Concordance of Organ Donation and Other Altruistic Behaviors Among Twins.

INTRODUCTION: Organ donation and other altruistic behaviors may be influenced by multiple factors, such as demographic characteristics, religious beliefs, and social norms. RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the role of genetic factors on altruism in identical and fraternal twin pairs? DESIGN: Twins attending a twin festival (N = 296) completed an organ donation and altruistic behavior survey. RESULTS: Concordance for stage of change for organ donation was 65% among identical twin pairs versus 33% among fraternal twin pairs (P = .004). Concordance was higher among identical versus fraternal twin pairs for several altruistic behaviors, including giving directions to a stranger (63% vs 24%, P < .001), giving money to a stranger (51% vs 29%, P = .048), donating goods to charity (46% vs 16%, P = .005), and offering a seat on the bus (46% vs 24%, P = .04). DISCUSSION: We conclude that genetic factors may play a role in decisions about organ donation and other altruistic behaviors.

A Consult Service to Support and Promote Community-Based Research: Tracking and Evaluating a Community-based Research Consult Service.

PURPOSE: This study describes the design, operation and evaluation of a community-based research (CBR) consult service within the setting of a Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) institution. To our knowledge, there are no published evaluations of a CBR consult service at a CTSA hub. METHODS: A community-based research Consult Service was created to support faculty, health care providers/research coordinators, trainees, community-based organizations and community members. A framework was developed to assess the stages of client engagement and to foster clear articulation of client needs and challenges. A developmental evaluation system was integrated with the framework to track progress, store documents, continuously improve the consult service and assess research outcomes. RESULTS: This framework provides information on client numbers, types, services used and successful outreach methods. Tracking progress reveals reasons that prevent clients from completing projects and facilitates learning outcomes relevant to clients and funding agencies. Clients benefit from the expert knowledge, community connections and project guidance provided by the Consult Service team, increasing the likelihood of study completion and achieving research outcomes. CONCLUSION: This study offers a framework by which CTSA institutions can expand their capacity to conduct and evaluate community-based research while addressing challenges that inhibit community engagement.

Intradialytic Massage for Leg Cramps Among Hemodialysis Patients: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients on hemodialysis often experience muscle cramps that result in discomfort, shortened treatment times, and inadequate dialysis dose. Cramps have been associated with adversely affecting sleep and health-related quality of life, depression and anxiety. There is limited evidence available about massage in dialysis; however, massage in cancer patients has demonstrated decreases in pain, inflammation, and feelings of anxiety. These correlations indicate massage may be an effective treatment modality for hemodialysis-related lower extremity cramping. PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of intradialytic massage on the frequency of cramping among hemodialysis patients prone to lower extremity cramping. PARTICIPANTS: 26 maintenance hemodialysis patients with frequent lower extremity cramps. SETTING: three outpatient hemodialysis centers in Northeast Ohio. RESEARCH DESIGN: randomized controlled trial. INTERVENTION: The intervention group received a 20-minute massage of the lower extremities during each treatment (three times per week) for two weeks. The control group received usual care by dialysis center staff. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: change in frequency of lower leg cramping. RESULTS: Patient reported cramping at home decreased by 1.3 episodes per week in the intervention group compared to 0.2 episodes per week in the control group (p=.005). Patient reported cramping during dialysis decreased by 0.8 episodes in the intervention group compared to 0.4 episodes in the control group (p=0.44). CONCLUSION: Intradialytic massage appears to be an effective way to address muscle cramping. Larger studies with longer duration should be conducted to further examine this approach.

Sharing of grant funds between academic institutions and community partners in community-based participatory research.

OBJECTIVES: To determine how grant funds are shared between academic institutions and community partners in community-based participatory research (CBPR). METHODS: Review of all 62 investigator-initiated R01 CBPR grants funded by the National Institutes of Health from January 2005 to August 2012. Using prespecified criteria, two reviewers independently categorized each budget item as being for an academic institution or a community partner. A third reviewer helped resolve any discrepancies. RESULTS: Among 49 evaluable grants, 68% of all grant funds were for academic institutions and 30% were for community partners. For 2% of funds, it was unclear whether they were for academic institutions or for community partners. Community partners' share of funds was highest in the categories of other direct costs (62%) and other personnel (48%) and lowest in the categories of equipment (1%) and indirect costs (7%). CONCLUSIONS: A majority of CBPR grant funds are allocated to academic institutions. In order to enhance the share that community partners receive, funders may wish to specify a minimum proportion of grant funds that should be allocated to community partners in CBPR projects.