^-0.01. Therefore, independent of any
assumptions about the stellar disk or the functional form of the density
profile, NGC 2976 does not contain a cuspy dark matter halo. We also
investigate some of the systematic effects that can hamper rotation curve
studies, and show that 1) longslit rotation curves are far more vulnerable to
systematic errors than two-dimensional velocity fields, 2) NGC 2976 contains
large radial motions at small radii, and 3) the Halpha and CO velocity fields
of NGC 2976 agree within their uncertainties. [slightly abridged]Comment: 30 pages, 4 tables, 13 figures (7 in color; Figures 1 and 3 are
low-resolution to save space). Accepted for publication in ApJ. Version with
full-resolution figures available at
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~bolatto/ngc2976rotation.ps (46 MB
Radial Profiles of Star Formation in the Far Outer Regions of Galaxy Disks
Star formation in galaxies is triggered by a combination of processes,
including gravitational instabilities, spiral wave shocks, stellar compression,
and turbulence compression. Some of these persist in the far outer regions
where the column density is far below the threshold for instabilities, making
the outer disk cutoff somewhat gradual. We show that in a galaxy with a single
exponential gas profile the star formation rate can have a double exponential
with a shallow one in the inner part and a steep one in the outer part. Such
double exponentials have been observed recently in the broad-band intensity
profiles of spiral and dwarf Irregular galaxies. The break radius in our model
occurs slightly outside the threshold for instabilities provided the Mach
number for compressive motions remains of order unity to large radii. The ratio
of the break radius to the inner exponential scale length increases for higher
surface brightness disks because the unstable part extends further out. This is
also in agreement with observations. Galaxies with extended outer gas disks
that fall more slowly than a single exponential, such as 1/R, can have their
star formation rate scale approximately as a single exponential with radius,
even out to 10 disk scale lengths. Halpha profiles should drop much faster than
the star formation rate as a result of the rapidly decreasing ambient density.Comment: To appear in ApJ. Available from
ftp.lowell.edu/pub/dah/papers/sfouterdisks
Similar promotion of Aβ(1-42 )fibrillogenesis by native apolipoprotein E ε3 and ε4 isoforms
The apolipoprotein E ε4 allele contributes to the genetic susceptibility underlying a large proportion (~40–60%) of typical, sporadic Alzheimer disease. Apolipoprotein E deficient mice made transgenic for human apolipoprotein E ε4 accumulate excess cerebral amyloid when compared to similarly prepared mice expressing human apolipoprotein E ε3. Therefore, it is important to search for relevant interactions(s) between apolipoprotein E ε4 and Aβ in order to clarify the biological role for apolipoprotein E ε4 in Alzheimer disease. Using a thioflavine T (ThT)-based assay, we have investigated the effects of native human apolipoprotein E isoforms on the kinetics of Aβ fibrillogenesis. No obvious profibrillogenic activity was detected in Aβ(1-40)-based assays of any native apolipoprotein E isoform. However, when ThT assays were repeated using Aβ(1-42), modest, but statistically significant, profibrillogenic activity was detected in both apolipoprotein E ε3- and apolipoprotein E ε4-containing media and was similar in magnitude for the two isoforms. These data demonstrate that native apolipoprotein E possesses "pathological chaperone"-type activity for Aβ: in other words, the data indicate that a chaperone-like misfolding reaction can occur between native apolipoprotein E and Aβ. However, the equipotent activities of the apolipoprotein E ε3 and ε4 isoforms suggests the possibility that either extended co-incubation of apolipoprotein E and Aβ, or, perhaps, the inclusion in the reaction of other fibrillogenesis-modulation co-factors (such as metal ions, or inflammatory mediators such as reactive oxygen species, α(2)-macroglobulin, apolipoprotein J, etc.) may be required for modeling in vitro the apolipoprotein E-isoform-specific-regulation of extracellular Aβ accumulation that occurs in vivo. Alternatively, other events, such as differential apolipoprotein E-isoform-mediated clearance of Aβ or of apolipoprotein E/Aβ complexes may underlie apolipoprotein E-isoform-dependent Aβ accumulation
Prioritizing the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers : an urgent global public health priority
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on health systems in most
countries, and in particular, on the mental health and well-being of health workers on
the frontlines of pandemic response efforts. The purpose of this article is to provide
an evidence-based overview of the adverse mental health impacts on healthcare
workers during times of crisis and other challenging working conditions and to highlight
the importance of prioritizing and protecting the mental health and well-being of the
healthcare workforce, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. First,
we provide a broad overview of the elevated risk of stress, burnout, moral injury,
depression, trauma, and other mental health challenges among healthcare workers.
Second, we consider how public health emergencies exacerbate these concerns, as
reflected in emerging research on the negative mental health impacts of the COVID-
19 pandemic on healthcare workers. Further, we consider potential approaches for
overcoming these threats to mental health by exploring the value of practicing selfcare
strategies, and implementing evidence based interventions and organizational
measures to help protect and support the mental health and well-being of the healthcare
workforce. Lastly, we highlight systemic changes to empower healthcare workers
and protect their mental health and well-being in the long run, and propose policy
recommendations to guide healthcare leaders and health systems in this endeavor. This
paper acknowledges the stressors, burdens, and psychological needs of the healthcare
workforce across health systems and disciplines, and calls for renewed efforts to mitigate these challenges among those working on the frontlines during public health emergencies
such as the COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health#am2022School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH
Reporting of harm in randomized controlled trials evaluating stents for percutaneous coronary intervention
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to assess the reporting of harm in randomized controlled trials evaluating stents for percutaneous coronary intervention.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study design was a methodological systematic review of randomized controlled trials. The data sources were MEDLINE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. All reports of randomized controlled trials assessing stent treatment for coronary disease published between January 1, 2003, and September 30, 2008 were selected.</p> <p>A standardized abstraction form was used to extract data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>132 articles were analyzed. Major cardiac adverse events (death, cardiac death, myocardial infarction or stroke) were reported as primary or secondary outcomes in 107 reports (81%). However, 19% of the articles contained no data on cardiac events. The mode of data collection of adverse events was given in 29 reports (22%) and a definition of expected adverse events was provided in 47 (36%). The length of follow-up was reported in 95 reports (72%). Assessment of adverse events by an adjudication committee was described in 46 reports (35%), and adverse events were described as being followed up for 6 months in 24% of reports (n = 32), between 7 to 12 months in 42% (n = 55) and for more than 1 year in 4% (n = 5). In 115 reports (87%), numerical data on the nature of the adverse events were reported per treatment arm. Procedural complications were described in 30 articles (23%). The causality of adverse events was reported in only 4 articles.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Several harm-related data were not adequately accounted for in articles of randomized controlled trials assessing stents for percutaneous coronary intervention.</p> <p>Trials Registration</p> <p>Trials manuscript: 5534201182098351 (T80802P)</p
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