100 research outputs found
Feasibility study of a family- and school-based intervention for child behavior problems in Nepal.
Background: This study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of a combined school- and family-based intervention, delivered by psychosocial counselors, for children with behavior problems in rural Nepal.
Methods: Forty-one children participated at baseline. Two students moved to another district, meaning 39 children, ages 6-15, participated at both baseline and follow-up. Pre-post evaluation was used to assess behavioral changes over a 4-month follow-up period (nâ=â39). The primary outcome measure was the Disruptive Behavior International Scale-Nepal version (DBIS-N). The secondary outcome scales included the Child Functional Impairment Scale and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI). Twelve key informant interviews were conducted with community stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and community members, to assess stakeholders\u27 perceptions of the intervention.
Results: The study found that children\u27s behavior problems as assessed on the DBIS-N were significantly lower at follow-up (Mâ=â13.0, SDâ=â6.4) than at baseline (Mâ=â20.5, SDâ=â3.8), pâ\u3câ0.001, CI [5.57, 9.35]. Similarly, children\u27s ECBI Intensity scores were significantly lower at follow-up (Mâ=â9.9, SDâ=â8.5) than at baseline (Mâ=â14.8, SDâ=â7.7), pâ\u3câ0.005, 95% CI [1.76, 8.14]. The intervention also significantly improved children\u27s daily functioning. Parents and teachers involved in the intervention found it acceptable and feasible for delivery to their children and students. Parents and teachers reported improved behaviors among children and the implementation of new behavior management techniques both at home and in the classroom.
Conclusions: Significant change in child outcome measures in this uncontrolled evaluation, alongside qualitative findings suggesting feasibility and acceptability, support moving toward a controlled trial to determine effectiveness
Ion-Transfer Voltammetric Behavior of Propranolol at Nanoscale Liquid-Liquid Interface Arrays
In this work, the ion-transfer voltammetric detection of the protonated ÎČ-blocker propranolol was explored at arrays of nanoscale interfaces between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES). Silicon nitride nanoporous membranes with 400 pores in a hexagonal arrangement, with either 50 or 17 nm radius pores, were used to form regular arrays of nanoITIES. It was found that the aqueous-to-organic ion-transfer current continuously increased steadily rather than reaching a limiting current plateau after the ion-transfer wave; the slope of this limiting current region was concentration dependent and associated with the high ion flux at the nanointerfaces. Electrochemical data were examined in terms of an independent nanointerface approach and an equivalent microdisc approach, supported by finite element simulation. In comparison to the larger interface configuration (50 nm radius), the array of 17 nm radius nanoITIES exhibited a 6.5-times higher current density for propranolol detection due to the enhanced ion flux arising from the convergent diffusion to smaller electrochemical interfaces. Both nanoITIES arrays achieved the equivalent limits of detection, 0.8 ÎŒM, using cyclic voltammetry. Additionally, the effect of scan rate on the charging and faradaic currents at these nanoITIES arrays, as well as their stability over time, was investigated. The results demonstrate that arrays of nanoscale liquidâliquid interfaces can be applied to study electrochemical drug transfer, and provide the basis for the development of miniaturized and integrated detection platforms for drug analysis
Recommended from our members
Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic inventories of the lower Amazon River, May 2011
Background:
The Amazon River runs nearly 6500 km across the South American continent before emptying into the western tropical North Atlantic Ocean. In terms of both volume and watershed area, it is the worldâs largest riverine system, affecting elemental cycling on a global scale.
Results:
A quantitative inventory of genes and transcripts benchmarked with internal standards was obtained at five stations in the lower Amazon River during May 2011. At each station, metagenomes and metatranscriptomes were obtained in duplicate for two microbial size fractions (free-living, 0.2 to 2.0 ÎŒm; particle-associated, 2.0 to 297 ÎŒm) using 150âĂâ150 paired-end Illumina sequencing. Forty eight sample datasets were obtained, averaging 15âĂâ10ⶠpotential protein-encoding reads each (730âĂâ10ⶠtotal). Prokaryotic metagenomes and metatranscriptomes were dominated by members of the phyla Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Betaproteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, Nitrospirae, and Acidobacteria. The actinobacterium SCGC AAA027-L06 reference genome recruited the greatest number of reads overall, with this single bin contributing an average of 50 billion genes and 500 million transcripts per liter of river water. Several dominant taxa were unevenly distributed between the free-living and particle-associated size fractions, such as a particle-associated bias for reads binning to planctomycete Schlesneria paludicola and a free-living bias for actinobacterium SCGC AAA027-L06. Gene expression ratios (transcripts to gene copy ratio) increased downstream from Ăbidos to MacapĂĄ and BelĂ©m, indicating higher per cell activity of Amazon River bacteria and archaea as river water approached the ocean.
Conclusion:
This inventory of riverine microbial genes and transcripts, benchmarked with internal standards for full quantitation, provides an unparalleled window into microbial taxa and functions in the globally important Amazon River ecosystem.Supporting Information: Sequences from this May 2011 Amazon Continuum study are available from NCBI under accession numbers SRP039390 (metagenomes) and SRP037995 (metatranscriptomes). The NCBI sequences are fastq files from which internal standard sequences (metagenomes and metatranscriptomes) and rRNA sequences (metatranscriptomes only) have been removed prior to deposition. Metadata accompanying the omics datasets are provided in Additional file 2. ANACONDAS and ROCA project data are also available at the BCO-DMO data repository (http://www.bco-dmo.org/project/2097)
Regulatory (pan-)genome of an obligate intracellular pathogen in the PVC superphylum.
Like other obligate intracellular bacteria, the Chlamydiae feature a compact regulatory genome that remains uncharted owing to poor genetic tractability. Exploiting the reduced number of transcription factors (TFs) encoded in the chlamydial (pan-)genome as a model for TF control supporting the intracellular lifestyle, we determined the conserved landscape of TF specificities by ChIP-Seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing) in the chlamydial pathogen Waddlia chondrophila. Among 10 conserved TFs, Euo emerged as a master TF targeting >100 promoters through conserved residues in a DNA excisionase-like winged helix-turn-helix-like (wHTH) fold. Minimal target (Euo) boxes were found in conserved developmentally-regulated genes governing vertical genome transmission (cytokinesis and DNA replication) and genome plasticity (transposases). Our ChIP-Seq analysis with intracellular bacteria not only reveals that global TF regulation is maintained in the reduced regulatory genomes of Chlamydiae, but also predicts that master TFs interpret genomic information in the obligate intracellular α-proteobacteria, including the rickettsiae, from which modern day mitochondria evolved
Outcome in patients perceived as receiving excessive care across different ethical climates: a prospective study in 68 intensive care units in Europe and the USA
Purpose: Whether the quality of the ethical climate in the intensive care unit (ICU) improves the identification of patients receiving excessive care and affects patient outcomes is unknown. Methods: In this prospective observational study, perceptions of excessive care (PECs) by clinicians working in 68 ICUs in Europe and the USA were collected daily during a 28-day period. The quality of the ethical climate in the ICUs was assessed via a validated questionnaire. We compared the combined endpoint (death, not at home or poor quality of life at 1 year) of patients with PECs and the time from PECs until written treatment-limitation decisions (TLDs) and death across the four climates defined via cluster analysis. Results: Of the 4747 eligible clinicians, 2992 (63%) evaluated the ethical climate in their ICU. Of the 321 and 623 patients not admitted for monitoring only in ICUs with a good (n = 12, 18%) and poor (n = 24, 35%) climate, 36 (11%) and 74 (12%), respectively were identified with PECs by at least two clinicians. Of the 35 and 71 identified patients with an available combined endpoint, 100% (95% CI 90.0â1.00) and 85.9% (75.4â92.0) (P = 0.02) attained that endpoint. The risk of death (HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.20â2.92) or receiving a written TLD (HR 2.32, CI 1.11â4.85) in patients with PECs by at least two clinicians was higher in ICUs with a good climate than in those with a poor one. The differences between ICUs with an average climate, with (n = 12, 18%) or without (n = 20, 29%) nursing involvement at the end of life, and ICUs with a poor climate were less obvious but still in favour of the former. Conclusion: Enhancing the quality of the ethical climate in the ICU may improve both the identification of patients receiving excessive care and the decision-making process at the end of life
Fluid challenges in intensive care: the FENICE study A global inception cohort study
Fluid challenges (FCs) are one of the most commonly used therapies in critically ill patients and represent the cornerstone of hemodynamic management in intensive care units. There are clear benefits and harms from fluid therapy. Limited data on the indication, type, amount and rate of an FC in critically ill patients exist in the literature. The primary aim was to evaluate how physicians conduct FCs in terms of type, volume, and rate of given fluid; the secondary aim was to evaluate variables used to trigger an FC and to compare the proportion of patients receiving further fluid administration based on the response to the FC.This was an observational study conducted in ICUs around the world. Each participating unit entered a maximum of 20 patients with one FC.2213 patients were enrolled and analyzed in the study. The median [interquartile range] amount of fluid given during an FC was 500 ml (500-1000). The median time was 24 min (40-60 min), and the median rate of FC was 1000 [500-1333] ml/h. The main indication for FC was hypotension in 1211 (59 %, CI 57-61 %). In 43 % (CI 41-45 %) of the cases no hemodynamic variable was used. Static markers of preload were used in 785 of 2213 cases (36 %, CI 34-37 %). Dynamic indices of preload responsiveness were used in 483 of 2213 cases (22 %, CI 20-24 %). No safety variable for the FC was used in 72 % (CI 70-74 %) of the cases. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of patients who received further fluids after the FC between those with a positive, with an uncertain or with a negatively judged response.The current practice and evaluation of FC in critically ill patients are highly variable. Prediction of fluid responsiveness is not used routinely, safety limits are rarely used, and information from previous failed FCs is not always taken into account
Epidemiology of intra-abdominal infection and sepsis in critically ill patients: âAbSeSâ, a multinational observational cohort study and ESICM Trials Group Project
Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of intra-abdominal infection in an international cohort of ICU patients according to a new system that classifies cases according to setting of infection acquisition (community-acquired, early onset hospital-acquired, and late-onset hospital-acquired), anatomical disruption (absent or present with localized or diffuse peritonitis), and severity of disease expression (infection, sepsis, and septic shock). Methods: We performed a multicenter (n = 309), observational, epidemiological study including adult ICU patients diagnosed with intra-abdominal infection. Risk factors for mortality were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Results: The cohort included 2621 patients. Setting of infection acquisition was community-acquired in 31.6%, early onset hospital-acquired in 25%, and late-onset hospital-acquired in 43.4% of patients. Overall prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was 26.3% and difficult-to-treat resistant Gram-negative bacteria 4.3%, with great variation according to geographic region. No difference in prevalence of antimicrobial resistance was observed according to setting of infection acquisition. Overall mortality was 29.1%. Independent risk factors for mortality included late-onset hospital-acquired infection, diffuse peritonitis, sepsis, septic shock, older age, malnutrition, liver failure, congestive heart failure, antimicrobial resistance (either methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Gram-negative bacteria, or carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria) and source control failure evidenced by either the need for surgical revision or persistent inflammation. Conclusion: This multinational, heterogeneous cohort of ICU patients with intra-abdominal infection revealed that setting of infection acquisition, anatomical disruption, and severity of disease expression are disease-specific phenotypic characteristics associated with outcome, irrespective of the type of infection. Antimicrobial resistance is equally common in community-acquired as in hospital-acquired infection
- âŠ