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Introduction Acute clinical deterioration in hospital inpatients can be caused by a range of factors including dementia, delirium, substance withdrawal and psychiatric disturbance, creating challenges in diagnosis, often requiring a management plan with input from multiple disciplines. Staff forums and broader literature have confirmed that healthcare staff working in non-mental health settings, may not be as skilled in recognising and managing early signs of emerging and/or escalating clinical agitation. The BoC RRT is a consultation service within the Division of Medicine and CL Psychiatry. Staffed by Medical Registrars and Mental Health Nurses, the collaboration provides a unique healthcare response to acute general wards. The BoC RRT has been implemented to address the rising number of incidences whereby staff and patient safety are compromised. Using evidence-based skills the team aimed to: respond to episodes of clinical agitation that require an internal security response, assist ward referrals by exploring biopsychosocial contributants to behaviour, develop individual patient support plans and review and reduce restrictive intervention practices. Objectives To determine if the rapid response model has influenced: - The impact on staff/patient safety - Frequency of emergency responses for aggression - Frequency of restrictive intervention use Methods This project was approved as a quality assurance project (QA2022018). The patients within scope of the BoC RRT include inpatients in medical and surgical wards. It excludes patients in Emergency Departments, mental health units, outpatient clinics, and visitors. The evaluation of the pilot has used a PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycle when implementing new improvements. A mixed methods approach explored the impact of the BoC RRT. Staff consultation will identify challenges in responding to scenarios whereby there is risk of harm to staff and patients. Staff feedback and the emergency response data was monitored. Results In 2021, there was approx. 720 code greys per month, requiring a security response. Since the implementation of BoC RRT, these numbers have reduced to 527. Reviewing restrictive intrvention practices has identified areas for policy review and need for education. Staff consultation found that nurses were confident caring for those patients exhibiting clinical agitation associated with delirium and dementia. However, caring for people with mental health or substance use disorders were more challenging. Conclusions These interim results indicate that BoC RRT has been generally well received by clinical staff. The decline in code grey responses indicates that it is likely having a positive impact in early identification and management of clinical agitation for hospital inpatients. There is support for this response model to continue beyond the pilot phase and further area for research. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Single-sex classrooms have been a topic of interest in the educational community since the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The academic achievement gap between boys and girls in high school is a complex and multifaceted issue that has garnered significant attention in educational research. Proponents of single-sex classrooms argue that it reduces social anxiety, physical aggression, and can close the achievement gap between boys and girls. This quasi-experimental study compared students in single-sex classrooms and coeducational classrooms of ten various Principles of Agriculture courses in Kentucky, and the influence these teaching models had on students' career interests. Key findings from this experimental study included: (a) boys in single-sex classrooms ranked their interest in the agriculture, food, and natural resources career pathway the highest; (b) the classroom structure nor the sex of the students were not influential to the gain in students interest in the agriculture, food, and environment careers; (c) boys and girls in single-sex classroom structures were influenced more than their coeducational classroom colleagues in a career interest in education and training, particularly, agricultural education. Recommendations from this study include: (a) exposing boys to careers in agricultural education early in high school; (b) prepare teachers on methodologies that limit gender stereotypes within the agriculture career field; and (c) the need for study replication along with longitudinal and qualitative research.

Abstract Background There is lack of population level data on prevalence and distribution of common benign women’s health conditions such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome from the Eastern Mediterranean region despite their significant consequences on quality of life. In particular, there is complete absence of any health statistics from Northern Cyprus, which is an emerging region in Europe. The Cyprus Women’s Health Research (COHERE) Initiative is the first large-scale cross-sectional study in the region, aiming to determine the relative burden of benign women’s health conditions and related co-morbidities in women living in Northern Cyprus. Methods The COHERE Initiative is a cross-sectional study aiming to recruit 8000 women aged 18–55 years and residing for at least the past 5 years in Northern Cyprus. The study is composed of two main steps: (1) Baseline recruitment, including (i) completion of a detailed health questionnaire, which is an expanded version of the World Endometriosis Research Foundation (WERF) Endometriosis Phenome Harmonisation Project (EPHect) standardised questionnaire, including questions on demographics, menstrual history, hormone use, pregnancy, pain (pelvic pain, bladder and bowel pain, migraine), medical history, family history of illnesses, medication use, life-style factors in relation to a wide range of reproductive and endocrine conditions, resource use (ii) measurement of weight, height, waist/hip circumference and blood pressure, (iii) collection of saliva samples for genotyping. (2) Gynaecology clinic follow up, including a pelvic ultrasound scan (USS). There is also a follow-up food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) targeted to all women taking part in the baseline recruitment with an aim to collect more detailed data on dietary habits. Discussion The COHERE Initiative will generate prevalence rates for conditions, define the clinical profiles for women’s health conditions, and estimate the economic burden of these conditions in Northern Cyprus. The results will also provide insights into the current status of health-care among women living in a currently under-investigated region. The genetic findings will inform future gene mapping studies for investigation of the heritable component of conditions in this population/region. Moreover, the results will be compared with other centres collecting data using EPHect tools globally and will help determine population differences and similarities in disease patterns and clinical profiles. The COHERE Initiative will serve as a resource to conduct hypothesis-driven follow-up studies investigating effect of the ‘Mediterranean life-style’ as well as genetic factors on common benign women’s health conditions that maybe specific to Eastern Mediterranean populations.

The UK Acid Gases and Aerosol Monitoring Network (AGANet) was established in 1999 (12 sites, increased to 30 sites from 2006), to provide long-term national monitoring of acid gases (HNO3, SO2, HCl) and aerosol components (NO3−, SO42−, Cl−, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+). An extension of a low-cost denuder-filter pack system (DELTA) that is used to measure NH3 and NH4+ in the UK National Ammonia Monitoring Network (NAMN) provides additional monthly speciated measurements for the AGANet. A comparison of the monthly DELTA measurement with averaged daily results from an annular denuder system showed close agreement, while the sum of HNO3 and NO3− and the sum of NH3 and NH4+ from the DELTA are also consistent with previous filter pack determination of total inorganic nitrogen and total inorganic ammonium, respectively. With the exception of SO2 and SO42−, the AGANet provides, for the first time, the UK concentration fields and seasonal cycles for each of the other measured species. The largest concentrations of HNO3, SO2, and aerosol NO3− and SO42− are found in southern and eastern England and smallest in western Scotland and Northern Ireland, whereas HCl are highest in south-eastern, south-western, and central England, that may be attributed to dual contribution from anthropogenic (coal combustion) and marine sources (reaction of sea salt with acid gases to form HCl). Na+ and Cl− are spatially correlated, with largest concentrations at coastal sites, reflecting a contribution from sea salt. Temporally, peak concentrations in HNO3 occurred in late winter and early spring attributed to photochemical processes. NO3− and SO42− have a spring maxima that coincides with the peak in concentrations of NH3 and NH4+, and are therefore likely attributable to formation of NH4NO3 and (NH4)2SO4 from reaction with higher concentrations of NH3 in spring. By contrast, peak concentrations of SO2, Na+, and Cl− during winter are consistent with combustion sources for SO2 and marine sources in winter for sea salt aerosol. Key pollutant events were captured by the AGANet. In 2003, a spring episode with elevated concentrations of HNO3 and NO3− was driven by meteorology and transboundary transport of NH4NO3 from Europe. A second, but smaller episode occurred in September 2014, with elevated concentrations of SO2, HNO3, SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+ that was shown to be from the Icelandic Holuhraun volcanic eruptions. Since 1999, AGANet has shown substantial decrease in SO2 concentrations relative to HNO3 and NH3, consistent with estimated decline in UK emissions. At the same time, large reductions and changes in the aerosol components provide evidence of a shift in the particulate phase from (NH4)2SO4 to NH4NO3. The potential for NH4NO3 to release NH3 and HNO3 in warm weather, together with the surfeit of NH3 also means that a larger fraction of the reduced and oxidized N is remaining in the gas phase as NH3 and HNO3 as indicated by the increasing trend in ratios of NH3 : NH4+ and HNO3 : NO3− over the 16-year period. Due to different removal rates of the component species by wet and dry deposition, this change is expected to affect spatial patterns of pollutant deposition with consequences for sensitive habitats with exceedance of critical loads of acidity and eutrophication. The changes are also relevant for human health effects assessment, particularly in urban areas as NH4NO3 constitutes a significant fraction of fine particulate matter (

A unique long-term dataset from the UK National Ammonia Monitoring Network (NAMN) is used here to assess spatial, seasonal and long-term variability in atmospheric ammonia (NH3: 1998–2014) and particulate ammonium (NH4+: 1999–2014) across the UK. Extensive spatial heterogeneity in NH3 concentrations is observed, with lowest annual mean concentrations at remote sites (−3) and highest in the areas with intensive agriculture (up to 22 µg m−3), while NH4+ concentrations show less spatial variability (e.g. range of 0.14 to 1.8 µg m−3 annual mean in 2005). Temporally, NH3 concentrations are influenced by environmental conditions and local emission sources. In particular, peak NH3 concentrations are observed in summer at background sites (defined by 5 km grid average NH3 emissions −1 yr−1) and in areas dominated by sheep farming, driven by increased volatilization of NH3 in warmer summer temperatures. In areas where cattle, pig and poultry farming is dominant, the largest NH3 concentrations are in spring and autumn, matching periods of manure application to fields. By contrast, peak concentrations of NH4+ aerosol occur in spring, associated with long-range transboundary sources. An estimated decrease in NH3 emissions by 16 % between 1998 and 2014 was reported by the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. Annually averaged NH3 data from NAMN sites operational over the same period (n = 59) show an indicative downward trend, although the reduction in NH3 concentrations is smaller and non-significant: Mann–Kendall (MK), −6.3 %; linear regression (LR), −3.1 %. In areas dominated by pig and poultry farming, a significant reduction in NH3 concentrations between 1998 and 2014 (MK: −22 %; LR: −21 %, annually averaged NH3) is consistent with, but not as large as the decrease in estimated NH3 emissions from this sector over the same period (−39 %). By contrast, in cattle-dominated areas there is a slight upward trend (non-significant) in NH3 concentrations (MK: +12 %; LR: +3.6 %, annually averaged NH3), despite the estimated decline in NH3 emissions from this sector since 1998 (−11 %). At background and sheep-dominated sites, NH3 concentrations increased over the monitoring period. These increases (non-significant) at background (MK: +17 %; LR: +13 %, annually averaged data) and sheep-dominated sites (MK: +15 %; LR: +19 %, annually averaged data) would be consistent with the concomitant reduction in SO2 emissions over the same period, leading to a longer atmospheric lifetime of NH3, thereby increasing NH3 concentrations in remote areas. The observations for NH3 concentrations not decreasing as fast as estimated emission trends are consistent with a larger downward trend in annual particulate NH4+ concentrations (1999–2014: MK: −47 %; LR: −49 %, p n = 23), associated with a lower formation of particulate NH4+ in the atmosphere from gas phase NH3.

This exploratory study sought to determine if the Fast Friend intervention (Aron, Melinat, Aron, Vallone, & Bator, 1997) improve racial cognizance of cross-group dyads. Data were collected from freshmen (n=34) enrolled in a college of agriculture. The treatment and control groups included cross-group, same-sex, dyads composed of African American students and Caucasian students. In this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent comparison group, descriptive statistics revealed both the treatment and control participants failed to establish a difference between pretest/posttest and between control/treatment participants in Implicit Theory of Intelligence Scale, Color Blind Racial Attitude Scale, and Communal Orientation Scale. However, results did indicate significance in the Collective Self-Esteem Scale among treatment group participants and control group participants overtime. At the end of the study, a significant difference existed as treatment participants were more adaptive while the control were more maladaptive. Results indicate that engaged conversations among interracial groups over a short period of time, does not have large impacts on cognizance, but makes substantial differences among perception of whom they feel comfortable talking to. Further research should be conducted to establish interventions that measure racial cognizance through longitudinal studies, cross-institutional studies, and an increase quantity of participants.

This paper describes the motivation for the creation of the Vulnerability, Impacts, Adaptation and Climate Services (VIACS) Advisory Board for the Sixth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), its initial activities, and its plans to serve as a bridge between climate change applications experts and climate modelers. The climate change application community comprises researchers and other specialists who use climate information (alongside socioeconomic and other environmental information) to analyze vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation of natural systems and society in relation to past, ongoing, and projected future climate change. Much of this activity is directed toward the co-development of information needed by decision-makers for managing projected risks. CMIP6 provides a unique opportunity to facilitate a two-way dialog between climate modelers and VIACS experts who are looking to apply CMIP6 results for a wide array of research and climate services objectives. The VIACS Advisory Board convenes leaders of major impact sectors, international programs, and climate services to solicit community feedback that increases the applications relevance of the CMIP6-Endorsed Model Intercomparison Projects (MIPs). As an illustration of its potential, the VIACS community provided CMIP6 leadership with a list of prioritized climate model variables and MIP experiments of the greatest interest to the climate model applications community, indicating the applicability and societal relevance of climate model simulation outputs. The VIACS Advisory Board also recommended an impacts version of Obs4MIPs and indicated user needs for the gridding and processing of model output.

Volcanic emissions, specifically from Iceland, pose a pan-European risk and are on the UK National Risk Register due to potential impacts on aviation, public health, agriculture, the environment and the economy, from both effusive and explosive activity. During the 2014–2015 fissure eruption at Holuhraun in Iceland, the UK atmosphere was significantly perturbed. This study focuses one major incursion in September 2014, affecting the surface concentrations of both aerosols and gases across the UK, with sites in Scotland experiencing the highest sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. The perturbation event observed was confirmed to originate from the fissure eruption using satellite data from GOME2B and the chemical transport model, EMEP4UK, which was used to establish the spatial distribution of the plume over the UK during the event of interest. At the two UK European Monitoring and Evaluation Program (EMEP) supersite observatories (Auchencorth Moss, SE Scotland, and Harwell, SE England) significant alterations in sulfate (SO42−) content of PM10 and PM2.5 during this event, concurrently with evidence of an increase in ultrafine aerosol most likely due to nucleation and growth of aerosol within the plume, were observed. At Auchencorth Moss, higher hydrochloric acid (HCl) concentrations during the September event (max = 1.21 µg m−3, cf. annual average 0.12 µg m−3 in 2013), were assessed to be due to acid displacement of chloride (Cl−) from sea salt (NaCl) to form HCl gas rather than due to primary emissions of HCl from Holuhraun. The gas and aerosol partitioning at Auchencorth Moss of inorganic species by thermodynamic modelling confirmed the observed partitioning of HCl. Using the data from the chemical thermodynamic model, ISORROPIA-II, there is evidence that the background aerosol, which is typically basic at this site, became acidic with an estimated pH of 3.8 during the peak of the event.Volcano plume episodes were periodically observed by the majority of the UK air quality monitoring networks during the first 4 months of the eruption (August–December 2014), at both hourly and monthly resolution. In the low-resolution networks, which provide monthly SO2 averages, concentrations were found to be significantly elevated at remote “clean” sites in NE Scotland and SW England, with record-high SO2 concentrations for some sites in September 2014. For sites which are regularly influenced by anthropogenic emissions, taking into account the underlying trends, the eruption led to statistically unremarkable SO2 concentrations (return probabilities > 0.1, ∼ 10 months). However, for a few sites, SO2 concentrations were clearly much higher than has been previously observed (return probability 3000 months). The Holuhraun Icelandic eruption has resulted in a unique study providing direct evidence of atmospheric chemistry perturbation of both gases and aerosols in the UK background atmosphere. The measurements can be used to both challenge and verify existing atmospheric chemistry of volcano plumes, especially those originating from effusive eruptions, which have been underexplored due to limited observations available in the literature. If all European data sets were collated this would allow improved model verification and risk assessments for future volcanic eruptions of this type.

A new coastal background site has been established for observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the central Namib Desert at Gobabeb, Namibia. The location of the site was chosen to provide observations for a data-poor region in the global sampling network for GHGs. Semi-automated continuous measurements of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, atmospheric oxygen, and basic meteorology are made at a height of 21 m a.g.l., 50 km from the coast at the northern border of the Namib Sand Sea. Atmospheric oxygen is measured with a differential fuel cell analyzer (DFCA). Carbon dioxide and methane are measured with an early-model cavity ring-down spectrometer (CRDS); nitrous oxide and carbon monoxide are measured with an off-axis integrated cavity output spectrometer (OA-ICOS). Instrument-specific water corrections are employed for both the CRDS and OA-ICOS instruments in lieu of drying. The performance and measurement uncertainties are discussed in detail. As the station is located in a remote desert environment, there are some particular challenges, namely fine dust, high diurnal temperature variability, and minimal infrastructure. The gas handling system and calibration scheme were tailored to best fit the conditions of the site. The CRDS and DFCA provide data of acceptable quality when base requirements for operation are met, specifically adequate temperature control in the laboratory and regular supply of electricity. In the case of the OA-ICOS instrument, performance is significantly improved through the implementation of a drift correction through frequent measurements of a reference cylinder.

Heterosexism, the belief that heterosexual identities are superior to homosexual identities, is deeply embedded in educational institutions, including school-based agricultural education (SBAE). Negligible research exists developing impactful practices for queer students in SBAE programs. This study sought to describe the attitudes of post-secondary agricultural education students toward lesbian and gay identities to identify potential barriers to the inclusion of queer students in SBAE. A total of 119 students from 21 higher education institutions across 12 states completed the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men. The questionnaire evaluated attitudes related to rejection of proximity, pathologizing of homosexuality, modern heterosexism, and support. Findings from this study reveal students are relatively supportive of lesbian and gay individuals, but do not challenge heterosexist beliefs. Recommendations include further qualitative and intersectional investigations, greater curricular inclusion of queer experiences, and providing opportunities to challenge homophobic and heterosexist group norms.

When a fluid is confined to a nanopore, its thermodynamic properties differ from the properties of a bulk fluid, so measuring such properties of the confined fluid can provide information about the pore sizes. Here, we report a simple relation between the pore size and isothermal compressibility of argon confined in such pores. Compressibility is calculated from the fluctuations of the number of particles in the grand canonical ensemble using two different simulation techniques: conventional grand-canonical Monte Carlo and grand-canonical ensemble transition-matrix Monte Carlo. Our results provide a theoretical framework for extracting the information on the pore sizes of fluid-saturated samples by measuring the compressibility from ultrasonic experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE:: This study compared lipid peroxidation values in nonobese and obese postmenopausal women before and after acute maximal aerobic exercise (AX).METHODS:: Blood samples were collected in nonobese (22.1 ± 0.9% body fat) and obese (40.8 ± 0.9% body fat) women (61–75 yr, N = 34) before and immediately after a maximal graded treadmill test. Lipid hydroperoxides (PEROX), cholesterol, and thiol profiles were measured. Oxygen consumption (V̇O2), respiratory exchange ratios (RER), and minute ventilation (V̇E) values were determined before and during exercise.RESULTS:: PEROX levels were not different between the nonobese and obese groups at baseline (2.4 vs 2.8 nmol·mL, respectively) or post-AX (2.8 vs 3.2 nmol·mL, respectively) (P > 0.05). When expressed as ΔPEROX (nmol·mL)/ΔV̇O2 (mL·kg·min), to account for different exercise durations, the obese group had a greater lipid peroxidation response compared with the nonobese group (0.13 vs 0.02 (nmol·mL)·mL·kg·min, respectively; P < 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that when baseline PEROX and body fat values were controlled, age, exercise intensity, and duration were significant contributors to the ΔPEROX/ΔV̇O2 after AX (R = 0.536 P < 0.05).CONCLUSION:: For a given oxidative challenge (exercise-associated oxygen utilization), older, obese women were at a greater risk for oxidative stress compared with nonobese counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VINCENT, H. K., J. W. MORGAN, and K. R. VINCENT. Obesity Exacerbates Oxidative Stress Levels after Acute Exercise. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 36, No. 5, pp. 772'''779, 2004. INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE:: This study compared oxidative stress levels and antioxidant capacity in nonobese and obese participants after acute resistance (RX) and aerobic exercise (AX). METHODS:: Blood samples were collected from 28 nonobese (mean = 20.8% body fat) and obese (mean = 35.0% body fat) participants pre- and immediately post-RX and AX. Lipid hydroperoxides (PEROX), malondialdehyde (TBARS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured. Oxygen consumption (&OV0312;O2) and minute ventilation (&OV0312;E) values were determined during each exercise session. RESULTS:: In both groups, PEROX and TBARS were elevated post-RX and AX, with the greater elevations occurring in the obese group in each case (P < 0.05). In the obese, TBARS increased by 42% and 41% post-RX and AX, respectively, compared with 7.1% and 26.9% in the nonobese group. PEROX increased by 100% and 70% post-RX and AX, respectively, in the obese, and by 85% and 62% in the nonobese. TAS was 17% higher (P < 0.05) post-RX in the nonobese compared with the obese, whereas TAS values were not different post-AX. Peak and average &OV0312;E, and relative &OV0312;O2). rates were higher in the obese post-AX compared with the nonobese (P < 0.05) Correlations existed between the exercise-induced change in PEROX and body fat, vitamin C and A intake, peak oxygen consumption, and exercise ventilation rates in the obese group (r = 0.784'''0.776, P < 0.05). In both groups, the exercise-induced changes in PEROX were associated with vitamin C intake, exercise ventilation rates, &OV0312;O2peak, and plasma triglycerides (r = 0.669'''0.558, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:: Lipid peroxidation is elevated in both RX and AX, and it is exacerbated in the obese. The mechanisms underlying this response in each exercise may be different but could involve plasma triglycerides, oxygen consumption, and antioxidant intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which developed a reproduceable method for measuring the quality of clinical care provided by physicians and nurse practitioners. Methods; Results; Discussion.

IntroductionFoot strike pattern is often associated with running related injury and the focus of training and rehabilitation for athletes. The ability to modify foot strike pattern depends on awareness of foot strike pattern before being able to attempt change the pattern. Accurate foot strike pattern detection may help prevent running related injury (RRI) and facilitate gait modifications and shoe transitions. The purposes of this study were to determine the accuracy of self-reported foot strike pattern among endurance runners, to identify what factors were predictive of accurate foot strike detection and recent RRI.MethodsThis was a retrospective, cross-sectional study which included endurance runners (N = 710; 51.5% female; 35.4 ± 15.5 years; 51.6% were training competitively at the time of testing) with different running injury histories. Runners self-reported foot strike pattern [rearfoot, non-rearfoot (mid or forefoot), or “don't know”] and information about shoewear specifics. All runners performed a single session of running at self-selected speed on an instrumented treadmill with 3D motion capture and high-speed filming that verified actual foot strike. Logistic regression was used to predict accuracy of foot strike detection and RRI.ResultsOverall accuracy of foot strike detection was low (42.7%; p

# Background Unlike other sports, the relationship between performance deficits and pain/injury in lacrosse players has not been well-investigated. # Purpose The purposes of this study were to: 1) determine whether age and sex differences exist in dynamic physical function tests and drop jump performance among lacrosse players, and 2) determine whether pre-seasonal physical function scores predict onset of either lower extremity or low back pain over time. # Study Design Prospective observational study. # Methods Lacrosse players (N=128) were stratified into three groups: 12-14.9 yrs, 15-18 yrs and >18 yrs. Thomas test (hip flexibility), Ober's test (iliotibial band tightness), and Ely's test (rectus femoris tightness) were performed. Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) scores were collected while players performed drop jumps. Sagittal and frontal plane movement from 2D video during single and double legged squats was assessed. Musculoskeletal pain symptoms or injury were tracked for six months. Age bracket, sex and physical function scores were entered into logistic regression models to determine risk factors that predicted onset of lower extremity pain and low back pain onset. # Results LESS scores and single-leg squat movement quality test scores were lowest in the 12-14.9 yr groups and highest in the >18 yr group (all p

Abstract Background Patients seeking medical care for back pain often have coexisting painful joints and the effects of different combinations and number of coexisting pain sites (hip, knee, foot/ankle) to back pain on physical function domains and quality of life rating are not yet established. The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in functional outcomes and QOL among individuals with back pain who have concurrent additional pain sites or no pain sites. Methods Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) cohort were used for this cross-sectional analysis. Men and women aged 45–79 years with back pain were binned into nine groups by presence or not of coexisting hip, knee, ankle/foot pain and combinations of these sites (N = 1,642). Healthy controls reported no joint pain. Main outcomes included Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome score (KOOS; quality of life and function-sports-and-recreation), Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC; Activities of Daily Living, Pain), Medical Outcomes Short Form-12 (SF-12) Physical Component score, and self-reported function in last 7–30 days (lifting 25-pound objects, housework). 20-m and 400-m walk times and gait speed and repeated chair rise test times were collected. Results Compared to back pain alone, pain at all five sites was associated with 39%—86% worse KOOS, WOMAC, and SF-12 scores (p

IntroductionChronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is prevalent in older adults and confers significant risk for loss of independence and low quality of life. While obesity is considered a risk factor for developing chronic MSK pain, both high and low body mass index (BMI) have been associated with greater pain reporting in older adults. Measures of body composition that distinguish between fat mass and lean mass may help to clarify the seemingly contradictory associations between BMI and MSK pain in this at-risk group.MethodsTwenty-four older adults (mean age: 78.08 ± 5.1 years) completed dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and pain measures (Graded Chronic Pain Scale, number of anatomical pain sites, pressure pain threshold, mechanical temporal summation). Pearson correlations and multiple liner regression examined associations between body mass index (BMI), body composition indices, and pain.ResultsSignificant positive associations were found between number of pain sites and BMI (b = 0.37) and total fat mass (b = 0.42), accounting for age and sex. Total body lean mass was associated with pressure pain sensitivity (b = 0.65), suggesting greater lean mass is associated with less mechanical pain sensitivity.DiscussionThe results from this exploratory pilot study indicate lean mass may provide additional resilience to maladaptive changes in pain processing in older adults, and highlights the importance of distinguishing body composition indices from overall body mass index to better understand the complex relationship between obesity and MSK pain in older adults.