Individual and contextual predictors of retention in Special Olympics for youth with intellectual disability: who stays involved?

BACKGROUND: Despite the recognised benefits of sport, participation is often reported to be low for youth with intellectual disability (ID). The current study was the first to longitudinally examine sport retention in this population, a critical aspect of ensuring participation. METHODS: Study participants were parents/caregivers of athletes with ID involved in community Special Olympics (SO), 11-22 years of age (N = 345). Participants completed an online survey in 2012 that included caregiver demographic and athlete intrapersonal, interpersonal and broader contextual variables. Retention rates for 2019 were determined using the SO provincial registration lists. RESULTS: Of the 345 survey participants, 81.7% remained active athletes in 2019. Caregiver demographic and athlete intrapersonal factors were largely unrelated to retention. In contrast, retention was associated with the frequency and number of sports athletes participated in, the perceived psychosocial gains of SO involvement and the environmental supports that were available to facilitate participation; frequency of sport participation was the strongest predictor of remaining a registered athlete. CONCLUSIONS: This study has implications for future initiatives aimed at increasing sport retention in a population that struggles to be engaged in sport. Efforts should focus on the athlete experience and sport-specific factors. Coaches and caregivers can foster positive experiences and play an important role in continued sport participation.

Melatonin activity and receptor expression in endometrial tissue and endometriosis.

STUDY QUESTION: Are melatonin receptors (melatonin receptor 1A (MR1A) and melatonin receptor 1B (MR1B)) expressed in human endometrium and endometriotic tissue, and does melatonin affect endometrial cell proliferation? SUMMARY ANSWER: Melatonin receptors are expressed in human eutopic endometrium, endometriomas and peritoneal lesions, although to different extents, and melatonin treatment attenuated estradiol-induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation in culture. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Melatonin decreased endometriotic lesion volume in a rat model of endometriosis. Melatonin treatment reduced pain scores in and analgesic use by women with endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: Basic science study using human endometrial tissue and an endometrial epithelial cell line. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Measurement of melatonin receptor expression (mRNA and protein) in women with surgically confirmed endometriosis (endometrioma (n = 20) or peritoneal lesion (n = 11) alone) and women without surgical evidence of endometriosis (control, n = 15). Collection of endometrial and endometriotic tissue samples, gynecologic history and demographic information. Quantification of estradiol (1.0 nM) and melatonin (0.1 nM-1.0 µM) ± estradiol-induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation in cultures of endometrial epithelial cells (CRL-1671) following 24 and 48 hours of culture. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: MR1A and MR1B were localized by immunohistochemistry in glandular epithelial cells of endometrial biopsies from women with and without endometriosis. Both receptors were expressed in eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissue. mRNA expression of MR1A and MR1B was significantly greater in peritoneal lesions than in either endometriomas or eutopic endometrium. However, protein expression of MR1A was decreased in peritoneal lesions compared to control eutopic endometrium, whereas MR1B expression did not differ between the groups. Melatonin (0.1 nM-1.0 µM) treatment inhibited estradiol (1.0 nM)-induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation at 48 hours but not 24 hours of culture. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Beneficial effects of melatonin seen in culture have yet to be comprehensively evaluated in women with endometriosis. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our data suggest that melatonin may be useful as an adjunct to current endometriosis treatments. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This study was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (grant MOP142230 to W.G.F.). A.A.M. is supported by a resident research grant through the Physicians Services Incorporated Foundation. The authors have no conflicts of interest.

The uterine myocyte as a target for prevention of preterm birth.

Preterm birth (PTB) remains the most common cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality as well as long-term disability. Current strategies to prevent or arrest spontaneous preterm labor (SPTL) have limited success. For almost three decades, there have been no novel pharmacological agents used clinically to address this important obstetrical complication. In this review, we focus on the uterine myocyte as a target for prevention of spontaneous PTB. After presenting an overview of intracellular signaling pathways that are important in regulation of smooth muscle contractility, we discuss previous and current pharmacological approaches to manage SPTL. We also present recent evidence from our own laboratories suggesting a potentially novel and uterine-specific approach to maintain or impose uterine relaxation. Finally, we briefly discuss extrinsic systems that might affect uterine activity and reinforce the concept that SPTL represents a syndrome that is the end result of a variety of pathophysiologic etiologies leading to PTB. We conclude by emphasizing the need for much more research to provide sufficient understanding of the mechanisms of SPTL and to make inroads towards reducing the incidence and adverse consequences of this common and serious syndrome.

Creature Control in a Fluid Environment.

In this paper, we propose a method designed to allow creatures to actively respond to a fluid environment. We explore various objective functions in order to determine ways to direct the behavior of our creatures. Our proposed method works in conjunction with generalized body forces as well as both one-way and two-way coupled fluid forces. As one might imagine, interesting behaviors can be derived from minimizing and maximizing both drag and lift as well as minimizing the effort that a creature's internal actuators exert. A major application for our work is the automatic specification of secondary motions, for example, certain joints can be animated, while others are automatically solved for in order to satisfy the objective function.

Rapid Increase in Ownership and Use of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets and Decrease in Prevalence of Malaria in Three Regional States of Ethiopia (2006-2007)

Following recent large scale-up of malaria control interventions in Ethiopia; this study aimed to compare ownership and use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN); and the change in malaria prevalence using two population-based household surveys in three regions of the country. Each survey used multistage cluster random sampling with 25 households per cluster. Household net ownership tripled from 19.6in 2006 to 68.4in 2007; with mean LLIN per household increasing from 0.3 to 1.2. Net use overall more than doubled from 15.3to 34.5; but in households owning LLIN; use declined from 71.7to 48.3. Parasitemia declined from 4.1to 0.4. Large scale-up of net ownership over a short period of time was possible. However; a large increase in net ownership was not necessarily mirrored directly by increased net use. Better targeting of nets to malaria-risk areas and sustained behavioural change communication are needed to increase and maintain net use

The value of end-of-treatment chest radiograph in predicting pulmonary tuberculosis relapse.

SETTING: Patients with cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) on baseline chest radiograph (CXR) who remain culture-positive after 8 weeks of treatment are at high risk of relapse. The role of end-of-treatment (EOT) CXR in predicting relapse is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether EOT CXR independently predicts TB relapse. DESIGN: We conducted a secondary analysis of a randomized trial of intermittent treatment using rifapentine in the continuation phase of TB treatment among 1004 human immunodeficiency virus seronegative adults with culture-proven pulmonary TB. RESULTS: Relapse occurred in 17.3% of subjects with persistent cavity on EOT CXR, in 7.6% of subjects with a cavity that resolved by EOT, and 2.5% (P=0.002 for trend) of subjects who never had a cavity. In multivariable analysis, patients with persistent cavity on EOT CXR were significantly more likely to relapse than patients with no cavity on baseline or 2-month CXR (hazard ratio [HR] 4.22, 95%CI 2.00-8.91), and were more likely to relapse than subjects whose early cavity had resolved by EOT CXR (HR 1.92, 95%CI 1.09-3.39). CONCLUSION: A persistent cavity after 6 months of TB treatment was independently associated with disease relapse after controlling for other variables. EOT CXR may help predict those likely to relapse.

Prospective multicenter surveillance study of funguria in hospitalized patients. The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Mycoses Study Group.

Although fungal urinary tract infections are an increasing nosocomial problem, the significance of funguria is still not clear. This multicenter prospective surveillance study of 861 patients was undertaken to define the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of funguria. Diabetes mellitus was present in 39% of patients, urinary tract abnormalities in 37.7%, and malignancy in 22.2%; only 10.9% had no underlying illnesses. Concomitant nonfungal infections were present in 85%, 90% had received antimicrobial agents, and 83.2% had urinary tract drainage devices. Candida albicans was found in 51.8% of patients and Candida glabrata in 15.6%. Microbiological and clinical outcomes were documented for 530 (61.6%) of the 861 patients. No specific therapy for funguria was given to 155 patients, and the yeast cleared from the urine of 117 (75.5%) of them. Of the 116 patients who had a catheter removed as the only treatment, the funguria cleared in 41 (35.3%). Antifungal therapy was given to 259 patients, eradicating funguria in 130 (50.2%). The rate of eradication with fluconazole was 45.5%, and with amphotericin B bladder irrigation it was 54.4%. Only 7 patients (1.3%) had documented candidemia. The mortality rate was 19.8%, reflecting the multiple serious underlying illnesses found in these patients with funguria.

Pathophysiology of acetaminophen overdosage toxicity: implications for management.

Acute acetaminophen intoxication was studied in the dog to characterize pathogenesis and in the mouse as a model for antidotal research. In the dog, overt toxicity was manifested principally by cyanosis, facial and paw edema, gastrointestinal disturbance, and coma. Typical laboratory findings were methemoglobinemia, hemoconcentration, leukocytosis, and hepatic centrolobular necrosis. In the mouse, physical signs of acetaminophen overdose appeared to be central in origin; sequelae included anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and hepatic centrolobular necrosis. The antidotal profile of acetylcysteine in mice was characterized. When acetylcysteine therapy was instituted early (one hour after acetaminophen overdose), it conferred dose-related protection from lethality coupled with hepatoprotection, as judged from transaminase activity. When acetylcysteine therapy was instituted relatively late (4 1/2 hours after acetaminophen overdose), its beneficial effect on survival persisted but was unaccompanied by distinct hepatoprotection, indicating that SGPT activity was an unreliable prognostic indicator. Acetylcysteine was well tolerated in mice even when administered in the presence of preexisting acetaminophen-induced liver damage.

Possible ion-pair-mediated absorption of mixidine II: plasma levels and histology.

Plasma intact 14C-mixidine levels in rats increased when the drug was administered intraduodenally with 1:3 and 1:5 molar ratios of 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid. Upon histological examination of the duodenums, similar doses of mixidine combined with 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid produced no dose-related lesions. These and previous observations demonstrate that mixidine absorption may be enhanced by ion-pair formation.