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Context: Fast visuomotor reaction time (VMRT), the time required to recognize and respond to sequentially appearing visual stimuli, allows an athlete to successfully respond to stimuli during sports participation, while slower VMRT has been associated with increased injury risk. Light-based systems are capable of measuring both upper- and lower-extremity VMRT; however, the reliability of these assessments are not known. Objective: To determine the reliability of an upper- and lower-extremity VMRT task using a light-based trainer system. Design: Reliability study. Setting: Laboratory. Patients (or Other Participants): Twenty participants with no history of injury in the last 12 months. Methods: Participants reported to the laboratory on 2 separate testing sessions separated by 1 week. For both tasks, participants were instructed to extinguish a random sequence of illuminated light-emitting diode disks, which appeared one at a time as quickly as possible. Participants were provided a series of practice trials before completing the test trials. VMRT was calculated as the time in seconds between target hits, where higher VMRT represented slower reaction time. Main Outcome Measures: Separate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine test–retest reliability for each task. The SEM and minimal detectable change values were determined to examine clinical applicability. Results: The right limb lower-extremity reliability was excellent (ICC2,1 =.92; 95% CI,.81–.97). Both the left limb (ICC2,1 =.80; 95% CI,.56–.92) and upper-extremity task (ICC2,1 =.86; 95% CI,.65–.95) had good reliability. Conclusions: Both VMRT tasks had clinically acceptable reliability in a healthy, active population. Future research should explore further applications of these tests as an outcome measure following rehabilitation for health conditions with known VMRT deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the test–retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) for the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) in healthy young adults using the Bertec Balance Advantage-Computerized Dynamic Posturography system (BBA-CDP) (Bertec Corporation). Methods: The SOT was administered to participants twice within 7 days. Computer-generated equilibrium scores for each of the six conditions and each trial were collected. Test–retest reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: The results suggest the SOT is a reliable measure to quantify postural control in healthy young adults when using three test trials for each condition (ICC = 0.81 to 0.91, MDC = 1.54 to 7.00). Reducing the number of test trials across the six conditions resulted in reliability estimates that ranged from poor to excellent (ICC = 0.44 to 0.89, MDC = 1.55 to 15.72). Conclusions: These results indicate that the SOT administered using the BBA-CDP is a reliable assessment of postural control in healthy young adults. Despite changes in the performance between trials, the reliability statistics demonstrated the stability of performance from assessment to assessment, suggesting these differences are more systematic. Additionally, the results provide methodological considerations to improve clinical application and interpretation of the SOT. [Athletic Training & Sports Health Care. 2021;13(3):103–110.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Puget Sound is a critical part of the Pacific Northwest, both culturally and economically. Eelgrass beds are an important feature of Puget Sound and are known to influence fish assemblages. As part of a larger site-characterization effort, and to gain a better understanding of the fish assemblages in Bellingham Bay, Washington, four eelgrass beds (Zostera marina) along the shoreline were surveyed. Fish were captured from 24 through 26 September 2019 by using three beach-seine hauls per eelgrass bed. In total, 12 hauls yielded 2,135 fish that comprised 20 species from 14 families. Shiner perch (Cymatogaster aggregata) accounted for 52 percent of the total catch. The other common species included three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus), saddleback gunnel (Pholis ornata), Pacific staghorn sculpin (Leptocottus armatus), and Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus). Total catch and species richness were highest at the two locations closest to the urban center of Bellingham; however, species diversity and evenness were highest at the two eelgrass beds farthest from the city center. Descriptions of fish assemblages in eelgrass beds are expected to be useful in the development of future process-based investigations by study partners and will focus on the movements of sediments and contaminants and their influence on biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For adult survivors of adverse childhood experiences, primary care is the entryway to treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated 25% of adult primary care patients have PTSD, and they present to their provider more often with pain and non-specific physical symptoms rather than mental health issues. Physicians, even those somewhat knowledgeable about trauma and PTSD, are unlikely to assess for it in order to avoid issues they may not have the time and/or skills to sufficiently address. This is due to PTSD treatment not being a core training competency in graduate-level education and professional training being timely and expensive. Usual care for PTSD consists of medication to manage symptoms and a referral to a mental health clinician. However, substantial disparities and patient, provider, and delivery system-level barriers means survivors are unlikely to follow-through with referrals nor receive adequate treatment when they do. In this theoretical article, we review the trials and tribulations experienced by research teams and argue what is lacking is trauma-informed care. None of the trials reviewed mentioned trauma-informed care as a component of their intervention nor as a recommendation for future studies. We also outline a host of recommendations for best practice protocols that benefit patients and the collaborative care teams meeting them where they are. Trauma-informed care deepens the focus on relational, physiological, and physical safety. Attention to soothing physiological arousal through the physician-patient-clinician triad creates more positive associations toward moving forward in treatment for survivors and providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the recent COVID‐19 pandemic, many clinicians have transitioned to telehealth‐based cognitive assessments as a practical alternative to in‐person evaluations. Meta‐analysis has shown that verbally‐mediated measures of cognition are the most easily adapted to telehealth administration, while measures that include visual or motor components are more variably impacted. The Oral Trail Making Test (O‐TMT) is one verbal measure of executive function that removes motor and visual demands. However, there is a dearth of research related to the use of the O‐TMT in cognitively impaired older adults to evaluate executive function. Therefore, this project aimed to examine the relationship between O‐TMT scores with other neuropsychological measures in individuals with cognitive impairment. Method: Forty‐one participants enrolled in the Emory Cognitive Empowerment Program underwent telehealth‐based neuropsychological assessment that included the O‐TMT. The O‐TMT is comprised of two parts. Part A requires individuals to count out loud from 1 to 25 and is primarily a measure of processing speed and simple attention. Part B requires individuals to alternate saying numbers and letters (1‐A, 2‐B, etc.) and is a measure of mental flexibility. Time to completion as well as total errors are captured during administration. Participants also completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) as a measure of global cognitive function, a measure of practical reasoning (Test of Practical Judgement), and a self‐report measure of cognitive change (Everyday Cognition). Correlational analyses were completed to examine the relationship between O‐TMT scores and global cognitive function, practical judgment, and subjective cognitive status. Results: The sample consisted of older adults (Mage = 72.84, SDage = 8.20) who were well‐educated (Myears = 16.07, SDyears = 2.22). O‐TMT Part B Time to Completion was moderately correlated with total MoCA score (r = ‐0.36, p = 0.03), such that slower performance was associated with poorer overall cognitive function. The O‐TMT was not significantly correlated with practical judgment or subjective cognitive status. Conclusion: Results of the current study indicate poorer performance on the O‐TMT part B is associated with poorer overall cognitive function on the MoCA. Future research should examine the sensitivity and specificity of the O‐TMT part B for individuals who are cognitively impaired. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endodeoxyribonuclease 1 (APE1, APEX1, REF1, HAP1) is an abasic site-specific endonuclease holding critical roles in numerous biological functions including base excision repair, the DNA damage response, redox regulation of transcription factors, RNA processing, and gene regulation. Pathologically, APE1 expression and function is linked with numerous human diseases including cancer, highlighting the importance of sensitive and quantitative assays to measure APE1 activity. Here, we summarize biochemical and biological roles for APE1 and expand on the discovery of APE1 inhibitors. Finally, we highlight the development of assays to monitor APE1 activity, detailing a recently improved and stabilized DNA Repair Molecular Beacon assay to analyze APE1 activity. The assay is amenable to analysis of purified protein, to measure changes in APE1 activity in cell lysates, to monitor human patient samples for defects in APE1 function, or the cellular and biochemical response to APE1 inhibitors., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Context: Fast visuomotor reaction time (VMRT), the time required to recognize and respond to sequentially appearing visual stimuli, allows an athlete to successfully respond to stimuli during sports participation, while slower VMRT has been associated with increased injury risk. Light-based systems are capable of measuring both upper- and lower-extremity VMRT; however, the reliability of these assessments are not known., Objective: To determine the reliability of an upper- and lower-extremity VMRT task using a light-based trainer system., Design: Reliability study., Setting: Laboratory. Patients (or Other Participants): Twenty participants with no history of injury in the last 12 months., Methods: Participants reported to the laboratory on 2 separate testing sessions separated by 1 week. For both tasks, participants were instructed to extinguish a random sequence of illuminated light-emitting diode disks, which appeared one at a time as quickly as possible. Participants were provided a series of practice trials before completing the test trials. VMRT was calculated as the time in seconds between target hits, where higher VMRT represented slower reaction time., Main Outcome Measures: Separate intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to determine test-retest reliability for each task. The SEM and minimal detectable change values were determined to examine clinical applicability., Results: The right limb lower-extremity reliability was excellent (ICC2,1 = .92; 95% CI, .81-.97). Both the left limb (ICC2,1 = .80; 95% CI, .56-.92) and upper-extremity task (ICC2,1 = .86; 95% CI, .65-.95) had good reliability., Conclusions: Both VMRT tasks had clinically acceptable reliability in a healthy, active population. Future research should explore further applications of these tests as an outcome measure following rehabilitation for health conditions with known VMRT deficits.