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The assessment and training of respiratory muscles are two essential tasks for indirect screening of status and improvement of lung function, respectively, especially in times of COVID-19. To perform both tasks, we have designed an innovative handheld mouth pressure biofeedback system for assessment and personalized game-based training of respiratory muscle strength. Thirty recovered COVID-19 patients were involved in an across-ages pilot study to evaluate their respiratory muscle strength and the system's usability, and eight of the thirty patients were involved in a home inspiratory training program of 3 weeks to assess its effectiveness. Results revealed that participants rated the system's overall usability as excellent (91.3 ± 6.4) and consistently performed respiratory cycles along with the game-based training program in terms of mouth pressure. Furthermore, patients involved in the home training program showed a 40% increase in their Maximal Inspiratory Pressure (Pimax). These results indicate that the proposed system stands for a proper healthcare solution for the initial diagnosis of respiratory muscle dysfunction or disease and for guiding the correct performance of tailored and consecutive threshold load breathing cycles playfully and engagingly. Furthermore, it stands for an attractive and personalized biofeedback solution to promote adherence to at-home therapy. Finally, it can be used to investigate new and effective training protocols that improve respiratory muscle performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) is seen as the gold standard for surgical treatment for ED, specifically for patients that are not amenable to lifestyle changes or oral medications. Objective: This study aims to explore which patients progress to seeking treatment with an IPP along their journey with erectile dysfunction. Methods: This retrospective study identified patients with ED as a chief complaint during the primary visit or follow-up from 2009-2022. If patients eventually progressed to treatment with IPP, data was collected to find common features and analyzed. Results: Of our cohort of 361 men presenting with erectile dysfunction (ED), 21 men progressed to the placement of an inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP). 20 men classified as non-Hispanic, with 13 white, 6 African American/black, and 1 Asian males. Only 1 man was Hispanic. 5 men had either hypertension (n = 11), hyperlipidemia (n = 10), or DM (n = 3), with 6 having both hypertension and hyperlipemia, 1 with hypertension and diabetes, and 1 with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. Median age of the group at surgery was 76 years (IQR: 71 – 82), with median time from initial presentation to surgery of 12 (IQR = 11.5-27.5) months. N = 10 men had trialed oral phosphodiesterase inhibitor type 5 (PDE-5i) therapy, and 7 men failed intracavernosal injection (ICI) therapy. 8 men had been treated for hypogonadal symptoms with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Of patients who had data available on their reason for IPP placement, indications included were Peyronie's disease inhibiting intercourse (8/21), longstanding ED refractory to medical therapy (4/21), post-prostatectomy ED (4/21), history of priapism requiring surgical intervention (1/21), and history of spinal cord tumor (1/21). Among those treated with IPP, the median patient waited almost 1 year from initial presentation following failure with PDE5i, ICI, and TRT. 17/21 men reported satisfaction after IPP treatment. In those who progressed to IPP, the majority of indications were organic forms of ED (Peyronie's disease, neurogenic, surgery). Conclusions: Only 5.8% of men in this cohort went on to proceed with an IPP. In summary, our results indicate that IPP is best suited for those presenting with organic ED who have failed more conservative management techniques. Further studies are needed to assess why so few men go on to proceed with an IPP and wait an average of 2 years. Disclosure: Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Consultant for AbbVie, Marius, Tolmar, Endo, Petros, Boston Scientific, Coloplast Investor: Sprout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allosensitization represents a barrier to successful heart transplant (HT). It increases waitlist (WL) mortality and may lead to inferior post-transplant outcomes. Strategies to reduce the number of circulating antibodies are utilized with little data on effectiveness of specific desensitization approaches in pediatric HT candidates. We present a case utilizing daratumumab, a monoclonal anti-CD38 antibody, for desensitization in a pediatric patient. A 13 month old girl with large intracardiac fibroma was evaluated for HT and found to have significant complement fixing class II HLA antibodies (cPRA 99%) precluding HT. Based on the constellation of heart failure symptoms and expected WL time, decision was made to proceed to VAD support as a bridge to decision and facilitate desensitization. Initial desensitization therapy included plasmapheresis, rituximab, bortezomib, and IVIG, failed to reduce preformed class II HLA antibodies (cPRA remained 99%) and several class II antibodies remained C1q positive. Subsequent desensitization included rituximab, bortezomib and the addition of daratumumab. After receiving 6 doses of daratumumab, the repeat cPRA decreased to 57% with non-complement fixing antibodies present. Unfortunately, the patient experienced a significant GI bleed and required massive blood transfusion leading to rebound antibody development (figure 1). Once the patient was stable, daratumumab therapy was continued and her antibodies levels are presented in figure 1. Throughout desensitization the patient was maintained on IVIG, mycophenolate, and prednisolone. Daratumumab infusions were well tolerated with no major infectious complications. Now with a lower cPRA, she has increased chances for a successful HT. Desensitization therapy with daratumumab seems to be a safe and promising treatment option for highly sensitized pediatric patients in need for HT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early reports accounted for two main genotypes of Piscirickettsia salmonis, a fish pathogen and causative agent of piscirickettsiosis, placing the single isolate EM-90 apart from the prototypic LF-89 and related isolates. In this study, we provide evidence that, contrary to what has been supposed, the EM-90-like isolates are highly prevalent and disseminated across Chilean marine farms. Molecular analysis of 507 P. salmonis field isolates derived from main rearing areas, diverse hosts and collected over 6 years, revealed that nearly 50% of the entire collection were indeed typed as EM-90-like. Interestingly, these isolates showed a marked host preference, being recovered exclusively from Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) samples. Although both strains produce undistinguishable pathological outcomes, differences regarding growth kinetics and susceptibility to the antibiotics and bactericidal action of serum could be identified. In sum, our results allow to conclude that the EM-90-like isolates represent an epidemiologically relevant group in the current situation of piscirickettsiosis. Based on the consistency between genotype and phenotype exhibited by this strain, we point out the need for genotypic studies that may be as important for the Chilean salmon industry as the continuous surveillance of antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We advocate the use of lookup tables in the development of extremely fast and accurate multiscale models based on the coupling of a quantum-mechanical wave impedance approach and finite-element simulations to determine the local emission current density (LECD) from a metallic emitter of arbitrary shape. The lookup tables are prepopulated with numerical solutions of LECD that can be adjusted to accommodate any form of higher order physics, which is critical for current state-of-the-art emitters. Results show that the use of lookup tables can speed up numerical simulations of the field emission current from metallic cathodes by a factor of about 1000 × while retaining high precision, with a maximum error of less than 1% when compared to direct numerical solutions. Implementation of nanoscale emitter physics into lookup tables is discussed and used to assess the validity of the Kemble approximation for nanoscale metallic cathodes. The use of lookup tables is illustrated through a calculation of the LECDs of a metallic field emitter with a rugged surface and from an array of ellipsoid-on-a-post emitters. Section V contains our conclusions and suggestions for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a great need to carefully examine issues that may elevate one's risk for mental illness and develop strategies to mitigate risk and cultivate resilience. African Americans, specifically African American women (AAW), are disproportionately affected by mental illness, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Higher rates of PTSD among AAW may be explained by significant rates of trauma exposure. Higher resiliency in individuals with mental illnesses is associated with better treatment response/outcomes. An examination of two (2) promising psycho-educational curricula for AAW at risk for depression and PTSD supports consideration of resilience as a protective factor among this population. Strengthening psychological resilience among diverse AAW at risk for depression and/or PTSD may serve as a protective factor for symptom severity. Multidimensional prevention and intervention strategies should incorporate culturally-centered, gender-specific, and strengths-based (resilience) models of care to help encourage mental health help-seeking and promotion of wellness for AAW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose Essential tremor ( ET) is amongst the most commonly encountered neurological disorders. Its hallmark feature is kinetic tremor. However, other tremors may also occur in ET patients, creating considerable diagnostic confusion amongst treating physicians. Hence, characterizing the prevalence and clinical accompaniments of these other tremors is of value. Surprisingly, there are few data on the prevalence of rest tremor in ET patients, and even fewer data on the clinical correlates of such tremor. Methods Eight hundred and thirty-one patients in four distinct settings (population, genetics study, study of environmental epidemiology, brain bank) underwent a detailed videotaped neurological examination that was reviewed by a senior movement disorders neurologist. Rest tremor was evaluated in several positions (seated, standing, lying down). Results The prevalence of rest tremor whilst seated or standing was lowest in the population-based setting (1.9%), highest in the brain bank study (46.4%) and intermediate in the remaining two settings (9.6% and 14.7%, respectively). Rest tremor was restricted to the arms and was not observed in the legs. Rest tremor was associated with older age, longer disease duration (in some studies), greater tremor severity and, to some extent, the presence of cranial tremors. Conclusions Rest tremor can be a common clinical feature of ET. Its prevalence is highly dependent on the setting in which patients are evaluated, ranging from as low as 1% to nearly 50%. Rest tremor seems to emerge as a clinical feature with advancing disease. The anatomical substrates for this type of tremor remain unknown at present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developmental dyslexia is a frequent language-based learning disorder characterized by difficulty in reading. The predominant etiologic view postulates that reading impairment is related to phonological and orthographic dysfunction. The aim of this fMRI study was to evaluate the neural bases of phonological processing impairment in remediated dyslexic adults ( DD). We used a rhyming words judgment task contrasted with an unreadable fonts font-matching judgment task to compare patterns of activation and functional asymmetry in DD and normal-reading young adults. We found evidence of a link between asymmetry in inferior frontal gyrus and performance during the phonological processing. We also observed that DD recruit a network including regions involved in articulatory control in order to achieve rhyme judgment suggesting that, due to a lack of hemispheric specialization, DD recruit the latter network to achieve rhyme judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caring for single ventricle ventricular assist devices (SVAD) comes with challenging anatomy, management, and complexities in decision-making for the entire care team, including the family. Our case highlights the ethical and medical/surgical challenges of supporting an SVAD patient and insights uncovered during a prolonged in-hospital course. A 3 yr old, 17 kg decompensating hemi-Fontan was admitted from an outside hospital and urgently placed on ECMO. She was transitioned to an extracorporeal continuous flow "biventricular" VAD (BiVAD) (Figure). Due to HLA sensitization, transplantation without desensitization was not feasible. Options presented to the family included: desensitization, conversion to durable BiVAD support, compassionate deactivation, or continuation of current support. The family declined the first three options in favor of enhancing quality of life on current support, a value which persists throughout their hospitalization. During her 544-hospital day course, most of which has been spent on the cardiology ward, we have encountered numerous challenges of daily living along with a significant amount of moral distress from staff. Specific challenges have included living as "normal" a life as possible, optimizing communication among staff and with family, establishing risk assessments for activities under novel circumstances, and navigating moral and ethical distress. Despite an early period of respiratory insufficiency and progressive aortic insufficiency, she is happy and enjoys frequent visits from family, including a new sibling born during her stay, and relationships with staff. Clinical success with a novel support strategy revealed challenges for the long-term inpatient mechanical support patient, family, and staff caring for them. Our experience identifies the need for a comprehensive, goal-based approach to patient management moving the care team, including the family, to reframe the definition of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Human beings have a detailed understanding of others' action and body language allowing them to adapt their behaviour for effective social interaction. A proper selection of human motion deserving a social intention over the many human motion surrounding them may be executed by overt visual–spatial attention. The aim of this study was to characterize eye movements in 32 healthy adults while exploring Social and Non-social human biological motion using an eye tracking method according to two paradigms. The “preferential looking paradigm” revealed that the first fixation is more often on the Non-social Motion than Social Motion but the first fixations duration are longer on Social Motion. Moreover, with the same paradigm, subjects spent a greater looking time percentage on Social Motion than Non-social Motion, no matter whether discrimination between categories was asked for or not. In the “blocks paradigm” the looking time percentage varied by the body parts (chests, pelvis and legs) and its distribution was different between categories. Eye movements revealed a spontaneous, fast and durable bias of overt visual–spatial attention favouring the perception of Social Motion and a different visual scanpath for Social compared to Non-social human biological motion. These findings constitute a basis for the investigation of a ‘social intention’ bias in perception of human biological motion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Despite the importance of the matter and significant research efforts extended, adoption of the sustainability tools and methods to design and produce more sustainable products is slower than desired. This has been attributed to the extensive and complex nature of the relevant knowledge landscape, which also makes it harder on non-expert engineers to select appropriate tools. As a response to this problem, a sustainability tool and method adviser (GREENESYS) is developed. In the paper, we provide the rationale, methodology, and application steps of this expert system development along with an evaluation of it. Our results point to the efficiency and effectiveness contribution of this expert system in design settings, where the designer answers a few simple questions about the design task and GREENESYS recommends appropriate sustainability tools and methods. GREENESYS can also be used as an educational tool by disclosing the selection process; and as an indicator to identify design tasks that have not been addressed by sustainability researchers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although very precise, the Monte Carlo method is difficult to exploit in an industrial context. It requires a relatively long calculation time to obtain results with a reasonable statistical accuracy. In the context of so-called fleet reactors, and especially, to facilitate the transposition from one reactor to another, it is proposed to develop a method allowing the modeling of the reactor source in a synthetic and adjustable way. One approach is to perform a complete Monte Carlo simulation and to generate during this simulation a phase-space file (PSF) by judiciously placing a storage surface. This PSF provides a precise distribution of the particle parameters and can be used as a source in a second simulation. This method is interesting but can lead to the introduction of a latent variance. An approach that overcomes this limitation is to create a so-called generalized source model based on histograms. By sampling the initial parameters of the particles, no particle can be generated twice with exactly the same parameters, which leads to a reduction of the latent variance present in PSF. In addition, histogram-based sampling is faster than PSF reading and also allows for correlations between particle parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the prevalence and epidemiologic characteristics of atopic dermatitis (AD) in America from published epidemiological studies Methods A systematic review was conducted of epidemiological studies of measuring the prevalence of AD performed in any American countries. Prevalence were extracted by age, gender, race or severity. Conclusions Prevalence of AD in America have been width studied in the different countries with variant definitions of the disease. [Extracted from the article]

Describes an alternative technique for correcting type I penile chordee without hypospadias, which avoids the need for urethral reconstruction or mobilization. Transfer of redundant ventral skin to the penile ventrum; Complications of urethral reconstruction; Potential disadvantage of the technique.

Eu ions have been doped into GaN in order to achieve red luminescence under current injection, where coupling between the Eu ions and intrinsic defects such as vacancies are known to play an important role. However, the charge state of the vacancies and the impact it would have on the optical and magnetic properties of the Eu ions have not been explored. Through a combination of first-principle calculations and experimental results, the influence of the charge state of the defect environment surrounding the Eu ions has been investigated. We have identified two Eu centers that are related through the charge state of a local vacancy defect. These two centers were found to exhibit a mutual metastability, such that each center can be excited in one configuration and emit as the other. This metastability was found to be dependent on temperature and the wavelength of the excitation laser. Furthermore, one of these centers was found to have an effective magnetic g factor that is substantially larger than what is expected for an isolated Eu3+ ion and is explained by a change in the charge state of the defect environment around the Eu. This prediction could also offer a new explanation for the saturation magnetization previously observed in GaN:Eu and other GaN:RE systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The normothymic phase in bipolar disorders is generally considered to be symptom-free, which is controversial. Many authors emphasize that residual symptoms, such as emotional reactivity disturbance, are under-evaluated. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare emotional reactivity between normothymic bipolar patients and healthy controls. Methods: We evaluated emotional reactivity in 26 normothymic bipolar patients and 30 controls, using an emotional induction method based on the viewing of a set of 36 pictures (12 negative, 12 neutral, 12 positive) extracted from the International Affective Picture System. We evaluated subjective emotional reactivity (valence and arousal) with the Self-Assessment of Manikin and physiological reactivity measuring the pupil response with an eye-tracking material. Results: No difference was found between normothymic bipolar patients and controls regarding the subjective emotional reactivity. However, the dilatation of the pupil was significantly lower in normothymic bipolar patients during the viewing of positive pictures (p<0.05). Conclusions: Compared to controls, normothymic bipolar patients had less emotional reactivity to positive valence. This result is in coherence with the more frequent negative emotional bias (sadness, anxiety and anger) observed usually in bipolar patients. These preliminary results need to be replicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-medium oils (14.5–27.9°API) in a studied field of Malargüe area in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina have associated gas that produces between 0 and 4000 ppm H2S and 0.6–103 kg H2S/day. Being able to discriminate between biological and inorganic H2S sources is essential to the oil field's economy. H2S associated with anaerobic bacteria sulfate reduction (BSR) might be mitigated using biocompetitive technologies or bactericides, whereas abiotic H2S from geological sources can be controlled only by sequestration in surface facilities and oil field management if the H2S distribution in different oil pay-zones, field compartments and origin are well known. The isotopic signatures of the H2S (δ34S) range between +2.3 and +7.8‰, which suggests magmatic sources. Laccoliths in the Malargüe area, associated with Tertiary magmatic events were mapped out many decades ago. Petrographic descriptions of igneous samples are consistent with andesitic magmas that bore sulfur-bearing fluids, which are considered the principal source of H2S. Associated hydrothermal fluids, as recorded by secondary minerals, induced rapid TSR (thermochemical sulfate reduction) reactions as documented by mineral phases seen in SEM. Most of the H2S Neuquén Basin has been linked to BSR (bacterial sulfate reduction), however we document a geological origin for the H2S, which is tied to magmatic events. Organic geochemistry and fluid inclusion data allow for an early local generation of hydrocarbons linked to burial followed by a second pulse of light hydrocarbons, gas and H2S associated with the magmatic event. Water geochemistry and the lithology of oil pay-zones are used to predict the distribution of H2S in each well. Wells with less than 20 ppm of H2S are linked to meteoric waters and siliciclastic pay-zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of quadrupole and octupole collectivity in the dynamic of low-lying collective states is discussed for a set of Xe, Ba, Ce and Nd isotopes with neutron numbers 54 â©˝ N â©˝ 96. Mean field based methods including pairing are used in our microscopic description along with the Gogny D1M force. Starting with a set of Hartreeâ€"Fockâ€"Bogoliubov constrained states we consider dynamic fluctuations of the collective variables by using the generator coordinate method. Related quantities like reduced electromagnetic transition probabilities B (E 1) and B (E 3) and negative-parity excitation energies and their behavior with neutron number are discussed and compared with the available experimental data. The coupling between the quadrupole and octupole degrees of freedom is found to be rather weak in all the considered nuclei and therefore the properties of the negative parity states can be reasonably well described in terms of the octupole degree of freedom alone. The results of the calculations point towards dynamically enhanced octupole correlations around the ‘octupole magic’ neutron numbers N = 56 and N = 88. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune monitoring of cytomegalovirus (CMV) specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in transplant recipients has the potential to decrease morbidity and mortality related to CMV disease. In May 2020, our institution adopted the use of CMV CMI testing to guide extension of CMV prophylaxis (PPX) beyond six months following pediatric heart transplantation (PHT) in vulnerable recipients. Our aim was to compare the incidence of cytomegalovirus DNAemia, CMV disease, and allograft rejection in the first year following PHT before (Cohort 1) and after (Cohort 2) incorporation of a CMV cell mediated immunity (CMI)-based extended prophylaxis protocol for CMV intermediate (IR) and high (HR) risk PHT recipients at a single center. All PHT recipients transplanted from May 2018 to October 2021 with a minimum of one year post-transplant follow-up were included. Rates of CMV disease, CMV DNAemia, and episodes of allograft rejection during the first year post-transplant were compared between cohorts. Baseline CMV risk classification was similar between cohorts (Table). Among IR/HR PHT recipients, 11% (2/18) of patients in Cohort 1 developed CMV disease following CMV PPX; in contrast, no CMV disease (0/25) was noted among patients in whom CMV CMI testing was used to guide CMV PPX (Cohort 2). By selectively targeting extended prophylaxis, transition to a CMV CMI-based prophylaxis protocol may help reduce CMV disease in the first year after pediatric heart transplant compared to time-based protocols. Given the relatively low incidence of CMV disease in this population, larger multi-institutional studies will be needed to establish efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a leading cause of graft failure in pediatric heart transplant recipients (HTRs). Early statin use has been shown to reduce CAV incidence, rejection, and all-cause mortality in adult HTRs. We sought to evaluate the contemporary prevalence and trends of statin use in pediatric HTRs and the association between statin use and graft failure, CAV, and rejection. Patients <17 years of age at time of primary transplant who survived to ≥3 years without CAV were identified from the Pediatric Heart Transplant Society database (2001-2018). Statin use in the first 3 years post-transplant was defined as continuous, intermittent, or absent. Frequency of statin use was described between centers. The analysis focused on those ≥10 years old at time of transplant, as statins are not commonly initiated until this age. Kaplan Meier survival, multivariable modelling and propensity score-matched analyses evaluated associations between statin use and CAV, rejection, and overall graft survival. Among 3485 (1086 age ≥10) HTRs, 584 (17%) received consecutive statin therapy, 647 (19%) intermittent use, and 2254 (65%) no statin. There were no significant trends in statin use across the study period and statin use varied widely between sites. By multivariate analysis, statin use was not associated with graft loss. Consecutive statin use was not associated with graft survival or freedom from CAV when compared to absent statin use in unmatched or propensity-matched analyses (Figure 1). While statins remain commonly utilized in pediatric HTRs, early consecutive statin therapy did not decrease CAV incidence or graft loss in pediatric HTRs. The differing effects of statins on CAV development and progression in pediatric vs. adult HTRs suggest differing risk and mediating factors and requires further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infants with single ventricle (SV) anatomy are a high-risk group for ventricular assist device (VAD) support. Hybrid stage 1 palliation can be utilized to successfully bridge SV patients to transplantation, such as in the setting of atrioventricular valve regurgitation (AVVR) which precludes long-term SV palliation. Our case highlights how comprehensive pre-procedural planning can mitigate future risk of VAD implantation. A neonate with unbalanced right-dominant atrioventricular canal presented with severe AVVR and acute kidney injury (AKI) precluding traditional SV palliation. She underwent hybrid palliation as bridge to transplant. A 6 mm expandable PTFE graft was anastomosed to the pulmonary artery (PA); ductal stenting was performed through the graft which was then left in situ. She stabilized following initial palliation, but after 10 weeks developed progressive ventricular dysfunction and AKI (Figure 1). A PediMag continuous flow VAD was inserted off bypass using the previous graft for arterial outflow and a right atrial inflow cannula (Figure 2). Renal function recovered and the patient is awaiting transplant with stable hemodynamics. Anastomosing a graft to the PA during hybrid palliation enabled placement of VAD off bypass in an infant with SV anatomy and AKI. Detailed pre-operative planning at the time of stage 1 palliation in high-risk infants with potential future VAD support needs may be beneficial as part of a strategy to avoid an early VAD when systemic output is adequate while decreasing subsequent operative risk at time of VAD insertion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is frequently associated with endocrinopathies. Body composition analysis by electrical bioimpedance study is useful in the nutritional assessment of these patients. The aim of this study is to investigate its usefulness as a biomarker of clinical progression/severity in DM1. We carried out a cross-sectional study of 47 patients with DM1 attended in the last year who underwent impedancemetry with the InBody S10 device for segmental multifrequency analysis. Muscle weakness was classified according to severity using the muscular impairment rating scale (MIRS). 18 men and 29 women were evaluated. Mean age was 46.11 years. By means of Spearman's Rho correlation, a highly statistically significant concordance was identified between the MIRS scale and the global phase angle (PA) at 50 kHz (p 0.000 and R -0.717) and also with the skeletal muscle mass index (SMMI) (p 0.000 and R -0.549). However, no relationship was observed between MIRS with classical nutritional indicators such as BMI or percentage weight loss. In logistic regression models, PA and SMMI adjusted by age and sex decrease statistically significantly as muscle weakness progresses with high explanatory value. There is a highly significant correlation between clinical severity measured by the MIRS scale and PA and SMMI. PA and SMMI are more sensitive, early and constant as a marker of muscle deterioration than any of the GLIM phenotypic criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition that are usually related to muscle weakness, thus postulating themselves as a possible useful biomarker of progression in DM1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose Two recent studies investigated the association of the microtubule associated protein tau ( MAPT) H1 haplotype, a known risk factor for neurodegenerative disease including progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson's disease ( PD), with essential tremor ( ET). Methods To confirm this association in a different population the distribution of allele and genotype frequencies for the MAPT H1/ H2 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphism ( SNP) rs1052553 in ET cases and controls enrolled in a clinical-epidemiological study of ET at Columbia University was analyzed. Results Overall, no association was observed between ET and the MAPT H1 haplotype. The analysis was also restricted to clinical subtypes including early-onset (≤40 years of age), Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, white non- Ashkenazi, or ET cases with a 'definite' or 'probable/possible' diagnosis; none of these stratified analyses showed evidence of association with ET. A meta-analysis of the H1/ H2 tagging SNP rs1052553 in published data sets and the H1 haplotype with risk for ET in the current study was also performed and did not find evidence for association. Conclusions The inconsistent reports of association of MAPT H1 in three emerging studies (our own and two published studies) may reflect sampling issues and/or clinical heterogeneity in these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In 2006, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil® (Merck) for girls and women aged 9-26 years. Although the vaccine is ideally administered to 11 and 12 year olds, college-aged women may be uniquely at risk for HPV due to high rates of sexual activity and, thus, serve as an important catch-up population for the HPV vaccine. The purpose of this study is to examine factors associated with HPV vaccination status among college women. Methods: In fall 2008, a convenience sample of 256 undergraduate women enrolled in an introductory social science course at a large, public, urban university in the southeastern United States was surveyed. The 30-item paper-and-pencil questionnaire asked for demographic information, HPV knowledge, HPV vaccine beliefs, and HPV vaccination status. The overall survey response rate was 89.6%. Results: Most women were unmarried/single (91.7%), with a mean age of 18.9 years (range 17-42). Race/ethnicity status included 73.0% white, 17.5% Hispanic, and 7.7% black/African American. One hundred eleven (40.5%) women reported receiving the vaccine. Nonvaccinated women were less likely to have heard of the vaccine through a healthcare provider (odds ratio [OR] 0.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.35) or from a family member (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.16-0.68) and more likely to consider a healthcare provider recommendation as being only somewhat important (OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.32-6.41) or not important at all (OR 5.61, 95% CI 0.44-71.87) vs. very important. Conclusions: Findings suggest that healthcare providers have an important role in encouraging HPV vaccination. Continuing education for providers who see preadolescent girls in conjunction with a parent or who treat women of college age may be a worthwhile endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Difficulties with recruitment of hidden populations, such as Hispanic men who have sex with men (MSM), have hampered HIV prevention research, leading researchers to explore alternative recruitment modalities such as the Internet. In this paper, we compare the efficiency and cost of recruiting HMSM from Internet chat rooms versus community venues and examine the differences between participants recruited from each type of venue. Internet recruitment was more efficient and somewhat less costly than community recruitment. Although the two groups were comparable in most demographic factors and HIV risk behaviors, Internet recruits were more likely to be bisexual, more likely to be HIV seropositive, had a higher level of education, and reported higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of gay community attachment. Implications of our findings for using Internet chatrooms as recruitment venues are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to assess the state and pathology of the woman's pelvis minor, a number of methods are commonly used among practitioners, encompassing clinical exploration, radiology, MRN, urodynamics, endoscopy and echography. Echography has been poorly used in clinical pelvic exploration and its reliability is actually a matter of controversy 1. However, echographic surveys can provide us with valuable gynecological data on the state and pathologies of the soft pelvis, within the genital regions or even going beyond them, i.e. the rectal channel, bladder, urethra, anus, vascular plexuses, and all of their supporting tissues. At our research unit, we have been employing Transvaginal Ultrasound echography (TVU) for a long time in conjunction with other pelvis-focused methods in order to study different kinds of pelvic alterations. TVU has proven to be friendly to use, fast, harmless and inexpensive, allowing serial explorations and producing high-quality dynamic images (loop-cinema, video-tape). Furthermore, this method is fairly aseptic in that the occurrence of faeces in the rectal ampolla is not a nuisance but a bonus in tracking the contours of the rectum walls and other topographical features which would be otherwise difficult to survey. A complete pelvic floor TVU may add no longer than 5–8 minutes to a routine gynecological examination, can be implemented by the general gynecologist and generates data that can be further studied by the appropriate specialist for a more insightful evaluation 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hispanic men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk of HIV infection. This study reports on the club drug use and sexual behaviors of two distinct samples (community and Internet) of Hispanic MSM living in the AIDS epicenter of Miami-Dade County. Both samples reported high rates of unprotected anal sex and high numbers of sex partners; rates of club drug use (cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamines, GHB, amyl nitrites, and Viagra) were also high. Recent use of club drugs was associated with both unprotected receptive and insertive anal sex in the Internet sample, but not in the community sample. Implications for social work practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, spatial analysis of submerged habitats was incorporated into spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) stock assessment at Alacranes reef, Yucatan, México. Two sources of information were used: a thematic map of submerged habitats obtained using a Landsat TM satellite image and “geo-referenced” field data for lobster catches obtained during July 1998 and February 1999. Geographical information systems (GIS) tools were used as the major basis for displaying, analysing and relating lobster catches data and the thematic map information. Estimations of lobster abundance, density and biomass per habitat class and for the whole reef, at the beginning and end of the fishing season, were obtained. Utilizing Monte Carlo modelling, uncertainty was incorporated to estimations of transects initial and final position, appreciation of area and probability to detect lobsters. Results were compared against commercial catches reported for the previous year. The distribution of fishing effort is also described. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the relationships of sexual, physical and emotional abuse to emotional (internalizing) and behavioral (externalizing) problems among incarcerated girls and boys. Participants were youth who were remanded to the correctional facilities within a statewide juvenile correctional system in a southern state in the United States of America. Each participant completed a structured interview regarding abuse history, emotional and behavioral difficulties, and demographic characteristics. Multiple regression analyses indicated that girls were more likely than boys to internalize their problems. The only abuse variable that was positively and significantly associated with emotional problems was emotional abuse. Greater behavioral problems were Significantly related to youths being younger in age, white ethnicity, history of sexual abuse, and history of physical abuse. There were overall gender differences for internalizing problems, but not for externalizing problems among incarcerated adolescents. Furthermore, physical and sexual abuses were related to externalizing problems but not to internalizing problems. Thus, different types of abuse appear to have different effects on adolescent behavior. Implications for future research and practice arc discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]