Drop-out, adherence, and compliance in randomized controlled trials of exercise training in multiple sclerosis: Short report.

We documented reporting and rates of drop-out, adherence, and compliance from 40 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included in our meta-analysis on safety of exercise training (ET) in MS. We adopted definitions and metrics of adherence and compliance provided by the MoXFo adherence group. Drop-out was reported in 100% of the RCTs and approximated 10% for intervention and control conditions. Adherence and compliance were reported in approximately 50% and 10% of the RCTs, respectively, and approximated 80% and 70%, respectively. Standardized metrics for reporting adherence and compliance are important in future RCTs for understanding the impact on outcomes and translation of research evidence into practice.

DEPhT: a novel approach for efficient prophage discovery and precise extraction.

Advances in genome sequencing have produced hundreds of thousands of bacterial genome sequences, many of which have integrated prophages derived from temperate bacteriophages. These prophages play key roles by influencing bacterial metabolism, pathogenicity, antibiotic resistance, and defense against viral attack. However, they vary considerably even among related bacterial strains, and they are challenging to identify computationally and to extract precisely for comparative genomic analyses. Here, we describe DEPhT, a multimodal tool for prophage discovery and extraction. It has three run modes that facilitate rapid screening of large numbers of bacterial genomes, precise extraction of prophage sequences, and prophage annotation. DEPhT uses genomic architectural features that discriminate between phage and bacterial sequences for efficient prophage discovery, and targeted homology searches for precise prophage extraction. DEPhT is designed for prophage discovery in Mycobacterium genomes but can be adapted broadly to other bacteria. We deploy DEPhT to demonstrate that prophages are prevalent in Mycobacterium strains but are absent not only from the few well-characterized Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, but also are absent from all ∼30 000 sequenced M. tuberculosis strains.

Evaluating the impact of individuals' morningness-eveningness on the effectiveness of a habit-formation intervention for a simple and a complex behavior.

Planning-based interventions are often used to help individuals form habits. Existing literature suggests a one-size-fits all approach to habit formation, but planning interventions may be optimized if tailored to individual differences and/or behavioral complexity. We test the hypothesis that planning to do a relatively complex behaviour (exercise) at a time that matches an individuals' diurnal preference will facilitate behavioral engagement; whereas for a simpler behaviour (calcium supplementation), the optimal time-of-day for a new behavior will occur in the morning. Young, women volunteers (N = 317) were randomly assigned to take calcium supplements or to exercise for 4 weeks and to control (no planning) or to one of three planning interventions (morning plan; evening plan; unassigned-time plan). Participants reported diurnal preference at baseline and habit strength and behavioral frequency weekly. Fitbit Zips and Medication Event Monitoring System Caps (MEMS) were used to objectively assess behavioral engagement. Multilevel modelling found that calcium-supplementation was greatest for morning-types in the morning-cue condition, whereas exercise was greatest for morning-types with morning cues and evening-types with evening cues. Habit-formation strategies may depend on diurnal preference and behavioral complexity. Future research can evaluate the role of other individual differences.

Associations between adversity in the family of origin and hair cortisol concentration in adulthood.

The current study examined associations between parental adversities as experienced in adolescence and hair cortisol concentration (HCC) 26 years later (n = 47). Specifically, bivariate correlations and linear regressions were used to examine harsh parenting as well as parental economic pressure, emotional distress, and body mass index (BMI) when their adolescent was between 15 and 16 years old (parent average age 43). HCC was measured when the adolescent was an adult (average 42 years old), at a similar age to when their parent(s) first participated in the study. We also assessed their economic pressure, emotional distress, obesity, and perceived stress in adulthood. For results across generations, parental economic pressure experienced during adolescence was significantly related to HCC when these adolescents were adults. None of the adult economic pressure, emotional distress, BMI, and perceived stress variables were associated with their HCC. Interestingly, there were significant associations among adult perceived stress, economic pressure, emotional distress, and obesity. Thus, the association between parental economic pressure and adult HCC is independent of adult adversities. Results highlight early economic adversity as a possible childhood stressor that has implications throughout the life course.

Pre-widowhood social support is linked to loneliness patterns: a growth mixture model using the health and retirement study.

OBJECTIVES: The first aim of the study is to compare loneliness levels between widowed and non-widowed older adults. The second aim is to identify distinct loneliness patterns among widowed individuals and explore the impact of pre-spousal loss social support on loneliness during and after bereavement. METHOD: Data from the Health and Retirement Study were utilized to compare loneliness levels between widowed (n = 137) and non-widowed (n = 2361) older adults (Mage = 69.01). T-tests and latent growth curve models were conducted to compare loneliness levels between the two groups. Growth mixture models were computed to identify distinct loneliness patterns among the widowed individuals. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine how pre-widowhood social support was associated with the obtained classes. RESULTS: The results revealed that widowed individuals reported significantly higher levels of loneliness at T2. Among widowed individuals, three distinct loneliness patterns were identified: Increased Loneliness (IL) group (n = 32); Low and Stable Loneliness (LSL) group (n = 88); and Decreased Loneliness (DL) group (n = 17). The IL and DL group were less likely to receive social support from spouse, children, and friends compared to the LSL group. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence of the protective effect of pre-widowhood social support on the psychological well-being of older adults after spousal loss.

Strong on-Chip Microwave Photon-Magnon Coupling Using Ultralow-Damping Epitaxial Y3Fe5O12 Films at 2 K.

Y3Fe5O12 is arguably the best magnetic material for magnonic quantum information science (QIS) because of its extremely low damping. We report ultralow damping at 2 K in epitaxial Y3Fe5O12 thin films grown on a diamagnetic Y3Sc2Ga3O12 substrate that contains no rare-earth elements. Using these ultralow damping YIG films, we demonstrate for the first time strong coupling between magnons in patterned YIG thin films and microwave photons in a superconducting Nb resonator. This result paves the road toward scalable hybrid quantum systems that integrate superconducting microwave resonators, YIG film magnon conduits, and superconducting qubits into on-chip QIS devices.

The Role of Resilience in the Impact of Family Economic Adversity on Youth Emotional Distress over Time.

Previous research has highlighted the enduring negative impact of family economic adversity on youth emotional well-being. However, the longitudinal mechanism underlying the link between economic adversity and emotional distress is less explored. The present study examined the longitudinal pathway of parent economic adversity, and parent and adolescent emotional distress at age 16, parental support at age 21, youth self-esteem and mastery at age 23, and adult emotional distress at age 27. Data came from the Family Transitions Project (N = 441, 57% female), a 30-year study of families from the rural Midwest. Structural equation models revealed that economic adversity exerted a long-term negative influence on adult emotional well-being through parent and adolescent emotional distress and youth self-esteem and mastery. Additionally, parental support was associated with adult emotional distress through youth self-esteem and mastery. The current study advances our understanding of youth emotional well-being by suggesting a longitudinal family process and resilience pathways from adolescence to early adulthood.

Safety of exercise training in multiple sclerosis: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A review of the safety profile of exercise training in multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been conducted since 2013. OBJECTIVE: We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of exercise training published since 2013 and quantified estimated population risks of clinical relapse, adverse events (AE) and serious adverse event (SAE). METHODS: Articles reporting safety outcomes from comparisons of exercise training with non-exercise among persons with MS were identified. The risk of bias was established from study's internal validity assessed using Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Rates and estimated mean population relative risks (RRs; 95% confidence interval (CI)) of safety outcomes were calculated, and random-effects meta-analysis estimated the mean RR. RESULTS: Forty-six interventions from 40 RCTs (N = 1780) yielded 46, 40 and 39 effects for relapse, AE, adverse effects and SAE, respectively. The mean population RRs ((95% CI), p-value) for relapse, AE and SAE were 0.95 ((0.61, 1.48), p = 0.82), 1.40 ((0.90, 2.19), p = 0.14) and 1.05 ((0.62, 1.80), p = 0.85), respectively. No significant heterogeneity is observed for any outcome. CONCLUSION: In studies that reported safety outcomes, there was no higher risk of relapse, AE, adverse effects or SAE for exercise training than the comparator. Exercise training may be promoted as safe and beneficial to persons with MS.

Effects of a brief self-compassion intervention for college students with impostor phenomenon.

The present study used a latent growth curve modeling approach to (a) examine the effectiveness of a brief self-compassion intervention on reducing impostor phenomenon, maladaptive perfectionism, and psychological distress and (b) explore who would benefit more from this intervention. A total of 227 college students at a large Midwest university were randomly assigned to participate in either a 4-week brief self-compassion intervention group or a nonintervention control group. Analyses of the effectiveness of the intervention suggested the brief self-compassion intervention had significant treatment effects for reducing impostor phenomenon and maladaptive perfectionism. Moreover, this study also examined whether participants with different levels of fear of self-compassion and core self-evaluation would report different levels of treatment effectiveness. Fear of self-compassion was found to be a significant moderator of the intervention effects in reducing maladaptive perfectionism and psychological distress. Specifically, participants in the intervention group with higher levels of fear of self-compassion reported a greater decline in both maladaptive perfectionism and psychological distress over time when compared to those with lower levels of fear of self-compassion. Core self-evaluation significantly moderated the effectiveness of this intervention in reducing participants' levels of impostor phenomenon and maladaptive perfectionism. Specifically, participants in the intervention group with lower core self-evaluation reported a greater reduction in maladaptive perfectionism over time when compared to those with higher core self-evaluation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of dental hygiene instrument handles on muscle activity production.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 10 commercially available instrument handle designs' mass and diameter on forearm muscle activity during a simulated periodontal scaling experience. METHODS: A convenience sample of 25 registered dental hygienists was recruited for this IRB-approved study. Ten commercially available instruments were categorized into four groups based on their masses and diameters: large diameter/light mass, small diameter/light mass, large diameter/heavy mass and small diameter/heavy mass. Participants were randomized to four instruments, one from each group. Participants scaled with each instrument in a simulated oral environment while muscle activity was collected using surface electromyography. Muscle activity was compared among the four instrument group types. RESULTS: Muscle activity of the flexor digitorum superficialis was not significantly influenced by instrument mass (p = 0.60) or diameter (p = 0.15). Flexor pollicis longus muscle activity was not significantly influenced by instrument mass (p = 0.81); diameter had a significant effect (p = 0.001), with smaller diameter instruments producing more muscle activity. For the extensor digitorum communis and extensor carpi radialis brevis, instrument mass did not significantly affect muscle activity (p = 0.64, p = 0.43), while diameter narrowly failed to reach significance for both muscles (p = 0.08, p = 0.08); muscle activity for both muscles increased with smaller diameter instruments. CONCLUSION: Results from this study indicate instrument diameter is more influential than mass on muscle activity generation; small diameter instruments increased muscle activity generation when compared to large diameter instruments. Future research in real-world settings is needed to determine the clinical impact of these findings.

Low to Intermediate (Borderline) Grade Breast Spindle Cell Lesions on Needle Biopsy: Diagnostic Approach and Clinical Management.

Spindle cell proliferations of the breast are a heterogeneous group of lesions ranging from benign or reactive lesions to aggressive malignant neoplasms. Diagnosis on core biopsy can be particularly challenging as lesions displaying different lineages associated with variable outcomes share overlapping morphologies (scar vs. fibromatosis-like metaplastic carcinoma) whereas individual entities can exhibit a large variety of appearances (myofibroblastoma). In this review, lesions are grouped into lineage, when possible, including those showing fibroblastic/myofibroblastic differentiation, ranging from entities that require no additional management, such as scar and nodular fasciitis, to those with unpredictable clinical outcomes such as fibromatosis and solitary fibrous tumor or locally aggressive behavior such as dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. The review of low-grade vascular lesions includes atypical vascular lesion and low-grade angiosarcoma. Also discussed are various adipocytic lesions ranging from lipoma to liposarcoma, and rare smooth muscle and neural entities more commonly encountered in locations outside the breast, such as leiomyoma, neurofibroma, schwannoma, or granular cell tumor. Optimal histological evaluation of these entities merges clinical and radiologic data with morphology and ancillary testing. We present our approach to immunohistochemical and other ancillary testing and highlight issues in pathology correlation with imaging. Recent updates in the management of breast spindle cell lesions are addressed. In a well-sampled lesion with radiographic concordance, the core biopsy diagnosis reliably guides management and we advocate the inclusion of management recommendations in the pathology report. Precise characterization using up to date guidelines is important to identify a subset of patients who may safely avoid unnecessary surgical procedures. A multidisciplinary approach with close collaboration with our clinical colleagues is emphasized.

Factor analysis of the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument: Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study.

OBJECTIVE: The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) is a screening test of global cognitive function used in research and clinical settings. However, the CASI was developed using face validity and has not been investigated via empirical tests such as factor analyses. Thus, we aimed to develop and test a parsimonious conceptualization of the CASI rooted in cognitive aging literature reflective of crystallized and fluid abilities. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis implementing confirmatory factor analyses where we tested the proposed two-factor solution, an alternate one-factor solution, and conducted a χ2 difference test to determine which model had a significantly better fit. SETTING: N/A. PARTICIPANTS: Data came from 3,491 men from the Kuakini Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. MEASUREMENTS: The Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument. RESULTS: Findings demonstrated that both models fit the data; however, the two-factor model had a significantly better fit than the one-factor model. Criterion validity tests indicated that participant age was negatively associated with both factors and that education was positively associated with both factors. Further tests demonstrated that fluid abilities were significantly and negatively associated with a later-life dementia diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: We encourage investigators to use the two-factor model of the CASI as it could shed light on underlying cognitive processes, which may be more informative than using a global measure of cognition.

A feasibility trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients with asthma.

Asthma outcomes remain suboptimal, despite effective pharmacotherapy. Psychological dysfunction (such as anxiety) is common, and associated with poorer outcomes. We evaluated a digital mindfulness programme as an intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients, in a prospectively registered randomized-controlled feasibility study. We offered 'Headspace', a widely-used digital mindfulness intervention, to adults with asthma through 16 UK GP practices. Participants were randomized on a 2:1 basis to the mindfulness intervention, or waitlist control. Participants completed questionnaires (including asthma symptom control, asthma-related quality of life, anxiety, depression) at baseline, 6-week and 3-month follow-up. 116 participants completed primary outcomes at 3-month follow-up: intervention 73 (79%), control 43 (84%). Compared to baseline, the intervention group but not the control group reported significantly improved asthma-related quality of life, with a between-group difference favoring the intervention group that was not significant (Mean difference = 0.15, 95%CI - 0.13 to 0.42). Intervention use varied (ranging from 0 to 192 times) but was generally high. Digital mindfulness interventions are feasible and acceptable adjunct treatments for mild and moderate asthma to target quality of life. Further research should adapt 'generic' mindfulness-based stress-reduction to maximize effectiveness for asthma, and validate our findings in a fully-powered randomized controlled trial.Trial registration Prospectively registered: ISRCTN52212323.

Introduction to the special issue on education in acoustics.

A substantial fraction of the membership of the Acoustical Society of America are faculty at various types of educational institutions and are actively engaged in educational activities. However, papers focusing on aspects of teaching, pedagogy, demonstrations, student learning, and other education topics are not often published in JASA, even though the Education in Acoustics Committee regularly offers special sessions on these topics at every ASA meeting. This special issue of JASA dedicated to Education in Acoustics includes 41 papers from authors all over the world. This introduction to the special issue briefly describes each of the papers, which have been organized into several broad categories: teaching methods and exercises; project-based learning; use of experiments, demos, and experiential learning; adapting to teaching during COVID-19; circuit models and impedance concepts; software apps and online resources; teaching musical acoustics; and descriptions of acoustics programs at a variety of institutions.

The relation between falls risk and movement variability in Parkinson's disease.

Falls are a major health concern for older adults with Parkinson's disease (PD). This study was designed to examine differences in falls risk and its relation to changes in the average and variability (i.e. intra-individual variability) of reaction time (RT), finger tapping, standing balance and walking between healthy older adults and persons with PD. Thirty-nine adults with PD (70.0 ± 8.1 years) and 29 healthy older adults (66.8 ± 10.4 years) participated in this study. Falls risk (using the physiological profile assessment), gait, RT, balance and tapping responses were assessed for all persons. Results demonstrated that individuals with PD exhibited a greater risk of falling coupled with a general slowing of motor function covering declines in walking, RT and finger tapping. In addition, the movement responses of the PD group were more variable than the healthy older adults. Correlation results revealed group differences with regards to the neuromotor measures which were significantly correlated with falls risk. For the PD group, gait measures were highly correlated with their falls risk while, for the healthy older adults, falls risk was linked to balance measures even though PD persons had increased sway. Overall, persons with PD were at greater falls risk, moved slower and with increased variability compared to the healthy older adults. Further, while there are some similarities between the two groups in terms of those measures related to falls risk, there were also several differences which highlight that persons with PD can have different risk factors for falling compared to healthy adults of similar age.

Relationship Between Coronavirus-Related eHealth Literacy and COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among US Adults: Web-Based Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: During a global pandemic, it is critical that the public is able to rapidly acquire new and accurate health information. The internet is a major source of health information. eHealth literacy is the ability of individuals to find, assess, and use health information available on the internet. OBJECTIVE: The goals of this study were to assess coronavirus-related eHealth literacy and examine the relationship between eHealth literacy and COVID-19-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs). METHODS: We conducted a web-based survey of a representative sample of 1074 US adults. We adapted the 8-item eHealth Literacy Scale to develop the Coronavirus-Related eHealth Literacy Scale (CoV-eHEALS) to measure COVID-19-related knowledge, conspiracy beliefs, and adherence to protective behaviors (eg, wearing facial masks and social distancing). Our analyses identified sociodemographic associations with the participants' CoV-eHEALS scores and an association between the CoV-eHEALS measure and COVID-19 KAPs. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the adapted CoV-eHEALS measure was high (Cronbach α=.92). The mean score for the CoV-eHEALS was 29.0 (SD 6.1). A total of 29% (306/1074) of the survey participants were classified as having low coronavirus-related eHealth literacy (CoV-eHEALS score <26). Independent associations were found between CoV-eHEALS scores and ethnicity (standardized ß=-.083, P=.016 for Black participants) and education level (standardized ß=-.151, P=.001 for participants with high-school education or lower). Controlling for demographic characteristics, CoV-eHEALS scores demonstrated positive independent associations with knowledge (standardized ß=.168, P<.001) and adherence to protective behaviors (standardized ß=.241, P<.001) and a negative association with conspiracy beliefs (standardized ß=-.082, P=.009). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an estimate of coronavirus-related eHealth literacy among US adults. Our findings suggest that a substantial proportion of US adults have low coronavirus-related eHealth literacy and are thus at a greater risk of lower and less-protective COVID-19 KAPs. These findings highlight the need to assess and address eHealth literacy as part of COVID-19 control efforts. Potential strategies include improving the quality of health information about COVID-19 available on the internet, assisting or simplifying web-based search for information about COVID-19, and training to improve general or coronavirus-specific search skills.

Reducing loneliness and improving well-being among older adults with animatronic pets.

BACKGROUND: Studies consistently demonstrate that older adults who are lonely have higher rates of depression and increased mortality risk. Pet ownership may be a solution for loneliness; however, challenges related to pet ownership exist for older adults. Therefore, researchers and practitioners are examining the use of animatronic pets to reduce loneliness. OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of an animatronic pet program, and whether ownership of animatronic pets would decrease loneliness and improve well-being among lonely older adults. METHODS: Eligible individuals were identified as lonely through a prior survey. Participants were provided with the choice of an animatronic pet and completed T1/T2/T3 surveys. RESULTS: Attrition was high; 168 (63%) participants completed T1/T2 surveys, and 125 (48%) also completed a T3 survey. Post survey data indicated that loneliness decreased, while mental well-being, resilience, and purpose in life improved. Frequent interactions with the pets were associated with greater improvement in mental well-being and optimism. CONCLUSIONS: Animatronic pets appear to provide benefits for the well-being of lonely older adults. Future studies should employ randomized controlled designs examining the impact of animatronic pets.

A Cultural Comparison of Personality Profiles of U.S. and Japanese Centenarians.

The purpose of this study was a cross-cultural examination of centenarians' personality through a person-centered approach to examine if there is a "resilient" personality profile consistent across cultures. Proxy reports information was obtained from family and close friends of 239 U.S. centenarians from the Georgia Centenarians Study and 272 Japanese centenarians from the Tokyo Centenarian Study. Latent profile analyses were conducted to identify personality profiles in centenarians from the United States and Japan. Two personality profiles were identified in both samples: a "resilient" personality profile and "nonresilient" personality profile. The "resilient" group had higher levels of positive personality traits with higher scores on agreeableness and extraversion and lower scores on neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness. The "nonresilient" group had higher scores on neuroticism and lower scores on extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Fifty percent of U.S. centenarians and 65% of Japanese centenarians were in the "resilient" group.

Magnification loupes influence on neck and trunk flexion of dental hygienists while scaling-A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are common in the dental hygiene profession. Awkward postures contribute to MSDs and magnification loupes have been suggested to reduce this risk factor and minimize MSDs. METHODS: After IRB approval, 24 hygienists were enrolled in the study: twelve hygienists wearing loupes with a standard manufacturer determined declination angle (control) and 12 hygienists wearing loupes with a custom measured declination angle (experimental). To measure changes in neck and trunk flexion, accelerometers were placed on the occipital region of head, cervical vertebrae C5, and thoracic vertebrae T5 and baseline posture was recorded. Typodonts with artificial calculus simulated the oral environment. Participants were randomly assigned to wear their designated loupes during the first or second trial of the experiment and scaled in each quadrant (UR, LR, UL, LL) of the mouth for two minutes. Participants completed the scaling task twice: in the loupes and no loupes condition in a counterbalanced order. Three-way mixed design ANOVA was used to determine posture differences in neck and trunk posture. RESULTS: Those wearing custom loupes (M = 16.52, SD = 6.40) had significantly less trunk flexion while scaling compared to hygienists wearing standard loupes (M = 22.27, SD = 6.40), F(1, 22) = 7.14, P = .01. Neck flexion was not significantly affected while scaling between loupes vs no loupes or loupes type condition, (P's > .05). CONCLUSION: Posture was partially impacted by loupes type. Custom loupes resulted in less trunk flexion. Neck flexion was not affected by either loupes type.

Heteroarylamide smoothened inhibitors: Discovery of N-[2,4-dimethyl-5-(1-methylimidazol-4-yl)phenyl]-4-(2-pyridylmethoxy)benzamide (AZD8542) and N-[5-(1H-imidazol-2-yl)-2,4-dimethyl-phenyl]-4-(2- pyridylmethoxy)benzamide (AZD7254).

Aberrant hedgehog (Hh) pathway signaling is implicated in multiple cancer types and targeting the Smoothened (SMO) receptor, a key protein of the Hh pathway, has proven effective in treating metastasized basal cell carcinoma. Our lead optimization effort focused on a series of heteroarylamides. We observed that a methyl substitution ortho to the heteroaryl groups on an aniline core significantly improved the potency of this series of compounds. These findings predated the availability of SMO crystal structure in 2013. Here we retrospectively applied quantum mechanics calculations to demonstrate the o-Me substitution favors the bioactive conformation by inducing a dihedral twist between the heteroaryl rings and the core aniline. The o-Me also makes favorable hydrophobic interactions with key residue side chains in the binding pocket. From this effort, two compounds (AZD8542 and AZD7254) showed excellent pharmacokinetics across multiple preclinical species and demonstrated in vivo activity in abrogating the Hh paracrine pathway as well as anti- tumor effects.