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OBJECTIVE:: To describe the development and initial psychometric properties of a new outcome measure for health behaviors that delay or prevent secondary impairments associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN:: Persons with SCI were surveyed during routine annual physical evaluations. SETTING:: Veterans Affairs Medical Center Spinal Cord Injury Unit, which specializes in primary care for persons with SCI. PARTICIPANTS:: Forty-nine persons with SCI, aged 19–73 years, 1–50 years post-SCI. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE:: The newly developed Spinal Cord Injury Lifestyle Scale (SCILS). RESULTS:: Internal consistency is high (α=0.81). Correlations between clinicians' ratings of participants' health behavior and the new SCILS provide preliminary support for construct validity. CONCLUSION:: The SCILS is a brief, self-report measure of health-related behavior in persons with SCI. It is a promising new outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical and educational efforts for health maintenance and prevention of secondary impairments associated with SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Northern Ireland Public Access Defibrillation (NIPAD) project was established to train lay volunteers as First Responders (FRs) in the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) at an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We wished to establish the background and experience of the FRs. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to FRs with a prepaid reply envelope and a follow up reminder letter was sent to non-respondents after six weeks. Results: There were 178 questionnaires returned of whom 71/178 (39.9%) were male. The mean age of the FRs was 45.9 yrs (SD 10.7). The education level of the FRs was assessed: 49/178 (27.5%) had received no school education after age 16 and 60/178 (33.7%) were educated at university. Basic medical skills prior to enrolling in the NIPAD project were assessed. 30/178 (16.9%) had no previous first aid training, 45/178 (25.3%) had participated in a basic first aid course, 81/178 (45.5%) had training in basic life support and 17/178 (9.6%) had training in advanced life support. Following training 163/178 (91.6%) felt "totally confident" or "reasonably confident" in using an AED at the scene of an OHCA. No volunteer considered the AED difficult to use. In total 34/178 (19.1%) of FRs were willing to hold an AED permanently. No FR required the use of the confidential counselling service employed by the project. Conclusion: First Responders can be recruited from a variety of backgrounds. The First Responders reported the AED to be easy to use following training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the effect of relA gene inactivation in the virulence and survivability of Francisella novicida. It mentions that F. novicida relA mutant was ineffective for (p)ppGpp production under limited amino acid. It states that relA mutant exhibits an increased biofilm formation associated with the delayed entry in the stationary phase resulting to greater cell numbers. Moreover, it shows that (p)ppGpp could be an intracellular signal essential to F. novicida pathogenesis.

We use a self-assembled two-dimensional Coulomb crystal of ∼70 ions in the presence of an external transverse field to engineer a simulator of the Dicke Hamiltonian, an iconic model in quantum optics which features a quantum phase transition between a superradiant (ferromagnetic) and a normal (paramagnetic) phase. We experimentally implement slow quenches across the quantum critical point and benchmark the dynamics and the performance of the simulator through extensive theory-experiment comparisons which show excellent agreement. The implementation of the Dicke model in fully controllable trapped ion arrays can open a path for the generation of highly entangled states useful for enhanced metrology and the observation of scrambling and quantum chaos in a many-body system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose of Review: This paper reviews the unique processes and treatments of post-traumatic stress in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients and posits specific clinical management recommendations., Recent Findings: PTSD is a common presenting problem for a prospective ICD patient and is a common response to ICD shocks. Approximately 32% of patients with sudden cardiac arrest report significant PTSD symptoms. Following ICD shock, approximately 20% experience PTSD from the shocks. Regardless, PTSD can interrupt and undermine clinical management from a cardiologist perspective and create significant disturbance in patients and families. Few cardiology clinics are outfitted to effectively manage psychological distress, in general, and PTSD, in particular. Effective management of PTSD patients can be achieved with both direct care in the cardiac clinic, as well as indirect care via multidisciplinary consultation and expertise. The importance of emotional validation, return to physical activity, and family engagement is emphasized in current management., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Health equity means that everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible, but achieving health equity requires the removal of obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, unsafe environments, and lack of access to health care. The pandemic has highlighted the awareness and urgency of delivering patient-centered, high-value care. Disparities in care are antithetical to health equity and have been seen throughout medicine and radiology, including neuroradiology. Health disparities result in low value and costly care that is in conflict with evidence-based medicine, quality standards, and best practices. Although the subject of health equity is often framed as a moral or social justice issue, there are compelling economic arguments that also favor health equity. Not only can waste in health care expenditures be countered but more resources can be devoted to high-value care and other vital national economic interests, including sustainable support for our health system and health providers. There are many opportunities for neuroradiologists to engage in the advancement of health equity, while also advancing the interests of the profession and patient-centered high-value care. Although there is no universal consensus on a definition of health equity, a recent report seeking clarity on the lexicon offered the following conceptual framework: "Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This requires removing obstacles to health such as poverty, discrimination, and their consequences, including powerlessness and lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, quality education and housing, safe environments, and health care." 1 This definition contrasts with that of health disparities that contribute to inequitable care as a result of demographic differences among populations such as those attributable to race, sex, access, residence, socioeconomic status, insurance status, age, religion, and disability. 2,3 In effect, the greater the health disparities and negative social determinants of health, the greater the health inequities will be., (© 2022 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.)