A Pathway to Treatment for Pregnant Women With Opioid Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Addiction to opioids, a well-known public health crisis, is now more prevalent in pregnant women as evidenced by the parallel rise with pregnant women in the epidemic with the general population. Evidence is now available that substantiates the need for global awareness to increase efforts in the treatment of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) as this vulnerable population lacks equal access to opioid abuse treatment across the United States. AIM: The overarching aim and purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase access to treatment for pregnant women with OUD who are currently underserved in a community located in Florida. METHODS: Between January and April 2022, the 4Ps (parents, partners, past, and pregnancy), a validated screening tool, was implemented in an organization that accepts individuals with substance abuse. Each positive screen was referred for assessment for buprenorphine induction and medication-assisted treatment follow-up. Descriptive statistics were collected counting the number of screens completed, the number of positive screens, the number of referrals, and the number of patients remaining in treatment for 30 and 60 days. RESULTS: Twenty-two screens were completed. The results yielded an increase in referrals, a 75% increase in treatment of pregnant women, and an average of 83% of participants remained in treatment. CONCLUSION: The implementation of a validated screening tool assisted in increasing access to treatment for pregnant women with OUD. Once implemented, the screening tool forges a pathway for referrals and evidence-based treatment for pregnant women with OUD.

Development and Evaluation of a New qPCR Assay for the Detection of Mycoplasma in Cell Cultures.

In recent years, cell culture has become an important tool not only in research laboratories, but also in diagnostic and biotechnological development laboratories. Mycoplasma contamination is present in up to 35% of cell cultures used in research and in cell therapies. This fact represents a significant problem since such contamination can cause disastrous effects on eukaryotic cells by altering their cellular parameters, which, in turn, can lead to unreliable experimental results. For this reason, it is mandatory to carry out continuous testing for the presence of Mycoplasma in cell culture and the development of appropriate methodologies for this purpose. An ideal detection methodology should be fast, sensitive, and reliable. In this study, we propose an alternative detection method based on real-time PCR in conjunction with a novel combination of primers and probes that have been improved to increase their efficiency. The new PCR method demonstrates 100% sensitivity and specificity results in the detection of common Mycoplasma species that contaminate cell cultures. Whilst 11 of 45 tested supernatants were positive for Mycoplasma (24.4%) using the new PCR method (corresponding to 5 of the 14 lines tested (35.71%)), only 10 of 45 supernatants showed positive results with the commercial Venor®GeM qEP and Plasmotest® kit. In addition, the new PCR method exhibits a high capacity to detect less-frequent Mycoplasma species, such as those related to the M. mycoides cluster. The use of an alternative Mycoplasma-detection method in cell culture labs can guarantee the detection of Mycoplasma contamination, especially in cases when dubious results are recorded.

Macrophages, Metabolism and Heterophagy in the Heart.

The heart is a never-stopping engine that relies on a formidable pool of mitochondria to generate energy and propel pumping. Because dying cardiomyocytes cannot be replaced, this high metabolic rate creates the challenge of preserving organelle fitness and cell function for life. Here, we provide an immunologist's perspective on how the heart solves this challenge, which is in part by incorporating macrophages as an integral component of the myocardium. Cardiac macrophages surround cardiomyocytes and capture dysfunctional mitochondria that these cells eject to the milieu, effectively establishing a client cell-support cell interaction. We refer to this heterologous partnership as heterophagy. Notably, this process shares analogies with other biological systems, is essential for proteostasis and metabolic fitness of cardiomyocytes, and unveils a remarkable degree of dependence of the healthy heart on immune cells for everyday function.

Efficacy of a language-concordant health coaching intervention for latinx with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the effect of a language-concordant health coaching intervention for Spanish-speaking patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) on glycemic control, anxiety, depression, and diabetes self-efficacy. METHODS: 64 patients with T2D were randomly assigned to a control or intervention group. Outcomes were assessed by blood work and surveys pre and post intervention. RESULTS: The mean sample age was 47.8 years (SD=11.3) and 81% were female. HbA1c was not significantly different between groups at baseline. The intervention group's HbA1c was significantly lower at times 2 and 3 than in the control arm (p < .01 and p < .001). There were significant reductions in the intervention group's mean HbA1c levels from baseline 10.37 to midpoint 9.20, p < .001; and from baseline 10.42 to study end 8.14, p < .001. Depression and anxiety scores significantly decreased (p < .05 and p < .001), and diabetes self-efficacy significantly increased (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Health coaching led to statistically significant and clinically meaningful decreases in HbA1c, depression, and anxiety scores among LEP Latinx adults with uncontrolled T2D. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Heath coaching can be conducted in primary care clinics by nurses or advanced practice nurses. The short-term intervention tested here could be adapted to the clinical setting.

Ingesta de proyectil de aire comprimido asociado a apendicitis aguda perforada / Ingested air rifle pellet associated with acute perforated appendicitis

RESUMEN Se informa el caso de un paciente masculino de 28 años de edad, con antecedente de ingesta volun taria de proyectil metálico 20 días antes de la consulta, que es admitido en nuestro Servicio con sinto matología típica de apendicitis aguda. En ese contexto se practica una apendicectomía convencional. El análisis de las imágenes preoperatorias y los hallazgos quirúrgicos permiten identificar la asociación entre el cuerpo extraño y la apendicitis aguda. La ingesta de cuerpo extraño, sea voluntario o acciden tal, representa una causa sumamente infrecuente de apendicitis aguda, razón por la cual existen pocos informes al respecto en la literatura mundial; este es el primero en la Argentina.

ABSTRACT We report the case of a 28-year-old male patient with a history of voluntary ingestion of a metallic pellet 20 days before who was transferred to our department with typical symptoms of acute ap pendicitis. Under that circumstances he underwent conventional appendectomy. The analysis of the preoperative imaging tests and the intraoperative findings help to identify the association between the foreign body and acute appendicitis. Ingestion of foreign bodies, either accidental or voluntary, is an extremely uncommon cause of acute appendicitis; thus, there are few reports in the international literature. This is the first case reported in Argentina.

Communicating and Coaching in Spanish for Chronic Care.

BACKGROUND: Language barriers affect millions of health care consumers each year in the United States. One in five U.S. residents over the age of 5 years speaks a language other than English. METHOD: A multidisciplinary team consisting of applied linguists and nurse educators developed a graduate elective for nursing students who demonstrated a minimum Spanish proficiency level. The course was organized around three core content components: management of type 2 diabetes, motivational interviewing competencies, and strategic communication in Spanish. Course activities included discourse analysis, simulated mini-conversations, and standardized patient simulations. RESULTS: A multidisciplinary team-teaching approach was ideal in assisting students to develop culturally sensitive clinical language skills. CONCLUSION: Language concordance is imperative to providing quality health care to non-English-speaking patients. Health care providers must be able to demonstrate empathy, an understanding of cultural dynamics, and the ability to provide care to non-English-speaking patients. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(1):34-37.].

Human influenza A virus causes myocardial and cardiac-specific conduction system infections associated with early inflammation and premature death.

AIMS: Human influenza A virus (hIAV) infection is associated with important cardiovascular complications, although cardiac infection pathophysiology is poorly understood. We aimed to study the ability of hIAV of different pathogenicity to infect the mouse heart, and establish the relationship between the infective capacity and the associated in vivo, cellular and molecular alterations. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated lung and heart viral titres in mice infected with either one of several hIAV strains inoculated intranasally. 3D reconstructions of infected cardiac tissue were used to identify viral proteins inside mouse cardiomyocytes, Purkinje cells, and cardiac vessels. Viral replication was measured in mouse cultured cardiomyocytes. Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) were used to confirm infection and study underlying molecular alterations associated with the in vivo electrophysiological phenotype. Pathogenic and attenuated hIAV strains infected and replicated in cardiomyocytes, Purkinje cells, and hiPSC-CMs. The infection was also present in cardiac endothelial cells. Remarkably, lung viral titres did not statistically correlate with viral titres in the mouse heart. The highly pathogenic human recombinant virus PAmut showed faster replication, higher level of inflammatory cytokines in cardiac tissue and higher viral titres in cardiac HL-1 mouse cells and hiPSC-CMs compared with PB2mut-attenuated virus. Correspondingly, cardiac conduction alterations were especially pronounced in PAmut-infected mice, associated with high mortality rates, compared with PB2mut-infected animals. Consistently, connexin43 and NaV1.5 expression decreased acutely in hiPSC-CMs infected with PAmut virus. YEM1L protease also decreased more rapidly and to lower levels in PAmut-infected hiPSC-CMs compared with PB2mut-infected cells, consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction. Human IAV infection did not increase myocardial fibrosis at 4-day post-infection, although PAmut-infected mice showed an early increase in mRNAs expression of lysyl oxidase. CONCLUSION: Human IAV can infect the heart and cardiac-specific conduction system, which may contribute to cardiac complications and premature death.

Tetra-ammonium bis-(metforminium) di-µ6-oxido-tetra-µ3-oxido-tetra-deca-µ2-oxido-octa-oxidodeca-vanadium(V) hexa-hydrate.

The title compound, (NH4)4(C4H12N5)2[V10O28]·6H2O, crystallizes with the deca-vanadate anion placed on an inversion centre in space group P . This anion is surrounded by a first shell of ammonium cations and water mol-ecules, forming efficient N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A second shell includes metforminium monocations with a twisted geometry, also forming numerous inter-molecular hydrogen bonds. The complex three-dimensional network of non-covalent inter-actions affords a crystal structure in which the cations and anions are densely packed.

A Network of Macrophages Supports Mitochondrial Homeostasis in the Heart.

Cardiomyocytes are subjected to the intense mechanical stress and metabolic demands of the beating heart. It is unclear whether these cells, which are long-lived and rarely renew, manage to preserve homeostasis on their own. While analyzing macrophages lodged within the healthy myocardium, we discovered that they actively took up material, including mitochondria, derived from cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes ejected dysfunctional mitochondria and other cargo in dedicated membranous particles reminiscent of neural exophers, through a process driven by the cardiomyocyte's autophagy machinery that was enhanced during cardiac stress. Depletion of cardiac macrophages or deficiency in the phagocytic receptor Mertk resulted in defective elimination of mitochondria from the myocardial tissue, activation of the inflammasome, impaired autophagy, accumulation of anomalous mitochondria in cardiomyocytes, metabolic alterations, and ventricular dysfunction. Thus, we identify an immune-parenchymal pair in the murine heart that enables transfer of unfit material to preserve metabolic stability and organ function. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Cell identity and nucleo-mitochondrial genetic context modulate OXPHOS performance and determine somatic heteroplasmy dynamics.

Heteroplasmy, multiple variants of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the same cytoplasm, may be naturally generated by mutations but is counteracted by a genetic mtDNA bottleneck during oocyte development. Engineered heteroplasmic mice with nonpathological mtDNA variants reveal a nonrandom tissue-specific mtDNA segregation pattern, with few tissues that do not show segregation. The driving force for this dynamic complex pattern has remained unexplained for decades, challenging our understanding of this fundamental biological problem and hindering clinical planning for inherited diseases. Here, we demonstrate that the nonrandom mtDNA segregation is an intracellular process based on organelle selection. This cell type-specific decision arises jointly from the impact of mtDNA haplotypes on the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system and the cell metabolic requirements and is strongly sensitive to the nuclear context and to environmental cues.

Neutrophils instruct homeostatic and pathological states in naive tissues.

Immune protection relies on the capacity of neutrophils to infiltrate challenged tissues. Naive tissues, in contrast, are believed to remain free of these cells and protected from their toxic cargo. Here, we show that neutrophils are endowed with the capacity to infiltrate multiple tissues in the steady-state, a process that follows tissue-specific dynamics. By focusing in two particular tissues, the intestine and the lungs, we find that neutrophils infiltrating the intestine are engulfed by resident macrophages, resulting in repression of Il23 transcription, reduced G-CSF in plasma, and reinforced activity of distant bone marrow niches. In contrast, diurnal accumulation of neutrophils within the pulmonary vasculature influenced circadian transcription in the lungs. Neutrophil-influenced transcripts in this organ were associated with carcinogenesis and migration. Consistently, we found that neutrophils dictated the diurnal patterns of lung invasion by melanoma cells. Homeostatic infiltration of tissues unveils a facet of neutrophil biology that supports organ function, but can also instigate pathological states.

Phagocytosis imprints heterogeneity in tissue-resident macrophages.

Tissue-resident macrophages display varying phenotypic and functional properties that are largely specified by their local environment. One of these functions, phagocytosis, mediates the natural disposal of billions of cells, but its mechanisms and consequences within living tissues are poorly defined. Using a parabiosis-based strategy, we identified and isolated macrophages from multiple tissues as they phagocytosed blood-borne cellular material. Phagocytosis was circadianally regulated and mediated by distinct repertoires of receptors, opsonins, and transcription factors in macrophages from each tissue. Although the tissue of residence defined the core signature of macrophages, phagocytosis imprinted a distinct antiinflammatory profile. Phagocytic macrophages expressed CD206, displayed blunted expression of Il1b, and supported tissue homeostasis. Thus, phagocytosis is a source of macrophage heterogeneity that acts together with tissue-derived factors to preserve homeostasis.

Linguistic and Cultural Adaptation of a Computer-Based Counseling Program (CARE+ Spanish) to Support HIV Treatment Adherence and Risk Reduction for People Living With HIV/AIDS: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in the United States disproportionately affects minorities, including Latinos. Barriers including language are associated with lower antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence seen among Latinos, yet ART and interventions for clinic visit adherence are rarely developed or delivered in Spanish. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to adapt a computer-based counseling tool, demonstrated to reduce HIV-1 viral load and sexual risk transmission in a population of English-speaking adults, for use during routine clinical visits for an HIV-positive Spanish-speaking population (CARE+ Spanish); the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was the theoretical framework guiding program development. METHODS: A longitudinal randomized controlled trial was conducted from June 4, 2010 to March 29, 2012. Participants were recruited from a comprehensive HIV treatment center comprising three clinics in New York City. Eligibility criteria were (1) adults (age ≥18 years), (2) Latino birth or ancestry, (3) speaks Spanish (mono- or multilingual), and (4) on antiretrovirals. Linear and generalized mixed linear effects models were used to analyze primary outcomes, which included ART adherence, sexual transmission risk behaviors, and HIV-1 viral loads. Exit interviews were offered to purposively selected intervention participants to explore cultural acceptability of the tool among participants, and focus groups explored the acceptability and system efficiency issues among clinic providers, using the TAM framework. RESULTS: A total of 494 Spanish-speaking HIV clinic attendees were enrolled and randomly assigned to the intervention (arm A: n=253) or risk assessment-only control (arm B, n=241) group and followed up at 3-month intervals for one year. Gender distribution was 296 (68.4%) male, 110 (25.4%) female, and 10 (2.3%) transgender. By study end, 433 of 494 (87.7%) participants were retained. Although intervention participants had reduced viral loads, increased ART adherence and decreased sexual transmission risk behaviors over time, these findings were not statistically significant. We also conducted 61 qualitative exit interviews with participants and two focus groups with a total of 16 providers. CONCLUSIONS: A computer-based counseling tool grounded in the TAM theoretical model and delivered in Spanish was acceptable and feasible to implement in a high-volume HIV clinic setting. It was able to provide evidence-based, linguistically appropriate ART adherence support without requiring additional staff time, bilingual status, or translation services. We found that language preferences and cultural acceptability of a computer-based counseling tool exist on a continuum in our urban Spanish-speaking population. Theoretical frameworks of technology's usefulness for behavioral modification need further exploration in other languages and cultures. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01013935; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01013935 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6ikaD3MT7).

Aging: A Temporal Dimension for Neutrophils.

Neutrophils are first-responders, providing early protection against invading pathogens. Recent findings have revealed a temporal dimension to neutrophil function, associated with the clearance cycles for aging neutrophils, and also with a program that endows circulating neutrophils with distinct phenotypic and functional properties at different times of the day, before they are cleared from blood. We review here the process of neutrophil aging and its impact on homeostasis and inflammation. We outline the features of aged neutrophils, examine proposed mechanisms that drive aging, and discuss how these processes may contribute to tissue homeostasis and pathology. In this context we propose that neutrophil aging may optimize host defense by allowing neutrophils to anticipate infections while avoiding permanent activation and subsequent damage.

Density Functional Theory and Electrochemical Studies: Structure-Efficiency Relationship on Corrosion Inhibition.

The relationship between structure and corrosion inhibition of a series of 30 imidazol, benzimidazol, and pyridine derivatives has been established through the investigation of quantum descriptors calculated with PBE/6-311++G**. A quantitative structure-property relationship model was obtained by examination of these descriptors using a genetic functional approximation method based on a multiple linear regression analysis. Our results indicate that the efficiency of corrosion inhibitors is strongly associated with aromaticity, electron donor ability, and molecular volume descriptors. In order to calibrate and validate the proposed model, we performed electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies on imidazole, 2-methylimidazole, benzimidazole, 2-chloromethylbenzimidazole, pyridine, and 2-aminopyridine compounds. The experimental values for efficiency of corrosion inhibition are in good agreement with the estimated values obtained by our model, thus confirming that our approach represents a promising and suitable tool to predict the inhibition of corrosion attributes of nitrogen containing heterocyclic compounds. The adsorption behavior of imidazole or benzimidazole heterocyclic molecules on the Fe(110) surface was also studied to elucidate the inhibition mechanism; the aromaticity played an important role in the adsorbate-surface complex.

[Analysis of the production of psychology professors in Spain in journal articles of the Web of Science]. / Análisis de la producción de los profesores funcionarios de psicología en España en artículos de revistas de la Web of Science.

The present work is a descriptive study by means of document analysis that aims to make the analysis of the more productive professors of psychology in Spain trough indexed Web of Science journal articles. The sample was conformed of the first one hundred more productive professors of each one of the six academic areas of Spanish Psychology. A total of 85492 records were analyzed of which 8770 correspond to the 610 analyzed professors. The main results are that from the more productive professors ranking, six belong to the Psychobiology area and only 4 belong to different areas. With respect to the average proportion of articles by Professor of the six areas of psychology, it was found that that range of the proportion oscillates between 25 and 6. The journal Psicothema maintains the most frequency of records among the professors of the sample since they are 1461 which represents a 17% of the total. Finally, we discuss the results and mentioned the implications in the professor's evaluation.

[Doctoral theses production of the more productive Spanish psychology professors in the Web of Science]. / Producción en tesis doctorales de los profesores funcionarios de Psicología en España más productivos en la Web of Science.

The purpose of the present study is to analyze the scientific production of the more productive Psychology faculty member of Spain through advised doctoral theses in the data base TESEO. The sample consisted of the 100 more productive professors of each one of the areas of Spanish Psychology. We reviewed a total of 4036 records of which 2339 belong to the 610 professors who conformed the sample. The results reveal that the percentage of professors who have not directed any thesis accounts for 24%. On the other hand, the proportion of thesis by professor by areas oscillates in a range of between 5.25 and 2.50, being Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment the highest of this rank and Behavioral Sciences Methodology the last. In the last 7 years, the most productive professors have duplicated their theses direction. Finally, there is a rising trend in terms of theses read in every area, reaching the greater frequency in the years of 2003 and 2005. We discuss the considerations that represent the doctoral thesis direction for professors as criterion in their evaluation.

Análisis de la producción de los profesores funcionarios de Psicología en España en artículos de revistas de la Web of Science / Analysis of the production of psychology professors in Spain in journal articles of the Web of Science

El presente trabajo es un estudio descriptivo mediante análisis de documentos que tiene como objetivo realizar el análisis de los profesores funcionarios de psicología en España más productivos en artículos de revistas de la Web of Science. La muestra la conformaron los cien profesores más productivos de cada una de las seis áreas académicas de la Psicología española. Se analizaron un total de 85.492 registros, de los cuales 8.770 corresponden a los 610 profesores analizados. Los resultados más relevantes son que 6 de los 10 profesores más productivos pertenecen al área de Psicobiología y solo cuatro pertenecen a áreas distintas. En cuanto a la proporción media de artículos por profesor de las seis áreas de la psicología, se encontró que el rango oscila entre 25 y 6. La revista Psicothema mantiene la mayor frecuencia de registros encontrados entre los profesores de la muestra, ya que son 1.461 que suponen un 17% del total. Finalmente, se discuten los resultados y se reflexiona sobre sus implicaciones en la evaluación de los profesores (AU)

The present work is a descriptive study by means of document analysis that aims to make the analysis of the more productive professors of psychology in Spain trough indexed Web of Science journal articles. The sample was conformed of the first one hundred more productive professors of each one of the six academic areas of Spanish Psychology. A total of 85492 records were analyzed of which 8770 correspond to the 610 analyzed professors. The main results are that from the more productive professors ranking, six belong to the Psychobiology area and only 4 belong to different areas. With respect to the average proportion of articles by Professor of the six areas of psychology, it was found that that range of the proportion oscillates between 25 and 6. The journal Psicothema maintains the most frequency of records among the professors of the sample since they are 1461 which represents a 17% of the total. Finally, we discuss the results and mentioned the implications in the professor’s evaluation (AU)