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Sexual violence affects millions of Americans, and approximately one out of every three women and one out of every four men have experienced sexual violence during their lifetime. While prevention efforts have focused on implementing specific programmatic approaches, there has been relatively little focus on developing comprehensive and effective approaches to reduce sexual assault prevention across an organization. This study describes the development of the Prevention Evaluation Framework, an assessment targeting organizational best practices for comprehensive sexual assault prevention across multiple domains including human resources, collaborative relationships and infrastructure, use of evidence-informed approaches, quality implementation and continuous evaluation of programs/policies. Using the structured RAND/University of California, Los Angeles appropriateness method to develop the assessment, we conducted a literature review and solicited expert feedback about what a comprehensive organizational approach to sexual assault prevention should entail. We then pilot tested the assessment with 3 United States military service academies; and continued to improve and adapt the assessment to a range of organizations with input from 6 Department of Defense headquarters organizations, and 9 universities across the country. Given the nascent state of the evidence about what makes an effective organizational approach to sexual assault prevention, the assessment reflects one way of promoting quality in this evolving field. The consistency between the experts’ ratings and the literature, and the relevance of the items across organizations suggest that the assessment provides important guidance to inform the development of comprehensive organizational approaches to sexual assault prevention and to the evaluation of ongoing efforts.

BackgroundImpaired balance regulation after stroke puts patients and therapists at risk of injury during rehabilitation. Body weight support systems (BWSSs) minimize this risk and allow patients to safely practice balance activities during therapy. Treadmill-based balance perturbation systems with BWSSs are known to improve balance in patients with age- or disease-related impairments. However, these stationary systems are unable to accommodate complex exercises that require more freedom of movement. ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the effect of a new balance perturbation module, which is directly integrated into a track-mounted BWSS, on balance impairments secondary to acute stroke. MethodsThis unblinded quasi-randomized controlled preliminary study was conducted in a rehabilitation-focused long-term acute care hospital. Participants were recruited from stroke rehabilitation inpatients with an admission Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score of 21 (out of 56) or greater. Over a 2-week period, consented participants completed 8 BWSS or BWSS with perturbation (BWSS-P) treatment sessions; study activities were incorporated into regular treatment to avoid disruption of their normal care. Although both groups conducted the same balance and gait activities during their treatment sessions, the BWSS-P sessions included lateral, anterior, and posterior balance perturbations. Pre- and postintervention BBS and Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) assessments were the primary outcome measures collected. Institutional BBS data from the year before installation of the track-mounted BWSS were retrospectively included as a post hoc historical standard of care comparison. ResultsThe improved postintervention BBS and ABC assessment scores showed that all participants benefited from therapy (P

BackgroundWith the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, shifting active COVID-19 care from short-term acute care hospitals (STACHs) to long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) could decrease STACH census during critical stages of the pandemic and maximize limited resources. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the characteristics, clinical management, and patient outcomes during and after the acute COVID-19 phase in an LTACH in the Northeastern United States. MethodsThis was a single-center group comparative retrospective analysis of the electronic medical records of patients treated for COVID-19–related impairments from March 19, 2020, through August 14, 2020, and a reference population of medically complex patients discharged between December 1, 2019, and February 29, 2020. This study was conducted to evaluate patient outcomes in response to the holistic treatment approach of the facility. ResultsOf the 127 total COVID-19 admissions, 118 patients were discharged by the data cutoff. At admission, 29.9% (38/127) of patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mean age of the COVID-19 cohort was lower than that of the reference cohort (63.3, 95% CI 61.1-65.4 vs 65.5, 95% CI 63.2-67.8 years; P=.04). There were similar proportions of males and females between cohorts (P=.38); however, the proportion of non-White/non-Caucasian patients was higher in the COVID-19 cohort than in the reference cohort (odds ratio 2.79, 95% CI 1.5-5.2; P=.001). The mean length of stay in the COVID-19 cohort was similar to that in the reference cohort (25.5, 95% CI 23.2-27.9 vs 29.9, 95% CI 24.7-35.2 days; P=.84). Interestingly, a positive correlation between patient age and length of stay was observed in the COVID-19 cohort (r2=0.05; P=.02), but not in the reference cohort. Ambulation assistance scores improved in both the reference and COVID-19 cohorts from admission to discharge (P

Summary: Human stem cell-derived models of development and neurodegenerative diseases are challenged by cellular immaturity in vitro. Microengineered organ-on-chip (or Organ-Chip) systems are designed to emulate microvolume cytoarchitecture and enable co-culture of distinct cell types. Brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) share common signaling pathways with neurons early in development, but their contribution to human neuronal maturation is largely unknown. To study this interaction and influence of microculture, we derived both spinal motor neurons and BMECs from human induced pluripotent stem cells and observed increased calcium transient function and Chip-specific gene expression in Organ-Chips compared with 96-well plates. Seeding BMECs in the Organ-Chip led to vascular-neural interaction and specific gene activation that further enhanced neuronal function and in vivo-like signatures. The results show that the vascular system has specific maturation effects on spinal cord neural tissue, and the use of Organ-Chips can move stem cell models closer to an in vivo condition. : Sances et al. combine Organ-Chip technology with human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived spinal motor neurons to study the maturation effects of Organ-Chip culture. By including microvascular cells also derived from the same patient line, the authors show enhancement of neuronal function, reproduction of vascular-neuron pathways, and specific gene activation that resembles in vivo spinal cord development. Keywords: organ-on-chip, spinal cord, iPSC, disease modeling, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, microphysiological system, brain microvascular endothelial cells, spinal motor neurons, vasculature, microfluidic device

Abstract Background Functional Neurology (FN), a seemingly attractive treatment approach used by some chiropractors, proposes to have an effect on a multitude of conditions but some of its concepts are controversial. Objectives and design A scoping review was performed to describe, in the context of chiropractic manual therapy, 1) the FN theories, and 2) its clinical applications (i.e. its indications, examination procedures, treatment modalities, treatment plans, and clinical outcomes) using four sources: i) one key textbook, ii) the scientific peer-reviewed literature, iii) websites from chiropractors using FN, and iv) semi-structured interviews of chiropractors using FN. Methods The scientific literature was searched in PubMed, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus, completed by a hand search in the journal Functional Neurology, Rehabilitation and Ergonomics (November 2016 and March 2017, respectively). The only textbook on the topic we found was included and articles were chosen if they had an element of manual therapy. There was no restriction for study design but discussion papers were excluded. Websites were found in Google using the search term “Functional Neurology”. Chiropractors, known to use FN, were invited based on their geographical location. Theories were mainly uncovered in the textbook as were all aspects of the clinical applications except treatment plans. The other three sources were used for the five aspects of clinical applications. Results were summarized and reported extensively in tables. Results Eleven articles were included, five websites scrutinized, and four semi-structured interviews performed. FN is based on the belief that reversible lesions in the nervous system are the cause of a multitude of conditions and that specific clusters of neurons can be positively affected by manipulative therapy, but also by many other stimuli. Diagnostic procedures include both conventional and unusual tests, with an interpretation specific to FN. Initial treatment is intense and clinical outcomes reported as positive. Conclusion FN gives the impression to be a complex alternative to the old variant of the chiropractic subluxation model, in which the vertebral subluxation is replaced by “physiological lesions” of the brain, and the treatment, spinal adjustments, are complemented by various neurological stimuli. Both models purport to treat not the symptoms but the cause. We conclude there is a need for more scientific documentation on the validity of FN.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of an often lethal disease in domestic pigs, African swine fever (ASF). ASF is currently a pandemic disease challenging pig production in Eurasia. While the ASFV genome encodes for over 160 proteins, the function of most of them are still not characterized. Among those ASF genes with unknown functions is the E111R gene. It has been recently reported that the deletion of the E111R gene from the genome of the virulent Chinese field isolate SY18 strain produced a reduction of virus virulence when pigs were inoculated at relatively low doses. Conversely, we report here that deletion of the ASFV gene E111R in the Georgia 2010 isolate does not alter the virulence of the parental virus in experimentally inoculated pigs. A recombinant virus lacking the E111R gene, ASFV-G-∆E111R was intramuscularly (IM) inoculated in domestic pigs at a dose of 102 HAD50 of ASFV-G-∆E111R and compared with animals that received a similar dose of virulent ASFV-G. Both, animals inoculated with either the recombinant ASFV-G-∆E111R or the parental virus developed a fatal form of the disease and were euthanized around the 6th–7th day post-inoculation (dpi).

The study explores the impact of light conditions on driver sleepiness. In a driving simulator experiment, 20 drivers drove both during daytime in an alert condition and then later at night after being awake since early morning. Light conditions were manipulated by driving in a simulated nighttime scenario in a dark room (1 lx) versus driving in simulated daylight in a room lit with light emitting diodes combining blue light with a yellow phosphor giving a two peaked spectrum (212 lx). Both the daylight and the darkness scenarios were driven daytime and nighttime in a 2 × 2 design. Sleepiness was measured during the four 1-hour drives in terms of subjective sleepiness ratings, divided attention ability, driving performance, heart rate variability and blink behaviour. Significant differences were found in all measured sleepiness indicators between the daytime and nighttime drives, and in most indicators for time-on- task. No significant main effects were found between simulated daylight and darkness. A psychomotor vigilance test conducted before and after each drive also showed no significant effects for lighting condition. Further research, preferably using longitudinal studies in more realistic settings on real roads, is needed to determine which behaviours and which cognitive processes that are affected when driving in daylight versus darkness.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF), a highly infectious and lethal disease of domesticated swine. Outbreaks of ASF have been mostly restricted to the continent of Africa. The outbreaks that have occurred outside of Africa were controlled by extensive depopulation of the domesticated pig population. However, in 2007, an outbreak occurred in the country of Georgia, where ASFV infected wild pigs and quickly spread across eastern Europe. Since the reintroduction of ASF into Europe, variants of the current pandemic strain, ASFV Georgia 2007/01 (ASFV-G), which is classified as Genotype 2 based on p72 sequencing, have been reported in countries within western Europe, Asia, and the island of Hispaniola. Additionally, isolates collected in 2020 confirmed the presence of variants of ASFV-G in Nigeria. Recently, we reported similar variants of ASFV-G collected from domestic pigs suspected of dying of ASF in Ghana in 2022. Here, we retroactively report, based on full-length sequencing, that similar variants were present in Ghana in 2021. The SNP analysis revealed derivatives of ASFV with distinct genetic markers. Furthermore, we identified three full-length ASFV genomes as Genotype 1, indicating that there were two genotypes circulating in proximity during the 2021 ASF outbreaks in Ghana.

We have previously reported that the recombinant African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine candidate ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUK efficiently induces protection in domestic pigs challenged with the virulent strain Georgia 2010 (ASFV-G). As reported, ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUK induces protection, while intramuscularly (IM), administered at doses of 104 HAD50 or higher, prevents ASF clinical disease in animals infected with the homologous ASFV g strain. Like other recombinant vaccine candidates obtained from ASFV field isolates, ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUK stocks need to be produced in primary cultures of swine macrophages, which constitutes an important limitation in the production of large virus stocks at the industrial level. Here, we describe the development of ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUK stocks using IPKM (Immortalized Porcine Kidney Macrophage) cells, which are derived from swine macrophages. We show that ten successive passages of ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUK in IPKM cells induced small changes in the virus genome. The produced virus, ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUKp10, presented a similar level of replication in swine macrophages cultures to that of the original ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUK (ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUKp0). The protective efficacy of ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUKp10 was evaluated in pigs that were IM-inoculated with either 104 or 106 HAD50 of ASFV-G-Δ9GL/ΔUKp10. While animals inoculated with 104 HAD50 present a partial protection against the experimental infection with the virulent parental virus ASFV-G, those inoculated with 106 HAD50 were completely protected. Therefore, as was just recently reported for another ASF vaccine candidate, ASFV-G-ΔI177L, IPKM cells are an effective alternative to produce stocks for vaccine strains which only grow in swine macrophages.

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) mutant ASFV-G-∆I177L is a safe and efficacious vaccine which induces protection against the challenge of its parental virus, the Georgia 2010 isolate. Although a genetic DIVA (differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals) assay has been developed for this vaccine, still there is not a serological DIVA test for differentiating between animals vaccinated with ASFV-G-∆I177L and those infected with wild-type viruses. In this report, we describe the development of the ASFV-G-∆I177L mutant having deleted the EP402R gene, which encodes for the viral protein responsible for mediating the hemadsorption of swine erythrocytes. The resulting virus, ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R, does not have a decreased ability to replicates in swine macrophages when compared with the parental ASFV-G-∆I177L. Domestic pigs intramuscularly (IM) inoculated with either 102 or 106 HAD50 of ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R remained clinically normal, when compared with a group of mock-vaccinated animals, indicating the absence of residual virulence. Interestingly, an infectious virus could not be detected in the blood samples of the ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R-inoculated animals in either group at any of the time points tested. Furthermore, while all of the mock-inoculated animals presented a quick and lethal clinical form of ASF after the intramuscular inoculation challenge with 102 HAD50 of highly virulent parental field isolate Georgia 2010 (ASFV-G), all of the ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R-inoculated animals were protected, remaining clinically normal until the end of the observational period. Most of the ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R-inoculated pigs developed strong virus-specific antibody responses against viral antigens, reaching maximum levels at 28 days post inoculation. Importantly, all of the sera collected at that time point in the ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R-inoculated pigs did not react in a direct ELISA coated with the recombinant EP402R protein. Conversely, the EP402R protein was readily recognized by the pool of sera from the animals immunized with recombinant live attenuated vaccine candidates ASFV-G-∆I177L, ASFV-G-∆MGF, or ASFV-G-∆9GL/∆UK. Therefore, ASFV-G-∆I177L/∆EP402R is a novel, safe and efficacious candidate with potential to be used as an antigenically DIVA vaccine.

ASFV vaccine candidate ASFV-G-ΔI177L has been shown to be highly efficacious in inducing protection against challenges with the parental virus, the Georgia 2010 isolate, as well as against field strains isolated from Vietnam. ASFV-G-ΔI177L has been shown to produce protection even when used at low doses (102 HAD50) and shows no residual virulence even when administered at high doses (106 HAD50) or evaluated for a relatively long period of time (6 months). ASFV-G-ΔI177L stocks can only be massively produced in primary cell macrophages. Alternatively, its modified version (ASFV-G-ΔI177L/ΔLVR) grows in a swine-derived cell line (PIPEC), acquiring significant genomic modifications. We present here the development of ASFV-G-ΔI177L stocks in a swine macrophage cell line, IPKM, and its protective efficacy when evaluated in domestic pigs. Successive passing of ASFV-G-ΔI177L in IPKM cells produces minimal genomic changes. Interestingly, a stock of ASFV-G-ΔI177L obtained after 10 passages (ASFV-G-ΔI177Lp10) in IPKM cells showed very small genomic changes when compared with the original virus stock. ASFV-G-ΔI177Lp10 conserves similar growth kinetics in primary swine macrophage cultures than the original parental virus ASFV-G-ΔI177L. Pigs infected with 103 HAD50 of ASFV-G-ΔI177Lp10 developed a strong virus-specific antibody response and were completely protected against the challenge with the parental virulent field isolate Georgia 2010. Therefore, IPKM cells could be an effective alternative for the production of ASFV vaccine stocks for those vaccine candidates exclusively growing in swine macrophages.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a structurally complex, double-stranded DNA virus, which causes African swine fever (ASF), a contagious disease affecting swine. ASF is currently affecting pork production in a large geographical region, including Eurasia and the Caribbean. ASFV has a large genome, which harbors more than 160 genes, but most of these genes’ functions have not been experimentally characterized. One of these genes is the O174L gene which has been experimentally shown to function as a small DNA polymerase. Here, we demonstrate that the deletion of the O174L gene from the genome of the virulent strain ASFV Georgia2010 (ASFV-G) does not significantly affect virus replication in vitro or in vivo. A recombinant virus, having deleted the O174L gene, ASFV-G-∆O174L, was developed to study the effect of the O174L protein in replication in swine macrophages cultures in vitro and disease production when inoculated in pigs. The results demonstrated that ASFV-G-∆O174L has similar replication kinetics to parental ASFV-G in swine macrophage cultures. In addition, animals intramuscularly inoculated with 102 HAD50 of ASFV-G-∆O174L presented a clinical form of the disease that is indistinguishable from that induced by the parental virulent strain ASFV-G. All animals developed a lethal disease, being euthanized around day 7 post-infection. Therefore, although O174L is a well-characterized DNA polymerase, its function is apparently not critical for the process of virus replication, both in vitro and in vivo, or for disease production in domestic pigs.

Importance: No single cognitive screen adequately captures all cognitive domains that are important for inpatient occupational therapy treatment planning., Objective: To quantify the content validity of a novel 22-item cognitive screen, the Gaylord Occupational Therapy Cognitive (GOT-Cog) screen, developed to better inform inpatient occupational therapy treatment planning., Design: Delphi-style expert panel review., Setting: Long-term acute care hospital., Participants: The first panel was attended by four occupational therapists, two speech-language pathologists, one physician assistant, and two neuropsychologists; the second, by four occupational therapists, one speech-language pathologist, and one physician assistant., Intervention: Each Delphi panel discussed the relevance, essentiality, and clarity of each item. After each discussion, panelists completed a content validity survey to summarize their evaluation of each item., Outcomes and Measures: On the basis of panelists' survey responses, item- and scale-level relevance, essentiality, and clarity were quantified by calculating the respective content validity index (CVI), content validity ratio (CVR), and content clarity index (CCI). Universal agreement (UA) and κ statistics were also calculated, as appropriate., Results: Upon presenting the initial 23-item instrument covering 10 cognitive domains to the first Delphi panel, several questions were added, removed, or rewritten, resulting in a 22-item instrument representing nine domains. After the second panel, several questions were again rewritten, and the domains reorganized. All scale-level metrics improved, including CVI (from 0.87 to 1.0), UA (0.52 to 1.0), CVR (0.43 to 0.94), and CCI (2.26 to 2.92)., Conclusions and Relevance: GOT-Cog displays overall excellent content validity and can proceed to construct validity testing. Plain-Language Summary: By reporting on the content validity of the Gaylord Occupational Therapy Cognitive screen, this brief report begins the necessary process of evaluating the measure's overall validity and reliability., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.)