Diverse mycotoxin threats to safe food and feed cereals.

Toxigenic fungi, including Aspergillus and Fusarium species, contaminate our major cereal crops with an array of harmful mycotoxins, which threaten the health of humans and farmed animals. Despite our best efforts to prevent crop diseases, or postharvest spoilage, our cereals are consistently contaminated with aflatoxins and deoxynivalenol, and while established monitoring systems effectively prevent acute exposure, Aspergillus and Fusarium mycotoxins still threaten our food security. This is through the understudied impacts of: (i) our chronic exposure to these mycotoxins, (ii) the underestimated dietary intake of masked mycotoxins, and (iii) the synergistic threat of cocontaminations by multiple mycotoxins. Mycotoxins also have profound economic consequences for cereal and farmed-animal producers, plus their associated food and feed industries, which results in higher food prices for consumers. Climate change and altering agronomic practices are predicted to exacerbate the extent and intensity of mycotoxin contaminations of cereals. Collectively, this review of the diverse threats from Aspergillus and Fusarium mycotoxins highlights the need for renewed and concerted efforts to understand, and mitigate, the increased risks they pose to our food and feed cereals.

Using National Survey Data: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Surveys with Questions on Chronic Diseases and Social Determinants of Health.

Surveys are a common tool utilized by organizations and researchers to collect data and evaluate various populations. This project aimed to consolidate a list of national health surveys to make the data source identification process easier when utilizing survey data. A cross-sectional analysis of currently available national survey data was conducted using information from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website. Surveys were assessed for inclusion criteria, and then data on diagnosis of chronic diseases and social determinants of health (SDoH) were extracted from included surveys. A total of 39 data sources were identified. After screening, 16 surveys met inclusion criteria and were included in the extraction process. This project identified 16 national health surveys containing questions related to chronic disease(s) and SDoH, which can be used to answer clinical, educational, and research questions. National surveys presented cover a broad range of topics, and these surveys may meet a variety of user needs.

Pharmacists' Willingness to Provide Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Services and the Needs to Support COVID-19 Testing, Management, and Prevention.

The need for increased testing is pivotal in the response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently, through the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act, pharmacists were given the ability to order and administer COVID-19 tests, giving them a better opportunity to engage in the pandemic response across the nation as well as in Idaho. This survey sought to determine Idaho pharmacists' willingness to provide different COVID-19 related services, assess needed resources to provide such services, and identify and prioritize other unmet community needs. We conducted a nine-question, cross-sectional survey distributed to pharmacists with addresses located in Idaho. All questions in the survey were optional and focused on pharmacist's willingness to provide services, what resources and additional training they would need, difficulty with 90-day prescriptions, and solicited additional feedback using an open-ended question. A total of 229 responses were received, representing all areas of pharmacy practice, with approximately half from community settings. The majority of respondents (70%) were willing to provide COVID-19 testing. Adequate staffing, changes to workflow, and the need for billing and clear reimbursement mechanisms were most frequently cited as barriers to contributing to the COVID-19 response. In summary, we found that pharmacists are very willing to help during this crisis, but their involvement may be better facilitated with the removal of barriers.

Making a difference in making miracles: common roadblocks to miracle question effectiveness.

This article describes a clinical investigation of student-therapists' use of the miracle question (MQ). Data used for this project came from transcribed role-play videotapes by six student-therapists. Transcripts were coded, and findings highlight challenges that prevent beginning therapists from effectively using the MQ. The primary themes that emerged were problems related to introducing, framing, and following up on the MQ. Practical recommendations are offered for improving therapist training in effective use of the MQ.