New Collaborative Research on Suicide Prevention, Practice, and Policy With American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Holds Promise for All Peoples.

Youth suicide is increasing in the United States, with deaths among younger people of color driving this upward trend. For more than four decades, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities have suffered disproportionate rates of youth suicide and years of productive life lost compared to other U.S. Races. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently funded three regional Collaborative Hubs to carry out suicide prevention research, practice, and policy development with AIAN communities in Alaska and rural and urban areas of the Southwestern United States. The Hub partnerships are supporting a diverse array of tribally-driven studies, approaches, and policies with immediate value for increasing empirically driven public health strategies to address youth suicide. We discuss unique features of the cross-Hub work, including: (a) long-standing Community-Based Participatory Research processes that led to the Hubs' innovative designs and novel approaches to suicide prevention and evaluation, (b) comprehensive ecological theoretical approaches that contextualize individual risk and protective factors in multilevel social contexts; (c) unique task-shifting and systems of care approaches to increase reach and impact on youth suicide in low-resource settings; and (d) prioritization of strengths-based approaches. The work of the Collaborative Hubs for AIAN youth suicide prevention is generating specific and substantive implications for practice, policy, and research presented in this article at a time when youth suicide prevention is a dire national priority. Approaches also have relevance for historically marginalized communities worldwide.

Photoionization of C60: Effects of Correlation on Cross Sections and Angular Distributions of Valence Subshells.

Calculations of the photoionization cross section and asymmetry parameter, ß, are performed at the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) levels for all 32 valence levels of C60. Accurate numerical results are obtained for the isolated molecule in icosahedral symmetry. A detailed analysis based on the comparison between the DFT and TDDFT results allows the identification of four types of resonances: the well-known confinement resonances of mainly geometrical origin, shape resonances native to the ionization channel, induced shape resonances, and autoionization resonances brought about by interchannel coupling, as well as their different prominence in cross section or asymmetry parameter. Generally, cross sections are enhanced at the TDDFT level, which includes contribution from the bound-state excitations from closed channels, neglected at the DFT level, and the effect persists even well above the highest ionization threshold. This effect is best seen in the total cross section, although not as dramatic as found from simpler models, probably due to the stiffer electronic structure inherent in the full molecular description. The effects of interchannel coupling on individual native resonances are rather less predictable, leading to both enhancement and decreases and often altering the details of the structure significantly. A comparison with the previous accurate total cross-sectional calculations, as well as with the available experimental data, is very good for cross sections but slightly inferior for ß's. The results reported can serve as a reference to compare the effects of different environments on C60, as well as chemical substitution, notably endohedral fullerenes.

Spatial variation of pneumonia hospitalization risk in Twin Cities metro area, Minnesota.

Fine resolution spatial variability in pneumonia hospitalization may identify correlates with socioeconomic, demographic and environmental factors. We performed a retrospective study within the Fairview Health System network of Minnesota. Patients 2 months of age and older hospitalized with pneumonia between 2011 and 2015 were geocoded to their census block group, and pneumonia hospitalization risk was analyzed in relation to socioeconomic, demographic and environmental factors. Spatial analyses were performed using Esri's ArcGIS software, and multivariate Poisson regression was used. Hospital encounters of 17 840 patients were included in the analysis. Multivariate Poisson regression identified several significant associations, including a 40% increased risk of pneumonia hospitalization among census block groups with large, compared with small, populations of ⩾65 years, a 56% increased risk among census block groups in the bottom (first) quartile of median household income compared to the top (fourth) quartile, a 44% higher risk in the fourth quartile of average nitrogen dioxide emissions compared with the first quartile, and a 47% higher risk in the fourth quartile of average annual solar insolation compared to the first quartile. After adjusting for income, moving from the first to the second quartile of the race/ethnic diversity index resulted in a 21% significantly increased risk of pneumonia hospitalization. In conclusion, the risk of pneumonia hospitalization at the census-block level is associated with age, income, race/ethnic diversity index, air quality, and solar insolation, and varies by region-specific factors. Identifying correlates using fine spatial analysis provides opportunities for targeted prevention and control.

Cost-effectiveness of pazopanib in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma in Canada.

BACKGROUND: In the phase iii palette trial of pazopanib compared with placebo in patients with advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma (sts) who had received prior chemotherapy, pazopanib treatment was associated with improved progression-free survival (pfs). We used an economic model and data from palette and other sources to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of pazopanib in patients with advanced sts who had already received chemotherapy. METHODS: We developed a multistate model to estimate expected pfs, overall survival (os), lifetime sts treatment costs, and quality-adjusted life-years (qalys) for patients receiving pazopanib or placebo as second-line therapy for advanced sts. Cost-effectiveness was calculated alternatively from the health care system and societal perspectives for the province of Quebec. Estimated pfs, os, incidence of adverse events, and utilities values for pazopanib and placebo were derived from the palette trial. Costs were obtained from published sources. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, pazopanib is estimated to increase qalys by 0.128. The incremental cost of pazopanib compared with placebo is CA$20,840 from the health care system perspective and CA$15,821 from the societal perspective. The cost per qaly gained with pazopanib in that comparison is CA$163,336 from the health care system perspective and CA$124,001 from the societal perspective. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with placebo, pazopanib might be cost-effective from the Canadian health care system and societal perspectives depending on the threshold value used by reimbursement authorities to assess novel cancer therapies. Given the unmet need for effective treatments for advanced sts, pazopanib might nevertheless be an appropriate alternative to currently used treatments.

Magnetic dichroism in K-shell photoemission from laser excited Li atoms.

Magnetic dichroism in the angular distribution has been demonstrated for single-electron photoemission from inner ns(2) subshells of gaseous atomic targets using the example of K-shell photoionization of polarized Li atoms laser prepared in the 1s(2)2p (2)P(3/2) excited state. The effect is pronounced for the conjugate shakeup and conjugate shakedown photoelectron lines, and less important, though observable, for the main and direct shakeup lines. The phenomenon is caused by configuration interaction in the final continuum state and is quantitatively described by the close-coupling R-matrix calculations.

Sustaining suicide prevention programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities and Tribal health centers.

Background: Research on sustaining community-based interventions is limited. This is particularly true for suicide prevention programs and in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) settings. Aiming to inform research in this area, this paper sought to identify factors and strategies that are key to sustain suicide prevention efforts in AIAN communities. Methods: We used a modified Nominal Group Technique with a purposeful sample of N = 35 suicide prevention research experts, program implementors and AIAN community leaders to develop a list of prioritized factors and sustainability strategies. We then compared this list with the Public Health Program Capacity for Sustainability Framework (PHPCSF) to examine the extent the factors identified aligned with the existing literature. Results: Major factors identified included cultural fit of intervention approaches, buy in from local communities, importance of leadership and policy making, and demonstrated program success. Strategies to promote these factors included partnership building, continuous growth of leadership, policy development, and ongoing strategic planning and advocacy. All domains of the PHPCF were representative, but additional factors and strategies were identified that emerged as important in AIAN settings. Conclusions: Sustaining effective and culturally informed suicide prevention efforts is of paramount importance to prevent suicide and save lives. Future research will focus on generating empirical evidence of these strategies and their effectiveness at promoting program sustainability in AIAN communities.

Short-term adaptation to a simple motor task: a physiological process preserved in multiple sclerosis.

Short-term adaptation indicates the attenuation of the functional MRI (fMRI) response during repeated task execution. It is considered to be a physiological process, but it is unknown whether short-term adaptation changes significantly in patients with brain disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). In order to investigate short-term adaptation during a repeated right-hand tapping task in both controls and in patients with MS, we analyzed the fMRI data collected in a large cohort of controls and MS patients who were recruited into a multi-centre European fMRI study. Four fMRI runs were acquired for each of the 55 controls and 56 MS patients at baseline and 33 controls and 26 MS patients at 1-year follow-up. The externally cued (1 Hz) right hand tapping movement was limited to 3 cm amplitude by using at all sites (7 at baseline and 6 at follow-up) identically manufactured wooden frames. No significant differences in cerebral activation were found between sites. Furthermore, our results showed linear response adaptation (i.e. reduced activation) from run 1 to run 4 (over a 25 minute period) in the primary motor area (contralateral more than ipsilateral), in the supplementary motor area and in the primary sensory cortex, sensory-motor cortex and cerebellum, bilaterally. This linear activation decay was the same in both control and patient groups, did not change between baseline and 1-year follow-up and was not influenced by the modest disease progression observed over 1 year. These findings confirm that the short-term adaptation to a simple motor task is a physiological process which is preserved in MS.

Impairment of movement-associated brain deactivation in multiple sclerosis: further evidence for a functional pathology of interhemispheric neuronal inhibition.

Motor control demands coordinated excitation and inhibition across distributed brain neuronal networks. Recent work has suggested that multiple sclerosis (MS) may be associated with impairments of neuronal inhibition as part of more general progressive impairments of connectivity. Here, we report results from a prospective, multi-centre fMRI study designed to characterise the changes in patients relative to healthy controls during a simple cued hand movement task. This study was conducted at eight European sites using 1.5 Tesla scanners. Brain deactivation during right hand movement was assessed in 56 right-handed patients with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS without clinically evident hand impairment and in 60 age-matched, healthy subjects. The MS patients showed reduced task-associated deactivation relative to healthy controls in the pre- and postcentral gyri of the ipsilateral hemisphere in the region functionally specialised for hand movement control. We hypothesise that this impairment of deactivation is related to deficits of transcallosal connectivity and GABAergic neurotransmission occurring with the progression of pathology in the MS patients. This study has substantially extended previous observations with a well-powered, multicentre study. The clinical significance of these deactivation changes is still uncertain, but the functional anatomy of the affected region suggests that they could contribute to impairments of motor control.

Patient-provider relationship and perceived provider weight bias among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine patient-provider relationships among American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients by examining associations between patient activation, perceived provider weight bias and working alliance. Patient activation is generally defined as having the knowledge, skills and confidence to manage one's health. Methods: Among a sample of 87 AI/AN adults presenting for general medical care at an urban clinic in the north-west region of the USA, ordinary least squares regression analysis was completed to examine associations. Results: Better working alliance scores were associated with increased patient activation, while perceived provider weight bias was associated with reduced patient activation. In addition, those with class II obesity had decreased patient activation. Conclusion: These findings point to the importance of a positive patient-provider relationship in AI/ANs. Optimal patient engagement and subsequent health outcomes warrant additional consideration of patients' perceptions of provider weight bias within the context of health promotion and interventions.

Randomized Trial of Motivational Interviewing to Prevent Early Childhood Caries in American Indian Children.

INTRODUCTION: In a randomized controlled trial, the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) combined with enhanced community services (MI + ECS) was compared with ECS alone for reducing dental caries in American Indian children on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The intervention was developed and delivered with extensive tribal collaboration. METHODS: A total 579 mother-newborn dyads were enrolled and randomized to the MI + ECS and ECS groups. They were followed for 36 mo. Four MI sessions were provided, the first shortly after childbirth and then 6, 12, and 18 mo later. Both groups were exposed to ECS, which included public service announcements through billboards and tribal radio, as well as broad distribution of brochures on behavioral risk factors for early childhood caries (ECC), toothbrushes, and toothpaste. MI impact was measured as decayed, missing, and filled tooth surfaces (dmfs). Secondary outcomes included decayed surfaces, caries prevalence, and maternal oral health knowledge and behaviors. Modified intention-to-treat analyses were conducted. Eighty-eight percent of mothers completed at least 3 of 4 MI sessions offered. RESULTS: After 3 y, dmfs was not significantly different for the 2 groups (MI + ECS = 10, ECS = 10.38, P = 0.68). In both groups, prevalence of caries experience was 7% to 9% after 1 y, 35% to 36% at 2 y, and 55% to 56% at 3 y. Mean knowledge scores increased by 5.0, 5.3, and 5.9 percentage points at years 1, 2, and 3 in the MI + ECS group and by 1.9, 3.3, and 5.0 percentage points in the ECS group (P = 0.03), respectively. Mean maternal oral health behavior scores were not statistically significantly different between the treatment arms. CONCLUSION: In summary, the MI intervention appeared to improve maternal knowledge but had no effect on oral health behaviors or on the progression of ECC (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01116726). KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: The findings of this study suggest that motivational interviewing focusing on parental behaviors may not be as effective as previously hoped for slowing the development of childhood caries in some high-risk groups. Furthermore, social factors may be even more salient determinants of oral health than what we previously supposed, perhaps interfering with the capacity to benefit from behavioral strategies that have been useful elsewhere. The improvement of children's oral health in high-risk populations characterized by poverty and multiple related life stresses may require more holistic approaches that address these formidable barriers.

Deserts in the Deluge: TerraPopulus and Big Human-Environment Data.

Terra Populus, or TerraPop, is a cyberinfrastructure project that integrates, preserves, and disseminates massive data collections describing characteristics of the human population and environment over the last six decades. TerraPop has made a number of GIScience advances in the handling of big spatial data to make information interoperable between formats and across scientific communities. In this paper, we describe challenges of these data, or 'deserts in the deluge' of data, that are common to spatial big data more broadly, and explore computational solutions specific to microdata, raster, and vector data models.

A Cluster-Randomized, Community-Based, Tribally Delivered Oral Health Promotion Trial in Navajo Head Start Children.

The authors tested the effectiveness of a community-based, tribally delivered oral health promotion (OHP) intervention (INT) at reducing caries increment in Navajo children attending Head Start. In a 3-y cluster-randomized trial, we developed an OHP INT with Navajo input that was delivered by trained Navajo lay health workers to children attending 52 Navajo Head Start classrooms (26 INT, 26 usual care [UC]). The INT was designed as a highly personalized set of oral health-focused interactions (5 for children and 4 for parents), along with 4 fluoride varnish applications delivered in Head Start during academic years of 2011 to 2012 and 2012 to 2013. The authors evaluated INT impact on decayed, missing, and filled tooth surfaces (dmfs) increment compared with UC. Other outcomes included caries prevalence and caregiver oral health-related knowledge and behaviors. Modified intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were conducted. The authors enrolled 1,016 caregiver-child dyads. Baseline mean dmfs/caries prevalence equaled 19.9/86.5% for the INT group and 22.8/90.1% for the UC group, respectively. INT adherence was 53% (i.e., ≥3 child OHP events, ≥1 caregiver OHP events, and ≥3 fluoride varnish). After 3 y, dmfs increased in both groups (+12.9 INT vs. +10.8 UC; P = 0.216), as did caries prevalence (86.5% to 96.6% INT vs. 90.1% to 98.2% UC; P = 0.808) in a modified intention-to-treat analysis of 897 caregiver-child dyads receiving 1 y of INT. Caregiver oral health knowledge scores improved in both groups (75.1% to 81.2% INT vs. 73.6% to 79.5% UC; P = 0.369). Caregiver oral health behavior scores improved more rapidly in the INT group versus the UC group (P = 0.006). The dmfs increment was smaller among adherent INT children (+8.9) than among UC children (+10.8; P = 0.028) in a per-protocol analysis. In conclusion, the severity of dental disease in Navajo Head Start children is extreme and difficult to improve. The authors argue that successful approaches to prevention may require even more highly personalized approaches shaped by cultural perspectives and attentive to the social determinants of oral health (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01116739).

Treatment of metastatic breast cancer with a split-course high-dose chemotherapy regimen and autologous bone marrow transplantation.

PURPOSE: We investigated the role of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) as the initial systemic treatment in patients with hormone-unresponsive metastatic breast cancer. We studied a regimen involving a split-course schedule using sequential administration of two pairs of alkylating agents separated by 5 days of rest. The rest period was intended to provide time for recovery from the treatment-immediate adverse effects, thereby allowing further dose escalation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The treatment consisted of thiotepa 225 to 300 mg/m2/d (days - 11 to -9), cisplatin 50 to 100 mg/m2/d (days - 11 and -3), and cyclophosphamide 60 mg/kg/d (days - 3 and -2). Dose escalation was performed in the initial 15 patients before reaching dose-limiting toxicities. When feasible, responding patients received posttransplant irradiation to sites of residual or prior bulky disease. Patients with bone marrow or CNS involvement, prior pelvic irradiation, or age greater than 55 years were excluded. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients with measurable or assessable tumor were enrolled: 23 with visceral metastases, 11 with only soft tissue disease, and five with skeletal involvement. Twenty-five patients had received no chemotherapy for metastatic disease before transplantation. The dose-limiting toxicities of this therapy were renal and gastrointestinal. Six patients died from complications: four of a fungal infection and two of hemorrhage. A complete response was achieved in 14 patients (36%), three of whom are free of disease at 79+, 55+, and 40+ months after transplantation. Ten of 25 patients not treated with standard-dose chemotherapy for metastatic disease achieved a complete response (40%). The three patients in continuous remission were in the untreated relapse group. CONCLUSION: This single high-dose treatment achieved a relatively high complete response rate in patients with metastatic breast cancer and may have cured some of them. On the other hand, the split-course dose schedule as tested here did not permit significant dose-intensification.

Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination among Native American elders in a primary care practice.

BACKGROUND: More than 2 million Native Americans (ie, Native Americans and Native Alaskans) live in the United States; 60% reside in cities. This population, especially its elders, is especially susceptible to respiratory diseases; yet, adherence to guidelines for influenza and pneumococcal immunizations is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate how frequently older and high-risk adults received vaccinations for influenza and pneumococcal infection and to identify patient characteristics associated with adherence to published recommendations. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review of 550 Native American elders seen in an urban primary care practice defined using a culturally appropriate age threshold (> or =50 years) and standard criteria (> or =65 years). Univariate analyses examined demographic and clinical information by vaccination status. Logistic regressions identified factors associated with adherence to immunization guidelines. RESULTS: Among patients aged 50 years and older with any indication according to published recommendations, rates were low for influenza (31%) and pneumococcal (21%) immunizations. Likewise, few subjects at least 65 years of age had been immunized appropriately against influenza (38%) or pneumococcus (32%). Younger age and alcohol use were significantly associated with less frequent immunization; Medicare insurance, depression, and more health problems and taking more medications predicted significantly higher immunization rates. Aged 65 years or older and having cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus were specific indications significantly correlated with receipt of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of age or risk, inadequate vaccination rates were observed in elderly Native Americans. Our findings suggest the need to identify obstacles to immunization and to conduct prospective and elderly intervention studies in Native American populations.

Insanity defenses: contested or conceded?

The authors examined 316 Oregon criminal cases in which the accused successfully pleaded the insanity defense. Prosecutors agreed to the insanity verdict in more than four out of five cases. In most cases all examining experts diagnosed the defendant as psychotic. The smaller number of defendants who were diagnosed by the state hospital staff as displaying only personality disorders accounted for a disproportionately large percentage of the contested trials. Observing that Oregon's insanity defense system is run by consensus, the authors suggest a reorientation of the insanity defense debate.

Development and validation of a Vietnamese-language depression rating scale.

The authors developed a depression scale in the Vietnamese language that contains culturally consistent items describing the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of depressed individuals and items describing common clinical characteristics of depressed Vietnamese patients. After pretesting, the preliminary 43-item scale was given to 21 depressed Vietnamese patients and a matched community sample of 44. Fifteen items accounted for 96% of the variance between the two groups and were used as the final form of the Vietnamese Depression Scale. A cutoff of 13 points (of a possible 34) identified 91% of the patients and 96% of the community sample.

Busulfan-containing pre-transplant regimens for the treatment of solid tumors.

This study investigated the toxicity and efficacy of busulfan-containing pre-transplant regimens in patients with solid tumors. The majority of these patients were also treated on protocols involving two transplant courses aiming at further reducing tumor burden. Between October 1984 and November 1993, we treated 44 patients with recurrent breast cancer (n = 28), sarcoma (n = 10) or ovarian cancer (n = 6) with one of two busulfan-containing regimens. All patients except two had measurable disease prior to transplantation. Twenty-one patients had not received chemotherapy for metastatic disease. Of the remaining 23 patients treated with standard-dose chemotherapy, 14 had progressive disease. Busulfan 16 mg/kg was paired with cyclophosphamide 200 mg/kg (BuCY) or with etoposide 60 mg/kg (Bu-Vp). The Bu-Vp combination (32 courses) was used as the second preparative regimen in patients who had received thiotepa, carboplatin and cyclophosphamide for their first transplant. The BuCY regimen was used in 16 courses, either for single or for tandem transplant. Bone marrow cells only were used in 17 transplants and peripheral blood progenitor cells, with or without bone marrow, in 31 courses. Treatments were usually well tolerated. Common toxicities included mucositis, skin rash and veno-occlusive disease of the liver (fatal in two). One patient developed generalized seizures during busulfan therapy. Hematologic recovery was significantly accelerated with peripheral progenitor cells and permitted the administration of closely spaced tandem transplants. Two patients receiving sequential transplants with BuCY experienced severe long-term neurologic and pulmonary toxicity. Objective responses were noted in 26 patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Involved field radiation, fractionated total body irradiation, high dose cyclophosphamide, and autologous bone marrow transplantation in the treatment of malignant lymphomas.

We report the results of intensive therapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in 23 patients with malignant lymphoma (eight Hodgkin's disease and 15 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) who failed primary therapy. All patients had evidence of disease prior to transplant therapy: 10 had never achieved a complete remission and 13 were in relapse. The preparative regimen included involved field radiation followed by fractionated total body irradiation and high dose cyclophosphamide. A complete remission was achieved in 15 patients, 11 of whom continue in unmaintained complete remission from 27 to 72 months after BMT (median follow-up of 52 months). Of the remaining patients, five did not achieve a complete remission and three died of early toxicity. The event-free survival of the entire group is 47%. Disease status at the time of BMT was significantly correlated with patient outcome. The event-free survival of 13 patients in whom there was no objective evidence of tumor growth on conventional dose therapy was 77% compared with only 10% in patients with tumors progressing on conventional dose therapy (p less than 0.002). All six patients transplanted in untreated relapse continue in unmaintained remission, suggesting that debulking chemotherapy may not be necessary before BMT. Alternative approaches are needed in patients whose tumors progress on conventional dose therapy.