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BACKGROUND: With an increasing proportion of older adults and the associated risk of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) around the globe, there is an urgent need to engage in ADRD risk reduction efforts. African American (AA) older adults in the U.S. are disproportionally impacted by ADRD compared to other races and ethnicities. Mindful walking integrates two potentially protective factors of ADRD by elevating mindfulness and physical activity (i.e., walking), resulting in a synergistic behavioral strategy that is feasible and safe for older adults. However, the efficacy of applying this intervention for cognitive health outcomes has not been evaluated using experimental designs. METHODS: This paper documents the goal and protocol of a community-based, mindful walking randomized controlled trial to examine the short- and longer-term efficacy on cognitive and other health-related outcomes in ADRD at-risk AA older adults. The study outcomes include various brain health determinants, including cognitive function, quality of life, psychological well-being, physical activity, mindfulness, sleep, and overall health status. In addition, the estimated costs of program implementation are also collected throughout the study period. This study will recruit 114 older adults (ages 60+ years) with elevated ADRD risk from the Midlands region of South Carolina. Older adults are randomly assigned to participate in 24 sessions of outdoor mindful walking over three months or a delayed mindful walking group (n=57 in each group). Participants in both groups follow identical measurement protocols at baseline, after 12 weeks, after 18 weeks, and after 24 weeks from baseline. The outcome measures are administered in the lab and in everyday settings. Costs per participant are calculated using micro-costing methods. The eliciting participant costs for mindful walking engagement with expected results are reported using the payer and the societal perspectives. DISCUSSION: This study will generate evidence regarding the efficacy of mindful walking on sustaining cognitive health in vulnerable older adults. The results can inform future large-scale effectiveness trials to support our study findings. If successful, this mindful walking program can be scaled up as a low-cost and viable lifestyle strategy to promote healthy cognitive aging in diverse older adult populations, including those at greatest risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT06085196 (retrospectively registered on 10/08/2023).
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Negro o Afroamericano , Demencia , Atención Plena , Caminata , Humanos , Anciano , Caminata/fisiología , Negro o Afroamericano/psicología , Demencia/etnología , Demencia/prevención & control , Demencia/psicología , Masculino , Atención Plena/métodos , Femenino , Cognición/fisiología , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
The effects of turbidity and sedimentation stress on early life stages of corals are poorly understood, particularly in Atlantic species. Dredging operations, beach nourishment, and other coastal construction activities can increase sedimentation and turbidity in nearby coral reef habitats and have the potential to negatively affect coral larval development and metamorphosis, reducing sexual reproduction success. In this study, we investigated the performance of larvae of the threatened Caribbean coral species Orbicella faveolata exposed to suspended sediments collected from a reef site in southeast Florida recently impacted by dredging (Port of Miami), and compared it to the performance of larvae exposed to sediments collected from the offshore, natal reef of the parent colonies. In a laboratory experiment, we tested whether low and high doses of each of these sediment types affected the survival, settlement, and respiration of coral larvae compared to a no-sediment control treatment. In addition, we analyzed the sediments used in the experiments with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to assess differences in the microbial communities present in the Port versus Reef sediments, and their potential impact on coral performance. Overall, only O. faveolata larvae exposed to the high-dose Port sediment treatment had significantly lower survival rates compared to the control treatment, suggesting an initial tolerance to elevated suspended sediments. However, significantly lower settlement rates were observed in both Port treatments (low- and high-dose) compared to the control treatment one week after exposure, suggesting strong latent effects. Sediments collected near the Port also contained different microbial communities than Reef sediments, and higher relative abundances of the bacteria Desulfobacterales, which has been associated with coral disease. We hypothesize that differences in microbial communities between the two sediments may be a contributing factor in explaining the observed differences in larval performance. Together, these results suggest that the settlement success and survival of O. faveolata larvae are more readily compromised by encountering port inlet sediments compared to reef sediments, with potentially important consequences for the recruitment success of this species in affected areas.
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Antozoos , Arrecifes de Coral , Sedimentos Geológicos , Larva , Animales , Antozoos/crecimiento & desarrollo , Antozoos/microbiología , Antozoos/fisiología , Larva/crecimiento & desarrollo , Sedimentos Geológicos/microbiología , Especies en Peligro de Extinción , ARN Ribosómico 16S/genética , Florida , MicrobiotaRESUMEN
Introduction: Inconsistencies of reports contributes to the underreporting of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on death certificates. Whether underreporting exists within South Carolina has not been studied. Methods: We conducted a prospective, population-based study on a cohort of persons (N = 78,534) previously diagnosed with AD and died between 2014-2019. We linked vital records with the South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Registry to investigate their cause of death and survival rates. Descriptive analyses calculated frequencies of demographic and health-related characteristics. Turnbull's method estimated the survival probabilities for different subgroups of patients. Hazard ratios were computed from the Cox proportional hazards model, adjusting for the following confounding variables of age at diagnosis, education level, gender, and race. Results: The top immediate cause of death was Alzheimer's disease among all racial groups, except for Native American/American Indian. More females (60.3%) were affected by AD compared to males (39.7%). There is a 25% probability of survival, beyond 5 years, after AD diagnosis. Black/African American AD patients have the smallest risk of all-cause mortality across all racial/ethnic groups (HR 0.87; 95% CI, 0.85-0.89). Individuals with lower education had a lower likelihood of mortality. Conclusion: Although AD was not underreported in the state of South Carolina further research is needed to develop protocols around classification of deaths among those diagnosed with dementia and comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, to ensure dementia is properly reported as we move to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease by 2025 and beyond.
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OBJECTIVES: The Children's English and Spanish Speech Recognition (ChEgSS) test is a computer-based tool for assessing closed-set word recognition in English and in Spanish, with a masker that is either speech-shaped noise or competing speech. The present study was conducted to (1) characterize the psychometric properties of the ChEgSS test, (2) evaluate feasibility and reliability for a large cohort of Spanish/English bilingual children with normal hearing, and (3) establish normative data. DESIGN: Three experiments were conducted to evaluate speech perception in children (4-17 years) and adults (19-40 years) with normal hearing using the ChEgSS test. In Experiment 1, data were collected from Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual adults at multiple, fixed signal-to-noise ratios. Psychometric functions were fitted to the word-level data to characterize variability across target words in each language and in each masker condition. In Experiment 2, Spanish/English bilingual adults were tested using an adaptive tracking procedure to evaluate the influence of different target-word normalization approaches on the reliability of estimates of masked-speech recognition thresholds corresponding to 70.7% correct word recognition and to determine the optimal number of reversals needed to obtain reliable estimates. In Experiment 3, Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children completed speech perception testing using the ChEgSS test to (1) characterize feasibility across age and language group, (2) evaluate test-retest reliability, and (3) establish normative data. RESULTS: Experiments 1 and 2 yielded data that are essential for stimulus normalization, optimizing threshold estimation procedures, and interpreting threshold data across test language and masker type. Findings obtained from Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children with normal hearing in Experiment 3 support feasibility and demonstrate reliability for use with children as young as 4 years of age. Equivalent results for testing in English and Spanish were observed for Spanish/English bilingual children, contingent on adequate proficiency in the target language. Regression-based threshold norms were established for Spanish/English bilingual and English monolingual children between 4 and 17 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate the ChEgSS test is appropriate for testing a wide age range of children with normal hearing in either Spanish, English, or both languages. The ChEgSS test is currently being evaluated in a large cohort of patients with hearing loss at pediatric audiology clinics across the United States. Results will be compared with normative data established in the present study and with established clinical measures used to evaluate English- and Spanish-speaking children. Questionnaire data from parents and clinician feedback will be used to further improve test procedures.
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Estudios de Factibilidad , Multilingüismo , Psicometría , Percepción del Habla , Humanos , Niño , Adolescente , Preescolar , Masculino , Femenino , Adulto , Adulto Joven , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Valores de Referencia , Prueba del Umbral de Recepción del Habla/métodos , Enmascaramiento Perceptual , LenguajeRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The introduction of intraoperative cytology revolutionized neurosurgical procedures in human medicine, providing real-time diagnostic guidance to surgeons and contributing to improved patient outcomes. In the realm of veterinary medicine, the understanding of pituitary tumors in dogs and cats remains limited due to challenges in obtaining antemortem samples of central nervous system lesions. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe the cytologic features of pituitary adenomas in 12 dogs that underwent hypophysectomy. METHODS: The series included nine melanotroph adenomas and three corticotroph adenomas. Definitive diagnosis was based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Cytologically, the adenomas had high numbers of bare nuclei and intact cells that were round to polygonal and situated individually or in small clusters. The intact cells had round to oval, eccentric nuclei with finely stippled chromatin and one to three prominent nucleoli and ample to abundant lightly basophilic to amphophilic, grainy cytoplasm with distinct borders, and variable numbers of discrete vacuoles. Mild-to-moderate anisocytosis and anisokaryosis, occasional binucleation, rare and atypical mitotic figures, and nuclear molding were also observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that intraoperative cytology of canine pituitary adenomas holds promise as a valuable diagnostic tool, aiding swift differentiation from other sellar masses before histologic confirmation. Cytologic characterization of pituitary adenomas in dogs is exceptionally rare in the scientific literature, making this study one of the first to offer a comprehensive description of these cytologic features.
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Adenoma , Enfermedades de los Gatos , Enfermedades de los Perros , Neoplasias Hipofisarias , Humanos , Perros , Animales , Gatos , Neoplasias Hipofisarias/veterinaria , Corticotrofos/patología , Melanotrofos/patología , Enfermedades de los Perros/patología , Adenoma/veterinariaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Audiometric testing typically does not include frequencies above 8 kHz. However, recent research suggests that extended high-frequency (EHF) sensitivity could affect hearing in natural communication environments. Clinical assessment of hearing often employs pure tones and frequency-modulated (FM) tones interchangeably regardless of frequency. The present study was designed to evaluate how the stimulus chosen to measure EHF thresholds affects estimates of hearing sensitivity. DESIGN: The first experiment used standard audiometric procedures to measure 8- and 16-kHz thresholds for 5- to 28-year olds with normal hearing in the standard audiometric range (250 to 8000 Hz). Stimuli were steady tones, pulsed tones, and FM tones. The second experiment tested 18- to 28-year olds with normal hearing in the standard audiometric range using psychophysical procedures to evaluate how changes in sensitivity as a function of frequency affect detection of stimuli that differ with respect to bandwidth, including bands of noise. Thresholds were measured using steady tones, pulsed tones, FM tones, narrow bands of noise, and one-third-octave bands of noise at a range of center frequencies in one ear. RESULTS: In experiment 1, thresholds improved with increasing age at 8 kHz and worsened with increasing age at 16 kHz. Thresholds for individual participants were relatively similar for steady, pulsed, and FM tones at 8 kHz. At 16 kHz, mean thresholds were approximately 5 dB lower for FM tones than for steady or pulsed tones. This stimulus effect did not differ as a function of age. Experiment 2 replicated this greater stimulus effect at 16 kHz than at 8 kHz and showed that the slope of the audibility curve accounted for these effects. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to prior expectations, there was no evidence that the choice of stimulus type affected school-age children more than adults. For individual participants, audiometric thresholds at 16 kHz were as much as 20 dB lower for FM tones than for steady tones. Threshold differences across stimuli at 16 kHz were predicted by differences in audibility across frequency, which can vary markedly between listeners. These results highlight the importance of considering spectral width of the stimulus used to evaluate EHF thresholds.
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Audiometría , Audición , Adulto , Niño , Humanos , Adolescente , Umbral Auditivo , Audiometría/métodos , Ruido , Pruebas AuditivasRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: Studies examining the sociodemographic characteristics associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated dementia (HAD) are lacking, especially in the southern United States. The aim of this study was to describe the characteristics of HAD using South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Registry data, and examine these characteristics across two time periods. METHODS: Data were obtained from the population-based, South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Registry from 2000-2006 and 2010-2016 (N = 165,487). Crude and multivariable logistic regression models were applied to determine sociodemographic characteristics associated with HAD by time period. RESULTS: Younger, Black, Other, men, and urban populations had greater odds of being diagnosed as having HAD in both time periods. For example, compared with individuals aged 85 years and older, individuals aged 18 to 34 had 97 times the odds (adjusted odds ratio 97.0; 95% confidence interval 31.6-297.8) of being diagnosed as having HAD. In 2010-2016, however, nursing facility populations had a greater odds of being diagnosed as having HAD. CONCLUSIONS: We found that younger populations (younger than 74 years), communities of color, men, urban populations, and nursing facility populations were more likely to have HAD. Future research should focus on the association between HAD and risk for Alzheimer's disease.
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Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Infecciones por VIH , Masculino , Humanos , Estados Unidos , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/epidemiología , South Carolina/epidemiología , VIH , Sistema de Registros , Infecciones por VIH/complicaciones , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has caused high mortality of at least 25 coral species across the Caribbean, with Pseudodiploria strigosa being the second most affected species in the Mexican Caribbean. The resulting decreased abundance and colony density reduces the fertilization potential of SCTLD-susceptible species. Therefore, larval-based restoration could be of great benefit, though precautionary concerns about disease transmission may foster reluctance to implement this approach with SCTLD-susceptible species. We evaluated the performance of offspring obtained by crossing gametes of a healthy P. strigosa colony (100% apparently healthy tissue) with that of a colony affected by SCTLD (>50% tissue loss) and compared these with prior crosses between healthy parents. Fertilization and settlement were as high as prior crosses among healthy parents, and post-settlement survivorship over a year in outdoor tanks was 7.8%. After thirteen months, the diseased-parent recruits were outplanted to a degraded reef. Their survivorship was â¼44% and their growth rate was 0.365 mm ± 1.29 SD per month. This study shows that even diseased parent colonies can be effective in assisted sexual reproduction for the restoration of species affected by SCTLD.
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Antozoos , Animales , Antozoos/genética , Arrecifes de Coral , Reproducción , Células Germinativas , LarvaRESUMEN
Drug resistance and disease progression are common in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, underscoring the need for new therapeutic combinations. A high-throughput drug screen in 47 MM cell lines and in silico Huber robust regression analysis of drug responses revealed 43 potentially synergistic combinations. We hypothesized that effective combinations would reduce MYC expression and enhance p16 activity. Six combinations cooperatively reduced MYC protein, frequently over-expressed in MM and also cooperatively increased p16 expression, frequently downregulated in MM. Synergistic reductions in viability were observed with top combinations in proteasome inhibitor-resistant and sensitive MM cell lines, while sparing fibroblasts. Three combinations significantly prolonged survival in a transplantable Ras-driven allograft model of advanced MM closely recapitulating high-risk/refractory myeloma in humans and reduced viability of ex vivo treated patient cells. Common genetic pathways similarly downregulated by these combinations promoted cell cycle transition, whereas pathways most upregulated were involved in TGFß/SMAD signaling. These preclinical data identify potentially useful drug combinations for evaluation in drug-resistant MM and reveal potential mechanisms of combined drug sensitivity.
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Mieloma Múltiple , Humanos , Mieloma Múltiple/tratamiento farmacológico , Mieloma Múltiple/genética , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento , Sinergismo Farmacológico , Ciclo Celular , Combinación de Medicamentos , Línea Celular Tumoral , Resistencia a AntineoplásicosRESUMEN
Like cancer, Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) comprise a global health burden that can benefit tremendously from the power of disease registry data. With an aging population, the incidence, treatment, and mortality from ADRD is increasing and changing rapidly. In the same way that current cancer registries work toward prevention and control, so do ADRD registries. ADRD registries maintain a comprehensive and accurate registry of ADRD within their state, provide disease prevalence estimates to enable better planning for social and medical services, identify differences in disease prevalence among demographic groups, help those who care for individuals with ADRD, and foster research into risk factors for ADRD. ADRD registries offer a unique opportunity to conduct high-impact, scientifically rigorous research efficiently. As research on and development of ADRD treatments continue to be a priority, such registries can be powerful tools for conducting observational studies of the disease. This perspectives piece examines how established cancer registries can inform ADRD registries' impact on public health surveillance, research, and intervention, and inform and engage policymakers.
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BACKGROUND: Obesity-driven nutrition education in schools does not appear to result in healthier adolescent food choices. This study explored food systems as an alternative pedagogical approach to engage students in nutrition education. METHODS: After playing a food systems computer game, 250 13- to 16-year-old students in 5 Western Australian secondary schools, participated in group discussions to distinguish learning and interests in food systems. Discussion records were thematically coded using constant comparative analysis. RESULTS: Students reported crop growth, food production and food waste, healthier food choices, and food systems as knowledge outcomes of game play. They requested additional content on food production, costing, handling, processing, and accessing local produce. Experiential activities were preferred pedagogical approaches. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-curricular pedagogy which embraces human and planetary health through a food systems lens, can engage adolescents in nutrition education. Transformational computer games are effective to engage, educate and stimulate inquiry in food systems education.
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Alimentos , Eliminación de Residuos , Adolescente , Humanos , Australia , Educación en Salud , Instituciones AcadémicasRESUMEN
High-grade glioma is an aggressive cancer that occurs naturally in pet dogs. Canine high-grade glioma (cHGG) is treated with radiation, chemotherapy or surgery, but has no curative treatment. Within the past eight years, there have been advances in our imaging and histopathology standards as well as genetic charactereization of cHGG. However, there are only three cHGG cell lines publicly available, all of which were derived from astrocytoma and established using methods involving expansion of tumour cells in vitro on plastic dishes. In order to provide more clinically relevant cell lines for studying cHGG in vitro, the goal of this study was to establish cHGG patient-derived lines, whereby cancer cells are expanded in vivo by injecting cells into immunocompromized laboratory mice. The cells are then harvested from mice and used for in vitro studies. This method is the standard in the human field and has been shown to minimize the acquisition of genetic alterations and gene expression changes from the original tumour. Through a multi-institutional collaboration, we describe our methods for establishing two novel cHGG patient-derived lines, Boo-HA and Mo-HO, from a high-grade astrocytoma and a high-grade oligodendroglioma, respectively. We compare our novel lines to G06-A, J3T-Bg, and SDT-3G (traditional cHGG cell lines) in terms of proliferation and sensitivity to radiation. We also perform whole genome sequencing and identify an NF1 truncating mutation in Mo-HO. We report the characterization and availability of these novel patient-derived lines for use by the veterinary community.
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Astrocitoma , Neoplasias Encefálicas , Enfermedades de los Perros , Glioma , Humanos , Perros , Animales , Ratones , Glioma/genética , Glioma/veterinaria , Glioma/metabolismo , Astrocitoma/genética , Astrocitoma/veterinaria , Neoplasias Encefálicas/genética , Neoplasias Encefálicas/veterinaria , Neoplasias Encefálicas/patologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Ultra-rare inherited bleeding disorders (BDs) present important challenges for generating a strong evidence foundation for optimal diagnosis and management. Without disorder-appropriate treatment, affected individuals potentially face life-threatening bleeding, delayed diagnosis, suboptimal management of invasive procedures, psychosocial distress, pain, and decreased quality-of-life. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) and the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network identified the priorities of people with inherited BDs and their caregivers, through extensive inclusive community consultations, to inform a blueprint for future decades of research. Multidisciplinary expert Working Group (WG) 3 distilled highly feasible transformative ultra-rare inherited BD research opportunities from the community-identified priorities. RESULTS: WG3 identified three focus areas with the potential to advance the needs of all people with ultra-rare inherited BDs and scored the feasibility, impact, and risk of priority initiatives, including 13 in systems biology and mechanistic science; 2 in clinical research, data collection, and research infrastructure; and 5 in the regulatory process for novel therapeutics and required data collection. CONCLUSIONS: Centralization and expansion of expertise and resources, flexible innovative research and regulatory approaches, and inclusion of all people with ultra-rare inherited BDs and their health care professionals will be essential to capitalize on the opportunities outlined herein.
Living with an ultra-rare inherited bleeding disorder is challenging. Patients can feel alone and unsure of where to find support because their disorder is so rare. In this paper, a group of ultra-rare bleeding disorder experts, including doctors, researchers, regulators, patient advocates, and patients, identify the research that could best improve the lives of people with these disorders. They propose a national network of specialists who can help doctors, who may never have seen these disorders before, to find the right diagnosis faster. A centralized laboratory specialized in ultra-rare bleeding disorders could also improve diagnosis and do research studies. This would help us learn, for example, how symptoms change throughout a patient's life, how effective different treatments are, and what it is like for patients to live with these disorders. A second research priority is to better understand each individual disorder so that the best treatments can be chosen or developed. A pathway showing doctors which treatment options to try, in which order, would help them help their patients. The third research priority is to make it easier to study new treatments for ultra-rare bleeding disorders. This requires designing studies with very small numbers of participants, identifying meaningful outcomes to measure, and convincing pharmaceutical companies to invest in these studies. International agreement on these requirements would allow more patients to participate and benefit from the research. These top-priority research goals should greatly improve knowledge about, and diagnosis and treatment of, ultra-rare inherited bleeding disorders.
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Hemofilia A , Hemorragia , Humanos , Estados Unidos , InvestigaciónRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Research about the prevalence of dementia among older adults in the incarceration system is currently lacking, and further investigation is warranted. Considering the high level of healthcare needs, unique behavioural issues and difficulty to rehabilitate within the system due to its punitive approach and lack of effective rehabilitation programs, further investigation is warranted to characterize and determine the number of incarcerated older adults with dementia. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of individuals with dementia in the prison system while also describing the incarceration, demographic and offence-related characteristics of this unique population. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: South Carolina (SC) Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Registry (1992-2016) and South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) data (Fiscal years 1992-2019) were cross-referenced. The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) cases in the corrections system was calculated using South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease (SC AD) SC ADRD Registry and SCDC data. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to determine strength and direction of relationships between year of incarceration and frequency of ADRD cases both prior to and after incarcerations, respectively. Significant differences by age group, race, gender and dementia type were determined using a two-tailed pooled t-test and Bonferroni approach where appropriate. Count data for types of crimes committed are also presented. FINDINGS: The linkage showed that there were 2,171 individuals within the SC AD Registry who have been in the corrections system, about 1% of those in the Registry. Of these individuals, 1,930 cases were diagnosed with ADRD after incarceration and 241 prior to incarceration. In 2016, 317 individuals with ADRD were incarcerated. For ages 55 and above in South Carolina, the prevalence of ADRD is 6.7% in the general, non-incarcerated population compared to 14.4% in the incarcerated population. Additional results showed that those diagnosed with ADRD between 55 and 65 years of age had a significantly lower mean age at first incarceration (34.6 years of age) than those diagnosed between 66 and 74 years of age (55.9 years of age), indicating that those incarcerated earlier in life had an earlier dementia diagnosis. Additionally, African Americans had a significantly lower mean age at first incarceration (43.4 years of age) than Whites (46.2 years of age) and females had significantly lower mean age at first incarceration (42.9 years of age) than males (45 years of age). When investigating trends, results showed a significant positive linear association between year and frequency of ADRD diagnoses (p-value < 0.05) for those with ADRD diagnosis prior to incarceration and a significant decreasing linear association (p-value < 0.0001) in the number of individuals with an ADRD diagnosis after corrections. Findings also showed that a large percentage of older adults with ADRD in prison did not commit a violence offence. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study links a population-based Alzheimer's disease registry and state-wide corrections data to estimate the prevalence of individuals with dementia in the prison system. This linkage presents an opportunity to fill in significant gaps and contribute to the body of literature on dementia among people in prison in the USA.
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Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Demencia , Prisioneros , Masculino , Femenino , Humanos , Anciano , Adulto , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/epidemiología , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/diagnóstico , Demencia/epidemiología , Estudios Retrospectivos , South Carolina/epidemiología , Sistema de RegistrosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To report history, clinical examination findings, clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic test results, treatment, and outcome in horses with a novel idiopathic hepatitis syndrome. ANIMALS: 13 client-owned horses. PROCEDURES: Medical records of horses that were presented with fever and increased blood liver enzyme activity over a 16-month period were reviewed (December 1, 2020, to April 1, 2022). Collected data included signalment, history, clinical and clinicopathologic findings, diagnostic test results, treatment, clinical progression, and short-term outcome. RESULTS: Affected horses were presented between December and April of each of the 2 seasons investigated. The majority of horses developed cyclic fevers over the course of 3 weeks, during which time histologic evidence of hepatitis was observed. Histologic lesions included hepatic necrosis, neutrophilic to lymphohistiocytic inflammation, biliary epithelial injury, and portal fibrosis. Systemic inflammation was evidenced by increased serum amyloid A concentration and leukon changes. No horse developed signs of hepatic insufficiency, and all horses clinically recovered. Return of serum activity of GGT to within the reference range occurred within 16 weeks in most horses. Histologic lesions remained evident up to 27 weeks after initial presentation in 1 horse. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although an etiologic agent has not been identified, an apparently seasonal equine hepatitis syndrome was characterized by fever, systemic inflammation, increased liver enzyme activity, and histologic evidence of hepatitis. An infectious cause is suspected on the basis of histology and outcome.
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Enfermedades de los Caballos , Hepatopatías , Animales , Caballos , Hospitales Veterinarios , Estaciones del Año , Hospitales de Enseñanza , Hepatopatías/veterinaria , Inflamación/veterinaria , Enfermedades de los Caballos/etiología , Estudios RetrospectivosRESUMEN
The symbiotic relationship between dinoflagellate algae in the family Symbiodiniaceae and scleractinian corals forms the base of the tropical reef ecosystem. In scleractinian corals, recruits acquire symbionts either "vertically" from the maternal colony or initially lack symbionts and acquire them "horizontally" from the environment. Regardless of the mode of acquisition, coral species and individual colonies harbor only a subset of the highly diverse complex of species/taxa within the Symbiodiniaceae. This suggests a genetic basis for specificity, but local environmental conditions and/or symbiont availability may also play a role in determining which symbionts within the Symbiodiniaceae are initially taken up by the host. To address the relative importance of genetic and environmental drivers of symbiont uptake/establishment, we examined the acquisition of these dinoflagellate symbionts in one to three-month-old recruits of Orbicella faveolata to compare symbiont types present in recruits to those of parental populations versus co-occurring adults in their destination reef. Variation in chloroplast 23S ribosomal DNA and in three polymorphic microsatellite loci was examined. We found that, in general, symbiont communities within adult colonies differed between reefs, suggesting that endemism is common among symbiont populations of O. faveolata on a local scale. Among recruits, initial symbiont acquisition was selective. O. faveolata recruits only acquired a subset of locally available symbionts, and these generally did not reflect symbiont populations in adults at either the parental or the outplant reef. Instead, symbiont communities within new recruits at a given outplant site and region tended to be similar to each other, regardless of parental source population. These results suggest temporal variation in the local symbiont source pool, although other possible drivers behind the distinct difference between symbionts within O. faveolata adults and new generations of recruits may include different ontogenetic requirements and/or reduced host selectivity in early ontogeny.
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PURPOSE: Vowels and consonants play different roles in language acquisition and speech recognition, yet standard clinical tests do not assess vowel and consonant perception separately. As a result, opportunities for targeted intervention may be lost. This study evaluated closed-set word recognition tests designed to rely predominantly on either vowel or consonant perception and compared results with sentence recognition scores. METHOD: Participants were children (5-17 years of age) and adults (18-38 years of age) with normal hearing and children with sensorineural hearing loss (7-17 years of age). Speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured in speech-shaped noise. Children with hearing loss were tested with their hearing aids. Word recognition was evaluated using a three-alternative forced-choice procedure, with a picture-pointing response; monosyllabic target words varied with respect to either consonant or vowel content. Sentence recognition was evaluated for low- and high-probability sentences. In a subset of conditions, stimuli were low-pass filtered to simulate a steeply sloping hearing loss in participants with normal hearing. RESULTS: Children's SRTs improved with increasing age for words and sentences. Low-pass filtering had a larger effect for consonant-variable words than vowel-variable words for both children and adults with normal hearing, consistent with the greater high-frequency content of consonants. Children with hearing loss tested with hearing aids tended to perform more poorly than age-matched children with normal hearing, particularly for sentence recognition, but consonant- and vowel-variable word recognition did not appear to be differentially affected by the amount of high- and low-frequency hearing loss. CONCLUSIONS: Closed-set recognition of consonant- and vowel-variable words appeared to differentially evaluate vowel and consonant perception but did not vary by configuration of hearing loss in this group of pediatric hearing aid users. Word scores obtained in this manner do not fully characterize the auditory abilities necessary for open-set sentence recognition, but they do provide a general estimate.
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Sordera , Audífonos , Pérdida Auditiva Sensorineural , Pérdida Auditiva , Percepción del Habla , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Pérdida Auditiva Sensorineural/rehabilitación , Humanos , Ruido , Percepción del Habla/fisiologíaRESUMEN
PURPOSE: Some speech recognition data suggest that children rely less on voice pitch and harmonicity to support auditory scene analysis than adults. Two experiments evaluated development of speech-in-speech recognition using voiced speech and whispered speech, which lacks the harmonic structure of voiced speech. METHOD: Listeners were 5- to 7-year-olds and adults with normal hearing. Targets were monosyllabic words organized into three-word sets that differ in vowel content. Maskers were two-talker or one-talker streams of speech. Targets and maskers were recorded by different female talkers in both voiced and whispered speaking styles. For each masker, speech reception thresholds (SRTs) were measured in all four combinations of target and masker speech, including matched and mismatched speaking styles for the target and masker. RESULTS: Children performed more poorly than adults overall. For the two-talker masker, this age effect was smaller for the whispered target and masker than for the other three conditions. Children's SRTs in this condition were predominantly positive, suggesting that they may have relied on a wholistic listening strategy rather than segregating the target from the masker. For the one-talker masker, age effects were consistent across the four conditions. Reduced informational masking for the one-talker masker could be responsible for differences in age effects for the two maskers. A benefit of mismatching the target and masker speaking style was observed for both target styles in the two-talker masker and for the voiced targets in the one-talker masker. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide no compelling evidence that young school-age children and adults are differentially sensitive to the cues present in voiced and whispered speech. Both groups benefit from mismatches in speaking style under some conditions. These benefits could be due to a combination of reduced perceptual similarity, harmonic cancelation, and differences in energetic masking.
Asunto(s)
Enmascaramiento Perceptual , Percepción del Habla , Adulto , Niño , Señales (Psicología) , Femenino , Audición , Humanos , HablaRESUMEN
This paper presents reflections on mentorship from scientists and mentors of the National Institute on Aging (NIA)-funded Carolina Center on Alzheimer's Disease and Minority Research (CCADMR). Using a network approach to mentoring, this program aims to increase the pipeline of underrepresented minority (URM) scientists studying Alzheimer's disease (AD) disparities. Six mentors and five scientists participated in interviews. Thematic analysis identified recurring themes; transcripts of mentors and scientists were compared. Most common thematic categories identified by mentors included experience interacting with scientists, goals as a mentor, recruitment of underrepresented minorities, scientists' challenges, and programmatic qualities. The most mentioned categories by scientists were challenges, seminars, working with mentors, career development, and project experience. The CCADMR will use findings to enhance the experience and training methods for future grant years. Results can benefit other training programs focused on aging and AD.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedad de Alzheimer , Tutoría , Médicos , Enfermedad de Alzheimer/terapia , Humanos , Mentores , Grupos MinoritariosRESUMEN
Teachers and students are wearing face masks in many classrooms to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Face masks disrupt speech understanding by concealing lip-reading cues and reducing transmission of high-frequency acoustic speech content. Transparent masks provide greater access to visual speech cues than opaque masks but tend to cause greater acoustic attenuation. This study examined the effects of four types of face masks on auditory-only and audiovisual speech recognition in 18 children with bilateral hearing loss, 16 children with normal hearing, and 38 adults with normal hearing tested in their homes, as well as 15 adults with normal hearing tested in the laboratory. Stimuli simulated the acoustic attenuation and visual obstruction caused by four different face masks: hospital, fabric, and two transparent masks. Participants tested in their homes completed auditory-only and audiovisual consonant recognition tests with speech-spectrum noise at 0 dB SNR. Adults tested in the lab completed the same tests at 0 and/or -10 dB SNR. A subset of participants from each group completed a visual-only consonant recognition test with no mask. Consonant recognition accuracy and transmission of three phonetic features (place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing) were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Children with hearing loss identified consonants less accurately than children with normal hearing and adults with normal hearing tested at 0 dB SNR. However, all the groups were similarly impacted by face masks. Under auditory-only conditions, results were consistent with the pattern of high-frequency acoustic attenuation; hospital masks had the least impact on performance. Under audiovisual conditions, transparent masks had less impact on performance than opaque masks. High-frequency attenuation and visual obstruction had the greatest impact on place perception. The latter finding was consistent with the visual-only feature transmission data. These results suggest that the combination of noise and face masks negatively impacts speech understanding in children. The best mask for promoting speech understanding in noisy environments depend on whether visual cues will be accessible: hospital masks are best under auditory-only conditions, but well-fit transparent masks are best when listeners have a clear, consistent view of the talker's face.